Just like twins

I had a random thought while going through years and years of pictures trying to get them organized. My sister and I look like twins...
Well except everyone thinks she is older... she has brown hair... and brown eyes...

One time, when we were in Florida a woman came up and asked us if we were twins...
Right...
Although most people ask if we have the same Mom and Dad!

Twins or not I love her!

Back in the land of the living

Well the last few days has turned out a little different than we anticipated. Last Thursday Bryan and I were planning to drive down to Kansas City to surprise Janell and so Bryan could interview there. Thursday morning brought coughing, sneezing, nose blowing and stuffiness. So, we had to cancel. Bryan got it first and then generously passed it on to me the next day. Through the weekend we were quite a pair, passing the Kleenex and the juice.

Bryan had to leave yesterday for his trip to Milwaukee and then on to Chicago for interviews there. So I stayed home from work yesterday to recoop. It paid off and I feel a lot better today. But this was not a fun cold.

I was so sad that I wasn't able to see the Doudrick family. I even planned ahead and set things up with Jeff... oh well, I guess it will have to be another weekend!

So I have been out of commission for the last few days but I am back and hit with the realization that I have some serious Christmas shopping to do. And it begins tonight, at Patina...

*Christmas cards are a little delayed due to the traveling and cold season, but they're coming, PROMISE!

Trip Updates

Well, it's been quite a whirlwind the last week or so. Here is a brief update:
Bryan got back home on Saturday night, and we left on Sunday for Cleveland around
5am, we got to Chicago and then found out our flight was canceled and rescheduled for the next morning. We were on stand-by for two flights and finally got on one around 11pm, which put us in Cleveland around 1am. Bryan had to get up at 6am for his interview at 7am!
During the interview I was working on booking an earlier flight out of Cleveland to Vermont since the storm was moving east. So I ordered room service (a big salad and diet coke) and started calling.
I got us out that night and we arrived in Vermont monday night around 1am, luckily all we had the next day was dinner with the residents.

~We had an amazing vaction/interviewing which was so nice because we had not spent more than a couple days together and no one else was around!

~We visited Stowe, the little ski town which was beautiful. We also visited the Trapp family lodge, which was where the Von Trapp's moved when they left Austria! It was cool and had a great view!

~We also ate at this weird restaurant that was fully of dog stuff... pictures, curtains, names of food... you name it. But they had beer so Bryan was happy. (That is him with his beer and the dog candle holder!)

We had a wonderful time, and it was nice to be together and not have anyone else around! Here are some pictures from our trip!

One for the road...

Bryan should be flying in tomorrow from Portland in the afternoon.(If this storm doesn't stop him) And then Sunday early morning we leave for Cleveland and then off to Vermont for interviews and a mini vacation for us. We will be back on Friday, Dec. 7th, just in time for Bryan's interview at the U on Saturday.

This is one of my favorite pictures...




We're off!!!

Waiting Rooms...

Since all of the scary surgery things are over I felt like now I could talk a little about the waiting room during my mom and Jimmy's surgery.

First off, my sister and Bryan and I got there in enough time to go in while they prepped mom. During this they get her all gowned up, and the anesthesiologist comes in. It was a resident and a med student. They ask questions and look for where they would like to start the IV. We were there in the little room, we were talking and Bryan was trying to log into the computer!

My mom has invisable veins so it took quite a few pokes before they called the attending who put in what they call an "infant size" needle to get something started. Luckily, I have my dad's veins, which are huge and you can't miss them!

We sat and waited and my mom's parents and two sisters came back to say hi to her and to Jimmy. Before she left my mom walked over to where Jimmy was being prepped and they kissed and went on their own ways. (I think it was much too emotional to even say anything)

Then we said our good-bye's and I love you's and they took my mom, she had her MP3 player that they let her have while she was going out and when she was waking up. (This was to try and calm the nerves!)

Then we started the fun time of WAITING... we the nice waiting room and after they prepped Jimmy everyone gathered.
Picture this: Me, Noelle, Bryan, my grandparents, Uncle Chris, Aunt Teri, Aunt Mary Jule, Aunt Becky (Jimmy's wife), my cousin Jaclyn, cousins Emily (and Brock) and Kelly (Jimmy's kids) and grandma and grandpa. And then my friend Meghan came to hang out, she is a resident at the U and she came on her day off!

So we took up a large part of the room, we made a little circle, it was nice!
Jaclyn brought Green Mill pizza and cookies for lunch. (Thank goodness for MJ & Jaclyn working there!)

But the tough part, waiting. It was nice to have other people as a distraction, but you could feel the tension when the phone would ring. They would give us periodic updates what they were doing, where they were at etc. Even though you know things are going well, every time that phone rings, you can feel it.

Everytime the annoying waiting room volunteer would come over- people could not pretend they weren't nervous.

Since there were so many of us my mom wanted me to take pictures of the "party" that she was missing, so here they are:







Since things are going well, it is much easier to look back and be okay, but it took quite a while before I was able to talk about it without getting choked up.

It's going to be a wonderful Christmas!

Brock made the Blog!!

This is my cousin's little boy, Brock. He is making his blog debut!
(See Em, he made the blog!)

Thankful

~The Thanksgiving table at my parents house, formerly known as my Grandparent's house! My Grandparents always talked about how important setting the table is and making it a beautiful place to eat, talk and laugh!



~This is one of my favorite pictures. This is my mom's family, all her brothers and sisters and their parents! As you can see, my uncle Jimmy is taking my mom's kidney in the picture! How perfect!

*This year really brings a whole new meaning of being thankful for our family. We found out yesterday that Jimmy's numbers look good and he is able to stay at home and not have to keep coming down to the hospital to get blood tests! So now they have a health aid come out to do that and he is at home!
Now that is something to be thankful for!

~What I am thankful for this year~
*My husband- dealing with the stress of interviews and is able to be himself!
*My sister and Rian- thank goodness for Rian, he makes me sister so happy and that makes me happier than I can say! And my sister's ability to roll with the punches, and being able to read my mind. We can have a half a conversation that no one understands but us!
*My parents- like always, they are there for us, emotionally, financially and just wonderful!
*Health- my mom's, Jimmy's, and our whole family.
*Family- during the last few weeks with everything going on, it's so comforting to have your family there. To have them during the days and moments of so much stress, it's nice to have them there to lean on.
*My friends- who are the best! No matter what is going on in their lives, when you need them they are there, and you can't ask for more than that!
*This is the last Christmas in our apartment and caretaking. I am so glad we did it and saved ourselves a lot of money, but I am so glad that it is coming to an end!
*My job- I love it, I love who I work with, what I do and the people I get to interact with on a daily basis!
*Life- I have a wonderful life and I am thankful for that!

So, your turn, what are YOU thankful for?

Have a very happy, yummy and safe Thanksgiving!!

My sister has a blog...

It is too hard to resist the Blog world, and so, another one bites the dust!
Since my computer doesn't let me add links here is her blog:
http://noellemarie-piecesofme.blogspot.com/

Love you!

P.S. Does anyone watch The Bachelor? Wow!

Interview season

So far Bryan has interviews at the following places:

~U of MN
~Mayo Clinic
~Kansas City
~Medical College of WI
~Yale
~Pittsburgh
~Vermont
~Cleveland Clinic
~Seattle (I forgot the name of the hospital)
~Portland
~Seattle
~Nebraska

We will be dropping a couple of these cities since it gets quite expensive to fly and stay in all of these cities in a month's time. I will be going to Clevland and Vermont and we will stay in Vermont for a few days.

*Bryan is currently at Mayo doing an anesthesia rotation and will interview there in the next couple weeks.
*Then he is off in December to travel and interview at all of these places.
*February we give them our rank list and wait until March.

~Things are starting to get back to normal, a little. Jimmy is still in the hospital and having some complications but we're hoping that after the follow up surgery yesterday they found the problem and he will be home for Thanksgiving. So please keep him in your prayers. My mom is home recovering and looking great, just worried about Jimmy.

~This week finally feels like things are getting back to normal, now I'm just waiting for a phone call from Janell and the new baby!

A couple thank you's...

I wanted to take the time to thank the people who have really helped me out through this. First of all...
~CONOR & AMY: Thank you for coming to my grandma's wake. I didn't realize how much support I needed until I had two people there who were for ME. It was a long night of taking care of my mom and trying to not think about why we were really there. Your support meant the world to me and seeing you both there really reminded me what good friends you are. You just showed up, I didn't have to ask, you just knew that I needed it and you did it. I love you both so much! Thank you for the sweet card, it didn't make me cry like the email, thank goodness, I couldn't take much more of that!
And Ame, your parents are so sweet, sending my mom a beautiful bouquet!

~JANELL: For being the farthest away I felt all your prayers and thoughts. Not that you don't have anything else on your mind right now. You called me to check up on me, even knowing that I might not be able to talk. You called my mom, and of course cried! You know when to call and what to say and I love you for that!

CARRIE: Thank you for making food for my parents and the sweet card to my mom. Thank you for the card for me, I needed it and it helped so much. Thank you for calling and listening. Thank you for giving updates to the people who called, since I wasn't up to talking about it two more times.

BETH: Thank you for the sweet card, my sister saw it on my table and felt so happy that you included her- I really appreciate it!

Thank you so much! This has been a really difficult time for me and my family.

My Mom is doing well and recovering at home.
My Unlce is still in the hospital. He had a mass next to the kidney that they had to drain. They think that the mass was putting pressure on the kidney and that's why it wasn't working as well as it should be. So hopefully the numbers will start to get better and he can go home soon. Please keep him in your prayers.

All of this makes you realize the wonderful people in your life and what's really important. Don't take one day for granted.

A very long four days...

I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for my family during my mom and uncle's surgery. Everything went well. My mom is home resting and getting stronger! My uncle should be out of the hospital today or tomorrow.

To add to the stress of two relatives in surgery at the same time, we had to go to my grandma's house Thursday night while the priest came to give my grandma (My dad's mom) last rights. She passed on Saturday night at home.

It's been a very stressful, emotional and busy few days, to say the least. Bryan had to leave last night for Rochester where he is doing a rotation at Mayo. But he should be able to come back for the funeral on Wednesday.

So thank you for all your thoughts and prayers... keep 'em coming!

My grandma's obit:
http://www.legacy.com/twincities/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=97341752

Happy Halloween from Children's Hospital!

This is my co-worker Molly and myself!

(the benefits of working at a Children's Hospital, everyone dresses up!)

Happy Halloween/Kidney giving/receiving Day!

Well Thursday is the day! Thursday morning my mom and uncle will go in to the hospital at 5:30am and get prepped for surgery around 7am. The surgery should last anywhere from 4-5 hours for both.

The surgery will be done at Fairview University and my mom should be at the hospital 3-5 days.

The whole family is coming down for the surgery which will be nice to take everyone's mind off what's going on and how long it lasts. I am very lucky that my friend Meghan whos is a resident at the U has the day off and is planning to come down and hang out for a couple hours.

Bryan wants to go early to meet the anesthesiologist and get settled in.

So we should be at the hospital around 6am, and I think it's going to be a long day. My cousin is bringin pizza around lunch time for all the family that will be there.

Please keep my mom, Debra and my Uncle, Jimmy in your thoughts and prayers on Thursday and for the next few weeks.

Oh, and Happy Halloween!

Weekend Cleaning

This weekend was all about relaxing, cleaning and studying.
Friday after work Bryan and I had to turn over a three bedroom apartment. Bry and I usually have our designated area's but since Bryan had to get back to studying I tried to take over some of his. I learned how to put a toilet seat on, anyone else know how to do that? Yeah, it was awesome!
So after the apartment was done, 3 hours later, bryan went back to studying and I went upstairs to relax.
Saturday was spent sleeping in, doing lots of laundry, showing two apartments and cleaning our apartment. I showed two apartments and then was able to go visit Bryan at Caribou for 15 minutes or so while he took a study break. Saturday night my sister and Laura had a little party at their place and then went out in St. Paul. I made it up for the party, and we played Battle of the Sexes. (And I lost my voice from yelling the questions over everyone's talking.) After they all left for the bar I went home and relaxed.
Sunday I vacuumed the building and did some scrapbooking, while watching lots of movies.
During all of this Bryan was studying... at Caribou, Library, White Rock... lots of different places depending on what time it was. I'll be happy when it's over, next Friday.

~On the interview front, Bryan has been offered three interviews so far and one is Vermont which we were really hoping about. It is Dec 5, and since they pay for one night at the Hilton we are going to stay a few and make a mini vacation out of it. I'm excited! I've never really been out to the east coast.
That's about it for now... Have a great Monday!

My little sister is 25 today!

I wanted to add some pictures of my sister since today is her birthday!
She is my best friend and I love her very much!
And look how much we look alike? Brown hair, brow eyes, taller than me!

Love you Nose!

Been a while...

*This is to start getting into the holiday mood...Halloween here we come...!

Well I suppose I should update this. Not much has been going on, so not much to write about. I had a nice weekend. I had dinner with my friend Jess on Friday and then Saturday I worked, Bryan and I are at the Liffey and went to the Wild game (they won!). Sunday Bryan and I went to breakfast at the Highland Grill and then went to the new Ben Stiller movie. It was really weird to spend so much time together, I don't think we have since our anniversary. Is this what normal couples do? Weird!

Other than that not much is going on with us. Bryan is studying for his Step 2 boards and being a great "house husband." It's always nice when you come home from a long day at work to your laundry all done and groceries stocked in the fridge! I could get used to this but I won't because I know it won't last!

I am enjoying this fall weather finally, it should never be 80 in October, am I right?

My Mom got her "free ticket into heaven" card approved!

Some of you probably know that my mom has been going through the process to see if she is a match to donate her kidney to her brother, Jimmy. She got the news today that she is a match and they are going to do the surgery. They are scheduled to go in on November 1st for the surgery. It is very exciting, scary and crazy! My Uncle has been on dialysis for a couple months after they found out that his only kidney has stopped working. My mom had a feeling that she was going to be able to donate after she found out they have the same blood type. From there they did numerous tests, and was pretty much checked out from head to toe!

So it is final and they have a date! So please, everyone keep my mom and my uncle in your prayers, especially November 1st, which is also All Saints Day!

My mom always joked about figuring out how she can for sure get into heaven and she found her answer! How funny is that?

Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers! There are seven kids in her family all married and most with kids so there is a lot of family going through all of this. My Uncle Jimmy is married and has three kids, 28, 26, 24 and a brand new grandchild who is 4 months old. Lots to live for!

Thank you!!

I'm no doctor, but look what I can do!

*Random Image*

What I call a "med school moment"

If you're not firmilar with these they are moments of high stress, anger, anxiety, sadness and PMS and it's all wrapped in one 5'2 package. It was one of those days where everything goes wrong. Picture this...

I come home from work and pick up my prepared meals from Sociale. (I recommend this if you eat along a lot because you just heat it up and eat and then the next person can just warm it up when they get home) I took the meals home and put them away. Then I got a call from Bryan who was at work. He told me that his day off this weekend is Friday. He has to work Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is my grandma's birthday, and Sunday is my parent's 30th anniversary and we are having brunch.

Now usually this doesn't bother me, I'm pretty used to going to family things on my own but it was just something about this day.

So I get off the phone and decide that I need to go to the grocery store to pick up everyday stuff. It's raining, I have to go to the store, and I'm crabby.
I get the stuff I need and fit it in 4 bags that I can carry on my own plus toilet paper. I get out to the car and as I open the door I step in the biggest puddle you have ever seen. So I throw the bags in the car, curse a little... well a lot and drive home. As I'm putting the groceries away I notice that one of my yogurts is dented (normally not a big deal but...)and then as I'm putting stuff away a yogurt falls off the counter and hits me on the head. At this point I've had it- I put the stuff away and throw- THROW the toilet paper into the bathroom.

I bought a little Betty Crocker one serving cake thing at the store and I sit down to eat it and watch Weeds. I am not letting myself answer the phone since it would be scary for anyone on the other end.

Bryan gets home from work late and I am in no mood. None of this is his fault but because I married him, it's his fault now! He is calm like always and tells me about his day of saving lives and poking people in the ICU. He loves it, which makes this all so much worse! I mean it's good, he never complains and really loves what he's doing. But it's hard when he's never home and he spends all his time with sick people! Stupid sick people, with their being sick!!!

All in all I need to just let it out at times and then let it go. It seems to help, so thanks for bearing with me!
Luckily I have the greatest husband that never complains and makes the time we do spend together really special!

Thank you for reading and next time you go to the doctor, ask them if they're married and then tell your doctor to thank their spouse!
Now everyone- go do your homework!

Random Picture

Since I don't have a little one yet I have to get my fix from friends!

Thanks Kat and Annastasia

On Friday, I was BITTEN

I had Friday off and so I decided to go and find Sarah Jessica Parker's new line, Bitten. I was in heaven! SJP is basically my hero; she's short, funny, has a big nose and has great clothes. So much in common!!!

I bought so much and it is all so cute. It is not very flashy, not like what she wore on Sex and the City but it is my style. Simple, cute and comfy! Nothing is over $20, so you can imagine how much I bought! I highly recommend it, I'm pretty sure I bought half of her fall line!

~Friday night we had a wedding for Bryan's old neighbor, which was nice, but it's always hard when the only people you know at the wedding are in the wedding.

~Saturday I had coffee with Nicole and then went to Randy's service which was amazing. He was quite the guy and had so many wonderful people there. He was in a band, "Two and a Half Brains"- funny huh? So all of the music at the service was his, he sang and wrote it all. But we all had our potato chips and raised them to Randy. It was a really powerful and spiritual service. Tears and all.

After the service my mom and I were driving home and stopped at a couple Parade of Homes, which is always fun!

Bryan got home from work and we went out to eat with Conor and Amy at Granite City Brewery which was lots of fun! Thanks guys!

Sunday = Football, but not for me, so my mom and I went to open houses to start looking!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. My sister and I are off to the Twins game tonight so my husband can work on application stuff!

Have a great week!

New Music...

My radio doesn't work in my new office so I am in desperate need of new CD's. If you have a minute, please let me know what you are listening to right now and some good suggestions!

Thanks!

Weekend Ramblings...

Sometimes it is so nice to not have any plans. This past weekend was like that and it felt great! Friday night I went to dinner with Meghan Sebasky, a friend from college who is now am Internal Med. resident at the U. It was nice to get caught up and chat. She told me that they have asked her to be Chief Resident at the U. Which is a very big deal! I was very happy and proud of her, then I found some pictures from college... we look 12 and she definetly doesn't look like a doctor! But they are so fun to look back on!

Saturday I worked, which was quiet and not bad at all. Saturday night I was crabby... no reason for it, just not fun to be around!! 'Nough said!

Sunday I went to my yoga class, I took the summer off because it was so busy but I'm glad to be back. I am sure paying for it today- I can hardly move...anything!
And after yoga my sister and I went to my parents, so that Bryan could stay at our place to finish up his residency application. Noelle, mom and I went shopping and Noelle found a cute dress! Sunday night I walked with Sarah and we got caught up on our weekends.

I hurried home so I could watch Britney on the VMA's. I admit it, I wanted to see it. She is a trainwreck, but I love her music- it's the best workout music I have. Plus it reminds me of getting ready to go out in college...ahhh good times, from what I remember! I am sad about Britney's lack of performance, she had a chance to come back and she lost it. Oh, well, I still have that CD to listen to while I'm treadmillin' it!

Hope you all had a good and much more exciting weekend!!

P.S. Fall is here and I'm so happy about it! Bring on the sweatshirts and jeans!

We will miss you Rand...

On Memorial Day my dad's friend Rand, who was a good friend of our families, lost his battle with brain cancer. Here is an article that KARE 11 wrote today and it also has the previous story they did on Rand. He was a great guy, and I was blessed to be able to have him at my wedding, the last time I saw him. That was very special. I am going to dig up the great picture we have with Rand while we were at the Twins Parade for the 1991 World Series, it's a great one!

Please read!

http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=264094

Slowly moving into adulthood...

In a matter of a week Bryan and I made two large purchases. The first was a couch and love seat from Slumberland. We were still using my parent's furniture from the early 90's. Now we have cumfy, plush, taupe colored furniture and I love it! It was a great buy- buy a couch get a free love seat, you can't beat that deal!

Our next large purchase was a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Upland edition. It has all the bells and whistles, including (my favorite feature) pedal adjustment. This is the most wonderful invention for short people who don't want to have the steering wheel up in their face! It is very fun to drive, but more fun to see how happy it makes Bryan. He has wanted this car since he was 16! I will post a picture later!

Side Note:

~They tell medical students that they need to be okay with delayed gratification because by the time you are done with school, your friends have been working for at least 4 years. I always understood this and knew what I was getting into when I married a medical student but until now, I haven't had that feeling. I think when you don't know what you're missing you don't miss it! Now that we're in a better place and know that in the next year Bryan will have a paycheck and we will have a house I understand what they mean. I have these beautiful couches and a small apartment to put them in. Along with a beautiful Jeep and a pretty small, run down garage... I am not complaining, although I don't know how complaining would sound any different! I guess it just makes me more anxcious for the future, and it just can't come soon enough. The anticipation is killing me!

I know the holidays will be a great distraction between Halloween, Thanksgiving, CHRISTMAS, New Years... and then Match in March. The time should fly by!!!

I need to wear a sign...

that explains this medical school/residency/doctor plan. I probably get asked at least once a day what this process is so... here it goes:

*Right now Bryan is applying to about 30 residency programs throughout the country.
*In December he will interview at about 10 of them.
*In February we will need to hand in our ranking of these 10 programs.
*The programs also rank the students- and there is some mathmatical equation they use to match programs to students.
*March 20, 2008 is "Match Day" this day at noon we will be handed an envelop that will tell us where we matched and where Bryan will be doing his 4 year anesthesia residency.
*May 2008, Bryan will graduate and officailly be an M.D. (Scary, YES!)
*June 2008, Bryan will start residency where ever we are matched.

FAQ's:
-Bryan will start to get a paycheck in June.
-He is NOT getting paid now.
-We are not guaranteed to match in MN.
-He is doing anesthesiology and the residency is 4 years.

~Please let me know if I have missed out on any other questions! It is a long, strange and confusing process and I just wish it was easier to explain!

Have a great day!
-

Pass it on...

I saw this on Kim's blog and thought it was cool. And an easy way to post without thinking too much about what to post about today. :)

20 years ago I...
1. Was getting back from our cabin on Gull Lake
2. Met Nicole for the first time
3. had Mrs. Motalinski and she started calling me Beth, that stuck for 7 more years!

10 years ago I...
1. Went to a Twins game for my birthday and had a b-day wish on the Jumbo Tron
2. Just started hanging out with Bryan- wow 10 years ago?!?!?!?
3. Worked at a flower shop

5 years ago I...
1. Finally decided on a major
2. Was living in Duluth!
3. Thought I had it all figured out

3 years ago I...
1. had just gotten engaged
2. was living at home, with my parents in our old house
3. was starting to build my bridesmaid dress collection

1 year ago I...
1. had just gone to Lutsen for our anniversary
2. was starting to get settled in my current job that I love!
3. was my aunt's birth coach

So far this year I...
1. Kept a job for longer than a year
2. My sister moved in our building so we now have "grown up" bunk beds
3. Sometimes see my husband!

Yesterday I...
1. Went to two bars!
2. Saw Tony and Julie and comiserated about the medical process we love so much!
3. Had some of my homemade banana bread from Carrie's mom's recipe

Today I...
1. Went out to lunch with Naomi
2. Dropped my sister off at the bus
3. Had a lot of coffee

Tomorrow I...
1. Will be looking for Jeep's
2. Will see my husband!
3. Will go for a walk

In the next year I...
1. Will know where we will be for the next 4 years
2. Will buy a house
3. Will have a paycheck from my husband!

I would love to read more of these so pass them on!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Warning: Please ignore the complaining, but it makes such a catchy post.

We received a letter a month or so about the construction that will be going on at the airport and that there will be some re-routing of planes. They have been re-routed, directly above our apartment!

So not only do we live on a semi-busy street, and the train track behind our apartment is running back and forth from the Ford Plant, but now we have planes!

Believe me, I am lucky that we have a nice apartment, that we caretake to keep down the rent and that we have a garage. But all of these elements make me even more excited and ready to find a house. So, when we know where we will be matched (March 20th) then I will be on the hunt. Probably on March 22nd!

Thank you for listening to this rant! Have a great day!

Nice Weekend

Friday after work Bryan and I thought we would look around a little at cars. Well, good news we found the car we wanted, bad news it's a Highlander and we can't afford that. After debating back and forth about whether we should get a car or an SUV, we decided that I think it will be a Jeep after all. It is in our price range and we only need it to make it 4-5 years with minimal problems. We figured that in the next 4-5 years (and I guess the rest of his career) Bryan is going to need to get to work in any weather and I would prefer that he have a vehicle that he can trust to get him through the snow late at night. So, now comes the fun part- paying for it!

Saturday I went with Sarah to try on bridesmaid dresses, and we think we may have found a winner! Then we had lunch at Wild Onion.

Sunday we had a wedding shower for my cousin's fiance at my parents house, so lots of helping and cleaning up! During the shower Bryan and Rian (my sister's boyfriend) went to the Twins game, to see Santana get the Twins record for most strike outs- 17 to be exact! Then they met my sister and I back at our apartment and the four of us played Wii all night! It was really fun- tennis is the best!

All in all it was a busy but fun weekend... I'm looking for some new CD's to listen to at work because the radio doesn't work in our new basement office! I just bought Plain White T's and Joss Stone, any other suggestions?

Updated blog

So we love, love, love the Toyota's but they are just so much more expensive. Our family has always had Toyota's but at this point, in our price range we are looking at 100,000 miles. We need this new car to get us through residency, so five years.

Ahhhhh!!!

Looking for a mid-sized SUV... HELP!

Recently Bryan and I have realized that his 1998 Ford Taurus may have to go. He bought it when we first started dating... in high school. We could put money into it but this winter he is going to be doing a lot of driving for residency interviews and I don't want him stuck in the middle of nowhere in December.

So, we have been looking at Jeep Grand Cherokee's, and other mid sized SUV's, but I am really open to suggestions. So please let me know, good or bad any suggestions or vehicles to stay away from.

Thanks!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Birthday- I'm old! (27)

Last Thursday was my birthday but when I arrived back to work on Monday my co-worker had done this to my desk in our new office. So until Thursday I had balloons everywhere!

And a couple little gifts for our new office!!

On my actual birthday I went out to lunch with a group of people from work, which was fun! The plan for that evening was to go to the Liffey with my parents and Bryan but while I was driving home from work I got a pretty bad migrane. I came home and tried to sleep it off but no such luck. Instead Bryan cooked dinner and bought me a little cake, with a candle to blow out and everything! Bryan bought me a lavendar eye pillow thing that you heat up that helps for headaches, and he also bought me the blanket that goes with it! I can't wait to use it this winter!

Then on Sunday we had a little BBQ at my parents and had some friends and family come! It was a great time even though my parents did not have power! The storm on Friday knocked the power out and it was still out on Sunday night!

So all in all it has been a very busy couple weeks, with our office moving, trip to Chicago, Katherine's new arrival and my birthday. I'm beat, I think I need a vacation...

Kat and Adam's new arrival!

The day we arrived back in MN Carrie and I drove to go meet Kat and Adam's new little girl, Anastasia Marian.

Pink bow and all!!

Chicago

I am not going to write much about Chicago, but here is one of my favorite pictures from the whole fun weekend!

Thanks ladies for a great girls weekend!!

*If you'd like to learn more about the weekend to Chicago please refer to Carrie or Janell's blog!

I'm a bad blogger...

The weekend before Chicago I invited Kat, Erin, Rowan, Daylen, Tiff, Brian, Addie and my mom to go to the Como Zoo. We had a blast! Here are some fun pictures from the day!

Rowan and I next to the statue of a gorilla- it was a little too close for comfort for Ro!

Bryan and Rowan

Erin, Daylen and Tiff relaxing after a hot day at the zoo!

Beautiful little Addie


It was a very successful day at the zoo. Everyone had a good time and slept well that night!

Why I love my job...

Today our staff were a little short handed so for a couple hours this afternoon this is what I did:

*Learned how to use a snowcone machine, grinded the ice (which was very theraputic), scooped the cones, and topped them with grape flavored juice.

*But the best part was being able to pass them out to families and patients.

Sometimes I forget what I great job I have, but not today!

Micheal Buble

The picture does speak for itself, don't ya think?

*On Saturday night my sister and I got all dressed up, heels and all and went to the Micheal Buble concert. It was so awesome! I love his music, but was happily surprised with what a good show he puts on. Even more adorable, he called two people up to the stage and the man got down on his knee and proposed! Micheal then ushered them backstage where he had a bottle of wine for them.*

It was a great concert and I would definetly see him in concert again!

For all you Twins fans...

Cuddyer signing my sister, Noelle.
Tony and Noelle
Cuddyer and Noelle
Justin and Noelle

*Noelle's friend Laura was able to throw out the first pitch at the game on Tuesday and Noelle was able to go down to the field for batting practice, as you can see they had a good time!

Something to celebrate!

Last night Bryan came home from his 16 hour day to report that he had officially delivered his first baby! It was a girl! So we had some champagna in scrubs and p.j.'s and toasted to babies!

The weekend

What a fun weekend! Friday night, Carrie came down and we went to the Twins game. Her hubby and his baseball team were also there. After the game we decided to go to the Liffey because Carrie had never seen their terrace. We had some drinks and a fruit and cheese plate and then called it a night.
The next morning we met Anne for breakfast at the Highland Grill. We ate a lot and Carrie had a burrito the size of her head. We of course stopped at Patina and Stephanie's to shop!
After breakfast Carrie and I made our way to Le Center. Oh, you don't know where that is? Yeah, either did we! But we made it in one piece and had a great time celebrating Amber's wedding shower! Only a few weeks until the big day! Even though it was a wedding shower there were sure a lot of babies and babies on the way. Above is Tiffany, Kat and Janell all at different stages of pregnancy- aren't they adorable?!?!

And below is a great picture of all the girls- we are very lucky to have each other!!

Thanks for such a great weekend ladies!! Can't wait to see you for the wedding!

4th of July/ Anniversary Break!

Where do I begin? I was very lucky to be able to have July 4- July 8th off from work! I have great pictures from the whole break but I will have to add later due to a smoking computer that my dad is fixing!!

July 4th: I went to visit the family that I used to PCA for and I don't think I had seen since my wedding. The boys are getting big and the family is doing well. Having two special needs children is a very full time job and they are amazing at it!
Then I went to my Grandma and Grandpa's new town home for food and gin & tonics. (My grandpa makes the best gin & tonic's and never drinks them!)
Bryan had to study for his upcoming tests so I stayed out of the house until 8pm or so to let him study. Then we grabbed a drink and app's at Moose Country and saw some fireworks from there.

July 5th: I decided to make the little trip out to St. Michael and Elk River to visit Kat and Erin and all of their children! It was so wonderful to see Kat, her girls and her growing belly! And as always, it was very entertaining to visit Erin and play with Rowan, and get some pictures of Daylen.

July 6th: I waited for Bryan to come home after his second test so we could head up to Duluth. He got home at a decent time and we were up at Little Angie's drinking margaritia's on the deck by 3. We stayed at the South Pier Inn, and not the Super 8 like Bryan had told me. Our "honeymoon suite" was so beautiful, there were windows everywhere and it was so relaxing. We ate, walked on the Lakewalk and read a lot. It was such a nice break to have to celebrate our second wedding anniversary!

July 9th (our actual anniversary): Bryan started his OB rotation today so I was going to make a yummy meal and we were going to crack a bottle of champagna and hang out. Instead I went home from work sick and stayed on the couch all day. Bryan checked my glands just to make sure and then went grocery shopping. He also picked up a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a card. Now that is a good husband!

All in all it was a wonderful break and I was so spoiled to see so many people I love! I will add pictures soon- I have so many good ones!

Happy Birthday Dad!

*Sunday we celebrated my Dad's birthday with a brunch on a boat while cruising around Lake Minnetonka. It was nice and relaxing to hang out, eat and talk on a perfect day!

*This is one of my favorite pictures of us! Happy Birthday Dad!

*Friday I had a nice dinner with Dr. Meghan Sebasky. It was so nice having martini's in Uptown and getting caught up! I can't believe she's a doc!

*Saturday morning was spent cleaning an apartment and spending quality time with my husband. Then I went to Caribou in the afternoon and started my new book, "The Glass Castle." After that I decided I needed to get my baby fix and went to see my little Caleb. I tried to get him to walk but he is stubborn and only gave me one step! I stayed out of the apartment so that Bryan could study without me as a distcraction!

*All in all it was a nice weekend but I am looking forward to this coming weekend. Bryan and I are going to Duluth for our anniversary after his test on Friday. But we will be back Monday so he can start his OB rotation. Can't wait!

Bryan

My Husband= Amazing

Medicine = Pain in my...



Let's take yesterday for example:

7 am: Bryan goes to work- I'm still sleeping.

11:30 pm: Bryan comes home from work an hour and a half late- I'm sleeping.

11:40 pm: I ask Bryan when he is coming to bed and he proceeds to explain all of the things that he needs to research and study for tomorrow, when he starts again at 7am.

12:30 am: I check to see if he fell asleep on the couch (which tends to happen), but no he is still on the computer researching.

1:30 am: I think this is when he came to bed but I was sleeping.

6:00 am ish: Bryan gets up- I'm still sleeping.

7:00 am: Bryan comes in to kiss me before he leaves for work- I'm still sleeping.

8:00 am: I get up to go to work- I'm done sleeping.



With all of this happening, I never hear one complaint, he is not crabby, he just does his work and tries to do his best. He works his butt off, doesn't complain, and still has time to say I love you, good morning and good night.

I am very lucky and blessed to have him as my husband!

A peanut butter story

So, this morning I am minding my own business, having my bagel and peanut butter. I put the peanut butter on the bagel, get my water, sit down and am ready to eat. I pick up the bagel, attempt to put it in my mouth... but no! It slips out of my hand, and lands smack in the middle of my black pants. Now this bagel could of hit half of my pant leg, or grazed the side, but no, it couldn't of gotten more peanute butter on there if I had planned it. Of course this happens at 9:00am so all day, people have told me that I have some "dust or something" on my pant leg.

WOW- that's all I have to say- WOW!

Girls Weekend 2007

This past weekend was the official Girls Weekend, since the last one didn't work out quite as we had hoped! We made our way to Wisconsin, and spent a wonderful weekend talking about weddings, relationships, babies and college memories. I really cherish these times and it reminds me how lucky we are to have such a large, strong network of friends. It is growing by the day, with babies and marriages on the way! While I was looking at some pictures that were sent out to all of us from the weekend a co-worker glanced over and saw them. She commented what a large group of friends and how nice that must be.

Sometimes we take things for granted, but after this weekend it is easy to remember how lucky we all are. It is rare to find such wonderful friends, and ever more rare to find time to see them all! I am glad that we take time out of our busy lives to spend some time together, away from significant others, jobs, babies and life in general.

Thank you ladies: Amber, Amy, Beth, Carrie, Erin, Janell, Kat, Kelly, Suzie, Tiffany.

Holiday Weekend

This weekend was so nice! I was able to see my husband before his next rotation and we were able to do lots of fun stuff. We went hiking, went to a BBQ at my parents, went to a grad party, got drinks at the Liffy and went to see Pirates III- all three hours of it! (You have to stay until the end of the credits!) So all in all it was a nice, quiet, fun weekend. Bryan starts call tonight, but at least he gets to come home to sleep during this rotation.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I would love to hear about them!

Take Care!

Our first anniversary

My little Caleb, looking at me like I'm crazy!

Me and Amy

Bryan in our "area" during our honeymoon hurricane experience.

Thank you Hurricane Emily!

Dinner on our honeymoon in Riviera Maya, Mexico. (2005)

Noelle, me, Alisha and Chelsea

(CA cousins)

Janell and I at a Royals game!

(They actually won!)

Chris, me and Noelle at Katie's wedding