A 'Sluggish' Weekend

My OCD planning got the best of me this week and this weekend was the perfect example. We had made big plans to go to San Francisco, Pismo, or San Simeon this weekend. We said we'd go to the location that was suppose to be the warmed. We're trying to make the most of our weekends while Jason is off because we know that we won't be so lucky in the upcoming weeks...on-call schedules are in our near future! Friday night we looked on the Weather Channel and were shocked to see that ALL three of the places we wanted to go had a 90% chance of rain on Saturday. Bummer! We decided that we would stay home on Saturday and relax and then head to the coast on Sunday. Saturday when I woke up, I was not in the best mood. I know that's hard to imagine, but I was not thrilled to be stuck inside the house. I'm a person that likes to be doing something and going somewhere. Well, this weekend was different and I had no choice. The rain clouds seemed to hover over the whole Southern/Central part of California so we decided to 'make lemonade out of lemons' and make the best out of the situation. God must have known that we needed a quiet, relaxing weekend! We made some homemade soup, rented and watched tons of movies and napped as we listened to the rain hit the windows. After my morning or pouting, I admitted my childness, apologized to my amazing husband for putting up with me, and realized a relaxing weekend is just what we needed.

Sunday morning we were woke up by the sunshine peeking through our blinds. I was determined to make the best of the day that was dealt. Well after taking a peak at the weather, the wave advisory suggested that individuals use caution when getting on any of the beaches. The big storm that hit the West coast and the earthquake that hit Chile were both factors in the weather this weekend. We decided to wait until the weather is a little better before we make those journeys. We started out the morning walking the pups. They have their routine down pat and expect to get walked early in the morning on the weekends just like they do during the week. On our walk, we started noticing snails EVERYWHERE! In the last snail picture above, there is a family of snails. A daddy, a mommy, and a baby! It was pretty cute to see this little snail family! I couldn't believe how many snails were around our apartment complex. After our walk, we got ready and went to get a massage. We went to the same place that I took my Missouri visitors and it was just as good as I remember it! I was excited that I finally talked Jason into it...he was a little hesitant at first. After we got home, the weather was beautiful! We wanted to get outside and enjoy the sunny, warm weather. We grabbed the boys' leashes and headed down the road to a big open field where they could run without their leashes (something they love to do but don't get to do it very much). Along the walk, I took some pictures of the bright colored trees and flowers. The flowers have started budding and the trees lining the streets are simply beautiful!

Bright colored trees and flowers on a nice sunny day...can't get much better than that!

God's plans always trump my plans (thank goodness) and this weekend was a perfect example. God must have known that I needed to spend some quality time with my family and rest this weekend. Since this weekend was low-key, I'm ready for work tomorrow. I feel well rested and excited to see what the week holds. I love my family so much and I'm grateful those rainy weekends that force me to slow down and smell the flowers! Aren't these just the cutest little boys ever!?

Michigan, Here I Come!

AHHHH...I'm so excited! I just booked a plane ticket to Detroit, Michigan to visit Andy and Alissa. Alissa was my 'bestie' on the island...the island experience would not have been the same without her! Andy and Alissa are both medical students so I didn't get to hang out with her as much as we would have liked to because she had to study. After the island, we each went to our home states (Missouri and Michigan) to begin the next phase of medical school, STEP 1 and clinicals. Well it's been since July since we've gotten to hang out and I'm starting to have withdrawals....so, I booked a trip to visit! Well, I'm guessing I wasn't the only one that was having withdrawals because another island friend, Melinda is flying in from New York! Clinicals have spread us all over the country...California, Michigan, and New York but we aren't letting that stand in the way. A weekend with the girls will be so nice! I'm looking forward to our late night chat sessions, some Detroit adventures, and all the memories three girls can make in a weekend.

Spring Is On Its Way

Today in the middle of all my errand running, I looked over to the pool area and noticed there was a new tenant living in our apartment complex. A pair of Mallard ducks had claimed the pool deck as their new "temporary" home.

Today was one of the warmest days we've had in awhile-besides the crazy wind gusts that pushed a massive rain storm our way. The cute little pair decided to spend their Friday laying out and enjoying some quality time together. The ducks reassured me that spring is on its way...I just have to be a little more patient.

Tucked Away...Safe and Sound

This morning didn't get off to a great start. On my way out the door, I realized that I had forgotten my phone in the bedroom. I walk in the bedroom expecting my phone to be hooked into the charger on the nightstand and it wasn't! Instead this is what I saw...
No phone on the other end of the charger...I start panicing. I was rushing to get to work so I only had a little bit of time to search before I had to give up. Under the bed, in the bathroom, on the kitchen table, by the refrigerator...nope nowhere! I didn't want to walk out of the house with no phone but I didn't have much of a choice. I can't believe how naked I felt without my cell phone. Once I got to work, I was so busy that I didn't even have time to think about where my phone could be hiding. Flash forward 8 hours and you have me driving home as quickly as possible so I can search our tiny apartment for my phone. The phone had to be somewhere pretty obvious...there aren't many places to hide in a one bedroom apartment. Once I got in the door, I went to the bedroom and started the search. I started there because that was the last place that I remember seeing it. I took all the bed pillows off the bed...nothing. I pulled the comfort off and notice a buldge under the sheet.

No way!?! How the heck did my phone get in bed...much less in a bed that was fully made! Well once hubby got home, I figured it all out. When the alarm went off this morning (we use our phones as our alarm clocks), I woke up and took the pups for a walk and Jason decided to unplug the phone and hit the snooze button for an extra ten minutes of sleep. When I got back from the walk, he had already made the bed and was in the shower. He left before I got out of the shower and once I realized that I couldn't find my phone, it was too late. Life can be comical sometimes... I'm just thankful that I have a husband that makes the bed EVERY MORNING!

Remember When...

I couldn't stop myself today...I constantly was thinking about St. Maarten. I'm not sure if it was the nasty weather we had this morning or not being able to see the beautiful, blue ocean from my front door, or a little of everything that got me thinking about St. Maarten. The grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? All I thought about for the two years we were on the island was moving back to the states. I know I complained about the island and how inconvenient and troublesome it was but those were truly some amazing times. Having Jason in medical school mode all the time wasn't the greatest thing-high anxiety/stress levels-but when he finished exams and had some free time, the island was amazing! The first thing I did when I got home from work today was look back at old blogs and photo albums.

I think I smiled through the all the pages of the blog and the 4,000 plus pictures. It's crazy to think that we've been back in the states for almost a year now--time has literally flown by so fast!

Jason's third year of medical school is moving right along. It won't be too much longer (May 2011) until we are back in St. Maarten for his graduation and for a reunion with all his classmates. It's so much fun to look back and remember the great times God gave us but it's also fun to look forward to the future and the great times he's going to give us.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

Last night we had a baby shower for fellow island friends that came to California for clinicals. Desiree and Thane are expecting baby Brooke in April so we wanted to help celebrate the little ones arrival, so we got together and threw them a baby shower. We each brought a yummy snack...it was quite a yummy spread!A baby shower is not a baby shower without some fun games and since the men attended the party, we played games that they might be a little more interested in. First we played the dirty diaper game where each person has to guess the candy bar that is melted in each diaper.

The diapers looked so real and pretty nasty. It was so funny to watch everyone sniff and try and figure out the candy bar in each diaper. Even Leo wanted to play...he was trying to steal Desiree's diaper from her!

The next game we played was where everyone had to guess the different types of baby food. This game was also pretty funny because most baby food does not have the most pleasant smell or appearance.

The baby food I chose for the game was peas, carrots, squash, pears, and beef in broth. It was so fun to watch everyone's faces while they were smelling the food. The last game we played was the bottle game. We decided that this would be only a game for the guys! We filled up bottles and watched the guys tryto be the first one to empty them. The bottles leaked like crazy so after a few minutes of laughing at them and snapping a few pictures, we let them stop.

The games were so much fun...the guys were definitely good sports. Baby showers aren't exactly how they would want to spend their Friday night, but I think they enjoyed themselves. After the games, we got to watch Desiree and Thane open the gifts.

It was so much fun to shop for a little one...I couldn't hardly make up my mind. Brooke got so many cute outfits...she's going to be the best dressed little girl! She's expected to make her appearance April 23rd! We are all getting so excited to meet her--it will be here before we know it! Congratulations to the mom and dad to be!

Happy Valentine's Day!

From the snow to the sand, I wanted to give a little visual of how much I love my husband. (Inside the heart it says "A& J--Jason said I made my & sign backwards so it looks a little confusing) Not many people can drive two hours to the snow and two hours to the sand--another reason to love California!
This Valentine's Day was our 8th one together...it's crazy to think that we've been together that long. We met during my first year and Jason's second year of college. I worked at The Buckle in the mall in our hometown and Jason walked in to buy some Doc Marten boots. I guess I was the one who helped him (I don't remember) but he remembers! He was asking a co-worker about me and eventually the co-worker offered him a position at the store. Months after working together and constantly flirting, Jason asked me to church. I said yes but on the morning of church, I got nervous so I stood him up. He said that he was bragging to all of his friends about and when I didn't show up, he felt like crap. I felt so bad but I was so nervous that I would have been a mess all through church. Needless to say, the next week I surprised him at church and we've been inseparable ever since.
He is truly my better half! We complete each other so well that I would be lost without him. I'm so glad that God decided to bring us together when he did because the past eight years have been great. We've experienced so much together...undergrad, grad school, medical school, and now clinicals. Life always throws bumps our way but when we experience the bumps together, the bumps don't seem as bad.
I'm a sucker for romance so Valentine's Day has always been a top priority. I'm not a fan of receiving large bouquets of flowers or boxes of chocolates. I prefer a creative card or breakfast in bed. I think it's very important to show loved ones just how much they mean to you!

Missouri Visitors

WARNING: THIS POST IS EXTREMELY LONG! WE HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME THAT I COULDN'T EDIT ANYTHING OUT!

Two of my favorite Missouri girls came to visit us in California this past weekend! My mom and my niece, Ana, arrived in California early Thursday morning for their weekend of fun. After I picked them up from the airport, we decided to hang out by the coast for a bit before we made the two hour drive back to Bakersfield. Our first stop after I picked them up from LAX was the Santa Monica Pier.

We had so much fun exploring the beach and walking the Santa Monica Pier. I'm not sure I took a breath from talking the whole way home...it was so good to have some girl time! Friday we decided to stay in Bakersfield and have a pamper day--Jason had to work and we didn't want to do too much fun stuff without him. Our first stop was the spa for a massage. A new spa opened up and they were advertising "foot massages" for $25. I went and checked it out before mom and Ana and came to the conclusion we had to give it a try. A foot massage is an hour long massage in a big, comfy, leather chair where a masseuse massages your head, neck, shoulders, arms, legs, feet AND THEN lays the chair down, flips you over and massages your back, butt, and legs. It was the BEST $25 I'VE EVER SPENT!!

The massage was great! We barely made it out to the car...we were feeling soooo good! Once we got home, we started the cupcake competition. We made Valentine's Day cupcakes while Jason was at work and we each decorated a few of them. Once he got home from work, he judged and picked the best.

I thought mom and myself did pretty good on our cupcakes but Jason named Ana the winner...personally, I think she paid him off or something!! We had so much fun trash talking each other and getting creative with our cupcakes. Saturday we decided to head up into the mountains and show them the giant Sequoias. We drove two hours into the mountains and when we got within 10 miles of the trail, this is what we saw...The snow plows cleaned off all the roads except for the road that turns to the trail--just our luck! We contemplated hiking through the snow to the trail but quickly threw that idea out when we realized we didn't have hiking clothes on and after we calculated how long it would take. We decided to go back down the mountain to the closest trail and hike the trail that runs along the Kern River. It was such a nice day to hike outside...we couldn't have asked for a better day! We didn't let a little snow stand in our way of having a good time! After our day of hiking, we headed to Dewar's soda fountain shop to enjoy some icecream...YUM! Sunday we decided to stay close to home--not only was it Valentine's Day but we were tired of driving so we wanted to stay close. After church, we went and had a Valentine's brunch at the Crystal Palace, Buck Owen's restaurant. The restaurant had a lot of country music memorabilia from when Buck Owens was a popular artist. They had anything and everything we could have possibly wanted to eat...breakfast, lunch, desserts, and anything in between.
After brunch, we headed to a Condor's hockey game. Ana hasn't been to a hockey game so she was pretty excited. The game was really exciting...the Condors won 4-0 and we won some free Pizza Hut and Carls Jr. Gotta love free food!
After the game, we went home and prepared our Valentine's dinner. We decided to stay home and enjoy a home cooked meal....steaks and baked potatos and chocolate fondue and fruit for dessert.

I hated to see Valentine's Day come because that meant our visitors were one day away from leaving and heading back to Missouri. On Monday, their flight left at 3:30 and we wanted to beat the LA traffic so we left early and played tourist in LA on Hollywood Blvd.

The Kodak Theatre, Ripley's Believe it or Not, The Wax Museum, Guiness World Records and the Chinese Theatre were a few of the places we visited on Hollywood Blvd. We also took them to see the Hollywood sign but it was covered up. There is a big feud over the land right now and someone is wanting to buy the land, take down the sign, and build houses on the hillside. So due to all the craziness, we didn't get to see the Hollywood sign. We had such a great visit...short, but great! It was sad to drop them off at the airport but I'm so glad we got to see each other, even if it was only for a little bit.

I love and miss those Missouri girls already!