Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for how much I have learned in my first year of being an attorney, and how much I continue to learn at my job. I feel so lucky to be working for the firm I am at because (for the most part) they are extremely good about mentoring. I realize how far I have come in a year, and also how much more there is to learn! Although I hated law school, I love being an attorney. Tomorrow is the first time I am going solo on an out of town hearing (I've always gone with a partner) - so it feels good to know that they trust me enough to handle this hearing on my own (and I love every opportunity I get to be in court!)

On Call...

Drew and I both are on call tonight . . . my friend and coworker is getting close to her due date and her husband is not expected back from Afghanistan until Monday (he is in the military) so should she go into labor before then Drew and I have to be prepared to run her to the hospital. We think her precious baby boy dropped last night because her belly looks lower (its not the high up basketball anymore) and she was very uncomfortable all day because she could feel his head in her near her pelvis. This morning she woke up with contractions so we are thinking labor could be coming. Personally I am so excited but I hope for her sake her baby waits a few more days so that his Daddy can be there for the birth.
Speaking of babies Drew is now in his third week of his pediatrics rotation. His first three weeks are outpatient, and his next three weeks will be inpatient. This week he is actually on nursery, which personally I do not understand why its considered "outpatient" because the new babies are technically in the hospital?
I don't know about the rest of the country but it has been very rainy this week in central Illinois. We had rain all day Monday and Tuesday, which with the change in barometric pressure tends to cause women to go into labor. So the Drew has gotten to see lots of babies this week since the nursery has been filled!
This rain is another reason we think my friend may go into labor because although the rain subsided today it is forecasted for Thursday and Friday... So we'll be sleeping with our phone in our room tonight just in case we get paged...

Wonderful weekend

Last weekend we went back to my home town of Crystal Lake (we'll also be heading back there this weekend for one of my best friends from childhood's baby shower!) We went back for my neighbor (and friend's) wedding. Here are Drew and I dressed up and ready to go. The husband cleans up nicely - doesn't he?

The bride was beautiful, the food was fabulous (the cake was decadent) and Drew enjoyed an evening full of seven and sevens (he took full advantage of the open bar).
Below is a photo of my wonderful parents, my goofball of a sister and her husband.
Usually I am the one begging Drew to get out on the dance floor for every song. This Saturday however, he had his dancing pants on (or drinking shoes) and insisted we dance to nearly every song. Needless to say we had a fabulous night with neighbors and friends. Here is a photo of the very adorable newlyweds.

Sunday morning my parents made breakfast for my sister, her husband, Drew and I. We also spent the morning playing with Gaston. As you will notice he has a new haircut and looks quite different, but he is still ridiculously cute! The picture below truly captures just what a happy baby he is!

Here he is playing in the bathroom sink.

He is very much in the imitating stage. He shakes his head (no) and pretends to sneeze or blow his nose into kleenex when he sees anyone else do it. Oh the joy a child brings!

A change will do you good...

So I am very adverse to change but it usually turns out for the best. Last weekend I was up for a little change. I have been growing my hair out. The picture below is from January (but it will give you the general idea).

And my hair gets to the point where it is just too long - it gets stuck in zippers, I shut it in the car door, it accidentally gets pulled, etc. So I decided it was time to get it cut....

And 11 inches shorter....

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Here I am that night (we went out to dinner with Drew's family for his Birthday)

I'm still not sure if I like it, but I remind myself its only hair, it will grow back, and most importantly, it is for a good cause.

Thankful Thursday/Friday

Yeah I am a little tardy... but better late then never...
I thought last week was going to be crazy busy, but I was so efficient at work that it wasn't too bad, unfortunately this week is the one that has been crazy busy but ....

• I am thankful that I am busy with happy/joyful things (Drew's birthday and preparations for another baby shower next week!)
• I was also busy baking like a mad woman this week but I am thankful that I have a large kitchen to do so (at least for an apartment);
• Also since I have to bake several hundred cookies for next weekends baby shower I am also thankful for a wonderful Mom who is always willing to help;
• I am thankful that the sun is shining when my alarm goes off in the morning and it's still out when I get home from work;
• I am thankful for tulips and all beautiful spring flowers;
• And although we have to travel, travel, the next three weekends, I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband that drives most of the time;
• And although some of our clients at work drive me crazy, I am also thankful that they keep my job entertaining.

Sorry I have been MIA things really have been (good) crazy!

Baseball season

Spring is here which means that baseball season has begun. By now most teams have had their home openers and many fans are already making predictions for their team to win the division. Growing up I enjoyed watching baseball and going to games with my Dad but I was no means a huge baseball fan.

Ever since I met Drew I have had my eyes opened to the world of the Chicago Cubs fan. And I don't think fan is the appropriate word for Drew, Cubs fan-atic is more appropriate. I have found that Cubs fans (no offense, and this is just an observation) are not always the most logical fans. (But don't get me wrong they certainly have heart). For example, one of Drew's Cubs quirks is that he has to purchase Old Style (and lots of it) during the baseball season. In Drew's "cubs-fan-mind" he thinks that by purchasing Old Style (the beer sold at Wrigley field) he is directly supporting the Cubs. I have tried to explain to him many times that a percentage of beer profits do not go to the Cubs, but he still seems to think that by drinking a can of Old Style he is increasing the teams odds of winning. In the summertime in the Chicago-area Old Style does produce special cans which display the Cubs label on them (but again a percentage of the profits don't go to the Cubs). When these come out or if we are in a store that has them we HAVE to purchase them. It doesn't matter whether we have a fridge full of Old Style already, we have to have the cans with the Cubs logo on them! I'd hate to think what would happen if we didn't!

And for a man that refuses to wear logos or t-shirts with store names on them, one brand Drew proudly displays is that of the Chicago Cubs. Like most Cubs fans he's got the t-shirts, the hats and sandals. Then there is also the superstition that most Cubs fans have. Whether its the goat, or something else, most of them have some kind of superstition. Last year Drew had something with one of his t-shirts, I forgot what exactly it was but he had to wear a certain shirt on game days until they lost - something silly - because obviously (dare I say it?) they didn't win the World Series.

And then last but not least Cubs fans are special because they have their own song, and their own flag. This past Christmas Drew got his very own "W" flag. He recently installed hooks above our window so that the flag can be displayed.

So now after every victory, not only do we have the Cubs song blasting in our apartment (as the husband does a little dance and sings along), we now also have a flag to display in our window. Drew is very diligent in his flag duties. The flag is proudly displayed the moment the game is over (considering we are home) and it is taken down the morning of the next game. Because the Cubs were off today, and they won yesterday, this was the image outside our apartment today...

Drew is not just a Cubs fan he is also a huge sports fan (but I think I would have to say his love for the Cubs is his biggest sports obsession). Unfortunately being on a budget we don't have cable, but even when we did Drew often watched ESPN while reading ESPN.com. But now that we don't have cable he has to settle for keeping up to date on his sports online and through the radio. Being that we don't have Chicago tv stations we do not get most of the Cubs games on tv. However, we still participate in every game (that Drew is home for) by sitting on the couch and listening on A.M. radio, while the laptop displays MLB.com's pitch-by-pitch.

And then there are special days in which there are multiple important sporting events going on. These days Drew can hardly control his excitement. An example of one of these days would be when the National NCAA championship game was on during the Cubs game. Now the average college basketball/Cubs fan might decide to watch the Championship game because it is The Championship game. Not my husband though. But don't you worry, we didn't miss the Championship game. We had the Cubs game on the radio, and watched MLB's pitch-by-pitch, and watched the NCAA Championship game on mute on the television.

Although I tease of Drew's crazy sports and baseball obsessions, I am glad he enjoys it while he can, I know that this is the last full baseball season he will get to enjoy (therefore a World Series would be nice). Next summer (in residency) the closest he'll get to sports is checking the scores on his phone when he has a free second.

I wish a very Happy Baseball season to all of you baseball fans (and those of us married to them)!

This post brought to you in Cubby-bear blue for all those Cubs fans out there.

Neuroradiology Clerkship

So I never really covered Drew's unit in neuroradiology. He spent two weeks in this elective rotation in which the credit will apply to his fourth year. Drew seemed to enjoy his rotation in neuroradioliogy but I don't think he could have handled more than two weeks of it. He described it to me as spending the day in a dark room looking at a computer screen and reading digital slides. I guess they just verbally dictate the results into a dictaphone that is transcribed later. He did have a little patient interaction, which involved procedures such as drawing spinal taps (which I believe he actually go to do/help with a few). Drew really struggled with having such little patient interaction, but I still think it was a very good experience for him. He learned a lot about reading different scans and it was a good test of his anatomy knowledge as well (the Resident he worked with quizzed him a lot).

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that four years ago today I kissed a silly boy named Drew and I am also thankful that three years ago today, that silly boy asked me to marry him. It was early on Easter Sunday morning and he brought me an Easter basket and a stuffed Hallmark bunny.
Inside each egg was a little message - they included a date and the significance of that day.
And I was so busy playing with the singing bunny's moving mouth that at first I didn't notice the present inside . . .

And the rest is history - I love my husband, and I love my life!

Fruit pizza

Last week I made a delicious fruit pizza for work. With spring here and summer on its way I figure it is a good time to share the recipe for easy to make dessert.

Refrigerated sugar cookie dough (16 oz)
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Fruit of your choice

Pat dough into a 12 to 14 inch pizza pan.* Bake at 350 until golden brown. Cool completely. Beat softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread on cooled cookie dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with fruit of choice such as strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, mandarin oranges, etc.
*Just from personal experience if you use a pizza stone leave extra room on the sides because the dough will spread as it rises - I forgot to do this and was scraping dough off the bottom of my oven.

Unexpected visitor

As I was getting out of my car I saw a little furry friend running around. There aren't many pets in our complex, and the pet-friendly apartments are at the other end so I was taken by surprise when I saw a little black puppy outside my car door. I was a little startled at first, unsure as to whether he would be friendly. The happy little guy let me pet him and he followed me towards our apartment. Drew and would love to have a puppy now and the only thing that is preventing us is our landlord. As I opened the house door I hollered for Drew and called the puppy towards me. He happily obliged and trotted inside. I told Drew that I had found him outside and we called the owner. We were able to play with him for a few minutes before the owner came to pick him up. He was such a good natured puppy, he listened, and was so friendly as well. (He was also a little wet from being out in the rain).

The owner told us his name was Casey and he was a year old King Cavalier Terrier. I'm absolutely in love with him and I want one so bad! So while our time with him was short, Drew and I sure enjoyed our visit from the unexpected visitor! (The picture doesn't even do him justice how cute he was, here is a link of puppies of the same breed.)

Happy Easter!

Jesus Christ has risen today! Let all the world rejoice!

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend (and Blessed Easter for those who celebrate). I have been MIA lately just trying to catch up with things around the apartment and actually spending some quality time with Drew. Unfortunately this week is crazy busy with deadlines, I have an appellate Reply brief due Tuesday, and on Friday I have a Motion to Compel, Motion to Dismiss, an Appeal to an administrative review board and then Monday is an brief/petition to the Illinois Supreme Court (plus a few other less significant correspondence due in between all these things). So while I have things to update on, I doubt I will get to it this week. But hopefully I will be "back" next week!

Holy Friday

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46

For he died so that we may have everlasting life.

Eventful Weekend

Saturday morning Drew completed his second half-marathon; the annual Lincoln Memorial half-marathon.

And being the super-wife that I am I sacrificed sleeping in and woke up to cheer him on at the end of the race. He did very well, and met his goal of averaging seven-and-a-half minute miles. A few of Drew's med-school friends competed as well.

There were over 900 competitors, and after most of them finished the race they headed into this tent to fill up on lots of food and treats.

After celebrating Drew's successful race I headed into work for a few hours. Then late in the afternoon we took a trip to the bicycle store.... last summer Drew and I had looked for bicycles but we couldn't find anything in the budget. (I had an old bike at my parents house but we never brought it down to Springfield because I knew I wouldn't want to go without Drew). We looked to buy him a bike but we couldn't justify spending $100.

There were so many days last summer that I just so badly wanted to go on a bike ride - but we had no bikes. So when I heard the local bike shop was having a used bike sale I figured we'd give it a shot. When we got there we found that all used bikes were an additional $20 off.... so we ended up very excited to bring home this little gem....

for the budget price of $32 (after tax)! I cannot even tell you how excited I am to know that we will be able to go on bike rides this summer! I had no idea how much I enjoyed it until last year when we were not able to go.

Today was our first Sunday home in many, many weeks. It was wonderful! After church we were able to clean up around the apartment and I was able to get some cooking done (recipe for fruit pizza later this week). In addition to hi-jacking my blog, Drew also had time to work on two other sub-I applications. And now.... its time for a little relaxation. Hope you all had splendid weekends!

Sunday Morning Ghostwriter

Hey everyone, this is Drew, making my return to blogging. Today I'm posting because its my favorite time of day. I woke up this morning at 7, didn't dare try to wake Marissa up at this hour, and I'm enjoying my coffee and the peaceful morning. You really do turn into your parents as you get older, lucky for me I have a great example to look forward to. There is something about the morning that is just relaxing. No one else is awake, you are alone with your thoughts, you can pretty much do what you feel like because, especially on a Sunday, you aren't expected to ANYTHING at this time. For an introvert like me, sometimes it can be all the 'me' time that I need for the week.
Enough about my love for mornings, on to recent happenings. Yesterday, I ran the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon. Unlike last year, when I saved some energy at the start and finished strong, I started strong this year and was unexpectedly dragging at the end. I managed to keep my pace though and achieved my goal of an hour and 40 mins. I finished in 1:39, 89th out of 983 people. The results definitely made dragging myself through the last 2 miles worth it. I don't remember those hills at the end being so daunting last year.
Neuroradiology is the new business at school, for last week and this coming week. I love the anatomy, and it is really helping in that aspect. The course is helpful and interesting, but definitely falls into the category of "Reasons I am Destined to be a Surgeon." I am way to fidgety to sit in a room and look at scans all day. And while I say I am an introvert, I do miss the patient interaction as well, radiologists have very little of this. It is maybe the most rewarding aspect of medicine.
Now on to the most exciting part of the week: sports. It has been 2 LONG months since the Super Bowl. Nothing really happened, the anticipation for baseball season building with each passing week (who am I kidding, each passing day). Then sports fans were blessed with this weeks happenings. The Bears uncharacteristically traded for Jay Cutler. Jay Freaking Cutler. A real quarterback, unlike anything we have had for like 40 years. No more Cade McNown, Henry Burris, Moses Moreno, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel....I could do this for a while but will spare you. Now Jay Cutler has his critics, but I am excited about the Bears having a 6'3", 230lb, rocket-armed quarterback. A top ten quarterback makes your team a threat in every game. Period.
That trade was just a bonus for me, as my favorite time of year is upon us: Baseball Season. The Cubs open the season on Monday. Hope springs eternal. Every year produces the same excitement. For 6 months my mood will largely be based on the outcome of that day's game or the recent quality of play. My wonderful wife tolerates this extremely well while stepping in when necessary to remind me that it is only a game. And I agree with her for the most part, but those of you who take fandom to a sometimes unhealthy level like myself know that is not quite true. I rise and fall with the team and can only hope that they reciprocate my feelings. I realize how ridiculous that sounds to some of you but I can't help it. Maybe someday they will return my feelings with the ultimate gift to the fans.
So anyway, that's what goes through my mind on a Sunday morning. Have a great week everyone.

Thankful Thursday

Tonight, I am thankful that I was able to get a massage. A glorious massage! This is not something that would not ordinarily be in the budget but thanks to those wonderful things called beauty schools or massage schools, it is an occasional treat that can fit into the budget two or three times a year. Our local beauty school offers hour long massages for the value price of $25! And that is $25 well spent if you ask me! I was having a grumpy and stressful day (and was feeling quite sore from yesterdays yoga) when it occurred to me I should schedule a massage. So after dinner I went tonight, and now am feeling much more relaxed and refreshed. So for the rest of you also on a tight budget I would encourage you to see if there is a local beauty or massage school near you and go get yourself a well deserved massage!
As for the husband, tonight he is thankful for two things (don't tell but he was dancing in the living room). He is thankful that 1)the Bears now have a quarterback and that 2)the Cubs start next week. Oh, the little things that bring him joy!