Pray for Ashley

One of my closest friends, Ashley Higginbotham, is leaving for a 3 week mission trip to Africa next week. She will be working at a camp for children affected by the AIDS epidemic, as well as sharing the word of Jesus Christ. Please pray for safe travels for her and pray that she will be able to touch the lives of many of the kids.

Face Lift

For the past few months, they have been working on the outside of our apartment complex...fixing window screens, tiles, etc. The best part is that they are repainting the entire complex! Although they are only about 1/3 of the way finished with the buildings, they painted ours last week. It looks great! Just like a whole new apartment! The top picture is the "before" picture, and the bottom picture is the "after" picture. What a nice change!

Announcing Emerson Rose Friece!

My co-resident, Chad, and his wife, Ali are the proud parents of a new baby girl. Emerson Rose Friece (called "Eme" for short) was born on June 24th, weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 19 inches long. Jason and I were lucky enough to get to visit here when she was just a day old. She was absolutely precious! Congratulations you two!

First time to see Audrey!

This past weekend Jason and I went to Tulsa to visit Amber and Kurtis....and now, Audrey! She was such a precious little girl and very well behaved. She slept and ate most of the time we were there, but we did catch her with her eyes open a few times. It is so amazing how God can create a perfect little human being, even with tiny little fingernails and eyelashes. Amber and Kurtis were so good with her. I can tell they're going to be outstanding parents!

Graduation!

Last Thursday was our residency graduation! It was held at Hackberry Creek Country Club in Las Colinas...close to where we live! :) It was a sad, but joyful event. This was probably the last time that we will all be together. This year was so memorable because all of us were so close. Not only my first year co-residents, but also the second year residents and the residents from other Texas Tech affiliated residencies. I will miss everyone so much, but I'm thankful for the great year that we've shared. I hope that I will make just as many memories next year!

Camp New Horizons

Last week I helped out at Camp New Horizons, a camp for children with type I diabetes. Monica, a third year pharmacy student, and I were the medical personnel for the 5 and 6-year-olds. The theme of the camp this year was "Baseball," so our group was called the Pitchers. Everyday during the week, we would check in the kids and ask their parents about their blood sugar the night before. All of the parents were great and you could tell that they really cared deeply about their children. The activities included swimming, sports, education, and a fun "special" activity (i.e. gymnastics, water slide, fishing, etc.) The kids also has scheduled times for snacks and lunch. Monica and I were responsible for checking all of the kids' blood sugar levels before they ate and if they felt "low." All of the kids were precious and I cannot believe how well they handled their disease. They were not afraid of getting their fingers pricked or getting their insulin shots. They were 10 times braver than many of the adults I know! One day, I was able to work in the "Insulin Inn." This is where the kids would go to get their injections. Most of them would give themselves their own injections, but sometimes I would give them. The last day of camp was "Family Day." This was a special day for all of the campers and their families. They started off with a Diabetes Walk around the campsite and then performed the camp song for everyone. After that, there were several bounce-houses and inflatable games, like a velcro wall, a jousting rink, a water slide, and a giant blow-up Twister game. The kids had such a great time...and so did we! The girl stuck to the velcro wall in the picture above was one of the students I precepted this year. :) I am excited because I will still be around to help out again next year! This camp is such an awesome event. Most of the kids that attended don't know anyone else with diabetes, but at camp, they feel "normal."

Less than 2 weeks left...

Over the past few weeks, I have felt really sad about the end of my residency. Although it should be a time of excitement, I have been upset about "losing" 4 of my closest friends...my co-residents. A year ago, I didn't even know these people, and now it will be hard to imagine not seeing them everyday. For the past 12 months, we have spend nearly everyday together working, laughing, stressing, gossiping, pondering life, and enjoying each other's company. I was so blessed to have been paired with 4 other amazing people, from all parts of the U.S., for an entire year. I will miss our "random" night of going out for dinner, our birthday gift shopping in the VA canteen, our parties and get-togethers, singing our favorite songs in our office, and joking with each other like we were brothers and sisters. Each one of us has grown so much over the past year, and now we're all moving on to the next stage of life...whether it's a specialty residency, starting a career, or buying a house and starting a family. I will never forget the times we've shared together. To Chad, Phil, Janine, and Ozi...I love you all so much, and I thank you for being my support and friends over the past year. I wish you all the BEST of luck, and I pray that we'll always stay in touch.

Going home!

The newest member of the Jones family was able to go home yesterday! Here is a pic of her with her happy parents. Isn't she beautiful!!

Baby Audrey is here!

Audrey Elizabeth Jones arrived in the world today! She was 4 lbs. 15 oz. and 18 inches long with light brown hair. Kurtis and Amber both said that she was absolutely beautiful! Mom and baby are doing good. Hopefully, I'll get pics soon! Thanks for the prayers!

Baby Audrey is coming!!!!!

My best friend, Amber, and her husband Kurtis will welcome little baby Audrey into the world tomorrow! Amber has to be at the hospital at 7am Thursday morning and she will be induced. Please pray that she has a safe and smooth labor and pray that Audrey will arrive healthy! I am soooo excited and happy for you both...congratulations Mommy and Daddy!!!

Cool front

I just got back from a walk and it was so nice outside! The temp right now is 72 degrees. This is quite a dramatic drop from the high 90s that it was this weekend. I have the windows open right now and Mia and Caesar are longingly looking out through the screens. Now that I've had a taste of cool temps, I'm ready for the Fall :)

Shopping!!!

My mom came to visit me for a girl's weekend, and we literally shopped 'til we dropped!!! On Saturday, after a yummy breakfast of carrot cake pancakes from IHOP, we went to Sam Moon. Ladies, if you haven't been there, you are definitely missing out!! It is a HUGE jewelry, purse, and accessory superstore...low prices too! My mom and I spent about an hour checking out all of the great deals and looking for some important fashion must-haves. After we loaded our bags in the car, we were off to the Dallas Galleria and to Tiffany's. My mom was looking forward to picking up some items she had been wanting, and unfortunately they were out of the items she wanted. She did end up getting the earrings she liked. I, of course, didn't feel right entering the store without wearing my Tiffany's necklace that my mom got for me in Las Vegas (see pic). :) After a few more stops in the Galleria, we headed to Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, TX. These stores were more in my price range compared to those at the Galleria. This outlet mall had SO MANY stores!! It was huge!! I think that we were there for about 4 hours. There was a Coach outlet, Polo, kitchen outlets, a Crocs outlet, and MUCH more. At first, we didn't think that we could walk around the entire complex, but we managed to visit almost every store. After we were exhausted from shopping there, we decided to take a break and go and see Chad and Ali's new house. Chad is one of my co-residents, and Jason spent the day helping them move into their beautiful new house. They are due to have a baby girl in a little less than 2 weeks, so they wanted to get situated in their new home before the big day. We were able to visit with Ali and she gave us a tour of their home. By this time, my mom and I had worked up an appetite, so we caught dinner at Boston's...a gourmet pizza restaurant. Finally, we made our last shopping trip to Grapevine Mills mall. At first, we were just planning on going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but we ended up walking around the entire mall. We were exhausted after that, and finally went home to relax and look at our purchases. We had such a great time! Hopefully, that shopping day will hold me for a while. ;-)

TTUHSC Research Days

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Texas Tech Health Sciences Center Research Days were from June 4th-6th, 2008. All of the residents flew to Amarillo, TX, home of the main TTUHSC School of Pharmacy. The first night, we went to see the musical "TEXAS." It was held in an amphitheater in the Palo Duro Canyon, right outside of Amarillo. The canyon itself was beautiful, but the wind was killer!! We could barely keep from blowing away! We spend a few hours in the canyon prior to the show, so we had time to take some goofy pictures. :) On Thursday, we had to present our research posters. Unknowingly, there were "judges" roaming around the halls, so we had to "officially" present our posters to them. Two of my co-residents, Amy and Janine, won awards...way to go girls!!! That night, my Uncle Denny came to pick me up from our hotel (he lives in Amarillo). I got to go out to dinner at the Olive Garden with my uncle, his wife, Annabel, her two little girls, Lianne and Andrea, and Annabel's parents. After dinner, we went back to their house and watched some TV on their brand new flat screen TV with surround sound system. The girls showed me their "American Girl" dolls and catalogs. Apparently, they are quite the hit with little girls now days. I found out that the Dallas Galleria has one of the 3 or 4 "American Girl" stores that exist in the US. Lianne and Andrea already have their next purchase planned. :) After I got back to the hotel, I caught up with other residents and had a drink at TGI Fridays. The next day was pretty laid back...we just packed and got ready to return back to Dallas!! We were excited to get home!

Girls Night Out!!!

I don't think that I have ever been to see movie on its opening night...until last Friday! Ozi, Janine, and I (my co-residents) went to see the Sex and the City movie and were among a TON of other fellow girls-night-outers (a few unlucky guys who probably got dragged along also...). I had never seen any SATC episodes until this past Fall when Janine, an avid fan of the show, lent me her Season 1-5 DVDs. I didn't get a chance to watch them all, but I had a pretty good idea about the story line and the characters. The movie was awesome, especially on the big screen. Afterwards, we headed out for girly drinks and went to Mercy Wine Bar in Addison. We shared stories and gossip over a bottle of Riesling. What a perfect way to top off the evening!

Ranger's Game!

Last night, Jason, Phil (my co-resident), and I went to the Texas Rangers game at the ballpark in Arlington. I got a game package at the VA (home of tax-free merchandise :) and it included 6 tickets. The Rangers played th Oakland A's and ended up winning! Jason enjoyed watching his favorite players, while Phil and I enjoyed the food. After hunting for low-priced dinner items, which is nearly impossible, we came across the kid's meal. It included a hot dog, chips, and a drink for only $3.50! What a steal! A jumbo dog alone was $5.75! After the game, there was a fireworks show set to Beach Boys music...how awesome is that! :) I've always loved the oldies! I also had the chance to try out the "fireworks" setting on my new camera. I took way too many picures, but I thought I would show off some of the better pics.