Double the fun!

Today, I was able to go a baby shower for my friend, Amy Owen. She is the soon-to-be-momma of twin girls, Riley Grace and Reese Abigail!! This was my first "twins" shower to attend, so it was a lot of fun! She received so many amazing and heartfelt gifts. Several people showed off their creative sides by creating matching items (see picture above). I met Amy at Irving Bible Church last Fall when I was part of the women's bible study. She was our table leader, and I soon discovered how awesome she was! She always made me feel welcome and genuinely cared about how I was doing. After the bible study ended for the Fall, I decided I wouldn't be able to attend bible study again in the Spring. I was upset because I had really enjoyed seeing Amy, her sweet sister Leah (who also has an adorable baby boy, Casen), and the other girls at the table. Luckily, Amy and Leah were just getting ready to start up a home group on Sunday nights. They invited Jason and I to come, and we have been attending ever since! I am so happy to know these girls, and I look forward to the birth of Reese and Riley!! They are due in November...we'll see when they arrive! ;-) If you're interested, the links for Amy and Leah's blogs are on the side of my page. We just discovered last week that we were all "bloggers." Enjoy!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Well, I turned 27 today! I don't really feel any different though. Thank you to everyone for the Happy Birthday wishes, the cards (both mailed and e-mailed), the text messages, the Facebook messages, and the voice messages! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and caring circle of friends and family. When I got to work today, my co-residents had a "Happy Birthday Lauren" sign on my office door, an adorable little plant on my desk, and some yummy butterscotch and chocolate rice crispy treats. They are all so sweet! I wish I could say that I had some fancy plans for tonight, but I will probably just relax. Jason has a softball game, and tonight is the only night this week that I don't have something else going on!

Here are some interesting birthday facts:
1) July 15, 1981 was my dad's first day of practice (he's a family practice physician). He had to cancel all of his patients that day because I was born!
2) When I was born, I weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz and was born on 7/15
3) I share the same birthday with one of my great-grandmothers
4) Jason and I were married on 7/8, exactly one week before 7/15. Let's just say that Jason has a busy month!
5) When I was growing up, I didn't really have any friends with a July birthday. Now, I have 3 other co-workers with birthdays this same week!

Thanks again!!!

Kitty update

I was playing with my adorable kitties earlier, and I realized that I hadn't written about them in a while. They have been doing great! They are still playful, but not quite as active as they were in their younger days. They don't have as much room to run around now, since we don't live in a 2-story house with a basement. We try to play with them every once in a while though. Their favorite toy is from "Grandma Donna." It is called "Da Bird." They go crazy when we get that thing out! Unfortunately, they've already pulled some of the feathers off. My mom had the same problem with her two kitties, Apache and Bandit, so she had to order replacement feathers. I may have to do that soon if the toy remains popular! Although he probably won't admit it, Jason loves to cuddle with the kitties. I even have proof! (see above pic :) Doesn't Caesar take after his daddy!? Mia is still sassy. She loves to lay right on top of either of us when we're on the couch. Their favorite thing to do in the morning is watch "Kitty TV." This involves sitting on the back windowsills in our living room and watching all of the animals outside on the greenbelt. There are several types of birds, ducks, geese, and squirrels. I think that the squirrels know they torture the cats because they sit right in front of them, on the other side of the window, and stare. Until next time....meow!

Jury Duty

About 3 weeks ago, I received a Jury Summons for Dallas County. I have to say that I was a little surprised since we've only lived in Dallas County for about a year. Naturally, the first thing I tried to do, was to get out of it. I don't really know why...I guess just because it's always viewed by people as a big inconvenience. Well, I didn't qualify for any of the exemptions, so my only other option was to show up on the date that was listed...which happened to be today. I had to be downtown at one of the Dallas courthouses at 8:30am. I didn't really know what to expect, so I arrived a little early. There were signs everywhere for the jurors. Once I found the "Central Jury Room" I realized that I was not the only person summoned...that's for sure. There were about 200-300 people in a gigantic movie theater-like room. Once 8:30 rolled around, they showed a video about being a juror. I learned that I would be assigned to a court and would then follow the instructions of the respective judge. I learned that I could be there for one day, or several days until the case was closed. I realized there was going to be a lot of waiting time, so I went to my car to get some articles to read (advice: take reading material if you're called for jury duty). About an hour later, they called several names over the loudspeaker...and mine was one of them. I found out that we, some Irving residents, were required to report at the small claims court in Irving in the afternoon.

Once I arrived at the Irving courthouse, I learned that there were a total of 12 potential jurors, and 6 would be chosen for the jury. The bailiff called our names and made us sit in order in the courtroom. I don't really know what I was expecting, but the courtroom really did look like the real courtrooms that I've seen on TV. I guess I've never been to a "real" one. The two opposing parties were at the front sifting through papers. When the door to the judge's chambers opened, the bailiff announced that we should all stand and he presented the "honorable Judge." The opposing parties went up to the judge and discussed their claim, which turned out to be a bankruptcy case. After about 30-45 minutes, they agreed that they would meet in the court another day, and they didn't need a jury today. Sooo....I didn't get to see the trial. After the parties left, the judge remained to talk to the jury. He thanked us for coming and told us lots of interesting facts about how important it was to do this as part of our civic duty. He also allowed us to come into the judge's chambers and view his gavel collection. I saw a gavel from 1921 that belonged to a Judge Snodgrass! haha

Anyway, I guess that I've served my time as a juror member for at least the next 6 months. Here are a few interesting things that I learned today:

1) Jurors are randomly chosen from the lists of registered voters and the list of driver's license numbers. If you register your driver's license number with your voter's registration, your chances of being summoned are reduced.

2) Just because you're assigned to a court doesn't mean that you'll sit on the jury. The lawyers for each side will interview the panel to see who they want...they want a "non-biased" group.

3) The reason that doctors, lawyers, judges, teachers, etc. are not excluded from jury duty is because they may be the people that actually get sued or end up in court. This allows the possibility of a jury of your "peers"...or people that are in similar life situations/jobs. If certain professions were exempt, they jury wouldn't be a real "cross section" of the community.

4) The way that the jury selection is set up now is pretty good. The judge told us that since trial by jury is a right for all of us as US citizens, if there were no jurors to select from, the courts have the ability to go to the local coffee shop (or wherever) and "summon" anyone. They could even have you show up to the courthouse in 30 minutes! Since this would be a HUGE inconvenience, they send out jury summons several weeks in advance so that people can make plans.

So....if you ever get called for jury duty, it's actually kind of interesting. Maybe next time, I'll actually get to see a trial. :)

4th of July weekend

This year, we were able to spend the 4th of July weekend in Oklahoma visiting LOTS of friends and family! We started out in Norman on Friday at Brittan and Brant's house. They had a bunch of people over for food, drinks, and fun! I spent a lot of time watching their adorable son play in his new splash park. Why didn't they have these cool water toys when I was little? I remember being completely happy with my long piece of plastic called a Slip and Slide. When we were a little older, we got the Crocodile Mile...now that was even better! It was a plastic slip and slide with a pool of water at the end. My how things have changed..... :) Amber and Kurtis came to Norman too, and Brittan got to meet Audrey for the first time. She looks pretty happy with a newborn baby in her arms...hmmm!!?? :) Friday night, we watched the fireworks from Brant's parents' giant back yard! We could see about three different displays at once! I took some pics with the special "fireworks" setting on my camera, but they didn't turn out very good. If you really want to see my camera's fancy fireworks capabilities, you will have to revisit my "Ranger's Game" post from June 1st. On Saturday, we decided to make a spontaneous trip up to Enid...since we were in Oklahoma and all. Before heading to Enid, I became obsessed with finding a splash park for my cousin's daughter, Haley. Her 1st birthday was on July 3rd, so I kept imagining how precious she would be playing in it as well! We were successful in finding the coveted splash park after visits to three different Targets. When we got to Enid, I found out that Haley's b-day party happened to be that night! We weren't able to make it to the party, but we stopped by towards the end. Her mom, Avadelle, said that she was more excited about the balloons than opening gifts! :) I can't believe that she's already one! All of these little ones are growing up so fast! Anyway, we came back to Dallas on Sunday. Till next time...

VA Graduation and Reception

On Monday, the VA held another "graduation" and reception for us. The assistant director of the hospital came to the pharmacy to help re-present our certificates. Our certificates were presented at our graduation two weeks ago, but we weren't able to take them home until we were completely finished with all of our requirements. They also had a yummy cake for us, and each of us received a special gift from our preceptors. It was a desk clock, engraved with our name, residency, date, etc. I still can't believe how fast this year has flown by! What great memories!

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

adf





























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.

Storms..storms...storms

If you have ever lived in the midwest, especially Oklahoma, you know that those skies can be home to some pretty big storms...and a tornado or two! Here is a pic that Jason got this weekend during one of the several lightening shows. This pic is from the driveway of my dad's house, looking down the street. You may never guess this, but it's actually pitch black outside. Pretty cool, huh! Great pic hun!

Memorial Day Pool Party!

Over Memorial Weekend, Jason and I went to Enid to visit my family and celebrate my mom's birthday. We had a good time visiting everyone. My aunt and uncle had a pool party over at their beautiful home. We were able to see them, my cousin Jill, my cousin Brent and his wife, Avadelle, and their precious little girl, Haley. Haley wasn't one bit afraid of the water, and she really loved the fountain. Jason and I liked relaxing in the hot tub. I could definitely sit in there all day long! Hopefully we will get to see everyone again soon!

Weekend in Tulsa!

Two weekends ago, we went to Tahlequah for Sarah Slott's wedding. She is one of my friends from Kappa Phi, a Christian service club that I was a part of during my OU years. The wedding was very nice and the bride looked beautiful! I was also able to see and visit with some of my other good friends at the reception. Lisa and Chantelle were also friends from Kappa Phi. Chantelle is actually from Enid, so I've known since Jr. High, and Lisa and I became close during our time at OU...especially after our 2-day road trip to the Kappa Phi National Convention in Ada, Ohio. It was so great to catch up with everyone! Oh, also, when Jason and I were leaving Dallas to head for Oklahoma, we saw several hot air balloons flying over Plano. They were so pretty! Jason snapped a pic while I was driving by on the interstate. I have always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon, but that little basket sure doesn't look very sturdy! :-o

I'm back!

I decided that I enjoy reading other people's blogs so much, that I would re-activate mine! Hopefully I will stay up with it this time!