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!

Well, I'm finally updating my blog!!! Jason and I were married on July 8th in Enid. It was a hectic, but beautiful day! We went to the Mayan Riviera for our honeymoon, and had an amazing time. Now we're adjusting to married life! I am on rotations, and Jason just started a new job at Vantage Open MRI. Life is great!

Kitty Update!!

Per Miss Lisa's request, here are some updated pics of my kitties!!! As a reminder, Mia is the lighter one with the brownish nose, and Caesar has the white nose. They are doing great, but have been trying to stay cool this summer! They are adjusting well to having BOTH mommy and daddy around. They are still best friends, and love to cuddle together!

We've booked our honeymoon!

Well, we've finally booked our honeymoon! We are going to the Aventura Spa Palace (www.palaceresorts.com) on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. We decided to go to an all-inclusive resort after changing our minds over and over. At first, we wanted to go on a cruise, and then we wanted to go to New York City. Finally, our awesome travel agent suggested this. We loved it! We think it will be the best choice because we'll have a nice relaxing time. The property has an all-inclusive spa, several pools, swim up bars, unlimited food and drinks (of any kind), free non-motorized water sports, snorkeling, rock climbing wall, a labyrinth maze, and free transportation to their other resorts. When you stay at a Palace Resort, you can travel to any other Palace Resorts during the day and eat at their restaurants, and go to their beaches. We also got an all inclusive golf package for Jason, so while he's golfing, I plan to hit the spa! Anyway, we're very excited. We will leave the Monday after our wedding, and return the following Sunday.

Pharmacy Day Banquet

Last Saturday was our annual Pharmacy Day banquet. In the past, it has been held at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, but this year it was at the Reed Center in Midwest City. It was absolutely beautiful! There were ice sculptures in the lobby and in the banquet hall, a chocolate fountain, amazing decorations on the table, and amazing food. Sarah was the banquet chair, so she was in charge of a lot of it. She did an awesome job! We even had a jazz trio play during dinner! Next year's chairperson will have a lot to live up to. Great job Sarah!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Emily, one of my very best friends!! She got engaged yesterday to an amazing guy! I am so happy for you Em!

Dallas Blooms

Here are some pictures from the Dallas Arboretum! Jason's mom and I went to visit Heather, Chuck, and Eden (Jason's sister and family) this past weekend. We had a great time, and Eden really enjoyed seeing all of the flowers!