Kitty Update!

At the request of my friend, Lisa, here is an update on the kitties...Mia and Caesar! They are both doing well and are as feisty as usual. They spend most of the day sleeping (i assume), and they play a lot in the evenings. Caesar's favorite thing is for us to turn on the water in the bathtub to a little drip so he can drink fresh water. EVERYTIME Jason or I go into the bathroom, Caesar is right behind us with his quiet little request (meow). Mia really likes to cuddle with Jason in the morning. I usually have to get up before Jason, so I let Mia in the room. She jumps right up on the bed and lays on top of Jason's back. It doesn't even phase him! Mimi and Cici (as we call them) are still best of friends and like to spend lots of time together (see pic above), but they also have their times of playing/fighting...they are brother and sister ya know! :)

Flower-Rama

I just couldn't resist capturing the beauty of the flowers I was fortunate enough to receive on Valentine's Day. My hubby brought me a beautiful pink rose with baby's breath. Unfortunately, Mia and Caesar liked the baby's breath too...that's why it looks a little sparse in the pic! My mom was sweet enough to send me flowers as well! They were red, white, and pink tulips in a red glass vase. This pic is from a few days ago, but they still look great! Thanks mom and Jason! I love you both!

Valentine's Weekend in Wichita

Last weekend, Jason and I went to Wichita, KS to look around. I had a job offer at the Wichita VA hospital, and we wanted to visit the city once more before making a decision. Since it also happened to be Valentine's Day weekend, we decided to make it special! We stayed at the Broadview Hotel, which is an historic hotel located in downtown Wichita. For V-Day dinner, we ate at Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill in Old Town (an area similar to Bricktown in Oklahoma City). The food was great, and we couldn't pass up the "Campfire S'Mores." They brought a little hibachi grill right to our table, and we were able to make s'mores! It was a lot of fun, although Jason scared me a few times when his marshmallow caught on fire! Luckily, we made it out of the restaurant safely. It was a great weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

I just couldn't resist posting this adorable picture of Audrey, all dressed up in her Valentine's day outfit!! She just turned 8 months yesterday! Her mama and daddy are so lucky to have such a precious little angel!

Ashley's Shower

I'm a little behind on updating my blog, so it may take a few posts to catch up, but I'll start with Ashley's Shower!! It was actually supposed to be a wedding/baby shower (wedding for Ashley and baby for Alicia), but Alicia wasn't able to make it. Her sweet little boy, Cole, was born about 8 weeks early. He was in the NICU for a few weeks, but was able to come home earlier than expected! His discharge date happened to be the day before the shower! It was too late to change the cake, so we celebrated for Alicia anyway (we just had to call her on the phone to celebrate :)

This shower was so awesome because it was the first time us "pharm girls" have gotten together since graduation in June 2007! I can't believe how fast time has gone, but is was great to that everyone is doing so well. Since graduation, my friends Brittan, Amanda, Lindsay, and Alicia have had babies...Brittan is pregnant with her 2nd!! Alycia is successful and doing well working in Omaha, NE with her hubby and Ashtin is staying busy in Norman (she recently won a "Biggest Loser" contest at her gym). Ashley has since met the love of her life, Matt, and is getting married in early March. Click here to check out their "story."

We had a great time celebrating Ashley's upcoming wedding with a shower and a bachelorette party. Brittan was nice enough to host the shower at her beautiful house. Sarah got the cake and it was super yummy (white with lemon filling on one side and chocolate with chocolate filling on the other). Ashtin thought up some great games, and Ashley got lots of fun gifts off of her registry. Afterwards, we headed out for the bachelorette festivities. She was a super trooper and participated in all of the embarassing "bride-to-be" acts that Sarah and Ashtin thought up for her! :) We were also able to have a great dinner at "Bourbon Street Cafe," complete with sexy, fun presents.

Hopefully we can keep up this tradition and have a yearly get-together with the girls. It seems like there is always something exciting going on! :)

Yes, I'm still around...

Sorry that it has been so long since I've blogged! This past month has been incredibly hectic at work! When I got back from Red River, I started a new quarter of rotations. I have a different clinic every day of the week, and I have been busy trying to keep up with all of my learning issues...especially in Heme/Onc and HIV clinics. I also have 2 students on rotation with me right now, so I stay busy with their assignments and other teaching responsibilites. No to mention, I have another job interview coming up next week (that requires a presentation). I really hope that things will die down SOON!!! This weekend, I will be heading to Norman to celebrate a baby shower for one friend from pharmacy school (Alicia) and a wedding shower for another friend (Ashley). I am super excited! This will be the first time that all of use "pharm girls" have gotten together since graduation in June 2007! I know we'll have a great time! Stay tuned for pics! :)

MLK Weekend in Tulsa

This weekend Jason and I went to Tulsa to visit our good friends Amber and Kurtis. We spent a lot of time playing with their adorable little girl (see above). I couldn't believe how fast she is growing! She's able to sit up, jump in her bouncer, and "talks" all of the time! (baby talk, but we thought we heard her say "uncle" to Jason...haha! We also were able to go to dinner with our friends Sarah and Grant, and Marc and Alicia. I went to pharmacy school with Sarah and Alicia, and I hadn't seen either of them in a long time! Marc and Alicia (see pic above) just had a beautiful baby boy, and we were able to see him. He arrived a little early, so he was in the NICU, but he is doing really well! I can tell that Marc and Alicia are completely in love with their little sweetheart. After dinner, we got to go over to Sarah and Grant's beautiful new house! It was so pretty and well-decorated :). I can't wait to get our first house...hopefully soon! We ended up coming back to Dallas Sunday night because Jason had to work today. Luckily, I get MLK day off from work. Yay federal holidays!

BOOMER SOONER!!!

I am watching my Oklahoma Sooners play in the BCS National Championship game as we speak! My brother and brother-in-law were lucky enough to attend the game! Boomer Sooner!

Red River, NM

Last night, we made it safely to Red River, NM! Although, it took FOREVER to drive the last 45 miles because were were in the middle of a huge snowstorm! Thanks SO MUCH to mom and Chuck for allowing us to use their Chevy Tahoe...with 4 wheel drive. We saw several cars stuck in the snow along the way. After we arrived, we checked the snow report and found out that Red River got 22 inches of new snow on Sunday! That is amazing! When we came with our friends Brittan and Brant in 2006, we got 14 inches of snow and we thought that was a lot! Needless to say, all of the ski lifts and trails are open. Jason is up on the slopes right now, but I decided that I probably won't ski this year since I recently hurt my ankle. Also, I'm not the best at skiing, and tend to be content on the bunny slope. However, we're going on a snowmobile tour this evening and I am super excited about that. The first pic above is of one of the ski slopes, the second pic is showing how high the snow is around our condo (some drifts are almost covering the entire first floor windows!), the third pic is of our condo building, the forth pic is Jason getting ready to ski (and bundled up like a marshmallow), and the last pic is me, bundled up to take Jason to the slopes.

Happy New Year!

We were able to ring in 2009 with my good friend Ashley, and her fiance Matt. They are getting married in March, and her sweet friends hosted a New Year's Eve party/Couples Shower. Jason and I were able to visit with Ashley, get to know Matt, and meet several of Ashley's friends from high school. Everyone was so nice and we had a great time! We stayed late enough to ring in the New Year (in New York :), then we headed back to Irving. The shower was in Rockwall, a suburb about 30 miles outside of Dallas. By the time we hit downtown Dallas, it was midnight! We were able to see all of the fireworks downtown! They were spectacular! Another sight to be seen was the huge number of cars PARKED along the edge of I-35 in both directions! I have never seen such a thing...especially on a major interstate in the middle of a major city! I guess that the police allow this sort of thing on New Year's. They must have other problems that they're worried about. Although it would've been nice to actually be downtown, I definitely was grateful that we could avoid the crowds and celebrate with friends. HAPPY 2009!!!

Bumper Bummer!

Isn't it crazy how things can be rolling along smoothly, and trouble can come flying your way? (I know...a cheesy metaphor :) Last week, I was heading to work on Monday morning, just minding my own business. Traffic wasn't very heavy, but I was driving in the middle lane of the highway so the crazy drivers could pass everyone at 90mph in the left lane. Anyway, out of nowhere, I saw something quickly fly into my lane. I couldn't tell what the object was, but I knew that the car in the left lane must have hit something in the road. I heard an EXTREMELY loud bang, and I felt the object hit my car. My first thought was that the object blew my tire. I thought about continuing to drive, but I thought it would be best to pull off of the highway and see if my tire was damaged. When I got out of my car and walked around to the front, I saw pretty good-sized crack in my bumper and a chunk of my bumper missing!! This came at a very inopportune time because I knew that I would have to file an insurance claim to get the bumper replaced. It had not even been 1 week since Jason's fender bender on an icy bridge! The insurance company probably really loves us right about now. Luckily, it wasn't my fault and there really wasn't anything I could do (it happened so fast). I was really upset about the damage, but my dad reminded me that I should be thankful. If the object would've been a little bit higher, it could have flown through the windshield...or even hit me! I guess that I should try to look at the bright side. What lesson did I learn from this incident? No matter how calm things may seem, things can change in an instant!

Christmas 2008

Grandma Jean (Jason's grandmother)
Jason doing the Heisman pose

Eden (my niece), helping to make the stuffing
Chris and Jake, Dynelle and Jessica, Kari and Emma (Jason's family)
Back (L to R): Haley, Avadelle (Brent's wife), me, Ashley (Scott's wife), Jill (my cousin), Carrie (Alan's girlfriend), Alan (my brother - green shirt), Matt (my cousin), MacKenzie (Stacey's daughter), Stacey (my cousin)

Front (L to R): Brent (my cousin), Jason, Scott (my cousin), Grant (my brother)
Haley (Brent and Avadelle's little girl - Brent is my cousin)
Mom and Chuck
Jason and I
Dad and I
L to R: Lauren, Nancy (my stepmom), Danielle (my stepsister), and Mecca (Nancy's niece)


This Christmas involved a whirlwind trek across the great state of Oklahoma! We started out by heading to Enid on Tuesday. That night, I was able to visit with my good friends Emily and Lata. Lata is getting married in April, so we got to hear all about her wedding plans. I also got to try on my bridesmaid's outfit...an Indian Sari. It was soo beautiful! I am excited for her wedding! On Christmas Eve, we went to my grandparents house in Waukomis, Oklahoma. This is a little town just south of Enid. We had a fantastic lunch and then opened gifts. I was also able to see my step-sister, Danielle, and Nancy's niece, Mecca. Everyone had a great time, and we received some neat gifts...including a movie theater popcorn maker! (Jason is super excited for movie nights!) Later that afternoon, we went to my mom's house in Enid. We opened gifts with her and my stepdad, Chuck. It was nice to spend time with immediate family and Alan's girlfriend, Carrie, before the party began. Yes, my mom throws an incredible Christmas Eve party for all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins (and now their kids!). We always have a great time, especially playing Dirty Santa! This year, we took the opportunity to snap a pic with all of my cousins, their spouses, and the kids. This is a rare picture, folks!

On Christmas morning, we headed down to Norman to spend Christmas Day with Jason's family. There was a house full of people, but we had such a fun time! (Jason, of course, entertained us all!) We even got to see some of the extended family which was great. That evening, we headed over to Jason's aunt and uncle's house for Christmas dinner. On Friday, we started out to catch some post-Christmas sales, but quickly headed back to the house (everywhere was so busy!) Friday night, we came back to Irving. On Saturday (yesterday), Jason's mom came down to Texas so that she could spend some extra time with us (Jason and I, Heather, Chuck, and Eden). It was nice to have some one-on-one time with her since Christmas day was so busy.

Jason and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We loved the opportunity to see everyone over the holidays.

Meow-y Christmas!!!

Hope you all have a Meow-y Christmas and a Happy Mew Year!!!! Love, Mia and Caesar

P.S. Check out Mia's new flower "necklace." Isn't she stylin' this holiday season?

TTUHSC Christmas Party 2008

It's that time of the year again...lots of Christmas parties! Last Friday was the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Pharmacy party for the Dallas/Ft. Worth faculty, staff, and residents. One of the profs, Dr. Amie Blaszczyk, graciously volunteered to host this event, and we all enjoyed her beautiful home! The best part was the fully catered appetizers and dinner from Central Market and dessert from La Duni Bakery (I had the Panque de Limon cake with raspberry sauce....so good!). Almost all of the residents attended, and the faculty were impressed with the resident turnout! (hey...we wouldn't miss a free meal!) We spent the evening visiting with everyone and had a great time. I can't believe that Christmas is almost here!

Michael W. Smith and the DSO

What better way to celebrate the Christmas season than go to a Christmas concert!? Two weeks ago, we went to see Michael W. Smith perform with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. We decided to get the "cheap" tickets and ended up sitting in the Choral Terrace. This was the the area right above the stage. We had a fantastic view of the entire orchestra and close-up views of the performers. Michael W. Smith was not the only exciting part of the show...remember Melinda Doolittle? She was an amazing singer on American Idol Season 6 and was just as amazing in person! Since we had such a great view of the singers, Jason noticed something familiar about one of the backup singers. After a few more glances, he said, "That's George Huff!" He was also on American Idol! (Season 3) They were soooo friendly to the entire audience and you could definitely tell that they had a strong faith in Jesus Christ. In the second half of the show, George Huff sang a solo performance of "O Holy Night." It gave me goosebumps!!! One of my favorite parts of the concert was when they turned the lights up and asked the entire audience to join in on "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." If you ever have the chance to see any of these singers, or the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, I highly recommend it!

2nd Annual Christmas Cookie Party

Anyone hungry for Christmas cookies?? If so, I have a huge supply! Today, we had our 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie party. I decided to do it last year with some of my co-residents. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again! Last year, everyone brought their dough and baked the cookies at my place. It was fun, but the kitchen (and oven) got a little crowded. This year, everyone brought the cookies already baked...much better! We had a great variety of cookies including chocolate Andes mint cookies, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and gingerbread cookies. I made Mexican Wedding Cakes (kind of like Sandies covered in powdered sugar). I also had a large supply of sugar cookies, ready for decorating! We had a great time trying to determine what the shapes were supposed to be. :) I also thought it would be fun to have a "Christmas craft." We made marbleized ornaments. They turned out pretty darn good! I am looking forward to next year's party. Maybe we'll have a house by then (with a much larger kitchen).






Wasn't baby Eme adorable in her Christmas dress??