Utah! Part 1

I figured I better blog about our recent trip to Utah, where we spent Thanksgiving, before Christmas gets here. This post will also be in lieu of SOS for November, since I missed that too! A quick update: Things around here have been so busy, as Stryder has RSV, which is like a bad cold that babies can get, and an ear infection on top of that. We have to give him breathing treatments through a nebulizer machine a few times everyday to open his little lungs, have him sleep with a vaporizer, and feed him lots of fluids. But, thankfully today, he finally started feeling better! His appetite has increased, he is smiling more than ever, and he is no longer raspy or wheezy :-) I am so happy! It is hard to tell when he is not feeling well, since he is a just such a jovial little guy anyway, but today, he was most definitely back to his all-the-way cheerful self. It was not a severe case of RSV, but just enough for me to worry, of course.

We took a great trip out to Utah for Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful holiday at Keith's dad's (Papa) home, and the food was delicious. I miss the get-togethers with his family. It is always great fun and they are an extremely caring family. (Once again, they DO NOT read my blog, so I am NOT just saying that!) We gave Stryder the turkey drumstick, which he LOVED! He had so much fun with it. Unfortunately, I had to miss out on our traditional movie after Thanksgiving feast, because I got the worst headache ever that night. So Keith and his dad went instead, which was good for them. Here is a video and some pics of our Thanksgiving:

We also went to Hogle Zoo, on free zoo day, with Stephanie (my sis-in-law) and her kids. It was lots of fun too! I think the last time I had been there was when Keith took me for my birthday a few years ago. Stryder loved the animals and I love seeing him around his cousins. (Sidenote: I REALLY wish my side of the family would get working on producing some cousins, too! Keith's side now has 7 total grandkids.....)

Here is Steph and her cuties, Benja and Lizzie.....

We love the penguins! And I love this picture that Keith took....it is so sweet.

Daddy and Stryder trying to see the bear........I think?!

Onto the amazing TEMPLE SQUARE!!!! I love temple square.....the beauty, the lights, the spirit, the excitement......I could go on and on! It has always been a tradition of Keith and mine to visit Temple Square when they have the lights up. We began this tradition the month we started dating actually.....it is my favorite tradition that we have and we haven't missed a year yet, and this year makes 5 years! Enough of the exclamation points and more of the pictures:

Papa with Keith and Stryder

We met up with our med school friends, Adrian and Diana; it was great to see them again.

Stryder was a trooper; he loves riding on Dadda's shoulders!

Finally a few photos of the scenery:

Beautiful

Stunning

Humbling

Majestic

Inspiring

Loving

Stay tuned for the continuation of Utah: Part II coming soon........

HOLY SNOW!

For those of you who don't know much about Wisconsin winters....you're in for a little lesson!  This picture above is the snow from one night and one night only!  It equals out to about 17 inches of snow.  You can see from the picture above that the snow is almost reaching the top of the trampoline in our backyard.  It also covered every square inch of the patio furniture.  I'm no longer dreaming of a White Christmas. 

This picture above is of our mailbox.  Can you spot it???  It is circled in the picture, but it still is barely visible.  We had to dig it out to receive our mail....and I bet you are wondering how those little wussy mail trucks get around these snowbound parts?!  Well, they trade in their little mail trucks for four-wheel drive jeeps and get our mail to us that way!  The picture below is our basketball hoop, frozen solid and packed full with snow. 

My wonderful helpful husband got right up in the morning and went to shovel the snow in his pajama pants and mismatched gloves.  We don't have any of his snow gear out here, to my dismay, he stayed out for THREE HOURS snowblowing and shoveling in just his pajama pants.  I couldn't believe it!  Both my parents went out and shoveled, too, and it really did take the three of them THREE FULL HOURS of snowblowing, shoveling, heaving and ho-ing to clear just our driveway and our walks.

 Here is my handsome husband hard at work....

Stryder watched Daddy from the warmth and comfort of the inside the home...

Stryder was looking outside so intently that I decided to take him outside to play in the snow.  We even have the cutest snowsuit for him.  He really didn't know what to think of the snow, though.  But he really did end up liking it.

I also had to get pictures of all the snow-removal personnel with Stryder.....

Here is Grandpa and Stryder:

Here is Grandma and Stryder:

Here is Daddy (with his eyes closed) and Stryder:

Finally, me and my son:

I am also going to tell you a bit on how bitterly cold it is here!  The wind is literally bone-chilling.  I have never felt anything like it in my life.  I don't remember it being like this when I grew up here, but maybe I just didn't have anything to compare it to.  Utah winters are mild compared to Wisconsin.  Oh, how I long for "just a chance of flurries" instead of "expect 17 inches by morning."  But, you gotta love whatever experiences life dumps on you overnight! 

Janesville It Is!

We got the phone call last week, that Keith has been accepted in to the clinical program in Janesville, Wisconsin!  This is great news for us, since we currently live here, I grew up here, my parents live here, we have great friends here, and we are well-established in Wisconsin!  (I plan to get a picture of Keith wearing a cheesehead in due time....) We also are good friends with many of the residents in the Janesville program.  They are so down-to-earth and their wives are extremely friendly, too, which is something I welcome with open arms.  It definately helps to have friendly and positive people around us at this time.....it really does make everything a little less stressful and a little more fun! 
     Keith will start at the end of December and his first rotation is OB.  He is very excited and I can't wait for his to begin this next step!  I know he will absolutely love it, as he is one of the most friendly and personable people I know.  That is why he will make a great doctor. 

     We drove to the Mercy hospital the other day in Janesville and took some pics....this one below actually makes the hospital look smaller than it really is, so you'll just have to take my word for it, that it's huge and kinda intimidating!  There are also many different clinics and departments around the main hospital that he will complete his electives and other rotations at.  He actually has his complete schedule for the next year already!  It is truly a wonderful blessing in our lives, one of many lately :-) 

      

P.S.-We are also very excited for Matt and Leigh to join us very soon!  I'll have to give them some tips for surviving the frigid Wisconsin winters.....

"You Scored WHAT???!!!"

That is what I said verbatim when I saw his score as we found out this morning that my wonderfully brilliant husband passed USMLE Step 1 Exam!  I am so happy and proud of Keith.  All the hours hold up in the deep dark basement studying, the weeks apart, the noticeable absence at the dinner table, and the countless late nights are far behind us now!  (Well, at least until clinicals start, but who can blame a wife for dreaming?!)  Keith was very happy with his score, too, as you can see from the above pic! Here's to you, Keith....

FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW,

FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW,

FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW,

THAT NOBODY CAN DENY!

Fall Photos!

I absolutely love fall.  It is so beautiful with the leaves, the colors, the changing of seasons.  To me, autumn equals discovery.  New hobbies, new classes, new growth.  Anyways, I have been practicing taking pictures with my awesome Canon Rebel, that Keith surprised me with for my birthday.  I got some pointers from my high school photography teacher and I think I am getting the hang of taking "good" photographs.  (I sort of had a difficult subject.....he was not very cooperative, and just wanted to eat the leaves, as you will see!)  Here are some of my favorite shots:

The next day, I convinced Keith to come out with me and be my assistant.  Little did I know, he actually was a huge help in setting up the tripod so we could take a fall family picture.  (The tripod was the easy part, as Stryder DID NOT cooperate, but at least we got one good pic.)  Keith then took some candid shots of me trying to get Stryder to smile and put on his happy face.  They are some of my favorite pictures of me and him to date.  Who knew my husband had such a talent?  Here they are:

All smiles! 

Soap Opera Sunday (SOS October)

Ok folks....here it is....the monthly update of the more really real reality of our lives. And its only about 2 weeks late...SORRY!  I have been thinking about what to write about this month. I guess I want center around the theme of growth. Self-reflection. Continual learning. Developing as a person. You get the idea, right?! Keep reading to get to the point of my post.

   First, I'll begin with the med school update for all you curious kids. Keith, my studiously focused husband, has been hold up in our basement day and night, reviewing and studying the material for Step I. We only see him for meals and when he needs a refill of Wal-Mart brand flavored water. (It's the best!) I see his drive, his desire, his determination. It is really admirable to me. Right now, he plans on taking the test soon so the time is fast approaching that he will finally be able to show this bad boy what he's really made of. It will take another 3 weeks after he takes the boards to get his results back.  I will keep you all posted of course on the progress of this matter as it, well, progresses! 

      In continuing on with the topic of higher education.....I will be a student again come this January. I got accepted into Kent State University's RN to BSN program!  I am still in the process and applying to a few other programs, so I can make the best decision for our circumstance at this time.  But I am very excited about going back to school and making my nursing degree even more marketable.  Kent State was able to transfer in tons my of credits from BYU (except the religion classes, which is lame since they were some of my most challenging cirriculums!) and tons of credits from my RN program, as well.  I love learning....this is something that Keith and I share, plus our passion and love for health and medicine. Keith has been very supportive in my desire to gain more education and I appreciate his encouragement greatly. 

     We're Traveling again.....as we intend to take a long trip to Utah to visit family for a couple weeks in mid-November. We will be there over Thanksgiving, which will be nice, since we miss it dearly and we have a new nephew to meet (and a second cousin)!!!  If any of you people that follow our blog are in Utah, we would love to see you too!  I am so much looking forward to Thanksgiving with Keith's family and for Stryder to enjoy daddy's side of the family, too.  I miss my In-Laws!  (No, they do not read our blog, so I'm not just saying that.) We will miss Kris and Em (and precious little Abi) but we plan on taking a trip to see them in the future, when we get things figured out schedule-wise.  We also plan on making our way to visit my grandparents, siblings, and cousins on both sides, as well.  I can't wait!  Cafe Rio....here I come! 

       Stryder started swimming lessons yesterday.  He loved it so much!  He is one of the youngest kids in his class but does great in the water.  He will splash and kick and make waves like a pro.  Of course, the instructor sang "Wheels On The Bus" and taught us different ways to hold our little swimmers.  Stryder was a bit more squirmy than the other kids, I think because he has no fear of the water.  His lessons are at the same place that I took lessons and swam on the swim team, so it brought back alot of nostalgia for me.  Even the old pool record board was there, but unfortunatley my rely record from 9 years ago was broken by new swimmers that have come and gone.  It is like a full circle moment for me.  How funny it is that life just keeps on keeping on, you know?!   

      Miscellaneous items:  My jobs are going well lately.  I plan to post some interesting pictures and stories of my most recent trip to the Army Base where I gave about 200 shots to servicemen.  (It was a really cool experience....I promise I'm working on a good post for it!)  I find that I am quite busy with my church calling too.  My mom helped encourage me to use creative sharing times for Primary and I have been working on getting those ready this week.  Institute class is going great, too.  My teacher is actually coming out with a book very soon; he has great experiences to share and comes with a load of wisdom.  I was able to get together with some friends of mine from high school recently.  We all have children now and it is fun to see their families grow, and it was great to visit and see our kids interact.  Another full circle moment.

    Fall has set in and the leaves are brilliant.  Were brilliant.  They have mostly all shed and let me tell you, there are alot of leaves when you live in the forest!  I went out the other day to help my parents rake them up and I nearly broke my back.  See the thing is that in Wisconsin the leaves pile up and cover EVERY square inch of your yard.  So the city lets you pile them on the curb and they come by with their nifty monster hose and vacuum up all the leaves, as long as they are on the curb, mind you.  The only problem is that you never know when or what time the leaf-clean-up-crew is coming around (it is only twice a season), so you just have to hope that all you hard work doesn't get blown away with a gust of wind and scatter the leaves all over again.  I took Stryder out in the leaves and and he wasn't quite sure what to make of them!  That is another post in the making...I promise!

   In conclusion, I just wanted to state a few words on a theme that has been on my mind for some time now.  I think of the things that are happening in my life lately and many of them have to do with growing as a person.  I have come to really try to give service when needed and when possible.  I have a wonderful example of that in my parents.  I also am more aware of the things I watch and listen to.  I am not sure what has brought this heightened awareness about, other than just perpetual development and self-improvement.  There is much to be said on taking the high road in situations that may be awkward or uncomfortable, even if the other party does not.  I have also found that genuine friendliness can go along way :-)  I hope that all of my readers know how much I, we, value their friendship, support, and love. 

     Until next time.....when all the drama of Soap Opera Sunday returns to a blog near you.