Ellie

I often talk about Jasper on the blog, but realize I've neglected to talk about Ellie, the queen of our house. I have decided to make a list of all the things that make Ellie a totally One of a Kind cat that intrigues most of our visitors.

1. Ellie should be in the circus. She can jump extremely high and has turned our house into an obstacle course. She will run around, up and down after toys launching herself onto small surfaces 12 feet high and then sliding down walls etc. It's quite interesting.

2. Ellie is a Daddy's Girl. She much prefers Wiggy over me. It doesn't matter who feeds her and who is nice to her.... she curls up on her Daddy's lap every single night.

3. Ellie lives to eat. She is at her best and most affectionate when she is hungry and will do just about anything for food. Her food is kept in the laundry room which is connected to our guest bathroom and has a bad habit of following guests into the bathroom in hopes they might feed her.

4. Ellie loves drawers (see photo). Ellie loves to open drawers (a nighttime habit that earned her her own special room that she sleeps in so everyone else in the house can also sleep). Her favorites are my sock drawer and t-shirt drawer.

5. Ellie is surprisingly a wonderful traveler. In the car is the one place I can get her to sleep on my lap for hours at a time.

6. Ellie is a wonderful heating pad. She always knows the perfect place to lay when you're sick or napping to keep you warm.

7. Ellie loves pudding. I eat a pudding snack just about every night and Ellie loves to stick her face in it and lick up anything that's left in the cup. This always entails her getting pudding all over her face and whiskers.

8. Ellie likes to punch Jasper. She does not like to play with him (unless she may get food and then she'll even rub up against him). When he gets near her she strikes him with her clawless paws very similarly to the way a snake bites and then recoils.

Birthday Mama

Last weekend was my Mom's birthday and after a very stressful first month of the year (her Office Assistant quit unexpectedly the first week of January causing 12 hour days for my Mom), I decided to have my Dad whisk her away to Winston-Salem for the weekend. They had not been to visit since September and that's just too long!

Upon their arrival on Friday evening we went to the Little Theater to watch "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change". It was delightfully funny and appropriate for the Valentine's Day feel in the air.

Saturday morning Mom went to the spa for a massage and facial I had given her for Christmas. Afterward we headed to Whole Foods for lunch (both of our favorites) and then took Jasper to the dog park and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. After that Mom and I got pedicures and went to TJ Maxx for a mini-shopping spree before meeting up with the guys for dinner at The Chop House. It was absolutely wonderful as always. At dinner we presented Mom with her gift from Daddy, Wiggy and me... tickets to see Elton John and Billy Joel next month in Charlotte. She is oh so very excited (as am I!)

Sunday we all slept in then I went for a lovely long run while my parents did a little more shopping before we all headed to the Joel to watch the Deacs redeem themselves. Woo Hoo! Finally, we ended the weekend watching "The Secret Life of Bees" and eating crock pot chili.

I had such a great time that I'm beginning to think maybe it was in fact my birthday? Oh yeah, that's in June and will be here soon enough!

Wiggy becomes a Snow Bunny

My husband has swiftly and strongly become a snow boarder. My parents got him "skis" for Christmas and he randomly decided to try snow boarding before making the purchase. He headed to Boone all by himself for a day of lessons and practice and came home determined to buy a snowboard immediately. After many hours of surfing online and lots of help from our friend Zac he settled on a board, boots, helmet, wrist guards and I forget what else....

Anyway, the snowboard arrives after several hours of Wiggy looking out the window looking for FedEx to come to the door like a kid waiting for Santa. Fed Ex arrived and he couldnt wait to open it. After doing so we admired it for a few minutes then i went back to the kitchen and whatever I was doing and about a minute later I hear "NOOOOOOOOOO" coming from the bedroom. Apparently, the Canadian company he ordered it from sent him the wrong size... by 3 centimeters and he would not settle for it.

So later in the week the correct board arrived. This Saturday Zac helped with the bindings and whatever else is required in setting up a snowboard. Sunday morning at 7 AM Wiggy was again off to Boone to try out his new board. He arrived home that afternoon waddling with a very sore tailbone and a comment that " I'm really glad I got the helmet because I definitely hit my head".
I try not to worry during these excursions, but I can't help it. I guess I'll just say a prayer that the helmet does it's job.... oh my husband and his hobbies :)

Monday Monday

Yes, so today really feels like Monday and the work day is now over! Yay! We had a very low key weekend with a few good conversation, a low key dinner with friends, a chance to be a tour guide on the WFU campus (there's a Starbucks now!!!) for a friend's younger cousin, and a nice long convo at another Starbucks with a friend who has been through a rough time of it lately. All in all it was a great and relaxing weekend.

I am now super-psyched for the BIG GAME.... WFU VS DUKE Wednesday at 7:00 EST. Be there and wear your Tie Dye!!!

An Unexpected Gift of Relaxation

I love 3 day weekends. Especially when you expect to be busy with traveling and then find yourself staying home instead with 3 whole unexpected days to chill. On Friday when I got home from work to grab my post-call husband and hit the road I found a husband that had just gotten into bed 1.5 hours earlier and was totally incoherent. That on top of the fact that the weather was horrible at home (-19 degrees) and I didn't feel up to driving 7 hrs by myself lead to the decision to stay home!

I crawled onto the couch myself for a 2 hr nap followed by groggily chowing some chinese and heading to bed early. Saturday invited 2 impromptu get togethers with the Medical School Crowd. First a Demon Deacon win that puts us at 16-0 AND #1 in the nation at Matt and Megs and then dinner at our house with simple bean soup and The Game of Things that we recently purchased at which I am a miserable failure. Oh well it was still fun.

Sunday we slept in and then I went on a little run before watching movies, cooking stir-fry and catching up on my reading.

Today was the best as I finally got up early, worked out, got a heavenly massage (that Wiggy had given me for Christmas), had a lovely lunch with my hubby and hit up Forever 21. What a wonderful day!

Ah the bliss of those 3 unexpected days of total enjoyment and relaxation. I have a big smile on my face and am postponing thinking about work tomorrow!

Year in Review and First Week Happenings

Ok, so I'm finally going to copy my friend Meghan's 2008 questionaire. It's been a bit difficult for me to get back into the swing of things after the extended break. I can't go to bed on time and have to get up early, so I'm exhausted ALL the time. Must get better about that! However, our first week and weekend back to the grind were quite enjoyable. Summed up by a great date night, coffee/movies with the girls, dinner with the Med School Group, a Sunday morning long run (painful), and a Sunday night WFU WIN over UNC!!! I forgot my camera or else I'd have pics! So here goes the year in review:


1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Hmmm. Well, Wiggy and I became avid hikers and I also went skiing for the first time since I was 13. I spent Christmas away from my family for the first time ever, that was tough!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I did! We decided that we wanted to get more involved with our church and become more spritual. Of course, this is a life long resolution...
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, but I have a great friend who is expecting
4. Did anyone close to you die? Fortunately no, but I had many friends and family members who lost loved ones.
5. What countries did you visit? NONE! For the first time in a long time we remained stateside. We have planned a trip to Jamaica shortly after Wiggy's graduation
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Patience, the story of my life
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 18th, I had lasik surgery and now have perfect vision!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I won a trophy for placing in my age group at the Frederick, MD 1/2 marathon
9. Did you suffer illness or injury? A bad bout with plantar fasciitis.... not sure it will ever go away completely
11. What was the best thing you bought? A new pair of expensive, but perfectly fitting 7 jeans, I know they're not that cool anymore, but they fit me great!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My Mama, Meme and my hubby. Mome and Meme habe both lost and kept off significant amounts of weight and my husband has been so very helpful this year in his time off!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? All of the battling politicians and smear tactics
14. Where did most of your money go? Hmm.. the mortgage, Walmart, and many random repairs that were necessary this year
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Lasik surgery, friends engagements, trip to Austin with the girls.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Kid Rock "All Summer Long" ... heard it too much
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder?b) thinner or fatter?c) richer or poorer? Equally happy, equal size, a teensy bit richer (hopefully it lasts)
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Kept in touch with friends, gone dancing, prayed, spent time outside
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worry about things I can't control
20. How did you spend Christmas? With Wiggy's extended family in Chicago after we visited my family in MD and WV
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? I love my hubby more every day
22. What was your favorite TV program? Biggest Loser
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.
24. What was the best book you read? Oh man, too many to count. The Twilight Series and Midwives stand out for me
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I listen to "Oprah and Friends" too much
26. What did you want and get? Lasik surgery, new tires for my car, a Dyson Vacum
27. What did you want and not get? Nothing I need now!
28. What was your favorite film of this year? "Marley and Me" and "Slumdog Millionaire". I had been anticipating Marley forever. I also really enjoyed "The Secret Life of Bees"
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 26. Wiggy and i celebrated my birthday and our anniversary in Myrtle Beach.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If the economy hadn't tanked
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Oh man, I'm such a hodge podge it's crazy. Ever heard of the book "Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Dress"? That's me!
32. What kept you sane? My faith, our Seeds service, my husband, my family, and my friends
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Hmm... I still love Kelly Ripa
34. What political issue stirred you the most? The corruption that is starting to seem like a normal thing on the news.
35. Who did you miss? My family and my college girls
36. Who was the best new person you met? Oh lots... the new Better Halves, Julia's Fiance Mike, Wiggy's grandma, aunt and tons of cousins...
. 37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.. Count your blessings.. they are many. And save as much $ as you can even though it's not fun :)
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Love when you can, cry when you have to, be who you must, that's a part of the plan. Await your arrival with simple survival, and one day we'll all understand. - Dan Fogelberg

The New Year!

I can't belive 2009 is upon us. This is a special year as it is the year that my dear husband will become a doctor. We've been referring to this year for a while and it's just very hard to believe that it's here! Fortunately for us, and unlike many others, 2008 was a pretty good year. We have been very blessed to have some comfort in a time when so many are suffering.

Wiggy and I brought in the New Year with dinner at our house with a small gathering of friends. I even got out the wedding china for fun, something I've only done a few times. Our friends Blake and Erin and newlyweds Neil and Ashley came over for a lovely dinner and a game of Catch Phrase before the quiet ring to the New Year. It was a nice break from the traveling fiasco we'd been experiencing.

On Friday, we headed down to Atlanta for Wiggy's former soccer teammate, Brent's wedding. We also were able to catch up with my friends Darcey and Christine and others while we were there. It was a wonderful spontaneous reunion of many college friends!

My friend Meghan posted a really fun 2008 recap which will be my next post. Until then, Happy New Year!