Fall Splendor

Hello Readers!

Again it's been too long since I updated, but here I am!

Thanks to all who sent me well wishes for my first figure show. I ended up placing 4th in the bikini division so I was pleased with my performance/results. But, those of you who know me well know my competitive nature and that 4th isn't good enough for me, so I'm very excited that I"ll have the opportunity to particpate in another show in 2 weeks from today in Greensboro! Unfortunately, I was sidelined with a stomach bug for 2 days this week but am back on the band wagon so very thankful for that. I met a ton of wonderful people during this adventure and got to know a couple of wonderful girls much better throughout the process. This is definitely not something you can go alone! A big thanks to my childhood friend Heather who came to watch me and cheer me on along with my ever supportive husband, sweet yet viscous trainer Tara and the brains behind it all Jill Coleman! After the show we indulged in some major Cheesecake Factory goodness and then had a blast at Carowinds Amusement park on Sunday, what a weekend!

The weekend before was Wake Forest's Homecoming and our 5 year reunion. I was fortunate to have 2 of my best friends from College come to stay with me and partake in the festivities. We started with a double overtime tied soccer game with UNC before 3 hours of surrealness and meeting up with our old classmates at the Diamondback Grill on Friday night. Saturday my girls and I visited our old suite to make sure our over the door message was still there (it is, we had a nostalgic and a teary celebration over it) and took a peek at all of the updates on campus. It's hard to believe it's been 5 years! We watched a big win over Maryland and then had a fun night out with more old friends, ahhhh the memories! It was great to have everyone in town for a weekend, wish they were around more often.

So now, it's 2 hard weeks of diet/training before the competition and then Wiggy and I will go to the Mountains on 4 day vacation the following weekend. Yippeeee!!! This is the final week of his four months of inpatient service and being on call every 4th night. It's finally almost over, much prasie for that. Until next time... lots of sunshine and many blessings!

And it's Fall

Hello lovely Readers,
Yes, I have been MIA for quite a while. I can't even remember where I left off! Let me just start with a general update. Wiggy is now well into his 4th and final month of straight Q4 (every 4th night) Call! Yay! I am working hard getting ready for my show that is now in less than 2 weeks, crazy! We've also been busy with church, a new bible study that I joined, WFU football, tutoring kids at the house of service and much much more!

A few weeks ago we got to go to Smith Mountain Lake for the Moses Cone Family Medicine retreat. The entire department takes off for the weekend for a nice get away. The first night we had a theme party of decades, which was super fun! On Saturday we hiked, had a big cookout and a big Catch Phrase Game among the interns and a ping pong tournament among the guys. The weekend was a super nice getaway and a chance for all of the residents to bond outside of the hospital.

My parents came down to visit in late September for a big football win against Stanford. We also went to see "The Color Purple" with Fantasia. It was quite possibly my favorite show ever!

I am well into my Master's Program and actually aced my first test which made me feel good as I had major test jitters since I hadn't taken a test since 2004.

Wiggy is hanging in there. I can't say he's been doing much more than working and hanging out with me when he's off. He just doesn't have time to get into much fun in his time off. The printing business still keeps him busy as well.

We are going to the Dixie Classic Fair tomorrow! "Need to Breathe", an awesome Christian band is playing and we're excited for that. We have lots of friends coming into town this weekend for Wake Forest's homecoming and our 5 year reunion! Have we really been graduated for that long? Wow!!! We're getting old. We're very much looking forward to catching up with lots of folks from the Class of 2004!

Promise I won't be a stranger this time!

Summer... Slowly Slipping Away

Gosh, it's been a while since I posted and a lot has happened since then.... I'll try to remember everything but this is a toughie..

2 weekends ago Wiggy and I spent a night in Galax VA in a tiny cabin where we could easily enjoy the New River Trail just outside of our cabin. We saw tons of wildlife and were so impressed with how woodsy and green the area was so close to our little city... yet a much higher elevation. We also listened to Bluegrass off the Blue Ridge Parkway in an adorable amphiteather surrounding by green rolling hills. It was a combo of traditional and gospel bluegrass and we LOVED it!

Last week I had the opportunity to help out with the House of Service Elementary Bible Study where we taught the kids about the meaning of baptism.... about a week before 7 of these kids had accepted Jesus as their Savior and it was beautiful to watch them comprehend the magnitude of the step they had taken in their lives.... I will be back!

I also had a chance to meet a couple of other intern wives at a friend's house for Bunko night... I had never played, but had a great time catching up and laughing about the joys of resident life.

We kicked off WFUfootball season last weekend... it was great to be out there, but our team has some things to prove. Well make that a lot to prove, come on Deacs! Get-it-togethet! That night was cheat meal though... Wiggy and I shared a bottle of wine on the porch and chatted and then headed downtown to Mellow Mushroom for a calzone... yummy! And then frozen custard with maple syrup... double yummy!

Sunday we hosted a cookout for our church group called Seeds. We were welcoming home one of our own (also Jasper's favorite human other than Wiggy and I), Ross after his 4 month mission in the Navajo. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and catching up with the wonderful things Ross accomplished while he was away. All the little boys gathered hundreds of walnuts out of our yard (thank you!) and made a huge pile and then hammered them open. They are all boy and so energetic and fun to hang out with!

As for me... my muscles are subtly becoming more defined and I have practiced this whole posing thing to get ready for the competition. It's been a fun experience so far... like an experiment within my own body of what to put in it and how to work it out for optimum functioning... how fun!

My family is coming in this weekend and I'm looking forward to that!

Training... in a very new way

Those of you who know me well know that I've been practicing or training for something for all of my life.... from gymnastics to cheer to dance to running etc... always training. I have embarked on a new training adventure of preparation for a fitness competition coming up in October. For this effort I have given up all of my eating habits (3 square meals/lots of bread/a major sweet tooth) for 6 mini-meals per day filled with protein with the bulk of the eating done earlier in the day.

I'm on Day 5 of the new plan and I must say my body is adjusting. It's ready to eat at the designated times and I'm never starving so I haven't even had a craving for bread one time! I thought for sure that part would kill me and there is no effect at all! My exercise routine is changing too... less cardio and more weights. I had my first training session with my "trainer" Tara on Wednesday... all lower body... all very heavy. I'll just say that I still can hardly get up out of my chair!

That aside I am very very excited for this weekend! This is Wiggy's first weekend off since he started residency on June 20th that we will both be in town (one of his weekends we flew to CA for 40 hours and the other one I was gone for a wedding). Tonight will be my first big "cheat meal" where I get to eat whateva I want and have a glass of wine! Tomorrow we're heading to Galax VA where we're staying in a tiny cabin on the New River Trail. We'll be hiking maybe biking and partaking in the Blue Ridge Parkway and the bluegrass at the "Blue Ridge Music Center". Very much looking forward to a night away!

Last night I hosted Girl's night at my house with a game of Apples to Apples. I never win games and I tore this one up... it was crazy. Last time I played this game I ended up with one card at the end. Last night I had 7!!! We had a nice time chatting and got to meet a couple more wonderful women of Winston-Salem! There really are some fab and hilarious gals around here :)

Happy weekend!

Adjusting

Just as we've begun to feel accustomed to Wiggy's crazy intern schedule things are about to get crazier. Next week I begin my first class for my Masters Certificate in Healthcare Administration. Even though it's only one class per semester it's been over 5 years since I've been an estudiante and I'm a tad bit nervous when I think about juggling work, volunteering, social life and my extra responsibilities that I cover for Wiggy AND school. On top of that, this coming Monday I will also begin my training/eating regimine for my first fitness competition that will be on October 17th. I really just want to get it all started so I can rid myself of this weird anxiety!

Otherwise, it's been a very full couple of weeks. Fortunately for me, I have re-connected (and connected for the first time) with a wonderful and random group of girlfriends that have been great support and company while Wiggy's gone a lot. Friday evening I did get to hang out with the hubby over a nice dinner with wine at Hutch & Harris. We admired our little city and how incredibly much cooler it is now than say even 3 years ago. Saturday evening I met up with a group and headed over to Meridian Restaurant for their seafood festival. Very fun... great food and music and so many people. On Sunday it was "The Time Travelers Wife" (another book club movie) and pedicures with Lindsey and Carrie. Thursday evening we even had a fondue party with about 15 girls all whom have at least one connection to someone in the group. We always invite everyone to bring a friend so our group is growing. I'm hosting a Game Night next Thursday (a call night that I'm livening up) and the invite now has 25 ladies on it! Everyone gripes about how it's hard to meet new people in Winston-Salem... our group is challenging that! Bring on Girl's Night!

This weekend Wiggy will be off Friday AND Saturday and next weekend he's off completely. I'm very excited to spend 2 weekend days in a row with him!

Summer Sizzle

The past two weeks of my life have gone by like a big blurr... not even sure I remember everything! Last weekend Wiggy was on call basically all weekend except for Friday night so we indulged in a patio dinner at our fave Sixth and Vine for some good convo and yummy food (their goat cheese salad with cherries is the BEST). Saturday I went hiking at Hanging Rock with 3 friends and my puppy. My friend Carrie's pugs were supposed to come as well but they were conked out after playing with Jasper for 10 minutes so they went home. That evening Carrie and I saw "The Hangover". It was absolutely hysterical... Wow! Sunday I had lunch with my good friend Ashley who is expecting! She will be my first very close friend to have a baby and I can't wait! That evening Wiggy and I went on a bike ride and grilled shrimp, yummy!

This past week was quite exciting as Wednesday night I caught up with lots of the Group Ex gals who used to take my classes at the now closed Jonestown Peak Fitness. We had a great time catching up and enjoyed our 1/2 price wine. Thursday evening I finally caught up with my Med School gals Meg and Jamie for the Skirt Magazine one year anniversary party. They gave away lots of free goodies and fried food. It was really great to see them after such a long break!

Friday afternoon I flew home for one last wedding and my Mom picked me up from the airport and took me to my fave.. Red Robin for a juicy and greasy Whiskey River Chicken Sandwich! We then had a nice 3 hour chat on the way home. Saturday morning I got to go running at home, my favorite place on the earth... think... super low humidity, mild Summer temps, beautiful green surroundings and killer hills! Then it was off for pedicures with Mom and Meme and a lovely patio lunch with the whole fam before getting ready for the wedding. The bride was beautiful and I got a chance to catch up with lots of high school friends that I haven't seen in a long time. We all had a great time mingling and dancing and reminiscing. Sunday morning was rough as we had to get up by 6:30 to head to the airport. Fortunately I got to spend yesterday with my hubby which was worth the early wake up call.

Off to another week... no more air travel in sight for quite a while... sighhhh

Summer Fun

Last weekend was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a LONG time. Friday evening my friend Jenny and I went to see "My Sister's Keeper" which we had just read for our book club. What a tear jerker! I liked the movie ending better than the book but I wont go into detail as I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. Wiggy was on call Friday night and slept until late on Saturday afternoon as he got NO sleep and delivered 6 babies on his shift. I took the opportunity to lunch, run errands and take Jasper to the Dog Park and then we finally pulled our bikes out of the garage and put them to use.

Wiggy and I purchased bikes in mid June (his was a graduation present from his parents) and frankly have not ridden them one time due to being so busy on the weekends and so tired in the evenings! We went on a lovely ride along the Greenway at Muddy Creek. It's so close to our house yet seems so rural, I love it! I must say that I was a little skeptical of my bike as I haven't ridden in many years, but once I put on all the "gear" I was ready to roll. I teach cycle classes about 5 times per week, but it's just not the same! In comparison to running, I loved that Wiggy and I could carry on a full conversation while exercising and I loved the breeze even though it was quite sticky out. I'm sold on this biking thing and I'm just getting started. I am, however, still terrified of riding with cars nearby!

Saturday evening we FINALLY celebrated our anniversary (2.5 weeks late) in style. We went to a very nice patio dinner at Ryan's where we shared a salmon dish and a pork dish and a bottle of wine and then we headed to the live music in downtown Winston put on by the Arts Council. The band was the Vagabond Saints Society and they played some great "oldies but goodies". The best part was watching the people dancing... quite a riot. Finally we headed over to NOMA to check out their new Saturday night DJ. The music was great, but us old folks got a little sleepy before it really got going.... next time.

Sunday we went on a nice hike at Pilot Mountain with Jasper. I love hiking with him as he's always on his best behavior while hiking and will even heel for us without any trouble. We often let him off his leash when its not crowded just to allow him to entertain us with his explorations. Sunday evening we grilled out and ate on the porch. What a wonderful weekend... I'm glad this one isn't far off!