March Trip to Baltimore!

I was lucky enough to travel to Baltimore this past weekend for Kristy's shower. I tried to keep it under the wraps so she wouldn't suspect her shower, let's hope that worked. Like most of my trips back home, it was a whirlwind of a weekend. I arrived in Baltimore at midnight on Friday and then was back at the airport at 3 on Sunday. Kristy's shower was at Red Brick Station, where we proceeded to spend the rest of the evening catching up. Yes, I spent 11 hours at Red Brick. I didn't get a chance to fulfill my Chik-fil-a craving, but I did get some Rita's. Woo hoo! The weather was so much warmer in Baltimore and makes me hate our cold day of flurries even more. Ah, such is life. Here are some pictures from the weekend. It was fun using my new camera to actually shoot people instead of flowers. I still need to play around with getting the flash just right and all...

I purchased Kristy and Lucas a custom sign from A Simple Expression on Etsy.com. I love Etsy!

Day 5 of Activia Challenge

Warning, TMI for some... The past couple of weeks I've been extremely gas-y, bloated, and just down right flatulent. I was at the store and ran across the Activia yogurt and decided to join the bandwagon and give the challenge a try. I'm currently 5 days in and while I'm no longer super gas-y, I feel a little constipated... Ahh, we'll see what the next 9 days have in store.

Beautiful Stationary

I ran across this designer while lurking on the knot. I absolutely love the detail of these invites and they seem so personal! I know I wouldn't have been able to afford them and our wedding has past, but they're still nice to look at.

Joe Misses His Childhood

Lo and behold I check the mail today and there's a package for Joe. As he opens it he says to me, "Don't laugh. Such and such had their shirts on sale and I had to get this, my parents threw my old one away." He proceeds to put it on and wear it the rest of the evening. Ahh, the joys of childhood and the memories they invoke. OH, and the ghost glows in the dark!

Tulip Fun...

Remember the beard bet?

Remember when I bet Joe he couldn't grow a beard for 30 days and I "won?" Well I opted to get a house plant as my prize instead of a super nice bouquet. (I figured the plant would last longer.) I finally found a plant I loved. Here it is! I really wanted a flowering houseplant. Let's hope I don't kill it.

Giving Birth?

So here's my funny for the day... After finishing up at the hospital I stopped by Sam's Club to pick my birth control prescription. Before giving me the prescription I hear the pharmacist say to me, "Giving birth?" I was definitely taken aback, so I said, "Umm, no, that's what those are for [the pills]." After getting a good laugh at me, he says, "No, date of birth?" Ooops. Oh well, at least I made him laugh.

How You Know It's a Good Book

Borrowed from this blog.

• You know it's a good book when it keeps you reading past your bedtime. ...And a great book will keep you reading until dawn.
• You know it's a good book when you take it into the bathtub with you...even when you're taking a shower. (Hey, it was a paperback.)
• You know it's a good book when you can't stop wondering what happened to the characters after the story ends.
• You know it's a good book when you take it with you on your fifteen-minute coffee break...then don't return to your desk for four hours.
• You know it's a good book when you feel compelled to read it while eating dinner. Even though you have a dinner guest.
• You know it's a good book when it continues to make you laugh or cry even the second time you read it.
• You know it's a good book when it reveals something new and surprising even on the third and fourth time you read it.
• You know it's a good book when you dream about the characters.
• You know it's a good book when you're reading it on a bus or subway...and end up missing your stop.
• You know it's a good book when you pre-order the author's next title six months before it's released, hoping that it will be even better.
• You know it's a good book when you happen to see a copy on the shelf at a bookstore or library...and feel like you've just run into an old friend.
• You know it's a good book when you feel PERSONALLY OFFENDED when you hear someone else criticize it.
• You know it's a good book when you find yourself carrying it around even after you've finished reading it, just hoping that someone will ask you about it.
• ...And a great book is one that you carry around -- in your heart and in your head -- for the rest of your life.

Love this!

Found this on Etsy, just wanted to share! Here's the seller's shop if you're curious to see what else is offered. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6176744
I don't think I have a place to hang it, plus I'm trying to spend less money on personal things, so I'm going to have to pass...

A "Green" Operating Room?

I'm on my surgery rotation for the next two months and I've learned the OR is definitely not a place to go if you're on a mission to save Mother Earth. It's important to remember that we can't reuse a lot of things because they can't be re-sterilized and we don't want to spread infection, but I really would love to know how much waste a surgery department produces in a day. Some cases require irrigation to wash inside the abdominal cavity with a water like-solution. Each irrigator requires 8 AA batteries that they cannot reuse in another case! I'm trying to remember to ask the nurses to save the batteries for me, but sometimes it just gets too hectic when turning over the room. It makes me cringe just thinking about all of those batteries in a landfill somewhere. I won't get started on the plastic tubing and such that gets discarded each day...

Back to the pill...

A couple of months ago I decided to try the Nuva Ring for various reasons so my OB gave me two months of samples. Tuesday I went to pick up a new prescription from Sam's and it was $50! I knew going in that it wasn't generic, but the most I thought I'd have to pay was $30 with insurance. Guess I was wrong. So, needless to say, I'm switching back to the pill that's $10 a month. I really liked not having to take a pill everyday, but that convenience is so not worth $40 a month or $480 a year.

A Quarter Century in Review...

Ahh, it's hard to believe that I turn 25 tomorrow. To me a quarter of a century seems like a good time to sit back and reflect on my life so far...

March 8, 1984 at 5:32 am I entered the world. Mom says they thought if they had a girl they'd name her Shannon. Then I came out and Mom-mom suggested Amber, I'm still not quite sure how I ended up Amanda.

I don't remember much from pre-school other than being caught showing my private parts to a classmate. Our teachers had just told us boys and girls have different private parts and we wanted to know what the difference was... Sometime towards the end of preschool we moved from the city to the county. I don't remember much about the move but I remember being on Dad's shoulder during the auction and screaming "we want the land." The bidding hadn't even started yet...

I got my first kiss in kindergarten. The class lined up in the hallway to use the bathroom on the way to music class. Pete came over, got on his knee, grabbed my hand and kissed it.

I think it's fair to say I was a fairly accident-prone child and definitely had a tendency to scare my teachers and friends when I hurt myself... I broke my elbow roller skating, both of my wrists at the same time jumping off a swing, and several toes. I fell down a flight of stairs and somehow only suffered from a sprained ankle, but two days later I sprained my other ankle.

I spent the rest of my grade school days going to girl scouts, playing rec softball and soccer, playing the flute, dancing, and having my nose buried in books...

1996 was a big year for me--our family welcomed Robby and said good-bye to Mom-Mom. After being an only child for 12 years, I was ecstatic to become a big sister. Unfortunately, I also experienced one of my first deaths that year too.

1998 I made the transition from grade school to high school...a truly wonderful period in my life. I made a wonderful group of friends, learned what it meant to be a three-season athlete and experienced the camaraderie of a team. I recognized I had a eating disorder and started the long journey of overcoming my battle with anorexia. I experienced the heart-ache of a first love and later met my future husband. I set a goal to be at the top of my graduating class and achieved it.

My college years didn't take me too far from home, but gave me my first taste of living on my own, even if it was in the dorms. I made some more wonderful friends and grew in my faith. I witnessed true poverty during my service trips to Texas and Mexico. I traveled to England with school and later went to Ireland with Joe. Everyone thought we were on our honeymoon and I was convinced he was going to propose on that trip...I was wrong--he waited a couple of months.

The years post college have probably brought the most change. My dream to become a doctor relocated me to Omaha, Nebraska. I moved to a completely new part of the country not knowing a soul and found myself in a long-distance relationship for a year. I planned a wedding 1/2 way across the country and married my high school sweetheart.

We now find ourselves in Omaha and can only wonder what the next 25 years have in store for us. Let's hope for at least a pediatric residency on the East Coast and eventually some kiddos.

My Hubby's a Sports Writer!

OK, not for real, but I'm still super excited about this. Joe found a site where he can openly write commentary on anything and everything sports related. Here's an article he wrote today. Joe absolutely loves sports and while I try to have conversations with him about them and all, he and I both know I'm not totally interested but I try. Now he's found a place to converse and express his thoughts with people who really understand what he's talking about. So now we each have our own little cyber outlet Amanda's nest = Joe's bleacher report.

A Sweet Surprise

I was at the hospital last night for trauma call. Joe called me and said he had a little gift for me when I got home. I wondered a little bit what it was, but shortly went back to work. I got home this morning and found this angel. I absolutely love it! He said he saw it in his gift shop at work and immediately thought of me. I agree, it screams "Amanda," combining my love of angels and anything Celtic. We don't expect gifts from each other but we both really appreciate when the other sees something that reminds us of them. Thank you Joe!