Barefoot Bliss

We had a WONDERFUL week at the beach. It was relaxing, to say the least. Mostly, we spent our time on the beach (me under an umbrella, of course!) reading books and coming back to life. We had a few beautiful days where the water was as clear as in the Caribbean. Almost every day we rode our bikes around Seaside and took nightly trips for gelato. We ate a fair amount of seafood and visited our two favorite Destin restaurants (The Red Bar and Cantina Laredo) This vacation was special for us both ...no, not because Jessica Simpson was at Seaside this week..., but because it marked both an end and a beginning. Both of us worked our last day of work at our old jobs right before this trip. Knowing that we were returning to Memphis to start new jobs (and school) was/is exciting and fun! Very soon, Patrick will be starting his job as a high school science teacher and I'll be returning to school. Both of these opportunities are things we've prayed for and anticipated, so we feel very blessed to see them fast approaching. Meanwhile, Patrick is in Colorado at a teaching conference for two weeks. You're sure to find me napping, lazing around the pool, or doing any number of nonproductive activities. Patrick says I'm just storing up rest. Though I consider that ridic, I'm going to cling to it in order to not lose all self respect.

P.S. the joyful bike ride pictured above was interrupted not 10 seconds after taking this picture when a rogue preteen operating a runaway bike flew out of an alley and slammed into me going mach 10

P.S.

Have patience with me, dear friends. I haven't posted in quite sometime because I don't have internet in my apartment, or a computer for that matter. Both are soon to be remedied, as I'll be getting internet sometime in July and one of these is on the way via UPS. P agrees that he's sure to not steal my new pink laptop. He's manly, but not that manly. Expect to hear back from me soon!

Challenge

A friend sent me an email challenging me to answer these questions and forward them to friends and get them to respond. In the spirit of hating forwards, I thought I'd just post my answers on here. I promise to post engagement party pics soon!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was a freshman (I think?) in high school at Hutchison in Memphis. I had great friends and hot braces. Life was good.

2. What are 5 items on your to-do list?
1. continue to run every day in order to not die at the Firecracker 5K on Thursday night
2. buy a few good beach reads to take to Florida
3. pack for aforementioned beach trip
4. call Jennie and Kelly (two amazing friends who are also two of my bridesmaids)
5. Pick up new linen pants from PK's (alteration place). Funny how a 30 dollar pair of pants
ends up costing 50...short people have such a hard life!

3. What snacks do you most enjoy?
I am infamous for liking snacks, appetizers, call them what you may.....more than actual meals. My favorites include chips and dip (Houstons/Cheesecake Factory spinach dip anyone?), pita chips with hummus, and tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Hmmm, this is hard. At this point in my life, I'd do very little differently. I would pay for medical school, save for the future and for my kids, and perhaps buy a nice little house for me (and eventually Patrick). I'd also love to open a free medical clinic, but I think I'd wait until I'm a doctor for that.

5. What places have you lived?
Memphis, TN Dayton, OH Boston, MA Miami, FL

Bookaholic

Not too long ago, P discovered my dirty little secret. He took my car to get washed at Mr. Pride. When he opened the trunk to have it vacuumed, he discovered them. The books. I basically don't have a trunk. It's full of books. Soon thereafter, he found the duffel bags and suitcases full of books in my Mama's garage, the books piled under my bed.....the list could go on. I love, love, love reading books. Reading is a passion my Mama instilled in me from a young age when we used to go trade old books for new old books at the Book Depot in Germantown. At any given moment, my Mom will be reading several books---novels, short stories, nonfiction, you name it. Like my Mama, I also have several books piled on my nightstand, all of which I'm reading.

I'm not sure if P knows what he got himself into with the books, but he promises that someday we'll have a library to properly contain them. In the meantime, he's urging me to remove them from the trunk of my car, as they couldn't be good for my gas mileage. But where would they go?

In honor of my passion for books, I've created a list of my 10 favorite books. I had a really hard time picking some of these over others, but for now I think these are the faves. They are in no particular order. Picking one over another would be like picking a favorite brother. Not gonna happen.

1. Rich in Love by Josephine Humphreys
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
3. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
4. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
6. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
7. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
8. Harry Potters by J.K. Rowling
9. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
10. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As our pastor Craig reminds me from time to time, God has a sense of humor. I've seemingly waited my whole life for two things to happen-1. to get engaged to a wonderful man and 2. to get into medical school. Coincidentally, these two things happened smack on top of each other. ha! kind of humorous (if you ignore all the anguish it took to get me into medical school) On April 13, P and I got engaged. On May 14, I got the call from UT that I've waited for, thought about, and even dreamed of. Countless times, I wondered what I would feel, who I would call first to tell, etc. See, if you know me at all, you know that I've wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. My Mama found me once, at age 4, forcing my neighbor to watch videos of surgery that my Dad had around the house. My friend, Jenny, was disgusted and screaming. I was, quite simply, entranced. As a child, I asked for model skeletons and chemistry sets for Christmas. Medicine is in my genes. There was never a plan B for me, never an alternative to being a doctor. So, although the last 3 years have been at times excruciatingly hard and most definitely humbling, I never doubted that eventually my time would come. In fact, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I've prayed countless times as I agonized over what step to take next (take the MCAT again, get a new job, volunteer somewhere else, whatever) that if I was heading down the wrong path, would God please let me know. Each time, the answer was no. I felt I had His blessing and that I just had to persevere. The whole experience was very affirming and strengthened my faith immensely.


Well, here's how the awaited experience actually unraveled. At 4 o'clock, I checked my messages as I walked out of work to find a chipper "call us back" message on my voicemail from UT. Hands shaking, I immediately hit redial and spoke with the dean's secretary, who offered me a spot in the class of 2012. I'm a little embarrassed to admit the truth---I cried and screamed, "this is a dream come true". The secretary gave me time to collect myself and then said, "well, I suppose this means you accept". The first person I called, through tears, was my Dad, who's been my biggest supporter and cheerleader along the way. Of everyone, I feel that he never once doubted my abilities and always had the perfect thing to say when I was discouraged or confused. He comforted me through 2 horrible MCAT scores, countless rejection letters, and many unkind words. I then called my Mama and my brother Ryan on the way to tell P in person. P was stunned, a kind of deer in headlights look. Neither of us was expecting me to hear so soon. He was, of course, very excited, but reminded me that he knew that I'd get in. When people tell me that, I never believe them, but for some reason, I believe it when he says it. He has that kind of unwavering faith in me....and faith that other people will see in me exactly what he does. What a jewel of a fiance.

Overall, the experience was amazing. I feel incredibly blessed to have so many wonderful things going on in my life and I CAN'T WAIT to start school. I mean, does life get any better than this?? Thank you to everyone for your congratulations and kind words. I have such sweet friends and family. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Side note: this picture is old (don't worry...I won't cut the hair short again) but I thought it was appropriate since we're sporting our UT orange!!!

Mondays, gotta love 'em

Having spent the greater part of my weekend at the peaceful Taylor farm, I'm reminded of the stark contrast between that happy place and my place of work as I sit under glorious halogen lighting. Right about now, I feel like propping my eyes open with toothpicks. A beverage chocked full of caffeine would also be nice. sigh.

That said, I did have a wonderful weekend. Girls night, my friend's baby shower, and the farm were all great fun. I had a great time bringing different groups of friends together for girls night. The farm was very relaxing and the boys cooked all the meals! The rain held out until right after we took our last 4 wheeler ride. Perfect. However, quite disappointingly, I didn't take a SINGLE picture, at least not of anyone that you know (i.e. myself or P). I'll try to be better about that, especially since I mentioned that I'd take lots of pictures. Empty promises I suppose.

In other news, P's best friend from college Kenny and his wife Kristin are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, Brynn. yay! We're so happy for you two and we can't wait to meet her!

Almost the weekend!

My brother Drew informed me yesterday that he, too, has a blog. When I asked him what it was about, he said it's filled with "arrogant musings". Uhhhh.ok. In short,that is why I won't be sharing his blog link with you. Also in short, my brothers are essentially one big arrogant musing (most of the time)

I'm so looking forward to this much needed 3 day weekend. I have big plans for Friday to attack the list of things I never get done, but also to fill the day with leisurely activities that I also rarely do. Topping my list are the indulgent coffee in bed followed by a trip to the bookstore with absolutely no time constraints....ahhhh, heaven! Friday night, P is working. So, I thought it would be fun to orchestrate a girls night, the classic dinner at Houston's and a movie. I don't do this often enough, especially not with 4 of my friends. fun! Saturday, after attending a friend's baby shower, P and I will be headed to the farm with another couple. I can't wait. The farm is always a great opportunity to get away, get in some quiet time, and relax by the campfire. P is always happy that I can't be chained to the laptop there and that we can do some trail running.

I'll let you know if the weekend turns out as glorious as I've planned it in my head. Surely not, but hopefully I'll have some fun pictures to post.