Recount: an act or instance of giving an account of an event or experience.

I suppose a better title would be recountS seeing how there is more than one event or experience to give an account of. So to avoid confusion let us start at the beginning and then we’ll finish at the end.

First recount: To ensure we start in the same place please review the following-

Tire: A rubber covering, typically inflated.

Flat: Lacking interest or emotion; dull and lifeless.

Flat Tire:

Independent: not depending on another for help changing a once inflated lifefull tire.

Fix a Flat: “Everyone gets a flat. Be prepared!”

Makenna: overly excited about being independent and being prepared!

Founder:  Fail or break down, typically as a result of a particular problem or setback. 

Aka: 1. Fix a flat LEAKING out of the lifeless tire.

2. Muscleless Makenna unable to loosen the lug nuts. 

3. Kia missing a jack.

Patient: slow to become irritated or annoyed with people or an over zealous wife. 

Husband: A married man considered in relation to his wife.

Brave: ready to face and endure danger or pain.

Prepared: able to deal with something (like changing the flat by having a jack)

Even though he got in an argument about the proper calling of the crow bar. 

Sean:

Patient, Brave, Husband of mine!

 End result: 

1. Four new tires and a jack for the Kia. Now ready to make the trek across the country! 

2. Sean's sweet battle wound.

Second Recount:

Three cheers for no more working! It was been a long year and a half but I am happy report that I have had a wonderful month off and we are now busy packing up our apartment.

Ten cheers for Sean no longer working as a medical student! He finished up his last rotation with rheumatology. A great one to end on, he really enjoyed it. Tune back in in a few weeks for details of his graduation!

It is hard for me to express how proud I am of him. He is the most amazing man and he is going to make a wonderful doctor. Being on this journey with him has been such a blessing in my life.

Third Recount:

Sean and I both celebrated birthday in the last month!

Sean turned 29 and we welcomed in his last year of being young with peanut butter chocolate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. If you have never tried this, you must! I believe you cannot die happy until you have consumed some of this heavenly goodness.

For my 23^rd birthday treat all I wanted was a churro. Yeah kind of weird. But after a delicious dinner made by Sean we were going to make a trip to Costco for  one of their huge churros that can be purchased for only a dollar. However, the wonderful hubby of mind found a recipe for homemade churros! We had so much fun making together! We have some perfecting to do but you can bet we’ll be making these again!

Fourth Recount:

GRADUATION VACATION EXTORDINARE!

Here is a teaser to grab you attention. More to come!

xoxo

The Time Has Come

Have you ever seen Harriet the Spy? Well, there is a part in that movie where the nanny is helping Harriet get ready for bed, they recite a rhyme the goes like this:

“’The time has come,” the Walrus said,

“To talk of many things:

Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—

Of cabbages—and kings—

And why the sea is boiling hot—

And whether pigs have wings.”

I’m not sure why this poem is the one running through my head but perhaps it is because for us, The Time Has Come!

     Match Day was on St Patrick’s Day. On March 17, 2011 after a year of preparation; weeks spent perfecting the application, 3 months of away rotations, interviews all over the country, several drafts creating our ideal rank list and weeks and weeks and weeks and years (well, really one year but it felt like more) of waiting…..and still more waiting we know now where Sean’s next four years of medical training we be.

     On Monday March 14, 2011 we received notice that we had in fact matched. This was wonderful news
because it meant we did not have to scramble. Now we knew we had a place go but we would have to wait until Thursday at one o’clock to find out where.

     It was kind of surreal week, we went about our regular routine in anticipation of Thursday but I don’t think we’ve ever been so excited for a week to pass us by.

     On Thursday we got to work about 7:15 am. Sean went off to rounding in the hospital for his cardiology rotation and I went to my office.

     5 hours later we were finally off and on our way home…. The Matches were going to be posted at 1:00 pm. We raced home so that we could ready. Sitting on our couch watching as the computer imitate a snail had us biting our nails in anticipation!

     At last the screen that came up! I was frantically scanning the screen, seeing nothing as my eyes went over and over again the information they so desperately wanted to see but couldn't stop long enough to process it. Then while in my panic search I hear Sean say “Oh my gosh!!” Ahhh, what what? What does it say….. Reno Nevada for intern year he tells me…and Dallas Texas for years 2, 3 and 4 for training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation!

     Wow! Is all that could be said. And from there that is about all that happened for approximately 10 minutes.

     We were both a little bit in shock- trying to get the news to sink in. Don’t misunderstand though- we are thrilled! Reno was our top choice for Inter-year, only a very short 8 hours away from home plus they have a good program to offer! Dallas was right at the top of our “ideal rank list” motioned earlier; it was just a little off our radar.

     Sean felt really good about Dallas when he interviewed there. The people were great. The area is really nice and the program was just what he was looking for to get the best training he could. We decided before the Match even happened that where ever we were supposed to go is where we would be Matched. We didn’t rank any program that we could not be happy at. We cannot wait to find out what Reno and Dallas have in store for us.

     So now, for Sean and I, The time has Come! Instead of shoes, kings, pigs and boiling water however, we will be talking of many different things: places to live, moving vans, graduation, road trip across the country and whether we will melt in Dallas.

     The initial shock has worn off and we are still so excited! We love this adventure we are living, who would have thought- Dallas Texas!


xoxo

Blue Jackets

For those of you wanting to pursue a career in a doctors office let me tell you some of the benefits I have encountered that could be yours.

The health insurance is good.

I don’t work nights or weekends.

I get all the major holidays off.

Every other Friday- I get off at 12:30.

I have my own stapler.

Drug reps bring lunch almost everyday.

I get row 13 tickets for the Blue Jackets hockey game!

Now, sadly this is not an everyday occurrence like the use of the stapler but Dr and Kay Nichols do have season tickets and since they could not use them they offered them to Sean and I for a night out!

We were so close, we could smell the sweat!

It really was so nice for Dr and Kay to let us use their thickets. We had a lot of fun and it is always nice to mix up what happens during the week. The Blue Jackets lost but they tried hard and we saw a great fight!

xoxo

Sometimes it is cold in Ohio

Sometimes I use the extra heat from the oven as it is cooling down.

Sometimes Sean puts on whatever he can find.



Sometimes we make me laugh.

xoxo

Love is...

Guiding me to bed after falling asleep on the couch

Warming up my car in the morning

The flowers on the counter

The call at lunch when my day needs a smile

Opening my door

Gentle kisses and tight hugs

Letting me make, and remake the bed until it is just right

Laughing

Holding my hand when I am scared

Snuggling close when it is cold out

Making dinner together

New adventures

The way you look at me

Love is being here with you

Happy Valentie's to my favorite husband!

xoxo

Girl Unexpectedly Hits Light Post

     Columbus, Ohio Riverside Associate Parking Lot. A few weeks ago a young employee from Riverside Hospital attempting to back out of her parking spot hit a light post. She stated she was trying to avoid a passing pedestrian and the light post mysteriously appeared in the middle of the lot.


     An investigation is still under way. Trying to understand how a large, noticeable, light fixture was able to erect it's self is perplexing to detectives. No one in the surrounding area noticed the light posts sudden appearance. Although saddened about her broken bumper, we are happy to report that the girl is doing well.

 

xoxo

Ice Ice Baby

Recently several states have been hit with series of intense storm. They were described as destructive and crippling. Felling a little apprehensive about the tempest raging outside we prepared the best we could for what may come. Power outages were predicted so we dressed warm for bed and set an alarm clock that was not dependant on a power outlet.

We got up early to ensure we had to time to clear our cars and drive to work.

It wasn’t until about 7:45 am that we realized how naive were…

Thousands in Ohio were left with out power; that fact was anticipated but we were lucky enough to have a warm, power filled apartment when we woke up. The amount of ice and its stubborn demeanor however, was not expected.

Everything was coated in a thick layer of ice. Ice blades replaced the strands of grass and each branch had its own ice cloak. The sidewalk was converted into a skating rink and the cars looked like giant ice sculptures.

The best way to prepare a life size ice sculpture shaped like a car for driving it to use a key to chisel away the ice from the door frame so you can enter the sculpture. Next, turning the car on and engaging the heat at full power is required. Waiting comes next. Using your dinky ice scraper against the forces of half inch ice is no match. Soon you will start to notice the ice shifting ever so slightly. This is when you make your move!

Clearing the ice post melting time makes the process much smoother. Trust me, I tried chipping away at the ice pre-melting and it got me nowhere.

The last bit of advice for ice storms….enjoy them! Everything is beautiful encased in ice. The world is quiet, and it’s not something that you are going to experience everyday. Happy winter!

xoxo