Defying Gravity

Remembering Christmas

2010-12-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a very special time in our family, and I am so blessed to be sharing in a very Texas Christmas with my Aunt Donna and her family. When we first arrived, Donna showed us a book she started keeping in 1994 in which she recorded her family Christmas memories. The last time we were in Texas was 15 years ago. I wanted to share what Donna wrote in her book about the circumstances that brought us together...

"It was a special Christmas because all of our family gathered at my house this year for Christmas. Although what brought us together was Daddy's illness. We are so very thankful for the grace that has been given us in many ways and for this rare and wonderful blessing of being together for Christmas in Texas. Our special guest was our own Daddy! He was able to get a day pass from rehab and spend Christmas Day with us!"

We spent that Christmas in Texas because Papaw was still in the hospital after having several seizures and surgery to remove a brain tumor. We celebrate again this Christmas and remember the family that is no longer with us but will always hold a special place in our hearts. What a reminder of the blessing and gift of family.

Grandmother, Lauren, Papaw, Papaw-Papaw, Caroline, Patti

Sending you all our love from Texas this year!

Merry Christmas y'all!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-11-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me well, or really at all, knows that I.love.Christmas. I could dedicate a whole slew of posts to various Christmas obsessions, but this one is about the cards. There is something exciting and wonderful about walking out to the mailbox and seeing smiling faces of friends and family. I remember growing up that mom would keep Christmas cards from years past, and I loved comparing the cards from year to year. One family in particular added a child just about every year (at least, it seemed that way)!

Picking out a Christmas card is almost as difficult as taking the perfect picture. My favorite site is shutterfly.com. You can view their Christmas cards here. If you sign up for their emails, you'll get lots of great offers throughout the year!

For our first Christmas, we forgot to take a picture! At the last minute, we had to set up the camera on the table and take a self timer photo. It was dreadfully difficult and took about 25 takes!

The next year, I made sure to have a friend come take a picture for us. We added two furbabies, which quadrupled the number of photos we had to take to get a decent one. Dogs just don't sit still for pictures. The end. Leo is totally hamming it up, but I'm having to hold Layla next to us!

When you fail to get a good shot, you always have the option to use a multi-shot photocard, like this one. Year three was a smorgasbord of our travels and adventures from that year...New York City, Hackensack, Cloudland Canyon, Metropolis, and the Mississippi Headwaters. I won't bore you with all those pictures!

Last year was probably my favorite card. We spend Christmas in Germany, and I really wanted a picture from our trip for the card, so I held off until after we got back. We got some great pictures of us in the Alps in Fussen, Germany that we used for our first New Year's card! The link will take you to my favorite one from this season's selection (the one we used last year isn't up anymore). Here's one of my favorite pics from that card:

It's not a perfect shot, but holy cow! I'm in the Alps! At the top of a mountain. Amazing!

Caroline is going to take our pictures this year over Thanksgiving. Hopefully it will be quick and painless. Most of our cards in the past have been red or green, so I'm thinking of doing something a little different. Here are a few options...one, two, and three!

If you've sent me a Christmas card since we've been married, it's hanging out in a basket by our Christmas tree. I love to thumb through them and count the blessings of our friends and family!

Birthday month

2010-11-15T22:57:00.000-05:00

I love birthdays, but I'm not one to celebrate a birthday month. It's kinda silly. But sure enough, as soon as I say I won't do something, I do. Hence, this year is a birthday month celebration. Here's why:

Half marathon completed
Cross the finish line and get tickets to see this guy

(This video, by the way, inspired my love for my special kids with designer genes. But that's for another post)

Midnight show for Harry Potter
This brand new pack of Sharpie pens from Charlie (be still my heart!)

The presidential suite downtown
Celebrating birthdays and Thanksgiving with Charlie's mom and our family!!!

13.1

2010-11-11T10:47:00.000-05:00

13.1 glorious miles.

See our "13.1"? :-)

I never in a million years thought I would utter those words.

Pre-race...26 degrees

13.1 miles of freedom.

Of thanking the volunteers.

Of shaking hands with firemen.

Of smiling while jamming out to Pink and Glee.

I think this is the first marathoner

Coming around the last turn...

I'm near the sign now...

Post-race in the medic area after a little run-in with asthma

Crossing the finish line with a smile on my face.

It's hard to explain the feeling when you cross the finish line and know that you put in months of time and training and sweat and dedication. Especially if you're not really good at sticking with something (that may or may not be me!). I am so proud to have set a goal and completed it. And I had SO MUCH FUN!!! I was really able to enjoy the race because I wasn't trying to finish in a certain time. I loved talking to other racers and the volunteers. Indianapolis was a great place for my first half. And have I mentioned that it's flat??? Practically unheard of in Atlanta. I will definitely return to run this race again.

Thanks to everyone who was so supportive and listened to me drone on about pacing and stingers and long runs and all that other race stuff. :-)

Race Report for the running junkies:

The expo was smaller than expected but well organized. Quick packet pick up and chip activation. We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and headed to bed early.

At the expo...poster with all runner's names

(Caroline in the pink shirt)

Saturday morning was absolutely freezing. The temp at the start of the race was 26 degrees!!! I lined up with the 13-15 minute group so that I would impede other runners. It was definitely the right choice because I got to pass lots of people towards the end. :-) There were aid stations at every mile along the course. The volunteers were wonderful! I enjoyed thanking them along the way. The course was really pretty. We ran through downtown, out to a residential area, and then back into town. The Monumental Circle area was so pretty! Coming around the last turn was a sweet relief.

Monument Circle

I had three goals for the race.

1. Finish.

2. Finish in under 3 hours.

3. Finish in under 2:45.

Official time: 2:39:46

10K split: 1:14:11 (4 minutes faster than the 10K I ran in September)

Overall pace: 12:11

I used a run:walk method. I am going to work on increasing my run:walk intervals over the spring and hopefully run another half in about 6 months. I am hooked. For now, I gave myself the week off and will pick back up on Monday!

Ice party in the hotel

Dinner in the kitchen at Bucca di Beppo

On Remembering...

2010-10-15T21:47:00.000-04:00

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Today, I pray for peace and hope for all of the mothers and fathers who have lost a child.

Today I remember Samuel and Asa.

A fine farewell

2010-10-01T14:11:00.000-04:00

Growing up in Atlanta, you don't have a choice about your team. You're born a Brave, you'll die a Brave. And that's just the way it is. This weekend we say farewell to a legend as the Braves play their final regular season series guided by Bobby Cox.

I remember the first moment that I really LOVED baseball. It was October 1992. The Braves were in the National League Championship series against the Pirates. The series went to 7 games and I BEGGED my parents to let me stay up to watch. I remember sitting by the TV, rocking back and forth with excitement. And then, it came. The slide.

Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!!!

The next Friday at school was one of the first of many Braves parades through the hallways. And that was when I knew I loved the game. We are the Bobby Cox generation. He will always be remembered and respected. Thank you for your dedication to the game, to your team, and to the fans.

And your ejection record? Just peachy. :-)

Run, girl, run!

2010-09-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

Apparently there are lots of unwritten "blog rules," one of them being you never blog about why you haven't been blogging. Considering I haven't been on here since July 14th, I'll leave it to your imagination. :-)

Besides school, the other activity consuming my life is training for a half marathon! I know, you heard that right...a half marathon! I'm definitely not a runner by any means, but Charlie and I have been training. My goal is to cross the finish line in the upright position with a smile on my face and wanting to do it again! A few weeks ago, our long training run coincided with a local 10K race, so we signed up. If I'm gonna run, I might as well get a shirt for it! We had a group from school that joined us, and they were so awesome and supportive. I appreciate all the kind words and good vibes I've gotten from friends and family on this journey. It will truly be an accomplishment to cross the finish line. Here are a few pics from race day...

Sandy likes to run without clothes, but we don't judge him.

Matt

Kelly's a trooper...running after getting the PT plague!

Lindsay's so fast we can't even get a picture of her!

Charlie's chuggin' along...great job!

Cassie's all smiles!

I'm upright, and smiling, and I passed that chick in front of me! :-)

Group shot (Cassie, Kori, Lindsay, Matt, Charlie, Lauren, Kelly, and Sandy)

Celebration

2010-07-13T22:25:00.000-04:00

As freely as God has given me life,

I join my life with yours.

Wherever you go, I will go.

Whatever you face, I will face.

For good or ill,

in happiness or sadness,

comes riches or poverty,

I take you as mine.

I begin my life with you today knowing that we have developed love and trust that are strong enough to last through good times and bad.

With this ring, I enter a covenant, offering my hand, my heart, and my soul as I know you will cherish and protect them.

No truer words have even been spoken. This life we live together is not always easy, but I cannot imagine it without my very best friend.

Charlie, you are my blessing.

Love you more each day.

Happy Anniversary!

A funny thing happened on the way to the future...

2010-07-08T22:54:00.001-04:00

"So let me make this suggestion. Don't spend a lot of time imagining the worst case scenario. It rarely goes down as you imagine it will, and if by some fluke it does, you will have lived it twice. When things do go bad, don't run, don't hide. It will take time, but you'll find that even the gravest problems are finite, and your choices are infinite."

An excerpt from Michael J. Fox's new book.

Our Independence

2010-07-04T18:07:00.000-04:00

Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

Happy Independence Day!!

I want it to be so Wang that it's right!!!

2010-07-03T15:22:00.001-04:00

If you've been around me lately, it's highly probable that we've heard me express my love of "So You Think You Can Dance." I love this show for several reasons, but mostly because my dancing skills are right on par for a white girl with no rhythm. My heart loves to dance but my body knows better!!! Needless to say, I love and appreciate watching all types of dancing because it is such a wonderful art form. I love watching the sexy ballroom dances and the sweet contemporary dances that tell a story. I love watching the growth of the dancers on the show, as they experience new dance styles and partners.

It's also fun "getting to know" the dancers and rooting for your favorite ones throughout the season. I normally am all for the underdog, but this year is a little different. Holy. Cow. Alex. Wang. Alex used to be the principle dancer for the Miami City Ballet. He's pretty much awesome. But no one could have predicted that he would be so good at other styles!!!

Exhibit A

Alex dances contemporary with one of my favorite All-stars, Allison (I wanted her to beat Benji!), and they are dancing to Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah." One of the greatest songs ever. Mia Michaels calls this the best contemporary routine ever on the show. And Sonya Tayeh is brilliant. Enough talking, just watch.

Exhibit B

Alex dances hip-hop with Twitch, the best hip-hop dancer that's been on the show. This routine is choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha. This routine had me out of my seat!!! Hang on til the very end...

If Alex doesn't win this, America is just crazy!!! Hope you enjoyed!

Making lemonade

2010-06-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

One of my status updates today (notice I said "one" because today was a very status-y day!) was about squeezing every bit of goodness out of summer. It's like getting that last bit of lemon juice out of the freshest lemon for your lemonade.

And boy, am I squeezing.

I went back to Atlanta this weekend to celebrate the boy's birthday. We met at our favorite neighborhood pizza place, where we ordered drinks and savored the sunshine on the patio while we waited for our pizza...pepperoni with roasted onions and mushrooms, if you were wondering. We went back and forth about our plans to go to the drive-in since thunderclouds were rolling in, but our fun side got the best of us. We headed down and stopped by Zesto's for a brown-crown turned upside-down ice-cream and rolled into the perfect spot for the movie.

Saturday morning was spent in glorious fashion...sleeping in and cooking breakfast for a king. We spent some time shopping to get Charlie ready to look all European on his adventures in a few weeks, and then ended the night in wonderful company as we celebrated the retirement of his boss.

Jesus, forgive us, but I'm confessing that we skipped church for coffee and soccer. The Lord must have heard our prayers since Germany came out on top. :-)

And the topper tonight came when I found out that Brooks and Dunn had to reschedule their concert...I'll be in the crowd the night before classes start! Talk about ending summer on a bang!

Each day I am reminded how truly blessed I am by my friends, family, and my sweet husband. In a few shorts weeks we will be celebrating our fourth anniversary...I cannot believe how time is flying by! Life is so sweet and so rich when you share it with your best friend!

Perfect Summer Day...

2010-06-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

I've been on a blog hiatus for, oh, the past month. Maymester was just as stressful and busy as everyone had warned me it would be. I couldn't find the time or the motivation to write anything really worth reading. But as always, this too shall pass, and I lifted my head to find myself facing a glorious week full of whatever I wanted. And, boy, did I ever make the most of it. I was able to catch Charlie's softball game, run errands, get some new clothes for clinic, see Stacy and baby Harrison, have breakfast with sweet Miriam, pack all my stuff, and move.

Oh, did you catch that last one? Yep, move. One of the great things about this degree is our 8-week clinic rotations. In a nutshell, we have four clinic rotations, and we pick on a lottery system. It's very fair (and since I'm a rules person, I would know fair when I see it (-: )...however, there are not always clinic sites available in Atlanta. You know, where I live. And already pay rent on an apartment. And where my husband and two lovely dogs stay. Yeah, that place. Hence, the move. Let's call it a temporary relocation to my old bedroom in my parents' house, because, well, it's rent free. Although I will say that Charlie and I are very good mulch spreaders and wreath hangers and garden pickers and getting-stuff-off-high-shelves-and-changing-light bulbs-in-22-foot-ceilings people (those last ones are most definitely all Charlie!). So here I am, sitting in my favorite chair in my room, incredibly thankful that my parents are allowing me to be a boomerang child for 8 weeks.

I should probably change the title of this post to "Perfect Summer Weekend," but I'm just too lazy. Today was wonderful...we went to church this morning and then stopped by the Chattanooga Market. My favorite. We came home with peaches and strawberries and some amazing German rolls. We made it home just in time to fix lunch and squeeze in a game of O'Shoot before watching our 6th-ish World Cup game (sorry Caroline...the Aussies didn't stand a chance). Then Charlie and I took the dogs down to the creek, where I laid in the grass by the swing and read while they did their frolicking.

Friday and Saturday night were spent down by the river at my favorite music festival, Riverbend. Sheryl Crow opened the festival on Friday night. Last night, we got an amazing show from Alison Krauss and Union Station (who, by the way, are only performing one other concert ALL YEAR!).

The day started to wind down as I stood on the front porch and waved goodbye to Charlie as he returned to Atlanta. While I'm looking forward to my time at clinic, the days are harder when you don't wake up next to your best friend. But we are going to squeeze every bit of goodness out of these summer days.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

And since we're on the topic of love...

2010-06-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite mash-ups with my two favorite instruments. Enjoy.

How do you make love last...

2010-06-07T21:36:00.002-04:00

No words needed...

I swear, I'm alive!

2010-06-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

Hi friends. I've been noticeably (or unnoticeably) absent these past three weeks. That's because I've been in the midst of PT hazing, er, Mayterm. And tomorrow is my very last day of class for the first year of school! At approximately 5 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, I will emerge from my hole and partay!

For now, I have to finish my paper on the use of thermal capsulorrhaphy as a surgical intervention for patients with multidirectional shoulder instability. It's due tomorrow. :-)

Sunrise

2010-05-12T10:15:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning just in time to get down to the beach for this...

Mother's Day post and beach update to follow when I'm not so busy being lazy...

Almost made it...

2010-05-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

We're in the midst of finals, and to put it lightly, studying our brains out. My friend Lindsay is quite possibly the best "let-me-find-a-you-tube-video-for-the-moment" person that I know, and I love her for it! Tonight, she found this one...who hasn't felt like this at finals?!? Couldn't have said it better myself! (And please, Zack, the blazer. Bless your heart!

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

2010-05-03T08:24:00.000-04:00

This is what I need to get anywhere today...the rain is falling, falling, falling. I love the smell of the earth after is rains. Mom always called it the "Garden of Eden" smell. It's cool, damp, rich, and renewing. Since I'm sans kayak, I guess I'll be traipsing around in the rain boots.

(Photo above was taken at the lakehouse in Hakensack. Layla and Sophie came along for a swim.)

Daddy's girl

2010-05-01T11:05:00.014-04:00

Fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love as you do...

I'm sitting at Caribou with Charlie on a Saturday morning date that cost $4.03 and included two free bagels from Einstein's (become a fan on Facebook for some great offers!) and two cups of Caribou coffee. We like cheap dates. :-) Our Saturday morning dates bring back memories of dates I had long before I met Charlie...

Saturday morning would roll around, and Caroline and I would get so excited. Saturday mornings were date mornings with Daddy (and yes, I will always call him Daddy. Some things just shouldn't change).

Caroline and I would take turns picking where we would go for breakfast. She almost always chose Cracker Barrel. She loved the little bottles of syrup you get with your pancakes. And the hash brown casserole....oh.my.goodness.

I was a fan of Dunkin' Donuts. We never got to eat that kind of junk during the week, but when Saturday came, it was free game. I am only still slightly addicted to the chocolate doughnuts. Wherever we ended up, it was our special time with Daddy. It didn't matter what we talked about, or what we ate, or where we went. We were getting to spend time with the man in our lives.

Every dad should date his daughter. Little girls need to know that their dad loves them. Dating your daughter sets high expectations and fosters self-esteem, self-respect, and acceptance. When I think about my relationship with my dad, I recognize that I never doubted or questioned his love for me. I knew that I was free to ask questions and make mistakes.

Mostly, I felt secure. And that security allowed me to grow in a healthy way. Everyone carries baggage into relationships, but I feel that I carried so much less because of the positive, loving, healthy relationship with my father. I watched the way he treated my mom and cared and provided for our family. He loved us well, disciplined us well, and nurtured us well.

Because of our relationship and the example he set for our family, I had high expectations for the person that I would spend the rest of my life with. I wasn't going for someone who was mediocre because I hadn't experienced a mediocre love.

So dads out there, date your daughters.
It's the best gift you can give them.

What?!?

2010-04-26T23:19:00.003-04:00

Sisters are, if nothing else, partners in crazy times. I was going through some photos tonight (why, I'm not exactly sure considering it is way past my bedtime) and I came across this picture taken on a camping trip. Let me reiterate that A) this was probably a result of a dare and B) the dare may or may not have sounded something like "I bet you can't hang upside down from the lantern post and eat a banana." Just sayin'.

P.S. Please note the look on Lina's face...I can't tell if it is disgust from bananas (she had a texture hang up back then) or if I have boogers in my nose. I'll let you decide.

P.S.S. And how the heck did I get on that thing anyways?!? Unclear.

I have never been so thankful for...

2010-04-25T10:06:00.006-04:00

RAIN!!!

Atlanta has been covered in a foot of pollen for the last several weeks. I am not one who suffers tremendously from allergies, probably because I take a prophylactic claritin every day (that was for you, Sarah!). So I can only imagine what it must feel like for those who do. Yesterday was simply glorious. It rained almost all.day.long. Normally, this would be a major damper to the weekend (pardon the pun), but it actually came as a sweet relief. We have had a few teaser sprinkles where it doesn't even rain hard enough to wash the caked on layers of pollen off my car...but alas, yesterday, I saw that my car is indeed a shiny silver. Now if we can get the pollen count down to double digits....

Share the love!

2010-04-22T17:16:00.003-04:00

A sweet friend of mine, Lia (miss you lots!), wrote a thought-provoking post about sharing the blog love. If you read a blog, leave a comment and then share it with others! If you blog, you should probably keep posting for your dear readers. (I apologize once again to all 15 of my followers for being such a pathetic blogger!!!)

One thing I love about blogging is this: it's like one big game of seven degrees of separation! For example, let's take Whitney. She and I have never met. But we're Facebook friends. And she takes beautiful pictures and lives in an adorable house. And she's married to the son of missionaries that used to come and speak at our school during the Missions Conference. (Did you follow all that?) So now, go click on her name and leave her some love.

I mentioned Whitney because she had a post a few weeks ago about life and death. Sure enough, she linked up to a "life" post and a "death" post. (We're going to skip the death part for now, but it's an inspiring story, nonetheless). Her life post led me to an amazing woman named Kelle. Her story is incredibly touching and meaningful to me. Now, if you don't want me to ruin the surprise, STOP RIGHT NOW and click HERE. No, really, go back and read the story. I'll wait...

Are you finished? I know it's long, but oh my gravy! Doesn't she just melt your heart? Children like Nella are exactly why I got into physical therapy. I cannot get enough of her sweet face and tender smile. And I love that Kelle is truly enjoying the small things despite the difficult life that is ahead.

So, blog lovers, share the love. Let me know your favorite places to be inspired or laugh or get great recipes. And remember to let your blog friends know how much you appreciate them sharing a little piece of their life with you!

Open Letter to Tiger, part duex

2010-04-08T22:13:00.002-04:00

Dear Tiger,

I'm just gonna quote Billy Payne for this one.

"Is there a way forward? I hope, yes. I think, yes. But certainly his future will never again be measured only by his performance against par, but by the sincerity of his efforts to change... We at Augusta hope and pray that our great champion will begin his new life here tomorrow in a positive, hopeful and constructive manner, but this time, with a significant difference from the past. This year, it will not be just for him, but for all of us who believe in second chances."

With great anticipation,
Lauren

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:22:00.001-04:00

Oh praise the one who paid my debt!

Now for something completely different...

2010-03-22T20:53:00.003-04:00

I don't particularly like to discuss politics (if you want politics galore, head over to Garrett's blog. Same name as my title post. Thanks bro!). One of the areas that I feel where my citizenship is lacking is in being an INFORMED citizen. Sure, I vote. But I don't always know the issues. The health care debate has definitely found the back-burner to school work. However, as a future health care professional, I think I should know what's going on. Therein lies the problem. How do I find the facts amid the bias? I decided to go to the original text to strip away the slants from news commentators/angry facebookers/racial slurring activists. And folks, in my spare time, I'll be scrolling through the health care bill...all 2000 pages. Wait, I lied. I'm skipping over non-health care stuff like education and Puerto Rico. I'm not really sure what that's doing in there anyways.

So, if you'd like to read the real deal, click here!

Thanks Kansas.

2010-03-21T19:18:00.002-04:00

Since school has taken over my life, I have watched almost zero basketball this season. Plus, we have baby cable, which means if the game isn't on ABC, NBC, Fox, or CBS, we're not watching. My bracket picks were pretty blind since I knew nothing about the teams. And now I'm sunk. Thanks Kansas.

On a brighter note, we'll be a house divided next week. OSU and Tennessee are playing. I may be wishy-washy about my loyalty to UT football, but don't mess with me and UT basketball. It should be an interesting night....

A Perfect Saturday morning...

2010-03-13T15:08:00.002-05:00

This week has been Spring Break, but it's been full of lots of hours in the car and studying. Two tests on the Monday we get back should be a line in Alanis Morrisette's song "Ironic." Don't you think?!? So I'm crammed all of Spring Break into one glorious Saturday morning.

We got up and went to the gym for a run.

We came home, made our coffee and omelets, and ate breakfast together.

Then we (meaning me, Charlie, and the dogs) all crawled onto the bed. I got to catch up on all the shows I missed this week. Charlie was doing some research for his paper that he is presenting in London this summer. And the dogs curled up and slept. No surprise there.

I'd say that's makes a pretty perfect morning. Except I can't say that, because now it's 3:12 p.m. :-)

Holy postness!

2010-03-09T11:00:00.003-05:00

I'm officially the worst blogger ever. It kinda makes me giggle, because I read everyone else's blogs every day and think to myself..."Self, you should post something. Anything, really." But alas, I worry that it will come out resembling gait patterns, pharmacokinetics, or the anatomy of the spine. Because clearly, I'm consumed with school. Seeing as my last post was Feb. 20-something, I should probably give an update. Since February 20-something I have:

Had 8 tests in 3 1/2 weeks. Kinda explains the blogging absence.
Begun the "Couch to 5K" running program. I think I talked about this earlier, and it is supposed to make me like running. I am in week 5 and the words "like" and "run" still cannot coexist in the same sentence.
Inherited a 109 year old Singer sewing machine and table. I am looking forward to restoring it this summer with mom.
Inherited a lawyer's bookshelf. It will be a very special home for some of my favorite and well-worn literary friends.
Read Alice in Wonderland. Because, quite frankly, I don't remember the story. It turns out that the book is way weirder than the Disney movie, which makes me really excited for the new version!
Studied, studied, studied, and studied.

And now we have arrived at Spring Break. I'm trying to balance study time with relaxing time and Charlie time. Lots of balancing going on! Hope that you all enjoy a beautiful pre-spring day!

Memorable Olympic Moments

2010-02-21T17:13:00.004-05:00

This post went from "greatest Olympic moments" to "memorable Olympic moments" after I tried to narrow down lots of history. I decided to set some parameters so that these would be meaningful events: 1) It had to occur during the Winter Games and during my lifetime. 2) I have to actually remember watching it on TV (fear not...I remember lots!) 3) It doesn't have to involve American athletes. So in no particular order (because I actually have no idea how many moments I'll end up with), here are my favorite Olympic moments...

Dan Jansen finally wins his gold. I tried to find footage of the original race, but they are all dubbed over in foreign languages. Visa commercial it is!

Tara Lapinski has the long program of her life. I remember watching her performance at our end-of-the-year basketball team sleepover.

Lindsey Jacobellis reminds us that pride comes before a fall...and can cost you the gold.

This is one of the coolest torch entrances. I remember watching and wondering how they kept the torch from going out.

These last two don't have videos yet seeing as they just happened in the past week. Lindsey Vonn takes gold in the downhill despite a painful shin injury. Thanks to Lindsey for making a shout-out for her physical therapist every time she was on TV!!!

Lastly, Shaun White. Call him what you will, but you must call him revolutionary. The boy has his own half pipe and landing pit in Colorado to practice on! Do you think he'd give me lessons?!?! Shaun had an amazing first run in the finals, and even though he kept it conservative, he won the gold medal. He finished out the night with his bonus second run - he and his coach discussed at the top of the hill what he should do. Hey, why not throw in my incredible Double McTwist 1260? Ain't no thing! And he lands it. Sigh.

I've shared a few of my favorite Olympic moments...now let me hear about yours!!!

Life lately.

2010-02-19T17:28:00.006-05:00

Here's a recap of the past two weeks:

5 tests. I feel like that should be self-explanatory.

Opening Ceremonies. Loved the flaming tap dancing. I'm pretty sure we'll see that in the next beauty pageant talent show.

They FINALLY delivered our new stove and dishwasher that were written into our lease that we signed last MAY.

Apollo. Lindsey. Evan. Shaun. Ohhhh Shaun!

These mittens. They are clearly the best Olympic souvenir ever, next to the pins. I heard a rumor that my northernly relatives might be sending some our way...

So my life has been pretty hectic. I haven't really been able to spend any time with Charlie because I'm pretty much married to my study group. That definitely won't work for the long term, but sometimes its necessary, since my "job" right now is to do well in school.

Finally, let's chat a little about these Olympics. I started writing this whole glorious post last night and was going to go all linky with great moments in Olympic history. But then I got sidetracked on YouTube looking at all the amazing Olympic videos and realized that I needed to get back to studying. So now, here I am, with way more time on my hands. So I'm going to divide this up. I'll do a linky post later (famous last words!) of great Olympic moments. It will be fun and interactive, and you, lovely readers (I'm up to 15...yay! haha!) will get to contribute.

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS.

But if I had to choose and could only watch one or the other, I would pick the winter games. (Sorry Michael Phelps. There's just nothing dangerous about swimming.) I love the spirit of the games. I love the background stories on the athletes where you feel like you really get to know them. You cheer for your country, which, luckily, I can do double this time. O Canada! My dad is from Vancouver, so I feel like I should at least cheer on the Canadians a little bit. Except for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the big hockey game, and you can bet your loony dollars that I will be all USA!

Keep your eyes peeled for some great Olympic moments...I'll really try to keep my promise this time!!!

Things I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

2010-02-08T20:56:00.003-05:00

Studying. I had four tests this week. Two down, two to go.
Running. Wait, wait, I know what you're thinking...I don't run. I don't. Hate it. I'll work on the eliptical all day or trudge up hills on the treadmill. But I despise running. Thanks to my dear friend Dinah, I started the "Couch to 5K" training program today. She swears that it will make me love running. She'll be lucky if we're still friends at the end of it. (I kid, I kid!)
Reading. I've been trying to get through "Messenger" without crying. Unsuccessful, and I'm coming up on the saddest part of the book.
Studying. Did I mention that already?
Counting down to the Olympics. This deserves a post of its own, which I promise will come at the end of this crazy week.

Observations from Marta

2010-01-27T16:42:00.004-05:00

Here are a few observations from my train ride to school this morning:

To attend Woodward Academy you must:

Be rich.
Wear itchy uniforms.
Switch cars every time the train stops.
Have an iPhone/touch/pod.

If you sit in the seats with little leg room, it's likely you'll get the seat to yourself the whole time.

I really should stop reading books that reduce me to a blubbering mess. The kids look at me like I'm crazy with my sniffly nose and watery eyes.

That's all for now. :-)

Remember to play after every storm

2010-01-25T21:14:00.002-05:00

Remember to play after every storm.
Storms aren't necessarily clouds with rain.
They're things that darken your day.

If you've read some of my posts when I initially started blogging, you might recall me mentioning a very special little boy, Mattie. If you don't recognize his name, you can visit his website and learn a bit about this amazing child. I first heard of Mattie when mom gave me a book of his poetry for my birthday. I have a deep passion for children who are differently-abled, so I was immediately drawn to Mattie's story of strength and courage.

Mattie will probably be the subject of numerous posts to come as I am currently reading Messenger written by his mother (who also suffers from the same rare form of muscular dystrophy...she has buried all four of her children). By the way, I don't recommend reading this book in public. I was in tears by the end of the first chapter, and all the Marta passengers around me were surely wondering about my mental state! Of course, this has yet to persuade me from reading on the train, but I thought I would give you fair warning.

So back to the storms. Mattie shared his life philosophy one day with a reporter, much to his mother's surprise as she had never heard him mention his "storms." Most people associate storms with fear, danger, gloom. Mattie looks past the storm. He sees the rain ceasing, straps on his boots, and jumps in the puddles! What a profound concept from a young boy who was confined to a wheelchair.

We all have our storms. Some come in the form of sadness, situational anger or despair, money woes, loneliness, failure, defeat. What a challenge he offers: play after the storm. No matter what it is that you face. If Mattie in his wheelchair strapped to 100 pounds of medical life support equipment can play after his storms, surely I can too.

If you would like to read more about Mattie, Messenger is currently available. Also, I would recommend reading his poetry starting with Heartsongs.

Birthday week!

2010-01-18T21:29:00.004-05:00

Two of my very best friends are celebrating birthdays this week. What a special friendship we have shared for over 21 years!!! I love these girls like crazy. We have gone to school together since kindergarten and have been with each other through the ups and downs of middle school, prom, graduations, bad roommates, weddings, and now a baby. I feel like this should be throwback year.

So Miriam and Rachel, I propose we put on our pj's, grab some popcorn and M&M's, rent "Pillowtalk", and play spoons all night long (or until we quit, because those two get pretty violent!!!)

Of all the gifts life may bestow, none is as constant, steady, and sure as the tender heart of a friend.

The simple things

2010-01-12T16:54:00.003-05:00

A few days ago, my facebook status read:

"I'm enjoying the simple things. This world and it's craziness do not have to control me."

Sometimes "stuff" just gets in the way, and I let it weasel its way in without a fight. My mom always tells Caroline and me that the only thing we can control in every situation is our attitude (I'm sure someone famous said this, but mom's pretty wise so we'll attribute it to her today). If I can control my attitude, then I should also be able to control what I let affect me. I have a choice in every situation. I can get mad that the train is late or enjoy the fact that I have an extra five minutes to read my book. I can honk at the guy trying to wedge his ginormous SUV into my lane, or I can let him and the next car over. I don't have to let myself get worked up about things that are really not that big of a deal. This allows me to really enjoy the simple things. It helps me to remain optimistic. It brings joy. So I thought I would list a few of the simple things in my life...and maybe you can add some of yours!

Simple Things I Enjoy

My cuckoo clock playing Edelweiss
The five minutes after our alarm goes off when the dogs jump on the bed to cuddle
Baking cookies and giving them away
The way Leo dances when he hears Charlie's keys in the door
Calling my sister just to chat
Reading my Real Simple magazine cover to cover the same day it comes in the mail
My morning good-bye hug with Charlie
Sitting on the train instead of sitting in traffic
Hanging on to all my coupons until the very end of checking out and then watching my bill go doooooowwwwwnn
Knowing the answer to the final Jeopardy question

What would you add to this list???

Epiphany

2010-01-06T08:05:00.002-05:00

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

To-Do Lists

2010-01-05T17:38:00.002-05:00

Normally I LOVE marking things off my list. I will even go as far as putting things on there that I've already done just so I can mark them off. I'm not very organized (as the recipes strewn across the table testify) but lists make me happy.

Since I have a few more days until school starts, I decided to make a rather ambitious to-do list while I'm at home. Today's list read like this:

Go to dentist and pray my broken crown is not a big deal
Pick up package from post office
Get book from library
Deposit check
Organize recipes

I knew the last item on my list would take a long time, so I was really proud of myself when I had completed 1-4 and it was only 10:30 a.m. If I were to write down what I've actually done today, it would look a little more like this:

Play with the dogs
Eat cheeze-its
Look at recipes
Watch "Let's Make a Deal" and "The Price Is Right" (because we all know that I love a good game show!)
Make a New Year's card, order it online, and pick it up at Wal-Green's less than an hour later
Watch "The Great Muppet Caper" (I really have no idea what happened here)
Move recipes around
Wash sheets and comforter in guest room
Check facebook
Read blogs
Sit down to work on recipes for about an hour
Resort to blogging about procrastination and lists

There you have it, folks. I'm definitely not cut out to work at home.

Returning home and travel reflections

2010-01-04T21:38:00.002-05:00

We've been home a few days now, and I've had some time to reflect on our amazing journey. First of all, I have finally uploaded pictures. You can view them by clicking here.

We ended our last day in Germany with Jenny and Felix. They were so gracious to host us again. We arrived at the beginning of the trip as strangers and left as family. I know this is especially true because Jenny got up at 6 a.m. to take us to the airport! We were met with heightened security and a pat down because of the recent threats, but travel was incredibly smooth. The jet lag however has been killer on this end of the trip. I've had a really hard time adjusting to my normal time!

We spent the weekend with my family catching up and playing games. We were so happy to see the pups again. It's incredible what an important part of our family they have become.

Everything about Christmas and New Year's was unconventional for us this year (we were asleep by 10:30 on NYE). In light of that, I've decided that instead of a New Year's resolution list I will post some travel tips that I've learned from our experience.

1. Travel with someone you love. It makes every experience richer and more fun. This was a dream for Charlie and me, and I am so thankful that we experienced it together.

2. Take two pairs of comfortable shoes and a pair of slippers. Don't scrimp here.

3. Travel by train. It's economic, safe, and so unlike anything you will do in the states. It allows you to meet others and share stories.

4. Stay in a good hostel. The only time we spend in our rooms was to sleep. We found good safe hostels that served breakfast. Load up on breakfast and grab a roll for the road. You can spend that money somewhere else!

5. Tear out the sections that you need from your guidebooks to make "mini" books. They fit better in your pocket and take up less space. This is a Rick Steve's trick.

6. Speaking of Rick Steve's, read "Europe Through the Back Door" before you go. (Thanks, Oma and Opa!) And buy his travel guides. They are fantastic.

7. Have a backup plan in case you drop your digital camera on centuries-old cobblestone and it breaks.

8. Don't eat at any restaurant that you can eat at here. Unless you're desperate and nothing else is open. But there will always be something else open. That's when you might have your most exciting meal!

9. Live like a local. Buy fresh bread at the bakery. Shop at Aldi. Walk everywhere. Go to sporting events and the baths.

10. Don't be embarrassed to take pictures, but remember that the best pictures are the ones in your mind. (That's a mom-ism!)

11. If you are going somewhere in the winter that is likely to get snow, you should probably take ski pants.

12. Pay for everything in cash. It's a great feeling to come home and know that you're not getting an enormous credit card bill. But if you must purchase something big, like a cuckoo clock, use your Capitol One card that doesn't charge a conversion or foreign transaction fee.

13. Even if you don't journal (I hate it), jot down what you do everyday. That way you won't leave anything out later when you are retelling your travel stories. Make note of fun, interesting, humorous, and challenging events.

14. Be flexible. Things will go wrong. If you expect it, you won't be surprised or grumpy and can make a quick adjustment. Remember that the only thing you can control in every situation is your attitude!

15. When in a bind, Gummi Bears are a perfectly acceptable substitution for a well-balanced meal.

Wherever you wander, there's no place like home. Love!

Schwarzwald

2010-01-01T08:47:00.002-05:00

We spent the last few days of our trip in the Black Forest. I briefly mentioned in the last post that we hiked up the mountain to our hostel, but I don't feel like that explanation did it justice. Let's be clear here...it is 5 km from the train station (in the valley) to the hostel (at the tippity top of the ice covered mountain). And we both had two bags at this point because of all the Christmas goodies we had purchased. By the time we reached the hostel, my quads were screaming for mercy! But that's enough of that...

We set out on Tuesday to see the sights in the Black Forest. It had snowed overnight, so now we had snow/ice/snow layers which makes walking fun. :-) Triberg has a little bit of a Gatlinburg feel, which is unfortunate, because Gatlinburg is home to lots of mullets and tacky stores. It was a little more touristy than we thought it would be, but we had lots of laughs! You get this great Konas card when you stay at a hostel in the Schwarzwald which allows you to use all local transportation for free AND get free tickets to two different ski lifts. This sounded like a great idea, since it costs an arm and a leg to get lift tickets in the states (and you can't ski very well with one arm and one leg!). So we hopped on the bus and headed to Schonwald.

I have never been skiing. I water ski and wakeboard, but I've never snow skiied. My dad grew up skiing, Charlie skis, Kevin is a ski patrol, Adam and Sarah ski...of course, I'm thinking, "How hard can this be?" Oh boy. First, in the Schwarzwald, kids learn to ski before they walk. We go into the ski store to rent skis, and the girl helping us is about 9 years old. The look on her face when Charlie told her I had never skied before was PRICELESS!!! I was the laughing stock of the store as I tried to figure out how to put the boots on and then how to walk in them! I really wanted to snowboard because I knew that trying to make two skis operate together was going to be a little much for my coordination. But I was stuck with skis.

Skis - check. Poles - check. Boots - check. Confidence - check. Time to hit the slopes! The lift is little and takes you to the top of the hill, then you ski down either side. Not too high or complicated or difficult. Plus there's tons of little kids skiing and snowboarding. Piece of cake. Charlie gives me a brief lesson on balancing and stopping, and then I suggest that we ride the lift to the top and I will learn as I go. I mean, all I have to do is point my skis towards the bottom of the hill, swivel by hips back and forth, not run into anything, and look totally awesome doing it. The picture of me skiing in my mind looked great!

The lift is a t-bar, or so they tell me, and it zipped us right to the top. This is the point when I wished most that we still had the digital camera. The view was so pretty! And have I mentioned that it was raining? Because it was. So the snow was a little melty and the rain was slushy and the slopes were, um, icy? Whatever. I can do this.

Charlie starts by teaching me how to turn so that I don't run into trees, small children, and the poles supporting the lift. But I can only kinda sorta turn to the left, and stopping is a disaster, so I feel like Zoolander. And then the drama. I'll go right, back towards the middle of the slope. Except I start speeding down the slope towards all the people coming up on the lift. And I can't turn. Or stop. Oops. So I'm desperately trying to fall so that at least I can tumble slowly into the poor people. Next thing I know, I'm face down in the snow with my skis spread out behind me. I'm laughing because A) I didn't die, B) I didn't hurt anyone, and C) I know I look absolutely ridiculous!!!

I don't care about falling, or about people laughing at me, but I tremendously cared about blowing out my knees in a foreign country. Bless my heart. Charlie rescued me, and I picked up my skis and walked down the rest of the way, laughing at the irony of the situation. I'm incredibly sad I was not able to document with pictures because I'm pretty sure I could have won some money from America's Funniest Home Videos. Or at least become a YouTube star.

Lessons learned from skiing:

1. Take lessons.
2. Start on the bunny hill.
3. Snowboard.

The journey continues...

2009-12-28T15:15:00.002-05:00

I realize that it's been several days since we posted, but internet is hard to come by in small Bavarian towns! And, have I mentioned yet, that the keyboards are different over here? Some of the letters and symbols are switched around, so I end up writing "love zou" or searching for the quotation marks (which I just did, bz the waz, and thez are over the number 2!)

We left Munich early Saturday morning after we started eating breakfast before it was open. I mean, how were we supposed to know that it was bank holiday? The guy was a little peeved and made us feel really bad, so we ate super fast and left!!! We traveled with all of Munich on a tiny little train into a fairy tale land. As we went further south, the mountains seem to rise up out of nowhere. Mind you, these are not the rolling hills of Appalchia, but the mighty Alps with their jagged and snowcovered crags. (Speaking of crags, anyone remember the name of that TV show where the kids climbed Crag Mountain at the end?? We racked our brains and for the life of us cannot remember the name!!!)

Ok, back to the mountains. (Becca, I feel a little like you sometimes! We must think alike!) The mountains people. These things are for real. Not even the Rockies compare. They were glowing in the morning sunlight. It was stunning! We arrived in Fussen, dropped off our bags at the hostel, and headed on the bus towards Tegelberg. We were hoping to ride the sommerrodelbahn (luge) on the side of the mountain. Except in this case, "sommer" really means that it is only open in the summer. We opted for the gondola to the top instead, and we definitely got the better in the deal. I might have taken an entire roll of film at the top. Maybe. :-) We hiked a little into the Alps and saw the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. And let's talk just for a second about the skiers. They climbed the mountain on their little skies and zigzagged their way back down. I would have died, considering it was probably a 70 degree slope near the top.

Sunday was castle day. I have been looking forward to seeing Neuschwanstein since I was little, and it was just as exciting as walking down Main Street and seeing Cinderalla's castle. Except that you can actually go inside Neuschwanstein. And it's bigger. And there's snow. Disclaimer: I'm not into princesses and all that mushy stuff. Bring on the knights and castles and storming the gates!!! We toured Hohenschwangau and then hiked up the hill to the big money. Crazy Ludwig tore down a 700 year old castle to build his and then outfitted it with all the modern conveniences. The castle is barely 160-something years old, but the interior is decorated in the middle-age style. I wish that we knew more about Wagner's operas because the entire castle is dedicated to his works.

The path to Mary's Bridge was closed, but we pretended like we didn't know what the signs said (Caution, Achtung, Death Is Imminent!) and marched right along. The path was covered in snow and ice, but the view was worth it!

Then we hiked from the castle to the town at the foot of the mountain. Rick Steve's had mentioned this place called Kristall-Therme. Since we weren't visiting the baths in Baden-Baden, we decided to give this place a try. We had a blast! I thought of Caroline the whole time because she always says to do stuff with the locals. You couldn't get more local than this! We spent 2 hours relaxing in the mineral baths. My favorite was the outdoor pool where you could sit in the pool in a bubbly lounge chair thingy and gaze up at the castles all lit up for the evening!!

We had dinner that night at a tiny little Italian place. There were no tables available, and a couple that had just sat down offered to share their's with us. We had a wonderful evening sharing travel stories and getting to know each other. To me, that it the best way to eat a meal!

We're now deep in the Scharzwald in Triberg. We hiked up the mountain to get to our hostel, and when we told the guy at the front desk, he got a really good laugh!!! So I rewarded myself with a big piece of Black Forest cake at dinner and then a taxi back up the hill.

Thanks for hanging in for the long update! You might not hear from us til we get back since the internet is sketchy and expensive here, so until then, tschüs!!!

Frohe Weihnachten!

2009-12-25T05:35:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas from Munich! We had the most wonderful day yesterday meeting our German family members! Eva has been so welcoming, and we seem to fit right in. It makes being away from home so much easier when you are celebrating with new family! We enjoyed a yummy Raclette dinner (google it...super fun!) and then opened presents around the tree. Charlie and I went to midnight mass with Eva and Werner. It was the most beautiful church we've seen in Germany...and also the coldest!!! No heat last night, but it was a lovely service. It's amazing to celebrate the birth of our Savior in so many different ways. I have loved learning the differences in American and German celebrations of Christmas. And Mom, I found someone who knows about the pickle present!!!

This is our last day in Munich. We are headed back to Eva's this afternoon for Christmas dinner and to meet more family. Tomorrow we will take the train deep into Bavaria to see my childhood "dream castle," Neuschwanstein.

We wish you all a very Frohe Weihnachten and send our love. We'll be home for Christmas if only in our dreams!!!

Changing shoes...

2009-12-23T17:52:00.002-05:00

If you ever travel to Europe for longer than three days (which you definitely should) I highly recommend bringing TWO pairs of shoes, no matter what the travel guides say!!! After four days of walking, on average 9.2 miles in the same pair of shoes, your poor feetsies will cry for mercy! Which is why, my friends, I toured Munich in slippers today. Ok, they are technically down bootie camp shoes (huge thanks to Mark and Lolli for fulfilling my Christmas wish last year!), but any lay person might have confused them for slippers. But quitely frankly, I didn't care, because my feet were happy. Plus, these Munich girls walk around in crazy boots, tights, and short skirts. I just don't know how they stay warm!

An update from yesterday...we toured Dachau concentration camp on our way in from Munich. It's really difficult to describe the bleakness of such a place. It was cold, and the ground was covered in snow, and I thought of how many times the prisoners had to stand in their threadbare clothes for roll call. Walking on the grounds and seeing where so many innocent people died is quite shocking, even though there's nothing left but buildings. It's a hollow and empty place.

We spent today being tourists in Munich. I loved every minute of it. The city is so old, and beuatiful, and did I mention old?!? Darn you, Sherman, for burning down Atlanta! We started off at the Residenz and Treasury, and then headed over to the Marienplatz to see the Glockenspeil do its thing at noon. Worth seeing once, but the coolest part was how quiet everyone was when the bells began to chime. The whole square was quiet and then erupted into cheers when the jousting began!

We climbed to the top of the New Town Hall and then the more impressive St. Peter's Church. It's 306 old rickety wooden stairs to the top. There are signs everywhere for "no smoking"...as if anyone could climb 306 stairs while smoking. Seriously?! Their lungs would have given out about 115. Whew! But the views of the city from the top...simply breathtaking!

We made three different trips into Saturn (like a Best Buy) and one trip to Conrad to try and find what we needed for our converter to work. Not an incredibly big deal to not dry my hair, except when it's f-f-f-freezing outside!! I haven't tried this new part we bought, so I'll let you know how it goes.

We walked around the city this afternoon visiting the farmer's market area and discovering the Christmas carousel. We also finished up our Christmas shopping in the market. So far, my favorite, and cheapest, souviners have been the gluhwein mugs from the Christmas markets in Rothenburg and Munich.

Tonight, we had dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. It's the oldest/biggest/loudest beerhall in Germany. (I think I got all those facts correct!) The had a real live oompa band complete with lederhosen and the little feather hats. I had white sausage with a pretzel and sweet mustard. Yum!! Charlie had the brat with saurkraut and a ginormo beer. We called this our "Varsity" meal for Germany!

We are so excited about meeting new family tomorrow! We will be spending Christmas Eve with Eva and two of her daughters and a hodgepodge of other people. It has been great meeting new folks! We have run into more Australians by far! I mentioned something about Jim Craig and the Man From Snowy River to one of the girls, and she had never seen it!!! The horrors!

So in other news, Britney Spears is currently blasting over the speakers in the hostel internet room/bar. I just can't seem to get away from her when I travel!! Our Ireland gang will remember that we heard one of her songs in every pub we went to!

I can now technically wish you a Merry Christmas Eve! Frohe Weihnachten! Love to you all.

A little misadventure in every journey...

2009-12-22T12:17:00.002-05:00

Hi all!

Charlie and I are learning first hand that indeed the only thing you can control in every situation is your attitude! We have had a wonderful trip thus far, but we have had a few incidents that could have easily dampened, ney, crushed our spirits! Shortly after our last update, we hiked up to the center of Rothenburg to do the Nightwatchman's Tour. Long story short, gloves and snow made for a slippery camera handoff. The digital camera took a tumble onto centuries-old cobblestone...and the cobblestone had the upper hand. So camera 1 is not working at the moment. We're hoping to find a place in Munich that can work camera miracles. In the meantime, we've been snapping away with Caroline's camera, that she so graciously let us take. And by snapping away, I mean we're on our 8th roll of film!!! Definitely not what we planned, but we're taking it in stride. So don't plan on seeing any pictures before we get home, unfortunately.

I woke up early Monday morning and decided to plug in my hair dryer...and the converter doesn't work. Good thing I checked it BEFORE I showered!!! Hoping to fix this as well.

Left Rothenburg this morning in the rain. Can't wait to tell you all about Britta and her wonderfulness. Ran into a couple at the train station from Australia. They are in month 1 of their 3 month European escapade. Toured Dachau this afternoon. Now we are in Munich! Lots to do here. We are going to find something to eat and then go ice skating tonight, then tour the Marianplatz and Christmas market tomorrow.

P.S. Mom, our hostel does have webcams, but I don't know if I'll be able to use skype. I'll have to ask at the front desk. For now, send facebook msgs and we'll try to work out a chat.

Love to all!!!

Greetings from Rothenburg!

2009-12-20T11:40:00.003-05:00

Hi folks! After a loooong flight with a baby and a very talkative Marine, we arrived in Stuttgart and were finally able to meet Jenny and Felix! They were such gracious hosts. We toured the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart (Jenny's first time, even though she works for Mercedes!), and then had a wonderful albeit FREEZING evening at the Weihnachtsmarkt in Esslingen. The Christmas market was exactly what I thought it would be, with an added bonus of a medieval theme. We sampled Glühwein (hot red wine) and Schöpfnüdeln (potato pasta with cheese and sauerkraut--Schwäbish-traditionale). We ended the evening with Felix's homemade French pizza. (Mom, you would have loved it!) We cannot thank them enough for allowing us to visit, and we are so thankful to have met family here!

We got an amazing 12 hours of sleep last night and are ready to tackle Rothenburg.

(Not my picture. I borrowed it from the internet...however, this is pretty much what it looks like right now!)

We have figured out the trains and had no mishaps on the way here. Did I mention there was snow? We stepped off the train in Rothenburg and were greeted with what would qualify as a blizzard in my "live in the South and never see snow" world. It is beautiful. Rothenburg is the oldest walled city in Germany, and we can't wait to walk along the wall tomorrow morning. For now, we are off to St. Jakob's church to hear an organ concert, then dinner and the Nightwatchman's tour of the city. I already have my eye on the cuckoo clocks!!!

Love to all. Alles Liebe.

First official trip blog!!!

2009-12-18T08:49:00.007-05:00

I know, I know, you all (all 7 of you!) have been waiting with bated breath to read our first official trip blog! Hi to the new folks who may or may not be following along on our journey. I would give Oma and Petra a German greeting, but seeing as how Lauren spricht kein Deutsch and Charlie is at work, that will have to wait. (And if you are wondering how some German spontaneously appeared, its cause I copied it off the card Charlie put in my wallet in case he loses me. As if I, with the superior sense of direction, could get lost. How sweet.)

The weather is rainy in Atlanta, and they have already announced that Hartsfield is "experiencing some delays." In addition, our flight is "oversold" and they are looking for "volunteers who would receive compensation in exchange for their seats." You could not offer me enough money in the world to give up my seat on this plane, so they better look elsewhere. Hopefully this is not a foreshadowing of a dreary day!

Our bags are all packed, and I am extremely proud of myself. Caroline told me no less than 18 times to PACK LIGHTLY, LAUREN!!! For those of you that know me, and my mother, those two words simply do not exist in my vocabulary. But I was determined to turn over a new leaf. Lo and behold, I am all packed with room to spare! I firmly adhered to Rick Steve's packing list, and even resisted Charlie's adament request that I take a sleeping bag "because I had the space." But I stood firm and resisted the evils of overpacking, and I think both my feet and my back with thank me later.

I did remember our essential paperwork....

And necessary goodies for the plane. I simply cannot go to Germany without Gummi Bears!

Finally, I took Rick Steve's advice and tore apart his travel guide to make our own little mini personalized guides to the areas we will be visiting...

To all of our family and friends, we love you dearly and will miss being with you at Christmas. Thank you for sharing in our journey! We are excited to be exploring our great world, but we know there's no place like home. Love.

The 12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-14T08:32:00.002-05:00

I love the 12 days of Christmas. I always get confused about when it starts, though. Do you start on December 13th at day 1 or day 12? That's completely besides the point for this post. Those who know me also know that I LOVE a good musical, dancing, and Glee. So when I came across this video the other day, I about died! I must confess, I almost have the whole thing memorized. Apparently this is what happens when a bunch of show kids get bored...if only I could dance like that! And those splits!!! Wowza! Enjoy!

The excitement is growing!

2009-12-05T08:14:00.004-05:00

Charlie and I are getting so excited as we prepare for our trip in just 13 days! I survived my first semester of classes in PT school and am gearing up for five days of finals. It's amazing how high B's move from being "close to an A" to " a long way from a C!" B's mean degrees, baby! I have learned how to be in control and not let stress overwhelm me. It's a liberating feeling. After leaving Idlewood, I realized how "dead" I had become. There is not amount of money worth being miserable, and now I also see how there's no grade worth stressing over (unless it's a C, but we're not going there. Then I'd have to get into all the complicated PT GPA calculations and...well, nevermind).

I'm feeling especially in the Christmas spirit this morning, as I'm blogging from bed by the early pseudo-sunlight and the twinkle of the lights on the Christmas tree in our bedroom. Whew...I admitted it! Yes, there is a Christmas tree in the bedroom. And two in the living room. Dinah says the house looks like a "winter wonderland." I'll take it.

Back to the Christmas spirit...webcams are amazing. I look everyday at the webcam for Neuschwanstein castle to see the snow status. Because, let's be honest, if it doesn't snow while I'm in Germany I'll be pretty disappointed. And today...snow! I decided to start webcam trolling and see what else I could find. I've found webcams for most of the places that we know we are visiting. Check these out, and make sure to find the HUGE Christmas trees!

Neuschwantstein Castle

Marienplatz in Munich

Town Square in Rothenberg ob er Tauber

Waterfall in Triberg

Fussen

The only difficult thing about viewing webcams in Germany is the time difference. There is a very small window to actually see the sights in daylight because they are 6 hours ahead of us, and the sun sets around, oh, you know, 4:30 p.m.! I try to sneak a peek before I leave for school, because, as it is currently 8:27 a.m. here, the sun is already starting to set in Rothenberg. Happy viewing!

An open letter...

2009-12-01T18:46:00.002-05:00

Normally, I wouldn't get so worked up about this, but I am. Here goes...

Dear Tiger,

I've been a Tiger-Tailer from the very beginning. I followed you through your first victories. I've cut articles and pictures out of newspapers and magazines. I pinned the picture of you looking over the hill at your putt with your hands cupped around your eyes and the title "The Eyes Have It" on my door. I've admired every single Sunday red you've worn over the years. I was sad for you when your daddy died. I cheered for you when you sank the final putt to win your first Master's. I got your autograph when you could still meet your fans after the tournaments (I confess that I later sold said autograph, but it was for a good cause). I followed you when, quite frankly, you sucked for a little while and didn't win. And then you were married and had cute little Tigers and you had to get a new caddy when Fluff just couldn't cut it.

See, Tiger? Your fans have invested a lot in you. We made you famous, because, honestly, who admires golfers? And, I'm a GIRL! C'mon! I love coming home from church and watching the Sunday rounds with daddy. I walked all over Augusta National just to catch a glimpse. I mean, you're good, but we really like you because you aren't flashy and arrogant. Not like Greg Norman. Ew.

So, Tiger, let's be clear. If all these infidelity rumors are true, you will be filed in the Athletes I No Longer Respect folder. You'll find company among Pete Rose, Michael Jordan and Barry Bonds (his folder is full of fiery flames and gnashing teeth). Oh, and Greg, because he refuses to sign autographs and breaks clubs when he is mad.

Say it ain't so.

Sincerely,
Lauren

Thanks...

2009-11-26T14:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I will post pics later, but we are giving thanks at the beach this year. We have 14 people in the house, and we're letting go of all traditions. No turkey this year...it's a low country boil instead! Also, since Charlie and I will be in Germany for Christmas, I decided to make some of our family's favorite Christmas desserts. And no one will be participating in Black Friday festivities, seeing as we are about 100 miles from the nearest mall. :-)

I am reminded of a song we used to sing back in the overhead days of the church youth group. The chorus started out, "Count your blessings, name them one by one." What a great reminder to put a name on each blessing. It makes me realize how much I truly have to be thankful for. Name your blessings today, and bask in the goodness of our God.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

P.S. We can now officially begin the Christmas countdown...29 days!!!

Sweet Memories

2009-11-23T17:20:00.006-05:00

It's funny how simple tasks can trigger such wonderful memories. I'm in charge of all the baking for Thanksgiving this year. I have a long list of favorite desserts and new recipes that I am slowly checking off. As I stood in the kitchen making Derby pies, I thought of Papaw. I was breaking pecans into little pieces to go into the pie, and I remembered sitting at their glass kitchen table. Papaw is showing me how to break the pecans...first longways, then into little pieces. I also think of him whenever I cook country ham. Or hang a spoon from my nose.

And always at Christmas, when we read the Christmas story. He would settle into his chair, slide on his glasses, and open his well worn and loved Bible to Luke. We would all sit around in anticipation, listening about the angels, the journey, and the birth of our Savior. Sweet Papaw. Sweet memories.

On not studying

2009-11-02T20:38:00.003-05:00

I am not a cheater. Not in the littlest sense. I play by the rules, and I mean, every one of them. (Ask Adam...I have the Settlers of Catan rulebook memorized.)

However, I'm not above a little copy and paste action, especially when it is relevant and I don't have time to conjure up the necessary cleverness to write a blog.

Hence, this evening's blog. If you haven't noticed (and by you, I mean the 7 wonderful peeps who follow my blog), I've been MIA recently. Most notably, it's due to the fact that I have 5 weeks of school left and 18 million things to do. No exaggeration, because I don't do that either. :-)

I'm in the process of studying for a huge anatomy test on Friday, and I went searching for a diagram of the brachial plexus. If you don't know what that is, don't worry. It's unimportant to the story here. What is important is that I found a wonderfully clever and well-written blog about studying anatomy. In fact, those exact words could have come right out of my own mouth. But they didn't. Some guy wrote a post a year ago and beat me to it. Enter copy and paste. I won't take credit for his words, but I will kinda pretend like they're my own. Cause after all, it's what I'm thinking anyways. So, CGHM, whoever you are, I give you full credit for the following words. Thanks for expressing my thoughts so I don't have to.

"Few ethical dilemmas are patently resolved. One such moral conundrum is the following: would it be unethical if, during an anatomy exam, you felt around your own body to determine the location of bony structures and muscle insertions? Taking this a step further, what if you incised your own skin to view the underlying muscles, vasculature, and nerves?

Granted, this would be a drastic action, and one that would more immediately conjure up the question of where to send someone who would do such a thing (the "crazy house" would probably be agreed upon). But one would have to feel some sort of emotion - not "respect," but something else - for the purported "cheater," even if just an acknowledgment of his ballsiness.

The body is a cheat sheet no man can take away. In my estimation, the man who would slice himself for this should be institutionalized, but not before he is given an honorary doctorate for doing all he can to further the pursuit of knowledge, even at his own expense.

It's just a grade, people...not worth losing blood over. Don't get any ideas."

Oh, and in case you are wondering, here's the brachial plexus.

Ode to MARTA

2009-10-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

So, today we were hurrying down the escalator to catch the MARTA train, and I see a bunch of textbooks strewn all over the platform. I think to myself, "Self, who would strew their textbooks all over the platform?" Any guesses? Well, I found out pretty quickly. Clearly, I'm not thinking about anything except getting on the train that's flashing DORAVILLE in bright yellow letters because I don't want to wait at the 5 points station any longer than I have to. In my hurry to get to the train, I almost get punched in the face but they guy who's textbooks are strewn all over the platform. Someone insulted his girl, or his momma, or his hair, and he throws a punch RIGHT AS WE ARE WALKING BETWEEN THEM. Thank goodness I have catlike reflexes. I almost pulled out my pink pepper spray to give him a piece of my mind, but I got on the train instead (see previous statement about hanging out at 5 Points). The end.

Breakable

2009-10-11T14:10:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?
Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts
So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess

And we are so fragile
And our cracking bones make noise
And we are just breakable
Breakable, breakable girls and boys

This song by Ingrid Michaelson is hauntingly beautiful. As I listened to the lyrics a few moments ago, I thought about what it meant to be fragile. It could mean that you are weak, or incapable, or vulnerable. All of those have such negative connotations. We are fragile, but I think that fragility allows us to be vulnerable in a good way, vulnerable to love. Think of all the references to a hardened heart. What type of image does that incur? To me, a hardened heart is one that cannot break. A heart that cannot break cannot truly love. To truly love, you must be vulnerable. You must open yourself to another. Love makes us hurt. Love makes us grieve. Love helps put us back together. If we can never be broken, we can never experience the goodness of the mending, for "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." And for that, I will hold my fragile heart in outstretched arms to love.

This Christmas

2009-09-11T21:50:00.007-04:00

I know, I know...some of you are looking at the title of this post and yelling because you think it's entirely too early to be writing a post about Christmas. Keep in mind though, the official Christmas music season (according to Miriam and myself) kicks off in exactly 19 days. Yes, you heard correctly! On October 1st, I will play an assortment of my Christmas favorites, just because I can. But that's totally not what this post is about!

Anyone who knows me knows that I.love.Christmas. Last year, I bought the very first Christmas tree from Lowes. In fact, it didn't have the price tag on it, and they were still unloading half of the shipment from the truck. If you look in our spare closet and wonder what could possibly be in the 6 blue rubbermaid tubs, I'll give you one guess! Yep, they're full of Christmas decorations! 6 tubs, huh? And we live in a 1100 square foot apartment. I love walking through stores and hotel lobbies and houses decorated for the season. There's just something magical and wonderful about Christmas. But my favorite part has always been the Christmas Eve church service. I love walking through the cold into a warm church to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

This year, I am especially excited about Christmas because Charlie and I will be spending it in GERMANY! This has been a dream for Charlie and I to visit. His mom's family is from Germany, so he has always wanted to visit the "vaterland." I, of course, am drawn to the castles, cuckoo clocks, chocolate cake, and Christmas decorations!!!! (Wow...I just noticed my incredible use of alliteration in that last sentence!) It is so exciting for us to finally be able to travel to a place that we have yearned to see for so long, and at Christmas, nonetheless. Does it really get any better than that?!?

I thought I would give you a little taste of some of the must-see-because-I-have-dreamed-about-this-for-years sights:

Neuschwanstein Castle, which will hopefully be covered in snow!

The largest cuckoo clock in the world in Triberg

The Kristkindlmarkt in Munich

My mom is the greatest. I told her last week that we would be gone over Christmas, and she was so excited for us, even though we wouldn't be with the family. When Charlie and I went to their house last weekend, we had an early Christmas present waiting for us. Mom had bought me a German Christmas carousel after Christmas last year, and she was intending to give it to me for Christmas this year. I brought it home and decided that I would keep it out until we left for our adventure! I couldn't get a very good picture of mine, but it looks something like this:

This is a traditional German Christmas decoration that is powered from the heat of the candles. Just like cuckoo clocks, they can be simple or VERY elaborate:

We are also planning on doing a little passport stamping by doing a quick drive through Austria, Italy, Liechenstein, Switzerland, and France. I am furiously devouring Rick Steve's travel guide as we plan and plot our adventure. I still can't believe that we're actually going! So now that I've rambled long enough, gute Nacht!

Crime Blotter

2009-09-05T10:52:00.002-04:00

Fridays at school are my earliest mornings. I have anatomy lab at 7:30 a.m., so I'm on my way about 6:15. Nonetheless, it's pretty quiet on the PT Penthouse (that's the 7th floor of Kell, for those of you none-DPT people). Yesterday morning, I arrived exceptionally early and found myself in the lounge with the GSU paper. I was flipping through and happened upon the CrimeBlotter. It chronicled the incidents from the week of August 21st. Mind you, it's a whole page of various incidents for just ONE week. As I read, I discovered 2 recuring themes. People are stupid. And people are mean.

Here's a quick recount of this week's events/incidences/violations of moral standards:

2 cases of students noticing various items were missing from their wallets.

2 criminal trespassing charges (apparently you can't be in GSU buildings if you're not a student).

3 cases of students locking their bikes and returning to find them missing.

1 girl left her cell phone unattended for 2 hours and was surprised to find it missing when she returned.

1 girl dropped her Crackberry over a rail and it was gone when she went down to get it. I don't know how it survived the fall.

1 man arrested for sleeping in a car that wasn't his. He broke the window to get in.

1 girl reported that someone entered the bathroom and took a picture of her in the stall.

1 idiot left his backpack and books unattended in the library. They too disappeared while he was gone.

1 well-intending individual had his wallet snatched when he took it out to give money to a panhandler.

And the icing on the cake (I must quote this one)
A non-Georgia State individual was charged with Theft. The individual placed a laptop computer in his pants and left the University Bookstore. Officers apprehended the man after a brief foot chase ensued [because everyone knows you can't run very well with a computer in your pants].

For the sake of brevity, I left out the individuals impeding traffic, selling alcohol to minors, dealing drugs, possessing drugs, harrasing students, and vandalizing cars, which accounted for a total of 13 incidents. :-)

And that, my friends, is why you don't leave your stuff lying around, carry pink pepper spray, walk with friends, and don't buy drugs. Duh. Be smart. The end.

On sorrow

2009-08-31T16:29:00.003-04:00

The end is often closer than we realize. Sometimes it is unexpected. Sometimes we are waiting for the inevitable. We can be thankful for the small things. Holding a child for the first and last time. Relief that the suffering is over. Ushering in the end with a peace that surpasses understanding. Knowing that the Father's arms are waiting on the other side.

The hardest part is for all the others left behind.

A celebration of life

2009-08-30T19:39:00.006-04:00

This weekend, I was able to share in such a special celebration of life. I am blessed to have a group of friends with whom I am celebrating 20 years of friendship, life, heartache, and joy. On Thursday, Rachel gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Miriam and I were able to share in Eve's homecoming this weekend. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have shared with these girls kindergarten, the ugly middle school years, high school graduation, all three of our weddings, and now the birth of a child. Holding Eve for the first time made me so grateful that, despite our different personalities and faults, these girls have loved and supported me. As I watched Rachel as she held Eve (which wasn't much, between me, Miriam, and Hugh passing her around!), I understood what it looks like to see the bond between a mother and her child. It was amazing to be able to rejoice with Rachel in her new bundle of joy!

Yet, my heart continues to be burdened for little Samuel. I find myself checking Bryan and Kathryn's blog hourly to see if there are any updates. While I rejoice with those who are rejoicing, I find myself mourning with those who are mourning. Bryan blogged last week that he is continually praying that their family would be on our hearts, and I am reminded of that every time Samuel comes to mind. One family who is rejoicing and celebrating their new life, and one family is handing their sweet baby to Jesus. Yet we can celebrate both lives, for each has such a special purpose, though we may be unable to see it right now. The Lord is the giver of joy, peace, sorrow, comfort. I struggled this weekend trying to reconcile my joy and my sorrow. As I held Eve, my heart ached for Kathryn, who hasn't held her child in four weeks.

As I think about life and death, I am drawn once again to one of Mattie's poems. It is amazing to read the thoughts of a child, especially on such a difficult subject. His poem may seem lighthearted, but to me, it's a picture of a child facing the reality of death with courage and hope.

Heavenly Greeting
Dear God,
For a long time,
I have wondered about
How you will meet me
When I die and come to
Live with You in Heaven.
I know you reach out
Your hand to welcome
Your people into Your home,
But I never knew if You
Reached out Your right hand,
Or if You
Reached out Your left hand.
But now I don't have to
Wonder about that anymore.
I asked my mommy and
She told me that You
Reach out both of Your hands,
And welcome us with
A great big giant hug.
Wow!
I can't wait for my hug, God.
Thank you,
And Amen.

What a sweet picture to see our Savior reaching out His arms for His children. I pray for an earthly miracle for Samuel. But I am so thankful for the eternal miracle that one day he...I...you...will be welcomed into the Savior's arms with a great big giant hug.

Let us be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Samuel and Mattie

2009-08-22T22:36:00.005-04:00

My heart has been burdened for a little boy I've never met. His name is Samuel, and he's a miracle. His parents were teachers at my high school, and have two adorable, healthy little boys. And then, there's Samuel. Not only is he a miracle, but he's a medical mystery. The doctors are having trouble diagnosing and treating his conditions. I keep up with Samuel's progress through Bryan and Kathryn's blog, and each day, I'm hoping to read good news. Some days are good, and some days aren't. What amazes me most is the strength that Brian and Kathryn have shown through the whole ordeal. It is a strength that surpasses understanding. They have a unique compassion and yearning not only for the healing of their own son, but for the other children in ICU.

As I read about Samuel, I am reminded about another little miracle. His name was Mattie Stepanek. Mattie is another little boy I never met, but he is one of my heroes. He was born with an aggressive type of muscular dystrophy, as were his siblings. He coped with watching his brothers and sisters succumb to the disease by writing poems, or Heartsongs, as he calls them. Mattie's book, Journey Through Heartsongs, has become a source of comfort and encouragement. Despite having lost two siblings to the same disease that he was dying from, Mattie choose to look at his glass half-full, "because if you live life feeling like your glass is half empty, well, it might as well be empty all the way."

Mattie was very real about the pain he experienced. He never denied it, but he also didn't let it dictate how he would live. His life was full of hospitals and tests and doctors and disease. But it didn't beat him. As I read Mattie's writings, it reminds me of the strength Bryan and Kathryn show every day. My heart aches for them as they are navigating life with a sick child. But sweet Samuel is fighting. The doctors are fighting. Bryan and Kathryn are fighting. And we are fighting with them every day. I haven't seen Bryan and Kathryn in years, but little Samuel is in my heartsongs and prayers every day.

Mattie was just eight years old when he wrote the opening poem of his book. When I read it, I think of Samuel, and the miracle of his journey so far. I encourage you to join Samuel on his journey by praying for his healing.

Prayer for a Journey

Thank you, God,
Not just for life,
But for our journey through life.
Life is a miracle,
And a journey through life
Is full of so many more miracles
If we travel with our Heartsongs.
Thank you, God,
For blessing me with the
Gift of Heartsongs,
So that I can enjoy my miracles.

For Bryan, Kathryn, and Samuel...may you find strength and comfort for each day, knowing that you have a multitude praying for your little miracle.

Don't stop believing...

2009-08-19T20:03:00.003-04:00

Pandora has become my new music obsession. I type in "Footloose", click a few thumbs ups, and BAM! I have a station full of 80's classics. Have you ever had "that song," the one you hear on the radio and it evokes that special memory or feeling? Now, it all fairness, I actually have a rotating jukebox of "those songs," but the current song of emotion-evoking is "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. One of my all time favorites. Also, it's in like 63 movies from the 80's. But whatever. They hit the chorus and I can't help but belt out those last lines! (What are street light people, anyways?) Most recently though, this song makes me excited for the GLEE premiere on Sept. 9th!!! (You'd think I was getting paid to promote this thing!) I must be releasing my inner show choir girl. But seriously, I'm admitting that I'm slightly obsessed. And I'm sure I'll need some good laughs this semester.

Check out the cast singing my favorite song of all time...

I'm here to audition for the role of kicker!

My 18th First Day of School

2009-08-17T22:20:00.003-04:00

Charlie: Babe...you've gotta get up at 5:30! Why are you Facebooking?!?

Me: I'm not Facebooking. I'm blogging. A blogger can't go on vacation.

So technically, I'm not on vacation, but I did promise a first day of school blog. It's actually my (and I had to use my fingers to make sure I got it right) 18th first day of school. Since I'm in school for 9 consecutive semesters, I feel that it's safe to say that this is my last first day of school. I was planning on posting a first day pic from back in the day and then one from today, but in my rush to get out the door this morning, I neglected to document the momentous occasion. Plus, now I get to spare myself the embarrassment of digging out one of those old pictures!

Charlie: Lauren, it's 10:30.

So, in case you were wondering, nothing particularly exciting happened today. I spent the morning studying in the library (can you believe they give assignments before you've even started class?!?) and then had my anatomy lab. Dissection doesn't begin until Friday, so we reviewed bones of the lower extremities.

No drama until the ride home. Someone was robbed at the Five Points station and the police took off pseudo-running after him. And you know that guy from the Mad TV skit in the movie theater? The "the back a your head look ridikulus...can I have your number? Can I have your number?" Yeah, Darrell sat two rows back. And was drunk. I changed trains.

Tomorrow is get-mostly-naked-with-people-you-just-met day in functional anatomy. I'll let you know how that goes. :-) No pictures though!

Charlie: LAUREN!!! (Gotta go!!!)

Good intentions

2009-08-13T16:50:00.006-04:00

The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

I "intended" to do a much better job blogging than I have actually done. In my head, I have written a post about the end of our trip to move Caroline up to Indiana, and a very witty and funny post about the bears we literally ran into on our hiking trip. But alas, I got distracted. Caroline moved into Briscoe Dorm at IU.

Of course, Briscoe triggered "Bristow", as in Bristow, Sydney. Arriving home, I find that Caroline has left seasons 1 and 2 on her desk (McKay wouldn't take them because the boxes are in Chinese!). What does a good sister do? Steal them, of course! Charlie and I are now racing through season one. TV shows on DVD's are glorious for two reasons. 1) No commercials. Just a 2 second blackout and we're picking up where we left off. 2) We don't have to wait a week while Sydney is falling down a hole on Mt. Anacongua to see what happens (BTW...her leg catches the bottom rung of the ladder and she miraculously climbs back up to save Dixon.) In fact, there have been several nights where Charlie tells me that we have time for "one more episode!" Music to my ears!

However, Alias too must go on a hiatus. I had my first day of orientation for PT school today, where they threatened my life if I show up late for class or don't pay my tuition on time. And, as a welcome to grad school, the profs have graciously posted our assignments that are due on the first day. So tonight, instead of Alias, I will be watching instructional videos on human anatomy dissection...which, honestly, is quite cool. I would hate to leave everyone else out, so if you want to join me, you can watch them here. However, the faint of heart can always check out Alias at blockbuster...

On the road again

2009-08-06T22:34:00.008-04:00

I'm blogging from a hotel room in Indiana...not as exciting as blogging from Tahiti or Bora Bora, but it will have to do for now. Caroline is starting her master's program at the University of Indiana after swearing that she would NEVER go back to school. Isn't it always like that? So I decided to document our latest sisterly adventure...

Saying goodbye to Jake...

Starburst sandwich...

Briscoe Hall. Alias anyone?

She's super!

Check out my facebook album for lots more pictures. And congrats Jeanine! My fav from the beginning. Mark your calendars for September 9th...SYTYCD and GLEE!!! :-)

Who knew it could be that easy?!?

2009-08-04T10:56:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Becca for recommending The Cutest Blog on the Block! Now my blog is far from boring! You can check out Becca's blog here. For quick and easy blog background, visit TCBOTB.

Two blogs in one day. I'm setting a record here!

Sheer bliss...

2009-08-04T08:21:00.000-04:00

Sheer bliss...that's what I felt Monday morning. Why, you ask?

Yesterday marked the return of teachers all around metro Atlanta. Unless of course, you teach in Cherokee or Henry counties, which started school today. Or Gwinnett or Cobb, which mandated two furlough days to make up for the budget crisis. We become creatures of habit, so it was quite different not showing up at school for a week of pre-planning activities.

There were parts of teaching that I honestly loved...the thrill on a child's face when something "clicks," the hugs in the morning, arriving to school feeling exhausted and having a little girl say, "You look beautiful today, Mrs. Haws!" I loved my co-workers and the camaraderie we shared. But there was plenty to make me come home and cry at the end of the day...county politics, uncooperative parents, trying to figure out how to be a fair disciplinarian, not having enough resources for the kids, and spending my time in crowd control rather than teaching.

I am grateful for the time I spent teaching. It was the hardest task I've ever undertaken, and I know that I'm stronger for having been challenged and stretched. But no amount of growth is worth the stress that teaching put on me personally and my marriage. Not everyone has the same experience that I did, but the emotional drain was at times absolutely unbearable. Needless to say, the amount of relief I felt when I was done was refreshing. Charlie said it best: "I have my wife back."

Now, don't get me wrong...I'm about to embark on an even more difficult challenge in PT school. It's not going to be easy. In fact, they compare it to the first three years of med school. But to me, it's different. I have worked extremely hard this past year to even get into school, taking classes at night and all summer. I worked three jobs last summer to get in all my observation hours. I sacrificed weekend activities to complete homework and lesson plans. I feel like I have ownership of my education. And that makes all the difference.

So to all my teacher friends, whom I dare not list by name, lest I leave someone out...happy Tuesday! You are one day closer to the weekend!

Why Defying Gravity?

2009-07-26T13:46:00.000-04:00

I've decided to venture out and start a blog. I really have no idea what I'm doing, nor why I think anyone would actually read what I write. I'm not particularly witty, funny, or insightful. Now that I've given three good reasons not to read my blog, I invite you on my little adventure!

Naming a blog is a difficult venture. It's like describing yourself in three words, or three pizza toppings, or by what you would take to a deserted island (a boy scout, a boat, and a GPS unit, by the way). Once you come up with a name, you most likely find that it's already taken, and you must start the process all over again. Endofthesidewalk? Not available. Wherethesidewalkends? Not available. Neither are any of the 67 variations I came up with. So much for a Shel Silverstein theme. But then I remembered the cover of his beloved poetry collection, Where the Sidewalk Ends.

I was always amazed at the little sliver of land that the kids held on to. And I always wondered what would happen if they took one more step. Which brings me to the name of my blog: Defying Gravity. The lyrics of the ever popular song from Wicked seem to describe my transitional state right now.

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

A year ago, I realized I needed a change. I threw myself into taking classes and getting volunteer hours so I could apply to get my doctorate in physical therapy. I took a huge step of faith by quitting my full-time teaching job to go back for 9 semesters of school! Stepping off the edge of that sidewalk has been the best thing I could have done for myself. I was comfortable. Unhappy in my job. Ready for a change.

Will you close your eyes and leap with me?