3 Years, Many New Things

I figured since I have been around Kirksville for almost three years, I would write a post about what I had learned while I had been here. Looking back, I know I didn't like a lot about the town, but there are things that I will definitely miss. I just wanted to write about all of those things and experiences that have made these past few years.

1. I learned how to knit. (Thanks Farrel!) I'm not great yet, but I just learned a week ago!

2. I have learned how to make bread.

3. I have learned that I like sushi.

4. I have learned I like (and can cook) butternut squash, leeks, bok choy, avocados, and more that I can't think of! I always like to try new vegetables, but never know how to cook them!

5. I have learned how to cook "fancy things" and recipes inspired by restaurants we do not have.

6. I have learned that even though your biological family may be the best, you gain new family in medical school. I had two Thanksgivings , one Christmas Eve meal, 2 Fourth of July parties, and one Memorial Day party with friends that have become like family to me. Thank you to everyone who hosted us!

7. I have learned that you can get great exercise in the winter at Wal-Mart!

8. I will miss Pagliai's Pizza and the Pear Tree.

9. I will NOT miss Ruby Tuesday's, but I was very thankful we at least had it! (Although I WILL miss their strawberry lemonades...yum!)

10. You can find friends in unexpected places at unexpected times.

11. I have learned how to be an online shopper.

12. I have learned that an hour and a half is NOT too far to drive to a mall. Well, it is, but you have to do what you have to do!

13. I have learned that our apartment here will hold up to 23 people.

14. I have learned that you may not like your job, but you can do it for almost three years.

15. I have learned I like cheesy reality television. What else is there to do in a small town at night, when your husband is studying!

16. I have learned how to "ice block".

17. I have learned how to drive in the ice and snow.

18. I have learned that if you want good garage sale items, get there no later than 7 a.m.!

19. I have learned that this community will band together when it has been struck by a tornado, and help with anything that is needed. I am thankful, blessed, and lucky I didn't have any damage, but I loved seeing all of the help and support people that did have damage got.

I have learned so much more about life and about myself here in Kirksville than I could post here. I am very thankful for the people and the experiences that I have had here. I will miss all of the friends I have made, but I'm looking forward to the rest of our journey in Medical School. I'm looking forward to being in a new city. I'm looking forward to new people and experiences on the next adventure. On to Dayton!

Again, thank you to all of the people who made my time here liveable and enjoyable. I would name names, but I'm afraid I would leave someone out. So, if you are reading this, you have probably made a great impact on my life. I will miss you and thank you!

No, I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth...

Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I guess I didn't have much blog-worthy material!
Christmas was great! We got to spend the week with our families. We got to see all of Matt's brothers and their wives. We got to spend time with my family. Luckily, my dad was able to be off on Christmas, so that was just extra special.

New Year's wasn't too exciting, but it was nice! Matt and I broke out the sparkling grape juice and fondue. We watched "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and the "Friends" episode with Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve. ("The Routine", Season 6) We had fun!

I went to my friend Amanda's wedding in January. It was a beautiful wedding and the best part was that I got to spend a lot of time with my friend Heather, riding back and forth to the wedding from Nashville with her. It was a lot of fun to have a full weekend of girl time!

Two weeks later, Matt and I went to Nashville again for his oldest brother's wedding. It was small and beautiful! I really like his wife, and think I have just the best sisters-in-law I could have! In fact, his entire family is just wonderful and I couldn't have asked for better in-laws!

I have mostly been busy working. Nothing exciting there. Just trying to hang on as long as I need to.

Matt and I will be traveling to Dayton to try to find a place to live. I'm excited to see our new home and go to favorite restaurants and stores that we don't have here in Kirksville. I've never been to Ohio, so that is nice to add a state (actually two...Indiana) to my list!

We have also decided to go back to New York City. I'm not sure everything we are going to do, but we just love the atmosphere of the city. We are so excited about our trip!

Well, I think that is all of the updates for now. Told you I didn't have much! I will leave you with a picture of candy sushi Matt and I made for an SAA event. The center is a rice crispy treat. The wrapping is a strawberry fruit by the foot. The other toppings are: Twizzlers Pull and Peel, Mike and Ike's (cut in half length-wise), Swedish Fish, and Gummy Worms.

Enjoy!

My Birthday!

On the weekend of my birthday, Matt and I decided to go to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Kansas City (just for fun, not really for my birthday) but we took advantage of the time away to celebrate! We went to eat at The Melting Pot, which was SUPER yummy! It is definitely a special occasion restaurant (save up!). We had the regular cheddar fondue (with bread, veggies, and apples). Then, we had the court bouillon fondue for our entree. I got the lobster tails and Matt got the Fillet Mignon, which we shared. It came with veggies, with my favorite being the mushrooms. You also get a bunch of different sauces. I liked my lobster with the traditional lemon and butter, but my favorite for the fillet was the Gorgonzola port dip. I had made something similar before, but this was great! Of course, the best part was the dessert. I knew I wanted dark chocolate, so we decided on the Oreos and Cream (Marshmallows). SO YUMMY! They give you cheesecake, pound cake, fruit, and brownies to dip (just a sample of all of them, not an entire cake for each one!) It is definitely different and really good.

We then saw the TSO. They were amazing! They play a lot of Christmas music, but it is more rock n' roll than typical Christmas music. They also have quite a light show, with lasers and pyrotechnics. I had never seen someone headbanging while playing a violin (electric violin...) before! It was so great!

The next day, we went to the Country Club Plaza, where we met our friends Matt and Farrel for my birthday lunch. We went to PF Changs and it was SO good! We shopped around a little before we decided to go home to avoid the really cold weather and snow.

I had a wonderful birthday, thanks to my wonderful husband and my friends! NOW I'm ready for Christmas.

A Thanksgiving Excerpt

I recently read a book about a young man who had joined the military when WW2 started. He had graduated from high school and college early, and planned to go to law school when he joined. He wrote many, many letters to his family and friends, telling all about his exercises and missions. One particular one touched me, and it just happened to be about Thanksgiving.

"We can be thankful that this nation as a whole has not felt the deep pains fo hunger and starvation that now grip almost half the world. Thankful that our skies are still blue and our fields green. Thankful that our people hover not in fear, trembling at the sound of the exploding aerial bombs. Thankful that our little children’s faces are not stained with live horror and mortal fear. Thankful that our churches stand, not as hollow shells, devoid of roof or floor, but as the sacred castle of “our Lord and Souverain,” whom we all adorre. Thankful that our cities have been spared, because of geographical position, the tragedy of Warsaw, the horror of Hamburg, the rocking devastation of Rotterdam and London, the criminal and barbaric destruction of Naples. Above all that the air we breathe is free, that free men fight to keep it free. Thankful that perhaps this time we might win, not only the war, but also the peace. Thankful that we have, in the teachings of the…Church, the only solution to the problems that are creasing the brow of mankind. Thankful that these teachings, if adopted in a world covenant, would bring new life, peace, and joy, once more to mankind. Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for."

Unfinished Journey: A World War II Remembrance
By Kerry P. Redmann
Globe Pequot 2006
P 59

This man knew he was going into war and would probably die. He had left so much and such a bright future, yet he was so thankful for everything that he did have. In this time of war, it seems that we do have so much to be thankful for, mirroring what Morris Redmann said. We are so lucky to have freedom that others don't and always have food and shelter. It may have been written 60 years ago, but it hasn't changed. I'll write more on what I'm thankful for later, but I just wanted to share the amazing thanksgiving letter from a man that didn't make it to another one.

I Hate Deer Season!

Luckily, Matt is NOT a hunter, so I don't have to worry about it too much. I'm not against hunting (especially if you eat what you shoot or it is for population control!), but I HATE seeing the poor dead deer in the back of trucks or hanging from a tree...ugh! It really freaks me out. Again, not against it, I just don't want to see it! Sure, there was a lot of hunting in Alabama, but living in the city, I never saw it. Here, it is everywhere! Poor Bambi... Anyways. That is another reason I can't wait to move; I'm sure people don't drive around Dayton, OH with antlers hanging out of the truck!

Although I'm thrilled about that, I'm sure Dayton will not have the "lovely" truck with deer antlers nailed to a 2x4 as a "hood ornament." That, my friends, was priceless. :)

Sorry, this was just a pet peeve!

We Will Be Moving To....

DAYTON, OH! If you can't tell, I'm so excited! I'm counting down until we are moving (about 222-229 days, depending on which day we move.) Genesys was a close second, but Dayton had a little more focus and/or opportunities in the specialty Matt is hoping to do. While there are things that are charming about a small town, I'm just tired of it being SO isolated! I miss going to the mall and walking around. I miss having a TON of choices of restaurants. It is so frustrating to be in the mood for a certain restaurant all month then go to the city for a day and want something else then. Sigh. Dayton will be great! It has a lot to do, and has an airport. There is a Major League Baseball team an hour away, plus it has its own "Fighting" Single A team. Matt and I loved going to see the Double AA Birmingham Barons when we lived there, so I'm excited about that opportunity. They have shopping and restaurants. One of the best things is, it is about 3-4 hours closer to our families. That is a HUGE difference for me! It is plausible to see family on a long weekend, and be able to go to special events if we want to. I never had to live super close to family (as much as I love all of them!), but I wanted to live where I had more of an option to see them. Right now I feel like I can't see them, unless I have a week of vacation or an emergency. I mean, we live 11 hours from my family and 3 hours from an airport, so it is a trip just to get to an airport! Also, I will be SO glad to get a new job. (Pray that I find something I just love!) Work has been so rough here. Anyways. I'll miss the people here (from SAA, mostly), but I'm ready to get going and for Matt to be another year closer to being done! (On a side note, I'm LOVING having Matt in the evenings and don't want to wish that time away!)

Vogue...you got to...move to the music....

Well, this post isn't about Madonna (sorry!) but about my newfound love for the magazine. Yes, it is that magazine that I cannot afford to wear anything from (nor actually be able to wear anything from!) I started getting it a few months ago and just love it. The art in the photography and the clothes is just amazing. I really want to figure something out to do with the beautiful, color-filled covers and other "art" throughout the magazine. I have decided I really like fashion, although it is pretty much impossible for me to do anything other than look at it (and only in a magazine really since I live in a town with virtually no shopping!) I don't know what it is that suddenly made me enjoy fashion, but I do. When we go to "the city", I love looking through all of the expensive stores at the terribly expensive clothes. Now, I can't comprehend how people can spend money on all of that. My goal is to one day own a piece of fancy clothes...one piece. I can't imagine trying to keep up with all of the styles! My splurge would probably be on the clearance rack. Someday... :)

I have also decided I would try not to start any new books until I finish the ones I'm reading now. That means not reading Harry Potter start to finish yet. (Yes, I've read them all, but I want to read them back-to-back, not a year or more in between!) I'm currently in the middle of Vanity Fair and the Chronicles of Narnia. So many Chronicles, so little time!

Oh, one funny thing to end: I was working at the bank today and an older man's cell phone went off. He was probably in his 60's. The ring tone? Well, maybe you can sing along..."Oh oh oh oooh oh...HANGIN' TOUGH!" Yes that is right my friends. An old man had the New Kids on the Block ringtone. An 80's boy band. Fabulous.