MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We hope everyone has a joyous holiday full of love, laughter and good food!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1670126869
(Please take a moment to copy this website into your browser and view a song from us to you!)

Just about 3 months away....

It's hard to believe Mike is already half way done with his fourth year of medical school! In a little over six months Mike will graduate from medical school and begin residency! It's so crazy to think that when I met Mike he was applying for med school, and now he's almost graduated!!!!! So surreal.

Mike has decided to go into Internal Medicine, and is currently interviewing for residency positions. In about three months we will know where Mike has been accepted for his residency. I have to be honest, it's such an exciting time for us. It's scary but thrilling to know a change is coming in our near future, and not having any idea where that change will take us.

So where will that change take us? Will it be...

PORTLAND, OR


SACRAMENTO, CA


LOMA LINDA, CA


IRVINE, CA


SAN DIEGO, CA


TUCSON, AZ


PHOENIX, AZ


ALBUQUERQUE, NM (I don't know if we can actually live here, because it's so hard to spell!)


DENVER, CO


SLC, UT


or CHICAGO, IL

We change our minds everyday where we want to go. So if you could pick, where would we go?

Ta Ta Ta tagged

This is for Stacy

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm not this totally mysterious person, so most of you will probably know these things about me.

1. When I was little my hair was cut really short and my neighbor repeatedly called me a boy. :(

2. I am a nervous, anxious person. I'm such a worrier. When I was little and we had a school day off, I used to make my mom drive past the school just to make sure no one was there and that we really had the day off.

3. This is part of #2. I have this weird fear that where ever I am living, it will start on fire and burn down. Probably because all I ever see on the news is stories about houses on fires. Seriously I worry about this. Ask Mike, he will tell you.

4. I love to run, but its been very hard to go lately when it's in the 20's and dark at 4:00 in the afternoon.

5. I can "crack", "pop", my big toe on demand. (Fairclough, this is like your elbow thing you do.)

6. I would love to be a meteorologist. I love teaching but I would totally rather be a weather girl. I find weather fascinating.

7. I plan my meals everyweek. I sit down, decide what Mike and I are going to eat each day of the week, then make my grocery list for the week. Little OCD, I know, but it saves us money and it makes to easy to come home after work and make dinner because it's already planned out and I have what I need.

I am not going to TAG anyone this time. But if you would like to do a similar post, I would encourage you to do so if you so desire. It was interesting to try to come up with weird things you think people might not know about you.

VERY NEEDED

In T-MINUS 7 hours and 30 minutes, I will be leaving this:



FOR THIS:



The timing couldn't be more perfect. San Diego here I come!

TWO BIRTHDAY BEAUTIES

(I'm sad to say, no pictures for this post. So sorry Kristyle and Maria, but I still love you just the same!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KRISTYLE (aka my mom)!!!!!!

Any of you who know my mother, know how incredible she is. She is one of the most selfless, charitable, hard working, loving, patient, funny, spiritual person I know, and I feel so lucky to be her daughter. A few things you may not know about my mom that make her the BEST:

-She makes the most wonderful homemade Chicken Pot Pie. To die for. Just ask Megan Woodley.

-She has run 7 marathons, and who knows how many half marathons. She runs nearly everyday of the week, rain or shine.

-My mom teaches middle school English and enjoys it. She is the bravest person I know, who would want to teach that age group? She works so hard for those kids and loves them regardless of how onery, rude and disrespectful they can be.

-She in the most noncompetitive loving person.

-My mom loves to write poems and she actually very good at it. This skill came in very handy when it came time to asking boys to dances.

-Deep down inside I think my mom would love to be an opera singer!

-Sunday afternoons when cooking in the kitchen, we would put music on and dance and sing! I miss those days. :)

-She is always putting others before herself.

I could go on and on. Every day I strive to be more like her. I'm so blessed to have her not only as my mom but one of my closest friends. Happy Birthday Kristyle!


ONE MORE....

Happy Birthday to Maria (aka Katherine)!!!!

I think everyone that has met Katherine loves her. Katheine is loyal, compassionate, giving and SO SO SO FUNNY. Seriously one of the funniest people I know. Katherine is my older sister, and has always looked out for me and has been there for me. We've always been close, but since moving to Chicago, I feel like our relationship has grown even more! I'm so lucky to be your sister Katherine. Here are some things that make Katherine so wonderful:

-She is so funny. Her humor is witty, quick and clean. She makes everyone laugh!

-She is always positive. Katherine looks at the bright side of life and helps others do the same.

-Katherine is an amazing photographer. Check out her blog and you will see what I mean. She is so talented.

-Katherine silently serves. There are so many things she does for others that goes unnoticed. She's so good at finding ways to help others around her. Whether its making dinner for someone, stopping by to visit, or making sure kids at church have things to entertain themselves, she reaches out to others to make their life better.

-She is a great mom and has the most adorable daughter.

- She has traveled all over the world! Africa, China, Europe....

-She would do anything for her family and friends!

Once again I could go on and on. Katherine is someone I have always looked up to. I'm glad to know she is there for me whenever I need her. Thanks for being a wonderful sister Katherine! Happy Birthday!

Be sure to leave a shout out on my comments if you would like to add or say something to these two phenomenal women!

A Thanksgiving of FIRSTS

This Thanksgiving was a Thanksgiving of FIRSTS for Mike and I.

(This is long, with lots of pictures. I apologize.)

FIRST: PIE NIGHT.

Some people in our ward get together for a pie party the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. They figure you are usually so full on Thanksgiving you don't get to enjoy the pie, so why not eat pie the night before so you can truly enjoy it? We enjoyed eating all kinds of pie without being too full from a turkey dinner. What an INGENIOUS IDEA!

FIRST: My FIRST Turkey Trot.

Mike's FIRST road race, and ever running 5 (8K) miles in a row.

It was a lovely 32 degrees with wind chills in the 20's and snow flurries. You can tell we are so excited to run the Turkey Trot. We had a blast running the race, but we realized runners are CRAZY! Why do runners get up early on their day off to run in the freezing cold and snow? I guess because we love it!
Our hot shirts from the Turkey Trot. I think we've established a new tradition of running a Turkey Trot every Thanksgiving morning.

FIRST: First time eating Thanksgiving dinner with friends.

We've always had Thanksgiving with family, but since being with family wasn't possible this year we were blessed to be invited to Thanksgiving with the Hunts.
The meal was delicious! Tara was an amazing cook! We felt so lucky to spend Thanksgiving with them. Although we missed family we felt "at home" being with the Hunts.

FIRST: The Lighting of the Christmas Tree downtown Chicago.

Friday night Mike and I decided to go downtown for the big Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Daley Plaza. We had no idea what a big event this was!

The tree lighting ceremony had a choir, the news was there, the mayor spoke and there was even a Christmas queen. The tree was spectacular!

There were even fireworks! (So sorry for the nostril shot)

FIRST: Caroling at the BEAN.

After the Tree Lighting Ceremony we made our way over to the famous bean sculpture for caroling. Every Friday night a different choir sings at the bean sculpture, people are invited to sing along and enjoy free hot chocolate!

The choir was excellent and it was so much fun to sing along with them!

A cool shot of us at the bean. Although it is blurry, there is a neat reflection of the city on the bean.
Just a random picture of the busy life of Chicago.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We missed family but felt blessed to be surrounded by friends! We are really looking forward to being at home for Christmas. Less than 4 weeks!!

Makes it all worth it

I love my job as a second grade elementary school teacher, but at times it can be overwhelming and frustrating. I spend so many hours preparing and planning, some days the kids just don't seem to listen, some days I feel more like a nurse, police officer, or a psychiatrist than a teacher. Which makes me wonder, is it worth it?

This is a copy of an email I got from a parent of a little boy I have in my classroom. It confirmed the answer that regardless of how hard my job can be sometimes, IT IS totally worth it!

Hi Laura,

I hope you get this so that you can tell your friends and family about it.

We had my daughter Sophia's friend over for dinner (she is actually a first grader at Bannockburn).

As the children where discussing school she asked how he likes his teacher in second grade, he said to her: "she is like an angel that came down from heaven".

I thought it was really sweet and wanted to share that with you.

Have a Great Holiday weekend.


Kids can be so sweet sometimes.

A Very Hungry Caterpillar and Handlebars

One of the reasons why I enjoy teaching elementary school is because I so often get to be a kid again! It was Book Week at school and on Friday we got to dress up as one of our favorite characters from a book. I decided to go as the Very Hungry Caterpillar, from the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I got to wear sweats all day! It was fabulous.

I'm not sure what character the person on the far left is. Then there is me in the green. Remember in the book where the caterpillar eats through all the fruit and leaves a hole in the middle, I tried to recreate that by putting large paper fruits around my waist. Next is Professor Trewlaney from Harry Potter, Waldo from Where's Waldo, and my friend Lauren on the end is Skippy Jon Jones. It was fun to be a kid again for the day.

Mike is in STUDY MODE. Which means he is inside all day, in our basement, studying like crazy, for his second round of BOARDS. This is a huge test for Mike. He has been so dedicated to studying and preparing for this killer test, I'm so proud of him. But because he doesn't leave the house for most of the day, he gets to be a little loopy by the end of the day. When I got home from work on Friday this is that I can home to:

How did I ever get so lucky?

Any Takers?

Kristyle, aka my mom, is one of my greatest inspirations! She is one of the hardest working people I know. She seems to do it all, and do it all perfectly, and humbly. My mom is a runner. She has done 7 marathons, (I think, sorry if I got that wrong Kristyle) and goes at least 4 times a week, rain or shine. She runs because she loves it, for the sheer joy of RUNNING! My mom has done a lot of races in her day and one of her favorite races is the Moab Half Marathon. She just received an email yesterday informing her she is now part of the Moab Half Marathon 10 YEAR CLUB, which means she has a guaranteed entry in the race! I'm so proud of her!

To celebrate Kristyle being in the 10 Year Club and since she has a guaranteed entry in the race, I think I'm going to fly out from Chicago and run the race with her March 8, 2008! I have done this half marathon before and thoroughly enjoyed it. So my question is, do I have any takers? Anyone else interested in running the race? Let me know!

Check it out

Mike and I saw this movie a couple of week ago and LOVED IT! One minute I was crying the next I was laughing. It was a real treat.

Better Late Than Never

Mike and I love Halloween. We plan our costumes weeks ahead. Seriously we do, we're a little bit lame like that. This year for Halloween we thought we would switch roles. I would go as the DOCTOR and Mike would go as the PATIENT.

My costume was a little dull, however I was comfortable all night. Mike on the other hand was so stoked about his patient costume. Every opportunity he got, he stuck that bum right out.
Another great shot of the bum.
Mike and I at our Halloween party with some friends. They had great costumes as well, but I think Mike's takes the cake! See what I mean about every opportunity sticking out his bum? He's such a hot dog.

L-A-C-E-Y

A tribute to one of my greatest friends LACEY! Who doesn't love Lacey? I think she is one of the most fun, honest, hard-working, hilarious people I know. You can't help but be happy when you are around Lacey. I can remember meeting Lacey at Brighton camp and thinking, I want to be her friend. Then first day of registration at Hillside we met again and found out our lockers were close to each other and instantly became friends. I've been so lucky to have Lacey as a close friend throughout the years. Here's to you Lacey! Happy Birthday!
L: Lovable, loves to laugh, loyal A: Awesome, admirable, always there

C: Considerate, cool, caring, charitable

E: Exciting, excellent to be around, easy going

Y: You're always true to who you are and what you believe!

Thanks for being a great friend! Have the most EXCELLENT BIRTHDAY!

Good Times

Last weekend, we had the privilege of having Steve and Carol (Mike's parents) come to visit! They recently returned home from serving a mission in Germany, and we are so happy to have them back. It was so good to see them and spend time with them. Unfortunately I only took 6 pictures the entire time they were here, I'm just not good about taking pictures. We had a wonderful time with them, even though I didn't capture it on film!We took Steve and Carol to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It's this cute, little quaint town on this gorgeous lake. The leaves were changing colors, the sun was shining and the air was crisp, we couldn't have had a better weather weekend for them to visit!The colors of fall weren't as brilliant as I hoped they would be, but we'll take what we can get.

I'm so lucky to have such generous, thoughtful in laws! Carol and I had a great time walking around the little shops and talking. She's the best.We thought it would be fun to for Steve and Carol to experience Apple Picking. We drove to this Apple Orchard not far from Lake Geneva (different from the orchard Mike and I went too a couple of weeks ago) and was GREATLY disappointed! First, of all everything was over the top commercialized. Second, the idea was to pick apples from trees. Well the trees in the orchard didn't have any apples left on the trees so you were supposed to choose apples from big barrels. We thought we could just pick a few apples out of the barrels, but we were once again disappointed when they told us we had to pick 12 pounds worth of apples if we wanted to buy anything. Rip off. So we bought apple butter instead. The picture above is an example of the closest we got to actually picking apples off trees.Even though the Apple Picking did not work out we still had a blast with Steve and Carol the rest of their trip. Thanks for coming to visit us, we love you and miss you both already!Mike and I could possibly have only 8 months left in the Windy City, depending on where he gets his residency. I think all of you reading this need to plan a trip to come see us soon, the opportunity will be gone before you know it!

A "taste" of fall

Fall has hit Chicago. This past week has brought cool, crisp, weather and nice breezes. Even though the leaves haven't changed color yet, fall is definitely in the air. We decided we needed to take advantage of this wonderful time of year. What better way to celebrate fall, than to go APPLE PICKING?

The adventure began with an authentic hayride to the apple orchard.
Each person was given a bag that would hold a peck of apples.

The apple picking began. Did you know you aren't supposed to pull down to get the apple off the tree? There is a method to this apple picking: LIFT AND TWIST!

Once of the best parts of the day was the fact that you could eat as many apples as you wanted as long as you were in the orchard. Mike thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the apple picking.

With all the apples we picked, we made Apple Crisp. It may not look appetizing, but it sure tasted delicious! Don't worry Mike and I finished off the pan in two days.

A Few Funnies

FUNNY 1: I frequently run past this church and they always have the best "slogans". I thought this was a good one! Remember: The Ten Commandments were originally written on large stone TABLETS!

FUNNY 2: I overheard one of my students say the other day:

"One of my uncles really smells. So we all call him skuncle, but he doesn't know it."

Gotta love kids and their honesty.

FUNNY 3: After all this time, I never knew my husband was a vampire. He took this picture of himself, then sent it to my camera phone. You should also know there was sound recorded with the picture... a deep evil laugh. Need I say more?

Mission Accomplished

My good friend Lauren and I teach at the same school and have become running buddies! Lauren has been a great friend and has helped me stay motivated with my running. We've gotten a little bored with our running, so we decided to sign up for a race and work on some speed. We ran a 10k together last Saturday and had a blast! It was so nice not to have the pressure of a long race and to just enjoy running. Thanks to Lauren, who pushed me along the entire way, we both got our personal best times in a 10k race! All the hard work paid off. To celebrate I bought a nice big hamburger and pounded it within 2 minutes. Love it.

Mandy

Happy Birthday to ONE of my favorite sisters.....She is turning the BIG

today!!! Happy Birthday Mandy! I hope your birthday is spectacular! The following are just a few reasons why you are ONE of my favorite sisters. In no particular order...

1. You've always had hot hair dos.

2. You have a contagious laugh.

3. You think I'm funny and will laught at my stupid jokes.

4. Emily and Katherine are the funny ones in our family, but when you say something funny...

it's really funny.

5. You make amazing quilts.
6. You are eloquent.

7. You are a good wife and mother.

8. You make the best of all the situations that come your way.

9. You live in CT and love it.

10. You set goals and achieve them.




11. You allow your kids to be creative and spark their imagination.

12. We talk more than once a week and I love it.

13. We enjoy watching The Office "together".

14. When you try to quote movies, you never remember the lines correctly. :)



15. You are one of my best friends, and when I'm having a bad day, I know I can call you and you will make me feel better.
One of your greatest qualities is your humility, you have no idea the effect you have on others. You are a true and loyal friend. You are abosolutley gorgeous, genuine and true to who you are. It was the best hanging out with you over the summer. I can't wait to see you and your sweet family again soon. Have the greatest day! Love you!