A NorCal Birthday Weekend

For the last 4.5 weeks, I have been on a family practice rotation in the real Northern California. :) Arcata, to be exact. And I was living even further north near McKinleyville. The rotation itself was a great experience, working a lot with the Native American population. I learned a lot about the culture which was cool. The two down-sides: Tanner wasn't there and my birthday fell on one of the weekends. Fortunately, my husband is awesome and drove the 5.5 hours to be with me on my birthday. Here's a look at what we did...

Thanks to electronic medical records crashing, I was able to score that Friday off. We decided to pack a picnic and do all of our outdoor stuff that day. We drove up the coast a little ways to take a hike through the redwoods. It's crazy to see so many HUGE trees!!

After the hike, we found a coastal picnic spot with a beautiful view of the ocean.

Then, like real tourists, we drove a little further north to take a picture with the larger-than-life Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. :) That is literally all we did - got out, took the pic, and got back in the car and drove off. And along the way, we were able to see several of these elk standing right next to the road...just chillin'.

After all those adventures, we went back to my apartment, took a nap, and then went to a nice dinner thanks to Yelp.

One of the nurse practitioner's I was working with had suggested a couple of places to eat. So, the next day, we tried one of them out... Renata's Creperie in downtown Arcata. Little did we know, this would be the most amazing creperie! Yum! Pictured below are The Righteous Babe (raspberries, strawberries, and nutella) and The Hungry Farmer (rosemary garlic semi-mashed potatoes, ham, and jack and feta cheese). We also ordered one with just cinnamon, sugar, and butter, which was also a-ma-zing. I know we are pigs, but you would have done it too...trust!

We walked around the Farmer's Market briefly, before deciding that the on and off sprinkling of rain was going to make it an "inside" kind of day. So, we checked movie times and caught a matinee of In Time - interesting plot at least. We had dinner at another recommendation of the NP, but this one was a dud. Fortunately, we were still high off Renata's to care.

Our last adventure of the weekend was really unique. I had heard of this Finnish Cafe and Spa, so we decided to check it out. Basically, they have like 15 private outdoor hot tub/spa areas that you individually rent out. While you're waiting for your hot tub, you can enjoy the live music in the cafe. And once it's ready, you take your drinks - hot chocolate in our case - over to your hot tub and enjoy! It was pretty neat. The hot tubs look something like this...

Tanner headed out the next day after church, but not without visiting Renata's one last time. ;) Overall, it was a great birthday weekend and definitely one I'll never forget! Thank you to my wonderful husband! Here's to one year older and one year closer to graduating (which means no more rotations)! :)

PS - I should mention that my parents came to visit me the following weekend. I know...spoiled little birthday girl. We also had a fantastic time - eating, antique-ing, shopping, and more eating! Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but it was great seeing and catching up with them. Couldn't have asked for anything more!

An Update

Time never ceases to fly by, or at least that's how I feel. A lot has happened since the last post, so I guess I'm just documenting for the sake of our heritage.
I'll try to hit the main points...

- About 9 weeks ago, my rotations for school took me down to San Luis Obispo for an Ob/Gyn rotation at a private practice. Besides being four hours away from my husband, it was a great experience. The doc I worked with taught me a lot. Talk about bedside manner! Of course, he's been practicing for several years, but it really was idyllic to see him work. Definitely a characteristic I hope to obtain someday. I also learned that the famous Eva Peron, the second wife of Juan Peron, died of cervical cancer (as did his first wife...coincidence?...I think not), as well as why the color schemes in operating rooms are always either green or blue. This doc was really into history and would always give me little homework assignments like these every week. Kinda cool. Anyway, the experience put this specialty at the top of my list. Fortunately, Tanner came down to visit me 3/5 weekends I was there. I like to tell people it was a good test for our marriage...and we're still married! :) But sorry, I didn't take any pictures.

- The second week after I got back, we got a call from the second counselor of our stake presidency. He wanted to meet with us. Hmmm. New callings? We were excited because we knew he oversaw the Spanish-speaking ward for the stake. Could it be?? Yep, it totally could be! Tanner and I were called to be Stake Service Missionaries in that ward. He'll be working in Elder's Quorum and I'll be teaching the youth in Sunday School (as the youth prefer to speak English). We were really excited; Tanner for obvious reasons, me because I've been really wanting to learn Spanish. What better way than to immerse yourself? (Or, at least that's what I thought. Fast forward to our first Sunday there this last week...overwhelmed much?) We know it will be great and that we'll learn a lot. AND, now we'll get to see where we got married every time we go to church. :)

- Just a few weeks ago, the Clowards made a visit to California. It was exciting to see them again! We had a really good time catching up, laughing, playing with the kids, eating at Chef Chao's and Grandma and Grandpa Graham's, and watching Unstoppable way too late (actually, I think I'm just getting way too old). Tanner and I stayed for school, but the rest of the family then headed over to Tahoe for a couple of days. Fortunately, Faye took a couple pics before they left.

- Last, but not least, Tanner and I were able to go to the A's vs. Blue Jays game last Saturday. Although not a fan of the A's myself, I consciously chose not to embarrass my husband by wearing Giants gear. In fact, I dressed the part (see below). We were able to enjoy the game with the Jones' and stayed for the fireworks after, of course. And can I just say, those fireworks are better than any 4th of July production I've ever seen. Granted, I grew up in Chester...but Tanner said the same thing, so I knew they must be legit.

So, that's the update. I've learned I need to take pictures. Message received.

Celebrating 80 Years!!

Yesterday, Tanner and I had the opportunity to celebrate Grandpa Wayne's 80th birthday!

The night started off with an amazingly yummy dinner!  I love dinner over at the Hunt's...there's always great food, good conversation and lots of laughing!  

After dinner, Wayne was surprised with messages, pictures, and videos of some of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren that couldn't be there.  I thought that was probably the most special part of the night.  What a treasure to know just how much you are loved!!

As a part of Faye's wonderful creativity, we then played a game (see video below) where we would try to answer questions about Wayne's life.  And to make it a little interesting, there was money involved...the Hunts really know how to come up with good games. :)  

                                            

Money aside, it was really a cool idea.  I loved listening to Wayne talk about his life and the places he'd been.  And the pictures he has of some of those places are priceless.  Tanner and I hope to be as much of a world traveler as he is!!  The night was topped off with a beautiful cake, more stories, and a lot more laughing!! I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else! 

Happy Birthday, Wayne! We are so glad we were able to share this special day with you!

The Royal Wedding!

Tanner and I like to say we attended The Royal Wedding.  On April 29th, we were there to celebrate with Amanda and Danny as they were sealed in the Oakland Temple for time and all eternity.  It was such a neat experience to be on the other side of things...you know, not having the fear of everyone staring at you. :)  But seriously, it was so cool listening to the sealer and watching Amanda and Danny enter into those covenants.  It reminded me of our own wedding day and of the wonderful blessing of eternal marriage.  I couldn't help but think that thousands of miles away, another couple was married for time only.  The marriage in the House of the Lord, however, would last beyond the grave.  How thankful I am for that knowledge, opportunity, and blessing!

Tanner and I love this couple; they are such great friends and we are so so happy for them!  We wish them the best of luck in this new adventure and we hope they enjoy being the newest newlyweds we know! ;) (Prince William and Kate got nothin' on them, haha.)

Tanner Houston's 21st Birthday

This post comes about two months after the actual celebration, but I finally downloaded the pictures from my camera. Back in April, (my) Tanner and I drove up to Chico to celebrate my brother's 21st birthday. It was a pretty low-key celebration, with only immediate family. As I get older, I actually prefer those kind of get-togethers, though, so it was all good.

I've known Tanner for about 13 or 14 years now, I guess. Like any sibling relationship, we've had our "moments." :) But I am happy and blessed to have him as my brother. He's actually taught me quite a bit.

I'm not sure if he wanted it, but he ended up with A LOT of golf-related birthday presents...new clubs, hats, gloves, towels, etc...all of which I think will be put to VERY good use!

And in Goolsby tradition, we strolled through Bidwell Park and took the dogs for a walk. Everything was so green and it was nice to get some clean, fresh air! Gotta love Chico! ;)

It was great to be able to spend time with family and honor Tanner...still can't believe he's that old!

Happy Birthday, brother! Love you!

Our Wedding Wall

So, I wanted to post a blog to showcase our "Wedding Wall." Why did it take me so long, you ask? Very good question. Well, it took me forever to find the right frames and then it took that much longer to find the perfect layout. Oh, and did I mention there were over 500 pictures to choose from? After several hours, though, I finally finished it! And surprisingly, it wasn't too crooked. So, here it is...

At some point, I want to get these pictures into larger frames, but for now, this will have to suffice for our mini wall. :) In the meantime, everyday we get to be reminded of our happy, special day!

My New All-Natural High

Just a few weeks ago, I thought I was making my usual trip to the grocery store. However, this one ended differently. As I looked at my receipt and the ridiculous total, I thought to myself, "Alright, this has gotta stop." The bill was super crazy high for only about a week's worth of food. Ugh. It was then that I realized that Tanner and I consume way too much food. On a positive note, when I cook, I don't make tons (we rarely have leftovers)...and when we do have leftovers, we use it for lunches the next day. But still, I wanted to lower the grocery bill for the month of February.

So, I did what any girl raised by a wise mom would do (insert thank you to Jane)...I searched for bargains. That's right, I've gotten hooked on coupons! Can you believe it? I used to always see these women on TV that had a full cart of groceries and it cost them like a dollar (OK, a little exaggerated, but you get the point).

A couple nights later, I did some research and went to work. After reading the advice online and signing up for some stuff, I scrambled through weekly ads to find "the deals." Turns out, it really paid off (see savings below).   :)

Some of this was from coupons, some of it was from items being free, some of it was from the savings card...all I know is that I was so giddy as I watched the cents come off on the monitor. Even better, was when Joshua pulled the receipt off, shook his head and said something like, "Wow, nice." I'm telling you it was like the high I get when I find a really great deal on a pair of high heels.

Don't get me wrong, it takes some work. It's definitely time-consuming. But I'm hoping this replaces my desires to go bargain clothes shopping (which I know I shouldn't do), haha. For now, though, I would say this is a good replacement.  :)

Birthday Celebration!

This was Tanner's first birthday as a married man! Because of that fact, I tried to make it a special one.

We both had to work on Thursday, so the real party didn't start until we both got home.  :)

Tanner had requested all of his favorite appetizers for dinner...so we did it up BIG!!

We had the infamous artichoke dip, onion rings, jalapeno poppers, potatoes with cheese and bacon on 'em, and The Counter's fries (or my homemade attempt anyway...I think they were pretty close). We made piña coladas, which took us back to the honeymoon days. Oh, and I added some fresh raspberries, just to say we weren't completely unhealthy. :)

Next, it was time for presents! Tanner had wanted to open his presents the day before his birthday (he pretty much knew what they were because I can never keep a straight face). 

But, my stubbornness got the best of me and wouldn't allow it.

I knew of two things Tanner wanted: The Social Network (which I gave him) and Inception (which my mom and dad gave him). So I guess he had a good birthday. ;) We also gave him stuff he didn't really ask for, but I knew he'd never turn down a skinny tie.

I wanted to do something special for dessert. I know Tanner's not really a dessert kind of guy...unless it's an awesome dessert. Thus, a trip to Va De Vi was in order.

  One of the things I like about our apartment is the location. We are so close to downtown that we walked a couple blocks to have this dessert sampler (which is actually very affordable). I still cannot get over the soufflé, although Tanner says I still gotta try Roy's. Maybe next year.  :)

All in all, I think it was a great day! 

Now, I know the age difference will never actually change between Tanner and I, but somehow, 

this day felt like I got a little closer to being less of a cougar.  ;)

Happy 22nd Birthday, Tanner! I love you!

The Caribbean Honeymoon

Tanner and I enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon on the small island of Saint Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean.  We both said it was the most relaxing vacation we had ever been on.  

We enjoyed every minute...

...relaxing on the beach, where temperatures never dropped below 80 degrees...

...jet skiing across the bay, weaving around yachts (too bad we didn't see Justin Beiber. Yeah, that's right we party like 16 year-olds)...

...eating like maniacs (our resort was all-inclusive, so we had to, right?)...

...drinking like maniacs (we must have had five Pina Coladas a day - virgin, of course)...

...hiking to these beautiful views of the ocean...

...taking a boat trip around the island (which included snorkeling, mud bathing, and seeing the Pitons)...

Side note: my camera was the ultimate FAIL on the boat trip. Of course, on the way there, it was completely foggy. Hence, the horrible picture on the the left.  Then, on our way back, when it was totally clear and sunny, my camera FAILED to turn on.  Therefore, I am left to post a wannabe picture. Pretty cool, even though I didn't take it.

 ...and watching these Caribbean sunsets each night...

We couldn't be happier and are so excited to begin this new journey together!  

And guess what? No more wedding planning!!  I'm pretty sure Tanner's the most excited about that part.

Now back to reality.   :)