Living in Las Vegas

We made it to Las Vegas last Monday and since then it's been a busy time! Now with most of our major move-in projects complete, we thought it was time to share some pictures! Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, and in a larger format. . .

Sean's Birthday

Thirty-one isn't so bad! Below are picture from Sean's birthday fun. Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, and in a larger format. . .

3 Weeks & Some Change

In just a little over three weeks from now, our movers will be here! The movers will pack up our stuff on May 6, they'll load the truck on May 7, and we'll leave town on our way to Las Vegas the afternoon of May 8. Judging from how quickly the weeks have gone by since the last time I blogged here, we'll be on our way in no time at all! In between now and then, we have the following important occasions coming up:

*Sean's birthday this Friday (Happy 31st B-Day sweetie!)

*Sean's finals the last week in April

*Sean's research proposal defense before the faculty, clinical directors and his fellow classmates the first week in May

I'll be handling the moving preparations as well as the days with the movers while Sean is finishing up at school.

We're excited to get on our way! It will be nice for Sean to have a few weeks off between his classes here in Maryland and his CRNA clinical/residency in Vegas. We're both looking forward to a little R&R together during that time, as well as to be moving closer to our family and friends in the Western part of the country once again! We'll let you all know when we've arrived safely at our new home!

The Rundown

Tomorrow it is March, which marks the beginning of a busy time for Sean and I. . .


*Within a week or two, Sean will be getting his orders from the Air Force regarding our re-location to Las Vegas so that he can begin the clinical portion of his CRNA masters program there.

*Shortly after that, I will begin a serious search for a home for us in Vegas, as well as handle the process of ending our rental lease here, and we will hopefully finalize our moving details.

*In mid March, I will be taking a trip up to Pennsylvania where I have family I want to visit one last time before we move away.

*Sean will be on spring break when I return from PA, and hopefully he'll be able to get away from his research project long enough for us to do one last fling of fun around the DC area.

*Toward the end of Sean's spring break week, we will have a fellow Air Force friend who will be starting the CRNA masters program in June visit for a few days to do some apartment hunting and to tour the university she'll be attending.

*Toward the middle of April, I'll start weeding through all of our stuff, taking things to Goodwill and organizing everything to prepare for when the movers come.

*Finals week for Sean is the last week in April. . .Aaagh!

*Within the first two weeks of May, we hope to have the movers come and plan on leaving town immediately after.


So, now you all know the rundown! Please understand if we're a little difficult to reach or seem a bit preoccupied during the next 9-10 weeks. We're excited about what's ahead, but we'll be glad when it's all over too!

A Wonderful Valentine's Day

Sean did an amazing job this Valentine's Day! He surprised me with goodies in the morning, had reservations for dinner at a surprise restaurant in the evening, and then we ended our day with our traditional Valentine's Day movie. It was wonderful!

A slideshow of our day is below! Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, and in a larger format. . .

50th Anniversary Surprise

My parents 50th wedding anniversary was this past weekend. My sisters, my Dad and I all planned a surprise party for my Mom in honor of the occasion. All of the family came to town, and assembled in their house on Saturday morning to yell "Surprise!" when my parents came home from their usual weekend grocery shopping routine. After the initial surprise and tearful greetings, we told my mom we were bringing in their pastor for a marriage vow renewal ceremony and my Dad asked her to "marry him again". We sent them upstairs to get all dressed up for the ceremony, and then they came back down for some family sharing time during which my Dad read my mom a special poem. Then we had the ceremony, followed by cake and champagne. The rest of the afternoon was filled with all of their friends and loved-ones coming by the house to wish them well. It was a crazy, exciting and wonderful day!

A slideshow of the key events of the day is below. Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, and in a larger format. . .

Inauguration Day Adventure

My friend, Ali, and I braved the crowds and went into Washington DC on Inauguration day. We had hoped Sean could go, but because he's medical military personnel, Sean ended up having to be on-call for the National Naval Medical Center an had to report to duty and remain on base all day. We missed him, but talked to him at several points throughout our trek and got his take on things as he watched it all online. It was quite a day!

Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, in a larger format.

Starting at the far north end of the metro's red line, and ending near the heart of Washington, we emerged from the metro at street-level and into the crowd near Capitol Hill. We somehow managed to get closer than we had hoped, and were able to get some great pictures of the Capitol before moving along on our journey.

We made a valiant attempt to enter at a parade route entry point near the National Mall, but ended up stuck in a massive crowd that had gathered after the checkpoint was closed. So, we changed our plan of action and decided to take the metro north, only to find out that the parade route had become filled to capacity at all locations and they had stopped admitting people onto Pennsylvania Ave.

Any disappointment we might have felt over this was soon erased, however, as we stood near a security checkpoint with a crowd of people listening to the Inaugural Address over loudspeakers. The crowd around us was attentive and interactive as Obama spoke. It was very cool!

Then we headed to a nearby Italian restaurant and bar to warm up and celebrate. At the bar, we saw the rest of the ceremony on their TV and participated with the other patrons at the restaurant by standing for the Star Spangled banner and having some lively discussion about the events of the day.

We decided to return home to watch the parade, and on our way to the metro, we discovered a group of people carrying on the message of change that is much-needed in our country and our future. All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience and a great time of interaction with a diverse range of people! Wow! What an amazing time to be living near DC!

Sight-Seeing and Fun

We had a lot of fun during Sean's 3 week Christmas break from his masters program. We were able to do more sight-seeing in our area, as well as just hang-out and relax together. Here are a handful of pictures from our time together between semesters.

Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, in a larger format.

Final Semester

Well, we've made it to Sean's last semester of classes! They start up again on Monday, January 5. His Spring semester finals will take place the last week in April, followed by two weeks in which he and his research group will complete their project and defend their findings to a panel of medical professionals. Sean's clinicals begin on June 8, so it looks like we'll have about 3 weeks to get packed, moved and settled in Las Vegas.

Sean's Spring schedule of classes is (of course) a busy one. On most mornings, his classes begin around 7:30. He has found that traffic is easier to deal with and parking is easier to find the earlier he goes in, so he'll probably continue to go in to school around 6:00am to study or work-out during the time before classes start. He'll probably remain at school, either in class, lab or study sessions until either 1:00 or 4:00 each afternoon.

Sean's classes consist of the following:
Anesthesia Lecture, Anesthesia Simulation Lab, Medical Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology, Policy and Ethics, Research and Statistics, and Research Lab. He will also have a few military Operational Readiness lectures.

I will continue volunteering at the National Naval Medical Center throughout Sean's final semester here, as well as taking care of all things "home related", and will also begin looking for a place for us in Las Vegas.

Sean's Spring Break is the last week in March, although he will spend the majority of that time working on his research project. An Air Force friend of ours who will be starting classes in the CRNA program in June will be coming to visit us during this time, and I will get to show her around the area and help her do some house-hunting while Sean helps her get familiarized with university stuff. I may also need to take a trip to Las Vegas around this time to do some house-hunting of my own.

So, we're back to the busy school schedule and stress. And although it's sort of daunting, we also know it's just one more semester and we can make it through. I can't believe how fast the time has flown! I'll continue to post updates as Sean's final semester progresses.

New York City!!!

We finally made it to NYC with the help of our fantastic tour guide, Drew (Dani's nephew).

Anyway here are the pics.

Celebrating Christmas

Sean and I were recently discussing that the last time we got to celebrate Christmas together was 2 years ago since he was deployed to Iraq last Christmas. We are so thankful to be together this Christmas season. We are also grateful that we got to spend some of the holiday with my sister and her family at my nephew's home in Pennsylvania. Being with family makes Christmas so special! We hope you enjoy seeing our pictures as much as we enjoyed being together to take them! Merry Christmas!

Click on the button at the bottom of the slideshow that says View All Images to view the pictures one at a time, in a larger format.

Holiday Fun with Mom

My Mom recently visited for an extended weekend. We took the opportunity to see the holiday sights around the DC area. I also took her to The Melting Pot, a favorite fondue restaurant of mine, and to our church Christmas party. Fun times!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Our traditional tree trimming fun the weekend after Thanksgiving!

Morbidly Humorous

I remembered the following poem this morning after hearing the news about two people shooting eachother in a Toys R Us store on Black Friday. My Dad used to recite this to me when I was a kid. He had similarly learned it from his father. After a little research, I discovered on a British Columbian folklore website, that variations of this poem have been passed down from generation to generation since at least the early 1900's. The poem is called "Two Dead Boys", author unknown.

Early in the morning in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight

Down on the corner in the middle of the block
In a two story building on a vacant lot

Back to back they faced eachother
Drew their swords and shot eachother

Two deaf policemen heard the noise
They came and killed the two dead boys

Thanksgiving Day 2008

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Best of all, Sean didn't study all day long!! We slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, cooked our Thanksgiving meal together, and stuffed our stomachs with good food. Here are some pictures from our day. . .

The Power Of Great Art

If you love great art, you may have been curious to know who was behind those amazing pop-art-esque Obama posters and t-shirts. His name is Shepard Fairy.

World Wide Perspective

After seeing the world's overwhelming reaction to Obama's election to the US Presidency, I thought it would be good to further develop my worldview and experience by finding an online site where I could view and participate in discussion on a variety of topics with people from all over the world. So, I've found a website that looks promising and is easy to navigate and I'll give it a try. The website is calledAll Voices and is grouped by region, as well as topic. I'll have to update everyone on how this venture is progressing later on.

Maybe some of you will even decide to take on a similar endeavor of your own. . .

Christian Civility

We recently got our November issue of Sojourners magazine, and in it was a very enlightening and much-needed article by the chief editor. He began by talking about certain issues that he thought Christians needed to consider when voting for a candidate in this election. Then he pointed out that, based on people's different views and interpretations, there would be those of Christian faith voting for both sides - Democrat and Republican. He continued by stating "Five Rules of Christian Civility" in light of this fact. They are as follows:

1. Christians should not be in the pocket of any political party, but should evaluate both candidates using a biblically based moral compass

2. We should vote all of our values based on biblical foundations

3. We should advocate for a consistent ethic of life from the "womb to the tomb" (meaning ALL human life), challenging the selective moralities of both conservative and liberal views

4. We need to respect the integrity of our Christian brothers and sisters in their sincere and thoughtful efforts to choose a candidate, realizing that people of faith and conscience will be voting both ways

5. We should not attack one another, but should "expect and respect the practice of putting our faith first", even as we reach different conclusions

This article had perfect timing in my opinion. Sean and I have gradually been leaning toward a different worldview over the years. One which has been considered by some of our family and friends to be more "liberal", but which we felt was more in line with our ever-growing and changing faith as Christians. In some cases, we have been criticized and have also had the validity of our faith questioned because of this change in values. It's been somewhat insulting, as well as frustrating since our faith is such a large part of our lives and something we are excited about as it relates to us personally, and to the world around us. It's sad to me that on some of the occasions when we have shared our excitement about these things, people have viewed it as a threat to them personally. We never intended or suspected they would feel this way, and certainly never said anything bad about their views. We only stated our views which, granted, happen to be (respectfully) different than theirs. Not better. Just different. . .which is not a bad thing.

Fortunately during this time, we've found a church which holds a worldview similar to our own, and which expresses an interest and excitement in common with ours about how a person's faith should impact the world around them. It's been so refreshing to find Christians we can relate to! But not only that, through our changing views, we have found a whole new group of family and friends (religious and not) who share our worldview and whom we've been able to grow closer to as a result. We value these people so much! They are our support group, and we hope we have been able to return the favor in some small way. We also hope, at some point, to find or re-establish a common respect and understanding among those who we differ from in these matters. . .In the spirit of "Christian Civility."

Just a side note: The above-mentioned article is NOT advocating that Christians should vote only for "Christian" candidates, and neither are we. There are plenty of good and wonderful people in the world who actively and passionately support values that fall within Christian standards without actually professing specific, or any, religious preferences. In fact, there are quite a few other religions out there with standards similar to those of the Christian faith, as well as additional standards that could make this world a better place. What this article IS saying, is to educate yourself about what the candidates support and stand for, and then (if you are a Christian) to consider if those things line up with what the Bible as a whole stresses to be important, regardless of where the candidates values may or may not come from. The same considerations would be necessary for any person who holds a set of moral standards (religious or not) as to how people should live and treat one another.

Pumpkin Fun!

To view the pictures in a larger format, click on the "View All Images" option at the bottom of the slideshow window. This will take you to a separate page where you can have a little more control over how long, and in what order, you are able to view the pictures in their larger size.

Rearranging

So, I've been wanting to rearrange our living room furniture since the weather turned cold. I think I get "Fall Fever" as well as "Spring Fever". We had originally put our couch with it's back to the fireplace, sort of dividing living room from dining room. Well, now that it's getting cold enough to use the fireplace, I decided I wanted the couch facing it, making the living room feel more spacious at the same time. It's not the best arrangement and is maybe slightly awkward, but no more than the original arrangement, and it'll be just fine for the 7 remaining months we'll be living here.

Our apartment living room is rather strange. They expected people to put their TV's above the fireplace, and put a connection there for that purpose, but they didn't leave any holes to run wires through for home theater speakers, or enough room for stereo equipment. We would have had to run all kinds of wires out in the open, down the front of the fireplace, which just isn't pretty at all. We had such a hard time deciding how to set things up in the living room when we moved here, one of our couches ended up in the loft as a result of our indecision. Then we ended up liking the set-up of the loft so much, we've been spending most of our relaxation time there. I'm hoping with this new arrangement, we'll utilize both sitting areas equally. We'll see how it goes. Aaaahh! The frustrations of moving! Anyway, below is a slideshow with before and after shots of the living room. I'd love to hear opinions.

Weekend at Lindy's

I spent this past weekend with my niece Lindy! She lives just 3 hours north of us in Langhorne, PA which is near Philadelphia. It was so much fun to hang-out with Lindy and to see where she lives and works! It was a wonderful weekend, and we are looking forward to the next time we can get together!!

Below is a slideshow of our weekend activities. To view the pictures in a larger format, click on the "View All Images" option at the bottom of the slideshow window. This will take you to a separate page where you can have a little more control over how long, and in what order, you are able to view the pictures in their larger size. Enjoy!

It has been so fun to get to know Lindy again, now that we're both adults! We discovered that we have quite a few similarities and it was nice to be able to connect in this way. I'm glad she shared her time with me this weekend!

Fact Checking the Candidates

We have used the website below (factcheck.org) on many occasions throughout the 2008 Presidential Election and have found it to be extremely helpful. The organization that runs this website is a neutral one and is very thorough in presenting the actual facts regarding claims, accusations etc from both sides of the current election:

Fact Check

I Love Fall!

Last weekend, Summer gasped it's last breath. Since then we've been sleeping nights with the windows open, often waking up having pulled all the covers up to our ears in an attempt to keep warm in the night's increasing chill. Waking up from a chilly night's deep sleep is so refreshing!

Crisp, cool air! Aaahh! It's beginning to feel like Fall! I got out my fuzzy house slippers last night while we sat with the cool air streaming through our balcony screen door, watching a movie and drinking coffee. We've pulled out our long-sleeved shirts and sweatshirts to wear in the cooler mornings and evenings. I'm starting to look for recipes to make as my Fall baking mood sets in: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cornbread, Apple Oat Bars. . .Mmmmm. Halloween candy is out in the grocery stores. Coffee shops have come out with their Fall beverages and pastries - I had a pumpkin muffin this morning at the corner cafe. Sooner than we think, we'll be able to turn on our fireplace.

It's been a while since we actually experienced Fall, having been in San Antonio the past several years. It's so nice to be back in a location with more than two seasons! I love this time of year!!!

Obama Info

As the 2007-2008 Presidential Election starts winding down, we thought we should find some good, hard facts on the candidate of our choice and post them on our website. Below are three documents that we have compiled, complete with sources:
The first is regarding Obama's voting record as well as the bills he has sponsored and co-sponsored in the Senate.
The second is regarding Obama's views on the sanctity of human life and his statements on his personal faith.
The third is to address some rumors about Obama which have been brought to our attention that we thought had been put to rest a long time ago or had never been taken seriously in the first place. . .but go figure.

Anyway, we hope our research benefits whoever chooses to look at it. Just click on the headings below to open each document.

Obama Senate Bills

Sanctity of Human Life

Obama Rumors

He is pretty great, isn't he!

My Dad sent us an email this morning, saying how proud he was of Sean and his pursuit of his masters degree. Dad often tells us he's proud of us, and on this occasion it served as a reminder for me that my husband is pretty amazing, after all. I'm not the best at encouragements and compliments, so thanks for the good example Dad!

This reminder that my husband is pretty great got me to reminiscing about how wonderful it was to reconnect with eachother during Sean's two-week break between semesters. It was so nice just to hang-out and relax together. On one of our last evenings before classes started up, we went to Bethesda for dinner. Aftterward, we walked down streets lined with christmas-lighted trees and populated with couples and friends enjoying the evening like we were. We popped into a Barnes & Noble to listen to CD's in their music section, and while we were there, I fell in love all over again. I was watching Sean across the rows of music and thought, "If this was a stranger I was staring at, what would I think of him?" As I continued to watch him with this mind-set, I realized I would most definitely be attracted to him. Not only because he was good looking, but because he seemed so thoughtful and absorbed while enjoying the music on his headphones. Then he looked across at me and smiled. I walked down to him and gave him a hug, and he gave me a CD to listen to that he thought I would like. . .He is always looking for music for me. As I listened to the music on that CD, it was so perfect for my mood at that moment that I actually teared-up a little. Needless to say, we bought the CD.

Now as I think of this brief moment of falling in love all over again, Sean is at school. He has been very busy and dedicated since classes started back up again. Still, he has made time to watch a movie or two and go out to dinner with me. Considering all that he has going on, I really appreciate that he does this. . .Although, I'm not sure I've told him. So that is what I'm going to do now - Sweetie you're amazing! You work very hard and are so very considerate of me. Thank you, and I love you!