Fall Schedules

Several people have asked what sort of class line-up Sean has this Fall. So, in response to everyone who might be wondering what his new schedule is like, here are the classes he's taking:

Biochemistry
Anesthesia Lecture
Anesthesia Lab
Pathophysiology
Leadership Lecture
Research Lecture
Research Theory

Note: Research Lecture is with the University's Research Director and is intended to prepare the students for their medical research projects which will continue through their masters educations, and which will hopefully be published in a medical journal or used to benefit other CRNA's. It's kind of a big deal, and a lot of extra work.

Sean has classes every day of the week. They typically start at 8am (6am on most Fridays) and run until either 11am or 4pm. A lot of his time in-between classes and all of his evenings (except Friday which is our date-night) will be spent studying and doing classwork. They weren't kidding when they said this program would be like having a full-time job and then some!. . .Sean also wants to fit in a work-out routine at the school gym a few times each week. It'll be a good way to relieve some of the stress I can only imagine he'll be feeling!

Speaking of the gym, I have joined Gold's Gym! I wanted to keep my activities a little simpler and closer to home because of Sean's crazy schedule, so I've given up volunteering at Sojourners, and now the gym (which is conveniently nearby) will keep me occupied. . .not to mention healthy and in shape.

I've gotten a personal trainer for my first six weeks there to help me figure out different routines with weights, to make nutrition recommendations, and to track my progress. I'll meet with him once a week or so, then I'll do weight training and exercise classes several times each week. I'll be taking weekends off. I just completed my first week at the gym. It's been fun, and has definitely kept me busy! It's kind of nice to have a schedule of my very own to start out the Fall season!

Anyway, just wanted to update everyone on how things are progressing with Sean in his military masters school program.

Sean's Breaks

Just thought I'd let you all know the dates for Sean's fall/winter breaks. If you can believe it, we'll only be living here for a little over 9 more months! So, if anyone is thinking about visiting us while we're living in this historical area and taking advantage of having us show you around the sights, the following dates would be the best time to do it. . .


Thanksgiving: November 27-30
Winter Break: December 15-January 4

*We may try to go up to NYC for a couple of days during one of these breaks, but other than that, we won't be going anywhere else


Sean does get a Spring Break, but the biggest benefit it affords is that he won't have to attend classes. They will be working on their research projects at that time, so he will be almost as busy during his Spring Break as he would be during a regular school week. Unfortunately, this would probably not be a good time for visitors.

Anyway, I wanted to give plenty of notice incase anyone was thinking of coming to see us. If you can't come, or were never really thinking about it to begin with, that's OK. Just wanted to cover all my bases and to communicate all the info I have at this time.

DC Botanical Gardens

I had a lot of fun snapping photos of various plants and flowers at the botanical gardens. So much so, that I thought the gardens deserved their very own gallery. The bulk of the photos are from the orchid room. Orchids are one of those flowers that are so elegant and graceful, they really lend themselves to stunning photography.

Enjoy.

Sean

Two-Week Break

Well, we now are at the end of Sean's break between his Summer and Fall semesters. The past two weeks have been fantastic! We've had a very relaxing time, but have also done a lot of fun sight-seeing around our area. To start off Sean's break,
we went to historic Dupont Circle (click picture to the left to see the gallery). It's an older area of DC, with beautiful buildings and cool shops and restaurants. There are also a large number of foreign embassies in Dupont Circle. It was a fun afternoon of exploring!

Next, we went to Arlington Cemetery (click picture below for gallery). It was a cool day, so we were very comfortable as we toured the graves of the Kennedys, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were impressed to see that Arlington is
preserved as an especially sacred sight despite all the tourists. Everyone was sombre and respectful. We won't soon forget our experience there.

This past week, we spent half a day sight-seeing on Capitol Hill. We ate lunch in the area, then went to see the Capitol Building, the Jefferson Building/Library of Congress, and the DC Botanical Gardens (click picture below to see gallery). All three of these sights were amazing, and so very
different. We decided not to go inside the Capitol Building because of the long tour lines, but wanted to at least see the outside. It's a very dignified building. The Jefferson Building, which also holds the Library of Congress, was gorgeous with very colorful and ornate architecture. There are also some museum exhibits there and Jefferson's personal library as well. The Botanical Gardens were refreshing and peaceful, and had benches and tables to relax at throughout the inside and outside gardens. It was a great place for Sean to practice his photography. We had a very full day, but well worth the effort.

Philly & Baltimore

We spent last weekend in Pennsylvania with Dani's nephew Drew, his wife Lori and their 3 kids. They showed us all the sights in their area, took us to a local vineyard, and drove us in to Philadelphia for an afternoon of historical tourism. We also got to see Dani's niece Lindy again, who lives nearby and who had recently been down to Maryland to visit us. We enjoyed our weekend with family very much, and were happy to get to see everyone! We have included pictures from our Pennsylvania trip with this post, as well as pictures from a stop we made at the waterfront in Baltimore on our drive back home. Just click on the picture to the right to open the gallery.

Finals Week Results

Sean's first semester is officially over! Finals week was last week, with 1-2 tests every day except Wednesday. Sean spent a lot of time studying in group sessions, so was gone quite a bit, but it really helped him accomplish his goal. . .He wanted his first semester to be a strong one, with all A averages. Well, the results are finally in and he did it! His final grade for each of his classes (Anatomy Lecture & Lab, Neuro Lecture & Lab, and Health Assessment) was an A!!! Good job, Sweetie! We're all so proud of you!!

Now, we can both enjoy a well-deserved 2 week break!

A Cool Breeze

It's a beautiful morning here in Rockville today! 10:00am and the thermometer just hit 70 degrees. A cool breeze blowing gently in through the windows. I love a cool breeze! I was in the bedroom making our bed, when a wild, whipping, whistling gust burst in through the window. I lifted my arms above my head, closed my eyes and said, "Well, hello!" These moments when nature takes me off my guard make me so happy.