Saturday, March 3, 2012

...where have I been??

I feel like most of the blogs I've written lately have started with, "we've been crazy busy!" But, it's true.... We have moved and are settling in and it's becoming home! I really like it here and I'm excited to make new friends etc etc. Last night we went to dinner with some of Alex's friends that he went to school with. It was fun and nice to hangout with people our age. Today we're going in search of a new table! Wish us luck and I (hopefully) promise to get back to a regular blogging schedule...ish!

Friday, February 3, 2012

No, you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway.

What's going on in our lives, you ask?
Ok, so you didn't but let me tell you anyway!

School and work are pretty much consuming all of our productive hours. This semester is seriously flying by and I am definitely ok with it! I'm currently in the process of studying for my everyday courses, finding patients for clinic (tiny plug: If you smoke and haven't had your teeth cleaned in 5+ years, call the SIU Dental Hygiene Clinic and request Abby!). Oh, and studying for the biggest exam of my professional career. No big deal...   But, really did you know that Dentistry is the only medical profession that requires a written AND clinical board?!?!? I'm going to start questioning my doctors before they cut me open...remember C's get degrees....

Alex has been an insurance machine!! He's just selling, selling, selling! I'm very proud of how hard he works and  how positive he is 99% of the time! He has yet to complain about driving everyday, so I bite my tongue when I want to...

Moving on, I have found...well WIBI found it, but I bought it...a new devotional. It is by Sarah Young and it's called Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. It is honestly like God has "written a love letter directly to you." It's definitely worth it and I love reading it! I look forward to reading it to Alex every night.

Continuing on... We're Moving!! Yippee! We're headed to Troy at the end of the Month. It's about five minutes from Alex's office. I am so excited, but also very nervous. While Alex's drive has been dramatically shortened, mine has been dramatically lengthened. I will now drive about two hours to Carbondale, three or four days a week. Yikes! BUT, it's only for 9 weeks! And then I will walk across the SIU Arena's Stage (at 1:30 on May 12th) with a diploma and no more commute!

I can't think of much else, but I know there is a lot swirling around in my head. I just want to give a little shout out to my Grandpa- Happy Birthday!! I love you and I can't wait to see you again!!
Also, safe travels to Wayne and Linda. They're abandoning Alex and I for, what would be our 6 year Super Bowl watching anniversary, to go see my cousins Stephen and Beth in Haiti! Enjoy and take pictures!

If I come up with anything else, don't worry...you'll read about it eventually!

Abby

Friday, January 27, 2012

Strive...to be patient

If you know me, you know I'm not patient. If you don't know me or haven't been around me when I'm being impatient, I rival a 2 year old for how awfully impatient I am.

I hate it when people are late, even though if I'm the late one it's no big deal...I may be hypocritical too, but that's a different post.... I hate it when people don't understand concepts that I find incredibly easy, I hate it when Alex has the remote and is watching commercials on ESPN, when my show is back on already on HGTV. (We're cool, we know...) I hate it when I have to wait in line at the grocery store behind Father and Mother Time buying 51 cases of cat food because they're doubling coupons, which he forgot in the car so she will go grab them as she putters away in her Hover Round Scooter. I hate it when I'm ready to go and Alex decides to change shoes (don't mind that he was waiting for me to switch outfits 30 times...) I'm NOT patient...at all.

My impatience, however, has reached an all time low. I am so ready for whatever is next. I can't wait to: sleep in on Saturday, take my National Board Exam on April 14th, make muffins with fresh blueberries in July, go to Michigan City with my Family for the 4th of July, start my first ever "real" job, find a new apartment, go to New York for Thanksgiving, seriously this list could be infinite!!

I am not enjoying the present. I am trying to wish my life away for whatever is next, new and exciting! It's sad. I look around (my tiny apartment) and think of all the funny stories and good memories we have here. When we move away, a lot will change. I like change, don't get me wrong, except at Christmas time. I like Christmas to be the same as it was in 1995, but with better hair and straighter teeth. But, what I don't want is to rush this part of my life away and not realize how blessed and lucky I am. This is, most likely, the last time of my life that I will be able to sleep in until 9 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Most kids adore their college years, but I'm wishing mine away, being impatient.

This leads me to this weeks Strive moment: I need to be patient in every aspect of my life....including the grocery store. (Even though Father and Mother Time are probably still there....)

James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord is coming near.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Crazy Little Thing Called....Life!

Alex and I are still alive and crazy, crazy busy!! I don't think that I have posted since before Christmas. We have been here there and everywhere.

Before Christmas Alex took me to the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis to see my favorite Disney movie and now musical, Beauty and the Beast! It was phenomenal! Our seats were very close and right in the middle. I loved it!

Then we celebrated Jesus' Birthday in Salem with our wonderful and ever growing families. On New Year's Eve's eve we went to Alex's brothers to a "Gender Reveal Party." Paul and Jenny are having a beautiful baby BOY at the end of May!! They revealed the gender with a cake and the inside was either blue or pink...obviously blue for a boy! It was a cleaver party and a fun way for everyone to find out together.

Then on New Year's Eve my family had our 3rd annual Rob Your Neighbor gift exchange. It wasn't as heated as it could have been, but still fun and I had my gift stolen frequently!

After staying with my parents for 2.5 weeks we figured it was probably time to be grown-ups again and go back to home...but the "free" food and laundry was wonderful!

But going home prompted me to get bored and go online. I have a disease- boredom. The only cure- going and doing. So, with 4 days notice, Alex and I boarded a 737 and headed to the Longhorn state! Neither of us had been to Texas before and San Antonio sounded like a lot of fun! We had the best time! We took the riverboat and  trolley tours. We ate at a lot of great restaurants and we walked and walked and walked! We stayed at a cute little boutique hotel a block from the Riverwalk. We saw so much and learned a lot about Texan culture. The Alamo is smaller than I expected but it was still neat to see. I'm glad we got to go and cure our winter cabin fever.

Sadly, we returned to the real world. Alex has been working like crazy and I have started my very last semester at SIU! We're back to normal and ready to see what 2012 has in store for us!

Ps. I'll be back to striving soon!
The Alamo (I took this picture and it's one of my best..if I do say so myself )

Our Roaming Gnome...roaming in Alex's pocket

One of the 3 active Missions in Texas (the Alamo was technically a Mission, but since the Battle of the Alamo it is now the Shrine of Texas Liberty) 


The San Fernando Cathedral on a Sunday morning...it was hoppin'...

Our Family Picture in Texas: Me, Gnome and Alex

This place has the absolute best pancakes I have ever had! Gnome went too!

"The Little Village" had cute shops and restaurants. It was right outside our hotel's door so, we walked through it a lot!

The Riverwalk looking pretty and deserted.

Gnome posing by a fountain at the Alamo.

Who wouldn't eat a Texas shaped waffle when they're in Texas?!?