Happy Birthday Braedin!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAEDIN!!!

Braedin = SUPER!

Your feats of courage and nobility surpass all men.

We love you and we miss you so much!! We hope you have an awesome birthday.

Happy Birthday T(een)-Bird!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER-T!!

You were an adorable baby, a great kid, and now you are officially...
a TEENAGER!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

No seriously - We are so proud of you!

You are smart
A great brother
A really cool nephew and friend
Very talented
and
We love you & miss you bud!

We hope you have a great birthday!

World's Greatest Husband

I worked a 12-hour shift on valentines day, but when I got home...

THE SCENE:
Paul - dressed in his best and smiling while dicing some garlic
A purple vase centered on the table with red, white, pink, and peach roses in it.

THE SMELL:
garlic

THE GIFT:
Jasmine vanilla "sensual" bubble bath with bath salts specifically formulated to reduce STRESS
Lindor dark chocolate truffles & Rootbeer barrels (my favorite candies).
The perfect card that said everything just right

MY INSTRUCTIONS:
"Go relax in a hot bubble bath, take as long as you like"

AFTER THE BATH:
Cheesy garlic mashed potatoes, Salmon with basil cream sauce, and Baked garlic asparagus - HOMEMADE by Paul and sitting on the table
Our special crystal wine glasses from our wedding with our names engraved on them, filled with sparkling cider (another favorite of mine).

DESSERT:
Newyork fudge chunk explosion ice cream, hugs, and plenty of kisses!

THE TRUTH:
I have the world's greatest husband!

Thank you for an amazing valentines day babe... it was perfect. Every day is wonderful with you. I Love You!

Alabama, Here We Come!

Japanese Cuisine

Paul and I went to one of those Japanese sushi restaurants last week. The one's where they cook your dinner in front of you and throw sharp knives and light things on fire.

It was great! The food was really good, and I don't have to pluck my eyebrows this month.

Mmm, Rain Smells Good

Today I spent most of the day on the fifth floor of the hospital I am working at this semester. It was a really busy day. Ridiculously busy. There was constantly someone needing something or a medication that needed to be given. But I was able to catch one needed moment today amongst it all. It was the kind of moment sent from angels above to remind me of happiness.

It rained today. Normally when it rains here, it's warm and swampy. Of course, it's humid - it's always humid here. Sometimes, I will find moisture on my knees... who has moisture on their knees? When it rains in the south it's normally annoying rain - like the little bits of breathable oxygenated air that exist in between the drops of rain are also saturated with water and you're just breathing in water. You may as well jump in a lake and take a big breath.

Anyway - today's rain wasn't like that. Today's rain was cold, and crisp, and it smelled really really good. Somehow, on the fifth floor of the hospital, with all the big, secure windows, I got to smell the rain. I don't know where it came from, but a swift wisp of cold air hit me right in the face. It was a literal "WHACK!" of deliciousness.

I immediately thought of home and how the rain smells when it hits the sidewalk and the leaves.

It totally made my day. Totally! The only thing that would have topped that would have been a butt massage WHILE smelling the rain. THAT would have been amazing.

Talent

NO hands people. This is what you call "TALENT."

I Don't Mean It

I don't mean to neglect the blog, but MAN is life happening!


An update:
- I am in my last semester of nursing school

- I'm doing my clinical hours on a medical oncology (cancer) floor

- It's going really well

- I'm really excited to graduate in May

- My Momma is coming to see me when I graduate!!!

- I'm also working in the ICU as an intern

- On my down time I am teaching myself to crochet (again) and I like it

- I made a rockin' scarf

- Paul is doing excellent

- He's totally handsome and hot

- He got 100% on his last MCSE exam

- THAT is how awesome HE is - I'm proud

- He made spaghetti for dinner tonight, and it was delicious!

- It's cold

- I miss blogging, and someday plan to return full force!


Here is a picture of a lovely flower...




Bye!

Grocery Store Disagreement

"So, what else is on the list?"

"...umm, granola bars... and... a treat"

"No."

"But, I want one"

"No."

"I'm getting a treat."

"NO!"

"I think I'll get some chocolate... dark."

"Noooooo."

"I WANT one! So, what should we get?"

"Nothing."

"Hmm... oooh this looks good, huh?"

"I'm not having any."

She's My Sister... I Love My Sister.

Happy Birthday Amburrito!

I love you so much! You are a wonderful, caring, person, and I love how happy you and your cute husband always are. Just sitting around laughing with you are some of the best times of my life. You will be awesome parents. I hope today is a great day for you.

Let's Get Back To It!

Our 20-day vacation to home was magnificent! We got back to Memphis late Sunday night after a full day of travel.

New York:

Paul's mom and sister picked us up from the airport. Throughout the week we ate a lot of good (bad & good for you, mostly bad, but Mmm Mmm! - haha) food, talked, played lots of cards, watched movies, relaxed, played games, slept, and shopped. It was very fun and we had a great time.

The HIGHLIGHTS :
-Hanging out with family & friends


-Getting a tour of Paul's hometown (we walked around the village and he told me about the different places and historic stuff - it was really neat)
-Sleeping in
-Home-cooked meals
-Texas Hold 'em
-Sudoku puzzles - thanks for saving them for me Ma-in-law!
-Oh, and the sheets! Paul's mom put a high-thread-count set of sheets on the bed and they were AWESOME. SOOOO soft. Paul's mom always provides wonderful accomodations and makes us feel welcome. Honestly, we are truly spoiled.

Utah:

My mom and my nephew Christopher picked us up from the airport. We arrived really late, so that night we went to bed pretty late cause we stayed up talking for a while. In Salt Lake we tried to eat better. I think Paul ate about 15 oranges a day. It really paid off though cause everyone around us (except mom cause she is very healthy) had a cold or flu of some kind. Yes - I caught it - and I was down for the count for a couple days, but I'm better now.

The HIGHLIGHTS:
-Visiting with and laughing with family & friends.
-My mom made me a beautiful rug to sit on for when I meditate. It's has all the different chakra colors on it. It is VERY special and I cherrish it!

-It snowed!! It was so pretty.
-I saw my Dad and my half-brother Kawlin and half-sister Shiloh, who I haven't seen in a really long time.
-Mo Mo's or Potstickers (A Nepalese food) made by my bro-in-law, Sulav - Yummy!!!
-The Tapenyaki and Texas Hold 'em - Good times










-Kristine - Thanks for the help I am feeling 100% better
-Mom's hugs, encouragement, and energy

All in all (nix the illness) we had a really great time. It always goes by really fast. It seems like each year goes by faster and faster.

Anyway, it's time to get back to it! Next week starts my very last semester of nursing school. I graduate in May. We want to buy a house and start a family. Paul's already back to working hard and studying for his MCSE certifications.

2007 will be an amazing year!!

Merry Christmaaaas, Toooo-oo-ooo... Yooou.

We're headin' home once again on Monday. This year (because it will cost less than just staying for 7 days in each place) we get to spend 10 days in both of our home towns!

We are so excited to see all of our family and friends again it's crazy!

This may be the last year that we can do this "see everyone in one shot" type of travelling. Next year we will be buying a home, I will graduate and start working as a nurse, and we plan to start a family. It's going to be a busy year!!

We are bringing our camera, so get ready to smile!

Merry Christmas!!

For My Cuppy Cake (Paul)

Cuppy Cake Song

Fun With Photoshop 4: Doin' Our Thang

Paul and I were perusing the photo album again and I thought I'd share some of our memories (you can click on the pictures for a closer look).

This is me when I used to dabble a little in space travel.

You know, my big brother Nate actually trained with Bruce Lee... This is him teaching me "The stance of the crow"

I will never forget that interpretive dance you did in 2003 Misty. You know, the one where you took the audience on the journey through the life of a butterfly? Absolutely poetic.


And Kim, your grace and beauty when you danced in the nutcracker Christmas 2002. Unbelievable!!!


This is just a quick photo I thought I'd slip in of me burnin' it up at the 1999 jump rope championships at Pinewood elementary school. Those kids didn't have a chance. Look how mad little Jimmy is in the background! ha!!


It was actually Misty's and Kim's technique that influenced me, Shawna and my sister Amber to join that interpretive dance group in 2003. We sure were manly back then, huh guys?


Oh look at this one...

I wonder what would have happened if Scott, Paul, and Michael had stuck with N'Sync. I still have that song you guys sang at that concert that brought in like 1,000,000 people... how did it go? "I love you girl, oh, oh, oh... you are so beautiful girl, you make me want to be a better man... Oh yeah, yeah, yeah girl" or something like that. Totally dreamy.

I just love looking through the photo album.

None of the preceding statements or pictures are true... except for my interest in interpretive dance. Might be cool... who knows.

The Needs of the Paul, Outweigh the Needs of the Edith

My fingernails are purple, I am shivering. I have sweatpants, long johns, two pairs of socks, gloves, an undershirt, a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, my robe, and a blanket on... I am STILL COLD. I want to turn the heater on.

No! The thermostat MUST stay at 68! This is crucial for our financial stability and continued existence!!!

Paul is a little bit chilly... All the sudden the thermostat is turned up to 74.