Father's Day

Garrett worked a 14-hour shift on Father's Day, so I took the girls to the hospital to see him for a few minutes.  We brought cookies and homemade cards, and I FINALLY got to see where he works, haha.  I was starting to wonder if he worked for the CIA or something, I had never been there.  Anyway, I had the girls also fill out a Father's Day questionnaire, here are their answers:

How old is my dad?
Abbie: almost 32
Ellie: 25

My dad likes to wear:
Abbie: everything
Ellie: blue clothes from work

He loves to eat:
Abbie: pizza
Ellie: spaghetti and meatballs

His favorite treat is:
Abbie: cookies
Ellie: jelly beans

He is smart because he knows:
Abbie: all about us
Ellie: how to study a lot

His favorite movie is:
Abbie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (this was super random, he has never watched that with them)
Ellie: Frozen

My dad works hard at:
Abbie: work
Ellie: the hospital

My dad always tells me:
Abbie: to look for cars when I'm crossing the street
Ellie: to listen

I really love it when my dad:
Abbie: gets Dunkin Donuts
Ellie: shares his candy with us

If he could go anywhere, he would go ______ and he would take ___________
Abbie: to Cedar Key, and he would take his friends Tom and JD
Ellie: to Chicago, and he would take a test (this is hilarious because from January-June, pretty much ALL Garrett did when he wasn't working was study for his radiology boards, which were June 8-9 in Chicago.  His life pretty much revolved around that for months and months.  Ellie certainly noticed!  Haha.

It makes my dad happy when:
Abbie: we go to Epcot
Ellie: when I listen to him

If I could give my dad anything it would be:
Abbie: a fishing rod
Ellie: a white boat

My favorite thing about my dad is:
Abbie: loving him
Ellie: when we wrestle with him

Don't kick the catfish

A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Garrett.  He was on his way home from fishing with a friend, about an hour away from home.

"I think I need to go to the ER," he said.

I couldn't imagine what possible scenario could have happened while they were fishing safely from a pier.  

It turns out, Garrett caught a catfish.  Now, catfish have tentacles, or "barbs" on them that are extremely sharp.  Garrett didn't want to touch the catfish, so instead he kicked it so that it would fall off the pier and into the water.

Unfortunately, the barb of the catfish pierced his foot and hit a bone.  Garrett shook his foot around to get the catfish off, but it was completely STUCK onto his foot.  Out of desperation and sheer pain, he reached down and pulled HARD on the catfish to pull the barb out of his foot.  It's actually a miracle that he didn't get stung in his hands when he did this.

Anyway, after writhing around on the ground for a while, Garrett packed up and his friend drove him home.  I took him in to the ER for an x-ray and antibiotics (the x-ray because he was afraid that there still might be some barb-pieces left inside.  The antibiotics, because catfish can be poisonous).

Thankfully, Garrett called the ER on our way in and spoke to someone there that he works with regularly, to let him know we were on our way.  He was seen right away and what could have been a several-hour ordeal only took about 1 hour total. 

Garrett, inspecting the hole in his sneaker where the tentacle went through:

As you can see, he was thrilled to be there:

Soaking his foot in some sort of.... stuff.  I don't even know what it was called.  It was cleaning the wound.  Probably something very common that I can't think of the name of right now.

And, for reference, here is a picture I found on the internet.  It's a catfish barb:

Looks pleasant, huh?

Interestingly, as started to leave the ER, the nurse told us that her next patient coming in had been stung by a stingray.  Coulda been worse, Garrett! :)

Interviews

Garrett spent a little bit of time traveling in September, interviewing for fellowship positions.  I won't get into all of that in this post (I'll write one soon), but the interview process is OVER and he received (and accepted) an offer at a fantastic program.  Like, really really good.  It's the program we sent an application to "because it's one of the best programs out there", not because we actually expected him to get an interview, let alone an offer.  I'm really proud of him.

Anyway... he left us one afternoon to drive to an interview several states away, and Abbie was pretty sad, so she made him a card.

Remember him?

Remember Garrett?

To say that Garrett's schedule was crazy this last summer would be a huge understatement.

Let me put it this way: he came to church with us once.  Once, from June through August.  The girls and I were gone for 3 Sundays in July so that was partially to blame.

Or I could put it this way: he had ONE Saturday off, all summer.  ONE Saturday when he wasn't sleeping off a night shift or actually working a 13 hour shift, or away at a radiology conference.

And finally: We went to bed at the same time probably fewer than 10 times all summer.

His summer has consisted of pretty much straight night shifts, or mid shifts.  Noon-midnight for several weeks, 8pm - 10am for several weeks, and now midnight-9am for a month straight (six nights a week).  ONE more week left, though, so we've almost survived it.

In case you are wondering, no this is NOT normal for a radiology residency!  But his "class" only has 9 residents (they started out with 11), so they have to make up all the call and weekends that those two missing people would have worked.  It's a long story.  Yes, there are dozens of other radiology residents but a first year can't work overnight alone, for example.

It's been hard.  Honestly I didn't expect residency to be this hard (and I'll admit, I had pretty low expectations because I had heard all the horror stories... I just didn't think they really applied to us). It's hard to spend every evening by myself for weeks on end.  It's hard to keep the kids quiet all afternoon during the week, and all day Saturdays and Sundays when he's working the night shift.  It's hard to have to turn down invitations to hang out with friends because sometimes I just don't feel up to going somewhere by myself with all three kids in the evenings.  We turned down invitations to lots of fun Saturday activities (the beach, floating down the river, hiking, etc) that I just couldn't do alone.  And I really don't like going to church alone (but hey, I'm certainly not in the minority there, being without my husband at church!  It's just that I'm more consistently without my husband, I guess).  I'm just worn out.

Of course, it's not all bad.  When Garrett is home sleeping during the day and Olivia takes a nap in the mornings, sometimes I run to the grocery store or the library alone for half an hour.  That's nice.  Also, when Garrett isn't home for dinner I don't bother cooking anything fancy, which is a nice little break.

"They" say that it will all be "worth it" in the end -- when residency is over.  I assume that people mean that financial compensation makes up for all the time he's not around.  I just don't believe that anymore, I'd rather have him be here with us. I'd rather have the option of planning our lives around things that are important to us rather than his work schedule.  And I just wrote a huge paragraph about this but I just deleted it because this post is already waaay too long and I don't want to sound depressing.  That's a thought for another day.

Anyway.... SIX more nights of overnights!!!  Can't wait.

Another birthday

Garrett had a birthday in June - the big 31!

We celebrated with chocolate cake made by our friends Anthony & Kristi.

We also bought Garrett a new suit for his birthday/Father's Day (actually, two suits because they were BOGO).  They will come in handy for interview season coming up.  You might not be able to tell from the pictures, but Garrett just loves shopping, especially for clothing. (haha)

 Looking good, honey!

Happy (belated) birthday, Garrett!  We love you!

Father's Day (belated)

We had a nice Father's Day with Garrett in June.  Didn't do anything too special... he needed a new suit so we got him one a few days earlier, plus we just spent some family time together.  Thankfully he was able to manipulate his schedule around a little bit so he had that Sunday off, which was nice.

Garrett and I are also blessed to have really great dads.

Me & my dad (and Mike), around 1984 it looks like:

Garrett and his dad, probably around 1987-ish

I had the girls fill out some "About my Dad" questions... Abbie's answers are in blue and Ellie's are in red.

My Daddy's name is: Garrett Garrett

He is: 10 feet, 20 inches tall   10 feet 5 inches tall

He weighs: 300 lbs   3 lbs

His hair color is: brown   brown

His eyes are: green   blue

His favorite tv show is: YouTube   mommy shows

He likes to go to: the mall   work

He favorite food is: bre dos (burritos)   spaghetti & meatballs

His favorite drink is: Mug soda   brown soda

For fun he likes to: wrestle  ride his bike

I love it when my daddy: is hansom   wrestles

Gulf Coast Fishing

Garrett went fishing on the Gulf Coast with some of his fellow residents last weekend.  It turned out to be a success - he brought home a big redfish for dinner!!

 The girls loved it:

....and so did I.

He also caught a big trout, but he gave it to his buddy who didn't catch anything to bring home (they all caught lots of sharks and catfish but.. yuck. They throw those back.).

It's been a while since we had a good red fish.  Thanks again, Garrett!

The last night

I did the math: Garrett has been working nights for 14 weeks total over the last 6 months.

Sure, only six weeks have been true "night shifts" - 8pm-9am, six nights per week.  But the rest have still been pretty miserable: either 4pm-2am or noon-midnight (but thankfully only 5 nights per week).  Still not much better, in my opinion.  The hardest was probably the noon-midnight weeks because the kids never got to see him.  Also, it really seems like Garrett's immune system decides not to work when he's on nights, because he always gets sick, which makes it even harder!  This last week he has been battling the stomach flu while working 13 hour shifts (you really can't take sick days when you are working nights because no one can cover for you).

Also, it seems like when he is on days, he gets scheduled to work an overnight shift during the weekend!  This means he has to stay up late on Friday night so that he can sleep most of Saturday, so that he can work all night Saturday night, then he comes home Sunday around 9 or 10am, sleeps for a little bit, but not too much, because he wants to be able to sleep Sunday night so he can go back to work Monday morning. 

I am so ready to put the last few months behind us.  It's been really hard on everyone.  "They" say that second year is the hardest for radiology residency, and we are definitely experiencing that! But April is looking promising... he just switched weekends with someone and so now he has EVERY weekend free in April (well, starting when he gets home tomorrow morning sometime).  That's exciting... because our yard is looking pretty sad right now.

I'm ready to start eating dinner together as a family again.  I'm ready to hang out with him in the evenings instead of being alone every night!  I'm ready to go out with my girlfriends while Garrett is home with the kids.  I'm ready to go to bed at the same time.  I'll get to start making my bed every day again (I haven't been able to since he's been sleeping during the day!). I will be able to text him during the day without worrying that I will wake him up.  Now the girls will be able to play as loudly as they want (well, louder than they have been!).  And now, hopefully Garrett's immune system will get back on track and he'll be back to normal too.

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm complaining too much... just trying to document what our lives have looked like the last 6 months.  I'm so thankful that Olivia has been so good because I don't think I would have survived being all alone with a difficult baby.  I'm also thankful that I have such a hardworking husband.  He is really dedicated and, from what I hear, he is also very good at what he does.

It has been a long six months and I'm ready to move on.... for the next 11 weeks, anyway.  He starts nights again in July.  

101 Update - #4, Garrett's Birthday Trip!

Whoa, would you believe that I'm still alive??  I can't believe it's been so long since I posted (and it's getting annoying that I'm starting my posts like this over and over again).

I'm still working on my 101 in 1001 list.... I have a feeling that I'm going to have to step it up pretty soon.  I'm about 1/5 of the way through (timewise) but I don't think I've done 1/5 of the things so far.  However, I'm thinking of switching a few of them out for other goals, but I'll update you on that in the next couple weeks.  My priorities have changed a bit, and some of the things that I originally thought I wanted to do just aren't that important to me anymore and I don't feel like doing them (for example, painting my dresser (#32).  It's tucked away in our master bedroom walk-in closet and I just don't care how it looks anymore).

But, I HAVE done some things lately!  Here's an update of two of the things:

64. Frame an updated family picture and hang it up in our house 

I finally did this!  I framed this picture that was taken back when we lived in Virginia.  Sure, it's still a year old, but we are still a family of 4 and we pretty much look the same, so I'm happy with it.  It's definitely better than the one we had before, which was taken when Abby was 5 months old.

And, #4:

4. Plan something awesome for Garrett's 30th birthday (June 2012) 

Done!  And, we already did it!
The first week of March, Garrett took a couple days off and we went with our friends Rob & Haley to Siesta Key, FL for a few days.  Garrett can't take time off in April, May, June, and most of July, and Haley just turned 30 in February, so we combined their birthdays and celebrated them both in March.

We had a great time.  On a Wednesday night, we drove up to Savannah so that we could leave the kids there during our trip.  Thursday morning, Rob & Haley met us in Savannah and we carpooled down to Siesta Key.  It was fun carpooling together and made the drive seem much shorter (in my opinion).  We talked about everything -- politics, the future, our memories, medical school, radiology, our kids, Church, our current lives, education.

We rented a little 2 bedroom condo about a block away from the beach.  It was PERFECT and we got a great last-minute deal.  We arrived in Siesta Key in the afternoon on Thursday, and spent the afternoon/early evening just sitting on the beach talking and watching the sun set over the Gulf (and relishing in the fact that we weren't chasing kids left and right!).  Once the sun was down, we went back to the condo, changed clothes, and went out for a night on the town!  Actually, we aren't that exciting, we just went to a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican place.

Oh, and we played a late night game of Settlers, too:

On Friday, we spent a leisurely morning at the condo getting ready for the day.  Garrett and I went running along the beach together, and Rob & Haley went out for breakfast.  After we all met up, we headed to downtown Siesta Key for some kayaking!  We rented two double kayaks and did a 3.5 mile loop around a big island near the coast.  It was fun, and the best part was that it took us to a remote, white-sand beach that is pretty much only accessible to boaters.  It was so nice and QUIET.  We swam for a bit, but mostly just sat in the sand and talked, napped, and read.

Kayaking worked up quite an appetite, so afterwards we went to a local grill & bar for some fish tacos - really good!  Then we headed.... back to the beach, of course.  Haley and I laid out and relaxed once again, and Rob & Garrett did a little fishing down the beach a bit.

Later that evening, we walked about half a mile from our condo to St. Armand's Circle, which is a downtown-ish area (basically a huge traffic circle with 4 roads off of it) that is full of shops and restaurants.  We did some browsing at the shops, and had a late dinner of brick oven pizza.

On Saturday, we went to the farmer's market in downtown Sarasota.  It was really nice - I LOVE farmer's markets.  And, I have to say... I think Sarasota must be the capital of the world for people with dogs in strollers!!

We got some great fresh food at the market, filling our cooler with fresh veggies and some fresh pasta.  Then we hit up the beach one last time for some more relaxing and sunshine.  Later that afternoon, we drove halfway back to Savannah, stopping here at our house for the night to break up our trip a bit.  We made an awesome dinner with our farmer's market finds, then spent the evening just talking (we also had another couple here, who became good friends with all of us up in Newport News last year and now they live here, only about a mile away from us actually!).

The next morning the six of us had breakfast together, then headed to a local lake on campus to look for some gators.  We found a couple, but nothing big unfortunately.

We headed back for Savannah later that afternoon and got there just in time for dinner.  And, just like I predicted..... Abby started crying the second she saw us walk in the door.  She really didn't want to go home!

On Monday morning, Rob & Garrett did a little more fishing from the Woodbury's neighborhood dock, and Haley & I spent the morning/early afternoon in downtown Savannah, down on River St (and I got to eat some much-needed sushi!).  We finally headed home Monday night after dinner - it was a late night but a great end to a wonderful weekend!

So, Happy (early) Birthday to Garrett, soon to be the big 3-0!  It's so nice to get away together, without our kids, to spend some time reconnecting and relaxing.  We were so glad everything came together, even if it was all pretty last minute.  This is not the first trip we've taken together without the kids, and it certainly won't be the last!  Big thanks to the people who watched our kids this time around!

Oh, and I also can cross off two more from my list - #56, try pistachio ice cream.  I sampled some when we were getting some ice cream at St. Armand's Circle, on our way out of town to start driving home.  It was good, but not good enough for a whole bowl... I settled on my go-to favorite, choc chip cookie dough!

And, #100, take a nap on the beach.  Definitely dozed off a few times.  Loved it.

A conversation with Garrett.

Sometimes I feel like Garrett is a bit of a ghost here on my blog.  I talk a lot about myself and the kids, and I guess I talk a lot about what Garrett is up to, but you all don't get the privilege of hearing his side of the story.  So, I decided to do a little interview with Garrett so that you can get to know him better.

But first, a picture:

I tried to get him to smile, but he only said, "You know I don't approve of these kinds of pictures."


(Self portrait - pictures where usually half the picture is someone's arm.... haha.  I think I did a pretty good job, though!)

What made you decide to go into medicine?
I never really wanted to do anything else.  My dad was an influence on my decision, though.  Of course he didn't make me do it, but he was my example.


If you hadn't become a doctor, what do you think you would have done with your life?
Professional video game playing??

Growing up I thought about either becoming a doctor or a pilot.  I always thought fighter jets were cool, but as I got older I realized that that was probably unrealistic, and dangerous if I had a family.


What made you decide on radiology?
I can remember when Rob and I were on that rotation, and we were just talking about the possibilities that could come from technology and medicine and we were really excited about it.  I really liked it.


What are some things you enjoy about your intern year here in Virginia?
The fact that I only have to be an "intern" for 5 months, and the rest of the time "I can just kick it." (his words, people) (talking about his elective months)


What are some things you don't like about intern year?
The other 5 months.  Haha just joking.  I don't like call, let's be honest.  I don't like the fact that every time I hear a beeping noise now, my heart drops with dread (it's the sound of my pager).  And I don't like feeling stupid all the time.  I still have a lot to learn and sometimes that's discouraging.

What do you miss most about Augusta?
The fishing and biking... there were some great bike trails there.  Oh and I miss the Redneck Yacht Club.

(I didn't know what that meant so I asked him to elaborate.  Apparently whenever the guys went out fishing, they felt like they looked like a bunch of rednecks with all their gear and such, so that's what they called themselves)

What are you most excited about moving to Florida?
Being close to family again.  Being done with working as an intern and finally starting what I actually want to do with the rest of my life.


What TV shows do you enjoy watching?
24 (on Netflix).  Modern Family.  Community.  The Office is okay.  Psych is a new favorite.


What is your dream car?
I don't know!  I'm not big into cars.


What kind of food do you wish Hannah made as well as her mom?
I mean... Hannah's bread is good... but her mom makes really, really good (better) bread.


The best thing Hannah has ever cooked for you?
She makes really good homemade pizza*.  And she made really good ribs once.  And cordon bleu for my birthday or our anniversary.

(*He's talking about a pizza I made last week with homemade spinach pesto, mozz cheese, artichokes, yellow pepper, onions, and feta cheese. It was SO good, you should make it too)


If you had $1000 to spend any way you wished, what would you buy? (You can't pay off any loans or buy anything you need.  It has to be something fun)
I'd have to think about that... you know how I am!  It takes me two years to spend a $100 Amazon gift card.

Oh, never mind.  I'd buy a jon boat.  Or a Carolina skiff.


What do you miss most about BYU?
Not the studying, that's for sure.  I do miss the carefree life (pre kids) and lack of real responsibilities.  That, and Tucano's.


If you could get rid of any one of the kids' toys, what would it be?
The one the makes the most noise.  Or the most mess... either one.


If you could have any talent come to you easily, what would it be?
Probably playing the piano.


Would would you do if you had one extra hour of time each day?
Exercising... especially if that one hour was 75 degrees and sunny.


What would you prefer to live near: the beach, a lake, the desert, or mountains?
Probably mountains, because they also have lakes and rivers.


Skiing or snowboarding?
Please.  Skiing.  If I'm going to spend money doing something like that, I'm going to spend my money to ski because I can ski well and I know I'll have fun.  I don't want to spend all that money and spend the day trying to snowboard.  Plus, I once broke my wrist snowboarding (middle school - ish), so I don't see myself trying that again.

Where do you see yourself ending up when you finally get a real job?
I really don't have any idea.  We'll see what the job market looks like.


Naked x-ray or pat-down? (airport)
Depends on how hot the lady is that's doing the pat-down.

(har har, honey!)

Anything else you want my awesome readers to know about you?
No.

Finally, I just want to share something funny that Garrett said a few days ago.  He was reading a bedtime story to the girls called "Baby's Christmas".  It's an old "Little Golden Book" (you know, with the gold binding), and it's just a little story about all the things that Baby got for Christmas... a teddy bear, a kitten, a rocking horse, blocks, a doll... many, many pages of things.  And finally in the last few pages, the book says, "And what did baby get to keep all her toys in?", and I heard Garrett mutter before turning the page, "Let's hope it's a trash can."


Obviously Garrett has a huge love of children's toys.  He loves seeing them everywhere, he loves stepping on them, he loves cleaning them up.  He especially loves the ones that make noise...


(And no, the baby didn't get a trash can.  Baby got a toy box. Sorry, Garrett.)


Anyone else have any questions for Garrett??  I know he loves being featured here, and I'd be more than happy to do a Part 2 if I get enough inquiries.  Ask away!

Happy Black Friday!

We had a quiet Thanksgiving.  It turned out that Garrett didn't have to leave for work until 1:30, so we spent the morning together and hung out.  I did a workout video, he went running.  Played with the kids.  Once Garrett left for work, Abby and I made some chocolate chip cookies, which we then dropped off at the ER for Garrett and the other staff that was unlucky enough to get scheduled to work that day.  Unfortunately, we got there as soon as a couple ambulances were arriving so we only got to see Garrett for about 30 seconds.  Then we went home, I fed the kids dinner (grilled cheese) and put them to bed at 6:30 (it was a rough afternoon... they both have colds and it's making them (me) crazy).

Then, when Garrett came home a bit after midnight, I headed out and hit up some Black Friday sales!!  Haha just kidding.... I'm not that crazy.  I mean, I love a good deal as much as the next person (maybe even more), and I spent some time last week researching some of the great deals to be had (and let's face it, I was mostly looking at things for myself), but in the end there was nothing good enough to tempt me to face the crowds.  And to be honest, I don't ever see myself becoming a Black Friday shopper.  I've read the horror stories in the news, and seen pictures.  I hate crowds and I hate the "I-have-to-run-through-the-store-and-beat-everyone-else-to-the-electronics-section-before-everything-is-taken" feeling.  Online deals, though?  You can bet I love those.  But I still didn't pull out my credit card for anything today. (Although I can't say the same for Garrett... but that's for another post, I think.)

This year I am particularly thankful that Garrett has a job.  He's worked a lot this week, so it's in the forefront of my mind and the gratitude helps me not become bitter about it! :)  Seriously though, I am so grateful that he's working, and that he's in a job that is stable.  I'm grateful that he's in a chill transitional program that allows him lots of family time.  

This week I am thankful for Gmail video chat and Skype. We've gotten to "see" all my siblings and my parents over the last couple of days, and Garrett's parents and some siblings too.  So, even though we didn't go visit family this holiday, we still got to interact with them, which is always fun.

Today I am thankful for baby Tylenol.  Ellie is teething and it's brutal (for me.  And okay, for her too).  She was in rare form today and spent most of the day screaming and crying and whining.  Poor thing.  It doesn't help that she has a cold on top of it all.

Right now I am thankful for my warm bed waiting for me... and thankful that I'm not working a 10-hour shift in the ER, like a certain person I am married to.  Tonight around 9:30, my eyes were starting to feel tired and I was thinking about my bed, and meanwhile Garrett was loading up on Coke Zero to prepare himself for work at 10pm.  Sooooo not jealous of him.

November snapshot

I can't believe we are already halfway through November.  Growing up I used to love when the days got shorter (I don't really know why), but now I really hate it.  I don't like driving in the dark, and I don't like that we hardly ever get to go running together when Garrett gets home from work.  On the other hand, I do like that the kids are tired and ready for bed by 7pm. (Unless, of course, Abby falls asleep during quiet time).

Abby is cute as ever.  She is definitely three, though.  Sometimes I feel like I'm dealing with a teenager, with the way she says "No!" and with how stubborn she is.  Some days it feels like I have to make everything a game. "Hey Abby, let's see how fast you can clean up your toys!  I'll count!" or "Abby, pretend your spoon is a shovel and eat all your dinner!"  It gets so exhausting.  I feel like I should just be able to say, "Abby clean up your toys, please", or, "Abby, finish your dinner", and she should just be obedient.  I shouldn't have to make everything a game.  But, that's what works, so I'll just keep plugging away I guess.  And I know you are probably thinking, "what's so exhausting about making things into a game?  Games are fun."  True, games are fun.  But it gets old.

Garrett showed Abby some origami last weekend and she loved that.  Now every time she sees a balled up piece of paper, she thinks it will turn into a nice little square if she blows into it.

Abby also really likes to help me in the kitchen, whether I need her help or not. :)  She drags a chair into our tiny kitchen and insists on pouring, stirring, and tasting.  Last weekend we made Rice Krispie Treats (or, as Abby calls them, "Ice Krispie Treats").  It's a pretty big deal when I make treats because it's a very rare occurrence in our house, so Abby was in heaven.

(Waiting.....waiting.... )

(...Got it!)

What can I say about Ellie?  What is it about her that makes me laugh every time she does something naughty??  A few days ago she was playing with Abby's little toy laptop, pushing the buttons and listening to the music.  Abby came and sat next to her to share it with her, and Ellie scooted over so that she was sitting in between Abby and the laptop.  Abby patiently moved over a little bit more so she could see better, and sure enough Ellie scooted over again so that Abby couldn't see.  Of course I was hiding my laughter, but at the same time I couldn't believe that she would be so naughty.  Where does she learn this stuff??

Like I said a few days ago, Garrett is almost done with his family medicine rotation and starts ER next week.   Garrett hates the ER for many reasons, the main one being that most of the patients who come in shouldn't even be there.  He also doesn't do well with shift work where the schedule changes frequently.

I have been keeping busy making Christmas presents.  We draw names in my family and in Garrett's, which makes it easier.  I am making something really great for my brother and his family, and I'm making the same thing for my family at the same time (I'll tell what it is & show pics after they get it!).  I will say this, though... I don't know what I was thinking, taking on a project of this magnitude.  I've already put in at least 10 hours (into each one) and I'm about halfway done.  Thankfully we've already finished the gifts for Garrett's sister & husband (Garrett made their gift in about an hour), but I still need to finish gifts for everyone else on my list.  Including Abby & Ellie... I'm making the neatest thing for them and I'll show lots of pictures when it's done.

I've also been reading a lot, since I finally got a library card.  Speaking of reading, I don't think I ever blogged about finishing the third book in the Hunger Games series.  I read it back in September when we were visiting my parents in Pennsylvania.  I won't bore you all with the details, but in short I hated it.  It seemed so disjointed from the other books and it was really boring.  The only redeeming factor was the very last page when the author finally revealed what boy the heroine ended up with (and it was the one I was rooting for).  But all in all, I was so disappointed in the book and consider the time I spent reading it, wasted. (If you liked the third book, good.  I'm happy for you.)

What else am I up to?  I have a list of things to do this week: fix my jogging stroller tire, finalize the Thanksgiving menu, organize my LR closet, teach piano lessons, and just clean.  I'll admit, I "straighten up" my house a lot, but actual cleaning doesn't happen as often as it should.  I'm also hoping to spend more time at the park (hopefully with my stroller!) since the weather has been just gorgeous lately.  It's times like this when I really miss having a private lawn so I can lay down on a blanket outside all day while the kids run around.

Other than that, not too much.  Just making (and constantly editing) my Christmas list.  You all remember all the things I want, right?  Some of those things are on my actual Christmas list, but most are still on my "someday in the future" list.  I'm nothing if not realistic.

Post call

Garrett enjoys a post-call nap while the girls (& their Mei Mei's) watch "Kipper" on Netflix.

I'm making this spaghetti squash recipe for dinner tonight.  I've made it before and it's so good.  Try it!

What do you do....

...when school is over, but you haven't graduated yet?  What do you do in the meantime?

I don't think Garrett would hesitate with his answer.....

Garrett has been spending a lot of his free time lately with 5 of his good friends who are also about to graduate.  They fish, bike ride, and hang out pretty regularly.  I'm so glad that he finally has some real down time with no deadlines or worries hanging over him.  We've had a lot of great family time, and he's also had some time for his hobbies (and I've even gotten some time to myself, too, since he can stay home with the kids!).  It's a win-win for us all.

Most of the time the guys go fishing nearby, but they don't bring fish home to eat since it's pretty sketchy water.  However, in March they took a "man trip" up to Northern Georgia and spent a few days backpacking, hiking,  fishing, and whatever else men do when they don't have us wives holding them back. :)   They lived off the fish they caught and had a great time.

I am already dreading mid-June, when he has to start his real job... but I'm so thankful for this time we have right now, and for all the hard work he's put in through school.  If anyone deserves a break, he does!