Super Bowl Sunday, and some well-deserved sunshine!

Although I worked all day Saturday, as usual, this weekend brought some great (relatively) weather, and good fun!

Saturday's temperature reached into the 50s! A big change from the well-below freezing temps we've been having. Chris spent most of the day studying, but was able to get out around lunchtime to take Daisy for their usual walk.

Sunday wasn't quite as warm, but still sunny and not too windy. I got up with Daisy around 7:30, which is when her stomach starts to growl. After feeding her though, I didn't feel quite as rested as I would like, so I got back into bed and the three of us snuggled until about 10. Before you scoff at our extended slumber, hang on! Both of us get up early every day to sit in front of computers all day, for different reasons of course, and deserve a nice lazy morning once a week! We got out of bed and ate some breakfast, and I put the dry rub on my wings that I was going to bake later on that day for the Super Bowl. Then, we got dressed and went to spend some time at a very soggy dog park. Winter around here has about three phases: beautiful snow, snow piles that turn into ugly, gray glaciers, and slushy, sludgy piles of ice in the most inconvenient places. The problem? We enjoy all three phases about two times per week. Our front yard, which is blocked by our house, and hardly gets any sunshine, is still in this glacier state, making it more than difficult to walk on when Daisy gets the urge to pee (which, as most of you know, is about 50 times/day).

After the dog park Chris studied, and I bathed our very muddy pup, cleaned, and finished cooking the wings. And, before anyone asks me again, I DO NOT have a recipe. I have tried to create a recipe for it, but it's just impossible. You'll just have to invite me to parties if you want to eat them :) It's really just a take on my brother Mike's "method" that he e-mailed me once, and I've tweaked and made my own. They basically just have a lot of spices, brown sugar, molasses and hot sauce...and love, of course.

Around 5, we went to our friend's Bob and Ashley's house for a Super Bowl party and to celebrate Ashley's 25th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY! The party was a lot of fun. Everyone brought/made great food; dips, chips, tacos, dirt cake (which I had for my first time and LOVED), ugly balls (a.k.a. oreos mixed with cream cheese and covered in chocolate), and yummy veggies! The food, obviously, is my favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday. I really couldn't care less about about the game, and almost fell asleep during most of it. After the Super Bowl, they played an hour-long episode of The Office. All of our friends are BIG fans of the show, and it was a hilarious episode!

After the game, it was back home to rescue our puppy, and get to bed. Chris had more new lectures to listen to the next day, and I had work. It was a great day off for me, and hopefully a relaxing one for Chris. This week will be nice, too. They switched some schedules around at work, and I'm working a half hour earlier than usual, and getting off an hour earlier. Today I got home just in time to take Daisy for her second walk of the day (and some much needed exercise for me after yesterday's feast), and get dinner on the table at a reasonable time. I wish it could be like this every week.

Until next post...

A peek into the same ol' same ol'...

This last weekend was one for relaxing. I spent Saturday working, as usual, and Chris spent his Saturday lounging around with Daisy. They just finished up a section on the renal system (is it a "system"?), and moved on to a new subject, so he didn't have much to study. Saturday night, after I got home from work, we went to a Laua themed party at a friend's house. It was a lot of fun, and a much needed opportunity to cut loose a little bit. On Sunday, the three of us slept in and had a lazy morning. I love Sundays. I take a couple hours to sip my coffee in my pajamas, and watch some Food Network. Saturday and Sunday morning Food Network really can't be beat. I could really spend my entire day doing just that. By mid-morning Daisy was getting cabin fever, and we decided to go for a walk. Typically, my days off are a chance to get out to the dog park and let her do some running. But, after a snow storm Saturday night, and single digits the next morning, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm sure she wouldn't have minded, though. She could spend hours at the dog park running after tennis balls, and chasing other dogs. The walk did her good, though. She ran through the fluffy snow piles, and picked up yet another stick to bring home (she leaves these by the door, so they'll be waiting for her when she goes outside). After our walk I had another cup of coffee to warm myself up, and then quickly got dressed to go meet my friend Ashley for brunch. We went to this delicious restaurant down the street called McFoster's Natural Kind Restaraunt. It's an amazing eatery which serves naturally grown and prepared food, trying to go organic whenever possible. They do a great job balancing healthy food with delicious taste. Something that I really appreciate. I had a pot of honey-almond tea, a freshly made juice with ginger, apple, and carrot (which was so delicious it made me want to buy a juicer!), and Juevos Rancheros with tofu and soy cheese. Yum! We spent a few hours there just chatting away. It had been a while since we had seen each other, and I think we both needed some girly chit-chat. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

After our brunch, I went back home and hung out with Chris and Daisy for a bit. Chris went to the gym (I had a headache, so I passed this time), and I sat on the couch and did a whole lot of nothing. We had planned to see a movie that night, but we were having such a good time being lazy that we decided to pass. Instead, we ate chicken tortilla soup that I had prepared in the slow cooker that morning, and watched some bad television.

This week it's back to studying hard for Chris, and trying to stay busy for me. I miss Sundays a lot, once they pass. If it wasn't so cold, I'd escape upstairs and open the windows and paint. I've been craving that lately. It's not the same, though, without the fumes of oils and mineral spirits. But, it might be time to pull out the acrylics. I'm sure Daisy would LOVE to help!

I can't believe it's been so long...

So, we don't even know if anyone looks at this anymore...but we're determined to start posting again. Our life is just SO interesting and all. :)

So, tons has happened since our last post, and we won't bore you with going through everything you probably already know about. We'll just chit chat about the most important things:

Angela was able to take a week off of work for Christmas, and Chris had two weeks break from school, so we traveled to Spokane for the holiday to visit with Chris' family. It was really relaxing, and a well deserved break for the both of us. After the New Year, Chris went back to the grindstone, and started the second semester of his second year at Creighton. He is back to the usual routine of sleeping, eating, and studying in his office.

Oh! That's another thing! In late July we made the move across the river into Omaha (peace out Council Bluffs!), and found ourselves smack in the middle of it all ("it all" being our friends). I love our new place. It's a three-bedroom duplex with a full basement and attic (bats included), and it's very roomy! While a lot more convenience comes with our new place, with the space and amenities, there also comes more responsibility, and more money to be spent! We live right next door to our friend's Ryan and Jamie (Ryan goes to school with Chris), and their dog Misha.

Shortly after moving into Omaha, Angela decided that it was time to chage jobs. Planned Parenthood was a dream that just wasn't working out the way she had planned, and it was time for a change. She applied with one of the largest banks in the country (which just happens to be locally owned), First National Bank. She now works in their call center, and basically does personal banking over the phone. It's a little more money and about half as exciting, but the bank is HUGE and will hopefully offer a lot of advancement opportunities in the near future.

And, of course, I've saved the best for last. The most exciting thing that has happened to us in the last few months is our new puppy! In October, we took a trip to the Humane Society to "look". We knew that this would result in an adoption, but we had little idea what we were looking for. We had been drawn there by these blood hound puppies we saw online. When we got there, we slowly walked by every kennel and greeted all the dogs. There were so many to see, it took us a long time to get around to all of them. We saw the blood hound puppies, and they were so cute. However, when we saw the word "High" under "Energy Level" and 80-120 lbs, we knew they wouldn't be the pick for us. Then, we came around the corner and spotted our littl girl. There she was, on her little puppy cott, staring out from behind a big plastic cone on her head. We called her over, and she trotted her short little legs over to the gate and sad in front of us, immediatly shoving the cone against the fence so we could reach her face to give it a good rub. They called her a "Red and White Basset". She was short, but long, and her ears hung well below her face. She had sad, droopy eyes, one of which being the obvious cause for the plastic cone on her head. By the time we were done viewing all of the dogs, we chose three dogs to view. One of the two month old basset/beagel puppies, a 2-year old basset male named Guess, and the five-month old red and white basset named Daisy. All three dogs were special. The puppy was, well, a puppy. Guess was calm and collected, and didn't care much about playing, but loved to be petted. Daisy was goofy, playful, and loved to cuddle on our laps (even though she didn't fit too well). We knew she was the perfect pup for us. Apparently, she was found with her brother and sister in a field, about a month before we same to get her. We were so happy to rescue her! She has been great. Potty training was a huge challenge, at first. She still has her moments, but she's pretty much figured it out (after throwing away a rug and a dog bed). Now that she's growing, and getting more adult features, we can tell that not only is she basset, but we think she might have some golden in her, too. She spends her days hanging out with her dad while he studies, going on daily walks, and playing at the dog park. At first, she was really insecure and timid around other, larger dogs and some people (mainly men). She is super confident now, and can hang with the big dogs (especially if they have tennis balls!), and loves being around everybody. Her favorite things are running after balls, cuddling with her mom and dad (especially in their bed when it's too cold!), and eating. She has definitely become part of the family, and is pretty much the love of our lives :)

The night we brought Daisy home.

Her favorite position. She's so trashy.

A Weekend in Kansas City

Saturday morning, we left for a fun-filled weekend in Kansas City! We went with our friends Nick, Bob and Ashley. It started with some great barbecue at Arthur Bryant's. This place was just about as casual as it gets. You stand in a REALLY long line of people, and order cafateria-style right from the guys cooking the meat. As we approached the front of the line, we were getting more and more nervous about getting our order right. After seeing others ahead of us get hollared at, we didn't want to get anything wrong. After arguing over what to get, how much to order, and making a successful transaction with the guys behind the counter, we had our food - a rack of ribs, and sliced, smoked pork. With greasy bottles of sauce on the table, a pitcher of beer, and Wonderbread, we enjoyed a HUGE, delicious meal.



After barbecue we went to The Museum at 18th and Vine. The museum was two museums in one. One was a Jazz Museum with a jazz bar attached to it, and one was the Negro League Baseball Museum. They were both pretty neat, and made for a nice, leasurly afternoon.

A graffiti painting of Buck O'Neal, one of the most famous players in the Negro League.

After our visit to the museum, we decided it was time to check into the hotel. The hotel was really close to the stadium, where we would later see a baseball game, and a Sheridan's Frozen Custard shop! Angela had never had frozen custard before, but really wanted to try it. After checking in, we rushed right over to the custard shop. It was delicious! We're pretty much addicted now, and am really glad that they're three hours away!

Later Saturday night we went to Kauffman Stadium to see the Kansas City Royals play the Seattle Mariners! It was a pretty good game, even though neither teams are great. In the last inning we really thought the Mariners had a chance to win it, but with the very last hit from the Royals, at the end of the game, they ended up getting two runs, and winning by 1. Despite our loss, it was a really fun night, and we're really glad we were there to see the Mariners play.

The stadium was really nice, and has the biggest LCD megatron in the world!

Ashley, Bob, Nick, and Chris

On Sunday we slept in a bit, and had a leasurly morning. We drove into the city at about 10am to the Plaza, which is where all of the nice restaurants and shopping is. When we realized that the shops didn't open until noon, we went a few blocks away to the William Nelson Gallery of Art.

One we realized that the musuem, too, did not open up until noon, we played around on the lawn behind it, throwing the frisbee and getting some sun.

HUGE badminton birdie sculptures on the lawn of the museum.

Chris and Bob seeking shade underneath one of the many trees. It was SO hot, but luckily not very humid. It still felt really good to get outside and run around.

After a nice lunch, and ANOTHER dose of frozen custard, we made the long drive home. We had such a good time, I'm sure Chris and I will be back soon to explore the city further.

This next week is going to be back to the normal routine for Angela with work, and will involve some shadowing opportunities for Chris. This week he's shadowing an allergist in three different locations. He'll also be shadowing more doctors this summer, in all different fields of medicine. This Saturday Chris will be volunteering at the Magis Clinic for the third time. The Magis Clinic is inside a homeless shelter called the Sienna Francis House, and offers psych, STD, and acute medical care for local homeless men and women. While working there, Chris interviews patients and takes their vitals and reports back to the physician. Creighton medical students struggle to get volunteer spots at the Magis clinic during the school year, so he's really happy to have so many opportunites to work there.

That's it for now. Check back again!

America's Birthday and Other Good Times

This post came a little late, but we've been lazy. Here's an update about last week, and our great 4th of July weekend!

Chris' mom came into town Tuesday afternoon, while Angela was still at work. After she got off work we went to a fabulous pasta dinner at Nicola's, a little hole-in-the-wall Italian place near the Old Market, in Omaha. The next day, before Angela had to get to work in the afternoon, we went to a delicious breakfast of savoury pastries and lattes at Delice European Bakery. While Angela worked, Chris and his mom walked around the Old Market and shopped for a while, before the stormy weather made another appearance. Luckily, this storm was a quick one, and didn't bring any hail or really severe winds like had been predicted. After Angela got off work, Chris and his mom surprised her with a delicious home-cooked meal of spaghetti and meatballs, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers! OnThursday, Chris and his mom went Omaha's famous Henry Doorley Zoo where they walked through the Lied Rainforest, ambled through bear country, and laughed at the gorillas and orangutans. After Angela got off work, the three of us made our way downtown to the Quest Center (the building with part of the roof ripped off in the picture below) for the Olympic Swimming Trials. We saw 7 events, including the Men's 200 meter individual medley with the amazing Michael Phelps. It was a lot of fun.

For most of Friday - the 4th of July - we just relaxed. We all slept in, ate a late lunch, and an early dinner, which Angela cooked. After dinner we went to Rosenblatt Stadium to see an Omaha Royals game. They are the local AAA farm team of the Kansas City Royals. After the game, they put on the best fireworks show we've ever seen. It was a little delayed because of stupid people who don't know what "Police line do not cross" means. The fireworks were set off right behind the stadium in the parking lot, and seemed almost too close for comfort. The whole show was about 20 minutes long, and well worth the wait.

This weekend we're looking forward to another weekend of baseball with a trip to Kansas City to see Chris' beloved Seattle Mariners play the Kansas City Royals. We'll be staying Saturday night, so we'll also get to get in some sight-seeing and famous Kansas City barbecue, too!

More storms hit the Heartland.

OK, so I'm totally over this season. All these Severe Weather Watches and various warnings are really getting old, and I'm tired of being afraid. Tonight was no exception, course.

The past few days we've been really lucky and have had pretty nice weather. Humid, of course, but nice nonetheless. Well, today I kept hearing that we had a severe weather warning, but never really had time to look at the weather report to see where the storm was. We had plans to go to a BBQ tonight, so Chris and I went to the store to grab dessert right after he picked me up from work. So, we walk out of Hy-Vee (similar to a Safeway), and we see the clouds looming overhead, and quickly moving our direction. We both let out an "Oh shit", and quickly got into the car to get home On the way home we, of course, found ourselves stuck behind the slowest, stupidest driver ever (well, typical Council Bluffs). Shortly after we left the Hy-Vee parking lot it began t rain. Then it began to rain harder. The radio station we were listening to was reporting 60 mph winds in midtown Omaha, and a storm that was moving about 50 mph east...our direction. Then it began to hail, hard. Not too large, maybe marble size...but enough of that, mixed with very heavy rain, made it extremely difficult to see, and drive. After navigating various obsticles - including stupid drivers, a wading pool that decided to blow across the street into our car, flying branches, and a downed tree on our road - we got home safely and ran inside, bringing only the parishables with us. Shortly after we arrived home the tornado sirens started going off. We weren't too worried though since the storm seemed to pass really quickly and it was already getting sunny outside again.

The whole thing was really scary, but the aftermath was what was really amazing. You really gain a new respect for nature after seeing the pictures we did. There were trees uprooted all over the city, houses with their shingles and roofs ripped off, and trees and parts of trees strewn all over the city streets. Two people died today in Council Bluffs - not too far from my clinic - from a fallen tree. The Qwest center where the Olympic swimming trials are being held had part of its roof ripped off. Crazy stuff. Our local sports guy said he'd never seen anything like it. I've been hearing that a lot this season. Makes me think what else Mother Nature has in store for us.
Below are some pictures we got off the local news websites. This weaher is just amazing. If you want to learn more about the storms check out http://www.wowt.com/ or http://www.ketv.com/.

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for visiting our blog!

Well, it'll be a year next month that we've been living here in Iowa. As most of you know, we traveled over 1300 miles last summer, from Washington, to our new apartment in Council Bluffs, IA so Chris can attend Creighton Medical School in Omaha, NE. Council Bluffs is just right over the Missouri River from Omaha, and we actually spend most of our time on that side of the river. http://www.mapquest.com/mq/3-xCU*AMmyUCog

Chris' first year of medical school was just as difficult as he thought it would be. It definitely kept him busy! He attended classes five days per week, all day, and spent his nights studying hard. We tried to get out of the apartment as much as school would allow, and were lucky enough to gain some good friends in the process.

After working a few months at the Starbucks in downtown Omaha, Angela got a job with Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs. She works as a Health Care Assistant in the Council Bluffs clinic, which basically consists of medical assistant type duties within the clinic. She's very proud of the organization, and its role in the community, but still feels the need to look for new work with better pay. Hopefully something will come up within the organization, but she's also looking elsewhere.

Since Chris' first year ended, the both of us have been very busy. Shortly after the end of the spring semester, Chris traveled to Ghana, Africa for a four-week long medical mission with Global Volunteers. He went with nine other medical students from Creighton, and they all had a great time working in the small village of Senchi Ferry, and traveling around Ghana.

While Chris was gone on his African adventure, Angela stayed home and battled loneliness and horrible weather. Throughout the four weeks he was away there were numerous severe storms and tornados that hit the area, including some parts of Omaha! Our friend Ashley (who's boyfriend was also away) took care of Angela, and let her seek shelter in her basement. It's the season for severe weather here, and the scariest time of the year for us foreigners! We just can't seem to understand how people here can just go about their normal routines while the threat of

getting swept up like Dorothy looms over our heads! Needless to say, it's this time of year that we miss the comfort of home the most. Besides ducking for cover from storms, Angela kept busy with work, and hanging out with friends, and her visit from her best friend Shauna! Shauna came to visit shortly before Chris returned home, and stayed for three nights. We went to the zoo, the Taste of Omaha (a big food festival featuring local restaurants), and ate at some yummy restaurants including the Melting Pot! It was so good to just hang out with the other love of my life, and get some good, quality time together.

Since Chris' return two weeks ago we have just been spending some well-deserved time together, and hanging out with friends. His dad came to visit this last weekend for a bit, and we had a great time. Omaha hosts the College World Series, and we went to one of the games. The game almost got rained out, but the storms seem to pass pretty quickly around here. On Sunday, the three of us went to a barbeque at our friends Bob and Ashley's house, where we played games and ate yummy food with good friends. On Monday and Tuesday, while Angela was working, Chris and his dad got to play raquetball at the Creighton rec center. Other than that we just got to enjoy some great dinners, including one that Angela cooked at the apartment, and just hang out.

This summer, we're looking forward to more family visits from Chris' mom and sisters, and our big move into Omaha. Yep, we're crossing the river, and moving into a three-bedroom duplex that's very close to Creighton, and pretty much everything else we need. Chris begins school again mid-August, and then it's back to the grindstone for him!

Stay tuned for more updates, and pictures!