what the...it can't february I haven't even told you about december yet

YAY! i survived my crazy two week, two courses, 7am-5pm lectures all day everyday (i barely survived, mostly googling things to do @ disneyworld occupied my time) between unpacking boxes, holiday parties, present making, "studying" GU and Neurology those 3 weeks flew by [days were longest days ever but by the time I got out of class, went to the gym, showered, the day was pretty much over]
i saw "The Nutcracker"
and LOVED it!!

made a christmas countdown calendar at a fun and much needed stress break craft party with my girls

and I made "handwarmers" for my frozen okie (aka Valerie) and well me too just so i wouldn't have to turn the heater on ha ha

I was so excited to go to disneyworld that friday night I couldn't sleep which was probably a good thing since my flight was at 11 pm and I would get in to florida at 5am and went from the airport grabbed some bfast and off to disneyworld!
here's a peak into my next post
it's my "excited-to-go-to-disneyworld" face

turkey fullness O'Thanks

bottom: 2008 top: 2009

so let's explain the funness o'thanksgiving in my family
it all began with boxes, cleaning supplies and finals---you think i was reliving the good ol'days at BYU where they always had cleaning checks/move out right along with finals. I thought I had put those days behind me, but noooo I just had to move again huh ha ha ha.


welcome to my new home---and I LOVE it! there is an amazing view from the kitchen over the fields (yeah farm fields like cows, in Arizona who would've thought) where i get to watch the sunset it's amazing! anywho back to the holidays...after surviving finals, the move (in which the house had to be cleaned TOP to bottom---no more moving 4 x in one year is too much ugh), I went to my new ward for the first time and can sum it up only in one word amazing I absolutely love it! anywho I survived finals, moving, checked out my new ward and then I headed off to freedom in Peoria for a whole week! and lets just say I had a WHOLE room kitchen bathroom the works to myself for 3 days (how on earth did i become this spoiled) and access to a gym, hot tub, pool and family plus NO SCHOOL for a whole week!!! seriously talk about heaven on earth.
this is the proper way to enjoy the holidays

we did our turkey trot again---but it certainly was not the same without my siblings---although my parents dressing like this (impersonating valerie and jonathan) and running 1 mile was certainly a nice distraction from me missing them.

later I got to make some fun dishes---I'm starting to embrace this 'food weirdness' and one day I'll be more confident about it but for now I'm still nervous trying new things around people but I was excited to have a chance to make some "devilish eggs" (with cauliflower instead of egg yolks) and cauliflower mashed potatoes---both of which are sooo so gooood---cauliflower is my new fav (okay only cause i really need to stop eating so many sweet potatoes ha ha)

anyways this little one became my helper

it was the first time i've had a helper in the kitchen. She was lots of fun though and I got to teacher her words like cauliflower and my favorite paprika. ha ha ha. she was so cute when she said it.
later she wanted to sit in my seat with me [now if valerie was here i would've never had this chance valerie is every kids favorite person---and she was abby's nanny, but even then if valerie wasn't there jonathan would be her favorite so I know i was just a lucky substitute]



It was weird having thanksgiving with me and abby representing the girls and just matt and nathan for the boys 4 out of 10 grandkids was just too quiet. although i should probably get used to it now that Luke is out it will be a while before we will all be together again good think we took a bunch of pictures last year ha ha


the week was too short and before i knew it I was back at my unpacked room unready to start a two week module Genitourology and Neurology which was supposed to include finals (i'll have to tell you about that story too) and a whole week of the new sememster before heading to Florida--yeah florida as in Disneyworld--me I GOT TO GO there! i know i'm super lucky

halloween

oh the excuses we come up with to get together! what a better reason than to carve pumpkins, make caramel apples, celebrate Shelly's birthday and play games! awe good times!

oh and i forgot we cooked food too---we got to grill some meaty goodness

and then eat it all! I think I had a little bit of everything on my apple---oreos, coconut, kit kats, reeses mmm

we have skills

I love how its thanksgiving and i am just now posting this blog. . .on thanksgiving---yeah it was a crazy month!

state fair arizona style

so the other day---thanks to my pal Erin---i made the voyage over to the state fair! oh how I miss the little town fairs in utah. I mean really where else can you have "Onion day's" really? Here is just ONE HUGE fair complete with the rides, exibits, undigestable food, and peoples. Really there is nothing better than going to the fair and people watching! well that and demolition type car races :) but here's some picutres of my little adventure my gal pal Jill went in on this monstrosity---$19 funnel cake I'm not even kidding you this thing was huge. Between her and the two other girls they barely made a dent in it and they were sick from eating it. here's before ... this is after---that is all they could finish. . . they begged me and a couple of peoples we were with to help finish, needless to say we, uh, politely refused :)

thursdays are fundays

yup these pictures are awesome! we look ridiculous but hey the things we learn in lab are 'super' important. For example below I am testing shelly's peripheral vision by confrontation (basically i wiggle my fingers and she points when i see them) and basically we look like idiots as we try not to laugh at each other while staring at the persons forehead---awe i love lab days

abbie checking mine
I feel like the brian regan skit at the optomotrist
"Tell me the exact moment point A is directly over point B
"NOW!" NO noW! NOW!! no THEN!! ugh i dunno---I dunno what happened....I'm worried if i'm off by an 8th of a second i'll end up with these big hubble coming attraction glasses some guy'll say "yeah you really messed up on that A B test huh" 'Did I EVER!"


scalp massage? no well not quite...
now i am palpating checking for masses, lesions, swellings, exudates, foreign life, and really truly they list like 30 things we have to say sometimes (especially for the nose whoa)

Goodwin: "worst headache" of your life" = Temporal Arteritis
Every Other teacher: "worst headache of your life" = subarachnoid hemorrhage
us: "worst headache of your life" = PA school

all clear no bruits here--although i love it when we try to imitate the sound a bruit makes ha ha (pshtoooo)


now this was a fun day---'so wait would her pancreas be here or ...? oh wait where does her duodenum go?' ...gives you confidence in your medical personnel don't it ha ha no worries we got it all figured out

and then we listened to each others bowel sounds---fascinating huh


awe sigh good times---oh and we do actually study yeah know every so often (i sure hope the seeping sarcasm came through on that one) but those pictures aren't as fun to look at

more brian
[brian regan ha ha
"i concentrate like crazy on the eye exam. You don't want get a D on that thing and end up with coke bottle lenses. I didn't take it serious. Are you still in here? I'm just seeing shadows and shapes. It's important, they don't call it a quiz"
"I can feel my eye doctor losing his patience with me. "Okay Brian which one do you like better, number one or number two....I don't like either one. "that wasn't the question brian I asked which one you liked better. So why don't you keep that in mind while we try this again." Uh okay umm they are the same "Hm Brian why would I waste your time and mine if they were the same"]

exam party ----sounds like an oxymoron to me!

but let me just tell you this was SO much fun!! i love these girls
so the jist is we basically got together with my girls and their husbands, me and JR, and abbie on a blind date (no worries it was all good--well then again i haven't asked him how he felt about) giving us an excuse to get together, eat some awesome food and practice our Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat physical exams on each other. I'll have to post a link to the full exam so you can read it [which would make this even funnier]


here's the crew----awe i love these girls! notice the awesome pizzas! [natalie and her husband made the dough and cooked it out on the grill]

I made layered bean dip [in which secretly i used butternut squash partial substitute for refried beans and soy hamburger meat---(i know i'm weird)

---I guess it turned out okay enough cause they ate it] and did you see those awesome pizzas they made on the grill
this was my pizza [I love these tofu tortillas i found so so good BBQ chicken, grilled onions red bell peppers and some mozzarella so good]
I don't know how jeanna does it with her food allergies but really wow i'm always amazed at how cheerful she is even when she is around all this food she cannot eat!
after we fully examined each head in the room we decided to help shelly out with a spaghetti squash dilemma (she is so cute--they had some fun times trying to cook one the first time) so we nuked the squash and it turned out great---awe good times

happy birthday! mom