The Copper Year

I am a very lucky woman.  I have a husband who loves me, understands me, protects me, and appreciates me.  I have been so incredibly blessed to spend the last 14 years of my life with him, 7 of those years married.  Together, we have achieved great things (two doctorate degrees), weathered through challenges (being away from family), suffered great sorrow (losing Andrew), and celebrated the greatest of joys (the births of our beautiful daughters).  I can't imagine anyone else being so incredibly suited for me, who complements me perfectly, and loves me so much.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, the person that I would choose every day to be my partner, the one I hope to spend many, many more years with!

Love you Bryan!

Our mini vacation in Vegas this weekend



Proof that we can still let loose
and rock out to Journey!



My beautiful family

An amazing Daddy



My husband, best friend, partner in crime, and fellow doctor!



Why my husband is awesome!

I know I've said it before, but I couldn't nearly say it enough.  My husband is one of the greatest people on Earth and I am a very lucky girl!  I might have to dedicate a page of my blog to just how great his awesomeness is!

Here's a preview of his latest endeavor:

So, our previous attempts at getting a quality picture for our Christmas card were a complete failure.  Either my eyes were closed, T's eyes were closed, someone wasn't looking at the camera, etc.  Here are some of those outtakes:

So, we planned for our friend Colleen to come take our family picture on Saturday afternoon.  I stressed and stressed over outfits, because unlike the last attempts, these were more posed and less action.  On the morning of the photo shoot, I found the perfect maternity dress that would coordinate with T's dress.  B just had to wear a navy sweater which made him happy because I had strict instructions not to buy him something that he would only wear once.  I showered late that day, so that I would be in the best "shape" for pictures, and got T dressed after her nap so her dress wouldn't be wrinkled.  It was perfect.  While we were waiting for Colleen to arrive, we were all hanging out in the kitchen.  The usual question came along, "What do you want to have for dinner?", to which I replied a couple of options, both of which I would need to start ASAP.  Both were met with not enough enthusiasm for to actually get to work, so whatever we had, it was going to be a quick and easy meal.

After a few minutes, B turns to me and asks, "So, what if I planned a surprise date for us tonight and we're actually going to Dogwood with reservations for 6:00?  Colleen is babysitting."

Seriously?!  Yes, yes YES!!!  This was great for many reasons:
1. We hadn't celebrated our anniversary from October yet
2. I wasn't thinking about it all day and getting anxious about leaving T (I hate missing bedtime)
3. I was already dressed up and ready to go out!  Woohoo!

What a fantastic evening!  We got our family pictures, B and I had a lovely three-course dinner at Dogwood (check out their mission!) and then afterward we took a stroll to see the Miracle on 34th St. Lights in Hamden.  Legend has it that one year, the residents of a block on 34th street entered into a lottery pool and won.  Trying to decide what to do with their winnings, each house invested into an assortment of Christmas lights that each resident would put up each year.  The whole street looks like something of a Hollywood set!  It is even rumored that anyone who moves into the neighborhood has to sign an agreement that they will continue the tradition (that was begun in 1947) and decorate their house each year too.  Whether all of this is true, I can't say, but it certainly adds to the magical spirit of Christmas!  Click here to find out more.

This was my favorite house on the street, complete with a family of robots and the bar scene music from Return of the Jedi playing.  So nerdy, I love it!

So thankful for my husband!

OK, I know Thanksgiving was last week and we're all just coming out of our turkey comas (well for me, it was a stuffing/mash potato/squash/broccoli/carrots and turnips coma!), but I really do want to share just how thankful I am for that wonderful man I married.

I've always felt very lucky to have him by my side, supporting me.  He is truly my best friend, a great husband and a terrific father.  However, this past week, all of that was made more true a thousand times over.  As usual, we began our holiday trek up north Tuesday night.  (Apparently, Tuesday is the new Wednesday as far as Thanksgiving travel.  We were so ahead of the curve!)  We timed our departure for T's bedtime so she would settle down quickly and we could enjoy the trip (and our snacks) in peace.  Our dear friend C was spending the week with us too and was following behind.  Our travel route is nearly carved in stone.  However, early on, there appeared to be a one-hour back up.  The GPS easily got us around that with only minor delays and we were so pleased at the time we were making given the holiday rush.  With only a few miles to go until our mid-point rest stop for gas and french fries, our trip quickly turned into a disaster. 

All of a sudden, our tire went flat.  It was midnight, cold and rainy.  We were on the side of the Garden State Parkway with T and Dru in the back.  After calling AAA (thank goodness we renewed!), we were told that it would be about 45minutes until help arrived.  My wonderful, self-sacrificing husband made the decision that I couldn't have made and though I didn't want to go along with it, I knew he was right.  We would transfer T, Dru and our suitcases to C's SUV and continue our trip without him.  Knowing that he wouldn't be able to drive the remaining 180 miles on a spare tire, B would have to find a hotel and get the tire fixed the next morning.  So, in the freezing rain, the transfer was made and us girls (and Dru) were on our way, my heart and gut wrenching at the thought of leaving B on the side of the highway.

It's moments like these that solidify what an amazing husband I have.  As tired as we were, we made the right decision for his family in a split second.  By lunch time the next day, we were reuinited.  I love you B!  Thank you for being so wonderful to us!

Take two of these? No thanks!

Yesterday was a bummer of a day.  It was one that began with such high hopes, which made it all that much worse when everything crashed.  I had been working on a two week experiment and yesterday was going to be the final day of analysis, to see if it actually worked.  On top of that, it was two experiments in one, two of the three experiments that I've been working on since July, two of the three experiments that I need to complete in order to graduate on time.  I was so built up about it, that I even had a team of people praying that all would go well.

Well, it didn't.  Controls didn't work - which means the experiment didn't work - which means that I'm not likely to graduate this December as I had been planning.  I was so depressed about the results that I couldn't even talk about it without tearing up.  I think I ate 5 fun size candy bars and I was still depressed.  I had a spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and I was still depressed.  I made my way to T's daycare to pick up the munchkin.  As soon as I walked in "MUM!" and dancing.  Lots of dancing.  Well, I guess things can't be all that bad right?

T and I had a busy but awesome afternoon together.  One lady even remarked to me how well behaved she was and asked if she was always like this.  Beaming, I had to reply, "Actually, yes!".  Running late, we had a quick bath night and off to bed, but I still wan't able to make dinner for my hubs.  Starting to slip into that funk again (what kind of wife am I  that I can't even have dinner ready on nights that B works late?), I walked to the door when I heard his key turn.  Knowing how my day had been earlier, he surprised me with flowers.  Flowers!  I am seriously the luckiest woman on Earth.  I have a beautiful, funny, daughter with a great personality who always makes me laugh and smile - AND I have a husband that is kind, sincere, thoughtful, loving and forgiving when we have grilled chese for dinner.  Who needs medication when you have all that?