Colby Update

My poor little puppy in still wearing his Elizabethean collar. We have been to the vet 3 times for his foot and it just doesn't seem to be getting better. It's from Thanksgiving for goodness sake. Spare my precious puppy. For those of you who forgot, he got a thorn stuck in his foot that has just gotten worse and worse. It's this huge puss mound on his foot. Disgusting I know. I want him to get better!

Christmas in Raleigh

Here comes the obligatory Christmas post. We had a great time in Raleigh! I swear I ate 3 gallons of Russion Tea and ate 2 pounds of toffee! After we left Vail with my family, we got home around 2 am Friday (Sat morning) and I worked Saturday and Sunday. We left again Monday morning! Talk about not being home much in December! We wouldn't trade a minute though. This is our REAL tree in Vail. I love real Christmas trees. Sigh.

Once we got to Raleigh, Adam's cousins Matt and Jen hosted some family at their house for a delicious dinner and games. We chose Tripoly. Of course I got the dream hand once other people started showing up. We stopped the game and I thought I might scream if we didn't get to finish. Luckily and by my begging, we played my last hand and it was awesome! Best Tripoly hand ever! Can't you see the competition in our faces?

This picture on at the Christmas celebration for Adam's Mom's side of the family. These are cousins Liz and Krystle. We drew names for gifts, had a great meal, and chatted all day. I really like drawing names instead of just bringing a random gift. I drew Adam's cousin Marcy and she requested books. Awesome! My favorite gift to give! I'm big into getting a gift for someone that she really wants instead of something that will end up in a drawer. Also, I think I realized this Christmas I may have a secondary love language next to quality time. Gifts. I really like and appreciate gifts that are well thought out and purposeful. Adam says it's similar to quality time because it is "quality" and you know they spent "time" thinking about it. I'm buying it.


Kathy and I got pictures with our initials. Now all the cousins on this side have the same frame.

We went to the Christmas Eve service at the church where my in-laws met and we members for years and years.


Our pretty Christmas tree at Andrew's house.

Christmas morning while we are opening gifts and stockings. Yes, Adam is wearing my Snuggie.


Thank you Andrew for being a gracious host and allowing us to take over your house!! We had such a good time with Adam's parents and brother just hanging out. They made my first Christmas away from my family wonderful! Thanks for joining my Christmas journey. The End.

Snowshoeing

We have been in beautiful Colorado for the last week and man has it been paradise. I really love it here. So much so that I don't have adequate words. Everyone but Chris has been here all week. Chris will be here tonight so we are glad to have him! Rachel, Mom, and I found a fabulous snowshoeing trail behind our house. This blurry and not so good picture is us yesterday. I think this trail will be frequented in the next years. We plan on going again tomorrow before Adam and I fly out. More later. We are celebrating Christmas tonight, so I must go enjoy the festivities.

Back to the Post Office

I just got back from the post office. I have been wrapping and boxing and wrapping and boxing for days now trying to get all my gifts off before Adam and I go to Vail on Friday. Today is my last day off when I am in Atlanta until New Years! Isn't that crazy? So, I have had to get everything done quite early. Most people can still do things after work but I work 8-8 so nothing ss open when I can finally get there. On a side note, I have also been to the vet TWICE again today. Apparently he's accident proned. He's now wearing an Elizabethean collar. Here is my poor pup. He's pouting. He's been wearing it about 2 hours and hasn't left the couch. I think he tried once to get off and hit his collar so he climbed back up. It's in the "I did it for his own good" category...
Anyway, I had one more package I was waiting for to get here today to wrap then off to the post office. Well I waited and waited and decided if I wait any longer I would be in the post office line for hours. I was correct in my assumption because the line got longer and longer in the time I was there. Of course, I got home and a little package was sitting propped up against my door. Typical. It's wrapped now and I'm headed back. Hopefully I can use the self serve this time. My packages were too big earlier. Christy, the package I was waiting on was for Britt. He's worth it. :) There are only 2 postal workers. Yes. 40 people in line and 2. Seriously? I really hope some of them were at lunch. Don't they know they need to have more than that??? There are 6 stations for crying out loud. Wish me luck.

Thanksgiving and Highview Olympics

Thanksgiving was oh so wonderful. It was like most, a lot to be thankful for. We did it typical Lundeen style and were very busy but it was relaxing at the same time. We ate a lot, visited friends, of course had Schmaltz's (my favorite restaurant in the world), spent a lot of time at our ranch Highview, went to Baylor basketball games, drove the tractor, and just had fun together.

We had 3 dogs at home, so that made it very interesting. I used to think it was so funny when families multiplied their dogs at holidays because all their kids brought their's own home. Well, now it is us! I wish I had more pictures but we did not do very well in that department this time. Colby had a great time at Highview running around and swimming in the pond. We have been to the vet since we got home due to thorns in the foot and an ear infection. $15o later we are on the mend. :) On a side note, anyone gets a dog because they are not that expensive in the beginning like a free dog or small donation price is absolutely kidding themselves. I am all about the humane society and adopting dogs in foster care, but all dogs are expensive. We go to the vet about every other month and never get out of there for under $100. Maybe my dog is just prone to accidents but holy cow they are pricey. But I love him so it's totally worth it. Jumping off soap box. Anyway, Thanksgiving was wonderful.

We had the Highview Olympics on Saturday. We played washers, corn hole, fished, had plans for a handstand contest which never ended up happening (I had it in the bag), and did other fun things. Chris was of course hesitant, but I think he just thought we were losers in the end. Mom won fishing. Look at that huge fish!!
If you can belive it, Adam also caught a fish he says is smaller than this one. I didn't see it. It was great to just be outdoors. I am an outside girl. Not like adventurous but just being outside, even if it's reading my book. Fun time at home. I love being with my family. Luckily, we only said goodbye for two weeks. We are off to Vail next week!

Washington, DC

I am totally behind, but better late than never right?

Before Thanksgiving I went to meet two beautiful new baby girls and visit my one of my best friends and my Mom's siblings. Let me tell you, it is the best time I have had in a very long time. Jess has lived in DC for a couple years now, and this was my first time to get to visit her. We lived together for 4 years, so it was about time we reverted back to old times. And that we did! She has a new baby so she was really busy but I totally chilled and relaxed on the couch and we literally just talked for hours and hours. It was so refreshing to just be comfortable with someone who knows me so well that I don't have to try or be nervous about what I say. Those are the friendships I treasure most. Anyway, sorry to get sappy. We got out and did stuff too. We went to a yummy restaurant of a guy on Top Chef. I don't watch the show but he sure was a good cook. He was hitting on the girls at the table next to us, so we got to see him in action. :) Great greasy burgers and milkshakes. We also did some shopping in Georgetown and strolling in Old Town. Here's a picture of us at the airport. We did awful at taking pictures. I was not ready to leave her or her cute baby!! I don't have any pictures of Madeline but I sure had fun with her. I could hold her all day and never give her back! Don't worry Jess, I won't actually take her.


I also got to meet my new cousin Lena. Isn't she presh?

All of my Mom's siblings were there, so we had a great time together too. Never a dull moment with the Eelkemas, that is a guarantee! They shopped and ate with Jess and me in Georgetown and I went to dinner with all of them at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant that's name is totally slipping my mind. We laughed and laughed. They are always entertaining! It was fun to be with Mom too. I have seen her a lot this month and will see her again in 2 weeks. I love it! This my mom and her sisters and me of course.



Like I said before, it was an amazing trip. I talked about it and missing my friend Jessica so much that Adam said maybe I should make it a standard trip every 3 months. Sounds good to me! Jess, I think you would get tired of me invading your space! All that to say, I had a fantastic time and am so glad I went. I have a new love for the city of DC too. Or maybe it's the people in it. All of that make it great. Love you guys!

Corn Maze

Adam's brother Andrew came to visit us a few weeks ago. I'm just a little behind on blogging. We had never been to a corn maze, so we decided now is the time. We were hoping it was haunted, but it was not. Not gonna lie, I was not hoping. I breathed a sigh of relief to know it indeed was not haunted. I'm not good at that stuff. It was a fun night and we were glad we did it.


They had consession stand like food there which I loved. I was disappointed they didn't have corn dogs though. I have a weird obsession.


You can tell we wear a lot of rain coats in the recent pictures. It rained for like 3 weeks solid. Halloween night was good with a touch of redneck. Adam really wanted to be in the front yard for trick or treating. We have a neighborhood where people come and park their cars and hit all the houses. Pretty busy night. It was raining so Adam and Andrew rigged a tarp using the cars to sit around our fire bowl. It worked and they have fun. :)

Auburn Football

We have had the privilege of seeing 2 Auburn games this year.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Auburn-Ole Miss football game. It was amazing. Like most people who go there, I love Auburn with every ounce of my being. It is such a fun place. It was a morning game, so we left Atlanta at the crack to get there before kickoff. Our friends Susan and Jonathan joined us along with Rachel. Unfortunately they are Ole Miss fans. Lucky for us they were silenced fairly quickly. ☺ We sat in the 7th row of the end zone and got to see several touchdowns a few feet from us. So fun! I just love Auburn and was so happy to get to be there at least once this season. Susan must have all the pictures of us from the game. Bummer.

We also went with some of our friends from Sunday school to the Auburn-Georgia game. The outcome was not quite as good, but we still had a great day of tailgating and fellowship. It was a long day and unseasonably warm but so worth it. War Eagle!

Phrases

Phrases I have heard lately that I love:

-“This is for my lady friend and it was 1 pill short.” What the heck is a lady friend? Funny nonetheless.

-“Are you the druggist?” This is my all time favorite name to be called instead of pharmacist. I just think it’s funny.

-“I asked my doctor, but you went to school for pills.” Yeah that and a little more…

Rainy Day

I ADORE rainy days. I realize I am probably by myself here. I know my mom will agree with me though. I must have inherited my love from her. You see, I like rainy days most if I have nothing to do. Today I worked from 9-12 then have been lounging at home the rest of the day. If it is raining outside, it is perfectly acceptable to curl up with a good book at rest my weary body. On a sunny day, that is just not ok. Pressures to "go out and enjoy the day" prevent me from relaxing. I am reading The Namesake now and am off to finish it. I also realize I am in a stage of life where this is still permitted. My feelings may change once I have children than cannot lounge inside with me. As for now, this is my favorite kind of day. Thanks Mom.

Etsy.com

Currently what's in my favorites..

1. Cute coffee sleeve
Totally digging this and think it is a very green stocking stuffer. What do you think mom? I mean Santa.








2. Love this stocking
We probably don't need it, but I think it's adorable











3. Love this necklace
I have bought a few birthday gifts from her and have loved them all










4. Fun tags

Random Thoughts

1. The senses are very funny. I have a patient who smells like a chimney so much so that I can barely breathe when he comes to the pharmacy. I answered the phone, he said his name, and I was suffocated by smoke. Isn't that funny? It was strong and unmistakably smelled of him. Gross.

2. I was listening to the radio on the way home from work and was immediately annoyed. The Christian station has this "what's your status" where people call in and say what they are doing. It is strangely addicting as I leave my finger on the button to change the station but never do it. Why can't I just change the station?? The last lady said she was cooking saLmon and that just did it for me. New station please.

3. My patient who is now getting his Cialis from India gave me the update tonight. I've unfortunately mentioned him before because this is a trend. Anyway, he wanted to tell me all about it and I quote, "worked the same as the other one". Thank you.

4. Adam and I tried a new Japanese restaurant tonight. About half way through our dinner our waitress brought Adam these "baby" chopsticks. Good job sweetheart. I needed a picture. Notice the rubberband with a napkin between the chopsticks.

Words with Friends

Apparently all my blogs are about food. You know where my mind is. So, I thought I would share one of Adam and my current obsessions. Tonight we sat on the couch for at least an hour and played each other in Words with Friends on our iphones. It is totally addicting but is the coolest app. Thanks Rachel for getting us hooked. For the record, in the game tonight I beat Adam. I'm an awful winner, I admit. I really love bragging to him about it. So, if you ever want to play, we are totally in!

Chocolate Bar

Adam and I went to The Chocolate Bar on Friday night in Decatur. It was super fun. I look forward to any uninterrupted time with my husband, so this was a treat. I had to work all weekend, which means we didn't see each other much. We went on Friday night after a long work day and had a great time. I had a chocolate martini and an oreo pie thing. Umm-o. I had been once before for my bachelorette party. If you live in the Atlanta area, it's a must do.

Recent Pictures

Susan and me at Keeneland

I wish this guy wouldn't have been in the way of the beautiful horses

Rachel and me with our tickets and wrist bands for Kings of Leon. I have listened to the CD nonstop since the concert.

Yeah we had great "stands"

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

I made this tonight and it is really, really good. The only thing I changed was 1 c brown sugar and 2 c white sugar because that is what some comments said to do. Yum.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.

Epicurious.com

Kentucky Visit

I had a FABULOUS weekend! I went with my friend Susan to her hometown in Kentucky. Georgetown to be exact. We stayed very busy eating and visiting and eating and visiting. The weather was very cool and I got to see some beautiful fall colors. We met Susan's sister Anna at a cute restaurant before we got to Lexington. It had great views of the horse farms. We had a good family dinner Friday night. Saturday we went to a Keeneland Brunch that Susan's sister Nancy was so gracious to host. Then off to the races!!!

Sorry Grandpa, I did not bet well and did not win any money. But I didn't lose much either. "Entertainment money" Rachel likes to call it. I got pretty good at placing my bet though. The horses were gorgeous and it was a great experience. Susan and I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping in Lexington. We woke up to a great brunch this morning. Thanks for a great weekend Susan. And sorry about my messy bathroom you unfortunately saw when you dropped me off. Adam was alone this weekend and it looked quite bachelor-esque. Don't worry, the first thing I did tonight was clean it. :) Here comes Monday...ready or not...

Girls and our issues

I had an interesting experience a couple of weeks ago. Adam for some reason didn't want me to share because he was afraid I would offend someone. Well, I have thought about it for weeks, so I decided to share anyway. I will be vague but you will get the point. I was with friends sitting at a table talking. These are smart, talented, and beautiful, I might add, girls. I am a little intimidated by them even though they are some of my best friends. They looked over at a group of other girls and made comments about how beautiful they were and didn't like being around them because they were intimidated. Why do we live in this endless cycle of insecurity? These are incredible girls I am with and even they see other people and feel lesser. Why do we put ourselves through this? Why do we not see ourselves as beautiful and never measuring up to the next girl? My heart hurt. Like I said, I think about that conversation all the time. It has become my prayer that my friends can see how truly beautiful inside and out they are. And for me too. Our hope is in Jesus and that is what makes us the most beautiful.

Good Books

I read both of these books recently, and they are both awesome. Very different. Sarah's key is about the Holocaust in France and the Middle Place is about a lady with cancer. Both are good and quick reads.

Birth Control

My friends have heard my view, I apologize for the repetitiveness of it. I get this ALL the time and here's your answer. "My birth control made me gain weight" says most girls who start taking it. Well, my opinion was first swayed before I started pharmacy school. I went to the lady doctor and got a prescription for birth control. Excuse me, Adam hates it when I call it that because at the time we were not preventing births. He prefers "hormone control". Whatever, for you Adam, when I started hormone control, I told my doctor I wanted one that wouldn't make me gain weight. He told me that was a myth and the weight was from life changes. Many times when people start birth control they are starting a life change- college, marriage, high school, whatever the story may be. Freshman 15, marriage 10 lbs, you know where this is going. Well I'm here to prove it once again. I did not gain weight when I started hormone control because no big changes were happening in my life. Here I am married, though, and 10 pounds heavier. Lovely. Too bad I can't blame it on the birth control...

Kings of Leon

My sibs, Adam, and I went to the concert on Friday night. Chris and Rachel love them and I didn't have many expectations. I thought it would be fun but was along for the ride. Let me tell you, it was awesome! Rachel got us great seats, I mean stands, whatever. We were on the floor, so there were no seats. I thought I would mind the standing after working 11 hours that day, but it was so worth it. The time flew by! We had to go get wristbands upstairs. Yes, we needed wristbands we were so close. Then we were let loose on the floor. Besides the slinging elbows and strange dancers and illegal smoke clouds it was a blast. Well, even with those things. We even got a good picture with Rachel and Kiss impersonators. If she let's us, I'll post a picture at a later date. Thanks guys for a cool night!

Competition

My grandma just called me and she was interrupted by someone talking to my grandpa. She asked me to hold on then came back. Her words were, "I just have so much competition in here!" (referring to the nursing home they just moved to) And man is she right. The ladies love my grandpa. In a world of women, he is a shining gem. The only thing better would be if he could drive..

Guthrie's

We have a Guthrie's not far from my house and I have been avoiding it for the year and 4 months I have lived in Atlanta. Guthrie's is no Breezeway, but it's pretty good. For some reason, my freshman year we built up Guthrie's as if it is the epitome of yumminess. Yes that's a word. So, we saved our Guthrie's for Valentine's day as our extra special no boyfriend or Valentine treat. This was the only year of my life I have thought about food and caloric intake. I was terrified of the freshman 15. You should know I did not gain the freshman 15 but the sophomore 20. Yep. That was fun. So, in a moment of feeling sorry for myself after a very melancholy week for me, I indulged. My stomach hurt before I could finish my "plate". It was awfully good though. I don't even want to know the amount of fat in this baby. Here's to you LB! I thought of you every bite remembering our freshman adventures!

Cell Phone Minutes

I am embarrassed to post this however my husband needs help. In my family, I ALWAYS used the most minutes. I was made fun of for talking so much. Just got our bill. Adam used 1063 roll over minutes. I used 130. Holy cow!!! He is a jabberbox and needs interventions. Please, no one call him...

I don't want to...

I love Sugarland. I really love them. I'm totally bummed I couldn't got to the concert this weekend but that's another story for another time. So, Adam and I have been waking up to Sugarland for a couple of months. This is the first song on the CD and what we hear first thing in the morning followed by my cell phone alarm that goes off 2 minutes later because I'm terrified I will sleep through the first alarm or one will malfunction. Anyway, what do you think? Would this make you jump out of bed in the morning???

I don't want to get up baby, let's turn off the phone
I don't want to go to work today or even put my makeup on
I've got better things to do than my todo list anyway
Hide under the covers and waste away the day
Let's just lay here and be lazy, baby drive me crazy
All I want to do wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wooo
All I want to do wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wo wooo is love you
I got my whole life to change the world and climb the ladders
Looking at you looking at me is the only thing that matters
Come a little closer baby, we can talk without the words
Hang a sign on the door, please do not disturb
Let's just lay here and be lazy, baby drive me crazy

Thanks to my mother, I am NOT a morning person. I think it's time to slip Taylor Swift back in the alarm clock...

Interesting...

I worked a lot of days in a row last week and here are some of the goings on:

When I checked out a a guy with Viagra he responded, "Well this will be fun." Thank you sir, I could have done without that.

I gave about 60 flu shots last week. When I give a shot, I try to distract the person before I stick them with a needle. So, I simply asked a man how his day was. He went into this long story about how he called AT&T a couple years ago and got a woman in the Philippines. They decided to be pen-pals and now they are dating. Well, first his wife left him then they started dating. He's approximately 70 and she is...25. Yep. They started talking when she was 16. He preceded to show me all these pictures of her and tell me a gazillion stories. Thankfully, they have never met. All the other people waiting for flu shots where hating me for asking how this man doing. No kidding, an hour later, he left.

We flooded here in Atlanta and the electricity was out in Publix for a couple of hours. We were still super busy because luckily, or unfortunately, we have a generator. Go home people. I want to be under my covers and so should you!!!

I know there was more but I can't think of anything else now.

Congratulations Mom for finishing your 5K this morning!

Cruise

Adam and I just got home from a belated anniversary trip with Adam's cousin Liz and her husband Steve. Man was it fun! They were great cruising buddies. It started in South Beach on Sunday. I have never been before, so it was quite the experience. Regretfully I tell you, we didn't go to the crazy part or the nude beaches. I apologize. Just wasn't feeling it was necessary. We did enjoy some time on the beach and wandering the streets. We left Monday morning for our ship and left that afternoon. This is a picture Liz and Steve took on their camera. They had fancy rooms where you get your own lounger. We mooched.


First stop was Key West. We didn't have much time there so we took the Conch Train tour. It was really like a taste of Key West to hit the high points before we got back on the ship. Liked it. Don't need to go back there. I think it's mainly about the bars. Here's our tour.

Our next stop was Cozumel. Gorgeous. Like I have said before, I may not be a beach girl, but I love the Caribbean. The white sand, clear water, low waves, and mild weather are awesome. We unloaded the ship and walked around the pier area for a while. They really try to get you there. I looked at a necklace and they guy said it was $40. He asked how much I wanted to pay and I said $10. I walked away because I decided I didn't want it. By the time I was leaving he said $10! but I had already decided I didn't want it. Geez. I must be a good bargainer. For the afternoon, we went on a catamaran to a snorkel site then to another beach. The water was really pretty. At the beach, they had climbing floating icebergs and big slides. I got to the top, but let me tell ya, I was sore the next day. Uff-da! The margaritas flowed and we very much enjoyed the day.

If you know Adam at all, you know he LOVES corn hole. Poor guy showed up all times it was offered on the ship and only got to play once. The last day. And boy was it worth it. Let me say, he and Steve has the biggest comeback in cruise history...well according to them. They took the prize ship on a stick trophy. It's now on our mantle. I'm not kidding.


We were quite competitive on the boat. We won the Name That Tune and Steve and Adam won sports trivia and corn hole. Awesome! We also sang kareoke one night. What do you think we sang?


All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Thanks for coming with us Liz and Steve. Where are we going next?

unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it. It does have a lot of statistics, but if you can get past those it is enlightening. Here's a little excerpt talking about what we can do about our negative reputation, because we do have one, as Christians.

"When it comes to our interaction with outsiders, we have to realize that our relationships, our interactions with people, comprise the picture of Jesus that people retain. God has wired human beings so that spiritual influence occurs most commonly through relationships. One of the clear implications of our research is that the negative image of Christians can be overcome, and this almost always happens in the context of meaningful, trusting relationships. The goal of overcoming their negative baggage is not just to make outsiders think pleasant things about us, but to point them to life in Christ. We do not "spin" the Christian message; we live it. We do not need to exaggerate or hype faith. We embrace and describe all the potency, depth, complexity and realism of folllowing Christ." pg 209

Summer Faves

Here are my favorite parts of summer in no particular order:

1. Grilling out and hanging out on the deck- haven't done this nearly as much as we should have

2. Garner family beach trips

3. Sun being high in the sky when I leave at 8am AND when I get off work at 8pm

4. Adam being off from school to spend time with me- I'm a quality time girl

5. Homemade ice cream

6. My herbs and tomatoes I grew

Summer Bummers: Not to be negative but there are a few

1. sweating bullets every single night in our barely insulated attic of a bedroom

2. mosquitoes when I am trying to water my plants

3. basically the blistering heat in general

4. Colby's massive amounts of ticks not matter how much we try to get rid of them

Dance Party

So appropriately Rachel

Adam breaking it down

You're welcome Mom

Mom's always got that microphone ready. There are about 8 pics exactly like this one, but you get the idea. :)

Sisters

Is that the electric slide???

So impromptu dance parties after dinner using the car music is normal, right???