Snowy Monday

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope it wasn't too brutal with the messy weather! I have to say that I loved seeing the snow fall this morning. Connor and I woke up early (well Connor got up early, I woke up an hour later) and got breakfast at the bagel cafe down the street before heading grocery shopping. While we were eating our delicious bagels, it started to snow. It was so pretty and relaxing. Unfortunately, my "break" ends this week and I go back to teaching! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully I can fall right back into the routine with my awesome students! :)

So we finished painting the entire kitchen and it looks so great! (I would post a picture but Connor is forbidding that I do that because supposedly it won't "do it justice." Maybe the next time he's in class, I'll sneak a pic!) Initially, we were thinking of only painting the little alcove in the back by our patio door. But after falling in love with the color and great ambiance it created, we decided to just finish the entire room. It's incredible what a difference it made. Of course now I want to paint the entire house! :P With time, I know we'll get it done. The next room to be painted: the living room! Maybe the next time Connor has a break from school we can get it done because it would be pretty time consuming. Our living room is much bigger than our cutesy kitchen!

Last week, Connor's group threw a baby shower for one of the ladies in the group who just had a beautiful baby boy! So for the party I made mini blueberry pies. I haaad to try one because how could I send baked goodies to a fiesta without knowing what they tasted like? Well, they were just phenomenal! I can't wait to bake them again... most likely for myself! :X  I wish I could have someone pop up in my kitchen every time I took a bite out of a pastry, cookie, cake.. WHATEVER... and would remind me that I'm getting married in a few months! Hopefully I'll be able to control my cravings more when it's crunch time in April.


Love,
Mandy

Where does the time go?

Ohmigoshh. It has been a whole week since I've posted! Connor felt like he needed to let me know as soon as I woke up this morning. As I told you, he gets up at 5am, so as soon as he hears me stirring (I'm still not sure how he hears it) he comes into the room to say good morning. (I know I'm ridiculously lucky.) This morning, he comes into the room and says, "I'm all caught up on the blog... You know it's been an entire week since you've written anything?" Guilt came over me immediately! But to my defense, the days recently seemed to be flying right by me! It didn't even seem like it was that long. It's a little scary.

The other night I had this horrible nightmare. I remember it so vividly because of how disconcerting it really was (which is why I can recount it to you days later). So, my nightmare was of me frantically getting ready for the wedding after I suddenly realized it was THE big day. In this dream, I had no idea that I woke up that day and I was going to get married. Naturally, there were a million things that hadn't been done! So I'm alone putting my dress on, struggling to put on contact lenses and fix my hair... I get in a limo and the entire time I'm freaking out because no one is with me! Then I realize that I never bought Connor's wedding band.. and all these thoughts flood my brain about how I am now going to have to buy a wedding band when I'm already in my wedding dress (which wasn't my REAL dress). I even imagine the option of pretending to put a wedding band on his finger, and freak out at the absurdity and invalidity in doing that.

(To fast forward) My limo driver drops me off at my wedding venue (which wasn't my REAL wedding venue), and I finally see Connor. While panting and almost in tears, I tell him that I need to go to the jeweler right away because I didn't get the wedding band because the wedding all of a sudden popped up out of nowhere! So he (of course) calmly takes my hand and tells me that it's no problem and we'll just go to the jewelry store in town. I don't remember how we get there, but we do. But in the store I talk to the lady behind the counter and explain to her I need an affordable ring like RIGHT NOW. So she decides the best bet is to give Connor a "temporary" ring (like a fake) for the ceremony then come back to pick up the real one. I'm mortified (but almost relieved) then... I wake up. Wasn't that so bizarre?!

Now, I'm a person who, despite what I hear from every cynical being, analyzes my dreams. I really feel that dreams ALWAYS mean something. I once watched a documentary on the science of dreams and learned that dreams could very well be an evolutionary skill that we have which allows us to puts ourselves in precarious situations that we fear or are anxious about so that if they do happen in reality, we are better prepared to handle them. I think that is 100% accurate. Connor, on the other hand, believes they are just a random firing of neurons. We both may be right (if that's even possible). But I really think I have anxiety about the wedding quickly approaching and feeling like I have to get so many things done in such a short amount of time!

I've never planned a wedding before. And I went to my first wedding about three months ago! So how could I not forget something?! Or just not realize I was supposed to do something. I find it so scary. Planning (coordinating) this wedding has pretty much been my sole responsibility and I just want to do an amazing job. In the end, what really matters is that we get married. If we do that, then it's a success! :P All the other stuff is just the fluff.

I know what you're thinking... enough wedding stuff already! What's that strange medical student doing?? Connor has been hard at work on DPC cases. He is the scribe of this case, so he's in charge of sending out the learning issues to everyone in his group after each session. His patient for this case is Jeb the 16 year old Mennonite (Amish). The group has already discovered that he got Tetanus. Now they are trying to figure out how he punctured his tongue and contracted the infection. Crazyyy. Apparently, the patient can't say how he punctured his tongue because he can't talk with the immense swelling in his mouth. Connor's guess is that he tried piercing his tongue with a rusty nail... hmmmmmmmm. I'd almost love for that to be the reason!

Anyway! Yesterday was really fun! Connor had his friend Matt come over to study together, so I went out and had lunch with my gal pal of mine. On my way home I stopped at the market nearby and got stuff to make chicken vegetable soup for the guys. Luckily I stopped them before they headed out to buy something. So I made a delicious chicken soup full of chunks of sweet potato, carrots, peas, and red onion. It was very yummy and perfect for the frigid weather we've been having. After Matt left, we decided we wanted to paint our little kitchen area. We went out got sushi to go, and picked up paint (which was 25% off), and got to painting! It was so much fun and it looks so cozy and elegant now! I can't wait to show it to our family and friends next time they come over. :)

While Connor was touching up corners, I tried a recipe I found on Pinterest for flourless chocolate cookies and they were too good... dangerously good. I had one and decided that was it! I'm still looking for an opportunity to get them out of the house! D:

<3 Mandy

The Consequences of Too Much HGTV

Hi guys! Hope all of you had a good hump day and your week is going smoothly. I think this week is flying! Can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday. Which is great because I love weekends with my fiance. It's really nice to actually wake up to him still in bed. Usually, he gets up at 5am and does schoolwork until he leaves for class, so I wake up to an empty bed. :( BLAH. But it's good practice for when he's in residency!

Lately, I've been having "house fever" and have been excessively dreaming of owning a home. But then reality sets in as I'm knee deep in Realtor websites, and I tell myself we are YEARS away from owning a home and I'm just torturing myself. Naturally, after I remember this I sigh, push the computer away, and eat a piece of chocolate. Really, I'm just being a baby because Connor and I have a pretty snazzy apartment in a gorgeous neighborhood and it can accommodate us comfortably for three or more years. This is what I have to tell myself: "Let those roots sink in, Mandy!" Okaaaayyy. Gotta admit that watching endless amounts of HGTV sure isn't helping...

I'm so proud to say that my wedding workout mission has been pretty successful, so far! Connor and I have been going to the gym every other day. I'm just starting to get my normal, pain-free legs again, which is very nice! For a couple of days, I really couldn't move without feeling unbearable soreness. So I was walking around like a 90 year old and it was pretty embarrassing! :( Clearly, I'm severely out of shape and that's just more of a reason why I need to keep it going until the big day.

American Idol premier is tonight! So excited to see what invaluable pieces of wisdom Nicki Minaj has to impart with all the contestants. I can say I like most of her music, but American Idol? Really? I just don't see how producers thought that was a good idea. I'm REALLY going to miss Steve Tyler this year! And I'll miss J.Lo's hairstyles more than I'll actually miss her hyper-enthusiasm about everyyy single contestant.


Enjoy the rest of your night, guys!
Mandy

Fortune Cookie Optimism

Happy Golden Globes night!!!!! Really, I just love watching the red carpet prior to the actual award show. I'm really not crazy about who wins the awards. It's so much more fun to see the beautiful dresses and stylish hair! I've been paying close attention to fabulous hairstyles for wedding hair inspiration.

Tonight, Connor and I are taking it easy. I'm eating steamed veggie dumplings and brown rice, and he, Italian wedding soup AGAIN. I don't know how he's doing it. Just the sight of it in our fridge evokes a very serious, deep sigh, which is really me saying, "You again?" Good for Connor for committing himself to eat it until it's all gone. I think it's his inner penny-pincher that gives him the extra push...

So here we are, on the couch watching the red carpet as I  blog and Connor browses his medical embryology textbook. NORMAL. I get to look at pretty people and disturbing pictures of embryos. Just another med school perk. ;) Luckily, this week won't be too crazy. Tomorrow Connor has DPC, so he's working on his learning issues now.

Connor's perfect fortune

We cracked open our fortunes tonight and Connor's was disturbingly fitting for him. It was like a nice, friendly reminder that all the hard work will pay off in the end! Mine was a bit strange, but hey! I welcome any inheritance coming my way! A small piece of land really intrigues me. Could you imagine inheriting a small piece of land? How small would it be? Does the land have a happy house on top of it? Because that would be a wonderful added bonus. Well I won't hold my breath for any inheritance, but I'm glad we both received very optimistic fortunes!

My promising fortune

 I hope you guys are enjoying the new blog design! I wanted to make it more "me" and lots of pink really did that, I think! It reminds me of my upcoming wedding and I love it!

Also, tonight is the premiere of the second season of Girls on HBO and I can't wait to see it. I've been waiting so long for this night and it's finally here. I know it will be hysterical as always.


Enjoy the rest of this glamorous Sunday night!
<3 Mandy

Italian Wedding coming out of our eyeballs...

Hi guys! Connor's crazy exam week has finally ended, thankfully! Phewww. We are finally having a night of watching televsion on a normal volume! Just in time for my favorite new tv show, Mobbed! Flash mobs are too cool.

Last night, Connor used me as his patient to study for his Clinical Skills practical exam. That basically is a test of how well Connor administers a physical exam. So, for me, that meant a whole hour of Connor taking my blood pressure, examining my gait (heel and toe walking), touching my toes, breathing heavily... etc! Despite how mundane it sounds, it was actually really fun! We laughed between moments of serious doctor stuff.


Yesterday, I made a huge pot of Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs. It was so delicious!  It was really exciting to use my new huge Calphalon 5qt pot. Connor loved it, and I was super proud of myself. I rolled the turkey meat into little meatballs, covered them with breadcrumbs, and fried them until they were cooked through. We have enough left overs for a whole week, so I bet you can guess what was our lunch AND dinner today!

I also made an eggplant lasagna on Monday night. It was quite the experience! I had no idea how much work goes into it. By the time I was done baking the breaded eggplant, I was sweating and opening our patio door to cool off while dunking lasagna strips into a pot of boiling water. It didn't look the best, but it tasted phenomenal. And it was worth it when Connor came home to a homemade lasagna waiting for him in the oven! I'm so glad that I have a handsome boy to cook for every night! And every once in awhile he treats me to a fantastic dinner of meat loaf and potatoes. ;)

We finally booked our DJ on Tuesday! It was really cool to talking to him and realizing how everything is going to come together so nicely on our big day. I can't wait to see everyone having a good time on the dance floor! I plan on dancing the night away with my groom! I have also been working on addressing our save the dates, so I can mail them all out by this weekend. I can't wait for all of our family and friends to get them! We are so happy with how they turned out. Our wedding website needed some updates, so feel free to click on the "Our Wedding" tab above to check them out! :)

Connor and I are FINALLY starting our wedding workout mission! We both got a membership at a local gym and plan on starting this Saturday. Yikes! I'm a little nervous, but fitting into a super tight wedding dress is my goal, and I'm going to do it! I plan on wearing my new Kleinfeld hoodie as a reminder of my dress motivation.

<3 Mandy

p.s. I found this picture of a corgi wearing a Zelda shirt and I couldn't help but see Connor in this doggy! The cutest, cuddliest puppy ever!! LOL

Sharing the Silence

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Mom and Brianna came over on Saturday and stayed over until Sunday morning. It was so nice to spend some girly time with them because Connor has been super busy studying for his exams on Monday. :(

Look at the handsome face hard at work!
How could I not love him madly?

I feel terrible for all the insanely complicated things he has to smush into his head. It's exhausting for me and I'm not even the one who has to do all of the work! Since the beginning we've fallen into a groove and haven't experienced much trouble getting through all of the craziness. However, the past few days haven't been the easiest. It's tough sometimes being around the house and feeling awful making any kind of noise that might be distracting. And it really stinks when something funny happens and I want to share it with Connor but I don't want to break his concentration. I feel guilty even writing this because poor Connor is the one who is really overwhelmed! But I know things will get easier again. Sometimes when I feel a little bummed, I read the other med school blogs and I feel better knowing that other med school tag-a-longs have gone through these phases. It won't always be easy and I'd be dishonest if I said we never have tough days. But in the end it'll all be worth it when Connor reaches his lifelong goal and is making a difference in people's lives. Plus, my fiance is a pretty cool guy so he's worth all of the tip-toeing! ;)

So today as I was pinning, I found the vows from the aptly named movie The Vow and I couldn't believe how perfect and accurate they were:

I think the "to share the silence" part is really perfect for us. So on to happier things! I bought this really great mug yesterday. It's so cute and romantic! I'm drinking tea tonight, watching Charlie Bartlett (such a funny movie), and blogging! Very cozy night. Tomorrow I plan on making an eggplant lasagna and I'm very excited to see how it turns out! When my mom and Bri came to visit, we went to Target and she bought me cute little things for the house (I know I have a pretty awesome mommy). I got a new sugar bowl, 2 Paula Deen soup bowls, and 2 baskets to organize the food in my kitchen baker's rack. Afterward, we went to Panera and picked up dinner then went home and watched Ice Age: Continental Drift on the couch. Connor ended up coming home from the Anatomy lab in time to watch most of the movie with us. It was really nice! :)

To end this post on a funny note: The other night Connor and I were in bed watching the show Mobbed and he was studying for OMM. I glanced over at the paper and noticed the word "cervical tender point." I'm not sure what you would assume, but I immediately thought Connor has been massaging female genitalia BEHIND MY BACK! So I freaked out and said yelled "YOU'VE BEEN STUDYING SOMEBODY'S CERVIX?!" But I was quickly relieved to find out that the cervical tender points are in the cervical spine (neck). OOPS! :P

Thanks for keeping up with the blog and listening to all my silliness!

<3 Mandy

2013 - Our Year

Happy New Year, everyone! It's finally 2013! I've been really looking forward to this day because this means that the wedding is just a couple of months away! :D We are six months away from our big day, so the countown officially begins! Just 178 days to go. This is exciting, but also anxiety inducing at the same time. There is still SO MUCH to do! I'm finally getting my BMs measured at the end of January and ordering their dresses. I also need to book a DJ, choose the groomsmen's formalwear, complete pre-cana, book a hotel... AHH. But I'm ready to take it all on! Connor and I are meeting with a potential DJ this Tuesday. We'll watch some videos and get a price quote, so hopefully it goes well. Oh, and I ordered my Save the Dates, so they should be arriving within the next two weeks. I can't wait to mail them out to everyone!

Break is officially over! *tear* Time to get back to reality. Connor returned to school today. He had a DPC session early in the morning. Over break he worked on a "Jeopardy" style review game. It was extremely cute! He had categories that he cleverly named like the ones you see on Jeopardy. One of them was called "Spirotweets" which is about spirochetes. Spirochetes is a class of bacteria, so some questions stated facts about the bacteria and contained hashtags like #borrellia. You don't need to understand all of this craziness! Just know that it was very innovative! :P His primary learning issue right now in DPC is Guillain Barre syndrome, which is what the group thinks that mysterious man with leg numbness has. Still waiting to find out the end result of that case!

Now that I have FINALLY graduated and finished my Master's, I have been stalking out my diploma in the mail. Every day I've been running to the mailbox at exactly 3pm to see if it's in there. I can't wait to hold it in my hands and probably sleep with it in between Connor and me. It's been so much work getting that degree that I might as well get some pleasure out of having it! As soon as I get it, I'll post a pic of it on here so you can all share in my excitement! :)

I hope all of you had a happy and safe New Year's eve! I had a blast at Jaime's party and made sure I kissed my sweetie-pie at midnight! :D

Best wishes for this new and fabulous year!
Mandy