Holy Sandy!

Hi guys!! I hope the hurricane hasn't treated you too badly! Luckily, my area did not lose power ever! (Thank you, LIPA Gods!) We were (and still are) so thankful. I know so many people who are still waiting for their lights to come back on, and I can only imagine how difficult these past few days have been. I'm so excited for life to go back to normal (except for returning to work).

Today I was so happy that the nail salon that is 1 minute away from my house was open!! I really needed to get out of the house. I was starting to feel a little stir crazy being cooped up in here all day. Not to mention, I've been eating like a bear preparing for hibernation, so I needed to escape the kitchen for a little. After I got my nails done, I tried to go to CVS and buy some things for our upcoming trip to Ohio this weekend, but the store didn't have power and was only accepting cash. It was the most absurd thing ever seeing an open CVS in total darkness. How weird! It's very cloudy so there wasn't even natural light to brighten up the place. Ridiculous. Those poor employees.

Anyway! On Monday, I baked a pecan pie while we were waiting for Sandy. I put some dark chocolate chips in it and it was PHENOMENAL. By the time Sandy was in full force, we were eating warm pie and enjoying a glass of red wine. I'm so grateful that we were able to get through the storm so comfortably!

Yesterday, I made french toast for breakfast. I hadn't made it in awhile, so I figured it'd be a nice treat. We've been eating soooo healthy these past 2 days, so I figured why not? ;) It was delicious. Then I baked some breaded eggplant and made some paninis for dinner. We really needed an easy meal due to our lack of food supplies here!

So after all this eating and sitting on the couch, I need some movement! I can't wait for the wedding this weekend so I can dance my tail off! WOOO. This will be my FIRST wedding ever and I couldn't be more excited. Celebrating love is a blast and I'm interested in seeing how all this wedding stuff comes together so I know what to expect for my own wedding this upcoming June.

I'm guessing tomorrow will finally be my first day at my new placement. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get to see a bunch of munchkins dressed up in costumes today, but hopefully I'll see some today when they knock on my door! :D

Connor has a friend from school over now and they're watching a movie together instead of doing work! :P Funny. It's cute that he has company. I love it. I gave them chips, pretzels, and candy, so I think they're good!

Hope everyone gets through the day and has some kind of return to normalcy soon! Crossing my fingers that those without electricity will get it back shortly!

Love,
Mandy

Sleepy Saturday Night

Hi guys :) It's 9:20pm and I'm sitting on the couch with a glass of red wine listening to Matt Pond PA. In other words, I am VERY relaxed! It's so nice nice to enjoy a quiet night. Connor has his headphones in listening to lectures in his corner of the living room. It's so funny how we have fallen into our own little groove. It's like we're together, but in our own little worlds. I've been lucky to have him around so much even though he's busy with work most of the time. I'm just happy to see his handsome face here at home!

My mom and my niece, Brianna, came over yesterday and spent the night here. We had so much fun! I was elated to have my girlies over. Bri was so funny. I told her we were having a slumber party, so she put her pajamas on, got all her toys and stuffed animals, sat next to me on the couch and said "Connor, come here! We're having a slumber party!" She's too cute!!

We went to the mall and my mom bought me my DREAM Badgley Mischka wedding shoes! She's the best mom in the whole world. I'm so grateful to have a mom who is so giving and is working so hard to make all of my wedding dreams come true. I just cannot wait to wear them. AHH it's just so incredible. I'm going to marry the man of my dreams in the heels of my dreams haha :P ..I'm such a girl!

So after the mall, we went out to eat then Connor and I took my mom on her first ever Trader Joe's trip. She loved it. She couldn't believe how affordable everything was. It was so cute. She was amazed with everything. I just love the simplicity of having a great time while doing such average things. 

This morning I made Brianna mini pumpkin pancakes with strawberries on top, and she ate them all up! I was so proud of her for trying something new. I kept it a secret until she tried it and loved them. She's so picky sometimes, so I knew I had to sneak them into her tummy. I thought she would notice the orangey color, but she didn't! It was great. I was so sad to see my best girl friends go, but I know I will see them again very soon.

After mom and Bri left, I went bridesmaid dress browsing with one my BMs, Mallory. It was definitely a learning experience! There are so many dresses, it's ridiculous! It was a bit overwhelming, but it was great to learn how to go about this whole dress thing.

So I have a funny little story about dinner today. We bought a rotisserie chicken today to kind of "cheat." We were making soup again, so we decided it would be the easiest thing to just buy one of those ready-made chickens to shred and add to the soup. To help Connor get started on the chicken, I cut off the leg and immediately he noticed the bone and said "Oh my god, that's the olecranon process!" (which is like our curved bone at the elbow). He was actually studying our bird's bones! It was like he was in anatomy lab and he was dissecting! And the more he cut the chicken, the more he was examining it. I was laughing hysterically and realized that this is it. He's forever going to see everything differently! I love it. At least he's learning, right? 

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

<3 Mandy

Goodbye High School!

Hi, guys! Hope you all had a great Hump Day! Today was wonderful in comparison to yesterday. My supervisor came to visit yesterday and it was so stressful making sure everything was ready for my observation. My lesson went well and my kids were ANGELS, thankfully. Of course I bribed them the day before and told them if they behaved reeeaally well, I'd bring them goodies on my last day. So naturally, they were angelic children. I was very relieved to get really great comments back. She told me that I had a great a great rapport and sense of humor with the students (obviously! They're like my children!). She also said that I am very advanced for just starting and that I have a  wonderful presence in the classroom...I supposedly "command attention." :O I couldn't be happier to hear all these things. I wish I was told that I was PERFECT, but I know that's impossible. However, I did get some really great advice! So it was productive. All I can say is, I'm GLAD it's over.

Tomorrow I'm throwing my kids a little "party" as a parting gift. I'm bringing cupcakes, chips, and juice. I'm going to miss my ESL III kids so much. It's incredible how attached you get to your students. It's so true that being a teacher takes way more than just teaching. It's like being a parent, a listening ear, a friend to laugh with. AHH what am I going to do? This is when panic mode sets in and I change the subject! :)

Connor has an exam and practical coming up next week. You know what that means! Studying misery is coming up. Thankfully my mom and niece are coming to visit this weekend, so Connor can have the house to himself while we're out.

So close to the weekend! Let's hope for a  Thursday that flies by!
<3Mandy

Monday.. No Fun Day

Hello Hello, everyone! How was your Monday? I hope it was better than you expected. I know how tough Mondays can be. I didn't even hear my alarm go off this morning. Poor Connor had to reach over me to turn it off. I was in a very deep dream that I sadly couldn't even remember because I woke up freaked out of my mind thinking I was late. Last night I went to bed way past 11, which was the worst idea I think I've ever had. Connor and I decided to start watching Pulp Fiction at 8:45pm. So, really, that was the original worst idea ever.

Yesterday I made Connor a peanut butter pie because he was reaaaally craving it. Like I mean craving, like a preggy woman. He usually doesn't put much pressure on me to bake. Typically I hear, "Babe, please don't burn yourself out. You really don't have to make that. Don't go crazy." Of course, I'm like oh, hush this is therapeutic! (Until the mess starts accumulating, and then I'm in baking clean-up hell.) However, yesterday was different. Before he left to a study session, I heard him say on the way out "Oh, you know what you can do... make that peanut butter pie." Oh really, Connor? I realized we didn't have the cream cheese needed for the recipe, so I text him saying, "Sorry, no cream cheese here :(". I get a text back: "I'll get it in on the way home!" I knew right then, he needed that pie. And that's my biggest weakness: feeding hungry, craving bellies. If I know someone is hungry and actually craving my food/baked goods, I'm a total sucker. You could pretty much get me to make anything with the right look. Except...veal. I won't touch a baby cow.

don't mind the ugly paper plate :x

Well anyway, the pie turned out great! I put it in a chocolate crust and sprinkled some chocolate chips on top. It took only 2.5 hours to harden in the fridge. Connor loved it. I tried it and it was incredibly decadent. Like decadent in a scary way... like it's in no way your friend. THAT kind of good.

Today, Connor had Anatomy lab and dissected the forearm. He said there are about eight muscles involved when flexing your wrist downward. Pretty cool to think about when you actually do it because it seems pretty effortless! He also had DPC today and he said his group members really appreciated his drawing skills. Not surprised! I've always thought he was a talented artist. Back in our RA days, he had pretty awesome bulletin boards - _- LOL I hope he's reading this and laughing. Oh to be in college again...

My supervisor is coming to observe me tomorrow. That pretty much makes me want to vomit and cry, but then I remember that I can do it! :) I'm teaching how to write direct and indirect quotations in a paragraph. Wish me luck!!

Have a good night!
Mandy

Muffins and... Plasma!

Hellllooooo!! Happy, Happy Saturday! It's such a cool, Autumn night. I'm baking banana crumb muffins for tomorrow morning and the house smells so yummy. Today, Connor and I made pumpkin waffles and they were so yummy!!! I topped them with powdered sugar and pecans, and made some turkey bacon. The salty and sweet combination was to die for! It was a breakfast from heaven.

Today was a bit of a chore day, so that wasn't too fun! I had to clean the house and work on my lessons. I did manage to squeeze in some "me" time and got a mani and pedi! I was so excited because I haven't done my nails in over a month and half! So I was long overdue. It was so relaxing, too. Because I had a ton of work to do, I made an easy dinner: Burgers! They were very yummy. :P

I was going to bake a pecan pie tomorrow, but my mom is forbidding me to make it until she comes to visit next weekend. So I guess I'll just have to hold out until then! D:

Connor has been studying DPC stuff for the past couple of hours. He said it's about how blood clots and he showed me this really pretty drawing that he made in his notebook to help him understand it. It's very nice and colorful!

For the rest of the night, I think I'm going to watch a movie and enjoy a nice glass of wine! Hope everyone enjoys the rest of this chilly, Saturday night.

Thanks for reading about our silly, little life! So much love,
Mandy

Lesson Planning and Chocolate Pretzels

Happy Hump Day, ladies and gents! Thankfully tomorrow's Thursday, which means we're that much closer to the weekend and freeeeeedom. I can't believe next week is my last week at my first placement. I'm going to miss the high school so much. I am shocked that I am saying this. I came into the placement apprehensive and certain that I was not meant to be a high school teacher. But I have been happily proven wrong. I absolutely love the students and the challenges that come with teaching tough content to English language learners. It has been such a wonderful learning experience and I wish it could continue indefinitely.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. But I'm totally optimistic that my second placement will live up to my awesome first. I'll start with my Kindergartners just in time for Halloween! I can't wait to see little munchkins dressed up in oversized costumes. Too cute.

When I got home from school yesterday, Connor already had dinner in the oven! It was such a nice treat. He made meatloaf, roasted potatoes and broccoli. It was delicious. After dinner, we went to the movies for cheap-o night again and saw Taken 2! It was sooo good. Such a great movie. I definitely recommend seeing it if you enjoyed the first Taken.

Today, Connor and I took a quick drive to Trader Joe's because I'm obsessed with their Maple Pecan Crunch cereal and I was all out! I had a breakfast crisis this morning when I had ten minutes before I had to leave and there was no tasty cereal in the cabinet. So while we were there (between staring at and salivating over everything else in the store) I grabbed two boxes and a bag of dark chocolate covered pretzel slims and they are... scarily delicious. Like eating a whole bag could happen if you are not careful.  :O


Connor got his score back from his Anatomy exam and he did really well. The average was a 73 and he scored above average! That exam was really tough and used words that are barely pronounceable, so I'm so proud of him for scoring as well as he did. Connor had anatomy lab this morning and dissected the shoulder, upper arm, and brachial plexus. He noticed that the cadaver had shiny, smooth bone in his shoulder, which is abnormal because bone is normally rough. Connor correctly guessed that this was a condition called Eburnation. This is impressive because this wasn't taught in lectures or anything. It was something that he read on his own, so I'm very proud of my smarty pants fiance. :) His hard work is certainly paying off!


Have a great night, lovelies!
Mandy

"Some days aren't yours at all...

....They come and go as if they're someone else's days." Regina Spektor really got it right with that song. It has been a yucky Monday! I hope some of you experienced a happier one. I woke up really tired this morning after going to bed way too late. I just felt so crummy all day. It was so hard to find the energy to be my usual peppy self! Thankfully my lesson today involved the students working at stations and writing, so I didn't have to talk too much. A plus to this day has been the rain tonight. It's making me feel super cozy as I curl up on my couch with my fuzzy blanket. Next comes the hot cocoa! Gotta try to take back this Monday as much as I can.

Yesterday I had such a wonderful day out east visiting the outlets and Connor's parents. We, of course, had to take a look inside Pottery Barn, so I wanted to smile and cry all at once. For those of you who share my love of beautiful, but terribly expensive things... you know exactly what I mean. Going into stores is a total manic depressive episode. You're surrounded by everything you could ever dream of, so you float from one thing to the next grinning from ear to ear, but then your brain suddenly gets a surge of oxygen and it starts working again and you realize... these things don't just appear in your home. They might actually cost...what's that green paper stuff? Oh right... money. I almost forgot that existed. *sigh* But that's okay! I bought 4 salad plates for the cost of $5.99 each, and 4 dinner plates for $6.99 each.So it was an incredible bargain that I could not pass up. Plus, I actually NEEDED these. Not in the estrogen-induced way that we normally claim like "This is too adorable. I just neeeeeed it." Like, in the justified, no need for guilt way. The enamel was starting to wear away on my cheap-o Ikea plates. So....yeah. I said no guilt right?

Anyway! After the outlets, we visited Mr. & Mrs. D and it was so much fun. I brought them an apple crostata. That's my thing now because of all the apples we got from apple picking. (I can actually bake other things. I swear.) We went out to dinner and had delicious food and great conversation. It was so nice to see them and catch up because we hadn't seen them since September for Connor's convocation. That was way too long! I'm so excited for Mama D's soup party coming up! If you don't know what a soup party is, you're missing out big time! You eat tons of delicious homemade soup and bread and meet new people. I love it!

So remember the DPR exam where Connor had to take a patient's vital signs? Well, he FINALLY got his grade back and he did really well!! ...as in, he got a 100!!!! I knew he would do great. Way to go, babe. Couldn't be prouder :)

Let's cross our fingers for a smooooth Tuesday.

<3 Mandy

Perfect day for soup

Hello friends! Hope you are all enjoying this gorgeous Saturday. The weather could not have been more perfect today. The sun was out and it was perfectly chilly. I put on my first flannel of the season and felt super cozy!

Last night Connor and I went to our friends Jaime and Mark's house for a game night. We had so much fun. Jaime made a bunch of snacks and we drank and played some Cranium. We met some cool people and laughed a bunch. It was a great Friday night.

This morning we got up and Connor got us egg sandwiches from the bagel place down the street. It was so yummy and the perfect breakfast after a night of a little too much wine. For lunch I made a delicious chicken and rice soup with sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, carrots and peas. It was so tasty. We had it with a big loaf of whole wheat bread. It was the perfect meal on a chilly Fall day. I had so much fun making it. Can't wait to make more soups during the cold months.

After devouring the soup and a ton of bread, we took a trip around town to visit a bunch of garage sales. There were so many, it was incredible! We bought this really cool, brand new, four bowl condiment set from Crate & Barrel for only $5. It came with four little dishes, too. I love it and can't wait to break it out when we have company over or for fajita night! It can hold a bunch of little toppings.

Connor has been doing DPC work for the last few hours. For those of you reading who don't know what DPC is, here is a brief summary: DPC stands for Doctor Patient Continuum. It's a problem based learning curriculum that a group of medical students apply for upon acceptance into the school. Connor applied to this program because he's much more of an active learner as opposed to a passive one. He enjoys critical thinking, teamwork, and analyzing real life problems, rather than just sitting in on lectures. So he applied and was accepted. He absolutely loves it. His group meets a few times a week and is given a problem to solve. A professor facilitates from afar (Connor says the facilitator participates very minimally and just makes sure the conversation continues to move in the right direction). This week his group is learning about the pharmacology of NSAIDs, which is great because Connor spent a year working in a pharmacy and picked up a large amount of information during that time. He always knows the answers to the professors pharm. questions. So cute.

Tomorrow we are visiting Connor's parents out east and I'm so excited! We're going to stop by the outlets and painfully windowshop at Pottery Barn. Can't wait to have a fun Sunday before getting back to the work week. Two whole weeks are left in my placement before starting with the kindergartners! I can't believe how quickly time has passed.

Love,
Mandy

Made it over the hump!

It's Wednesday and Connor is done with exams for the week! We made it!  WOOO. It was so wonderful to come home and find a much more vibrant Connor in the kitchen washing sweet potatoes. What a cutie. He was so sweet and bought us four crab cakes for dinner. So we made some sweet potatoes and mixed vegetables. After days of hardcore studying, we were really able to appreciate a night without textbooks, medical terms, and lecture videos. It was such a treat to just relax and make dinner while indulging in wine and beer. We ate dinner on the couch and watched a movie. Overall, it was a lovely night!

Connor said his anatomy test went well, as well as his third computerized exam. They were both difficult, but that's a given! I'm just proud of him for surviving two exams back to back. Hopefully, all the hard work paid off! Can't wait to see how he did. Tomorrow he has a full day of lecture until 4pm, so thankfully he was able to rest a little today!

I'm doing a lesson on prepositions tomorrow. I hope that goes over well with my students! I know they will probably hate me for torturing them with this stuff! But I'm convinced all of this writing is really helping them. They are really becoming more comfortable writing and that justifies the torture! :P

Let's get through Thursday, so we can say helloooo to Friday.

Night!
Mandy

Happy Stay Home from Work Day!

...or Happy Columbus Day. I prefer the former. I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled holiday. My day was busier than I would have liked, but it was still great! My trip upstate this weekend was fantastic, and it was everything I hoped it would be. Connor and I got there on Friday evening and brought home a gift for Brianna. We bought her a transparent board that allows her to slip coloring and activity pages inside of it. It's great because she uses dry erase markers on the board, so the pages are reusable! We played all night until it was bedtime for the little munchkin.

On Saturday, Connor and I started our day early by taking Brianna apple and pumpkin picking. It was SO much fun! We bought Bri an apple cider donut and took a tractor ride to the orchard. She loved every minute of it. She picked so many good apples and actually taught Connor and I how to properly pick apples. She told us to remember to "twist and pull!" Adorable.



When we were done apple picking, we went to a pumpkin patch down the street. We took another tractor ride and picked some beautiful pumpkins. Before we left, we stopped by the petting zoo and Bri fed some goats, met a pony named Huey, and looked at some chickens. She had a blast. She especially loved the pony, which I thought was so cute. When we were feeding the goats, she got a little scared because of the eight long tongues frantically searching for pellets.

Sunday was a much more relaxing day. We stayed in for most of the day, and I baked an apple crostata. It was absolutely delicious. Nothin' like baking with fresh apples!

Today, I woke up and baked a banana nut bread loaf with some leftover overripe bananas. It made the house smell magical. I wish I could have bottled the smell. It was incredible. It was also really nice to turn on the oven on such a chilly morning! After breakfast, Connor and I took a quick trip to the grocery store, and a nursery to pick up some mums for the front of the house. I'm so excited for them to blossom! For dinner, I made penne a la vodka with chicken. It was sooo yummy. I wish I could say I made my own sauce, but I did not. That is something that needs to happen very soon.

Connor has been studying a lot lately because of his two upcoming exams. He has an anatomy test tomorrow and his 3rd computerized exam on Wednesday. What does this all mean, you ask? This means a really wacky Connor who at time loses touch with reality. It's kind of funny. He's really looking forward for the exams to be over. I am too! Unfortunately, he starts Musculoskeletal on Thursday, so he won't really get a break. But that's med school! It certainly pushes the limits of your sanity. Here's to 4 years of the madness!

Mandy

The longest week... ever.

This week has felt like an eternity to me! I have no clue why, but I felt like every day should have been one day ahead. On Wednesday I was planning my next day as if it was going to be Friday. But alas, today is THURSDAY. Thank goodness, Friday is finally making its much anticipated arrival (way behind schedule in my book).

So I have great news about Connor's second computerized exam. He got an 87!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO! The average was an 81, so he scored a little above average, and I couldn't be more proud of my lovely fiance. I knew his hard work would pay off. I know he has a really long road ahead of him, but every accomplishment counts. They are all steps toward his big goal and I know he can do it! In case you didn't realize, I was a cheerleader for over 10 years of my life, so I'm used to this hardcore motivational stuff. Give me a C! C.... Give me an O! Okay... I'll stop.

Today I was able to leave two periods early because my cooperating teacher had to take one of her little boys to see the doc. Which meant I got home in time to catch Connor before he left for class and had lunch with him. It was such a nice treat. For dinner, I made balsamic chicken with cherry tomatoes and sauteed onions. It was very good. I tried to make a balsamic glaze (which is just a balsamic vinegar reduction), but it was taking too long and we were hungry! So we didn't really get the reduction part! :P Next time I try it, I'm going to start heating it much earlier.

I can't wait to head upstate tomorrow to see my family and have some cuddle time with my niece. I miss her so much, I can barely take it. I wish my family lived a little closer. It would make everything perfect. Maybe someday it'll happen! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Tomorrow's going to be a fun day of road trippin' with my love, and I love every minute of it.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!
Mandy

It looked like a... sponge?

Hi guys! I know I probably shouldn't be blogging at this hour and instead should be curling up in bed preparing myself for sleep. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't get to sleep before 10:30pm. I HATE it! I always regret it at 6am when I am reluctantly (and violently) vacillating between reality and dream world.

Anyway! I decided I had to blog to tell you all about Connor's grotesque interesting anatomy lab today. So today he was not physically dissecting because it wasn't his groups' turn. But, he was there to watch. And according to him, he was coaching the group and telling them "just cut it!"

Now, there is a very, very good reason why this group was so hesitant to push that blade down and I'm hoping you'll be prepared to handle this disclosure. Some of you who have strong stomachs are thinking "just say it already!" And are scoffing at my physical weakness. Your kind can relate more to Connor. However, I am not as strong. When Connor told me that the group would be cutting OFF a section of the penis, then cutting open the remaining portion, well, my body almost ejected the delicious brownie I had just consumed minutes before. But that's not all. The group would also be making an incision that would span from the penis to the anus--ultimately creating one, large orifice.  If you can stomach that then perhaps you should rethink your current career and consider the maniacal medical field.

Despite my inability to wrap my head around a group of people willingly shoving their heads into one big, vacuous hole on a cadaver, I am still intrigued when Connor describes his findings. He let me know that the inside of a penis has spongey material, which literally looks like a sponge. Isn't that marvelous? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, I though that was valuable information that I should impart with you.

On to less vomit inducing news! (Hopefully I didn't gross you out enough that you won't find my food appetizing.) I made baked eggplant paninis today with roasted red peppers, spinach and mozzarella. They were fantastic. After school, I picked up some bread from the best grocery store in my town and when I got home, I decided... I'm sick of pasta. Let's try something different today. It was great too because I barely had any dishes! No pan, just a baking sheet :D I had Connor take a picture when we were halfway through devouring them.

Tomorrow is Connor's practical that I mentioned before. He's studying now like a cutie. I ironed his shirt and tie so he can look sharp and professional when he takes those vital signs like a champ! WOOP WOOP. I can't wait to hear how awesome he did when I get home. 

Sweet dreams!

Mandy