Too cool!

It's 2 Am and I've been up waaay too long looking for a decent Halloween costume idea. However I had to share that when I went back to my homepage... www.apple.com I noticed a blurb with the words Memorial Hermann....noticing familiar words my fingers scrolled right to the link, when it suddenly hit me, why is Memorial Hermann mentioned on Apple's webpage?

click on this link to see why...

http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/profiles/memorial-hermann/

My hospital is so cool...

They're Engaged!

Michael Jacob Harper and Rachel Ann Drye are engaged to be married! The best part is that I got to be a little part of their engagement! Michael had been planning the sweetest and most perfect proposal Rachel could have dreamed of, and I was so happy to be able to offer a little help as he planned! I got sneak peeks at ring options, was able to let a few of our friends in on the secret, and got to be there when he proposed to take pictures!

The proposal took place on Baylor campus inside the Armstrong Browning Library. I have to admit with some sadness that I maybe had only visited the library once in my 4 years of living in Waco, so I didn't really remember how beautiful it was. I kind of lost my breath for a minute when I walked into the back room of the library where he had planned to propose, and immediately got to work with the camera to document the surroundings. Here are a few of the shots from the proposal, lunch, and afternoon celebrations of the big day!

I am so so happy for these guys and can't wait to celebrate their marriage at an upcoming wedding! Congrats Michael and Rachel!

She's a survivor...

So Willow has this thing about cats. She HATES THEM! Which is fine by me, because I also severly dislike cats. My lack of love for felines is mostly because of a ridiculously major allergy to their kind, but also due to their prissy independent attitudes. I don't like that cats do what they want when they want. I like my pets to be social, friendly, and happy to see me!

Anyway, our neighbors have like 4 million cats, which all wander my yard throughout the day. (Don't EVEN get me started on the ridiculous fact that there are leash laws for dogs, but somehow cats are allowed to wander freely wherever they please.) Of course Willow has made it her mission in life to rid them of the property, so when she spotted one on the back fence this morning she ran at it with lightning speed. I laughed hysterically as the cat almost fell off the fence, but was quickly distracted by a yelping Willow who had stopped mid-chase to sit down and nurse an injured paw. She wouldn't move but was trying to lift the hurt paw, so I headed out into the grass to pick her up. I assumed she had just kind of rolled over it wrong as she sped across the yard, so I brought her back into the house where she hobbled around for a minute as I scurried to get out the door for water aerobics. Something made me stop though, and think that I should grab a towel and dry off her paws. The grass was wet and it had been cold outside this morning, but let's be honest my OCD concerns were really about her getting on the couch with wet paws.
As I toweled her off I noticed a big red bloody spot just about where her paw meets her chest. I immediately thought of the not cool snake that attempted to live in my backyard this summer and started screaming to get my roommate to help me look at the wound. I called the vet right away and let them know I needed to bring her in, and we hopped in the car for help! Willow was a little shaky in the car so I started to worry that maybe it was a poisonous snake, but upon arrival the vet assured me her heart beat and temperature were indicative of a stable pup. A little fur shaving showed a wound very similar to a snake bite, but suggested that the snake had probably held on a bit as it was more of a tear rather than the usual dotted strike wound. I'm wierd and gross so of course I snapped a quick picture of the wound before she was whisked off to the back room for cleaning.

A few antibiotic and pain medication shots later, she was cleared to go home and rest. She got a bottle of the good stuff to go in case the bite starts to hurt later, and luckily she was invited to K-Crown Pet resort where my parents can observe and pet her while I work.

So, although I missed water aerobics and lost $100 out of my bank account, we're all ok. Except for the snake...you can guarantee if he shows his face again he'll get a little bite from my shovel!

Here snakey, snakey, snakey...

Fall is Flying By!

Well I haven't posted in a while due to a lack of interesting pictures, but life has surely not been boring lately! Last week at work I was already filling out my Christmas holiday time off request and found myself looking at the calendar realizing the next 3 months are likely to just fly right by!

Last weekend I got to present at a Child Life conference that was hosted by Texas Children's Hospital. I was asked to speak on the kinds of things I do as a one person CLS in a community hospital along with two other people in similar positions. I was kind of nervous, but once we sat down I opened my mouth and the hour flew by! Guess it helps that I like my job and like to talk! It was a great conference overall, and I got some awesome goodies for agreeing to be a presenter!
Crazy side note, the above picture of me came up on the first results page when I googled Child Life...wierd!!!

Perhaps the best work news of all is that I was promoted! In order to move up the career ladder in our department you must be a certified specialist, and have 2 years of experience which I accomplised in February of this year. Sadly the raise was not effective until the yearly evaluation process, so starting tomorrow my paycheck will increase a decent amount! I'm feeling like I won the lottery knowing that in this economy some people didn't get raises at all this year, and some were laid off completely. Thanks hospital, I'm happy to work for you!

Roommate and I have been busy lately getting involved at church. We've joined a Sunday morning fellowship group and I've started going to a Tuesday night small group which is really turning out to be a great thing! I'm meeting some really sweet friends and have enjoyed having a few more things each week to look forward to. Last night I got to host small group at my house and I had the BEST time making Balls of Heaven, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, and even a cheese ball for our group to snack on! I also got a fun new teapot that has a whistle and matches my stainless appliances...I LOVE matchy matchy! And I know, I know, my diet went right out the window...but I don't regret one tasty bite! We're thinking about hosting a Halloween/Pumpkin carving party at our house for the church group, so I'm excited to have another party on the horizon!

Tomorrow morning roommate and I begin a 10.5 hour roadtrip to Missouri to visit our bestie from high school. Elyse is pregnant and we're excited to spend a long weekend with her before her baby boy is born! Elyse and Jenni both went to school in Missouri, so it'll be fun for them to have some time with all their college friends, I'm just along for the ride and change of scenery! I'm hoping for some cold weather too!

Weekend after next will be Baylor Homecoming, so I'll make a day trip Saturday to sic 'em and see my favorite BU girls, and hopefully Greg, Gina & Ava too!

It's birthday month in niece world, Ava turned one last weekend, Hayden will follow suit in a few weeks, and this weekend Emmy is having her 3rd birthday party! I can't believe how fast these girls are growing! I was so sad to miss Ava's party, and wish I could make it to Emmy's this weekend, but hopefully things will slow down enough that I can make it to Hayden's next month!

Happy Birthday to my favorite kids, I can't wait until I see you next!


Soon after Homecoming comes November and I'm rallying to host family Thanksgiving dinner at my house! This year will be a smaller crowd since my older brothers are spending the holiday with their wives' families. I think I've got my parents convinced I can handle all the work and look forward to being with my grandparents who usually come to feast with us.
So look out 2010, I'll be there before you know it!

Best Buddies

This week we've had the chance to let Willow experience life with a sister dog. Manna came to stay while her family went on vacation to Colorado, so for 7 days these pups have been inseparable. I think this picture might be one out of 5 times all week they've stopped running! Although Manna tends to upset my allergies I've enjoyed letting Willow have a companion for the week. We love you Manna!

Mas en la casa

Updates in the home of a Pottery Barn fanatic...

I have been drooling over this PB Wall Organization system for over a year now, and it's finally complete! This is actually 6 separate pieces hung on metal rods, but I think it looks nice and tidy and is helping keep me organized. It's also nice to be able for roommate and I to write down our schedules so we can keep up with each other and helps us remember which classes are going on at the gym during the week!

This piece was just an added bonus so I can leave music on for Willow during the day, or to have something fun to sing to while I fold laundry. I'm also keeping coupons here so I see them right before I walk out the door and remember to pick up the things I need before the coupons expire. So far so good!

Finally, at last, here is the beloved chair that might possibly be my favorite piece of furniture. I hesitated to put up a picture of it because I haven't steamed the slipcover, but most things in my house are distressed or antique so I figure the wrinkles kind of fit in. It's actually a chair and a half, so you can curl up in it and be comfy. The matching ottoman should arrive next Friday, wahoo!!!

More pictures coming soon, I hope to finish my current gold paint job this weekend and I've also ordered a sofa that matches my beloved chair!