Fall Fun

October is here! Cool weather and fall decorations abound! :) I'm truly enjoying getting to decorate and make things and getting our home in the spirit of the season! I've been living on Pinterest (which I LOVE), getting ideas for really neat and realistic decorations. I hit up Joann's and Michaels over the weekend and picked up a couple of glittery fall leaf garlands and other supplies. I also got a shadow box to put our wedding invitation in. I finally finished my crafty things tonight! Now to try and decide what to carve into my pumpkin in a few weeks...

 shadow box with our wedding invitation and our claddagh rings.

I got this from Michaels and painted it. You can't really tell but the front has glitter on it.

I got this from Joann's and painted it... The tree has glitter on it! I love glitter!! :)

My first Pinterest project! I got a styrofoam wreath, wrapped it in yarn, and added crochet flowers which I also made myself. A little ribbon, and voila! LOVE it!

Closeup. :)

Happy Fall to all! :) What are your favorite Fall decorations?

i love my job

i love my job. seriously. even after days when i spend way too much time running around trying to track down charts and orders and equipment and patients themselves, i love my job. only downside: it's exhausting! last week i didn't make it past my living room once before falling asleep. and the other night i came home, fed Voltron, and fell asleep... for 11 hours! fully dressed, purse and lunchbox next to me, on top of the comforter, diagonally across the bed. I seriously only vaguely remember Tim coming home and putting me under the covers.   i'm up around 6:30 AM, at work by 8, and i don't stop running until about 4:30. like, literally actively moving on my feet all day and helping others do the same. I even document standing up half the time. and then i get home... and the puppy and the husband and the couch... all look so comfy and cozy. *sigh* i need to find some energy to get me through the "after work" part of the day so i can participate in life more. any thoughts on how i can do that would be greatly appreciated. if you'll excuse me now, i'm going to feed my hungry belly then crawl into bed and do a crossword puzzle until i fall asleep. and just maybe, if i'm feeling like i've got a little extra bit of energy, i may paint my nails. watch out world. night night.

Lorin's Baby Shower

Lorin's having a little girl soon! So, of course, we had to help her get ready to welcome little Mary Anita into the world! We had such a great time at Lorin's baby shower, and I had a lot of fun preparing for it. I made a few yummy treats and got all sorts of crafty. :) The shower was a luau theme sprinkled with pink items throughout.

We played some fun games including naming baby animals, guessing how big around the mommy was (it was really funny to see how much everyone over-shot that!), and a different twist on Bingo! Lorin got lots of really cute baby clothes and other fun things. I learned a lot about baby stuff from this experience. When I first went into the baby stuff store, it was so overwhelming! I didn't know where things were or mostly where to begin looking for them. It's a whole other world in there filled with practical, cute, and terrifying things. Overall, a super fun experience and shower!

Only 8 weeks left to go until there's a new tiny Lorin running around out there! Can't wait to meet her soon!!

Big Kid PT

It's a little weird being a Big Kid PT! I love being able to see patients on my own and documenting and then moving onto the next one instead of waiting around for my CI to check off on everything I say and do. I'm all independent and stuff. My work environment is great, too. Everyone is willing to help so when I have a question I don't feel embarrassed to ask or follow up about something. (That was an issue I had with one of my CIs. Didn't make for a very comfortable relationship.) I'm getting to do some wound care, too! Very happy about that. They have a very good and thorough mentoring process here, so I'll be "orienting" for another couple of weeks. And I get my first paycheck on Friday! Woo-hoo!! Very excited about life lately.

Here's a picture of the beginnings of my desk decor:

~ Dr. Mrs. Q

Kate's Bridal Shower

In the middle of study time, I took a few days'  break to help throw my sis-in-love her bridal shower! Kate's getting married August 27! So close!! And so exciting!!! She was so encouraging and happy and supportive throughout my wedding planning process and I'm so glad to be able to do the same for her. She definitely deserves it! :)

Kate's shower was princess themed! So fitting for her! Before the shower, we met at her house for some girlie time. Kate was so sweet to surprise us with a few gifts! We then hopped in the car and drove over to Lookaway Hall in North Augusta to get all set up.

The Shower was so much fun! We played some really fun games including a Disney princess trivia game and the TP wedding dress game, in which I got to be the other bride! (We were both the brides in this game at my shower! ha!) The food was so good that I got seconds!! Also extra yummy: the lemon-flavored cupcakes I made! Kate got lots and lots of really great gifts--she later said it felt like Christmas! :) It was such a great day filled with so much joy. I had a lot of fun planning it and being crafty and working on an event to honor her. I'm so excited that I got to be a part of it and am SO looking forward to every moment leading up to her big day! 5 weeks to go!!!!!!

Study, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Boy am I glad I never have to do that again!! Probably the most bittersweet month of my life. I finally get to spend time with Tim and be married to him and enjoy being a newlywed, but instead I had to study. I'm not saying I was entirely productive all day every day, but it takes me so long to really learn something rather than just memorize it that I spent a LOT of time staring at books. So depressing. And all I wanted to do was play with my husband. :(

Voltron was my study buddy. He kept me company all day. Of course he was usually napping or trying (occasionally successfully) to distract me so I would play with him. I was very glad to have someone to interact with. It got really really lonely being by myself all day everyday.




I also rarely left the bedroom. It was so infrequent, in fact, that I started being a bit of a hoarder on my night stand. Snacks, pens, highlighters, beverages, Tylenol, you name it. Tim kept coming by and trying to organize it but I knew there was no point. He even joked that I needed a night table rather than a night stand for all my clutter.




And boy did my husband know how to keep me appropriately fueled! :)




And then it was time for the test. My awesome sis-in-love, Colleen, and her awesome husband were my hosts while I was in Columbia for the test. They fed me, talked to me, and left me alone when I needed it. So glad to has spent that night with them! After a few pep talks and words of encouragement from family and friends, it was bedtime.

The morning of the test, I was so nervous that I got sick. Twice. Never done that before and hope to never do it again. Then I tested. Then I did everything I could think of and made sure I always had someone with me or on the phone to talk to to keep my mind off of it. Tim and I went on a date that night. He even took me to see a chick flick! We saw "Something Borrowed." ( Very funny, btw!!)

That night, I couldn't sleep. So I read a book instead. My favorite romance author had released a book during my study time and I (obviously) hadn't had time to read it yet. I stayed up reading until 6, slept until 7, then woke up and checked the website over and over and over at least once per minute until they posted my fate at 7:30.





THEN, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep! I was on cloud 9. And it was a great day. Great great great. :) I even posted on Julia Quinn's website about it and she congratulated me! I crashed that night. Slept like a baby.



And last week I got my license in the mail!

Started work this week! More to come on that later!

Honeymooners

The day after the wedding we headed down to Port Canaveral for our honeymoon cruise! We went on the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas to the Bahamas. We really enjoyed it! We made stops at Coco Cay and Nassau and spent the rest of the time at sea.

While on the ship, we spent our time sleeping in, eating, going for walks, reading, and napping. And I spent some time in the sun, while Tim hid indoors. :) A hard life, right? The food was great! We definitely took advantage of the room service, too. Tim kept making fun of me because I ate many times throughout the day... I had lost so much weight before the wedding from stress that I just told him I was making up for everything I hadn't eaten in the last month. The Captain's Dinner night, we got all dressed up (Tim even got in a suit!) and had a wonderful French meal! I don't remember all the specifics, but I do remember the dessert: a DElicious chocolate souffle!

On Coco Cay we went snorkeling! It was a little overcast, and the water was freezing!! But we still had fun and saw lots of pretty fish and coral. And then we layed out on the beach... by that I mean I layed out and Tim covered himself in towels. Ha. ;) We had lunch and headed back to the ship.

On Nassau we took a Forts and Pirates tour. We rode on a bus and got a tour of the island as we drove to visit two forts and then a pirate museum. It was really neat! And I got a fan for my collection. We learned a lot and had fun at the pirate museum. It was kinda like walking through the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disney.

Driving through Nassau was interesting.... Parts of it reminded me of driving through PR. It was kinda crazy seeing how some people live there, though. Especially the public water pumps and out houses. But other parts were so beautiful! The views were so great, the water so clear, the flowers and blooming trees... Beautiful!!

It was an amazing vacation. And an amazing honeymoon. Favorite part: getting to spend every minute of it with my sweet, wonderful, brand new husband! :)

A Charmed Life

Okay, okay. Cheesy title, I know but I couldn't help it. I thought my bracelet would be a good way to give an overview of the way my life has developed over the last few months. I got my Pandora bracelet a few months before the wedding, and have gotten a charm for each of the big happenings in my life.

Wedding: My first charm was given to me by my long time friend, Sarah. It represents the month of May, which is our wedding month! She gave it to me at my lingerie shower in lieu of lingerie, so it was definitely a surprise. I love it! And I think of her and everything leading up to the wedding every time I look at it. <3! 






Graduation: My second charm was a graduation present to myself: a graduation cap! I bought it the Monday before the wedding right after my sister got home. When I look at it I remember my classmates and all the ups and downs we shared together to get through the last 3 years. Definitely an accomplishment worth noting!





Married life: My third charm is my newlywed charm. It's fun and happy- how can purple butterflies be otherwise? Tim and I went to the mall to pick it out the week after we got back from our honeymoon. It reminds me of our honeymoon and everything since! Being able to spend all day together every day after so much craziness, and really for the first time ever, was and has been amazing. I've loved every minute of it and I just get more and more excited to continue to do so forever! I definitely smile every time I look at it.





Family: My fourth charm was a surprise gift from my cousin, Gema. She was such a blessing to have around before and during the wedding. We've always been close and even when we haven't talked in a couple of months or seen each other in years we always pick up like we have never been apart. She's like my sister. So it meant so much to get that from her. When I see it I think of not just her but all my girlfriends and how much fun we have and how sisterhood is shared between us. Love you girls! --you know who you are!! :)




PT!: My newest charm was a gift from my husband. I picked out a charm when I started studying for the boards that was going to be my reward for passing. It's called "The Journey" which I thought was really fitting. One day, after I had my first big test stress freak-out, Tim came home for work with it in hand. He said that he knew I would pass it anyway so there was no reason to wait to get it. I really have the best husband ever. He has been by me, supported me, held me together, and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I literally couldn't have made it through that journey without him by my side. And that's what I think of when I look at it- how lucky I am to have him in my life to go on our journey together.


A little out of order, but the honeymoon post will follow soon!

Reception

After taking some pictures with family and the bridal party, we entered the reception to celebrate the night away! Our first dance was to "The Way You Look Tonight." Tim and I had been taking dance lessons for months learning a foxtrot to this song. It's a good thing that we practiced so much, because we were definitely on autopilot on the dance floor! It was beautiful. And wonderful.

Afterwards, came the Father-Daughter dance to "What a Wonderful World" and the Mother-Son dance to "In My Life." We also had a couples dance to "God Only Knows." Everyone enjoyed dancing all night! We made sure there was a good mix of "American" music as well as Latin music. The most memorable dances/songs to me were "Thriller" - complete with a knife-fight scene with some of the groomsmen, "Cha cha slide," "We Are Family," and "Shout!" :)

My dad, Maid and Matron of Honor, and Tim's 3 Best Men made speeches. They were amazing. Crying was involved in at least 2/3 of them. Hearing the words of our best friends and family... It was a surreal and wonderful moment. I truly feel blessed to have them in our lives. And honored that they were a part of our wedding. Love you all!!!

We cut the cake, drank champagne, tossed the garter and bouquet, and danced some more! Tim and I also worked on some salsa dancing in our dance lessons, so you know my mom was going to get her dance with Tim! I loved seeing everyone and talking and hugging and laughing and everything! I loved that so many people were there to support us. As the night wound down, we started to say our goodbyes. Hugging and thanking our family and friends, I felt so thankful and grateful to each of them. Having everyone there really made the night that much more special. We danced the last dance to "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts (yes, the "Friends" theme song!) and then Tim and I were on our way through a cloud of bubbles!

We spent our wedding night at the Partridge Inn, where the first order of business was eating the great food that we didn't get to eat at the reception and washed it down with more champagne as we talked about our magical day. We told each other what we did, pictures we took, people we spoke to, and everything that made our day the perfect wedding. It really was the perfect day. Even the little things that didn't go as planned just gave it that "us" touch with how we handled them. I loved every minute of it.

I got to watch our wedding video a couple of days ago. It was so great seeing it! As I watched it, I relived it. I even noticed mannerisms that I don't remember doing. It was so exciting seeing and hearing us say our vows to each other. It was a magical, happy, exciting, perfect, perfect, perfect day.

Ceremony

This part is a huge blur to me. I remember only a few things clearly: not paying attention to the music and trying to start walking down the aisle early, trying so hard not to cry during my vows that I was barely audible, Tim <3, and how unbelievably happy I felt.


When it was time to start lining up, all my bridesmaids grabbed their bouquets and started getting in order. It was so special to see and hear words of encouragement, support, excitement, and love from some of the people I love most. Gisela was the last one out of the the room, as she was the Maid of Honor. The second she stepped out of the room she started crying. I couldn't look at her! I hadn't cried yet, and I was determined to at least make it through the ceremony!! She calmed down and was on her way, then it was just me and my daddy. We talked about our dance, how we're glad it didn't rain, and why I'm supposed to stand to his left as we enter the ceremony but Tim's right as we leave the ceremony. (Thanks, Lorin, for the history behind that, btw! haha!) When the wedding coordinators opened the door for it to be my turn, I practically leaped out of the room.

As soon as I saw Tim, I didn't notice anything or anyone else. I was SO excited! All day everyone kept telling me that I was so calm and they expected me to be stressed out and kinda crazy. But I knew I wasn't going to be like that. I knew who I was walking down that aisle to and I was so excited to finally be there in that moment with him! The bridesmaids walked in to "The Prayer". I was so oblivious to the music I cued my dad to walk too early! Luckily the coordinators had a hold on me to stop me. Ha. Then, the Augusta Symphony Orchestra String Quartet started to play "Seasons of Love" and it was show time. The next 20 minutes.... I can't really recount them. I remember looking at Tim and he was smiling more than I've ever seen him. We said our vows, exchanged rings, lit our unity candle, and were pronounced husband and wife! I was so excited that I couldn't contain a little bounce and a giggle. Seriously the most perfect, magical, special moment in my life. And then we shared our first kiss as a married couple and the moment got even more perfect.

As we started walking up the aisle together, I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. By the time the bridal party met us back inside, I was full-on crying! We all hugged and cried and laughed and took cell phone pictures and I cried more. I kept saying to Tim, "We just did that. We're married!!" Happy. More than happy. Exuberantly jubilant. Best day ever. Ever. Ever ever.

Afterwards: Time to party!!

May 21, 2011 - Our Wedding Day

On our wedding day, I woke up at 7 AM. I was wired, excited, and ready to get married! I took a long bubble bath, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

A staple of my parents' house is that every Sunday morning my dad makes scrambled eggs and toast. That morning, when I went downstairs, my dad was making scrambled eggs! We had breakfast just like we would any other day. Small talk about the weather, funny anecdotes about our family, and "remember that time" stories. And then, it was off to start getting ready! Gisela and Gemita, my cousin and one of my bridesmaids, had already been running errands for me getting together the last few things for the bridesmaids luncheon.


We all met at Jealous Hair Salon where Heather worked her magic! It was very impressive how in 4 hours she could do about 10 different hairstyles and everyone looked fabulous! They were nice enough to let us bring food and mimosas to lunch while we got ready. I was most excited about the charm cake! My mom made her signature vodka-Kahlua cake, sprinkled with powdered sugar on top, and I placed different charms pinned to lavender and green ribbons for each girl to choose. Wish I had taken a picture of it... it looked really cute with all the ribbons!

After we all got our hair done and were all made up and had lunched, we headed back to my house to get dressed and take pictures. Getting me all ready was definitely a team effort! Gisela and Lorin got me into my dress, my mom put my barrette in my hair, and Jessica put my garters on me! My something old was a piece of my grandmother's dress from her 50th wedding anniversary, my something new was my dress <3, my something borrowed was my jewelry from my mom, and my something blue was a barrette that Gisela clipped to my garter. We took pictures inside the house and in our back yard, I drank my wedding day Coke, and then we were ready to start heading down to Sacred Heart! All the bridesmaids hopped into one limo to ride down, then my parents and I took another limo together.

In the mean time, the men-folk met at Sacred Heart to get ready. They took pictures together before the women-folk arrived. When we arrived at Sacred Heart, the bridesmaids and I took more pictures before going into hiding. Tim and I decided to exchange letters with each other before the wedding. This was something that is particularly special to us because for the first 6 years we were together I wrote Tim a letter on each anniversary. It was super special to read Tim's letter before the wedding. And it made even more eager to walk down the aisle! The waiting was killing me. I was literally fighting the urge to jump up and run out there. Knowing my future husband was standing on the other side of that door, all dressed up in his tux and green Converse low-tops, made me just want to be out there with him!!

And then it was FINALLY time.

Friday!

Woke up early, got all dressed up, and we all hopped in our cars and drove to Sacred Heart for the rehearsal! We had a couple last minute changes, but it was no sweat. The happiest time in my life wad upon me and nothing wad going to get in my way! We rehearsed thoroughly. Everyone knew what to do when and we were on our way in under an hour! It was really exciting seeing everyone all lined up and practicing walking and standing how we would the next day. It was such a surreal feeling. It was finally here!! We came back to the house and all split up to complete our tasks. Mine: packing for the honeymoon! I had actually started already, but it got pushed aside while everything else was stealing my attention.


When that was done, I headed down to the Savannah Rapids Pavilion for our Rehearsal Dinner. Tim met me outside and we entered together. This was the first time our families had really met. I only have one local family member and Tim has none nearby so it was the first time everyone would be in the same room together. I was really excited about that. And interested to see how it would go, considering some of my family doesn't speak English. One of my aunts came up to me later and told me in Spanish, "Tim's family seems so nice! I have no idea what they're saying to me, but they seem really great!" it made me laugh. :) Success! The views were great over the river, so everyone enjoyed taking lots and lots of pictures. It was a great night! 

After the rehearsal dinner, the men folk went to play video games on Tim's last night of bachelordom, and the women folk went out for margaritas and karaoke! We went to a nearby Mexican restaurant that we have frequented since high school. So much fun! I love me some karaoke!! 

And then it was bedtime. My last night sleeping as a single lady at my parents' house. Crazy!! I was exhausted from the hustle and bustle of the day, so I went straight to sleep.

Me and Mr. Darcy on our last night just the two of us! He's obviously excited for the wedding.