Getting My Money's Worth

So when we began dental school one of our instructors told us that if we weren't being challenged we weren't getting our money's worth.  Rest assured, I am definitely feeling challenged.  For the last two or three weeks we have had something big due everyday.  It's either been a midterm, oral anatomy test or project, a paper, written or oral quiz and/or a dissection in anatomy.  I get up around 6 each morning and if I have time - do a little studying before class.  I'm in class until five most days and try to study and eat over lunch.  I then come home and push through some more studying until about 10pm.  At that point I just have to accept that I can't do anymore that day, go to sleep and then start all over again.

I usually get between 4-8 hours of studying in on Saturdays to stay afloat.  I think the worst of it is over now for this semester.  I have part one and two of a final tomorrow and Wednesday.  After that I should have at least five more hours a week to study and focus on my remaining classes.  So with my first drill weekend I think it was a solid two weeks without any sort of a break.  Trust me, this Saturday was very welcome.  I don't know if I've ever looked forward to Thanksgiving so hopefully before.

Last weekend I went up to Camp Ripley for my first National Guard drill weekend.  It went very well.  So well in fact that I think if all of my experiences are like this one, my military experience will be quite positive.  I even got paid when I was supposed to, it's amazing.  A fellow classmate who I also know from church was commissioned on the same day.  It was really nice to have another dental student to carpool and be new at everything with.  (There are so many acronyms and bits of information coming at you it was good to have someone to conquer and divide the info with.)  Coming in as an officer you start drilling without any formal training.  So it was pretty awkward to be saluted while walking around and called Ma'am (I didn't learn what I was supposed to do in response until 24 hours after it started.)  Being the daughter of an enlisted Marine I am well aware that there are plenty of enlisted people who resent the fact that I came in at a higher rank and know nothing about the military.  So I tread lightly and will certainly not flaunt my officer status.

Minnesota isn't exactly a military hub, so buying uniforms was a bit challenging.  There was a small place here in the cities where I didn't get any help picking out what I needed and they had limited supplies.  I had to guess the rest of the things I needed and order them online.  So Saturday morning at 4am I am trying to put my uniform on the way I think it might go.  We arrived at the base at 6:30am and I think it took maybe two minutes before people in my new unit stopped me and told me that I needed to be fixed.  Apparently my boots are all wrong, my top uniform too small (they don't come any smaller) I was either missing or had the wrong patches and my hair wasn't up properly.  They were very helpful in correcting how to wear my uniform, but they didn't hold back that they were thinking it was a good thing I wasn't part of their unit because I would have embarrassed them.  It didn't phase me too much though.  I figured I would have at least one event like that and everyone was more than happy to help.

I am in a program with medical and PA students so I got to meet a few other new officers as well.  Most of them were prior service so they helped fill me in a bit more in the ways of the military.  I think my general responsibilities each weekend will be helping with the dental examinations.  This will involve taking health histories, going through paperwork to determine radiograph and exam need as well as exposing radiographs.  Since I have a hygiene background I started taking bitewings on Sunday.  In a shorter day I took 119 bitewings.  (Thank goodness for digital radiography.)  I can only imagine what that total will be in future weekends.  (Our dental unit does an average of 350-500 dental exams a weekend.)  The people in my unit are great and I am looking forward to working with them.  My favorite part of the weekend was attending a continuing medical education seminar on cold weather injuries.  It was an hour presentation over breakfast with the MDs and other students.  I really hope to keep going to those even if they aren't directly related to the care I give.

The days are a little long, I was wiped out for the rest of the week but it was definitely worth it.  So far everything I've heard about the officer basic course is that it is fun.  It sounds a lot like camping with my family - orienteering, navigation, tents etc.  We will see.

One last note to this long post.  Tuesday was the Anatomy Memorial Service.  It was a service held to show appreciation to the families whose loved ones donated their bodies to be used in anatomy.   I sang in the choir with the med students and enjoyed my associations with them and utilizing my talents.  It was an emotional experience being able to talk to the families who came.  I may dislike the formaldehyde but the learning experience we gain is essential to training our hands and minds.  I feel recommitted to learning in that class when I remember the gift that people have offered to enable me to do so.

Teeth and Stuff

It's hard to believe that it's been several weeks since my last post. The weeks are just flying by. Dental school is going well. I am currently dealing with a few adjustments. In the last two weeks I've had 13 credits added to my schedule. That currently brings me to 22 credits with a total of 24 to be completed by the end of the semester. The time consuming classes right now are histology, gross anatomy and biochemistry. I know you are all jealous and wish you could be in class eight hours a day with lots of studying afterward. I'm sure you will get by. My favorite class is oral anatomy. We learn about all of the tiny details of each tooth and then in lab, work on creating them from wax to internalize the information.







I've also started using the new dental simulation clinic at the school. The University of Minnesota has one of the only simulation clinics this advanced. It uses GPS technology to teach students proper ergonomics and appropriate tooth preparations for restorations. The GPS detects where the handpiece is placed and what plastic tooth material has been removed. The preparation is then simulated into a 3-D image on a computer screen which can be compared to an ideal preparation. It also offers objective grading. The experience has been pretty good. I find the computer feedback to be helpful - I just wish the handpiece wasn't so heavy.

Here is a link to a video to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.dentistry.umn.edu/news/tvspot/home.html

We started gross anatomy this past week. Yes, we do work with cadavers. We are very fortunate to have people who have been kind enough to donate their bodies to allow us to learn. It's tough work though and there is a lot of preparation involved and ridiculous amount of information learn. I'm also practicing with a choir that will perform for the memorial surface to honor the families of those who donated their bodies.

In other news I have found a wonderful opportunity for school. I will most likely be joining the National Guard later this month. It's a very family friendly and flexible option to fund school and serve the country. I will be working specifically in dentistry and the tuition benefits are good. There are a lot of details; but the basic idea is that I will be drilling once a month for the next eight years. (Four before graduation and four as a licensed dentist.) Following graduation I will continue drilling but have the option (or need) to be deployed as a dentist with the Army. If that were the case it would only be for 90 days and I can't be deployed for 18 months after that. I've put a lot of thought into it and Jason and I feel this is the best option for us. I look at it this way: I will owe my soul to somebody in order to pay for school. It's either the military for eight or the bank for much, much longer.

Jason and I had a wonderful anniversary. Autumn this year has been amazing. It is an unusally warm fall and the leaves are changing colors at a reasonable rate. (Some years they start and drop leaves within three weeks.) Life is good, albeit busy.

School Is Great!

I know that some of my posts have some sarcastic undertones. However, when I say that school is going great I really mean it. I have completed two weeks thus far and am having a blast. I have met some great people in my class. One of my classmates lives a block away and I have a fantastic group of girls to carpool with. I know it's early and our class is still in the honeymoon stage of school but I think there are some really sincere and good people in it. School feels very much like home to me. Between seeing old friends and faculty and being surrounded by a bunch of super geeks like me I couldn't be happier.

Our school schedule has started out pretty light with tomorrow being our first day of class from 7:45am until 5pm. (With an hour lunch break.) By October most of our days will be like that and the material will probably start to get overwhelming. As for right now the highlight of the weeks has been waxing up teeth. we are given a stump of plastic and with wax and carving tools create an ideal tooth. The idea is that by creating these teeth we may better understand the anatomy of each individual tooth. Needless to say some people are a bit frustrated considering this is quite different than typical classes.

In other great news I finished my first 5K run yesterday. I was definitely one of the slowest runners but I finished and walked only a small bit of the route. My main goal was to finish and run most of it. I feel like I ran farther than I expected to and fortunately finished far ahead of the walkers. It was the first annual Mouths in Motion walk/run put on by the dental school student association. (ASDA) All proceeds went to oral cancer research at the U. It was great to be out for a good cause and the weather couldn't have been better. The environment was extremely positive with plenty of cheering from fellow classmates, other dental students and faculty. Our dental anatomy professor Dr. Madden pledged to contribute up to a million dollars - a dollar for each dental student that finished ahead of him. Sadly, I didn't beat him - maybe next year.

Mini Golf and the Sculpture Garden

Friday night Jason and I made it to the Walker Art Museum for their summer exhibit: Walker Inside Out, Art Goes Outdoors.  They are doing a miniature golf set up.  Each hole was designed by an artist used an environmental theme.  Materials used were either eco-friendly or made a statement about recycling, water conservation etc.  We played fairly decently - no holes in one, but I did win by two strokes.

Can you find Jason?

 

Following our round of miniature golf we walked over to the sculpture gardens.  After five years of living out here I finally got to see it all.  That means another check on the list of things to enjoy out here.

 

Yes, that is a giant cherry on a spoon.

 

I think this swing/sculpture would be really cool in my backyard to be.  What do you think?

 

As a side I'm expanding my list of things I can do.  This week I successfully used a power drill without any mishaps.  (Now all I have to do is learn how to use a much smaller one on teeth.)  Additionally, Jason and I received a painting in a classy but battered frame when we bought our furniture.  On Dianne's suggestion I found some wood putty and using my paints and skills from my art class have made it look like new.

 

School orientation begins in three days - I can't wait!

Back In Minnesota

So, it's been a little while since I last blogged.  I am going to blame  that on moving and Murphy.  Each time I have sat down to blog this past week Murphy came and sat on the keyboard or right in front of it.  Currently, I am resting my left arm on his body and he is licking my right arm as I struggle to type over him.  If you push him off he just keeps coming back.

 

 

We were able to do a few fun things before leaving Milwaukee.  Here are some pictures of going out to dinner with one of the dental offices I worked at - Quinn Dental.  I also added some views of my operatory.  I'm really going to miss the great people I worked with at both offices and of course the windows.  There are no windows in the clinics and classrooms I will be in for the next four years.

 

 

Jason and I also made it out camping.  It's something we hope to do more of now that Jason actually has Saturdays off.  We went to Big Foot Beach State Park.  We met our goals of breaking in our new huge tent, eating smores and having a fire.  We even went biking and cooled off swimming in Lake Geneva.  (It's on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois.)  Unfortunately it was really hot and muggy and the mosquitos were unbearable; so we bailed a night early.  For car camping I thought it was a pretty lame site.  There wasn't any separation from one camp site to the next.  We might as well have been on a parade ground.  I don't mind roughing it but I hate pit toilets.  I can't help but think that something is alive down in them just waiting for me to sit down in the dark.  Jason thought I was nuts, but while he was sleeping I saw the sewage guy come to clean out the pit toilet. As I was watching he pulled out his tube from the pit then took a shovel and hit it a few times.  He then picked up some kind of large rodent (maybe a possum?) and dropped it off in a bucket.  I'm not crazy, these things do happen and apparently often enough if he's got a bucket for it.  To make things more exciting we had a woman stop at 10pm and yell at us while we were in our tents.  Apparently she is a professional storm spotter (she may have been drunk or just out there) and was concerned that we were going to have torrential storms that night.  (It rained but wasn't bad.)  We told the rangers about in the morning, I guess we just attract some odd ducks.

 

 

We've been in Minnesota for two weeks now.  It didn't take long to feel right at home.  There were certainly good things that happened to us while we were in Milwaukee; however we are much happier and more comfortable here.  (At least until the snow hits.)  Our move went well and we had some great people help us both loading and unloading.  It only took 80 minutes to unload everything from our truck and the U-Haul with the muscle we had helping us.  

 

 

 

Our location is great.  I went exploring this week and biked all the way to campus and back.  It will be a bit of a haul - seven miles one way I think.  I'm going to give it a go in good weather.  I doubt that I will make it through the entire winter this year.  The cities are a great place to bike - they keep adding all of these fantastic bike routes within the city so you can bike almost anywhere you want if you are willing.  It takes Jason six minutes to bike to work and we've been able to spend lunches together before I start school.

 

I had a great time sharing the fabulous cities with Jason's parents: Harry and Dianne.  We were able to do a fair amount.  Harry was super helpful putting up some artwork and other handyman sorts of things.  We did all sorts of things like furniture shopping on Monday and checking out the restaurant The Rainforest Cafe at the Mall of America.  Jason started his job on Wednesday so Harry and Dianne and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, took a mini tour of my school and enjoyed a bit of antiquing in Stillwater. 

 

 

 

I'm really looking forward to starting school in the next week and a half.  The weather has been nice and I'm enjoying some down time before things get busy.  I had an enjoyable birthday with plenty of cake, ice cream and friends we haven't seen in a year.  I am also sporting a new bike helmet that I am super pumped about thanks to Harry and Dianne.  I now feel that if I were to really need to use it would actually do something for me.                                                                                                                                                                     

Happy Birthday Becca!

(I wanted to just post this cute video here but I couldn't figure out how...later, later I will. For now follow the link, watch and enjoy!) ...yeah I figured it out...I'm so savvy ;)

Happy Birthday wishes to you!

Love ya!

Memories....

Colette posted this on her blog:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you!

I figure hey, lets run with this and post some fun reminiscences of the good ol' days in Crown Niner and in good ol' E. Richards.

Summer Happenings

Summer has finally arrived in Wisconsin.  During the last month of Jason's internship he started to get weekend days off.  Hence, we've been able to take advantage of many more things to do together here in the area.

 

Jason and I went to Polish festival on June 21st.  During the summer time Milwaukee comes alive and there is a different festival every weekend at the festival grounds which are on Lake Michigan in the third ward district downtown   These include major ethnic festivals like Summerfest, German, Irish and Polish festival among others.  We went and watched some traditional polish dancing and of course ate pierogies, polish sausage and saurkraut.  (Mmmm, I like saurkraut.)  Here are pictures from the dancing, Jason couldn't get over how tall one of the dancers was.  Later on in the show people from the audience got to dance a bit and I ended up dancing with the super tall guy - there must have been almost a two foot difference between us.  The group was made of some pretty good and very nice dancers who came from Michigan to perform.

 

 

While Jason was at one of his last Saturday shifts Rachel and I hit the Strawberry festival in one of the local towns.  There were surprisingly few strawberries at the festival.  I saw an occasional booth for strawberry shortcake and I two that sold pints of strawberries for outrageous prices.  Otherwise it has turned into a gigantic craft fair of sorts with music, fair food and entertainment.  It was huge, there must have been well over a hundred tents with everything from homemade soap to handcrafted wood toys, purses, etc.  We didn't buy much but we had fun looking at all of the artwork and just being outside.

 

July 4th I went out to be with my family while Jason saved lives at AEC.  We went canoeing at a place a couple hours north of Madison.  It's a popular spot where you start canoeing on a small river and get picked up by the dock a few miles down the river.  All in all it's close to a "three hour tour" that actually only takes that long.  Rachel was the skipper and through our fabulous team work we managed to avoid getting tipped out in the rapidly moving parts amongst large boulders and low overhanging branches.  (Trust me, not very many people in the group could say that.)  Following the trip we returned for a BBQ and fireworks that my brother Curtis made.  (He also "modified" a few other fireworks.)  That went pretty well, no one was harmed which was important, although we had to run and get out of the way of a few of the fireworks.  Mostly it was fun to see Curtis light things and then scream like a little girl as he ran to cover. 

 

The next day my family participated in the Sun Prairie Flags of Freedom parade.  My Mom entered us for her studio and we had a fun little group going along.  Rachel and I were pretending to sit for a portrait in the back of our "float"  (a red pick up truck)  One of the photographers had an antique camera he was using to pretend to take pictures.  My sister Emily walked along as well with an empty framed around her face as a living portrait.  My mom and another photographer took pictures of the crowd and later posted them on her studio website for people to come and check out.  (My dad passed out flyers w/ promotionals and the website:  www.suburbanstudio.com You can go under special events and type in the password "fun" to see photos.  We did it to get some more exposure for the studio, and I think it was a big success.  The site has gotten several hits since then and people have been calling the studio to ask about the pictures.  It was also great to be out as a family supporting my mom in her new endeavors as a small business owner.

 

Immediately following the parade (which was at 2pm - who does that?) my parents, Emily and I drove to Milwaukee to catch the Brewers baseball game.  Rachel went too but had seats with someone whe knew from the Navy.  Jason was able to join us for that and we were able to watch the game from the nosebleed section.  It was perfect, the length of the game was good, we got to see some good plays and we won in the bottom of the ninth against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

Yesterday  Jason and I went out for a fifteen mile bike ride which was quite pleasant.  The weather was perfect and the trail we used is great.  We had planned on going camping but with the thunderstorms lately we bailed at the last minute.  So we have plans to get out before we move.

Elder Sweetpea Home!

So I posted this on my redhead blog but wanted to put it up here special too...with a picture.


Today my younger brother returned home from serving a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As he came striding down the terminal, my mom and I began gleefully jumping up and down (yes, also clapping and screaming) while grandma stood on the sidelines shaking her head - apparently she doesn't want to claim us. Anyway, I saw coming down the escalator, a man I had never seen before, a man who had just accomplished something spectacular and he was glowing to prove it.

Just hearing him speak, you can tell how much he has grown. I'm sure he could go on for hours listing all the things he learned on his mission and how many ways he's changed physically, emotionally, spiritually not to mention all the lives he has touched. Of all the many wonderful things a mission does, changing the missionary is one of the most impressive. I myself have never served a full time mission and have often wondered what this kind of selfless sacrifice might have done for me. It takes a certain type of person to accept the intense commitment a mission requires and I never really had faith enough in myself for it. But there he is, standing with pure confidence in front of me, my little brother demonstrating what willingness to give in pure service is, and with that sparkling smile everyone knows he served well.

I recently had a discussion with a good friend about what it means to be a man. Despite my continual protests and shameless jabs, I walked away with an understanding that only the individual can decide when he truly is a man. Other people can sternly tell you, "you are now a man," but it is only when the boy himself walks the bridge to claim his manhood that it becomes real. Without question, a mission is one of the most difficult bridges but my brother crossed it, and he is now a man.

This is not the first of my family to serve a mission and it will certainly not be the last, but with each experience comes even more respect and appreciation for both my family and my church. Two years ago we sent off a 19 year old boy with a brand new suit and an eager heart and today he came home with 30 more pounds and an overflowing spirit of new wisdom and love. I stand in awe of him today, for who he is, for what he has done and for standing strong in faith. Even more, I stand in awe for his ability to do it all with such grace and then to still walk with the humility to ask what more he can do.

I love my brother. I often tell people he is the male version of me (minus the red hair), which I have always felt to be true and certainly explains our great relationship. Today, he is more than that - he is also a man and for his extraordinary example of strength I could not be more grateful.

Rubin and Ed

The other day "you've got to admit that... (I don't remember what had to be admitted)" was said and it made me think of Stephanie's favorite movie, Rubin and Ed. :) "You've got to admit that your cat's dead. You have to admit that." I even looked it up online, and apparently it's a cult classic. On imdb.com someone from Milwaukee, or Minnesota, or one of those "M" places somewhere east of where I live had put a comment on there saying it was a must see movie and great if you have a quirky sense of humor, and some other stuff. It also had some of the famous quotes, so I thought I'd share this lovely memory with y'all so you could go back and watch it whenever you happen to come across a copy of Rubin and Ed.
"My cat can eat a whole watermelon!"

Traveling

So with the weather warming up to the sixties on a good day I've been getting out a bit more.  On May tenth I got up bright and early and drove to Madison to meet up with my parents and Rachel.  We all piled into one car and made our way to Northern Iowa.  Over the last few years my dad has been working on finishing his bachelor's degree at one of Upper Iowa University's satellite schools.  His graduation ceremony was held on the original campus, hence our commute.  It was a lovely school and the ceremony was nice.  There was an emphasis on encouraging students to be global citizens, I thought it was an appropriate topic.  It's been nice to live close enough to take part in special experiences with my family.  Here's a collage my mom put together of the day. 

 

 

Jason worked Memorial Day so I headed out to Madison again and went kayaking with my mom and sister Emily.  We didn't take cameras due to the whole water thing, but it was a blast.  We saw frogs, turtles and lots of fish while out on the lakes.  We worked our way through a chain of lakes and had a good time.  The wind in the middle of the lakes reminded Emily and I of our Boundary waters experience.  It reinforced my affinity for kayaks though, they really are fun to be in. 

 

On Saturday of Memorial weekend Jason actually had the day off so we hiked and picnicked at a beach along Lake Michigan and then went on a tour of the Sprecher brewery.  They are a microbrewery in Glendale that makes fantastic root beer soda and several other sodas.

 

Jason and I just got back from an overnight trip to the Twin Cities to look for apartments.  We kind of covered everything from old and dumpy college apartments to "luxury" living, that wasn't really luxury.  In the end we found a modest apartment we both like that will be quiet, warm and a 5-10 minute walk to Jason's work and the grocery store.  I'll be busing or driving to school, but it's not impossibly far and fortunately the bridge collapse will not impact the exit I need to take to get to school.

 

In other news, my painting class is over.  I really enjoyed it and feel like I learned much more than I expected to.  In the realm of arts I also made a music connection with one of my patients.  He has two pianos and invited me over for four-handed, two piano duets.  (I got to play on their baby grand Steinway - yes I was loving it!)  We got together at the end of May and had a great time playing various duets including some great Brahms waltzes I was not familiar with.  He and his wife are really great people I have enjoyed getting to know.  Playing duets on two pianos was a new experience for me, it really changes the type of music that can be played.  We're hoping to get together at least once more before I move.

Hot hot hot!

Well, it's half-way through May and we've made it so far without it getting too hot yet. But alas, the forecast for early next week says it's finally going to hit 100+ degrees. And this is what Rachel thinks about that:So we're going to Utah for Memorial day weekend to escape the heat--in fact it's supposed to only be in the 60s for highs. Brrrrr! Rachel only has like 2 long sleeve shirts. I guess we'll be staying inside mostly.

And just so you know, I don't just sit idly by watching my daughter cry while I snap pictures. She was a little cranky that night, and was sitting there watching Baby Einstein, and about every 2 or 3 minutes she would decide to remind us that she was cranky and cry for 5 seconds before getting back to the DVD. This is mostly what she looked like:

Small World

Behold the power of Crown 9 and the friendships formed.  I just got back from a stake relief society conference and ran into Coralie.  Do you remember her?  I think she lived in the apartment on the second floor just North of ours.  Anyway, I was wandering around in an activity and thought I recognized her.  So I asked if she went to BYU and she even remembered my name.  We chatted for a few minutes.  Apparently her husband is from out here and they have lived here about a year.  It was funny to hear her say refer to Crown 9.  You would have been proud of the way she said it.  Way to keep the reputation of a crazy bunch of girls!

Oh, so speaking of small world, do you guys remember a Stacy from our freshman ward?  I believe she lived immediately below us.  I ran into her at my parents ward.  Apparently she married a guy who grew up in Sun Prairie.  They are out in San Jose California if I can remember correctly.  There are no such things as goodbyes in the church, you always run into people again.  I'll try to start taking pictures of these people to help jog memories if I think of it.  We just need to run into each other a little more frequently. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDI

Happy Birthday Wendi, you crazy monkey!!

The Milwaukee Art Museum

Last Saturday I finally convinced my sister Rachel to come to the art museum with me.  They were holding their version of art in bloom so it was a must see event.  We went to the Minnesota institute of art's art in bloom last year.  Local flower artists are invited to create an arrangement inspired by pieces within the museum.  I have included pictures of some of my favorites.  Some of the bouquets are obviously linked to a certain piece.  Others took awhile for Rachel and I to figure out which portrait brought it to be.  I apologize for the fuzzy pictures.  There is also a snapshot from Easter thrown in there.  It was probably the most challenging hunt ever due to the snow.  The eggs sunk in and you could walk by them several times and not see them.

 

I would like to take this moment to publicly thank all institutes that offer student discounts.  They rock!  I have had some amazing experiences at theaters, museums etc. from their understanding price break.  Hoorah for going back to school!

 

Fruit anyone?

 

So I have been doing a fair amount of temp work over the winter.  It brings in a little extra money and helps fill the weekend when I'm not Jason's at the clinic (which was every weekend).  Temping usually involves setting up a day in advance to sub for another hygienist at any given office.  (I have gone as far as thirty miles away to do this.)  I have also been called the morning of asking me to go in if possible.  In short, this experience has been less than pleasant.  It seems that with the exception of one office, most of these places are what are termed hygiene mills in the dental community.  I get 30 minutes for children and 40 minutes for adults to: take x-rays, assess their gum health, update their records, remove all that has been left on their teeth (The last part is very difficult because most of these places have scanty and inefficient tools), get an exam, record what I did and make it a somewhat pleasant experience.  Of course that's all moving around in someone else's area and with their dental products.  I have seen cleaning practices that make me uncomfortable and perio protocols that are seriously lacking.  I was even in an office where they dip their radiograph films by hand to chemically process them.  (That hasn't been done as accepted practice in decades.)  Fortunately, I haven't had to do any cold sterilization; I promised myself I would simply walk out of an office asking me to do that.  At the end of the day I'm exhausted and often wonder if it's worth the extra effort.  Now that the weather is getting better, I think I'm going to be much more selective of the temp jobs I take.  It definitely makes me grateful for the positions that I have.  They were certainly worth the wait and have been wonderful places to work with kind people and high quality care.

Google Reader

FYI for all you blog slackers (not that I'm exempt from that title at all): Of course Google is the smartest of all companies in their monopoly of the web, and my little bro has always been quite the Google fan, keeping me informed of their most recent products, like google calendar, or google documents, or google homepage, or google whatever. And for people who read blogs, there is google reader. You can set up google reader to check all the blogs you read, and whenever there's a new posting it'll come up on google reader, so instead of checking 10 blogs, you just check google reader, kind of like checking your email inbox for the new messages/posts. And you can even post a feed on your google homepage so it'll show new postings there. I like the thing, so I just thought I'd pass the word along.
And as a side note, my little bro just found out yesterday he got his dream internship with Google for this summer, so he's pretty excited, I guess.
Have a great day, everyone!

Pics

For your viewing pleasure...
Here's Gino--short for Penguino. Rachel loves chewing on his beak. And the rest of these, I realized after I started uploading them, are of Rachel in her high chair. She does spend time outside of her high chair every once in a while... but you won't see any of that today.
Here's a book you could really sink your teeth into (as long as you have teeth).

Awwwwww.
Rachel's first experience with solid food.

WWF?

While this looks like Shannon winning a wrestling match by virtue of the headlock she grabbed Zub with, it is really much simpler. Its a hug from a loving big sister... all together now... Awwww.

A Lil' Red

Dear Red,
I am "interested" in a certain "someone" who will remain "name less". I really want to "sweep" this certain "someone" off of "their feet" for Valentines. But I "don't know" how to "go about it". What can "I" do?
"Unknown"

Dear Air Quoter,
For starters, you've got to stop "that" right now. Next, by "someone" I'm sure you mean me and I like sparkly jewelry. But let's be honest, Valentine's Day is not a holiday to mess around with so unless you're extremely clever (or she's completely smitten) sticking with the cliché is the only way to go. Plan on spending some cash and do your best to not blow "it".
Ring size 6,
Red


Dear Red,
I am writing to you because I am currently eating a frozen pizza that isn't completely thawed, while drinking from a glass that appears to have some type of growth at the bottom. The problem is I can't take care of myself. I really need someone who can help me pick out my clothes, cook my frozen pizza's and wash my towels. I have thought about getting married, but no one seems to be interested in the position. What can I do?
Helpless

Dear Gavin,
I think perhaps you have a literacy problem. You do know they put heating instructions on the back of the box, right? Listen, being helpless is super cute…if you're a puppy. But come on man; get up and wash your glass - that's just not healthy.
What would your mother say?
Red

Some Spring

My apologies Stephanie for not posting.  Will you forgive me for having some boring snow filled months and our internet down?  (Excuses, excuses....)  Let me just put here that Rachel is very talented at sucking her toes.  Stephanie - your slide show was awesome, it made me want to start planning our crown 9er reunion so we can all partake in the fun.  Wendi - I want to hear more about what you think of the culture and happenings out East.

So here we are on the second day of spring with fourteen inches of snow predicted.  Granted, as I write this we have only gotten seven, but more is to come.  I was watching the news and most Good Friday services as well as egg hunts have been canceled.  Additionally, as I was driving home from work I hit a stretch of ice on the highway - I had little trouble stopping but I saw the trailer of the semi two-hundred feet behind me slide out uncontrollably as the driver tried to bring his vehicle to a stop.  Knowing there was nothing but air between his vehicle and mine was a bit scary, but all was well (other than the three car accident in front of us).

 

(View from our apartment mid-storm)

I've managed to pick up several extra days working lately at various offices around town.  At one office near the UWM campus I met the coolest molecular biology professor.  We had a great conversation during his appointment and he explained his research to me.  He even invited me to his lab to see the photobacterium he works on.  Since I was so close I decided to go.  After finally finding the lab he showed me around and had already streaked my very own agar plate with Photobacterium phosphoreum - a bacteria isolated from the gut of fish find in Oregon.  We chatted a little while, talked about music and his daughter in son-in-law in the Twin Cities.  I then left and let my bacteria grow.  After one day if you took it into the dark it shone bright blue.  (Think blue in the same brightness and color as a blue glowstick.)   tried to take a picture, but it was in the dark - sorry.  You'll just have to take my word for it, it was awesome.  There are few things as fun as getting geeks together to talk about stuff they love - I know you are all jealous.

  (

(The Agar plate - this picture doesn't do it justice.)

Other highlights of the past month have included a visit from my Grandmother Pat.  I hadn't seen her in about six years and she had never been to Wisconsin before.  She finally got to meet Jason and we introduced her to the game of Catch Phrase, so good times were had by all.  The same day she visited I was able to get Jason and I tickets to the Milwaukee Ballet.  They were showing Shakespeare's "A Midnight Summer's Dream."  The set was amazing and the music wonderful.

  Grandma Pat

In February I took a bus for a day trip to the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting.  I was overwhelmed with what a huge convention it was.  I spent four hours walking the convention floor and didn't even get close to seeing half of it.  Think of that like Disneyland for Dentists, you wait in line to learn about the newest products, everything from toothpaste to lasers.  I then went and listened to a lecture on pediatric diagnoses, hopped back on the bus provided by a dental supply company to get home.

We are now approaching the high school musical season.  My sister and I caught the musical "Once on this Island" at one of the local schools.  It was between that one or Les Miserables.  Since Rachel hadn't seen either she decided we should go to one we have never heard about since we wouldn't have any expectations.  The students did a very good job and I will even say there were some outstanding performers in it and some very clever choreography.  It was also pretty fun to know that I had met some of the students in the musical as patients at work.  I'm really looking forward to settling down in one area someday; taking part of the community and supporting the people in it on a long term basis.  I feel like so much of my recent life has been hellos and goodbyes without much development in between.  At least we will be in one place for the next four years. 

 

It couldn't be anymore official that we are moving back to Minnesota.  I'm looking forward to it despite the cold that comes along with the deal.  The summers are amazing though and we'll be in back in plenty of time for the state fair.  My art class is going well, I am definitely learning lots.  I'm currently working on my very own composition, while it's not finished I think it's turning out close to what I had envisioned.  Here's another completed landscape assignment for your viewing pleasure.

Eating toes

Well, I've finally gotten around to posting on here so Steph isn't so lonely in her blog postings. Here's a lovely video of a naked baby, although after the initial shot I tried to preserve some of Rachel's dignity for the rest of the time. She likes sticking anything she can get her hands on in her mouth, and she is so happy to be able to finally get her hands on her feet.

If you want another cute video to watch, check out Rachel laughing on my blog. She's such a cutie.

Ahem...

So are you guys revolting because it took me so long to post something? Listen, I said it - I'm sorry and now I've made amends by posting 3 things - bam bam bam. Don't make me get on my knees and beg for more - pretty please (ok that was a little begging)

And then there was Disney...

I didn't think it was enough to just have a party in honor of my birth so I decided to take a trip to Disneyworld - I mean why not?!?

We spend three days taking in as much as we could and it was pretty amazing. First day Magic Kingdom, then Epcot and topped it off with Hollywood Studios where we almost wet out pants on the Tower of Terror. It was so nice to just run around, looking at really cool things and spending money! We had such a blast and I think we should have a 'girls only' outting like this at least once a year.

There were so many great pics I just decided to post a little slideshow...enjoy!!!

Next, a birthday!

Happy 27th to me!!

When a single lady is about to turn the age of seven and twenty a party in most certainly in order. In honor of the amazing year of my birth I decided to throw myself a little 80's party and it was totally wicked sweet. People came all decked out in the best of 80's fashions and we danced the night away to Blondie and Billy Idol.

Lizzy made me an amazingly crazy neon cake fit enough for Punky Bruster and sure enough I got my face shoved in that very cake - ah good times.

You don't have to dedicate an entire evening like I did but I would like to encourage you all to take a moment of silence in honor of the 80's. I mean seriously, when else could you wear blue eyeshadow, crimped hair and leggins all at the same time!

Please be sure to take note of my amazing butterfly leggins I whipped right up just for this...top that Madonna!

First, a wedding...

So what if I'm like 3 months behind at least I'm finally posting something!! Yes, yes you can give me a hard time for starting this blog and then being the 'official' slacker, well aside from LE and Autumn ;)

(boy, don't I have some attitude!)

My lil bro's wedding was pretty sweet although I can't pretend that I still don't really believe it actually happened - so very weird. They got married in the San Antonio temple - sweet and short service...actually it was the shortest I've ever been in, in fact I'm sure there was even time to sit down - ha ha. Anyway I was a lucky lady in red and I must say my little bros looked absolutely adorable in their suits!

You know what the weirdest part about my brother getting married is that now I sorta have a sister...crazy.

Snow and Such

Apparently Milwaukee has had a phenomenal amount of snow this year.  While most people are sick of it and complaining, I still find it quite beautiful.  Then again, I don't have a driveway to shovel.  The above is a picture of Jason from our Cross Country Skiing adventure in January.

The cats are up to their usual mischief.  I was cooking in the kitchen when I heard something in the cupboards...Murphy just can't stay out of those small places.

When I was applying for dental school the admissions committee advised me to take an art class to help with my detail and perceptual ability.  I found a class through the local recreational department that the school has approved of.  My choices were watercolor or acrylic.  I called my mom to see which medium she had more supplies for and then signed up for the acrylic class.  I have actually enjoyed myself far more than I thought I would.  The teacher is great, and I love learning without having to earn a grade.  The above is a product of my own brush.  I really enjoyed creating the colors and working on brush strokes.  The idea was not mine, but I thought it was pretty good for my first painting experience since elementary school.

 

This is a tree from outside of our apartment.  I took it the morning after our huge snowstorm.  I like the way the snow has frosted the tree.  I walked to work the day of the storm (it's about a mile away).  It's a good thing too, I was three people that day: hygienist, assistant and receptionist.  Despite the storm Dr. Quinn and I worked 3/4 of the day.  I walked home in the worst of the storm, across a field that was knee deep with snow.  I had a blast doing it - I was dressed in my winter gear and it was the end of the day so all was well.  My philosophy was the less cars on the road the better.  (The city actually pulled some of the snow plows off the road it was getting so bad.)  I had a car pull over and beg to give me a ride home, they had seen me walking to work that morning and thought for sure I was going to succumb to the storm.  I gratefully declined and had one of the best workouts in a while getting home.

 

With all of the snow and the cold weather school has been canceled twice in the past two weeks.  This type of weather means cut hours for me which is tough on a few levels.  Thus, I've had a fair amount of reading time on my hands.  I've indulged in reading six of the books from the Anne of Green Gables series.  Any suggestions for other cheerful reads?

Carina

Dude, did you guys know that Carina has a second kid now? I had no idea, and apparently he's already almost two months old. Are we all filled in or do we need to post pictures for her? Anyone heard from Ellie lately?

Hey slacker!

So Steph, where are all those fun pictures from Walt's great land of fun?

Well, I guess that's really all I've got to say. Nothing much new going on here. Rachel is still the cutest kid ever. She's talking quite a bit (mostly saying ah-goo a million times in a row, which means "you are the coolest mom ever and I really like smiling at you"), and she's really smiley, especially when she wakes up in the middle of her nap--she'll smile really big for 3-5 minutes, then all of a sudden start crying like someone poked her really hard, or something. Then she struggles to get back to sleep. But if I manage to avoid eye contact and the smiley-ness, she goes back to sleep pretty easy.

I guess I'll post one of her cute pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Zub and the dainty little lady

He really is a happy kid most of the time, except when I'm trying to make him eat.
She broke the lens cover off the camera so now it is hers. She is pretty excited about that. I think I will be getting a new camera eventually.

Happy Birthday Colette

Thanks for paving the way through 27, you make it look like a lot of fun! Go paint the town and be sure to teach Rachel all of your mischievous tricks.

Happy birthday Steph!

Happy birthday to you!
You live in a zoo.
You look like a monkey,
And you smell like one, too!

Hope you have a great day! Just think... just 3 more years till the big 3-0. Live it up, you wild woman!

Dancing?!!

Ok... so while it looks like Cameron is bustin' out with some totally awesome dance moves, which I am sure would make you all snicker with glee, I am afraid I am going to have to disillusion you. This is Zubby just standing up on his own without any help. He is a bit unsteady on his feet, resulting in the awesome dance move positions.