Waikiki!

We did it! We just booked our vacation in March. Waikiki here we come!
March is the only month Philip will get vacation so we are going to make it count:) He has done endless research the past few days. He found such a good deal on our hotel and flight. I am a little nervous about the 12 hours worth of flying, but lucky for me my husband can supply me with phenergan. and of course I had severe anxiety when we hit the 'confirm' button. but we decided a long time ago we wanted to travel a lot. especially before kids. babies aren't exactly an ideal scuba accessory. and they don't fit well on the end of a surf board:)
We found a package deal for scuba diving too. We can do four dives and get our open water certification! So when we come back we will both be certified scuba divers:) We are both so excited!!!

Back at It

thanks for the bone aunt rachel!

It's back to work tomorrow for the both of us. bummer. in the time we have been off, the ER flooded (pipe burst in the new hospital) but its all cleaned up. we missed all the drama thank goodness. but it has been an amazing 5 days off. Philip and I have gotten to spend so much time together. its been so nice. its been nice going to all family functions, together. and getting to talk on the drive there. and rehash on the drive back. and watch tv together at night. and make dinner together. and work on our new puzzle together. and grocery shop together. We have connected so much this month. and it makes me worry about January. it will probably be the worst month of his residency; trauma surgery. and I can see the depression setting in once he's not around as much... so say a prayer for me. because I have two factors that will depress me: no more Philip, and no more Christmas.

Philip went and got fitted for his fins (finnys as I call them) and mask today. He tried to go yesterday but they were closed. He also bought two scuba diving magazines. He is so excited. We have changed plans for our vacation in March. We were going to go to St Thomas, but in doing research it is going to cheaper for us to go to Hawaii. Waikiki here we come! So that is something to look forward to. My friend Bird always tells me you need things to look forward to.
As far as this week goes I am looking forward to hanging out with our 'life group' at Alison and Nick's on Thursday night. New Years has never been a favorite holiday of mine so im not overly excited about it. I think its a bunch of hype over nothing really. I usually work anyway. but this year I just work new years eve until 730. So far we don't have any plans, but at least we are both off and we will be able to enjoy our last night together.

countdown to Christmas: 362 days:)

jackson enjoying his donut from grandma

 getting along for once

 

 

 

best Christmas ever:)

This year was by far the best Christmas either of us has had. Our first married Christmas was so special and full of so many blessings. I hope each one of you had just as wonderful as Christmas as we did.
Aunt Annie's Christmas Eve brunch was scrumptious as usual. We got to visit with Annie's side of the family, and they are always so fun. The meal ended with all of the boys creating different dares involving orange crush, milk and jalapeno peppers. The peppers were dared to go into orifices I wont even tell you about. But of course my husband fit right in:) Aunt Ellen's was of course so much fun. Aunt Ellen played 'Oprah' and handed out blue ray players to EVERYONE. it was so funny. Philip is working on getting ours hooked up right now. Aunt Ellen always spoils us (and yes her tree was still up yesterday!). It was so good to get to spend time with all of the Budde family that we don't get to see very often. Lindsey and Jeff are growing up so fast! Unfortunately Neil and Dale had to leave early that morning but we got to have Christmas with them the night before (Grandma B made a fancy Christmas dinner for all us)

Stockings from Grandma Santa Budde

Jeff's toy ( you see who really played with it!)

Christmas with Joy was so so much fun. She made delicious appetizers (that I need to get the recipe for) and had a cozy fire going. We ate up and then sat around the tree and fire while Philip played elf passing out gifts. Poor Joy has always had to buy for boys all her life, and now she gets to have some real fun and get girl stuff! My favorite is a up-scale snuggie that zips and buttons. I have worn it non stop. just ask Philip's brother Brian.
Philip and I had our own Christmas that night. and I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I got him scuba diving lessons and have been having to keep it a secret for months. but not just keeping the secret, but working with his chief to get his schedule worked around the lessons. it has stressed me out! but he loves it and we are going to go get him fitted for fins and a mask as soon as we can :) He got me all kinds of awesome rock climbing gear! I can not wait for it to get warm so I can try it all out. I am so prepared for our next hiking trip:)

our stockings

We got up a littler earlier than normal on Christmas Day and headed to gtown. Jackson got to come (because Dad said he could). Mom had some yum yummy breakfast foods. The 6 of us opened our stockings all together while we ate breakfast and woke up. Matt had two perfect presents for Dad in his stocking: a titanium spork and gadgets that hooked onto the end of sticks for when we have weenie roasts. If you have ever been to a Wilhoite weenie roast you KNOW how awesome these are. We had another secret that was eating away at me too. The 4 of us, for Christmas and retirement, got Mom and Dad a cruise! I made a little scrapbooked booklet and wrapped it up. We saved it for the very end and then Mom and Dad opened it. They were so surprised! Mom cried and couldnt even see the pictures of what countries they were going to!It was so fun and noone deserves it more than my parents. They have both worked so hard and given so much.

taken on Matts iphone, sorry I was too excited to use a camera!

I told you that celebrating with Dana and Brian would include toys! Dana's girlfriend Kelly even got in on it! she got us and Brian a fun game each! And Dana got the boys remote control cars that they played with all around the house. Then we hung out and played Brian's x-box kinect for hours. Boys and their toys:)
Wilhoite Christmas was different this year too. Usually the cousins trade names. But this year, JC had the idea to use that money and all of us chip and get Auntie Jo a present. She does so much for Grandma and each one of us. We wanted to give her something to show her how much it means to us. Well, after much thought, we decided to get her an iPad (great idea Dad!). So the 'adults' decided to go with our idea and chip in their money too. So instead of any of us trading names, we went with a 'white elephant' christmas this year. And Auntie Jo had no idea that one of the presents under the tree was her iPad! so we rigged it so that she got the second to last number. If she stole from someone, Matt would be last and steal from her, hoping she would open one of the last presents under the tree. Well it worked out perfect! she didnt steal, but went right for the present that was her iPad! she opened it and was so shocked! I got the perfect picture:)

we got it engraved with ' Auntie Jo, for everything that you do'

Unfortunately JC got called into work and missed it. Hence probably why it actually went smoothly:) But he was sorely missed and it was not the same without him. tiffany, Kevin, Johnny, Amy, Curt and Rita, you were all missed as well. but they were all there in spirit. here are some more pictures from the white elephant exchange

OH I almost forgot. I got Anna Jo a tshirt made. It's a long story Ill have to tell at another time, but it involved a road trip to HHI, a McDonalds fish sandwich, and lots of profanity.

Like I said it was the best Christmas Philip or I have had so far. Last night when we got into bed, we were both so content and happy. We are so glad we got to spend time with each of our family members. And that it was filled with so much love. We are so blessed and couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. Thank you to each one of you that made it so special.

playing with the functions on our new indestructible camera:)

Christmas Ramblings

I am done with work until Dec 28! I am so happy with the way my schedule worked out this year. Because not only do I have 5 days off, but Philip does too. Last year we saw each other for a few hours on Christmas and he was exhausted after working a 30 hour shift. This year will be much happier:) Friday and Saturday are going to be a whirlwind of going from one place to the next. but in a good way. It is our first 'married Christmas' so organizing schedules was a little stressful at first, but it all worked out so well. And I can't wait to celebrate Christmas with each family. 

Tonight we are going to my Grandma Budde's for dinner. Uncle Steve and Aunt Teri and their kids are in from TX. Uncle Neil and his wife Dale are in from FL. So Grandma is making us a big dinner and we are going to do our stockings from Santa (akaGrandma) tonight. 

Tomorrow morning Aunt Annie is having her annual Christmas Eve brunch. It is the best food I eat all year. I love breakfast food. especially made by Aunt Annie:) And I am so excited Philip gets to come for the first time. After that we are going to Aunt Ellen's to celebrate Christmas with the Budde's. I am hoping that Aunt Ellen doesn't take the tree down after we leave, as she has a habit of doing that. I will do my best to convince her to keep it up until at least after Christmas. It devastates she that she does that :) Tomorrow night we are going to Joy's to have Christmas with her. Philip said Joy likes shopping for me because she has never gotten to shop for a daughter before:) 

Christmas morning is my favorite time of Christmas. We are going to Mom and Dad's and Matt and Rachel are meeting us there. Mom will make yummy breakfast foods and we will open our stockings. Then we take turn opening presents. Usually Matt and I spend the night there Christmas Eve and then I wake everyone up Christmas morning. This year will be a little different, but it means that Philip and Rachel will get to be there to celebrate and so its worth it:) I am especially excited about giving Mom and Dad their Christmas present (you will find out in 2 days what it is!). Tomorrow afternoon we are going to be with Dana and Brian. I am sure it will involve toys of some sort, as it usually does:) Then tomorrow night we are going to Grandma Wilhoites. This year we decided to play white elephant among the Wilhoites. and it has caused some stress. My brother had trouble figuring out what to wrap up. Philip wrapped up something of mine (that I actually really like but he HATES). I wrapped up some stuff of his (duplicate stuff we got for wedding presents). so my plan is to 'steal' back my item he is trying to get rid of. HA! I am anxious to see how this game goes. Because those who know my family, know that it won't be simple. and people will try to make up their own rules. and JC will inevitably mess with the organization. I am laughing just thinking about how this is going to go. 

I am filled with such joy and happiness thinking about the next few days. It fills my heart up to be around family. and it gives me peace when we are all together. I hope every one of you who reads this (all 3 of you!) has a wonderful Christmas. That you get to spend time with those who mean the most to you. and that you get time to reflect on the birth of Jesus. and how that little baby became a man who changed everything. 

Merry Christmas :)

Mary

Church this past Sunday was still on the book of Matthew. this week was on the birth of Jesus. and the portrayal of Mary. and how a lot of people describe her as 'weak'. and Jon pointed out she was anything but. how strong she really was. and since the sermon I have been thinking a lot about Mary. and the conception of Jesus. and the birth of Jesus. and it truly is so amazing the way He entered our world. For God to conceive Him in the womb of a virgin. can you imagine what people said about her? can you imagine the gossip and hardship she had to endure? But on the other side, can you imagine the absolute peace she felt. the peace that you have when you know you are in God's will. when you can feel with every ounce of your being that God is working in you. I just can't imagine. The song, Mary Did You Know has been speaking to me. lately I have been contemplating the lyrics. What an amazing woman Mary was. I can't imagine the life she led. giving birth to our Savior, raising him and loving him. and then watching him die on the cross. i can't even fathom that. I wonder if when she held him in her arms, she knew that he was destined to save us. if when he was learning to walk, she knew those little feet would walk on water. crazy.
I can't wait to meet Mary in heaven. and talk to her about what it was like. to hear stories about Jesus when he was growing up.  to be able to hear what it was like, from her point of view. what a story that will be...
4 more days till Jesus' birthday :)
Mary Did You Know

RIP Burt

Many of you don't know that we have, well, had:( a third pet. His name was Burt. He was a beautiful Betta fish. He was the centerpiece at Megan and Brians rehearsal dinner. B's mom let me take him home, bowl and all. So I named him Burt for their new last name: Burton. And he happily swam around for 8 months. I loved him because he matched our kitchen. Philip never liked him. which i dont understand, how can you not like a fish. they dont do anything. of course it might have something to do with the fact that when we took him home from the dinner, philip had the bowl in his lap and when I hit a speed bump all of the water came out and landed in his lap. not a good start to Burt's time with us. anyway- someone else did  love him too- Maya. We would catch her all the time sitting next to the bowl. if she was feeling frisky she would dip her paw in there. but she doesnt have claws so she couldnt get him. or I didnt think she could. and I'm not sure she is to blame for the death of Burt. But yesterday morning when i was making my lunch for work she was very enthralled with Burt and I couldnt keep her away from his bowl. Philip texted me at work and said " Burt isn't doing very well, he is sunk to the bottom". i told him fish float when they die, not sink. and he said ' if you say so'. well then i found this ( read the last one) :

and so I knew that Burt had passed. poor little guy. I was actually sad about it. So Philip was so sweet to take care of everything before I got home from work. I didn't have to flush him, which made me happy. And my friend Jordan said we can have a funeral for him. I hope to get a new one at some point.

Burt.

me fishing Burt out to take him home.

I am off today and my dad and I are going on our annual 'christmas shopping for Mom' trip today. He needs stocking stuffers. I love these shopping trips:) I know I always say I want to have boys, but families need daughters for things just like this. so maybe we could have a girl. just one though. :)

6 days till Christmas!!!

ice ice baby:)

Looks like I might be iced in for the morning. It didn't so much as snow last night, as it did just ICE. Our yard and street are one big sheet of ice. Jackson went out this morning and with every step his paws broke through the ice and he was so weirded out. and when he went to squat, his back legs started sliding out in opposite directions and it was soo funny. but he didn't think so, he was just confused.

UK canceled their finals before ten today. They put 'Plan B' into effect for their employees. EXCEPT health care employees. We still have to be there at the same time. Because if we aren't, someone from night shift has to stay late for you. It's hard when you have a 24 hour job that leaves no room for tardiness or being sick. If you aren't there, someone has to be there in your place. It creates a sense of team work in some ways. And in some way resentment at times when you are the one having to stay over or be called in :) But that's part of the job.

Yesterday at work I was assigned to triage. Triage is the area where patients who walk or drive themselves in come to. They sign in, you take them back, assess them and get their story, then determine where in the ER they need to go (based on their acuity). It can be stressful because a lot of times you don't have a room to put the patient in. We have a lot of 'frequent flyers' that come in. most the time they are homeless. and this is where I have problems. Because we know they are coming in from the cold. and they are hungry. and want a pair of socks. ideally they want to be taken to a room where they can lay down, eat and be warm for a while. And the biggest part of me wants to let them do it. But I understand, from a business standpoint, why that can't happen. And I understand why we are asked not to just hand out food and encourage them to come back for more. and last week I even spent a considerable amount of time trying to get one specific man to a home (it ended poorly but that is not something I can really talk about). It creates such a quandary for me. and it bothers me. and I come home and I think about it. head vs heart. So I am in the process of finding a way for me to deal with this, from a personal stand point. Because it's cold out. and noone deserves to sleep outside in this mess.

On a happier note: 9 days until Christmas! (or 8 for Budde Christmas!). I can't wait!
Happy Snow Day :)

NOT loving the snow. weird, I know.

We have snow. lots of snow. and as I have said before, i LOVE snow. so I can honestly say this is the first time in my life I went to bed thinking "please don't snow all night". not because I have to work today. I am off today and even tomorrow. There is a much bigger reason I am not loving this snow. My husband's wedding band is lost in it.
Last night we went to Megan and Brian's for dinner with our life group. It was wonderful and so yummy and we had such a good time. Well it was snowing, a lot. So Philip said we better get going before we get stuck. So we went outside to get in our car. When Philip opened his car door, a bunch of snow fell in onto his seat. He went to scrape the snow out, and when he flung the snow, he flung his ring with it. He said he heard it land in the snow. So we look around for a little 'O' shaped indent in the snow. nothing. so i start yelling for Megan. Her, Brian, Nick and Jordan all come out to help us look. looking turned into searching. I started using a rake, hoping we would hear a 'ping' when it hit the ring. we got out a spade, a shovel. even a golf club. nick downloaded a metal detector app on his iphone (it didnt work). we raked and searched that yard for at least an hour. in less than 20 degree weather. Philip with no coat or gloves. me in borrowed gloves. Their neighbors came home and came out and helped us look. Finally we just got so cold we gave up. We got in the car, and I cried. I know, its silly. I mean, I can order the exact same ring. I can even get it inscribed with the exact same wording. but it wont be the EXACT same ring. it won't be the ring I put on his finger on our wedding day. or the ring he had such trouble getting used to in Mexico. it wont be the same. and so I cried.
The good news is, the ring still has to be there. somewhere. as I sit here and watch the snow globe that is Lexington right now, all I can think about are the inches of snow piling up on his wedding band. ugh.
We came home and got on the internet as soon as we got home. we wanted to know if a metal detector can even detect Tungsten. They say yes, that metal detectors use conductivity and tungsten conducts. So we looked up where to buy a metal detector. Luckily we have several options.
If it ever stops snowing I hope to attack the yard again. and I really hope we find his ring :/

Missions Accomplished

I am pleased to report that my two social events were a success!

Bookclub was so fun (as always). The soup was actually really good ( i made it in the crock pot) and we all got to eat around our new dining room table. It was the first meal had at it:) My roomie (well ex, but I still call her roomie) brought homemade chocolate chip cookies that were delicious for dessert. It was her first bookclub and after everyone left she said ' you all really don't talk about the book do you?'. ha, not really!!!

Yesterday my mom and dad came over early to help me finish getting ready. And thank goodness for them. They were both there to help me clean up the cider that boiled over on the stove (oops). and to assemble the goodie bags I made for each guest. My parents are just such wonderful people. I can't even begin to tell you.
To give you a glimpse, here was the menu from last night:
Vegetable tray shaped into a Christmas tree (pic below)
sausage balls
hot chile/cheese/beef dip
baked club sandwiches (the biggest hit, and SO easy!)
Harry and David dip with crackers
various sweets (including homemade fudge from my Grandma B-- thank you!)
hot cider (in the crock pot)

the veggie platter was my favorite.

peppermint cookies and mint oreos dipped in chocolate

you can't have a party without puppy chow

I think overall the night went very well. It is always hard merging 'groups' that don't really know each other that well. Luckily we had Bruce there to break the ice. Santa hat and all. and  my Aunt Ellen is so good at remembering people and things about them. it makes it so easy for people to talk to her. It made me so happy to have all of my family (well, the Lexington-based family) in our home. eating, sharing, laughing. it doesnt get much better than that.




















I think one of the funnier moments from last night was when I looked up and my Grandma Wilhoite had the book "Sh*t my Dad Says" in her hands pretending to read it. I looked at my Dad and he just shrugged his shoulders. hahahaha. if you know my grandma you know how funny this is. But she came. and for that I am proud of her and happy. She isn't getting around very well anymore.

Today is a day with no real plans for us. which is nice. One of my best friends, Bird, and his wife Shira are coming over this afternoon. They say it is so see us. But I know the real reason; Jackson. but thats ok. whatever gets him here:)

As I am writing I am drinking the last of my peppermint chocolate coffee, supplemented with left over puppy chow:) Philip is still sleeping and I am grateful he has the month of December to catch up on rest. and life. I think it will rejuvenate him for the rough month we have coming up in January. ahh residency. how happy I will be when you are over:)

jackson was exhausted from all the company!

Countdown to Christmas: 2 weeks from today!!!

fun filled couple of days

Finally a minute to sit down and relax:) I have worked the past 3 days. A work day for me entails waking up at 530, working from 7am-730pm, coming home, taking a bath and going to bed. Especially if I work 3 days in a row, it just wears me out.   So this morning I got to sleep in (well, "sleep in" for me). I made new coffee my mom got me in my Christmas box (Ghiradelli's chocolate peppermint) and planned my day. I should probably mention i LOVE planning. I don't leave the house without my agenda. or a list. I usually always have a list. So this morning I planned my day (clean, cook). and then made my grocery list. or lists. I made one list for tonight. I am hosting Book Club at my house tonight, and am making chicken tortilla soup and grilled cheese. Then I made one for tomorrow. Tomorrow night I am having our family Christmas Party at our house. I am so excited to get to see so many of my friends and family in the next two days.

For book club this month I chose the book "On Strike for Christmas" by Sheila Roberts. I enjoyed it. It was about a group of women who decided for Christmas this year they would let the men take over ALL the tasks that the season entails. Each husband took a different approach; I thought it was a cute read. The movie also came on LMN Sunday night, so those of my friends that don't like to read got to get up to speed. Don't think we are super philosophical and sit around and dissect and discuss our monthly choice of books. Sometimes we never talk about the book. Its really just an excuse for a bunch of us girls that went to college together to eat, drink and see each other. So not only do I get help picking out great books every month, but I have an excuse to see my friends at least once a month. Which I love.

For those who know me well, you know what a big deal family is to me. I LOVE family get togethers and have serious depression if I have to miss out on one. So I am so excited to have both sides of our family coming over tomorrow night. I hope my cousins behave :)

Normalcy

The past two days Philip and I have gone to bed together and woken up together. I know this doesn't seem a big deal to most of you. But this is such a rarity in our lives. Philip's crazy residency schedule puts him working random hours of all times of the day and night. Our time together is so valuable to us right now because there just isn't as much of it as we would like. But this month he is on an easy rotation that has normal hours! He works Mon-Fri, 9-5. Like a normal person! Several times in the past few days he has made the comment " is this what normal couples get to do all the time?" Our sense of normalcy is skewed. But we don't know any different. not now at least.
Yesterday we went sledding with two of our good friends Matt and Michelle. We went to the hill at the front of my parent's neighborhood (the hill of death) where I always used to go in high school. My dad met us there on his 4wheeler and pulled us around on the inner tube. I didn't sled, but for good reason. I chipped my vertebrae on this hill in high school. So Matt and Philip built a ramp while Michelle and I hung out at the bottom. But it was so fun being out in the snow and hoping our husbands didn't break anything. Then we went back to my parents house where Mom had made us spiced tea and cookies. just like the old days in high school :)

That night Matt and Michelle had a Christmas party. We had a real 'family sit down' dinner and then played Dirty Santa. Which got interesting to say the least:) Then we started the fire and watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. a personal favorite. It was so fun to get to spend time with all of them and laugh so much.

the girls

the boys

This morning we were able to go to church together. Which is something we both really miss. I am typically able to go most Sundays (unless I am working), and Megan and Brian are gracious enough to always let me sit with them. But it so much better when we both get to go, together. And we get to worship, together. and we take communion, together. and then we get in the car and talk about Jon's sermon. and we usually always learn something new about each other. Today's sermon was on family, and it sparked such good conversation between the two of us. I am so grateful for the Sundays we are both off of work. Not to mention that when we are both able to go to church, our weeks are drastically different than the weeks we aren't able to go.
So here's to a good week. Crossing my fingers I don't get called into work today and can spend the day relaxing with my family. :) Hope you have all had a wonderful weekend as well!!!

Snow makes me so happy

This morning I woke up to a winter wonderland! The snow is absolutely gorgeous. so of course first thing I did was wake philip up and make him look out the window (which he did because he is such a good husband) and then he went back to bed. I, however, ran down the stairs, bundled up and grabbed Jackson (our boxer puppy). Jax loves the snow. He ran around our yard stopping every now and then to lick up the snow and make yellow snow. I heard Maya (our kitten) meowing at the back door. I let her come out and play too. She didn't mind the snow like I thought she would. Her and Jackson played in the snow and I was so happy standing there watching the snow fall with my two critters enjoying it. I told you December was my favorite month!
Now I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee in front of our fireplace with the family stockings hung on it, watching the snow fall. God is so good.

and so it begins...

My friend Megan has been trying to get me to blog for months. I resisted it. but have caved. Because I love reading her blog and knowing what is going on in her life. If I dont get to talk to her for a few days, I can usually catch up through her blog. and so i figured maybe people would be able to do the same with me. My husband, Philip, and I both have crazy schedules that don't always allow the time we would like to be able to be with friends and family. So that is the intent of my blog. To have a way to stay in touch with our friends and family we dont get to talk to as much as we would like. Relationships mean more to me than anything in this world. And I like to think this will help me maintain/strengthen those that I already have. So here goes me writing about things that go on in this newly wed life of mine.
And what better month to start  than in December: my favorite month of the whole year.