Family Vacay

 Once again, Wilhoite Vacation was a success. how could it not be though? even with pontoon boats not starting, scattered lightning, salt instead of sugar, and an undelivered jet ski- it was still a wonderful week.
We had to split into two houses, as we usually do. but the drive from our house to theirs was 5 minutes by car, 2 by jet ski:) not bad at all.
Anna Jo, mine, and Philip's dinner went over well. everyone's dinner went over well actually. The boys caught over 50 fish and fried them up Friday night (chicken for Crystal and I).
We spent the days lounging on the lake, falling/getting thrown off the jet ski, cliff jumping (not diving) and looking for anna jo when she got lost ( i still laugh so hard when I think about this). We took a cloudy day and went into Gatlinburg for go carts, shopping and dinner at Apple Barn.
Philip had to leave tuesday morning to come back and work that night. he has been working every night since (hence why I am blogging at 9:00 on a saturday night). And yes, I cried when he had to leave TN to come home.
Overall it was such a relaxing and fun trip. I am definitely NOT ready to go back to work on Monday, but it has to be done:) I posted pics on facebook for those who would like to see all of them.
Hope everyone reading has had a good week as well!

Roasting

Emergency Medicine is a 3 year residency. So at the end of their third year, the seniors have a nice dinner and ceremony. Their families are invited and it is a really nice evening, usually at Spindletop. We have a yummy dinner and then the program director hands out awards and talks about each senior. It's very nice.
But after the formal festivities comes the fun part. the roast.
I realize the roast is hard for a lot of the spouses, because it's a lot of inside jokes. lucky for me, I get the jokes because I work with all of them. The interns and second years make skits, making fun of the third years. They video tape them and then edit it, put it to music, and play it that night. You pretty much know whatever dumb thing you have done or mistake you have made will make an appearance. It's unnerving wondering what exactly they will do. My academy award winning husband played several parts in the videos last night. I was so proud.
And then all the residents roast the attendings. This part if the funniest to me. but it is also the most awkward. because they are the ones in charge. and here they are being called out for faults they have, personality differences, or things residents don't agree with. So while you are wanting to laugh, a lot, you can't really laugh. because they are there watching. usually with a fake smile on their face but you know they are really thinking ' I am going to make their life hell at work'. and while the third years get to graduate and move on, we still have to work with them every day. So for those who know me, it's difficult for me to hold my laughter in. but i did my best last night. sometimes it snuck out. but i tried. but some of them were SO funny.
So next year Philip will be one of the residents being roasted. I have forewarned the class below him that if I get drug into his roasting, I will never speak to any of them again. I'm not that tough.

Here's to 2 years down and one more to go!

Ode to Dad:)

I know I've talked about family a lot lately- but ya know, that's a huge part of who I am:) I love my family. and I especially love my parents.
Sunday is Father's Day so I am going to take this time to tell you about my love for my Dad:)
I have always been a Daddy's Girl. You should see some of the pictures from when I was little. I was pathetic. still am actually. There is something to be said about the love a girl has for her 'daddy'. Her dad is the one man who loved her before she was even born. and every other day of her life.
He is there to pick her up when she has bike wrecks (and lick the blood from her knee because the sight of it is making her hysterical). He tells her she is beautiful and doesn't need makeup when she is in that awkward middle school phase and doesn't really know how to feel about herself. He tells her what kind of boy she deserves when she is starting the dating world (not a day before she turns 16 though!). He is there to mend her broken heart when relationships go bad. He offers Christian advice when she is lost and can't find the answers. to comfort her when she might not have made the best decisions. He makes her laugh through her tears. all the time:). he comes to pick her up on the side of the road when her tire is all over the interstate. he comes to fill her gas tank she didn't realize was empty. He becomes close to her friends. so much so that he will answer the phone at 2am when her best friend drunk dials the house on accident (no names mentioned). He is there to calm her anxiety that she seems to constantly have. To tell her to take a deep breath before he walks her down the aisle. To whisper 'I love you poncho' at the end of the aisle as he puts her hand in her soon-to-be husband's. To come and fix her garage door that is broken. he fixes anything that is broken actually.
He basically is the perfect tangible example of unconditional love. And I can't help it that I think he is as close to perfect as someone can be. I love you Dad:) :)

a love of mine...

I know it's disgusting, but I love reality TV. It's like--I am watching it and thinking "this is so dumb", yet I am loving every second of it. I guess that is probably how addicts feel? I dont know.
Currently I am on 'The Bachelorette'. anyone else watching it? hopefully I am not the only sucker out there.
a few comments about the show:

Ashley has a rockin body and has got some serious dance moves. jealous.

If I hear the name 'Bentley' one more time, I might just slap her. what exactly did you 'love' about him??
two letters: J.P. 

Ames- his face makes me think of a cartoon sort of. I can't take him seriously.

Constantine and Ben F look like the same person. I am getting them confused.

 I am dying to see Ashley's reaction when she sees the things Bentley was saying about her. what a jerk.

looks like Bentley comes back next week. what an idiot. im annoyed already.

Could she have picked a worse pronounced Thailand Island to go to?

anyway- against my better judgment I am already anticipating the exciting drama for next week. :) 

family

This time next week we will be on the road to wilhoite family vacation!

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year (aside from Christmas). It is 7 days of spending time with my mom, dad, brother, Rachel, all my cousins, my aunts and uncle. I know I am biased, but I think our family is so special. 

When I was a kid, every Friday night my Grandma W kept all of the grandkids at her house. She would make us dinner that night, we would watch tv (usually TGIF), play video games and hang out. I was the only girl so when it was bedtime, I went to bed with grandma. the boys got to sleep downstairs. Then that morning she would make us homemade biscuits with homemade gravy. after that the boys would go on the farm to cut wood. I was exempt from this, being a girl and all. but we all grew up together and became very close. It was like having 4 brothers, in a way. Which meant I had 4 boys that picked on me a lot, but it also meant I had 4 protectors. I still do actually. Joey and I spent a lot of time together when we were way little because Aunt Annie watched us during the days. so yes, I think we are unique. and I love it so much.

On vacation we always have so much fun spending the days in the water, the nights cooking and playing games. Everyone pairs up and takes turns cooking. Anna Jo and I always cook together. After a year of marriage I might actually be able to contribute some culinary skills this year!

We typically go to Hilton Head but this year we are going to a lake in TN. We have jet skis, Philip's Dad's pontoon boat and new rafts:) I didn't get to go last year because I had just gotten back from my honeymoon and couldn't get the week off. It was a sad sad week for me when they were all there without me. This year will be Philip's first time going, and even though he only get to stay for 3 1/2 days, it is better than nothing! And Emily and Aunt Ellen are coming for the last half of the week, so that is exciting too!

it is tradition to make a sand castle

look at that thing!

Back At It

these past 3 days have been crazy~. going back to work after a vacation is never easy- but it shouldn't be this busy! it is officially "trauma season" in the emergency department and we are getting inundated at work. it just never stops. and every time I take a report, I always have a twinge of anxiety that is a family member. or a friend. not that I don't treat everyone like I would  my family, but let me just tell you how I would fall apart if some of these traumas were someone I knew. luckily philip is usually at the hospital so I don't worry it's him. SO if you are reading this, please, be safe. wear your seat belt. wear your helmet. don't drive a motorcycle. dont text and drive. don't do anything distracting and drive actually. and don't come into the ER with a sunburn. yes, it has been happening. either be smart and wear your sunscreen or put your big girl panties on and deal with the punishment from the sun.
ok, off the soap box.
I would like to promote a benefit going on in Lexington this Saturday. 6 Friends Cafe, on KY Ave, is having a fundraiser for a family who lost 2 children in a car accident last week. They are having a silent auction with some awesome stuff. live music. good food. donations welcome. you should stop by and check it out. the family would love it. go here to read more about it.

and some family photos because pictures are always fun:

love my boys

love her too

Boston

Boston was so much fun! Neither of us had even been there before, and we both really enjoyed the city.
After a long & tough day of work on Tuesday, Philip and I were both ready to get the heck outta dodge. We flew out Tuesday night and got in late to our hotel. Lucky for me, I got to sleep in Wed. not so lucky for Philip, he had to go to a seminar.
Wed, Thurs & Fri were days that philip spent the mornings in seminars, while the 'wives' shopped. We would meet them for lunch, and then go back to shopping or lazing around the city. It is such a beautiful town to just walk around and be a part of. We got to hit most of the highlights of the 'Boston experience'. The first day we ate lunch at Bell in Hand, America's oldest tavern. That night we took shelter in a place called 'Kings'. a very diverse bar with bowling, air hockey, and live music. How is that we are there for tornadoes when Boston NEVER gets hit with tornadoes?? Luckily for us it did not hit close to us, but the storms were very scary in our room on the 25th floor of the hotel!
The next afternoon we took a 'Duck Tour', which is a guided tour in an WWII amphibious vehicle. it was a good way to tour the city and get a lot of the history.

That night we went to the original Cheers bar. I used to watch Cheers on Nick at Night all the time. Sadly, noone there knew my name, and it didn't seem they were overly glad we came. But the food was good:)

The next day was Julie's birthday! Carla and I took her a restaurant called 'Charlies' for breakfast and it was yummmmy. That night we went to the Red Sox game at Fenway. It was so much fun. and such a good game! one of my oldest and dearest friends Corey met us there after she got off work. The Sox pulled out a win and beat the A's 8-6.

Saturday morning we slept in and then went sightseeing. We went to see the USS Constitution and the museum. We went to Bunker Hill. I admit, I am not into history. But Philip is, so I was glad he got to see all of that. To get around, we took the 'T', the subway there. and praise the Lord I never got motion sickness!

That night we went to 'Little Italy' for a nicer dinner at Ricardo's Ristorante, based on Corey's recommendation. and it was delicious. for dessert, Corey said you couldn't come to Boston and not go to Mike's Pastries. World famous for the cannolis. There was line halfway down the sidewalk, but she assured us it was worth it. and it definitely was. I got one for that night and one for breakfast in the morning:)

The next morning, our group had dwindled. Several people had already gone back and there were only 5 of us left. We didn't fly out until 6pm so we decided to venture to Harvard's campus. We ate lunch at John Harvard's Brew House, and we ranked it one of the top restaurants on our trip. The campus was nice but smaller than I thought it would be.

Our flights home were uneventful, PTL again:) (I have a severe tendency to get motion sickness and any trip that is puke free is a celebration).
We decided we really liked Boston and would love to visit it again. We were ready to come home though. we missed our critters. Jackson was spoiled rotten at his grandparents:) and Maya was taken good care of by my friend Sue. But we wanted to come home to love on them.
here are some pictures of Jackson's vacation on the farm:

getting ready for his nightly walk with mom and the aunts

has to be touching my Dad.

It's back to reality for me tomorrow! Reality started much too early for Philip this morning :/