Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Graduation- A Day of Remembering- May 28, 2015

Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine 2015

Well, it finally came.  I am a dentist.  Done. Finished. HOORAY!  I can't believe it.  I felt like this day would never come.  Dental school made me stressed, tired, moody, have a poor complexion, and gain weight.  BUT, it also gave me life-long friends, an "I can do anything" mindset, and a passion for helping people.  

While going through pictures for this post, I came across photos of graduation from BSU, and white coat ceremony.  It is crazy to think about all of the changes that have occurred during this time!  We are so blessed.  
We look like BABIES.  BSU graduation May, 2011

Here are some pictures if you would like to see...


White coat ceremony October 2011- one month before our wedding in front of our library, where we spent countless hours during our first year…then we got wise and stayed at home!


Dan's Graduation from Pharmacy School May, 2014




Cousin love

Grandma Ida 

Dan "hooded" me during the graduation ceremony- what an awesome experience!


I'm so grateful for family
Navy Girls


Friends Forever

Reflection Pond

Induction ceremony after graduation to lieutenant

Liza's Graduation brunch at Lon's at the Hermosa- delicious grapefruit tart and underground wine cellar



Suite A






My family rented a house on Arrowhead lakes- it came with a pontoon boat! So we spent nights cruising on the little lake behind the house.  It was so fun!







 That's all for now!  We are now in the process of finding an apartment in San Diego! WAHOO! DECISIONS, DECISIONS. We can't wait to get out of this HOT (117 degree) Arizona heat!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Will You Be Mine, Valentine? Valentine's Day 2014


This Valentine's Day was very sweet.  I had a 7 a.m. exam and clinic in the morning, but when I came home for lunch, the  smell of chocolate and peanut butter surrounded me…peanut butter brownies for lunch!  I was so excited to have lunch with my Valentine!  At lunch I gave him my Valentine gift (a soccer ball), and he showed me mine… tickets to Universal Studios, Orlando so that I can see HARRY POTTER WORLD AHHHHHH!  (I think he won with the better gift this year) I have been wanting to go to this since it has opened!  Too bad my fellow Harry Potter fan will not be able to go with me.

Daniel acted as chef that night and whipped up a gourmet spread of filet mignon, shrimp, mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes, brown sugar glazed carrots, french bread, and wine!  We ate it on our little patio while watching the full moon reflect off of the lake.

On Saturday we had a fun time at Shelly's Valentine's Partay after I was a "runner" for the NERB examination from 6:45 until 5:30.  What a long day… thank goodness for sleeping in on Sundays.
Now back to studying for those finals!  Almost time for break!



Books Worth Reading

Have you ever been so caught up in a book that you have dreams about it?  Or want to chat with your favorite characters over a latte?  Or want to become best friends with your favorite author (I would really love to meet Jodi Picoult!)  Oh, wait is that just me?!  This Buzzfeed post is adorable, and describes my feelings about reading a good book...


On the other hand, have  you ever quit a book in the middle of reading it?   Or, do you stick it out until the end, waiting for a miracle to happen?  I felt like this happened to me recently while reading the hyped-up Divergent series by Veronica Roth.  I thought that the first book in the series "Divergent" was good…so I preceded to buy the second and third book on my Kindle (more on this nifty device later in the post).  I was disappointed in the second book… I couldn't connect with the characters like I could in the Hunger Games or Harry Potter series.  I proceeded to the third book, and about 100 pages in, could not bear it anymore.  I quit.  (I still would like to see the movie- I am very interested in how they will create the Dauntless headquarters)  



After that disappointment, I turned to goodreads.com and did a little creepin on some friends that have similar reading interests as me.  I downloaded "The Book Thief" (also a newly released movie) , "The Second Opinion," and "The Husband's Secret."  

This leads me to my next question… How do you feel about the Kindle vs Nook vs Book situation?
Although I love the feel of a good book (not to mention not having to worry about charging it or dropping it in the bathtub)  I love the accessibility of my Kindle.  I can download a book at a moments notice!  I have yet to figure out how to "share" books from one device to another, but I would love to be able to share books with my friends who have Nooks too.  I loved being able to lend my friends books, and I feel like it is so much easier to flip back and read from the beginning of an actual book than it is on a device.

I loved "The Husband's Secret"by Liane Moriarty.  I have suggested this book to all of my reading buddies, and can't wait to discuss the story with them!

I am currently reading "The Second Opinion."  I probably will not finish this one until I am on my plane ride to FLORIDA because of finals this week.  I will post my opinion on the book after I get back!


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Come Fly with Me, Come Fly, Let's Fly Away

Well I think Dan's Birthday was a success this year.  We celebrated with friends and I got to surprise Dan with a flight to Sedona for breakfast.  One of my instructors owns a plane, and invited us to go with him.  The skies were blue and the day was perfect.  I don't think we stopped smiling all day!  Dan and I got to try our hand at actually flying the plane- Dan was a pro, but I was not so good at it!
I was better at taking pictures than I was at flying the plane
Sedona Red Rocks.  You can actually see the propellers in this picture

Our shadow



Dr. Haering and I next to the straight tail... I guess there is a "straight tail club" and it is rare to have one.  Who knew?








Lake Pleasant






A hot air balloon landing right below us


So suave


Dan and his ice cream cake from Cold Stone- so delicious. 

 We had a blast with our friends at Haus Murphy's- an amazing German restaurant in downtown Glendale.  This restaurant is very accommodating for large groups (we had a party of 18 and they split the check for us with no hassle) We had sauerbraten and chicken schnitzel, followed by sauerkraut chocolate cake for dessert.
                                            Dan was being serenaded in this picture
 Devin and Jackie enjoying some food