Why Both of Us are Awesome

You all are probably wondering why we have so humbly titled our blog this week. Allow me to explain, when Emily and I got married, we created the awesomest best couple ever. You're all probably thinking right now..."Wow, you know...that's right, they are awesome!".
This past week we celebrated our 4th anniversary. We got all gussied up and went out Saturday night to eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We had a nice steak dinner together, it was great! Afterward, we decided to take a walk around downtown Minneapolis, it was raining a bit so we were going to just go to valet and head home. However, the valet guy offered us an umbrella. So we took the umbrella and went for a stroll. It was fun just enjoying one another.
Closing an umbrella is harder than it looks. Emily decided to capture my "inability" to close the umbrella.

I always think about how lucky we are to have found each other and created the most awesomest best couple. Back to my point of this blog, "Why Both of Us are Awesome." Emily and I compliment each other so well.

I will start by telling you why Emily is so awesome for me:

• She watches all sports with me. She learns and remembers the names of many players both college and pro. She often asks if we are going to watch a particular game or sometimes I come home and she already has a game on.
• She enjoys my music. I listen all sorts of music and love going to concerts. Emily is always more than willing to go with me. We always have a ball.
• She supports me in everything I do. She always encourages me to develop my talents.
• She loves me so much.

I will try to tell you how I am so awesome for Emily:

• I have great decorating taste. I'll admit it, we watch alot of HGTV together and I always enjoy it.
• I provide good feedback on what outfit Em should wear. She is always asking for my opinion on which earrings look best, which shoes look best, etc.
• I like to cook and make delicious food and Em likes to eat it.
• I like to stay very organized and clean and if I was a slob she would freak.
• I love Em so much more!

These lists could go on and on, but I think I have already proved the "awesomest couple" point. I'm sure there are a lot of great couples out there; it's just hard to compete with us. I look forward to many more anniversary celebrations!

Random Night of Fun

Last Saturday night, Emily and I decided to put down the TV remote and get out of the house. We debated for awhile whether or not we should go to downtown St Paul and explore. I have gotten some new camera equipment over the past couple months and I really wanted to experiment. On a whim, at about 7:30pm we decided to head to St Paul. We took Zoe with us and just walked around. Downtown St Paul is smaller than Minneapolis but bigger than Salt Lake. There are many charming parks and buildings in St Paul. When got down there, live music was playing and there were people all over the streets. The weather was perfect (not too hot, not too cold and not yet humid). We ventured the streets while Emily walked Zoe and I played around with my camera. We had a great time.

On our way home we decided to stop at the state capitol. By this time, it was night and I have been wanting to photograph the capitol for quite some time. So we pulled up in an empty parking lot and walked over to the capitol. I got some great shots there.

This panoramic looks way better not in blogger

Funny story...there was this large statue of a soldier about 12 feet tall. For some reason, Zoe just went nuts at the statue and was non-stop barking at it. It was hilarious because Zoe, rarely barks, but something about this statue really set her off.

Emily and I had such a great time. It was a nice memorable evening...we're so glad we decided to be adventurous.

I can't believe it's been 4 years!

Today is our 4 year anniversary so of course I had to pull out some wedding pics! I cannot believe we have been married for 4 years! It still feels like yesterday we walked out of the temple with our permasmiles. It's amazing how much our lives have changed in these 4 short years. I have had so much fun and don't even want to think what I'd be doing right now without John in my life. He promised me when we got engaged that we would have fun and he would always make me laugh; he has kept true to that promise.

Although many things have changed, one thing remains the same: I love you more hubs! Happy Anniversary!

Happy Father's Day

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." - Mark Twain

I am ashamed to admit it, but growing up I too thought my father was ignorant and that I knew it all. It's amazing how time has wisened me up. My dad has taught me so many lessons about life. Here are just a few reasons/lessons that I'm so grateful for my dad:

1. My dad has always taught me a penny saved is a penny earned: it's true. I have learned the value of money from my father. You don't need to be cheap to save, you just have to be smart with the money you have.


2. Don't live beyond your means. This lesson has been a lifesaver and has makes our lives a lot less stressful.


3. Don't be afraid to do-it-yourself. My dad has never been hesitant to do something himself, whether it be fixing a swamp cooler, installing a ceiling fan, or running a successful photography business. If you think you can do it yourself...you probably can.


4. Don't be shy...be friendly My dad is not afraid to talk to anybody. When I was younger, I used to get embarrased when he would talk to anyone and everyone about anything. He never worries about talking to strangers. I found that being friendly to anyone and everyone has been so helpful in my career.


5. Last I'm grateful for the great relationship I have with my dad. Since moving out to Minnesota two years ago, I have realized the truthfulness of the expression "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". I call and talk to my dad at least 4-6 times a week. Usually, while fighting rush-hour traffic, we talk. I look forward to our conversations.

My list of lessons from my dad could go on and on, but these are just a few.

Happy Father's Day DAD!

Please call me an MS3!

I finally took my boards on Thursday! It feels great to get those out of the way. But now I feel very unsure about how I did. Although I have done well on previous standardized tests, this test was much different and I have NO clue how I did. I guess I will just have to wait for six weeks to make sure I don't have to take it again. When I get stressed about my score I try to remind myself that it doesn't matter in the long run. . . I will still be a doctor! (Side note: It actually does matter if I want a good residency!) Just as nobody cared in college what my ACT and SAT scores were and how nobody in med school cares what my MCAT score was, people in my residency and beyond won't care what I got on my Step 1.

Zoe sitting next to me as I study on the couch (pardon my looks and pjs). She looks bored, I don't blame her.

For those of you unfamiliar with the USMLE Step 1 exam, I'll explain how the test is set up. We take the test at a Prometric testing center. The test consists of 7 sections with 48 questions per section. You get 60 minutes for each section and then 60 minutes of break time during the day. You have to manage your break time and if you go over, the time will be deducted away from your last section. A lot of the test is about endurance and not losing your mind! It felt longer than the MCAT (the OLD one on paper) because the MCAT only has 4 sections and you get more break time. However, the best is yet to come because Step 2 (I take this during 4th year) has 8 sections of questions so you are at the testing center for 9 hours!

I am so lucky. I have the best husband ever. He was so amazing and supportive during my long hours of studying. He did more than his fair share of cleaning and cooking. Thanks Hubs! I couldn't do any of this without. Plus I'd be really bored without you! I love you! Actually, I love you MORE!!

My amazing hubs!

Thursday evening after my test John and I went and ate at our favorite Indian restaurant in Roseville, India Palace. It is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Minnesota. I was tired and not in the mood to do anything exciting or fancy so after dinner we just went shopping and hung out at Barnes & Noble, Homegoods, etc. It was nice not to do anything and be out of the house! John wasn't joking when he said I wouldn't leave the house for days at a time, except to take Zoe out for a walk. I slept in on Friday morning until 9am. It felt so nice to sleep in and not start studying right away. I spent the whole day Friday cleaning and it felt great! I even cleaned the baseboards.

Saturday night we went to dinner with our friends Thomas and Kristin Rose and their friends Jeremy and Tina. We were celebrating my completion of boards and Thomas having just finished his super long paper for the Hamline Law Review (He's in law school) about the constitutionality of lethal injection. If you want a copy of his paper, I've got connections so just let me know.

We went to a restaurant called Redstone in Minnetonka (which is on the other side of the metro from where we live). The food was amazing and our server was awesome. It was apparent that my brain hadn't fully recovered from my exam. After Kristin had told me the name of the restaurant, I couldn't remember so I told John it was called Red Rock or Red Slate. Simple mistake right? Well I haven't heard the end of that one yet. Then when we were trying to figure out what we wanted for dessert, our server described their banana cream pie. She told us they grew the bananas on a tree in the back and I actually believed her. I finally figured out she was joking when she talked about the monkey that liked the bananas as well. Another simple mistake right? Well we were all laughing and had a great time.

From left to right: Jeremy, Tina, Kristin, Thomas, John, & Emily (And I have no clue why I have such a cheesy smile...)

Us

Thomas & Kristin Rose! Thanks for the yummy dinner guys!

The chocolate cake. It was one of the three desserts we ordered. I just thought it was cool the chocolate actually said "Redstone."

Monday I started my first rotation of my third year! I have a short two week orthopedic surgery rotation at Tria Orthopedic Center. This rotation is only pass/fail and will be a nice transition into clinical rotations. I do wish I had more responsibility for patients right now (I only shadowed today) but I know I will encounter more than I could ever want later on. My goals for this rotation are: 1. To learn how to scrub into surgery and not screw up the sterile field and 2. Be comfortable with diagnosing and treating common musculoskeletal complaints.

John takes his CISA certification exam on Saturday. He's nervous about that but I think he will do great. He has been trying to study the past few weeks but has really buckled down this week. He was very frustrated in the beginning since he wasn't scoring very well on the practice tests. Naturally his tests have improved and I have no doubt he will pass. It's also nice that he will get a bonus when he passes!

The front of our townhouse. My mom brought up the two beautiful pots for us. Let's see if I can actually keep them alive. . .

Here's a cool shot John took of Zoe with his new 50mm lens he bought last week. But I'll let him talk about that! (He wanted his feet in the picture I guess).

What to do with spare time?

This week has not been too exciting. Emily has continued her busy schedule of studying for her boards. Only 4 days (Thursday) till she takes her boards! It will definitely be nice to have my wife back. Em has been so busy, she only leaves the house to walk the dog and go to church. For the most part she spends days at a time studying without leaving the house. That said, this past week has given me a lot of alone time for me to think about life in general. I have been thinking about how fast time flies. I realize that I need to be more effective with my time. I hate to admit it, but I spend way too much time watching TV. Such a bad habit. I have resolved to make the best of my time. I need to develop talents I've been given instead of wasting time watching TV or playing the XBOX.

This week I spent a lot of time studying after work, but with the remaining time I had available I have decided to work on my photography. During high school, I constantly was involved with photography. However, over the past 8 years, I have really fallen out of touch with this hobby. I don't know what it is about photography, but it is so inspiring for me. The ability to capture the world as I see it...is so rewarding. For example, here are some lone lily pads that I saw while on my walk. I imagine most people would not take the time to photograph a lily pad. There was something charming about these lily pads that made me want to photograph them.

Since Em has been swamped with studying this week, I went on a spree of picture taking. On Memorial Day, I took Zoe to Lake Phalen to walk around. Zoe had a blast picking up every stick, she even hopped in the water once. She was filthy when I got home. The pictures prove this.

Apolgize, this blog is somewhat boring, but in all honesty, this week was somewhat boring. In fact, I decided to take self-portraits today while Em studied. I discovered that taking self-portraits is more difficult than I expected. Nevertheless, it helped pass time today.

I'm curious to hear from everyone else...What do you do to pass the time?