Our Valentine's Day

I'm awful at blogging... I know. I'm sorry, but I can't promise I'll change. But John is much better. Oh, how I love my husband. He is the best and loves me so.

So the following is his post from his photo blog about our Valentine's Day:

If there’s one thing I could have changed during my almost six years of marriage…I would have rationed my really good “lovey and cute” ideas. I made the mistake of always outdoing myself and surprising Emily with some really awesome Birthday, Anniversary, Christmas, etc. surprises. Unfortunately, I set the bar really high from the beginning. I’m always trying to “one up” the surprises from our first few years of marriage, but it’s tough.

Four years ago, I set a pretty high bar for a Valentine’s Day surprise. Emily was slammed during her first year of medical school. In fact, she was going to be busy till 7 or 8pm on that Valentine’s day. This helped set up the night perfectly. Em and I worked in restaurant all of college and really despise going out on Valentine’s day. I decided to make her dinner. No big deal right? I love to cook but I wanted to make this a special dinner. So I went ahead and purchased some Filet Mignons, Shrimp, Asparagus w/ a Balsamic Glaze. I didn’t stop there…I of course got her a dozen red roses (cliche right…but classy…Yes). That night Em came home from school exhausted. I greeted her at the door and we enjoyed this amazing meal.

That Valentine’s meal has become a tradition for us. Every year, I make the same dinner for her. Obviously, it’s not a surprise for her anymore but nevertheless, it’s such a fun time for us. This year, I threw a little somethin’ somethin’ extra into the mix and made Creme Brulee (Em’s Favorite desert). To say it turned out divine would be an understatement. It was fantastic! So grateful for my ‘HOTT Wife’. Love you Babe!

Communication

I am cleaning and trying to throw stuff away. I found my planner for 2007 and found this quote that I want to remember:

“If we would know true love and understanding one for another, we must realize that communication is more than a sharing of words. It is the wise sharing of emotions, feelings, and concerns. It is the sharing of oneself totally.”  -Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Also, here are a couple pics John took in December. I had my interview with the University of Minnesota and came home to Zoe greeting me. We were sitting on the couch, John liked the light, and wanted to play with his then new D700.

Lastly, sorry to any friends we were not able to see while in Utah. There is never enough time!

Happy 2010

John and I celebrated the new year last night shooting a wedding. We had a great time but it was a LONG day. I am really excited for this upcoming year. There are many changes in store and I can’t wait. Of course the biggest is graduation from medical school. I never thought the year 2010 would come. It seemed so far away. And now I am just months away from my MD.

John debuted his photo booth last night that he will offering. It was a hit and the guests had so much fun.  We are trying to come up with a fun, unique name for the photobooth. Some ideas John had were Fun Shack and Booth o’ Fun. I am not creative and am NO help to him. Any ideas??

Of course John and I had to jump in on the fun. (And I don’t know why I can’t stand like a normal person…)

  

John with the Bride & Groom (Amanda & Tait)

He did a trial run at an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party (I missed it since I was in Utah). You can check out the pictures from the party here. Below are 2 of John but the rest are on his photoblog.

Happy New Year! Yahoo for 2010!

It has been a long time since I visited Utah. The last time was Christmas 2007. My third year of medical school was crazy busy with only a one week break during Christmas so we did not have time to go home. Although third year was busy, I am reaping the benefits this year with a lot of time off! John and I were planning on spending Christmas in Utah this year but I went out earlier because I had a residency interview with the University of Utah. Since I had a few days before John came out, I was able to spend time with my friends.

The first night I was there, Kass, Ashley, and I went up and stayed at her family’s condo at the Gateway. We went to dinner at Cucina Toscana. This is one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to and I would highly recommend it.

We walked around shopping at Gateway and had tons of fun. Of course we can’t go shopping without taking ugly pictures in the stores.

Emily, Ashley Kozlowski, and Kass Henson. Kass is prego with a little boy and due in January.

This is my favorite picture! There was a scarf with a hood attached and Kass modeled it perfectly:

I wish I had taken more pictures during my trip but I was a slacker. So I don’t have proof that I hung out with many more of my wonderful friends. I love how when you get together with good friends, you can pick up where you left off (even if it’s been 2 years).

More Utah vacation to come….

Family Pictures

I am so so excited! John and I have been wanting to get pictures taken of us for a while. Even though John is a photographer, we hardly have any pictures of us together. We've tried the tripod thing and it's not the same!!

I follow Jessica Peterson's blog and absolutely LOVE her style. She is amazingly talented. We contacted her in the summer to take pictures for us and we finally made it out to Utah so we could get pictures taken. We went out to West Provo today and braved the freezing cold (it almost felt like Minnesota). She posted a preview on her blog so head on over and check them out (I don't want to steal any pics from her blog without her permission)!!

http://jesslorraine.blogspot.com/2009/12/dec-23-sharpes.html

Thanks Jess! We love them and can't wait to see the rest!

And here's the link to her website: http://jessicapetersonphoto.com

Vote for John (Pretty Please)

One of the photographers John and I like is hosting a workshop in January. She is giving away one spot to her workshop. John entered and now he needs your vote. It is a pure popularity contest on who can get the most votes.

Please visit Kelly Moore's blog and vote for John. You can only vote once per computer (so feel free to vote on your lap top, work, and home computer). The great part is you don't have to sign up for anything or post your email (I always hate contests that require me to put in my email). You simply visit the website, scroll down to "John Sharpe" (the names are in alphabetical order by first name), then click "Vote" at the bottom of the page.

Here's the link: http://kellymoorephotography.com/mooreblog/?p=5782

Kelly Moore is amazing with lighting and the workshop is limited to only 8 people so it will be a great experience. Please vote today but voting is open until November 13 at Noon (central)!

Also, feel free to tell your friends to vote (blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc). The more the merrier!

Thanks so much for your vote!

Minnesota State Fair 2009

Wow, I have been such a slacker with the blog. I have been really busy (lame excuse). I took my Step 2 boards 2 weeks ago. I've also submitted my applications for residency and now I'm just waiting for interview offers. I can't believe I'm in my last of year of school already. I am applying to anesthesiology residencies if you were wondering!

Also for big news, John had his last day at Deloitte on Thursday. He has one week off and will start at Target on October 5. I hope John will be happier at his new job. Plus he will have a better schedule that will give him more time to do what he truly loves . . . his photography.

We went up to Duluth this weekend for an engagement session and had a great time. I will try to post some pictures of us later!

For now, here is John's post from his photo blog about our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair:

One of our favorite traditions, since moving to Minnesota a few years ago, is attending the state fair. This state fair is like none other. It is one of the biggest and busiest fairs in the nation. It seems everyone goes and the main attraction is always the food. Everything deep fried or on a stick can be found here. It’s a grand time! This year Em and I compacted our fair excursion into about two and a half hours. We ate the entire time. Our meal consisted of the following:

- Wild Rice Burger (this was to die for and I’m already craving it for next year)
- Fried Cheese curds (this is a staple fair food)
- Nitro Ice Cream
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Martha’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (ate enough for a small army)
- All you can drink milk

Can’t wait to go again next year!

The sea of people is commonplace at the fair

All you can drink milk for a $1 anyone?

This is how I dominate a wild-rice burger

Can’t leave without the cookies