To Conquer List

The house is really starting to come along!! Besides hanging pictures on the wall (which you will have to come over and see all those), here are the MAJOR updates we have done in the past few months:

Guest bedroom #2, previously had nothing in it, now just needs some wall decor!

Foyer, now has entry rug and wall decorations.  Not pictured is the decorative stand beside the stairs with various wedding paraphernalia :)

Thanks to my Mom and Dad we now have a table and 8 chairs!!  Soon to come: 2 more chairs and a china cabinet (as soon as we have a few thousand to spend!)

We now have curtains in the kitchen!!

The start of some decorations in the den.  Not pictured is the awesome extra large clock over the couch that will soon be surrounded by photos

Projects for next month: Furniture for the screened porch and a rug for under the kitchen table. Get excited.

 I officially have a consistent schedule for the first time since I can remember!  I work Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning, and usually don't have anything scheduled for the other 3.5 days out of the week!  It is awesome to know that I have time to be productive, or just sit around and enjoy life.  The sign is up, my "doctor" shirts will be in soon, and I am feeling more and more comfortable at work. 

Now that my life has begun to fall into a rhythm, I have had time to sit back and evaluate how far I have come in my 26.5 years of life. I hate the term "bucket list" because the meaning behind it is all backwards.  My goals in life are not things I want to DO before I "kick the bucket", they are things that I want to conquer in my real life goal of making every moment count.  So here is my as-complete-as-possible "To-Conquer List": (naturally the X means I have already conquered it!)

(X) Become a Veterinarian
( ) Own a practice
( ) Have enough money to not have to worry about money
( ) Be there for a pet and their family for a first puppy/kitten visit through the end of their life
(X) Save a life (doesn't have to be human!)
(X) Make research advancements in my field
(X) Play soccer at the college level
(X) Marry my best friend
(X) Be a bridesmaid
(X) Buy a house
( ) Start a family
( ) Raise my children to be good people
( ) Become a team mom
( ) Coach one of my children in a sport (hopefully one I actually played!)
( ) Plan/host a major fundraising event
(X) Be close to my family and my in-laws
( ) Host my family for Thanksgiving Dinner
(X) Go bungee jumping 
( ) Go skydiving
(X) Learn to SCUBA dive
( ) Dive Crystal River with my Daddy
( ) Dive the Great Barrier Reef
( ) Hike the grand canyon
( ) Hike a portion of the App Trail (talking like a week's worth)
( ) Visit every state in the US
( ) See Niagara Falls
( ) Go deep sea fishing
(X) Walk/bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
(X) Go white water rafting
(X) Visit New York
( ) Visit the Galapagos
( ) See the Northern Lights
( ) Travel to the United Kingdom
( ) See Stonehenge 
( ) Travel to Australia/New Zealand
(X) Travel to Central/South America
(X) Hike in the South American Rainforest
(X) See the Redwoods
(X) Travel to Europe
( ) Visit Henny in Germany
(X) Hear the Pope speak
(X) Travel to the Middle East
(X) Float in the dead sea
(X) Be baptized in the Jordan River
(X) Visit Petra in Jordan
( ) See the pyramids
(X) Travel to Asia
( ) See the Great Wall of China
(X) Ride a camel
( ) Ride an elephant
( ) Travel to Japan (this one is for Matt)
( ) Go on an African Safari
( ) Go to Wimbledon
( ) Go to the Kentucky Derby 
( ) Do an Olympic Triathlon
(X) Run a half marathon
( ) Run a marathon
( ) Run a tough mudder/warrior dash
( ) Run a color run
( ) Run a zombie run
(X so far) Stay physically fit throughout my life
(X) Donate 1 wig (4, 10 inch donations) of hair
(X) Learn to defend myself
(X) Learn to shoot a gun
(X) Learn to play an instrument

That is currently all I can think of.  Feel free to comment and leave suggestions!! I am always open for new experiences!!

Until next time!

Getting in the Groove

The past month since graduation has flown by!

The first week, I decided to go to Charleston with Laura to visit Adrienne, Weatherly, and see the Matts (my wofford study buddies/lab partners, both named Matt).  We had SUCH a great time!! On the way down we stopped in Greenville to visit Rachel and Craig and see Chanel, all of whom are doing fantastic.  The beach was wonderful and VERY relaxing!

Amazing friends on a very educational boat ride :)

The next week, I was off to Amelia Island for Melia's bachelorette weekend with some wonderful ladies.  I only knew two of the other bridesmaids before that weekend and the wedding, but now I am happy to say that I have several more friends that I adore :)

It was a little windy on the deck, but the weather for the most part was perfect!

For memorial day we spent the weekend in the mountains with my family.  We went to an art festival in Blue Ridge, did some fun afternoon runs up and down the mountains, and watched some awesome SciFi original movies :)

Then came Melia's wedding last weekend.  I was so honored to have been asked to be part of it!  The wedding was beautiful, and the reception was SO fun!  We had to have a search party for the groom's ring that morning, do some minor surgery on her veil, we had one plant casualty during the ceremony and a groomsmen near casualty right after the ceremony, but otherwise everything went smoothly!  The bride looked AMAZING, and I know the two of them couldn't have been happier.  I love weddings, and I love these two wonderful people!

Beautiful!  I can't wait to see the rest of the formal pictures!

On another exciting note, my brother and sister-in-law FINALLY got their house!!  While we were house hunting, they saw a house on the same street as ours (actually about 8 houses away) that was just PERFECT for them.  We signed the contracts for our house and theirs on the same day, but because theirs was a short sale, those are complicated and take a lot longer than a regular sale.  But they FINALLY GOT IT!!! They moved in this past weekend!  It has already been amazing!  Matt and I made them a casserole as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift while they were moving :)

Hayden and Natty's new house!!

Yesterday was my first official day of work ever!  It was a little stressful trying to remember to dot my I's and cross my T's (since every hospital does it differently), but I know in a few weeks I will have everything down, and it wont feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off!  I thought that most of the day was just going to vaccine appointments, but it actually ended up being different and quite eclectic!  At the end of the day my brain was exhausted.  I think I am going to enjoy the "real world"!

Matt and I are also starting "Insanity" together (along with Hayden, Natty, and two of my new friends Elissa and Charlie), so we have an amazing accountability group to make sure we all die together.  We took the fitness test and wrote down where we are now so we can track our progress over the next 60 days.  Lets hope for some good results!

That's all for now!  Until next time!