THE NEW MR AND MRS ANDREW DOUGLASS

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Douglass! Kelly and Andrew tied the knot on October 30, 2010 in a beautiful ceremony in San Antonio following a 3-year engagement. The date was special because it was Kelly and Andrew's anniversary since their first date and it was Kelly's grandmother's wedding anniversary. It simply could not have been more perfect...

We all met up for the rehearsal at Sonterra (which went extremely smoothly, I might add!), then headed downtown for the rehearsal dinner at La Margarita. It was delicious! We had a great time eating yummy Tex-Mex (and margaritas...), visiting with family and friends, hearing awesome blackmail-worthy stories of Andrew, and causing as much trouble as possible. They gave us macarenas and pinatas...what else would you expect?! Kelly's dad and Andrew's dad both did their very best to make us all cry (and were successful) with beautiful, heartfelt thoughts and stories. It was one of those times where you can just feel how happy everyone was for Kelly and Andrew and we all could see that they were meant for eachother. As for the trouble-causing...Ashley's dad started it, right after telling stories that he knew would embarass Ashley. It was GREAT! He was playing with one of the pinatas and Ashley took it from him. So he started stealing them from other tables, and before you knew it...well...I'll just let you see the pictures. We had a shrine to Andrew and Kelly. I'll just say that. If you watch carefully, the shrine grows and develops...

Then, Ashley killed our pinata shrine...

We were also serenaded by a mariachi band! They did a great job! The night ended with a car-ful of people reminding Ryan to drive carefully...first, I said it. Then, Scott and Sarah echoed with "remember, you have precious cargo!" and Dan rounded out the group with the best line..."that's right, tonight you have 4 eggs in your basket!" We all about died laughing, and I'm surprised Ryan didn't try to find a cliff to drive us all off of...

Saturday was the big day! The guys did their thing, which mostly consisted of getting dressed, managing to not get dirty, and arriving on time. Ben and Ryan helped Andrew with a few last minute things before they all headed to Sonterra. The girls did theirs...hair, make up, etc. We all had some great hair styles thanks to Kelly's awesome hairdresser! Before we knew it, it was time to start pictures. Kelly first, then add in the bridesmaids, then family pictures. Then it was Andrew's turn. I love that they held to the tradition of not seeing eachother that day until the ceremony! People started arriving and just about before we could blink, the wedding coordinator came in and told us it was time to line up. The wedding party looked great, all the parents were so happy and glowing, Andrew was all dolled up and as handsome as ever (and trying so hard not to cry), but Kelly took the prize...I don't even have words to describe how gorgeous she was. She was a dream or like a fairy tale. She came down the aisle...Mr. Fetzer by her side so proud! He handed her to Andrew, then both Kelly's dad and Andrew's dad teared up and anyone that could see them just about lost it. The pictures they got with the scenery and sunset behind them were to die for! Andrew and Kelly were glowing, the ceremony and scenery were amazing, everyone was so happy...it was just perfect. After the ceremony, they had the usual picture sessions, then we all headed to the reception, which was a blast! We danced, had some delicious dinner, made very good use of the candy bar, and again, people made speeches it seemed with the intent to make everyone tear up...successfully again. We sent them off in style with sparklers! What an end to a great day. Andrew and Kelly are married! Congrats again, thank you so much for letting us be part of your special day, everything was amazing, and we love you!

I'll post a few pictures once the camera makes it back home...it's still en route with Ryan.

WHAT A WEEK!

Week 9 definitely packed a punch! It started off with a bang-3 tests on a Monday. UGH. And I'll just very briefly note that all 3 tests could have gone much smoother than they actually did. The bottom didn't necessarily fall out, but I was most certainly not pleased with my performances. It was fitting that the cruise ship was in the bay as I was leaving school-just to taunt me. And let me tell you, that day, it was even more tempting. I picked up my dresses for Kelly's wedding on my way home, and of course one of them just wasn't quite right...but it didn't help that I managed to forget my shoes and claim tickets on my way out of the house that morning. AWESOME. Tuesday held an unexpected 8 AM class and yet another test which went much better, followed by my brain just completely crapping out on me. I can't blame it though, we were exhausted. That was terribly unfortunate because I still had a large homework assignment due that evening and I had to pack my bags so Ryan could take them on to San Antonio to avoid having to check any bags with the airline later on. I'm still not sure how either of those actually got accomplished. Wednesday continued the excitement as Ryan headed out of town (and left me to hold down the fort by my lonesome...) and my cousin Ashley had her baby! Welcome baby Bodhi! Also, my Dad was in town for some business stuff, so I got to see him for dinner. Besides Ryan (DUH...), I haven't seen any family since we moved here in August, so it was really nice to get to visit with my dad. It really helped ground me again and kinda decompress, which, as you can clearly see, I could use a healthy helping of both. Thursday, I attended a luncheon to honor the donors of the scholarships to UTMB since I was a recipient of one of the awards, then headed to Katy after school to see Ashley. Yes, I love her. I drove from Galveston to Katy in rush hour traffic. If that isn't love, I don't know what is! Then Friday was the almost-big-day! I had class in the morning, then got myself to the airport (yes, I parked, got through security, boarded and all! All by myself! I'm a big kid now...). Once I landed, it was wedding weekend time! And that deserves a special post all its own. :)

Here's a picture of me with baby Bodhi...isn't he just adorable! Congrats again to the Slater Family!

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

This week was exactly what I had been craving since the semester started: no tests, only two assignments, and no meetings or homework to really speak of. My presentation went well, we only had one day of anatomy lab, and we even hit the half-way point of the semester. You're imagining the nice sunrise and feeling that serenity of the last blog post, right? That's where I should have been...except Monday we have 3 tests. BOOOO! Then Tuesday, we have another test. Then we have three anatomy labs this week and more homework and assignments on top of that. So I have essentially spent my one week of serenity planning for my next week of chaos. And oh ya, minor detail...MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING is on Saturday! So goodness knows I won't be able to concentrate on much of anything this week! But seriously, last week was still pretty good and I felt like I got quite a bit done, but I'm still fearing this next week. Thank goodness it ends on a good note with Andrew and Kelly's wedding. You will also be glad to know that this past Friday, I had to get my last Hepatitis B vaccine and I didn't pass out! It's amazing how actually following the advice of the neurologist helps...call me high maintenance or whatever, but it's better than more trips to the ER. I think I scared the poor nurse, but she'll be fine. Anyways, yall keep me in your thoughts and prayers this week...I'll need it! Ok, back to the land of Patho I must go...

SWEET SERENITY

It may have only been for about 10 minutes, but I finally caught a little sweet serenity. I was driving to school one day and caught a glimpse of this...so I pulled over and went and sat on the beach for a minute just to soak it all in. Yup, I got to hit the beach on my way to school...not many people get to do that. I figured there are 2 ways to look at this...1: the sun is in my eyes! OR 2: Wow, this is beautiful. Not everyone gets to go to school on an island and see a gorgeous sunrise like this nearly every day. It just makes me remember how blessed I am to be here doing what I am doing. If you look closely, you might even be able to see some of the big ships on the horizon! No cruise ships today :)

A GOOD DAY!

Do you know what today is?! It's the official half-way point of my first semester of PA school! Wa hoo!! Believe it or not, I've actually made it half way through this semester. It's weird because on one hand, I feel like I've been here for SO long because of all the work I've done and how much I've learned, but at the same time, it feels like I just moved in last weekend. The scary thing is that Christmas (and finals...OMG!) are practically right around the corner. I mean, white coat ceremony is only 6 weeks away! I miss everyone so much and thank you all for the thoughts and prayers! I might actually make it (through the semester!) after all...:)

LAYLA'S VISIT

Layla and I had such a great time! I'm so glad she came...it reminded me of some of the sanity I had before I started PA school. Did you know that there's a mall in Houston...well, a few, but I finally got to go to one of them! She came in on Friday evening, we had dinner, then went to see Secretariat at the movie theater. It was SO good! It made me want a pony even more, but Ryan was fully prepared for that reaction. I keep telling him that's what's on my Christmas/Birthday wish list, but he keeps telling me that I can get one after I graduate. Booooo. Anyways, Saturday, Ryan and I took Layla down to the island to show her around and we had lunch at one of the local restaurants. Then, Ryan headed to work and Layla and I headed out shopping! Can you say TROUBLE!? I've been deprived for months, so just letting me loose was probably not a good idea. We started at DSW in search of shoes, then headed to the Galleria, which turned into an adventure. I parked at the Dillards, then was informed that although I could see the Galleria from the parking lot, Dillards was in fact not really part of the mall. Who seriously designs stuff like that?! So we packed back up and tried again for the mall. Strike two...kinda. I ended up in the hotel portion, ran away from the valet guys, and made some sort of an illegal u-turn. And almost did a "Dukes of Hazzard" move as we got into the parking lot because I didn't see the dip in the driveway...oops, sorry Layla! Try again...we took quite a round-about way so we were on the right side of the road and finally found the parking garage where everyone was just sitting in line. I'm sorry, I wanted to PARK in the PARKing garage! Get out of my way!!! By the time we finally parked, I was tired and ready to go home. This is why I don't venture out much. We combed through the mall, which was disgustingly busy, but found nothing worth purchasing. That mall is NOT designed well by any means. But it's ok because Layla had her first experience in Tiffany's-every girl can use a little retail therapy in Tiffany's. Oh yeah, there were 2 quincinera's at the mall...lots off teenagers, 2 big ball gowns, and oh so many people everywhere! Arg. So then we headed (where else?!) to the Container Store because you can always find something worth buying there, then we met Ryan for dinner and had some yummy dessert at BJ's Brewhouse. She had to head back home on Sunday...sad face :(. Finding the airport and manuevering that was easier than the danged mall! So her visit was short, but I'm so glad she came and we had a lot of fun! It really helped rejuvenate me. Thanks Layla!

I.AM.SO.TIRED.

Wow, I cannot even begin to put into words just how exhausted I am. I have never been this tired before-not even when I was in my senior year of undergrad, working full time, and about to get married and move to Dallas. Not even then was I quite so exhausted. This past week was supposed to be relatively light, right? Only 2 assignments and 1 test can't be this bad, right?! Apparently I was wrong and Week 7 got completely out of hand. I'm pretty sure it was some extracurricular events that helped though...I was fighting the post office because they keep losing my mail or I get it, but it's opened. Not cool, post office, not cool! Also, I've been on the hunt for a tailor to get 2 dresses of mine and Ryan's suite fitted. Sounds easy, but it's just hard to hand off $600 worth of clothing and "hope" you picked the right people to take care of you. So I finally found a tailor that other people had some really good things to say about, but the lady is only there one day a week, and of course, I missed my day last week. Arg. So after that, my 1 test of the week didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. I really thought I studied well and was prepared, but apparently I was wrong. Granted, I didn't bomb it or even fail it, but I was nonetheless NOT satisfied with how I did. I think this was the first time this semester I really felt that way. Oh yeah, that day, I only got like 5 hours of sleep because I was up studying. For those of you who know how much I love my sleep, you understand what a big deal that was. The last thing that really got my week messed up was anatomy lab. I'm still not sure why, but the smell has just been getting to me lately. It happened last week, too. It's not one of those things I can just avoid, I mean, I have to go! But it's no fun being royally nauseated for nearly 2 entire days of the week, and basically not wanting any meat products or fatty foods for the other 5. Poor Ryan has had to put up with my face turning green when he even talks about dinner and my new "pickiness" when it comes to food. Hopefully this will go away soon...what ever happened to acclimation or fatigue!? Come on nose, work with me! The light at the end of the tunnel for this week...The Original for lunch on Friday with the girls (of course!) and Layla's coming to visit! I'm so excited! I have to keep my eye on the positives and try to put this week behind me...