Scott & Nikki

2010 in Review

2010-12-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

2010 in Review

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Lots!! Went to the Bahamas, smoked a Cuban Cigar, Moved to MD, saw DC, started a Travel Nurse position, co-signed a car loan with Scott, the year was filled with first’s!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I lost the those last 5lbs I’d been trying to lose and then some so I guess I did pretty good, I don’t remember what my other one was so I guess it didn’t matter.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister-in-law had my first niece Addy and lots of friends had babies! (seems like it’s everyone but me, which is the way I like it!)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandfather John Perdelwitz passed away and it reunited with my grandmother so it was a good passing. There were a few cancer patients that were very close to me that did not make it :(

5. What countries did you visit?
The Bahamas!

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A bigger place to live and more vacations!

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 7th – Scott graduated from Grad School, the end of May – saying good-bye to all my friends and moving to MD, June 26^th – meeting my niece!

8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?
Scott graduating from Grad School (I had a hand in that) & getting my first Travel Nurse position

9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't really feel like I failed at anything this year

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Xterra and Scott’s Altima

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Scott getting Grad. Researcher of the year, graduating from Grad School and getting an amazing job

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
That's a bit personal

14. Where did most of your money go?
Towards car, celebration vacations, and luckily to the savings account, trying to save for a house!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving to MD, meeting my niece, being at my Maid of Honor’s wedding, and buying a new car!

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2010?
You never even call me by my name by David Allan Cole – singing Karaoke with my friend Nick!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier!!!
b) Thinner!!!
c) Richer!!!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Crafting/scrapbooking and laying by the pool

19.What do you wish you’d done less of?
Working, even though I really needed to

20. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Been falling since 2001...

21. What was your favorite TV program?
Gray's Anatomy, How I meet your Mother, The Bing Bang Theory

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope

23.What was the best book you read?
Didn’t read too many books, at least none I can remember really liking

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That I STILL cannot sing and I’m even worse when I’m drunk!

25. What did you want and get?
A new car and to move to a new city!

26. What did you want and not get?
A million dollars!

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
There were lots, cannot even think of them all right now!

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 27, Scott made me dinner and got my car super clean and I got a 90min massage

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting that million dollars!

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I resorted back to the Pj’s and scrubs but now that I lost weight I wearing more form fitting clothes since my friends hate seeing my old cloths hang off of me

31. What kept you sane?
My husband, cats, SLEEP, and having a great bunch of friends at work!!!

Gala in DC

2010-12-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Scott and I got tickets to a Gala at the French Embassy in DC and I invited my friend Titi. It was a formal event and I was excited to get all dolled up!! We had a great time, the food was good, and Titi and I got to dance the night away while Scott gambled at the Monti Carlo themed event (it was just for fun gambling). The event was to raise money for the Children's Hospital in DC so it was for a good cause as well! can't wait to go to another one!!

Titi and & I in our amazing dresses!

Me and my handsome Hubby!

At the Gala

Devil in the Red Dress (my eyes look freaky!)

Me and my girl!

Dancing the night away!

Scott even came out to the dance floor!

Looking fabulous on the dance floor!

The nights over, Scott didn't do to shabby taking home two beautiful girls by the end of the night!

Museum of Medicine

2010-11-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

At the Walter Reed Army Medical Base there is a Museum of Medicine and it is sooo cool! Of course I forgot my camera and there was probably lots of things people did not want to see but I did snap this one with my camera phone because it was soooo cool. It's a mega colon pulled out of a 19 year old male! Can you imagine having something this since in your body?!? I with it had a normal size colon next to it so you could see the difference! I will definitely be taking a trip back to this museum and next time I won't forget my camera!

The largest part is wider around then a football!

10th Annual Nikki Birthday Dinner

2010-11-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

Scott made me a fabulous dinner again this year! I got tenderloin in a cherry wine reduction, almond broccoli, and potato puff (I wanted to drink the cherry wine reduction, it was amazing!) For dessert I got a chocolate bomb! It was vanilla cake with layers of chocolate mousse, white chocolate ganache in the center, and covered in chocolate ganache and white chocolate shavings! Lets just say the 10lbs I lost a gained back that night!! Amazing as usual!!

I wish we had smell-a-vision! It was so good!

Me and my Chocolate Bomb!

The aftermath in the kitchen

My friend Titi got me some yummy candles and beautiful earring, this is me opening my gifts!

Pumpkin Picking

2010-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Scott and I dove to the mountains to get pumpkins today - the farm was way up on this big hill and the views were amazing! It was really hard to resist the temptation of rolling pumpkins down the hill - others weren't as strong as us and there was a pile of pumpkin remains at the bottom of the road. Then we were for a hike on another stretch of the Appalachian trail. Maybe when we link all the sections together we will have done the whole thing!

The beautiful views!

Being Silly

My Happy Jack

Scott's Mean Jack

Camping Attempt

2010-10-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Scott and I attempted to go camping in VA - here's what happened:

Yeah DC traffic!!

Yeah rain!!!

We got to camp ground too late and all the spots were full so we ended up paying some crazy old lady $20 to set-up camp on her land (she had a camp ground but that's what it was like) and we were right next to the road AND the train tracks and to make matters worse our lovely camp neighbors thought it would be fun to throw fireworks into their fire at 1am! They're lucky all I had was my mouth to give them a tongue lashing with because I tell you if I had a bat their radio that was playing to Matallica at 1am would have been bashed in and so would their knees! (they were very quiet after I had a little chat with them!)

Finally on the trail!

Awesome Views!!

There were parts of the trail that were THIS narrow!

Crawling through the trail

Yeah people traffic

There were so many people up here and the trail was really narrow in spots and so it caused a traffic jam!! The girl that fell and broke her ankle on the steepest and narrowest part of the trail did not help the situation!

Pretty Cool!

Finally made it to the summit (we had to make our own trail at one point because the back-up was soooo long)

Look at those guns! ;)

So pretty

Scott found this really awesome car in the parking lot - he wants this paint job on his Altima!

Um, what?!?

We ended-up having a good enough time on our hike but we still went home a day early because of everything! It's soooo crowded here you have to drive and do stuff on off hours otherwise it takes forever to get anywhere!! Maybe we'll try again in the Spring, MAYBE!

Adventure Park

2010-10-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

Scott, Me, & Titi

Scott, my friend Titi, and I got a Groupon for an Adventure Park and Ropes Course, it was so much fun and very challenging at times. It was a great work-out, there was a even a part that Titi and I could do but Scott and the two guys behind him couldn't it was so tough! We were pretty proud of ourselves!

Me & Titi

It was way harder then it looks!

On one of the many zip lines!

Very high log and cable ladder we had to climb!

The bugs that are attacking MD! They are stick bugs from China and are EVERYWHERE!!

Washington Monument & The National Archives

2010-09-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

Scott and I got tickets to go inside the National Monument and skip the lines at the Archives (if you're ever in DC and wanna do that get the tickets! Lines start early!!) It was cool to see DC from a birds eye view and they had pictures of what it use to look like. We saw the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights at the Archives but you can't take pictures of them because it will damage the paper. There was lots of history and it was pretty cool to see them in person! We also walked to the other end of the National Mall and saw the Capital Building. We're checking a lot of things off our check list of things to do in DC!

WWII Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial

View of the White House Lawn in 1934 (It had a baseball field!)

The view today

This is what I get when I asked Scott to stop squinting

Us at the Capital Building

The DC Temple - when you're on the beltway you come up over this hill and there it is - it's pretty cool and even better at night all lit up

South Carolina!

2010-09-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Me and the girls - Kinsley, Courtney, Regina, Me, & Amanda

I was getting a little too "home sick" so I spent 5 days in SC with my friends mid-Sept. I had a blast and wasn't ready to go home and now I miss everyone even more!! :.(

Courtney, Tonia, & Me

NickNikki!!

Joey & Regina

Regina, Me, Courtney

Girls Lunch minus one :( Regina, Me, Lydia

Sheila & I

Kayaking

2010-09-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

We went Kayaking on the Potomac with a Groupon that I got online. The traffic getting there was bad - the people we went kayaking with were slow - and the we got lost leaving DC - at least the weather was nice :p

Waiting for people

Still not moving

Coming up to the Kennedy Center

Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument

Scott in Colorado

2010-09-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Scott couldn't wait to see his niece Addy especially since I had seen her twice to he went to Colorado over Labor Day weekend and spent time with his family. And no, he did not catch the baby fever either, we are both vaccinated!

Typical woman - totally smitten with Scott!!

Addy and her grandparents

Annapolis

2010-08-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Scott and I spent the day in Annapolis which is where I work. We went to Naval Academy, walked around town, got massages and sushi! It was a pretty awesome day!

The waterfront

Naval Academy Chapel - there was a wedding going on so we couldn't go inside

At the Academy

Cute old town Annapolis

Colorado Again!

2010-08-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Stephanie got married August 21st and I flew back for the wedding. It was fun to catch up with friends and see the family!

She's so excited to see me again!!

Getting Big!

Lay it on her Nick!!

Franny, Steph, and Nik - Trouble together again!

Me and my Sis

We painted Kannen's playroom

Little Monkey!

Me and my Bro's

It's like a quilt

Harper's Ferry

2010-08-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

On 8/8 Scott and I spend the day hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail and visiting Harper's Ferry. Then on 8/14 we went back and biked on the C&O Canal trail which runs from Ohio to were the Potomac River ends at the ocean - we didn't ride quite that far but it felt like it! There were a lot of people tubing in the river - we've got to go do that on one of these hot summer days!

DC - Chinatown

2010-08-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

In August we went to the American History Museum and Chinatown. We got a beautiful painting of our last name by a Chinese artist and the letters are made of painted flowers and animals. You should come visit and we'll show it to you!

Painting of Yellowstone Falls in the museum. It's HUGE in real life.

You tell 'em!

DC's Chinatown

July

2010-07-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

July was filled with me starting a new job, moving into our new apartment, Scott settling in at work and what now. The end of the month we went hiking in NW Maryland and floated around in a local lake but it was really crowded and we didn't stay long. Before we knew it August was here and it was busy!

Baltimore Challenge

2010-07-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July Weekend Scott and I did the Baltimore Challenge. We got clues and had to run all over the city to get the answers and get back as fast as we could to win. We did pretty good for not knowing the city at all and had a blast!

They help me run faster!

We had to do silly things and take pictures of it to get credit for the race

Hey batter, batter, batter, batter - SWING!

Colorado Trip

2010-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

The end of June I went home for a couple of weeks to watch my nephew Kannen and while I was there my niece Addy was born on June 25th!! I was super excited to get to see her right away and Scott was super bummed! Now we have a nephew and a niece!!

He's gettin' big!! He's so happy he gets to spend time with his Aunt Nikki!

Adelaide Cossette Maxson

Beautiful Colorado!

DC Natural History Museum

2010-06-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

Living so close to DC is great - we went to the Natural History Museum today. Since we can do as much or as little as we like we spent most of the day here - it takes that long to see everything! It's a pretty awesome museum - my favorite part was all the gems - Scott's was the animals.

The Hope Diamond

I'd like these for Christmas Please!

Columbia Fest

2010-06-12T16:19:00.001-07:00

This weekend is the Arts Fest in Columbia and we went to see the parade, look at the arts and crafts, & watch the cardboard boat race which was pretty funny. After today and yesterday we are pooped!! Laying by the pool tomorrow!!

What's with the crazy barbie dolls?

Seriously?!? It's kinda weird!!

The guy on top jumped backwards onto the other guys shoulders! It was pretty cool!!

More of the weird parade

Us!!

Cardboard boat race with guy in speedo and all!!

This one was suppose to be like a hamster wheel but they
wouldn't let them do it that way so this is what they tried!

Didn't work very long! :)

Washington DC

2010-06-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Scott & I took a day trip to DC yesterday - it's a 20min drive to the DC metro and another 20min subway ride to the National Mall. We saw the Washington Monument, the Capital, the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the White House, and made it into the Smithsonian Natural History Museum but ran out of time. All of this was done in 4hrs and all in walking distance and FREE!! Gotta love DC!! It's nice what they've done with our tax dollars!!

The Capital Building

Washington Monument

Scott being silly

Me being silly

Us and the Washington Monument

I know my husband's tall but this is ridiculous!

What do you see?

WWII Memorial

Scott in front of the 4,000 stars that represent the 400,000 Americans that died in WWII

WWII Memorial

Our Current State

Our Past State

Our Home State

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial across the Reflection Pool

President Lincoln

Us and The President

Vietnam War Memorial

Washington Monument from the Vietnam War Memorial

James C. O'Shea from Council Bluffs, IA - I wonder if there's any relation?

The White House

Us @ The White House

Scott being eaten by a Giant Great White Shark!!

New Job - New Look

2010-06-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Scott started his new job at Osiris Therapeutics as a Bio-engineer on June 2nd and he got a new wardrobe to go with his new job - much better then the jeans and t-shirts his been living in since high school!!! Now he actually looks like a Doctor!!

BALTIMORE!!!

2010-05-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

The first weekend Scott and I moved to MD we went exploring the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. We had a great day and got to see lots of our new city!

Scott & I on Federal Hill

Chesapeake Bay

View of the Inner Harbor from Federal Hill

Old ship in the Bay

Star Spangled Banner house - Count the stars on the Flag!

Crazy Pink Poodle at the Welcome Center

Camden Yards - gotta go see an Orioles Game

6th Anniversary Breakfast - SOOOOO YUMMY!! Defiantly going back there!!

Enjoying my breakfast

Anyone up for a road trip to Colorado? I-70 ends (or starts) in Baltimore, it ends in a U-turn which is pretty funny!

Moving to Maryland!!

2010-05-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Scott and I moved from Central, SC to Columbia, MD on May 28th - This was our move: May 28th moved from our apartment in SC to a hotel in MD - June 2nd moved into temporary apartment & on July 15th we get to move again into our new apartment for a year until we find a house. We will have moved to 5 different places by this time next year! I think I will never move again after this one!!!

The disaster of our SC apartment

Our stuff all loaded up to go to storage for 2 months

They sent this huge semi for our stuff which all fit in the section over the front two tires!! How much stuff did they think we had?!?

Our empty SC apartment

The kids loaded-up for the trip north (you can see Izzy's ears under Callie - she HATED the car and was scared the whole time, poor baby!!)

Going Away Events

2010-05-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

The end of May Scott & I tried to do as much as possible with our SC friends before me made the big move north to Maryland - these are the PG versions of some of the pics!! ;-p

Cheers Girls - Out with friends @ Blind Horse
Melody, Elana, Me, Courtney, Tiffanie, & Sabine

Part of our party group

Last of Sardi's - All-u-can-eat Crab Legs!

Oh no - who gave me a mic!!??!! Karaoke Night @ Bull Feathers
Singing with Nick

Cheers to my friends!! Gonna miss South Carolina!!

End of AnMed

2010-05-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

May 20th was last day of work at AnMed Health - Thanks to all my friends for making it a good one! Gonna miss you ALL!!!

Me & my buddy Nick - Super bummed that I'm leaving - no more NickNikki :(

My Fav Charge Nurse Joyce

First going-away cake

Regina, Amanda, & I - second going-away cake in 12hrs!

Me and my Fav Dr. - Dr. Kickham

Maxson Family Trip - NC

2010-05-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we went Gem Mining and hiking in NC - We found some pretty gems and Debbie and I are getting some jewelry made. Then we went hiking up Mt. Mitchell - the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6684ft (pretty impressive, right!! ;-p) Then we headed back to Clemson in the evening and Jim and Debbie headed to the Outer Banks on Wed. We had a great family trip!!

Searching through the rocks

Our big assent!

Scott & I

Scott, Me, Debbie, & Jim on top of Mt. Mitchell

Maxson Family Trip - Chimney Rock

2010-05-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday May 9th we took Jim & Debbie (Steve had to get back to CO) up to Chimney Rock, NC. A bunch of our favorite stuff was closed at the park which was really disappointing be we still had to great time together. We stayed the night in Asheville and did more stuff in the mountains on Monday.

View from Chimney Rock

Me & Scott

Debbie & Jim

The 4 of us

At the base of Hickory Nut Falls

Maxson Family Trip - Lake Jocassee

2010-05-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

The day after Scott's graduation we rented a pontoon boat and went to Lake Jocassee. We went tubing and hiking and playing in the water. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the day together!

The Maxson's

Scott flipping off the tube!

Holding on for dear life!

Steve's ready to go swimming!

Just floating around

Scott's Swag

2010-05-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

Some of Scott's gifts from Graduation and his 26th birthday!

Diploma & Frame

That's Right!

Tie tack and cuff links

New license plate frame - now he's got one from Mines & Clemson

Big Boy Big Wheel Socks!!

Scott's Graduation

2010-05-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

On May 7th Scott graduated from Clemson with his PhD in Biomedical Engineering! His family was able to make it out from CO to celebrate with us. Congrats Dr. Scott!!

Walking out (his adviser Dr. Burg is behind him)

Getting hooded - gotta love the silly purple outfit!!

On the big screen!

The Maxson's minus 1.5
(very pregnant Tara and Baby Maxson couldn't make it)

Me & My Dr. Husband!

Scott's Graduation Cupcakes and Maxson Family Cupcakes - Chocolate Chuck Surprise!

BAHAMA'S

2010-04-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

I was looking back through our blog and couldn't believe that I forgot to blog about the Bahama's!! Scott and I slept 5 days on Grand Bahama Island in April for his graduation, 26th birthday, our 6th wedding anniversary, and to celebrate Scott's job offer in Maryland!! We had a great time and it was exactly what we needed!!!

In front of our resort

Not bad if I say so myself!

Scott having fun in the water

The sunrise on our last day

Scott's Vacation

2010-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

After Scott's defense and job offer he took 3 days to himself and went camping. It was want he needed to unwind and rev-up for the next step in his career!

Scott's Defense

2010-04-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

On Monday April 12th Scott defended his dissertation and passed with flying colors!! Now he's Dr. Scott Maxson!!!

Our first picture as Dr. & Mrs. Scott Maxson!

Scott telling everyone the good news!

Scott's congrats cinnamon rolls!

Scott's Award #2

2010-04-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Scott received his Graduate Researcher Award again today but this time for the entire College for Engineering & Science award ceremony. There were 7 students awarded for different achievements in the department of Bioengineering and they could only present 2 of the students at this award ceremony and Scott was one of them!

Scott's Award

Scott's award being given to him by the Dean of the College of Engineering & Science and the dept. head of the Bioengineering dept. They were soooo much shorter then him, it was pretty funny!!!

Once weekend later and it would have said Dr. Scott A. Maxson!! Scott defends MONDAY!!!

Me & my Super Genius!!

Scott's Award Ceremony #1

2010-04-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Scott was awarded the Graduate Researcher Award for the department of Bioengineering and for the College of Engineering and Science. Tonight was the award ceremony for the Bioengineering Dept. and he will have another award ceremony on Saturday! So proud of my nerd!!

Scott & I

Scott's Award

Dr. Burg, Scott & I

Scott and Dr. Shalaby, he was Dr. Burg's advisor back in the day and he created absorbable sutures!!!

Someones pretty happy!!

Could I be anymore behind?!?

2010-03-28T18:50:00.001-07:00

So I have been slacking lately since my last post so you get all of March in one post!! Here we go:

First I headed home to Colo. the end of Feb, beginning of Mar to see my siblings and my super adorable nephew Kannen!! Went to dinner with my sister's and friends and just played with the baby!!

Dinner with my sister's at the Denver Aquarium

Out on the town with Tahnee

Me, Stephen, and Tahnee having too much fun!

Dinner with Tahnee & Stephanie!

Cute Kannen!

Happy Baby!

He's just so much fun!

My friend Zack from High School is a musician and was playing in Spartanburg so we met up for the show and dinner, this is us outside the Cracker Barrel! True southern food and charm at it's best!!

Amanda, a friend from work invited a bunch of us out for dinner to celebrate her wedding anniversary (notice how it's all girls and no husband? Long story!!) We went to the Melting Pot and had a fun night out!

The whole gang, the girl on my right is Courtney, I'm orientating her at work, poor girl!!

Scott's friend Erin from Clemson had her 30th B-Day this weekend & I offered to make the cake. I made this cupcake tower and the "Starry Night" cake!

It didn't even fall over!! :-p

Starry Night

Scott and I trying to get a cookie in our mouth's using only our faces! I won!!

Playing Human Bridge!!

On another note, Scott had a job interview in Columbia, MD on Wednesday. He thinks it went very well and hopefully they will be offering him a position!! If so looks like we'll be off to Maryland this summer!! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Also, if I don't post before then, Scott defends his dissertation April 12th! He has to pass in order to graduate so I guess you got to keep your fingers crossed for that first, then the job!!! LOL!!

Sardi's

2010-02-24T19:12:00.001-08:00

Went to Sardi's with friends for our monthly crab legs! And I made some cute cupcakes too!!

Amanda, Jeannie, & Terry

The Chicken Crab Leg!

Me and Joey!

Amanda and I having fun dancing after dinner!

Yummy Cupcakes!

Tubing

2010-02-05T10:46:00.000-08:00

Some fun video of us tubing!

Gatlinburg, TN

2010-02-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Scott and I went up to Gatlinburg, a cute little tourist trap outside of the Smokey Mnt National Park. We went ice skating, tubing, out to dinner, shopping, and driving through the mountains. So sad that we have to drive 4 hrs to see snow, but cool that we drove through 4 states in 4 hours; SC, NC, GA, and TN!

The view from out cabin

Me being Forrest Gump!

The tram up to Ober Gatlinburg

Me & my Hubby

Ice Skating

Not quite Colo. tubing but still fun!

They don't call them the smokey mnts for nothin'

Pretty snow

Us!

SC Ice!

2010-02-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

We had a rain storm that froze over night and work-up to some pretty ice!

Nami's with my ER Chic's!!

2010-02-05T10:28:00.001-08:00

Had dinner at Nami's to celebrate birthdays with some of my ER girls!!

Keri, Amanda, Regina, Beth, Me, Stephanie, Nancy, Jean, Stacy

2009 in Review

2010-01-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

2009 in Review

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Scott and I went Parasailing and I learned to mountain bike (which I'm still not very good at)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Negative!! This year I'm going to try harder, still trying to lose those last 5 lbs!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister Renee had Kannen on Dec. 4th and my friend Stephanie had her baby on Scott's birthday! Lots of friends from work and nursing school had babies!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
There were a few cancer patients that were very close to me that did not make it :(

5. What countries did you visit?
The United States!!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
For Scott to have a job!

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 30th - our 5 years Anniversary Vow Renewal, Dec. 4th - Kannen's Birthday

8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?
Helping patients in the ED and Oncology Office

9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't really feel like I failed at anything this year

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Blazer, and it had problems!!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Scott has done wonderful in school

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
That's a bit personal

14. Where did most of your money go?
Everywhere but savings account!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My new nephew!!!!

16.What song(s) will always remind you of 2009?
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier!
b) About the same
c) Richer cuz I work some much overtime!

18.What do you wish you’d done more of?
Crafting/scrapbooking and exercising (I just don't enjoy it!)

19.What do you wish you’d done less of?
Working, even though I really needed to

20. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Been falling since 2001...

21.What was your favorite TV program?
Gray's Anatomy and Say Yes to the Dress!! (my next career!)

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope

23.What was the best book you read?
The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Not much, just that I still cannot sing!

25. What did you want and get?
To renew our wedding vows!

26.What did you want and not get?
A million dollars!

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
There were lots, cannot even think of them all right now!

28.What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26, Scott made me dinner, went out with friends, and had lots of fun the weekend leading up to it, on my actual birthday I slept in and went to the gym

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting that million dollars!

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
I just redefined it the end of the year, I'm trying to become more trendy and fashionable, before that it was scrubs, PJ's, and work-out attire

31. What kept you sane?
My husband, cats, SLEEP, and having a great bunch of friends at work!!!

Colorado Christmas

2010-01-12T19:10:00.001-08:00

Scott and I were able to go home this Christmas and spend time with our friends and family in Colorado. We also go to meet my new nephew Kannen who was born on Dec. 4th!!!! We didn't get any snow while we were there which was a total bummer but other then that we had a great time!!! Now it's back to reality and working like a dog the rest of the month!! :(

The O'Shea Family

Hanging with my family at Zoo Lights

New Years Eve with the Maxson's

Me and Kannen as he screams "For the love of God lady, will you let someone else hold me for awhile?!?"

Happy Baby!!

ED Christmas Party

2009-12-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Every year the Dr's in the Emergency Dept put on a Christmas Party and Scott and I went this year. It was lots of fun and was great to see some of my friends unprofessional side!! Plus it gave me an excuse to wear my new dress!!

Me & Scott

Amanda & Me

A group of the Girls!!

Christmas at the Biltmore House

2009-12-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday my girl-friend Ashley and I went to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Every Christmas they decorate the house so beautifully, there's a Christmas tree in every room!! They also have a gingerbread house in the kitchen shaped like the Biltmore House and one in the Inn that's shaped like the Inn, they're both huge and they smell so yummy! I really wanted to get up there this year since it will probably be my last time to see it at Christmas since we won't be here next year :( We had a great time together!

Ashley & I in front of the Biltmore House

The house all lit-up!!

The entrance and gate house to the Estates!

My 26th Birthday Party

2009-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

A bunch of my friends from the ED went out with me for my 26th birthday! We all went to Sardi's Den in Clemson and had All-U-Can Eat Crab legs for dinner!! It was soooo good and it was awesome to be around all my friends. My girl-friend Amanda even baked me a chocolate pound cake!! It was super yummy!!

Scott & I

The gangs' all here!!

Halloween Costume

2009-11-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

So one of my co-worker came up with the brilliant idea of being ME this year for Halloween. I always wear a fanny pack at work that has all my tools (scissors, tape, pen, etc) because I hate to put them in my pockets and I like to be prepared (thanks to my father the boyscout!). Well she took it too an extreme and got a pack with bedpans, full size hand sanitizer, thermometer, ekg leads, etc. It was sooooo funny, and quite flattering that someone wanted to be me!!

Me and my sensible fanny pack, Tara and her Super Pack!!

My 26th Birthday

2009-11-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

So today I'm 26 years old. Still haven't gotten over when I turned 20 so not quite sure how I feel about being on the downhill side of my 20's. Scott always has a way of making me happy about my birthdays with FOOD!! This year Scott made me Filet Mignon with avocado chimichurri sauce, twice baked potatoes, Sherry mushrooms and asparagus and for dessert....triple layer chocolate cheesecake!! Once a year my husband is a world famous chef, I wish he would use his talent more often!! He took me shopping for my birthday on Saturday, got some cute boots and high heels, & a pair of skinny jeans (which I can't wear now thanks to the cheesecake!!). Thanks to all my family and friends for all the gifts and Happy Birthday's!!

Super yummy dinner!

Super yummier dessert!!

Trauma Symposium

2009-11-09T19:18:00.001-08:00

Nov 5th & 6th I went to the Trauma Symposium in Columbia SC with some friends from work. There defiantly could have been more blood and guts but overall it was good. I had a good time with my friends eating a ridiculous amount of food!! Hitting the gym a few times this week!!

Gigi, Angela, Paige, Tara, Lori, Elana, Michelle, and Me!

Diggin' into my sushi!

All of us at the Symposium

There was one speaking in particular that was sooooo boring!!!

Lazy Hair

2009-11-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

I worked 6 out of 7 days last week, all 12hrs! This was my way of rolling out of bed and going to work without having to worry about the hair! What do you think?

Punkin's 2009

2009-11-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here's our Halloween Pumpkins!!

Skeet Shooting

2009-11-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

Scott and I went to a BBQ with some friends had we learned how to shoot skeet. Well Scott did, I didn't hit anything. At least I look good trying!

That's right, pink pants and a gun!

He made it look easy!

Camping

2009-10-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

Scott and I attempted to go camping a few weekends ago but it didn't pan-out so well. We got everything up there ok and found an great spot and went for a drive and a hike. Then we came back and had dinner and sat around the fire and then went to bed. The air mattress Scott brought apparently had a leak so we had to get up every 2 hours to refill the mattress because we ended up on the ground. Then, really early in the morning it started raining. We were expecting a little rain so we didn't think anything of it. But then it started pouring, then our tent started leaking, then the matress went flat and the were in a pool of water! We had enough and got in the car and drove to the nearest town to get some breakfast. We played cards for awhile hoping the rain would let up but it never did so we had to go back to camp and pack-up in the rain. Everything was soaked and it took 2 days to clean everything up and dry it out! Totally ended-up being a bummer of a trip and it doesn't look like we'll have time to try again before winter comes :( Here's the only pictures I got on the trip.

Really cool tree root

Just looking up, I love the way naked tree branches look against the sky

A waterfall near our campsite

Renee & Eliot's Baby Shower

2009-10-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

I was able to go home Oct 2nd-4th for Renee & Eliot's Baby Shower for little Kannen. He's due Dec. 10th but I don't think Renee will make it that far. It was a co-ed baby shower so there were lots of people there! It was nice to be able to see my family for a short weekend and help with the Shower.

The cakes (FMJ stands for Fire Marshall Junior which is Kannen's nickname since his dad is Eliot "Fire" Marshall for the UFC)

Some cute FMJ clothes

And she still has 2 months to go!

9/11

2009-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Better late then never but I wanted to make a little note about a very big event in American History. I was a Senior in HS on 9/11/01. I had my alarm clock set to my radio and the very first thing I heard when I woke-up was "The Twin Towers are on fire". Not the way you want to start your day! I rushed to school and my first class was french. My french teacher actually had the nerve to say, "ok, I know there's something big going on, but I feel the best way to deal with it is continue with our lives like we would, so lets open our books and get started where we left off last class". Needless to say I got up and left class and went next door where the teacher actually realized how important it was for us to be educated about the situation and had the news on. There will always be some events in your life you will remember every detail surrounding that event and 9/11 is one of those. I will always remember the thousands of people that lost their lives that day and pray for their loved ones. The men and women that risked their lives that day to save others are truly heroes and are a symbol of true American Patriotism. Thank you to all the men and women in the armed forces still fighting that fight today!

Biltmore Estate

2009-09-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Scott and I went to the Biltmore Aug. 20th. Every fall them make a "carpet" out of flowers on the North Lawn. It's a huge flower carpet and it's so pretty! We just roamed around the gardens, saw the new rooms they opened in the Estate, and went to ride some co-carts in Asheville. I won of course, and we had a great day together!

Pretty butterfly on pretty flowers

Quick pic before the rain comes!

The Biltmore House

Flower Carpet from inside the house

My ridiculously tall husband in a ridiculously small go-cart!

End of the Chemo Office

2009-09-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

My last day in the Chemo office was Aug. 17th. After a year I decided I needed to go back to the ER. I loved my patients and would have stayed for them forever, but since Scott will be graduating in May, I needed to focus on our finances and keeping my other nursing skills up for when I need to find a new job in our new home, wherever that may be! It was a great experience for me to work with patients that truly needed my care and appreciated everything I did for them, which I don't always get it the ER. I loved the time I was there and will remember those people forever!

The Chemo Girls: Christy, Trudy, Kathy, Anna, and Me

Julius and I

Mr. Martin and Me (my Favorite Patient!!)

Ms. Peggy and her birthday cake

Mr. Pitrowsky and Me

Ms. Mable and her birthday cake

The Hall Girls: Tish, Me, Dorothy, and Carol

Kimaka and Me

Helen, GA

2009-09-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

August 8th and 9th Scott and I went to this little Bavarian inspired town Helen in GA. Scott had a mountain bike race there so we went and spent the weekend. Scott tried Hot Boiled Peanuts for the first time and did not enjoy them, (I on the other hand have grown to love them, the transformation to a Southerner is almost complete!!). We spent Saturday walking around the town and shopping. Then we went to Anna Ruby Falls which was really pretty. Sunday was Scott's race. He placed 7th, which was really good for his group, there were a lot of riders. Then we went tubing down the river which was soooo nice because it was a ridiculously hot day! The river was pretty shallow in spots and there were a lot of people but it was nice to cool down. It was a pretty awesome weekend together!!

Sporting the local attire!

This tree was growing right out of that rock!!

Anna Ruby Falls

Scott and I at the falls

The start. They had to ride down this really steep hill and then funnel into a one lane bridge!

Finishing, after riding 10+ miles he had to go back up that really steep hill!!

7th Place!

Cool Photo's

2009-08-03T15:20:00.001-07:00

There's a food Co. in Anderson called Cromer and there is a rod-iron fence around their land and every year from Memorial Day to Labor Day they put small American flag on each post, there's hundreds of them!! I took some pictures and edited them and I think they turned out pretty cool!

PS - Thanks Sarina for letting me use your Flikr!

Bein' Lazy

2009-08-03T15:14:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Scott and I got some floaty's from Wal-Mart, mountain biked to Lake Julia, and floated around the lake for a few hours!! It was so relaxing! We totally want to live on a lake!

Lake Julia, NC

Scott blowing-up my floaty for me

Loungin' on the Lake

Just the 2 of us!

Hiking the Chatooga

2009-07-23T18:07:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Scott and I went hiking along the Chatooga River with our friends Kris and Sarina. The weather was in the 70's and there was a light breeze; it was a BEAUTIFUL day! We couldn't have asked for a better day!

The water was so clear

Me and Scott

Me and Sarina

A day on the Lake

2009-07-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago Scott and I were invited to one of my co-workers lake house on Lake Hartwell for a BBQ and chillin' by the lake. We rode the jet ski and went out on the boat at sunset! It totally made me wish we lived on a lake. Maybe someday!

Riding on the jet ski! Scott held on pretty good, when I was on the tube I went flyin'!!!

Being lazy in the lake

On the boat with Terry, Josh, and Ana

Me and my love!

2009-07-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to take a moment to say how proud I am to be an AMERICAN!!!! I'm truly blessed to live in this amazing country and I respect the men and women who fight everyday to keep us free!! I want all my family & friends who are in or ever have been in the armed services to know how much I truly appreciate them!! Have a happy and safe 4th!!!!!!!!!

Happy Independence Day!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last night Scott and I went to watch fireworks over Lake Hartwell with some friends. It wasn't the most exciting show we've ever seen but it was fun to be with friends and see all the boats on the water!

The finally!

Me & Scott & our sparklers

Back in SC!!!

2009-06-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

We got back home at 1am Sunday morning! We had a blast with our families but glad to be home!! Now I need a vacation!!!

Friday June 26th

2009-06-28T14:43:00.001-07:00

Wedding Day!! In the morning (7am!!) all the girls got their hair done for the wedding. Then my Mom and I went to the reception and ceremony sites to make sure all the last minute wedding stuff was done. Then we got Tahnee ready and headed over to the ceremony. The weather was cool and cloudy and the ceremony was perfect. It started raining when Tahnee and Stephen were walking back down the aisle, talk about perfect timing! We weren't able to get all the after wedding pictures on the lake like they wanted but the photographer did a great job working with what we had and I'm sure they'll still be beautiful! Then it was party time at the reception! As soon as it started it was over and it was time to say good-bye to the Bride and Groom!!

Tahnee getting her hair and nails done!

The Bride and Groom!

Their first dance

Dad and Tahnee

The Cake, not so bad if I say so myself!

Me & Scott

Being all sorts of naughty!!

Getting ready to leave!

Being pelted with bird seed!

Just Married!!!

Thursday June 25th

2009-06-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

One day until Wedding Day, so as you can imagine it was crazy! In the morning Mom and I went to Grand Lake for a Bridal Brunch then the boys came up and we worked on wedding flowers and the cake all afternoon. We did a rehearsal in the rain then went to the rehearsal dinner. After, we went back to our cabins and finished the flowers and got to bed too late! One more day to go!!

Tahnee and her Flower Girl Quinn

Rehearsing in the rain, we could have used another umbrella!

My Mom and Dad crying over their gifts

Wednesday June 24th

2009-06-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we went bowling with my brothers, their girlfriends (so weird!) and my Dad. I beat everyone with a 162!! Then we went to Sloan's Lake and played football and feed the geese. For dinner we met up with Mom and Renee & Eliot and went to Casa Bonita because my little bothers had never been!! Every kid needs to go to Casa Bonita at least once in their lives!! To bad they were too old to fully enjoy it!!!

Ella, Jessica, Me, Josh, & Jake

John picking-up a spare!

Feeding the geese!

The fam minus Tahnee and Stephen

Tuesday June 23rd

2009-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday my Mom, Tahnee, and I ran last minute wedding errands and Scott hung out with his Mom and went to lunch with his family!!

Monday June 22nd

2009-06-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Since my family is so big and just keeps getting bigger (welcome Stephen and soon to be baby boy Marshall!!), we've decided to celebrate everyone's birthday one day and year so we had our 1st Annual Un-Birthday Party on Monday. We hung out at Renee and Eliot's playing Bag-O and having a BBQ then we went and played Putt-Putt. It was fun and so much easier then trying to get together for all 11 of our birthdays every year!!

Josh pretending to be Tiger Woods

Boys being boys!

Tahnee and Jake

Eliot giving Josh a haircut before the wedding

Sunday June 21st

2009-06-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Scott and I celebrated Father's Day and Steve's 29th B-Day with the Maxson's and Szabo's. We ate, played games, and had a great time together!

Steve and Tara

Scott, Me, Jim, Debbie, Steve, & Tara

I have to give props to my Mother-in-Law Debbie. She has lost 100+ lbs. since October!! Doesn't she look fab!!!???!!!

Colorado June 20th-27th

2009-06-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Scott and I just got back from spending a week in CO for Tahnee's wedding!!

We left Sat the 20th. We had a lay-over in Dallas and when we went to check it we got upgraded to 1st class because they over sold our flight. Too bad we ended up leaving almost 2 hours later then we were suppose to! I would have taken our seats over leaving late!!

Our upgraded tickets!!

When we finally got to CO Scott went to his parents house and I went to Tahnee's Bachelorette Party! We had a blast but I ended-up in a bar fight!! Can't take me anywhere!! Hey, at least it wasn't the Bride!!!

The Party Gang!

Me and Tahnee

Having too much fun!! (Pre-Fighting!!)

Holy Haircut!

2009-06-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I've been growing my hair out for our vow renewal and now that it's summer and so hot I've been wanting to chop it off! I got it cut on Friday and while it is quite the change, I love it! What do you think? It was long enough I was able to donate 12 inches!!

Before: Dark and Long!

After: Shorter and Lighter!!

And Sassy!!

Vow Renewal Pictures

2009-06-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here's some awesome pictures from our vow renewal! It was in Fletcher, NC at Chateau on the Mountain. We renewed our wedding vows, dance to our song, ate cake, and celebrated our love for each other. Then we went to the Biltmore Inn on the Biltmore Estate for dinner. The view was perfect, the weather was perfect, everything came together and we had the best day!!

My Awesome Dress!

Me being silly

The Kiss

Up on the ridge

Dancing to our song!

Repeat of our wedding day!

So Pretty!

Enjoying the sunset together!

Bike Race

2009-06-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Scott had another bike race on Saturday June 7th. It was at Lake Issaqueena in Clemson which was nice. Scott was about a 1/2 mile away from the finish and was about to pass the guy in 4th place when his chain broke! He ran his bike in for 1/2 a mile and no one passed him so he came in 5th place!

Vow Renewal

2009-06-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a teaser picture of our vow renewal! I don't want to put anymore up until I get the pictures back from the photographer because I know those ones are going to be the bomb!!

Biltmore May 29th

2009-05-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Before Scott and I headed up to the B&B where we had our vow renewal we stopped at the Biltmore to see if the roses were in. There were some and they smelled soooo good. The weather was nice and we got to spend the day together!

Just stopping to smell the roses!

Hanging in the rose garden together

Scott pretending to be a statue in the Italian Garden!!

Pretty Butterfly!

Pretty Horses

Our 5th Anniversary

2009-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

Scott and I just got back from Fletcher NC where we renewed our wedding vows! I can't believe 5 years has gone by already! I'm so grateful for Scott and I couldn't imagine my life without him! I'll put up pictures once I get them back from the photographer. Until then, here's a picture of the original!!

Scott and Nikki ~ May 30, 2004

Spring/Summer Wreath

2009-05-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

I finally got my Spring/Summer wreath finished! The winter one was looking a little funny on our front door! Now I have one for every season!

Mud Run

2009-05-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Scott and I did a Mud Run for charity today. It was a 3 mile obstacle course over walls, through the woods, and in the MUD! We completed it in 40.23min which was actually pretty good! It was loads of fun and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Pre-Run, nice and clean!

Getting through the first mud pit!Looks like we had fun!Dirty yet still sexy!Scott thought it was so funny when I was getting hosed off with that freezing water!!!

Spartanburg Race

2009-05-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Scott competed in another race last weekend. It had been raining a lot the few days before the race so the course was really muddy! Scott was a mess! He came in 4th place and did well! He had to be hosed off before he could get in the car!

All Muddy!

Day 4: Miami

2009-05-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

The last day of our vacation we went up to Miami Beach before getting on the plane. There were beautiful people and expensive cars everywhere! It's like the Hollywood of the east coast! It was really hot so we found some ice cream and shade! We're totally bummed our vacation is over but so happy we got to go!

Miami Ink! I wanted to get a tattoo but Ami wasn't there!

Day 3: Beaches

2009-05-13T17:21:00.001-07:00

The next day we were planning on laying on a beach somewhere but we got too burned on the sail boat so we walked around a few beaches. We went to this one beach that you could walk out into the ocean about a mile and the water was still only to your waist! Then we got some Key Lime pie and watched the sunset together!

Beautiful Beach

The local wildlife it a bit large!

Look how far out we are!

Scott kept going until the trail ended

Being romantic!

Perfect sunset!

Ok, now get ready for the super mushy stuff. Scott and I were walking along the beach looking for seashells and Scott was walking behind me. He runs up to me with this clam shell and said "Look at this one! It's still closed, open it up and see if there is a pearl in it!" I so excited and I open it and there is a ring in it! Scott and I are renewing our wedding vows for our 5th anniversary on May 30th and Scott got down on one knee and asked me to marry him again! Of course I said YES!! The ring has our names engraved on the band with a tourmaline for October which is when we started dating and and emerald for May which is when we got married, the inside of the band is engraved with "Forever and Always". This is why I have the best husband ever and I can't wait to marry him all over again!

Day 2: Power Adventure!

2009-05-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

The next day of our trip we went down to Key West and went on a Power Adventure. We got on a sail boat and went snorkeling, jet skiing, para sailing, and swimming in the ocean. I did ok in the beginning but the water got really choppy and I started vomiting! Once they got the boat to smoother water I was able to enjoy our day more and had lots of fun! The group we went with had about 20 people and the company said they usually had about 45 people! The boat was a lot less crowded and I'm glad not too many people were there, it made the day that much better because we got to do more stuff and got to do it longer. When we were heading back to shore we saw a mother and baby dolphin!! Overall it was a totally awesome day!

Pre-Vomit!

DAMN!! (Sorry, I had to say it!)

Pre-para sailing!

Having too much fun!

We Survived!

Jet Skiing

Scott got to go 3 times because our group was so small!

Dolphins

Florida Trip

2009-05-13T16:41:00.001-07:00

Ok, So be prepared for LOTS of pictures! This is only a part of it!

Day 1: Everglades

Scott and I spent the first day of our vacation in the FL Everglades. We went on some of the nature walks and saw LOTS of nature. The first alligator we saw we thought it was so cool and we spent a lot of time and pictures looking at it. Then further down the walk there was a pond with like 50 alligators, guess that ONE wasn't so special. There were so many birds and other animals, it was really cool to see, we even got to see a bird catch a fish! The we went on a canoe ride hoping to see more but didn't see too much more. We did get to see a salt water croc getting a tan and we were able to get pretty close in our canoe! That evening we went down to Key Largo and had dinner which was super good, as you can tell by the pictures!

Can you find the Key with the funny name?

HUGE Stork

Lunch!

All the turtles had their legs out like this, it was so funny!

The animals were so calm

Scott and his new friend

Doesn't he look nice?

Alligator dog pile!

He's defiantly from the south! Missing lots of teeth!

Explosion flower!

The water looked so gross!

How would you like to hike through this?

The Croc

Super yummy dinner full of seafood!

Mnt Bike Race

2009-04-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Scott had a race on the 19th in Columbia, SC and he came in 5th place! If he keeps going at this pace he should come in 1st in 2 more races!!

A little Personal Touch

2009-04-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

Having a little fun Trickin-My-Truck!

I love our family portrait in the lower left corner!

My nod to livin' in the South

Festival of Flowers

2009-04-12T16:25:00.001-07:00

At the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC they have the Festival of Flowers every Spring. Easter weekend the Tulips were in full bloom and they were beautiful! It was a little cool but worth it to walk around the gardens!

Some of the Orchids in the Greenhouse

Enjoying a Spring Day!

Zack in Action

2009-04-12T16:21:00.001-07:00

My friend from high school Zack Nichols is singer/songwriter and was playing at Converse College in Spartanburg on the 8th. We've been wanting to see him in concert for a few years now and he finally came to us! He did great! You should check him out on MySpace and you can listen to his newest CD. He's also on iTunes!!

Scott, Me, & Zack

NC Weekend and Mnt. Bike Race

2009-04-07T17:14:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Scott and I went up to Bryson City, NC for his first Mnt. Bike Race. We had a lot of fun and Scott placed 7th!! So happy for him! He's got the bug now and has another race planned for the 19th. Hopefully he'll do great then also!!

Pretty sunset in Bryson City

Spring is Here!

Playing in a hollowed out tree we found

Scott clean and smiling (must be the beginning of the race!)

Finishing Strong

Muddy and Smiling (must be the end of the race!)

Dinner with Friends!

2009-04-07T17:11:00.001-07:00

There's a restaurant in Clemson called Sardi's and every Tuesday night is all you can eat crab legs so a bunch of my ER buddies got together and we had dinner. It was sooooo good but we really gorged ourselves and I don't know if I'll be ready fro crab legs again any time soon!!

Cakes

2009-04-07T17:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the cakes I've made recently. The first picture is of the St. Patrick's Day cakes I made and the second is the first cake I made from scratch. It's a Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!! I took it to work and gave it to my Chemo patients and they're still talking about it so it must have been good!

Camping and Biking

2009-03-25T17:35:00.001-07:00

Scott, Me, Sarina, & Kris

Scott and I went camping and mountain biking last weekend with our friends Kris and Sarina and their dog Jasper. The weather was great during the day, and little cold at night, but otherwise perfect biking weather. We had a blast right up until the end, then I crashed. I was really sore afterwards and I'm black and blue now. The bike is ok though so as soon as I can move all of my joints without pain we'll be off again!

Pre-crash

Scott being Scott

Bachelorette Party

2009-03-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

My friend GiGi from the ER is getting married next month and a bunch of us got together to celebrate. We went on an awesome scavenger hunt and then had a super fun party. I love getting together with "my girls" and I don't get to do it enough. I totally miss working with them all the time :(

Me and GiGi

The whole Gang!

What a difference a week makes!

2009-03-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend it was snowing, this weekend was in the upper 70's and sunny. We went mountain biking Saturday and Sunday! Spring is near!

Having fun with Kris, Sarina, and Jasper Dog (he's camera shy!)

Flower Basket Cake!

2009-03-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is my latest cake, it's a basket of flowers. Everything on this cake is made of frosting and edible, even the birds! You could smell the sugar from a mile away!

SNOW!!

2009-03-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well we got our 1 snow storm of the year on the 1st. This was actually a pretty big one; 5 whole inches! And once again, the whole world shut down. Everything was closed except the hospital. It stopped snowing around 3am on the 2nd and by noon most of the snow on the roads had melted and were dry by evening but the local schools were on a 2 hour delay for the next 2 days!! Can you imagine if that's what happened when it snowed in CO? There would be no school!! It actually lasted on the grass for a few days because it was so cold, and yes, my car started every day!!

Pretty Ice

The snow flakes were huge and coming down like rain!

Birthday Cake

2009-02-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

I made this cake on Thursday for one of my chemo patients. I think it turned out pretty good!

New Color

2009-02-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

What do you think of the red in my hair? It's faded
a bit since I put it in but I like it!