Darn you Amy Winehouse!

I only started listening to her early this year when I made my Pandora playlists...and when I realized they were covering her on Glee... but dang it, I didn't get a chance to get really familiar with her first!  Before this year, I don't remember knowing anything about her except that she was apparently crazy.

Sad.  Why do people choose to live complicated, destined-to-be-traumatic lives?  Chosen out of fear of change, no doubt....  Go to Rehab, people.

first family vacation

It's already been about a month since our family vacation- so I don't have much to say anymore, but I will at least post some of my favorite photos.

dolphin watching boat ride

Early in board studying I spontaneously decided to book us a vacation.  We picked a moderately nice hotel with a moderate price for a couple nights on Virginia beach.

a beach just as good as any Florida beach I've seen.  great waves, but saia was a lot more afraid of them this year than last year...

 We should've booked another night- only ended up having one full day there and only went to the beach once...  We camped out monday and thursday nights, and stayed at the hotel tues and wednes.

We stopped by the virginia aquarium after we checked out of the hotel Thursday

VA Beach is not much closer than Florida, and cutting the driving in half still meant 5-6 hr driving days.  That was a pretty good amount for Sai, and he was good for us all week.

very nice campsite in WV. perfect weather.  managed to miss any rain.  See Jeff fishing in the background

We stayed in white sulphur springs, WV on  Monday and just outside of Charlottesville Thursday.  the WV campsite was especially nice.

on the dock for the dolphin boat ride

The really special aspect of this trip was it was our first real family vacation.  And actually, it was the first time me and Jeff had even gone somewhere with just us.  Only took 7.5 years to hit that milestone.  The rest of the album is here: https://picasaweb.google.com/l.b.cornwell/FirstFamilyVacation?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCO_0nJzv7tmRjwE&feat=directlink

Last but not least...

time flying...

My heart has sunk time and time again as I have recalled the amount of time that has passed since my last blog!  What can I say though- I haven't had a lot of good "sitting down" time.  We just started the second week of peds, and I like it.  I loveeee babies.  and toddlers.  and I enjoy trying to communicate with those who are older.  However, we have assignments and I have about 6+ hours of them left to get done before a quiz Wednesday at 1 PM.  So sadly, I am actually off to that. :(  My current list of blogs to do...

finishing that "modeling" blog I made with final photos
nail biting and asians
Saia's new room + mobile arts club project
VA Beach, camping, cabin trips
Angela's Ashes book report
Bye Bye Ford Focus
Before and after photography...Germantown

P.S.  A fun note....Saia finalllllyyy figured out how to successfully whistle tonight. I am sitting in bed and he is blowing his train whistle every few seconds. :)

Step 1 cool down

I took my test last Wednesday and it already feels like a month has passed.  I say that- but actually I'm already kind of missing my daily coffee shop routine. I feel this sense of unfamiliar freedom that I can sit around and do nothing as long as I want in a day.  I was just so used to studying...it was hard to believe that I'd been doing it about 6 weeks by the end.  All the days and weeks just blended together.  Most of you who talked to me about it (...pretty much everyone) knows that I started out the first 1-2 weeks with 7+ hour days then managed to peak at 10-11 hour days in the end.  It wasn't bad. I had my game plan and plenty of coffee and tea. And someone came to see me or study with me probably half of my days (Thanks Matt, Christine, Christine and Katie! Love you guys!!).  As for the actual test, I came out of it frustrated because of the pace I had, but I know I will probably be alright with my score.  And all of a sudden I feel like I know so much!  I keep understanding the medical jargon and thinking that they do on House more and more.

study food.  only the best = good strategy

My family all handled it really well.  The worst they had to deal with mostly was me coming home after 6 on most days, and not worrying much about the cleanliness of the house.  Jeff started taking on some new routines that he was going to need to pick up anyway- he's been taking saia to his daycare/babysitters during the week and taking care of dinner a lot <3.  I'll be starting rotations soon and I anticipate we'll be getting used to a lot of new patterns of me not being around as much anymore :(.  It should go well though, based on how the study weeks went.


Anyways, I wanted to make a nice blog to talk about the post-step 1 cool down.  I had 6 weeks to make a million plans to pack into this 2.5 weeks of freedom.  Other than catching up on about 2 months of TV that I've had to put off,  going through about 5 months of paperwork that needed to be filed, paid a few bills that ended up being a little late, and doing about 3 weeks worth of laundry, we've had a lot of great quality time.

this is actually from before my test but hey it looks fun anyway :)

And by quality time, a lot of that has been just loafing.  The night after the test we caught some Japanese for dinner and then played Wii for TWO HOURS. lol. Jeff said "it's nice to waste time together again."  Really. 

On Thursday, I slept in until 2 (whoops) and woke up to get a pedicure, manicure, and new nails, then drove to Bardstown to get a fake tan I bought on Living Social.  It was obvious when I got there that the tan was being done by an amateur, but I didn't care much.  It looked a little goofy the next morning but it actually turned out very well.  I may actually try to pick that up... Also on Thursday, I coincidentally went to the same Japanese restaurant again with Chris and a school friend who took his test, then went out for fancy beer at Sergio's with them and a bunch of school friends. 

baby splash! he loves it.

 On Friday, I went with Saia to see Dad in the morning and stayed until the afternoon.  I coincidentally saw Christine and Katie for a bit at her parents house, then went swimming and hung out with Dad, Mom and Saia.  I also finally saw Black Swan which I'd wanted to do for about 6 months (Bravo!) with Christine, Chris and another friend.

he is that excited.

On Saturday, we had baby splash in the morning. It was the second week of it and Jeff finally got to go for the first time so I've finally got a photo of it.  When we got back from it, we got changed just to go to see Thomas at the railway museum.  He went last year but was much more aware and interested this year.  He was mesmerized by the trains, the giant Thomas, and the busy-ness of the environment.  It was hot as heck out there but even Dad kept his patience long enough to make the most of it.  We spent a while at the toy train stations and the giant bubbles stations.  Saia was mesmerized (and possible just tired) enough to let us dress him up for a great picture at a booth PNC had set up.  Really adorable.  I'm hoping Dad posts all of his pictures bc I don't have many.

ridiculously good looking in a uniform.

Yesterday Jeff and I used a living social deal and went kayaking on a river in southern Indiana.  Saia stayed with his Nana and Popo.  The weather on the river was amazing.  I'd kayaked a few times before and was amazed at how much of a natural Jeff ended up being at it.  It was a 3 hour trip down the 4 mile stretch.  My trap and brachioradialis hurt today.  We stopped by Culver's on the way home (I'm still full), and I spent the rest of the day with Saia Popo and Nana while Jeff went bowling.

didn't want to take the camera on the water.  putting waterproof case on my wish list.

As for this week, Jeff and Saia have their routines while I'm just knocking things off my to-do list.  While saia is in daycare the next few days I finally plan on finishing painting his room.  I'm also working on our past and new budgets, which will be changing considerably this year.  We still have a lot to look forward to- mostly our beach and night of camping next week.  There will be lots of pictures.

compliment from a stranger

I was at the mall back in March buying myself a pair of sunglasses at fossil, and the worker asked where I was from.  He said I didn't look like I was from Louisville....more like Chicago, New York,...or Bardstown Rd.

I've been putting off this entry because I wanted to model that outfit... still working on that.

I've been thoroughly embracing dresses, sandals, leggings, necklaces, sunglasses, and well-groomed hair.

It's just too bad I still need to do shopping for rotation clothes, because I am just so into the casual stuff right now.

Warm weather is better than ever.

And its nice having an excuse to dress decently while I'm studying since I'm in a coffee shop every day.

My Concert History

I saw Talib Kweli a month ago, a few days before my last block exam; it was awesomeeeee.

I was thinking I'd make a blog just to talk about it like I did with Gaga, and it occurred to me that really, I'd like to compile a list of every show I've been to, just because sometimes I feel like I've been to a ton of them.  I've actually been putting off this post for a while just because I knew it would take a minute to think of everything.  I am sure I will have to update it at least a few times after I post it the first time.  One thing for sure is I can't let myself reflect on every one of the concerts or its going to be entirely too drawn out.

Trying to make this chronological:

MSI guy

2001 Krazy Fest - Alkaline Trio, Elliott, Saves the Day, Hot Water Music, Boy Sets Fire? @ the Water Tower
2002? - The Used, Coheed and Cambria @ Expo 5
2002-2004...so many random indie bands that I just don't have time to remember
2003 Krazy Fest - Hatebreed, Andrew WK, Atreyu @ Waterfront park
2004 - MSI @ Jillians
2004 - Chevelle @ waterfront?
2005 - MSI @ Jillians

Deftones - bleh show

2005 - Modest Mouse @ the old Male High School
2006 - Slipknot (HAha....) @ Indianapolis
2006 - Mars Volta, System of a Down @ Columbus, OH
2006 - Deftones @ Dayton, OH
2007? - Queens of the Stone Age @ the place on Liberty
2007- Modest Mouse @ the place on Liberty
2008 - Common @ Butler University

Kanye's random monster/dinosaur

2008 - Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., (was supposed to see Rihanna too, but she bailed) @ Cincinnati
2008 - the Smashing Pumpkins @ the Palace
2009 - The Decemberists @ Indianapolis
2010 - My Morning Jacket @ the Yum Center
2011 - Lady Gaga  @ the Yum Center
2011 - Talib Kweli @ Headliners

Gaga's monster

2011 - The Decemberists @ Iroquois park

Mama's day

Two years ago was my first mother's day, and it didn't occur to Jeff that it meant he was supposed to do something special.  I've made a point to remind him this and last year.  That's just the first thing that has came to my mind as I begin this post.

Note the shoes...they really cool

So I ask him today what he's got for me, and he says, "I meant to get something yesterday...," and then a little while later while he was working in the yard he picked a nice pink rose for me out of our garden.  At first I had thought he had stole it from the neighbors- but nope, it was just a nice, pink, sweet smelling rose that belonged to us already.  I decided that the fossil purse I got for myself a couple of nights ago would be good enough :).

BEAUTIFUL

I spent the day on the porch. Working, studying, entertaining Saia, and mostly just enjoying the day.  In the afternoon my mom and grandma stopped by to see a few plants Jeff and I bought yesterday.

Schlafly Raspberry - Try it

Yesterday, we were at an ACE hardware getting things for projects around the house and we decided to splurge a bit.  We got a push broom (!), a pair of loppers (omg wonderful!), a bulb for the aquarium, a giant piece of glass for a frame I've been putting together slowly over the past year, a piece of plexiglass to fix our garage door, and a bunch of dirt and plants.  Everything has made it in the house except for the aquarium bulb and the giant piece of glass, which were unsuccessful endeavors...stupid excessively-breakable things.

I knew I could get away with splurging ($34, lol) on plants and gardening stuff if I made one special purchase: I picked out a nice big tomato plant for Jeff.  He complains how the tomatoes he buys always go bad before he gets to use them (as does most of our produce, unfortunately).

what's it called?  Couldn't tell you.  Ask me later.

 I always want to buy plants when I see them, but I think I've largely convinced myself that gardening is too hard.  I tend to always over or underwater my plants.  I have no concept of plant food.  And I've never successfully transitioned my plants from one season into the other.  I tried to grow some food seasoning plants last year- but that was a complete failure and if you ask me growing things from seeds is impossible.  But, its a hobby that I know I'd love if I could just teach myself enough about it to keep up with it.  All of the flowers I picked out yesterday were to go in pots outside, but I need more plants for my indoors.  Indoor plants are the ones I have a really hard time with though.

Lucky for us, we didn't have to become gardeners to have our own- the garden at our house was one of the most beautiful things about it when we bought it.  The stonework and organization most definitely add value to the property.  Crazy enough, whoever planted our garden put in the most work-free plants anyone could ask for.  Everything we have blooms at some point in the spring or summer, and there is always something in bloom it seems.  Our work has mostly just been cleaning up the leaves and the ungodly amount of helicopters from the oak tree above our yard every spring.  And that is plenty of work if you ask me.

look what my camera can do!!! amazing! see tomato

After we bought the plants and things yesterday, we had somewhere to be, but before we went we both wanted to do all of our projects.  Jeff fixed the garage door, did an unnecessary amount of tree trimming, planted the tomato plant, and swept up my aquarium bulb.  I arranged and planted all of my flowers in pots.  We made a special barrier for the tomato plant to protect it from animals and Saia out of crap from around the house: an old door screen, some random piece of metal, a couple hangers, and a broom pole.

Kasha: officially our outdoor cat as far as we are concerned

Finally, I had to go ahead and make a post about today because I managed to take a nice series of pictures.  I ignorantly discovered a number of options my camera has that I'm going to be taking advantage of all the time.

Counting the hobbies now...blogging, photography, trainspotting, homemaking... gardening?