Happy Heart Day!!

Andrea's baby gift
cover all this with packaging tape
heart day package to my fam



So I probably need to explain the first three photos. In high school and up until I got married I worked at a gift wrap and packaging store. I came up with a really fun way to send a package thru the mail so that you wouldn't spend extra money on wrapping the gift, and packaging it. Most people didn't get it, so these are my examples. The blue/ green box is a baby gift for my BFF Andrea. I just put the gift in some tissue paper and then wrapped the shipping box to look like a present. I tucked the card under the bow. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART is to wrap the present in cellophane basket wrap and then seal all the opening on the cello with packing tape. (that's what the second picture is suppose to show) the red box is what I sent my family. Finally you take it to the post office and as long as the label fits on the package you are good to go.

The rest of the photos are my decorations for Valentine's Day. We are going to have a fondu party with our med school friends on the 15th (not the 14th because the guys have a test in monday morning) I am going to practice my fondu skills on the missionaries tonight- how lucky are they!

Photos I forgot to post

When my in-laws were here we spent sunday afternoon in Kirtland, OH. This is my second favorite church history site that I have been to. (Palmyra is my 1st) I have now been here three times and I still learn more amazing things every time I go. These pictures are from the church history site and in the front of the temple.

These are some of the SMALLER icicles outside our house. I still have t get some shots of the really impressive ones.

crafting time

first off, this is my mew ottoman you like?



So I have learned that when it snows and the temperature is a balmy -4 degrees outside people around here get creative inside. All of the wives have been doing a lot of crafting. This is my new project. I ripped the idea off from my friend, Ashley. First I was going to build a large frame but then I ran into these frames on clearance at TJmaxx. I think they where mirrors that broke. I gave them a sanding and spray painted them with a white gloss. (Note to self: do not try and spray paint when it is so cold. Nothing sticks) I picked up the fabric at Ben Franklin crafts when I was in Seattle for christmas. I think it is Amy Butler. I had to go to three different hardware stores to find my galvanized aluminum because of cost. Lowes $ 30/ sheet, Home Depot $8/ sheet. than it was assembly time! I think they are awesome. Smitty and the gato could care less.

What is up in Erie, PA

I should probably explain all of these photos since this is a big post. Smitty got his white coat on Saturday. I think this was more for the family and friends, but the guys were good about posing for photos. Smitty's parent's and brother Michael flew in late friday night (my birthday, i'm twenty freaking seven now) to come for white coat. There are about 250 students at the ceremony. I am so proud of smitty for getting this far, just sitting there in the room and listening the speeches, and thinking about how much longer we have, just all seemed worth it. He also got some new equipment about a month ago plus they school gave him a really nice stephoscope so tonight while I was video chatting with my dad he checked my ears, throat and his parent's eyes.
The friends and ward members: Ashley & Cody, Mike & Cassidy, Rachel & Dave, us, and Eric & Rebecca
Cody, Mike, Dave, Smitty & Eric
admissions poster for 2010 ha ha

Marj, Dave, Smitty & Michael

actually receiving the coat



Standing on the frozen waves @ Lake Erie
I have been working a lot lately (thank goodness) so I have been slacking on my craft projects and blogging. But last week Smitty's friend, Kyle came over and made us a fantastic meal of live lobsters and pork tenderloin with his family's secret sauce (which was delish) I bought the lobsters the day before. they picked them out of the tank and put them in a big plastic bag, I put them in the back seat of the car and when I was sitting at a red light they escaped, and started walking across m backseat. I am sure I looked like a crazy lady.
there goes feisty! big mama and bob are already in the tank

and the post would not be complete until the cat photos appear! I was putting her food in the tupperware and she just started helping herself. I think her eyes are bigger than her belly!

IT"S CHRISTMAS TIME IN THE CITY

Botanical Gardens
Crab Pot- Dane is trying to hit Hannah & his knuckle @ the same time. Bad Dane!


Alki Beach
Building



Mom's sugar cookies
We went to my Parent's for Christmas this year. We were only able to be there for a week because of a cancelled flight, so we made it worth it. It was really good for Smitty to relax and take it easy up there.

More creative projects

I found this plastic framed mirror @ the goodwill, I think it's a little and fun I spray painted it black and hung it in my bedroom
This is a man's shirt that I cut up into strips and wrapped around Styrofoam balls, it was a lot more work than I thought it would be
This is my favorite project, I think it's really cute

I have been reading a lot of decorating blogs ( all Smitty sees is $$ signs when I say this) so I decided to take a couple of ideas I found and add some personality to our home

New Job

So I started my new job last week. I am super excited to be working again, even though it is not as much as I used to. (I am a workaholic you know) I am working at a 25 bed hospital in Ohio. It is about 30 miles from our house, which is not bad. The hospital 'borrows' doctors from other hospitals in the area (like Erie) so they don't have doctors all the time except for in the ER. They don't deliver babies which I am really bummed about because I want to keep up my mad baby skills. Friends have been asking how work is going and this is what I saw- picture yourself on a road trip and you get lost in the middle of nowhere and you suddenly have to go to the ER. You notice a sign for a hospital and you follow it further into the middle of nowhere. When you get there and see the hospital, you don't want to go in because it looks scary and when you get inside it is scary. It looks like a hospital from the 1950s/ 1960s with yellow walls and metal cabinets.

THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE I WORK.

I write all this with very thick sarcasm in my voice because I am very happy to be doing what I love and very grateful for where I came from. This job has made Smitty and I realize how lucky we were to work @ Jordan Valley. We were given endless opportunities that we would have never received out here and we were able to learn techniques that most of my co-workers have never heard of. I miss my stressful, long days @ JVMC