Ultimate peeps....hmmm....

Okay, so one of the main reasons for this blog (other than your personal enjoyment!) is so that I can journal our daily life so that I can look back on memories that I probably would have otherwise forgotten. So, here's an email I received yesterday from a guy that I haven't met that is on my ultimate team. It was halfway between a creepy and "I'm honored" email. Not sure which. I'll show my email that he replied to as well, for context:

My email:

Hey Team!

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm not a flake, even though I'm missing the first 2 weeks! I ran a race last weekend that ran late, and I am graduating at noon tomorrow. So, those are my excuses. I will definitely be out there the next week and am looking forward to it!

Julie Wood

His reply:
Julie,What sort of lame swill are you trying to foist over on us?.....Planning and finishing out a race on OUR IMPORTANT OPENING DAY (of practice games).... when were in desperate need of SOMEONE to make some plays during our 2nd game when we were being dinked and hucked to death by the evil heavily impossibly stacked Hot-Tub-Partyer-ers. Our women were giving it everything they had (well not exactly everything...) with Lauren laying out twice in the endzone, making the grab (but, alas....out-of-bounds) ending up a bloody-but-defiant-mess (well she really was bleeding a little from the knees).....well I guess this harague is going on a little long, so we'll switch gears.WE CAN'T BELIEVE you hung us out to dry again a 2nd weekend in a row.....No foot massage and back-rub for you.By the way guys, sorry I missed this past weekend too; I had a REAL excuse, since I was attending my daughter's college graduation ceremonies at noon.Oh, and Julie.....CONGRATULATIONS for obtaining your MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMMUNICATION DISORDERSfrom University of Texas at Dallas (one of the best universities in Texas)this weekend.I have a few pictures of you in your cap and gown regalia; I'll see if I can remember to bring them this weekend.

So, the fact that he remembered my name and took pics, even though I don't know him.....is this creepy? or honorable? hmm.....

Julie Wood, MS, CFY-SLP

That's right, folks! In a matter of about 20 hours, I managed to GRADUATE and GET A JOB! The Lord's time really is perfect.

I got 2 job offers--one from Baylor in Grapevine doing outpatient therapy, and one at Children's in Dallas doing inpatient. After a lot of praying, journaling, emailing, and conversations, I formally accepted the job with Children's Medical Center. I will begin work on January 8th :). So, blog friends, enjoy another month of many blogs as I relax this month!

Here Stephen took us out to celebrate the new job/graduation at Texas Land and Cattle Co:

Graduation:

Video Time!

I've experimented with the video feature of our camera and would like to share my talents with you, blogworld. Haha. Okay, seriously, can you tell that I'm at home this week with not a lot to do?! So....here it is:

Here is little Hudson, about 28 hours old. How can you watch this and not praise the Lord?! I could sit for hours and just watch his little movements and noises, and continue to be in awe of the Lord that I serve.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" -Psalm 139: 13-16

What a weekend!

We had a VERY busy weekend this weekend. It was great timing for the digital camera, as I captured most of the weekend! Here's our weekend in pictures:

Saturday morning:
Being the athletes that we are...I was off to Arlington to run my first 10k with Chelsea while Caleb headed to Denton to play in an ultimate tournament. No gametime pictures were taken of Caleb (must read below to find out why!), but I took this pic when he got home. Interesting note: I came in a (very distant!) 2nd in my age group (there were only 6!) while Caleb's team came in 2nd in the tournament. I also won a pedicure/manicure for my time according to Caleb's prize list (to motivate me, Caleb made me a list of prizes based on my 10k time...yes, kinda like "Jump rope for Heart" in elementary school. It was great!).

Saturday night: Game night with community group. Shannon and Sterling didn't even realize that they had won when they did! Here's a picture of them after they realized they won. It was an intense game of Settlers as you can see in the 2nd pic. Also, Shannon's helping me get Caleb more cultured by partaking in traditional American holiday foods/drinks. Caleb tried and enjoyed his FIRST glass of eggnog. Thanks Shannon! I still can't get him to eat pumpkin bread/cake/pie :).

Sunday morning:
Caleb was off to play ultimate again and I was driving up to watch him/take "action" shots when the phone rang....Emily was in labor! So, I went to Royse City to watch Hayden and Harrison so Caleb's parents could go to the hospital. Here Hayden drew a picture of his Mommy having a baby:


Here are Hayden and Harrison playing as we waited for the call to come down to the hospital to see their new baby brother!


At 4:19 p.m., Hudson Taylor Hays arrived into this world weighing 9 lbs and 21 1/2 inches. Here's the proud new family:
And here's Aunt Julie and Uncle Caleb with their first times with Hudson (he wasn't even an hour old!). Note: Everyone else is dressed up b/c they were planning on going to church that morning. I was in my track suit planning on going to an ultimate tournament (Caleb went home and changed)


It was a tiring, but extremely memorable weekend! More pictures (with video) on the way! Get excited! And...another big announcement. Just so much to blog about!

Following Doctor's Orders!

Since my last post just a couple of days ago, my hand got bluer for longer periods of time. To make a long story short, the past 2 days have been filled with doctor visits, multiple phone calls, and tests.....which all show that I'm a healthy person and there's no major reason for my blue hand. So, here I sit with a hand that looks dead, but feels normal. Creepy, but grateful. No major problems, so my doctor's orders were to "keep living your life like normal and try not to let the blue hand get in the way of life". So, peeps, that's what I'm doing. In a weird, creepy way, I kinda like to show it off, so if you ever see me, feel free to check it out :).

So, following dr's orders, here's a glimpse in a few pictures (testing out the new camera!) of "life" in apt 185 tonight:

1) 3 quick games of ticket to ride (Julie was talented and managed to get the new all time low score and high score in back to back games (10 and 160)

2) Caleb watching the Cowboys/Packers game:

3) You can't really tell by this pic, but the right hand is the blue one.

We're black and blue

We tried to take pictures of our current ailments, but they just didn't do justice. Caleb has been sporting a black eye for about a week now. He has tried to come up with a great reason, but always ends up telling the truth--" I got beat up by his 3 year old nephew". We had a great time with Caleb's family over Thanksgiving, but Caleb got Hayden a little too wound up wrestling, and he head butted him right below his eye. It's slowly fading, but he continues to get questions daily.

As far as my "ailment"....I have this weird blue hand thing going on. My right hand randomly turns blue. It's actually blue as I'm typing this now. I went to the dr today and did some blood work, but he doesn't think it's anything to worry about. It's just freaky looking...but, I guess it's all good and I'll just have a blue hand at random times throughout the day. Too bad I can't induce it, or it could be my special talent. Still working on finding that special talent Caleb!

I pick up our digital camera tomorrow so get ready, blogworld, for photos galore of our daily life. Probably boring, but I will capture it as it is now.....I mean, hopefully these are our last few months living "the good life" in Uptown. Then we'll really be getting old with a house, and babies...woa, I'm getting WAY too ahead of myself. I just want to capture our life now. Hence, the reason for the blog. And for your personal enjoyment, whoever you are reading this.

10K this weekend with Chels! My winter league ultimate also starts, but we'll see if I play. I mean, I know I'm pure athlete, but I don't know how much endurance I'll have after a 6.2 mile run :). Caleb is playing in a tournament in Denton with his club team, so it will be a weekend 'o ultimate for us.

Hudson has still not arrived :(. I can't wait to meet that little guy! We had a false alarm last night...I went over and kept the boys while Emily went to the hospital. Her contractions stopped and they sent her home. Definitely by this time next week he will be here, as they'll induce next Tuesday. As long as he's after Nov. 30, Caleb is the winner of the pool. Speaking of winners, I must admit he's beating me 13-10 in Ticket to Ride. Dang. It's still early in the game.

School is out and I'm loving it :). Now just on to the job search....

November 20th

I have been looking forward to "November 20th" for months now. Today marks the day that I am done. Done with classes. Done with my internship. Done with the Praxis (hopefully!). Done with my master's degree. Although I thought I would run out of my internship today filled with excitement, freedom, and relief, I was actually sentimentally sad. Saying goodbye to my supervisor, we both teared up a little. Writing Julie Wood, BS, Grad Student on my last progress note. Next time, it will be Julie Wood, MS. Great feeling, but at the same time, I really enjoyed my time in graduate school and am kinda sad for it to end. Today was also my day for Hudson to arrive in the family pool---nope, doctor says he needs to "cook" a little longer. Oh well, I understand even more how critical that wombtime (that's not a word!) is, so I'm glad for his health :).

Looking forward to Thanksgiving with Caleb's fam and being a baker and a cook for the next couple of days. Will update with pictures :).

Oh, babies!

And, no, this is not my way of announcing a pregnancy! Now, that would be dorky :).

My weekend consisted of:

Saturday: helping to host a baby shower for sweet Jocelyn, due with baby boy Wilson (announcing the name Thanksgiving!) in January

Saturday pm: dinner with our friends Brent, Erin, and their almost one year old (Thanksgiving day!) precious little Katie. Here is a picture of them when she was born.

)

Sunday am: working in 15-19 mos old class at church (sorry, no picture...but mentally picture crying kids staring up at Caleb as he attempts to juggle 3 huge balls)

Sunday pm: attending my sweet sister-in-law, Emily's, baby shower--our newest nephew, Hudson, will be here any day now! Here are Hayden, Harrison, and our niece Sophia playing in the bathtub a couple of months ago. These cousins will have fun all being the same age....and babysitting our kids :). Hudson will be baby brother to Hayden (right) and Harrison (middle).

More and more of our "hang outs" recently have included babies! Crazy! Don't get me wrong...I am so happy for everyone else and love to love on other's babies, but we are so not ready for babies quite yet :). I'm still doing the job search thing and will hopefully work a couple of years before I am infected with the baby bug. Caleb is nowhere near ready either :). However, after our new nightly tradition of playing "ticket to ride", Caleb said tonight "this is why I want a big family, so we can play games". WHAT?! We shall see about that. There's a lot more to a big family than game nights, right? And....I'll keep you updated, but right now, I'm up 4-2. Caleb hates it :).

Caleb's mom also started a baby pool this week. Emily is due to have Hudson on Dec. 7th. Winner who picks closest gets $50. November 20th is my date :). Caleb, being the lawyer he is, waited until everyone else picked a date and took the "price is right" approach. We'll see what works.

Okay, boring post. Praxis (licensing) exam this Saturday and then I'm done with school FOREVER! I can't wait until Sunday, when I will never have to study again!

Thankful

It normally takes until the week of Thanksgiving before I reflect back on all the blessings in my life. Then I become selfish as we get into theChristmas season and somehow those blessings aren't "enough"--I want more and make my wish lists to hand out. Even though I have a few updates left from October (which I will get to!), the Lord has been showing me this week through my internship and Bible study how blessed I am. Being at the hospital gives such perspective. This week alone my caseload includes two 19 month old babies with malignant brain tumors, one 17 yo girl in coma who a couple of weeks ago was dancing on the football field as captain of the drill team, another 16 yo girl who was head cheerleader and now is trached and can't eat or talk, one 8 mos old baby boy who has never left the hospital, and multiple kids that have such severe behavioral and sensory feeding disorders that they are getting permanent tubes. One patient died yesterday. And that's just this week. Wow, so when I'm complaining about being stressed because I have the Praxis next week and baby shower stuff to do and laundry to fold....the Lord totally overwhelms me and gives me perspective. All this to say, I am so blessed. I am thankful that I am healthy, Caleb is healthy, and our family is healthy. I know that a time is coming when someone will get sick, and I pray that I can say "blessed be the name of the Lord", He gives and takes away. I'm at a period right now where He is giving and giving and my sin stares me in the face when I think it's not enough.

On a lighter note....

Oct 26 Caleb had his "golden birthday". The big 26! Yes, of course I got him a gift again that I returned the next week. Tradition continues. We went to a haunted house---after that experience we both decided I will never go to one again. Picture this: Caleb wearing a black jacket, draped over my head, with my head in his armpit refusing to open my eyes. Miserable. I really did try to have a good attitude, those things really just freak me out though. His bday continued through the weekend.....3 hours of disc golf on Saturday, watching the UT/Nebraska game, and then back to reality on Sunday.

Oct 31: Best Halloween party EVER! We went to our our friends Heather and Read's house for their annual "Halloween in the Hood" party. The rule to come was to bring a bag of candy---they had over 2000 trick or treaters! I didn't put in an extra zero--seriously TWO THOUSAND! CRAZY! So, we took turns handing out candy and hanging out with friends on the porch with great food and drinks! Here's our picture: Caleb was a UT football player (yes, since so many have been to jail in the past few months) and I was lame...I came from work, so I was a "nurse"

Conquest

Conquest=the act or the state of conquering or the state of being conquered

So....as a quick recap of the week and to interweave my title with my week (get ready to be impressed!).....

1) Comps have officially been conquered (hopefully). After a couple of restless nights, I had my traditional Einstein's run and then sat for my comprehensive exams. One of the questions (there are only 4--essay style) caught me off guard, but overall, I'm pretty confident that I passed. The Lord completely gave me a peace about this test and although I don't get results for a couple of weeks, I'm feeling pretty confident.

2) Jessica Bradberry became Mrs. Evan Conquest. Hence, the title of the blog and my nerdy way of being creative. I stole these pics off of Brittany's facebook. I forgot the digital camera, so I totally used the old kodak style all weekend and Jessica's was impressed by its zoom (me just getting really really close up). It was a great wedding. I love going to weddings, but there's really something different about getting to experience one of your best friends best days of their life, by her sideI hope that she didn't get sick of me, but I was really with her (b/c I didn't have a car!) from about 6 pm on Thursday night through the entire wedding. It was great to hear her heart and just watch her giddiness as the days unfolded. Her bridesmaids were an awesome group of women, and there was just some great fellowship over the weekend that my heart really needed. I really think I will keep in touch with them (and now they all have this blog address, so please comment and I'll give you an official shout out!). I was nervous about the speech.....but Kristen gave me much confidence when she said "Julie, you're a speech pathologist! You are an expert". Haha. I actually thought they had forgot the speech, so by the time it came up, I didn't really have time to get nervous. Here are some quick pics of the speech:

Caleb was a rehearsal dinner saver and showed his servant's heart and went to Best Buy to buy a cord at the last minute so that the slideshow would play. The reception was a blast, and although the bm's (hahahahaha!; like that Caleb?!) and I attempted on multiple occassions to get the dance party started, nobody really started dancing until Jess and Ev came out and tore it up! We had a great weekend, and it made my day yesterday when Jess and Ev called in all their newlywed giddiness! I will be thinking of them all week as they are honeymooning and I'm back to the real world :(.

3) Caleb's birthday is on Friday. Anybody who has known us for a while know that I'm always on a conquest (yes!) to find the perfect gift. The one that won't be returned. The one that he will actually use. The one that he will take out of the box and rip the tags off because he is so excited and surpised. After about 8 years of this, I feel like my passionate conquest for the perfect gift has ended. He told me he wants some specific rain jacket for ultimate, so he'll find the link, and I'll go and put in the credit card info (that we share) and it will be mailed. He will open it in the amazon.com cardboard box and all. Although this is the most boring thing in the world for me, I have to be okay and even happy that this is exactly what he wants. I am all about big, elaborate surprises wrapped in fancy paper and the anticipation of what it is. He just wants to pick out exactly what he wants, that he wouldn't usually spend his own money on. He doesn't care about the anticipation, the wrapping, or even the fact that I spent hours getting creative and have many thoughtful reasons of why I picked what I did. So, this is just a big difference between us and it's good. This is the way the Lord created it. I think he does get stressed out about my bday because I guess I expect more of a conquest :).

Haha....I'm such a dork. Okay, I'm going to sign off now. I will do a birthday post, hopefully with pictures and all, so please anticipate!

Laying it all down...

Well, my blogger friends, it has been a while since my last post. I will try to do a quick update :).

Mom came in last weekend for her birthday. We had a great time--good food, good conversation, good rest, and a good memory-making experience. We ended up going to the TX/OU game last minute and were both pretty hoarse on Sunday. It was a great game, much better than anticipated. She went to church with me on Sunday and really enjoyed it--she's even mentioned it a few times since then :).

Caleb did not join in the festivities, as he was in Jacksonville, Florida all weekend for ultimate regionals. Although their team didn't advance to nationals, he did not get hurt, and actually was the unofficial "MVP". He got the first "shout out" (big deal in ultimate lingo!) after the tournament and even got a few emails later acclaiming his great "D" on the field. So, he came back very happy both from his performance and also for a few restful weekends before winter league begins!

This week the Lord completely broke me on Tuesday night. I was so overwhelmed by trying to do everything on my own strength. I couldn't sleep. My mind was consumed by running "to do" lists. I woke up with stomach aches from the anxiety of these to do lists....I was trying to do life on my own strength. It wasn't working. I was reminded of the verse in Colossians 3 that says "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together". Well, I obviously wasn't putting the Lord over everything, and therefore, everything was a mess! So...after being broken before him I layed down all my burdens, and I am free! The sermon series this past month has been about seeking the Lord and His strength....and I just listened. When I finally sought the Lord's strength, He has renewed me.

I finished my independent study and my part of a project. Caleb and I have had a great, relaxing weekend so far and my anxiety has been lifted regarding comps and job stuff. The week ahead is pretty crazy with comps on Friday and then Jessica's wedding weekend full of festivities, but I'm really excited.

Caleb and I had date night tonight. Coal Vines :). I did confirm that I don't care for ricotta cheese....it's one of those textures I definitely have a sensory aversion to. But, we had good conversation and good people watching. He also admitted that he secretly likes the Christmas letter after I told him I was contemplating not doing one this year. So....get excited!

I'm also debating....it costs $90 to rent a cap/gown to walk for graduation. Is it really worth it? I'm having my doubts....

Sad Weekend

Sad for a couple of reasons:

1) Texas lost.

2) The fact that Texas losing can make my weekend "blah".

It is really sad. It's actually embarrassing. I went to church this morning and casually read the prayer requests on the back of the bulletin like I do every week. Probably won't think about them again. Neil prayed over a lady that is having a challenging open heart surgery tomorrow. Usually don't think about those times again. Not sure why I just did. Do those move my spirit? Do I hurt for others that are truly burdened? No. I hurt for a football team. Last night Caleb and I went shopping in the West Village and to Chuy's for dinner. It was good, but the conversation kept going back to Texas losing, and we were both just kinda "blah" no matter how much we tried to boost our spirits.

My heart needs to break. I want to be burdened for things that truly matter in this world. I want my life to glorify Christ. I really do. But then again...I want Texas to beat Oklahoma, and I want a good pair of jeans, and I honestly want the things of this world. Neil asked a hard question this morning---if you could be guaranteed a good life, with good kids, and good job, but would be without Christ, would you do it? To be honest, I know the obvious "right" answer, and that's what my head would say....but in my heart, I really don't know. I KNOW that the Lord is good and makes all things good. That He makes the good times better, and the hard times bearable. I know that everything was created by him and for him--including me and my life--but, I struggle so hard to believe this daily with my daily actions.

So, this post is a little more "me" than normal. But, maybe it will keep me a little more accountable.

If you read this in the next few days and will pray--please pray for Caleb. I just got off the phone with him and he said "if I could work from now (8 pm) until 6 p.m tomorrow night without sleeping, I could get everything done". He is obviously overwhelmed at work, so please pray for rest and a sense of peace through this stressful time.

Crazy Cycle

So, Caleb and I are in a young marrieds community group and we're reading a book called "Love and Respect". The premise is that God created men to feel respected and women to feel loved....and when men are respected, they love; when women feel loved, they show respect. Well, when you get off this great little harmony, it's called the "crazy cycle". Caleb and I haven't spun in a while, but today was a short little spin....although it was yuck, it was good. It's always good to get feelings out on the table and work through them, even if the "working" through them feels crappy. So, it's good for us to have more of these crazy cycle moments in our life so that I don't bottle it all up like I have a tendency to do. Short and sweet fights leave me refreshed. Does that make me crazy? (Sing here).

Okay, so I promised an update. But, there's not that much going on!

This week was just crazy. Caleb worked A LOT for him. Thankfully, he doesn't have weeks like this very often, but when he does, it takes its toll. I've just had "stuff" every day and night and it leaves me completely exhausted and in a blah mood. I just made stupid little mistakes all week--like, leaving my laptop at the family I work for, and calling and waking her up to see if it's there, then cancelling study group so I could get it. Then, $217 and a numb face later, I got 3 fillings yesterday. Just blah. And then throw the Cavy troubles on top of it all....and although it's not BAD, it's just annoying.

Last weekend was filled with 2 wedding showers (1 in Austin, 1 in Dallas) and a fancy, schmancy wedding. It was great. It was a mini Westwood reunion, and it was actually good to see so many people again. When there's cocktail stations everywhere you turn, the "small talk" isn't near as awkward :).

Still job hunting. I got an email from the hiring lady at Children's saying that she has all my stuff and is very interested in me, but won't know what availability they will have come January. So, I just need to chill. I like to plan WAY in advance, and need to just trust the Lord on this one.

My exciting, nerdy news (which actually isn't that exciting) is that I was on a "high" all day Wednesday because I learned how to change a trach. Now, this may sound way boring, but no student ever gets this opportunity. My supervisor is super cool and let me do this....so, although I thought I was going to throw up b/c I was so nervous taking a trach tube and cleaning the stoma (hole in the neck) of a 12 week (15 week premature) old baby boy, I did it! It was the best sense of accomplishment I've felt in a LONG time.

Camping trip got cancelled this weekend, and it will be so nice to be home. Let's hope that UT can beat KState tomorrow!!! Off to eat fajitas with community group now :).

Cavy baby, don't die!

Caleb came home tonight with sad news. One of the back brakes is "engaged" and won't come off. So, I'm taking the baby in this weekend. Let's home that it doesn't cost too much (b/c she's only worth about $500!) or she will die :(.

I know that's a sad post. I have lots of updating to do, but will have to make up for it this weekend. Just to get my 2 faithful on their toes....I had major excitement yesterday. Just wait! (It's nerdy excitement by the way, so don't get too excited)

I'm not alone!

Yay to come back from Austin and see 2 comments! Thanks Lindie and Chels for reading my blog, I think it's just us....so, I could just write a roomie email on here :). Speaking of....today was very sentimental. From the IM fields....past Hyde Park....past Quack's (mine and Lindie's old coffee/studyin' grounds)...to find a parking spot in west campus so I could visit Ali....to the Co-op. And yes, the homeless people are all still there, smoking and playing can music for money. The Sunday market in between Jamba Juice and the Co-op is dwindling, but I still stopped and looked (didn't buy!) at the fun homemade jewelry and hand soaps just like the good 'ol days:). Okay, that's my trip down memory lane, but it was oh so good. I really missed you girls. When I think of college, I really think of 2128 and all of our quirky memories there :). Remember when we got on a garage sale hype and woke up at like 5 am and rode in the back of Caleb's Dad's truck to check out garage sales in Riverplace? Wow...
Okay, enough of that. On to my big request!

So...last weekend, as I was checking my msgs and pulling out of the gym and like always, I just turned a left onto McKinney. Dialing Chelsea back, I hear drumbeats. Weird. Uptown Dallas is not like Keep Austin Weird where it wouldn't weird me out to hear drumbeats in the car behind me. So, I look behind me...and yes, yours truly has definitely pulled into a parade. There are horsemen in front of me, a firetruck, my Honda, and then men in kilts playing drums.

Chelsea: "hello?"
Julie: "oh my gosh!"
Chelsea: "hey, what's going on?"
Julie: "wait"
Chelsea: "okay"
Julie: "oh my gosh! I'm in a parade Chels! I really think I'm in a parade"
(proceeds to roll down the windows, and stick the cell phone out so Chelsea can hear)
Julie: "they're taking pictures! there are kids here waving at me! I can't get off the road, they're all blocked"
Chelsea: laughing so hard...

Lindie, I hope you enjoyed my re-enactment of that conversation like you were part of it as well. For those that are wondering, a policeman finally undid a barricade and escorted me out of the parade. As I think back on it, I wish I had a bag of candy. I SO would have put my head out the sunroof and thrown it at the kids. I never did figure out what the parade was about. Hmm...

Austin was really good. I love that town. I don't know where the Lord has in mind for us to live, but I would be really happy if it was Austin. I would be happy if it were Dallas too. Or Waco (I LOVE Waco!). So, I guess it's good that I'm pretty much happy wherever He places me, but I just get a "homey" feeling when we got back to Austin. Caleb had ultimate guys stay with him at his parents, so I left him for the weekend for some "guy time"and had some good Ratliff family time. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and 2 cousins all came over to my Dad's and we had a great time visiting and eating enough calories to last me seriously this entire week. I think I ate an entire half of Mamie's chocolate cake all by myself. And gumbo, pizza, brownies, breadsticks, cinnamon rolls, Taco C,.....wow, I've definitely got to get up for aerobics in the morning! Anyway, it was a lot of good eating and visiting. I met Ali's boyfriend for the first time and I definitely approve, he seems like a great guy.

Caleb, poor guy, is just not having the best year physically. He played 2 plays yesterday (and scored on both!) and then pulled his groin. He was out for the rest of the tournament. He cheered on the team, but was so disappointed and wanted to be out there and play so bad (which is opposite of me who runs from the frisbee and fakes being tired/hurt so I don't have to go in!), so I felt bad for him. His team ended up getting 2nd in the tournament (so, 2nd in Texas!) and are moving on to regionals in Florida Oct. 6. He should be healthy by then, and will hopefully get to play hard that last tournament. He did end up coming over to my Dad's and participated in Imaginiff game night. It's one of those games where you read a card about someone and it's like "Imaginiff mamie were an article of clothing, what would she be (sock, robe, thong...) and you vote and move up a space if you pick what she picks. Kinda nerdy, but fun family game. You don't even have to ask who won.

Allright, as much as I could keep writing, I've got to do laundry and get things ready for the week. I apologize in advance if I don't post my lovely blog followers (now that I know I have 2!), but it's a busy week ahead with TWO showers that I'm in charge of next weekend. So, goodnight and let's hope Texas prepares this week so we don't lose to Rice :(. That's all I'm going to say about UT football for the time being.

Nighty night!

PS-We are having major spider issues in our apartment, so if you have any sort of home remedy, please let me know. A shower is at my apt on Friday and I'll be so embarrassed if there are spiders everywhere! I called Caleb at work and told him I already decorated for Halloween...he was like "what? in September?"...I proceeded to tell him it was free decorations, b/c spiders are in every room, on every wall! Gross me out!

It's Fall!

Walking out of the gym the other morning, it was in the lower 60s and it felt like 2 things to me: time for football, and time for pumpkins (and the pumkin spice latte at Starbucks-my all time fave!). I love all the seasons, but the first little cool spell of fall always gets me giddy. I love wearing jeans and boots, watching college football on Saturdays, going running outside at anytime of day, and sipping a pumkin spice latte (did I say this already?).

Okay...so as to what is going on in our life, that hasn't been full of excitement, which I love, but then, have nothing to blog about:

-We're heading to Austin this afternoon for Caleb's ultimate tournament and my Grandad's bday celebration. Looking for it. Caleb's way excited about the tournament and probably spent an hour last night analyzing the bracket. One guy I don't know is riding down with us-hopefully not too awkward.
-We're getting Braum's peanut butter ice cream in Hillsboro. A new tradition (it started on our anniversary trip when we discovered all the Braum's in OK and definitely got a TRIPLE dip!) for our treks to Austin.
-I'm loving my internship. I feel like I'm becoming desensitized--don't know if that's good or bad. Now I think it's weird *not* to see a baby with a trach/vent. My supervisor is great and we get along really well.
-I'm nervous about the job hunt. I know that the Lord will provide, but I'm such a planner, I don't like the "unknown".
-Went to the dentist yesterday=3 cavities. Yucko. I do brush my teeth twice a day! I promise!
-Workouts are still going well. Caleb is losing weight, I've put on a couple of pounds! Uck! What's that about?! I like to say it's all the muscle....but, I really think that since I'm working out I eat more (like Braum's) :).
-I babysit for a family in Highland Park. It's going great. The boy sleeps 2/4 hours I'm there, and it's good money. They're just way too organized and have a maid 5 DAYS week, so I feel like I can't touch anything or I'll dirty it or mess it up :).


Okay, like I said...I haven't had much to blog about so sorry for the delay. I really don't think anyone actually reads this except for Caleb b/c I haven't told anyone about it. So, if you do, put a comment so I know and maybe I'll update more :).

And so it begins

My first week of my internship is over, and although it's been busy and tough to get into a routine of going to an internship daily, it's been great. My supervisor is a great teacher, but seems to allow for independence and learning from my own mistakes. Inpatient is very fast-paced and although I can see how you could get burned out easily, I would much prefer a fast-paced job to a boring one. I can't go into a lot of details regarding the patients, but I'm doing mostly feeding on babies with tubes and intense feeding therapy with sensory/behavioral based feeding kiddos. I'm loving it!

I start my new job tomorrow, and I'm excited to begin making money and getting my weekly routine in gear. I got up 4 mornings this past week to go to the gym and then ran 4 miles yesterday. Chelsea and I are running a 10K in Dec, so I decided I better start my training. My goal this week is to workout 5 days (2 runs, 2 strength training, 1 cardio class) and cook 3 healthy dinners. Kate's going away dinner is tomorrow night at Chuy's....yum. That means healthy dinners Tues-Thurs :). This blog will also serve as my accountability in that domain, so I will update.

We went to the drive-in movie last night with community group. I didn't have really high expectations, but we had a blast! They had 50s music playing at the beginning, and then we got out our lawn chairs and blankets and ate ice cream and candy and watched 2 movies! Of course, I fell asleep during the 2nd one, but we had already seen it and ended up leaving early (it's a double feature, but the 2nd movie didn't start until 11ish).

Caleb is struggling with the fact that he's "getting old" and has to take Advil before playing frisbee. Practice is getting more intense, as sectionals are in a couple of weeks. His big epiphany this past week was that cheese fries (his absolute favorite food) have 3500 calories....he still can't believe it. For those wondering, the thumbprints went away after a couple of days, so no more embarrassment there....

Last Semester and Thumbprints

My last "first day" of school was yesterday. I'm taking one class, and it ended up being less than an hour (supposed to be 3 hours) and my mission was accomplished--I got my pass/fail paperwork signed. So, with one class pass/fail and my internship from 8-12 every morning, it's going to be a pretty lax semester. I did get a job working with a family in Highland Park who have 2 boys with autism. So, not only will that give me something to do, but I will be able to make some sort of contribution to the Wood family bank account which is always nice.

Caleb is playing in an ultimate tournament this weekend in Dallas, I'm about to head to Tyler with my cousin and little niece to see my grandmother. It should be good family time.

Caleb wouldn't let me post a picture of his newest "embarrassing moment" momento, but I did want to write it in here just to capture what's going on in our world. Being a young associate, he does lots of document review. Most people probably switch hand and leg positions when concentrating on papers, but not Caleb--even studying in law school, he has his "set position" where he puts each thumb on his forehead right by his eyebrows. So, yesterday his secretary walks in and asks him if it's Ash Wednesday because of the marks on his forehead and he responded "what are you talking about?". After looking in the mirror, he noticed as well....he had popped some blood vessels and he has bruising perfectly fit with his thumbprints. Chelsea and Kate came over last night and tried to help him think of excuses....a frisbee hit him there (well, no....then he would be the uncoordinated frisbee player who can't catch). The best he came up with was they are cleat marks from someone else and he was playing some "mad D". But, no, he has to be honest, and they are his thumbprints.....and unfortunately, did not disappear overnight. Although he thinks it's a bigger deal that anyone else will, I think they're kinda cute, and a good memory that will be forgotten in a week. However, since it's BIG in his life right now, and this blog is supposed to chronicle our daily life......it is now forever written in blogworld.

Starting a blog...

As I finish my last "summer" days off and am guilty of perusing the internet and reading others' blogs, I've decided to start one of our own. I say our because I will be writing about both Caleb and myself, but I doubt Caleb will ever post on here...he thinks blogs are kinda nerdy. I'm kinda nerdy though, so that's okay :).

I'm about to begin my last semester of graduate school! I graduate in December with my master's in speech pathology and will hopefully begin a job in January. I hope to update regularly and record how the Lord leads us through this transition. Caleb and I have never both worked at the same time (although I consider law school much more work than a job, you just pay to do it) and although we're excited about the double income (!), there will also be new demands as well.

Caleb is beginning his 2nd year as an attorney at Hughes and Luce. He's just finished the first summer of being on "the other side" of summer recruiting and is sad that his days of free lunches and Starbucks are over. He is also completely healed from his early summer knee injury and is back to playing ultimate frisbee 3 days/week. To demonstrate his love for this sport...he is missing TX/OU weekend to fly to a tournament in Florida. And he's okay with it.

We continue to live in an apartment in Uptown (just north of downtown Dallas), which is perfect for where we are right now. Caleb is 5 mins from work, I'm 5 mins to school and to Baylor Hospital where I'll be doing my internship starting Monday. We love our church (Northwest Bible) and are praying about where to serve this fall. We have been in a community group this past year with other young marrieds and are really blessed that Dallas is feeling more and more like "home".