Back from Books and Boards

Now that I've had a couple weeks to recover I guess it's time for me to pop in to let everyone know that I survived my exam! I won't know how I scored for quite a while, but I'm trying to enjoy having a bit of a life again while also getting caught up on everything that I've pushed aside for the past few months.

The weekend after my board exam Andy's parents came and stayed with us. On Saturday we got up close and personal with lions, and tigers, and bears and rhinos, and zebras when we went on a drive-thru "safari".

While they were here they got to meet Porter, the newest member of our family. We adopted him less than one week before the biggest exam of my life, which I'll admit wasn't the best timing, but it felt like it was meant to be. Check out our adorable little boy!

Porter is a year and a half year old salt and pepper miniature schnauzer. He's fully grown and weighs 16 pounds, which makes him a great size for our small space. I snapped the above photos shortly after we got him - and before we had a chance to take him to the groomers. He had to get a much shorter haircut due to all the mats in his fur from his days on the streets.

The main reasons we were looking for a mini schnauzer were because they are a good size for apartments and they are better for people with allergies. (And who can resist such a cute little bearded face?!) Thankfully he was already potty trained and is quick to pick up new commands. The only problem we have had with him is that he has separation anxiety, which we have been working on and he is already showing great improvement.

I also wanted to mention fat orange cat studio, a photographer's blog I recently came across which is full of beautiful pet portraits. I'm totally inspired by Li's work and will try to keep her tips in mind when I take Porter out for his next photo shoot.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas was very merry indeed! Andy and I had a wonderful time back home with our families. Of course, my best gift this year was getting Andy back safely from his trip to Taiwan. He was gone 17 days which felt like forever and worst of all we didn't get to talk much given the 13 hour time difference. Work kept him very busy, but he did get two weekends to have fun and explore the city with his very own tour guide (a friend who happens to live in Taipei).

While we were home for the holidays we had a chance to visit my grandma who celebrated her 91st birthday on Tuesday. I don't have a photo from her party as we had to leave the day before, but here are a few photos of her. The first is her ringing in the big 9-0 and the second is her dressed up as a witch on Halloween, complete with skeleton earrings. I know you can't get a true feel for her personality from a couple of photos, but I'm sure you can tell she doesn't look or act anything like you'd expect someone her age would. Happy birthday grandma!

As for tonight, Andy and I will be ringing in the new year with a quiet night in. I've come down with some sort of illness - it seems like a bit of a hybrid between a cold and strep throat. After waking up last night in total agony, Andy finally convinced me to go see a doctor and I've started on some antibiotics while we wait for the test results to get back in case it is strep. What a way to spend my last remaining days of vacation!

Here's to a happy and healthy new year!

Happy (Very Belated) Thanksgiving!

Sorry this post is a bit late. Between final exams, helping Andy prepare for his trip to Taiwan, and editing photos I got a little behind.

Andy and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families back home. We spent Thanksgiving day with my mom's side of the family. The last time I saw my cousin Emily was at Thanksgiving 3 years ago when she was pregnant with her son Luke. Since then she also had a baby girl named Lydia and I finally got to meet them both!

I also got to see my cousin Samantha's baby Wyatt again. I guess I really can't call him a baby anymore though since he's walking! I can't believe how much he's grown since I last saw him.

Friday afternoon we spent a little more time with Sam, Travis, and Wyatt out by the beach.

Friday evening we had dinner with my dad, stepmom, and sister, who is about to surpass me in terms of height and she's only 10 years old! This might not seem too surprising if I were short, but I'm 5'4"! I would have liked to have seen my grandma who usually joins us for dinner, but she's vacationing in North Carolina with my aunt.

On Saturday we did Thanksgiving with Andy's side of the family out in the country. As you can probably tell, it was a lot of running around for us! Thankfully we didn't have to split Thanksgiving day between two families, but it still felt rushed. We had to leave Saturday evening since I had 3 finals that week and needed to get home and study. Hopefully Christmas is a bit more relaxed since I have about a week off!