My New Favorite!

I am a total sucker for candles! Our home is filled with candles.... I have at least one in every room but I have found some new favorites. We have a great store, here in Lexington, called the "Gift Box". I stopped in the other day to look at some of their Christmas decorations and of course found myself standing in front of 50 different scented candles,made by The Candleberry Co. I smelled them all...I'm being serious! I went down the row and smelled each one and they were all so fragrant and "homey". I fell in love with so many of them but narrowed my choice down to two. "Vanilla Crumb Cake" and "Home for the Holidays" (which is burning right now, as I write, and it is divine). These are pretty affordable and you can find them even cheaper online.

Candles are always so welcoming when guests visit and great to use when you just want to relax. This company has a scent for everyone!!

My mom surprised me with a little "Halloween treat" a few weeks ago and gave me a Scentsy. I had never heard of these before but it is a wickless candle. You get your Scentsy ( which is what you melt the wax in) and just flip the switch and you're ready to go. The wax melts and slowly releases the scent....my favorite is Mochadoodle. The wax never gets hot. You can, literally, stick your finger in the wax and it won't burn you. I know this because my mom showed me....I didn't believe her so she proved me wrong (mom's always right)! This is great if you have kids or pets and they have a TON of scents to choose from. These are totally affordable and last so much longer than a usual candle because you can keep re-using the wax. Scentsy's are great for gifts and they have a lot of designs for the upcoming Holiday season as well as designs for everyday use. Just go to their website and take a look! The picture below is my pumpkin treat, from my mom, and I'm so glad she introduced me to these.

I'm looking forward to getting my Winter Scentsy and setting it out as a decoration!

Looking forward to Spring!

We have a busy Spring ahead for us and it is time to get busy! Brian and I have come up with this crazy idea to run, not one.... not two..... but THREE half marathons. Like I said, this is a crazy idea. However, we are really looking forward to doing these and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. First up is a half marathon in our town, Lexington, Kentucky.

This half marathon is at the end of March is a month before our other half marathons. We thought this would be a great way to find out where we're at before these other two big races. March seems so far away but I know that it will be here before we know it!

Next up.....the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon/ Marathon. I'm really urging Brian to run the full marathon. He's already to the point where he can run 13.1 miles, comfortably, once a week. ( I'm a little jealous of this)!! More than anything, I'm so proud of him because he just does it....no complaining, just goes for it. I need to be more like that! I really think he could pull off running the entire length of a marathon.We'll see what he decides. As for me, I'll be sticking to the half.... I'm just hoping to make it through that.

And last, but not least, the Flying Pig Marathon, in Cincinnati, Ohio. This half marathon/marathon is the weekend after the KY Derby race. ( I told you.... this is a crazy idea)! Who knows if Brian will run the half or the full. I know I will be doing the half and hoping that my legs don't fall off!

We're really looking forward to training for these. It will keep us busy and hopefully we'll burn those extra holiday calories in the midst of all this running! We have a lot of friends who are also running these races so we know we will have a lot support and some motivational shoulders to lean on. It's going to be hard, stressful, probably painful....but in the end....it's going to feel great to cross that finish line!

By the way....I started my training today and I only made it 30 minutes.... I have a lot of work to do!!

Finally....

About six weeks ago, Brian took the first part of his board exams so that he can become a board certified radiologist. I can not even begin to tell you all how much time he spent studying and reviewing for this important test. He spent months and months and hours upon hours making sure he was prepared for this exam. In July, he even went to Miami, FL for a week long intensive review session. When I say intensive, I mean intensive!! 5 days of review courses that lasted up to 8 hours....and that didn't even include the time he spent studying on his own. His commitment amazed me and I tried to encourage him each and every day. I can not imagine devoting so much time to just one test but he did it and Brian's hard work paid off.

I checked the mail yesterday and there it was....the letter we had been waiting for, with the test results. I could hardly contain myself. So...I just opened it!! Don't worry, Brian said it was fine that I did...haha. I was just so anxious/ nervous/ excited/ worried, etc,...

When I saw the word PASSED, I screamed! Literally...I was so overcome by happiness and relief. I knew how hard he had studied and how much time he had devoted to this. We knew the results were coming soon and the past couple of weeks have gone by so slowly! He was so excited to learn of his results and I could tell a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

I was so impressed by Brian's dedication, calmness and perseverance throughout this entire process. I am so amazed by his hard work and he continues to amaze me every day.

Congratulations Brian :)

Hoping for Seattle!

I have lived in Lexington, KY for my entire life. My family is here as well as my friends and my work. I've got deep Kentucky roots and I'm a southern girl at heart but I knew that there was a big chance that a move was in the near future, when I married Brian. When Brian first told me, that in order for him to do a neuroradiology fellowship, we would have to leave the state, he was worried about taking me away from my hometown but I was very excited about the opportunities that other cities had to offer. I'll never forget when Brian came home from work a few months ago and asked how I felt about Seattle,WA. I don't remember exactly what I said but I wasn't really thrilled about the idea. We had already visited Charleston, SC and I had fallen in love with the area....and like I said, I'm a southern girl! Plus, one of my close friends lives there and I was being totally selfish about that.

After some more thought, and listening to Brian speak so highly about the University of Washington program, I decided that I needed to be more open minded about this potential place to live. After all....after we visited we probably wouldn't like it and not really consider it. Haha....joke was on me!!

Brian had an interview at UW a couple of weeks ago and we decided to make a week long trip out of it....and I'm so glad we did. We flew out of Lexington bright and early, at 6:00 am. We changed planes in Detroit and then we were Seattle bound! After a 3 1/2 hour flight we had made it. We immediately went to our hotel ( which is one of the cutest places!) and found out that we had been upgraded to a bigger room. Hey, we weren't going to argue that! We stayed at Hotel Vintage Park on 5th Avenue and it is right in the middle of downtown Seattle. We were in walking distance to just about everything.

We got up to the room, dropped our bags and started our journey! First stop....Pike Place Market. I've seen this place a dozen times in pictures and movies but it was so cool to be there and experience the hustle and bustle firsthand.

It was so much fun to walk through and see all of the seafood, fresh fruit and veggies, crafts and most impressively all of the fresh bouquets of flowers. We ate at a fantastic restaurant for brunch. Etta's made such an impression that we went back later that week for lunch. We spent our first few days walking around downtown and exploring new stores and restaurants....and drinking A LOT of coffee! Haha!

Later that week, we rented a car so we could drive around some surrounding cities. We found some beautiful scenery along the way. We stumbled upon several lakes throughout the area.

After a few days of being on a caffeine high and eating ridiculously good food it was time for Brian to get serious and go to his interview for the UW neuroradiology fellowship position. The drive to UW was absolutely beautiful and the campus is a picture of perfection. Everyone was so friendly and we ended up spending more time, than we had expected, because one of the fellows took so much of his time talking to us about the program and Seattle. We were very thankful that Brian's interview went well...I'm so proud of him!!

The rest of our trip was spent going shopping, taking an Underground Tour of Seattle (which was so cool!!), drinking coffee, taking a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (gorgeous!), walking through more beautiful neighborhoods, drinking coffee, going to the top of the Space Needle, visiting the Seattle Aquarium and finally... drinking more coffee!! I think I'm still having jitters from all the caffeine I consumed.

On our last day, we found ourselves a little sad about leaving Seattle. I know that sounds cheesy but there's just something about it that feels like home to us. There's so much to do there. We love being outdoors and this is a perfect place to hike, cycle, kayak, camp, ski, the list could go on and on. It is full of the arts and has a wonderful dance and performance community. We are anxious to get back out there soon and hopefully maybe move!!

This trip was so much more than I expected it to be. We had a great time and Brian is relieved his interview is over with. Of course...now we play the waiting game. We won't find anything out until later this spring. Ooooohhhhh the anticipation!! Haha. There's more pictures below from our trip.

Enjoy!

The above picture is of the public library in downtown Seattle. AMAZING!!! It is huge....11 stories tall and one of the neatest buildings that I have ever seen. This picture does not do it justice! If we move, one of the first things on my list is to go sign up for my membership there :)

Back to Reality...

Well...it's that time of year again. Classes are starting back up at the dance studio and Brian is back to a normal schedule, at the hospital. We had such a wonderful time on our honeymoon. We got home on a Friday night and started working again Saturday! We were back on the road the next morning. Brian had to work a clinic in Hazard, KY and I was judging a pageant in Corbin.

We meant to post pictures sooner but we haven't really had a chance to slow down and do so! We will have them up in the next week or so. We enjoyed the time we were able to spend with each other and we really enjoyed not having to be on a schedule. 

Pictures to come soon :)

It's Almost Here...

Brian and I got married this past April but we have yet to take our honeymoon! Well...it's almost here...only 10 more days. We have been looking forward to this for so long. Just the two of us...on a beach...relaxing...it sounds so nice! 

We had originally planned on going to an island, down near Florida but we decided to go somewhere a little more cost efficient. We are going to spend a week in Hilton Head, SC. Brian has never been but LOVES South Carolina so he is excited about seeing this part of the state. I fell in love with Hilton Head the first time I ever visited. It is such a fun town filled with great shops and WONDERFUL restaurants...oh...did I mention the beach?!?!? 

Instead of spending money on 2 airplane tickets, a rental car and an overpriced hotel we opted to drive our own car to HHI. We have a great room, close to the beach, and we're excited to take our bikes with us and do some cycling while we're there. The trails are absolutely gorgeous! 

We are going to take a day and drive into Savannah, GA. It's only about 30 miles away and we have never been. I've heard it's a great town and that there is lots to do. I'm excited to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant...that's why I want to go! Haha :)

I'm really looking forward to our trip together and spending time with my wonderful husband!

Our Goal for the Summer...

What ever happened to the days of indulging yourself in a good book? Or, sitting down and really enjoying a good home-cooked dinner? We are all so guilty of over committing ourselves to countless things at once. Well...Brian and I have decided that, for the next month, we are going to SIMPLIFY our lives. 

We are lucky that, over the next month, Brian does not have to take call and my schedule at the dance studio is much lighter than usual. So, we are really dedicated to committing ourselves to this new goal of ours. We want to simplify our home and our lives. It's time to throw out the stuff we don't really need and time to de-clutter!! No more scheduling twenty different appointments in one day. We want to spend more time with each other and with our family and friends. We get so caught up in our day to day lives that we sometimes forget about our relationships with others so we really want to make sure we are staying focused on the right things. So far...so good! July is going to be a wonderful month.

 I've already enjoyed being able to read more and spend more time with the Lord than I usually do. This has been very rewarding for me and helps me get through the day with a lot more enthusiasm and energy. Brian and I now read TOGETHER...EVERY night before bed. We both read and study the bible on our own but it is so much fun to spend that time together. Speaking of reading...we have a pile of books that we've been putting off reading...we are looking forward to taking some time for ourselves and do things that we really enjoy doing! We have been working out so much more and the pay off has been wonderful. It's so great to feel more energized as we tackle our day. Brian and I look forward to finding more ways to simplifying our lives and we are excited to take advantage of the time that we get to spend together this month...before everything gets busy again!!