My Top 3

My Top 3 reasons I love garage sales:

3. I cleared out multiple closets full of junk

2. The people watching is SUPERB!

and the number one reason I love garage sales....

1. I made $350 smackeroos!!

And the top 3 things I learned during this garage sale:

3. People will buy anything for a dollar

2. Having a husband who speaks spanish is VERY handy

1. Having a husband who wants to sell everything you, (and everyone else owns) for $1 is not

I'm pretty sure there were times he offered to pay someone else to take an item off our hands.

Seriously.

But in the end, we were successful. And I still have 3 rooms and a 2 car garage to sift through. Anyone planning a visit in May? I'm sure I'll have many more $1 deals by then.

Definitely for Sure, Absolutely, Positively....

Because a few people have asked....

I thought you should know.....


It is set in stone.

There's no turning back,

Or backing out.


We are absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt

{Moving To Michigan!}

Mike Graduates June 5th, we are packing the truck June 6th, and heading out June 7th.

(Or maybe the 6th, if we pack really fast.)

Anyone up for a 30 hour, 10 hours a day for 3 days, road trip across the country???

(with a 1 1/2 year old little boy and a 6 1/2 year old dog?)

(HINT: The only acceptable answer here is Yes)

PLEASE SAY YES!!!

Match Day

Match Day

These two simple words are enough to strike fear in the hearts of any 4th year medical student. The day that determines the rest of your life. (Well, the next 4 years of it, at least.)

It's a complicated process. There are applications, and interviews, and preliminary year applications, and rank order lists, and one GIANT COMPUTER system that "matches" students with their sought after specialty programs.

In Mike's case, that happens to be Anesthesiology. It has been a long road. a Very Very Very long road. But that light at the end of the tunnel???

Well, it has FINALLY arrived.

I have been looking forward to this day for four years, and very anxiously and impatiently waiting for it to arrive for the last one.

But the results are in, folks. And we have some good news!

Mike Matched into an Anesthesia Program!!!

The exact words were: "Congratulations! You have matched to an advanced position."

I can not even begin to tell you what a relief it is to have this whole process OVER!

So, where are we going??? Well....

....

....

....

We don't know! (well, not EXACTLY)

You see, the inventors of "the Match", are some real clever little buggers. They drag the process out over the course of an entire year. THEN, on Match Day Monday, they send out these clever little e-mails telling you whether you did, or did NOT "match". And the kicker???? They don't tell you until the next Thursday exactly what program you matched into.

I know...very tricky. That being said, we have a pretty good idea of where we are headed. I'll spare you all the details of HOW we know this. I really doubt you want to hear all about the complexity of rank order lists, and preliminary year secondary lists, and...blah blah blah. It's like learning a new language.

But, it suffices me to say we are Nearly Certain on our destination for the next four years.

Anyone up for a visit to the Great Lakes? Because it looks like we'll be in

MICHIGAN!

I am excited at the new opportunities that may be there for us way up north. And I am really looking forward to living in a place, and experiencing a lifestyle I would not have experienced otherwise. I am a little nervous, and excited, and happy to be moving on, and sad to be moving away from dear friends...And all of this, all at the same time. What a complete mix of emotions.

And tonight, as I am sitting outside in my capris and sandals in the early evening, enjoying the cool breeze and the 75 degree weather, and smelling my delicious orange blossoms, I know I will cry a little tear at the thought of trading that in for the snow and cold again.

And for anyone clearing out all their unwanted warm and wintery items....Send them my way! Apparently living in the desert four years has really caused my winter wardrobe to suffer.

Whew!

What a weekend! Our good friend Justin came to visit, and we packed our weekend schedule as full as we could. He was a good sport, and was pretty convincing when he told us he had a great time. Our weekend consisted of:

1. Taking in a Suns Game. Mike left the camera in the car, but we were lucky enough to have our picture taken and posted on the Suns Fan website. Woohoo! Miles even dressed in the Suns Grey and Orange colors, and did GREAT at the game. He loved the noises, the people, and watching the players. The Suns won the game, and scored 140 points for the third time in a row.

2. Went to the zoo for an afternoon.

3. Woke up at 4:30 in the a.m to show our support for Mike who competed in a Dualathlon. This was the main reason Justin came to visit, and I was glad he was there. Waiting around for a couple hours for Mike to cross the finish line would have been pretty boring with only a teething toddler to talk to. And he didn't complain when Mike wanted to stick around an extra couple hours after the race for the raffle. But Mike did end up winning a couple pairs of socks...so it was totally worth it. (More info and pics coming soon. This event definitely deserves its own post.)

4. Checked out the new Cardinals Stadium, and the surrounding shopping area.

5. And spontaneously attended the PBR. (PBR = Professional Bull Riders, for you non-Wyomingites not into all things rodeo. Justin was surprised when I mentioned how much I love the PBR. Apparrently, PBR is also the name of cheap beer..Pap's Blue Ribbon. No wonder he was confused. :)

6. And finally, he and Mike went on a long mountain biking ride. (I am not ashamed to say I stayed home and took a nap.)

Thanks Justin for visiting us! It was so nice of you to come, and I know Mike was glad to have you here for his Dualathlon debut.

Why parents should check their kid's homework!

Detox Day 2

The binkie detox is going...um, well....let's just say it's going.

Several months ago Mike was in Tucson doing an away rotation. We were down to one binkie, and I decided once that last binkie was lost, Miles wouldn't be getting any more. We were finito. He lost the last binks the very next day, and that was that.

The whole week I struggled getting him down for naps. And cried every night when he cried for that darn pacifier.

But after a couple days, it was as if the binkie never existed.

HEAVEN ON EARTH!!

And then Daddy came home, and we were so excited to see him! And the first thing he did....

Find some lost and misplaced binkie and plop it right into my son's mouth.

Yeah....I know. I didn't have the heart to start over. So the next time I was at the store, I bought 2 more packs of those dreaded green things.

And when last week Mike decided enough was enough, I CONVENIENTLY chose this weekend to begin Round 2 of the binkie detox.

Why, you ask???

Simple. I'm working. All weekend. Graveyard shifts. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, you can count me out of the bed time routine.

Though I was home for the dreaded first night, the night Miles woke-up almost every hour screaming for his beloved binks. The night I sat up with him on the couch from 2:00 am until 4:30 am, while he sobbed on my shoulder, I have missed the rest.

Dad reports last night went well. I think Mike's strategy is to completely wear Miles out, so he just crashes at bed time. The little guy didn't hit the hay until after 9:00 last night.

But he slept.

Keep your fingers crossed that by the time Monday night rolls around, he'll be the sleeping angel he used to be!

"This is going to hurt me more than its going to hurt you"

Growing up, my brothers, sister and I were (for the most part) pretty good kids. We were seldom disciplined (harshly) because there was no need.

Except for the time Rachel and Ben and Adam dripped lines of gasoline in the garage. Then lit matches to see whose line would burn the fastest.

Or the time Ben and Adam burned their spelling books (again) in the garage.

Or the time I was lighting matches in my Grandma Barnard's camping trailer.

Apparrently we are a family of pyromaniacs. And enjoyed incinerating almost anything in our oversized garage.

In THESE instances, discipline was swift. One good SWAT on the rear.

I'll admit, my swat was just a WARNING swat. A cautionary action letting me know what I was doing was infact wrong, and should I continue in my unacceptable behavior, the next spank would be REAL.

And I'll admit, The embarrassment I felt from my dad seeing my bare hind end was more than enough to curb my behavior.

I remember, on occassion, watching a movie where a little boy would commit some kind of crime, punishable by paddling. Dad would march his son up the stairs to his room and inevitabley say to him:

"This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you."

As a child, this statement dumbfounded me. It couldn't POSSIBLY be true. At least not true in the sense that my little child mind could comprehend.

But I'm no longer a child. And I HAVE a child of my VERY OWN. Now, I couldn't understand more.

We have begun the official and very much dreaded, BINKIE DETOX program at our house. My son's one and only truly loved posession. We just took them all away. All of them. Cold Turkey. AND....I have spent the last hour listening to my poor little guy cry and cry and cry. Because how is he suppossed to sleep without his binks?

The weeping and whaling and nashing of new little teeth has calmed down to a heart breaking, literally brings tears to my eyes, sad little wimper.

SOMEBODY.....MAKE IT STOP!!!

I know, Miles misses that binks of his. I know he doesn't understand why its gone. I know he really is upset that he has to fall asleep without it.

But OHHHHHHHH...how it's killing me!

And I thought of that statement dads make to their derelict sons right before their paddles hit their bottoms.

And now, I know it's true.

P.S. Wish Me Luck!

I haven't visited blog land for a little while. I know. My mom called yesterday because she hadn't talked to me in awhile, and wanted to make sure everything was OK. And everything is.

We've just been busy.

In keeping with my "be a little better" motto for 2009, I have been spending my days rolling on the floor with my little boy, becoming a professional lego builder, collecting rocks at the park, and giving many a horsey ride. (those are exhausting!) And doing all things "mommy."

There haven't been many of these lately....

(on a side note.....Yes, Miles is sleeping on the dog bed. That's what happens when Mom is sooo tired she accidentally falls asleep on the couch, completely missing a certain someone's naptime. So, the equally tired little dude falls asleep the only place he can.) yeah....just call me

Mother of the Year!

And the lack of naps has done a number on my little boy. Last week, I kissed my Smiley Miley goodnight. And the next morning, I woke up with a "whiney Miley" instead. I AM NOT KIDDING! Who knew the terrible twos actually started at 15 months?

Not Me.

And ofcourse....This doesn't help....

There are 6 new teeth on the way. Yes. Six. 2 bottom incisors, 2 top molars, and 2 bottom molars. Poor Guy.


Oh....and he's learned how to do this...



Really. Go ahead and ask him to eat his lunch. Or help put the toys away. Or sit down in the tub. I dare you. THEN....try to keep yourself from laughing out loud when he wiggles that little pink tongue in your direction. I DOUBLE dare you.

There is one thing, I have discovered, that will keep the smile on this little boys face.

The park.

Just our little neighborhood park. Nothin Fancy. But he would spend all day there if I would let him.

And what, do you ask yourselves, happens when I say it's time to leave????

A Meltdown

Yay.

Wanna see for yourself? Just scroll down to see the video. Atleast the first 10 seconds of it. That's all I could get before he tried to tip the stroller over while he was buckled in it.

I am hoping his new found attitude will subside at least a little when all the teeth are in, and he is feeling a little better.

If not....this is going to be a VERY LONG couple of years!

Miles doesn't want to go home

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