Celebrating Mom

To celebrate Mother's Day and mom's birthday this year, we decided to meet at the Rainbow River for a day of kayaking and southern fried delicacies (because nothing says "I love you" like corn nuggets and sweet potato fries!)

The fun bus (shuttle) to the river. (I think every time Greer makes an appearance on my blog she's sporting this tie-dye shirt. For the record, she does have a plethora of other clothes which reside on the floor behind her bed. This shirt must just always find its way to the top of the heap)

The Rainbow River is a big, spring-fed river about 1 hour south of our house. It's a beautiful place to spend the day and the water is clear, cool and Gator-free (mostly)!

This dragonfly hitched a ride on my hat for a while...

Braden appeared sporting what we affectionately called "le moustache" for the day. We all got a kick out of it. It reminds me of my dad, circa 1985.

Ashley was missing Jay, especially as we paddled a couple of miles upstream. Of course, it was after we paddled up and back that we discovered that her paddled weighed a good couple pounds more than the rest of ours did. 

Taking a break at the head springs. True to our roots, we filled each kayak with delicious treats--swedish fish, m&m's, chips, licorice, anyone? Mom optimistically brought oranges but, I think she was the only one to eat one and only because her poor sandwich got swamped.

After much paddling, we retreated to the water to escape the 100 degree heat. Notice my strategic placement behind the kayak--I don't look pregnant yet, just like I've been eating too many hot dogs. At this point, the others in the picture were unaware of my new status as a "sacred vessel" (which Jeff affectionately calls me); they must have just be thinking that I've been indulging and slacking on my exercise.

Ashley and Mom...

My sweetheart. It's so great to spend so much time with him now that boards are over!

Le Moustache up close. We had so much fun with his mustache that we didn't even get to tease him about needing a haircut!

We created a kayak chain and Braden paddled us down the river a ways (don't feel too bad for him, there was a good current helping him). Jeff, being so cleaver, held us together with the help of his surprisingly nimble monkey-feet.

For dinner, we tried a southern dive, the Blue Gator. There wasn't much to choose from in (not-so) booming Dunnellon, Florida but, we were all excited about the sweet potato fries and corn nuggets!

Ashley, is really good at taking self-portraits. If she gets a hold of your camera, you inevitable find one of these gems on it.

Before our fried foods arrived, we took a few minutes to open gifts. Braden was the dark-horse of gift-giving this year. He picked out a beautiful Brighton watch and bracelet that had all of his sisters (and mom) swooning. The man-child has good taste in jewelry, that's for sure!

Jeff and I brought just a little something for her...

a picture of her first grandbaby, which was a complete surprise to all. Much screaming, hugging and crying ensued--leave it to us to make a scene where ever we go!

And, continuing with his foray into strange foods--Jeff ordered the frog legs...

...apparently they taste like chicken.

 

A little Gator...

...coming November 27th (-ish)! We are so excited!

Stay tuned for more on our journey into the great unknown (parenthood)!

Success!!

He did it! He passed his board exam! After two, torturous and worry-filled weeks of waiting, the good news came today.

I'm so proud of him! This makes it official, he's a 3rd year dental student! Bring on the patients! And just for fun, here's his first day of school picture for each year...

Year 1

Year 2

And Year 3!

Only 1 more first day of school picture to go!

Our Beach Retreat

I may have mentioned that Jeff has been engrossed in studying for his national board exam. He's essentially lived at the library for the last two months--leaving one lonely wife! He was able to take his exam a couple of weeks ago and then have one much-needed week off. He was beyond sick of school and studying and I happened to be in desperate need of a break from work so--we retreated to the beach!

We found a great oceanfront Marriott in Jacksonville Beach that was just what we were looking for. It was the first time either of us have stayed in a place where the beach was just outside of your sliding glass door.


We had a beautiful view from our balcony...

We spent our first day at the beach, enjoying the sunshine, warm weather, and people watching (the beach is excellent for this!) Since Jeff has been in the library so much, he had to become reacquainted with the sun.

 

He was in desperate need of some vitamin D and a little color so as to no longer look like the ghost in the blue room (which he haunted for 2 months).

When we went to get cleaned up for dinner, we spent a little time on our balcony. As we looked out over the ocean, and thought about going home the next day, we immediately decided that we needed an extra day. So, that's what we did--I canceled my meetings, we extended our hotel reservation, and we stayed an extra day--totally worth it!

I tell you what, it's hard to get better than spending the evening either (a) on your balcony or (b) in the beach-side hot tub with you sweetheart and listening to the ocean. What a great way to end the day (we did both)!

Of course, after one full day with entirely too much sun exposure for a skin-cancer prone girl, I had to bundle up to enjoy the evening outdoors.

 

I think Jeff (and I) smiled the whole weekend. He was just so relieved to be done with boards, talking to a human being, and being outside!

Funny thing...for those of you who know Jeff, you know that he does not like to miss out on anything. Well, while we were sitting outside, he saw a family head out to the beach for a walk with a couple of flashlights. After watching them for a few minutes, he decided that they were looking for something---maybe even crabs! He convinced himself that they were looking for crabs. He kept saying, "maybe we should go down there and look for crabs too!"

After about 10 minutes or so of him watching vigilantly (like above), we figured out that they actually weren't looking for anything--the two kids just had head lamps on and were running around on the beach. At last, convinced he wasn't missing out on anything, he could just sit and relax.

Our second day on the beach was Mother's Day. It was great! We watched a surf competition and listened to a free concert by the Jacksonville Orchestra at the pavilion on the beach. And, of course, spent a little more time just relaxing.

Due to a bit of a sunscreen shortage (I'm not going to point any figures but, we had a pretty full bottle of spray sunscreen to start with and by the time it got to me, there was only enough for my back...a mystery), I was a little more pink than I care to be so, I spent the day in the shade.

We also enjoyed a tasty dinner at the Salt Life Food Shack. At long last, Jeff was able to try a fried, soft shell crab sandwich. I didn't get a picture but, it really did look like fried little legs sticking outside of a bun. I almost mustered the courage to have a bite but, then he described the middle as a little "gritty" (perhaps because he was eating all of the guts--fried, yes, but guts all the same) and I lost interest real quick. He said it tasted good but, when I asked him if he'd ever order it again he said, "probably not."

 

Perhaps the best part of the weekend was just spending time with my sweetheart. He's my very best friend and I missed him terribly. Now, since boards are over, our beach retreat was a kick-off to a new phase in life for us (since his nights and weekends will be free, just like a real grown-up!) and we can be just like "peas and carrots" again. And, that is the best part.

(Note: I seem to have left my motivation at the beach...we'll have to go back and get it!)

Easter 2011

We gathered at my mom's for Easter this year. I had to go sans hubby since he is still feverishly preparing for his dental board exam on Tuesday (thank heaven it's almost over). Despite my lack of companion, it was a great visit!

We had a nice dinner at Grill Smith on Friday night and woke Saturday morning for our annual egg hunt! The rest of us hunted either in our PJ's or beach attire. Ashley decided this was the yuppy egg hunt and went for the khaki's and polo--she even asked to borrow my dress and scarf that I wore the evening before...

Dave hides the eggs and he's really good at it. He used to leave some obvious ones out that Greer could find but, now that we're all adults (or nearly adults) we really have to get creative in where we look.

Ashley found three eggs inside this utility canister...

This was Jay's first egg hunt experience. I think he underestimated Dave's hiding prowess.

Ashley gave him some general guidance but, make no mistake about it, they were not working together to find the eggs! Taking a cue from Aunt Bonnie, Mom hid a rubber snake in them-there bushes. Unfortunately for her, none of us noticed it but she giggled every time one of us got near it anyway.

I think Greer was slowed down by her late night the evening before, and that she wasn't wearing any shoes...

Smile, Jay! This is fun!

One or two of the eggs went missing from the utility outlets. Did I mention that the eggs have money in them? There's still a dollar or two out there somewhere...

The most sought after prize is the "big green egg." This big beauty contains the largest money prize. While Jeff or I usually dominate in the finding of the big green egg, Ashley got lucky this year. It was found inside the water softener.

Ashley shakes her fist in triumph and declares egg-hunting victory (even though I found the most eggs).

Following our egg hunt, we loaded up and went out to Fred Howard Park to go sea kayaking. Now, I know that some places in the U.S. had snow for Easter. This seems very tragic to me. To me, sunshine, the ocean and beautiful weather enhance the celebration of the risen Lord.

Here we go! Ashley and Jay heading for the water.

After making our way across the bay (man, that was a paddle--I always seem to pull the same muscle in between my ribs that makes rowing painful. Usually, I have Jeff to make up for my lame paddling but, alas, I was on my own this time), we explored some trails through the mangrove trees.

I kept getting my paddle stuck in the trees and ran a-ground a few times. It was slow going, which was okay until Jay mentioned seeing a very brightly colored snake...

Mom was lucky to get a tandem kayak with Dave. She claims she's an equally diligent paddler but, when she heard that I was paddling in pain, she offered her spot to me, suggesting that I would be pain free as Dave paddled me across the ocean and that maybe she wasn't paddling as hard as she thought she was...

Hi, Greer! Did you put sunscreen on? "No, I can always feel when I'm getting burned and put it on then." Famous last words... She was the color of a tomato when we got home!

Hi, Jay! Jay really demonstrated his paddling skills when we decided to head back. He was starving, and motivated by hunger, he managed to beat me and Ashley to shore by a good 10 minutes or so. He was really ready for a grouper sandwich at Rusty Bellies.

After a few hours in the sun, and my unfortunate susceptibility to skin cancer, it was time to cover all I could. Unfortunately, my hands were left out, and I forgot to put sunscreen on those. Opps!

We attended a lovely sacrament service on Sunday, followed by a low country boil. Then it was time for me to drive back to my sweetheart who had spent the weekend studying in the blue room. Luckily, I returned baring gifts of Easter basket goodies, left-overs, and a lot of love.

A new upstairs neighbor

We've been fortunate in the 5 years that we've owned our condo, we've been without an upstairs neighbor. Until 2 weeks ago...

An older lady and her yappy dog moved in. The lady's is nice but, her dog barks and claws at her front door (which is just outside the window in our 2nd bedroom) constantly when she's not home. We're hoping that the dog adjusts to its new surroundings soon and stops with the yapping. It's definitely not the best sound to wake up to and it's preventing Jeff from being able to study at home.

And, if the dog wasn't enough, 1 week into it, Jeff noticed a suspicious looking spot in the ceiling in our bathroom.

Upon closer inspection, Jeff ascertained that the spot was wet--indicating a leaky pipe above.

Sure enough, the lady's toilet pipe was leaking through our ceiling (yuck!). 

The plumbers came quickly to fix it, but the contractor took down the whole ceiling in that room for a proper repair. Over the course of the week the contractor was able to get the insulation and sheet rock up but, we're still waiting for the tape, plaster, paint, and molding work. Hopefully, he'll make some progress tomorrow and we can move back into our bathroom sometime next week.

While we generally not adverse to neighbors, with the dog and our demolished ceiling, we're not the new lady's biggest fans.

Let the Good News Roll...

When you work in academia, writing grant proposals is a frequent and necessary occurrence. Grants are how we are paid, evaluated for promotion, and actually get us out of our offices to do work with real people (those poor people who work with rats--they never get out!). There's been two bits of good news for our research team over the last couple of weeks:

1. We received the highest score on a big grant we submitted to the National Institutes of Health (the big federal agencies that are the gold-standard for grants) to do an alcohol preventive intervention trial with the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Now, if only the federal government could get their act together with the budget (I spread my blame equally across democrats and republicans (I'm definitely and Independent), Jeff only blames democrats (he's getting reacquainted with his Republican roots)) we will be doing a fun project in exotic, rural Oklahoma!

2.  I had my first little grant funded! It's a little pilot project funded by UF's Clincial and Translational Science Institute to do a needs assessment in a really high-povery, high-risk community in Jacksonville. This will hopefully be the foundation for a few bigger grants to work with the New Town Success Zone to improve their community and child health outcomes. Some of the stories I hear from them are so sad...

Note: I realize I'm waving my "I'm a geek" flag but, at least I'm not in denial about it. ;-)

A Championship Game

Jeff plays on an intramural softball team with a bunch of guys for his dental school class. This past Thursday, they played the medical students for the grad student league championship! They were all excited to have a shot at the coveted champions t-shirt that they could wear proudly around the gym.

While they lost, they all enjoyed the much needed break from studying for boards. And I think everyone was surprised about how good the med student team was--they must not keep those guys busy enough!