30 Day Shred

Last week I started Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.  I had heard good things about it from a couple of different friends but was still a little skeptical.  It is an awesome workout though!  I'm still on level one and have only done it four times...but it's definitely something I'm going to keep doing.  My plan is to alternate with running...we'll see how I do!

Certification update

I finally got my letter from ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center) OKing me to schedule my certification exam.  I will be taking it in mid-September!  So, now it's time to study, study, study!  Wish me luck!

So proud of my momma!

My mom walked in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure event in Minneapolis last weekend.  She walked approximately 20 miles each day for a total of 60 miles.  She was required to raise $2300 and ended up with over $3400 in donations.  And, she made it through the whole walk without any blisters or major problems...just sore legs!  I can't even say how proud I am of her...SO PROUD!!!  She wants to do it again...with me...I just hope I can keep up with her!

Boston Med

Have you seen Boston Med?  It premiered on June 24th and I had it in my planner from the moment I first heard about it.  However, since I was out of town for so long and not running on just my schedule, I just starting watching it yesterday.  I've watched three of the eight episodes so far and I am hooked!

I've always loved the medical dramas on TV...Chicago Hope, ER, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice...I love(d) them all.  But this show is a documentary, not a drama.  It's real life.  It's amazing.

In the second episode, a pregnant woman copes with the fact that her growing baby has a heart problem...and her husband is fighting in Iraq.  It's heart-wrenching!  The baby is born and he looks so normal...but he's not.  He has open heart surgery when he's only a few days old.  I can't even imagine going through that!

Bottom line...if you haven't seen it and are interested, watch it!  I highly recommend it!

Happy anniversary, John!

John and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on August 9th.  We didn't do anything too special as we had already been on a cruise and to Costa Rica this summer.  But, we did spend a little extra money on our Brewers tickets. 

John's Grandma Jo turned 82 on our anniversary so we went out to eat with some of John's dad's side of the family.  The cake even acknowledged both events...and we got two separate candles too!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our special day.

Brewers win!

John and I went to the Brewers vs. Astros game with his dad on August 6th.  It was my fourth Brewers game but my first with the roof open...finally!  The game was awesome too...the Brew Crew came back to win with 4 runs in the 9th inning.  It was so exciting!

RIP Aunt Joan

John's aunt and godmother, Joan, passed away on July 31st after enduring multiple sclerosis for 19 years.  As we walked through the receiving line before the service, all of Joan's sisters told us how much we meant to Joan.  I knew that John's family had been really close to Joan...and John's mom has become practically part of Joan's family as well...but I didn't realize quite how much, I guess.

I didn't know Joan very well but as I read her obituary and listened to her family speak about her, I realized that I missed out on getting to know a really wonderful woman.

Montana

John's family drives out to Montana nearly every summer to visit the wheat farm that John's dad's family owns. This summer was my first time going with them. John, his dad, his sister Natalie, and I went backpacking in Glacier National Park for 4 days and 3 nights. We did have to modify our original route a little bit. Natalie and I both had really bad blisters on our heels...and John and his dad were almost as exhausted as we were. We're already talking about the next trip though!

We had to cut the trip a couple of days short as John's mom got news that John's aunt/godmother had passed away...more on that in the next post. For now, here are some pictures from our journey...on the road to Montana, on the hike through Glacier, and finally, at the wheat farm in Chester.

Christmas in July

My mom's side of the family hasn't gotten together regularly for a long time...probably since my grandma passed away in 2000. So, my mom and my aunts decided that from now on we would all get together to celebrate Christmas in July. This was the inaugural year and we had a great time! It was so good to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousins' kids again!

Pontoon

My aunt, her boyfriend, her son, and his son were up in WI for Dad's surprise party and stayed a few extra days. One of those days we rented a pontoon boat and went out on the river. It was a lot of fun to get to spend a little extra time with my cousin and my almost cousin...they're fun kids...or guys...or whatever you call an 18 year old and a 15 year old when you're 26!

Surprise! Happy 60th birthday, Dad!

Amazingly, we pulled off Dad's surprise birthday party...and he didn't have a clue! I was very surprised that he didn't figure it out...people (including me) kept making little slip-ups. I guess he wasn't paying close attention!

Costa Rica

Costa Rica was amazing, as always. It was wonderful to spend time with Laura and her family again. I love how we can always just pick right up where we left off. She really is one of my closest friends...and I do consider her a sister...she's just a very special person! We didn't end up doing the hanging bridges tour like I had hoped...but we went canyoneering instead and it was awesome! Canyoneering is a combination of rappelling, hiking, and swimming (we didn't have to swim) and it was an amazing experience!

We're back!

Ahh, we're FINALLY back to our own apartment! We've been back for four days now and it feels so good...but I've been busy unpacking (still need to do laundry), grocery shopping, catching up on the little things I didn't do while I was gone, and studying. Tonight I finally feel like I can try to catch up on here...while I listen to the Brewers game on the radio. :) Overall, we had a wonderful vacation! I hope I don't overwhelm with all the posts to come!