I got a Nook!

John and I celebrated Christmas last Thursday evening, after a pizza party at his advisor's house that ran a little late and before we left to meet his family in Chicago on Friday...whew!  He got me a Nook!!  I had hinted a little about how nice it would be to have one...I wasn't sure I would like it but then tried his out (he got one for his birthday last summer) and really liked it.  Plus, though I love actually reading books, it's much easier to just carry the little device around than lug a bunch of books around.  Now that he has convinced me to read these HUGE The Wheel of Time books, it definitely made me want a Nook.  Since he loves reading and his Nook so much, he had absolutely no qualms about buying one for me...and he hid it really well too!

Unfortunately for John, I didn't get him anything spectacular this year.  I'm not sure I'll ever top last year's gift...a PS3 that was a complete surprise to him.  But, this year he doesn't really need (or even want) anything that he didn't already ask our families for.  So, I just got him a couple of new Wisconsin shirts, a new wallet, and a book I thought he'd like (and he does)!  Best of all, he's totally fine with whatever...such an easy-going guy I have!  :)

By the way, since I got my Nook, I'm almost halfway through The Shadow Rising, book four in The Wheel of Time...and I'm still loving the series!

Merry Christmas!

John and I are spending the week in Oshkosh with John's family after meeting them in Chicago last weekend.  (I'll post pics of our adventures there once I get back home in January.)  We'll be here for Christmas Eve with John's dad's side of the family and then drive down to Madison (well, Belleville, actually) on Christmas Day to celebrate with my dad's side of the family.  We're going to spend some time with my family in Cochrane next week and then come back to Oshkosh for New Year's Eve and the Rose Bowl (!!) to see our friend Tim and his fiancée.  Fun fun!
  

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas (and a Happy New Year if I don't get back on here before then).  Enjoy!
  

Here's a copy of the photo card and letter we sent out for Christmas this year:

This year was another busy one for us...lots of (school) work, lots of travel, and lots of fun!   Once again, we started out the year by traveling to Idaho with John’s family.  We visited his uncle, aunt, and cousins near Boise and also skied at Sun Valley.  The skiing wasn’t as good as last year but we still had a great time!  

March brought academic accomplishments for both of us...I finished my master’s project and John passed his prelims.  Yay!  Then in May, I graduated with my master’s degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner.  My parents, John’s parents, and Grandma Rohrer celebrated with us in Chicago and Champaign.  To top off the celebration, John and I went on a Caribbean cruise with our friends Mark and KJ Davey and others.  We went zip lining in Cozumel, cave tubing in Belize, snorkeling in Isla Roatan, and dancing (and drinking) at Margaritaville in Grand Cayman.  It was such a fun trip!

Memorial Day weekend was spent in Madison.  We got to see two of our favorite families...the Sluzewski’s and the Kurth’s.  And, we were able to eat brats at Brat Fest not once but twice that weekend!

At the end of June, we took a road trip to visit John’s sister Annie in Virginia.  She graduated from Purdue in May and worked as an intern at NASA for the summer.  It was fun to spend the weekend with her...even if it was 100 degrees and muggy!

Nearly the entire month of July was spent away from Champaign.  We celebrated the Fourth of July in Oshkosh...and had a Lenz Family Reunion too.  Then we were off to Costa Rica with my mom.  We had a great time with Laura and her family.  Costa Rica is a beautiful country.  We are lucky to know such wonderful and hospitable people there.  After Costa Rica we spent some time in Cochrane to help my dad celebrate his 60th birthday.  To end the month, we drove out to Montana with John’s family.  John, his dad, his sister Natalie, and I hiked for 4 days and 3 nights in Glacier National Park.  It was a great experience and I can’t wait to do it again...in a couple of years!
  

Most of August was spent relaxing, getting ready for school to start again for John, and studying for my board examination.  I passed my boards in September and was able to start working part-time as a nurse practitioner in October.  I’m also now an adjunct clinical instructor at the university...still teaching those undergrads.
  

We had some fun this fall too.  I spent a weekend in Chicago with Aubrey and some of our friends from college.  John and I went to the Packers vs. Bills game in September...my first NFL game.  We also went back to Cochrane for a weekend in October to celebrate the marriage of Andy and Sarah Kramer...it was great to see old friends again!  I spent another weekend shopping with my mom, aunts, and cousins...The Spindler Girls Shopping Extravaganza...so fun!  We’ve also enjoyed just relaxing at home this fall...and watching the Badgers’ football games!
  

John will (hopefully) graduate this May.  He’s the instructor for a calculus class again this semester and really enjoys teaching.  He is applying for postdocs and teaching positions at universities from Wisconsin to California.  We still hope to end up in Madison but we’ll see where the offers come from!  We’re looking forward to finding new jobs...and then expanding our family! :)
  

We hope you all have a joyful holiday season and a very happy 2011!

Update on John

A few weeks ago, John decided that he would indeed pursue a job in academia.  Three of his applications were due yesterday...a postdoc position at the University of Colorado-Boulder and professor positions at UW-Eau Claire and Michigan Tech.  He's also planning to apply to positions at UW-Madison, UW-Stout, the University of Minnesota, Berkeley, and Stanford...I think, anyway!

My preference would be Madison, of course!  But, I'm willing to go anywhere...even Houghton, Michigan...if it means that he can pursue the career path that he wants.  Besides, as a nurse (practitioner), I should be able to find a job anywhere, right?  I sure hope so!

The Dragon Reborn

I finished Book Two earlier today and will be starting Book Three shortly...maybe after I finish last week's issue of Sports Illustrated.  My husband was right...this is a great series.  I love it!  I even dreamed about Mr. Rand al'Thor a couple of nights this week...crazy!

Thanksgiving

Last week John and I went back to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving.  We had a really great trip.  We started off by visiting my cousin and her 5 year old son in Stoughton.  John did a little computer work for them and I just hung out with Jill and Colton.  Colton is such a smart, sweet kid.  We headed up to Oshkosh the next day but stopped to have supper with Jamine and Brandon in Columbus first.  It was so great to visit with them again too!  Those two visits made me want to move back to Madison even more...but we'll just have to see where we end up!

The rest of the week was spent in Oshkosh.  I went shopping with my mother-in-law, had great conversations with Natalie (She has such a great head on her shoulder for a 16, almost 17, year old!), and spent a few hours decorating Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas tree and making cinnamon candy with Natalie and Michele.  We also drove through Oshkosh's Celebration of Lights (my father-in-law is very involved in it), celebrated Thanksgiving with both sides of John's family, went bowling with the Lenz family (a Thanksgiving night tradition), and spent an evening catching up with Mark and KJ.  It was such a nice, relaxing trip!

It's a little late for this...but better late than never, right?  I'm extremely thankful for John, our families, and our friends.  I'm also very thankful for my job...not only am I gaining experience as we wait to figure out where we're going next but it's also super flexible and I don't have to work holidays.  I'm thankful for my education, my freedom, and that I don't have to worry about money (too much).  I have a good life...and I'm thankful for every single part of it!

Race (Natalie's boyfriend), Michele, and Natalie

Natalie and me

Natalie and Michele

Natalie and me waiting for the cinnamon candy to harden.

Grandpa Lenz and me