Colorado Reunion Trip

Ahh...we had SUCH a great time in Colorado!  I'm still amazed that we can pick up right where we left off and just enjoy each other's company again.  I hadn't seen Ale since July 2004...but it was like I had just seen her.  Laura and I have kept in better contact...emailing and chatting frequently and visiting at least every couple of years.  We've all been able to stay in better contact with Facebook...such a great tool.

We're going to try to get together every three years from now on...and include the guys (and babies!) in the next trip.  Can't wait!

Here are a few photos from the trip...

A beautiful sunset as we made our way to Bailey from Denver.

Scrabble...a Rohrer family tradition. Mom loves it!

Driving from Bailey to Breckenridge...a little scary at times!

Lala cross-country skiing at Breckenridge.

Lala, Ale, and Em

Mom, Em, Lala, and Ale

Lala, Em, Mom, and Ale in front of the cross-country ski lodge.

Ale and Lala

Mom, Ale, and Lala at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Lala, Mom, and Ale

Ale in the snow as we exited the Botanic Gardens.

Lala, Ale, and Em hiking near the house.

Lala, Ale, and Em

Mom, Lala, Em, and Ale

The house from below as we made our way back from the hike.

The three of us one last time. :(

Saying good-bye to Ale and baby.

The first week of classes...and a vacation!

Classes at the U of I start this week which means that I "get" to spend the next two days in the skills lab with second semester nursing students.  Not exactly looking forward to two 12-hour days repeating the same presentation six times each day...ugh.  I will definitely be an expert (again) on central line dressing changes, TPN, and blood administration by late Wednesday.  In fact, I'll probably be able to recite the protocols word-for-word for each skill.  Ugh.

But, there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel!  On Thursday I will be flying out to Denver to spend a long weekend with my mom and my exchange student sisters (Ale, Laura, and Maria) at Big Rock Mountain House in Bailey, Colorado.  I am beyond excited...which is probably why I'm so not looking forward to my next two days in the skills lab!

Here are a few photos of the house...

Ahh...SO excited!!!

MLK Jr. Day

A few quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. that I found this morning:

"On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' And Vanity comes along and asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But Conscience asks the question 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right."

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."

"People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other."

Book five!

I just finished The Shadow Rising on Saturday and am currently taking a little break to catch up with my Sports Illustrated magazines.  Soon I'll be starting book five, The Fires of Heaven. 

Dr. Jain's daughter (she's a freshman in high school) is also reading The Wheel of Time, and while she started the series when I was on book three, she's already on book six.  I wish I had more time to read!!

The Rose Bowl

The Badgers played TCU in the Rose Bowl this year.  Keith's parents were nice enough to invite us over for the game...and feed us lots of yummy food!  It was fun to watch the game with so many other Badger fans...we don't get to experience that too often anymore.  The Badgers didn't quite play as well as we hoped...but it was still a great game...and tons of fun!

New Year's Eve

We had a very chill New Year's Eve this year which is pretty much what we like.  John's long-time friend Tim was home from Texas with his fiancée Renee' and her 10-year-old daughter Lana.  We had some good food, good beer, and lots of laughs.  Keith joined us later in the evening as well.

Cochrane

It was great to spend a few days at home with my parents.  I do enjoy being back in my little tiny hometown (population: 435).  During this visit, Mom and I went cross-country skiing on a gorgeous day.

The next day Mom just had to make a snowman before the snow all melted.

It's too bad our efforts didn't spur the Badgers to victory!

Mom and I also visited with Aubrey and her mom while I was home.  Sadly, there are no pictures to commemorate this event.  Sorry, Aubz!

Update on John (again)

John applied to a couple of post-docs at the University of Minnesota as well as one at the University of Illinois-Chicago over break.  He says he's done applying for jobs now...so we're just waiting to hear if he gets one or not.  He thinks we'll know in March.  It's exciting!  I would LOVE to go to Boulder...but we'll go where ever the job is or stay here for one more year.

He also told me today that he's speaking at a math conference in Iowa City in March.  I wish I could listen to his talk...but he says he isn't allowed any guests.  I'm sure he'll do great though!  I'm so, so proud of him!

Christmas(es)

We thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas(es)!  It's so nice to be able to take time off and spend it with our families.  There truly is nothing better!

Chicago

As I mentioned before, we met John's family in Chicago the weekend before Christmas.  It's become an annual tradition to do this in celebration of Natalie's birthday (December 16th).  She turned 17 this year...and to think I met her when she was just 11!  Anyway, we had a great time, as usual, just walking around downtown, shopping, and visiting the Christkindlmarket.  This year we also visited the Museum of Science and Industry...so many cool things! 

Here are a few photos from the weekend:

The birthday girls, Brigitte and Natalie.  Yummy cupcakes made by Annie.

Delicious restaurant where we ate breakfast...yum!

The "kids" by the giant Christmas tree at Macy's.

Enjoying yummy pretzels at the Christkindlmarket.

The Museum of Science and Industry

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