Up to Date

It's been awhile....again...

So I'll just try to bring things up to date. Residency is still going strong. Really like my program and am 100% sure that I've picked the right specialty for me. There is nothing like delivering babies everyday!

Home improvements are going well. We have moved inside and are now working on the kitchen! I'm so excited to see the finished product! Here are some pictures....Zach has once again impressed me with his craftmanship. He built the island from scratch is is working on the cabinets. I love the open feeling it creates with the dining room and family room now!

I am so excited it is December. We went out and cut down our own Christmas tree last weekend and bought all new decorations (since Mosley ate all of them from last year) and I must say that I LOVE our tree this year! I love sitting at home when it starting to get dark and the only lights are those coming from the tree.

We are heading back to Iowa this year for Christmas and I am really excited! We've haven't been back in 2 years and I can't wait to see everyone! I'm also headed to NYC in 2 weeks to see my med school friends! We all planned a reunion and only 1 of us can't make it! It's gonna be so good to see my girls and hangout in the city so close to Christmas!

I'm off to the grocery store for "football" food! Steelers vs. Ravens tonight!!!

It was....

so great to be back in Athens...
even though they lost :( It was so amazing to be able to share the experience with Zach for the first time!

This is what he has been working on....

before

after the fence was put in and the concrete broken up

sod laid

patio started

I truly have an extremely talented husband...he has done this whole project by himself!!!

Home Sweet Home

Nothing better than waking up at Mom and Steve's house in South Carolina! I love being able to come home and hang out here. We made the 6 hour drive Friday after I got off work and then yesterday morning drove to Athens for the Georgia game. Even though it was a heartbreaking loss, Zach and I had a great time and I forgot how much I missed and love that city....maybe one day we'll move back there ;) I think I still have to convince my husband a little more! He really likes it but it didn't help that it was 90 degrees in the middle of September! It just has such a great vibe and of course being in Sanford stadium felt like home! The only downer of the day was the flat tire on the way to the game :( Luckily Zach has run flat tires on his car, so we continued on our way and got it fixed after the game.

We were lucky enough to meet up with my good friend Janice and her boyfriend John. She is doing a family medicine residency in Anderson, SC so we met up with them at Wild Wings to watch a little more football and catch up....made me really miss my friends!!! I love Morgantown, I just wish I could have my friends there with me!

Today mom and I are going over to her friends' house to lay by the pool...yes it is 90 degrees today as well....and Zach and Steve are off golfing 18 holes. Life is good....and relaxing!!!

Too Long :/

Well residency started and thus the blogging failed....sorry to the 3 people who read this...including my mother!

Zach and I have been busy, busy, busy here in Morgantown! Life as a resident is definitely different than life as a student! My first month I was on Labor and Delivery during the day and then August was a month of night float where I worked 6pm-8am Sunday-Thursday. Needless to say my whole schedule was backwards. You feel like you lose your life for a whole month. This month is much better with more "office hours." But there is still weekend call and reading and presentations to prepare for.....it never ends! But I love it and have met some great people. I miss my med school friends like crazy but we're all staying in touch as best we can....

Zach is doing some amazing work in the backyard and when it is finished I'll post before and after pictures. I truly married a talented man! He basically ripped everything up and started from scratch...last Friday we laid sod and it made a world of difference!

We are both on vacation next week and are headed to SC to see mom and Steve. We are going to go the Georgia/Arkansas game on Saturday and I can't wait!!!! I'm hoping they play TONS better than they did this past Saturday but I haven't been back for a game since I graduated and Zach has never been. I've tried to explain an SEC game in the south to him but it's something you have to experience!

On a sad note mom and Steve are moving to Wisconsin in 2 months :( It is great for Steve because he got a huge job promotion but mom isn't thrilled it's in Horicon Wisconsin...yuck! I loved going back to the south to visit them and going to the midwest just wont' be the same....hopefully it's only temporary for a couple of years and then they can head back to NC or SC for good!

That's all for now....it's hard to update 2 months in 1 post so I probably wont' even attempt it, but I'll try to do better in posting from here on out....even if all I do is work!

BUSY

Life sure is different when you have a real job :)
My day consists of waking up at 5:30am....
Hospital to round at 6:00am....

Home between 7:00-8:00pm...Dinner....

Reading....
Bed usually around 9:30....

It's gonna be a long 4 years!But I received my first paycheck today and that definitely made it worth it! Now we can buy a new furnace and a/c and not sweat to death at night!

I'm on call tomorrow for 24 hours and next Saturday as well. Boo....

My beautiful, fabulous mother turned 50 yesterday! She is one of the most generous, loving and honest people I know. She celebrated at our favorite spot in the world....Hilton Head in South Carolina, spending her mornings on the beach and her afternoons at the golf course with Steve.Love you Momma!!!!

New Job

Well I have officially started working at the hospital...last Thursday was my first day! And it was INSANE! So many patients and women in labor. It was overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. I had no idea what I was doing and tried to help as much as possible, but it's a whole new computer system to learn and as an intern you just don't know anything! The learning curve is going to be so great and I am really excited for that! I followed the senior resident around alot those first 2 days. I had my first 24 hour call Saturday and started to feel a little bit more comfortable. I delivered a couple babies and assisted in a c-section! I don't think the job of watching babies be born will ever get old! Unfortunately we didn't get any sleep and I spent most of yesterday in the bed! Did manage to wake up in time to head downtown and listen to some music and watch the fireworks over the river. First 4th of July in Morgantown!

Zach started Thursday as well but he is at the VA which is about 45 minutes away. I'm off today because it is still a holiday (we are state employees) but Zach is on call. I slept in this morning and it was glorious. Today is going to consist of cleaning the house, relaxing and possibly reading up on c-sections!

Getting Settled

We are still getting settled in Morgantown....there are boxes that still need to be unpacked, shoes that need a place to live, pictures I can't find a place for and laundry piling up but we are loving our life here! The fence is 99% done (a small portion still needs to be stained), and it looks fantastic! Zach did such an amazing job.

I've had orientation everyday from 8-4 and it is definitely a reality check. Life is about to change dramatically starting Thursday. I think busy and exhausted will be frequently used in my vocabulary. But despite that I am still really excited to get started. The learning curve is going to be large and I'll spend most days overwhelmed but welcome to residency. Zach is at the VA for his first 2 months. Unfortunately the VA is 45 minutes away and he won't get to come home much. The surgery department furnishes an apartment for the residents that complete rotations down there.

We had a date night last night and decided on dinner at the Olive Garden and a movie. We really wanted to see Robin Hood but for some reason it wasn't at the theaters here....strange? So we went to Toy Story 3.....very cute in some parts and pretty cheesy in others. No where near as good as the first one. And Zach is a good sport for sitting through a Disney movie with me on our date night.

Today we did more fence staining and tried to go for a hike out at Coopers Rock but as we were driving the bottom fell out of the sky and traffic on the interstate was at a stand still so we turned around. Tonight we are going to try out our new grill for the first time!! Steaks and sweet corn....love summertime!!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to two great men in my life! I've been blessed enough to have my biological father in my life for the last 28 years. He has been so supportive and loving and there for me...even if it was from a distance. I have many, many fond memories of growing up in small town Iowa and things I used to do with my dad. They are the types of things I hope one day Zach does with our children. Bike rides, long walks in the pasture, sports, reading books, yard work....Thanks for all that you do for me Dad....I'm so grateful for your love and support!
When I turned 15 I was lucky enough to have another "dad" figure enter my life. My mom remarried and I don't think I could have hand picked a better stepdad. He is the silent strength in our family and he loves Kendra, Danny and I like his own. His support is invaluable and I value his opinion. Thanks for everything Steve...but most importantly thanks for loving our mom and making her happy! Cause we all know that makes the world a better place :)

Lovin' it...

The small town life that is....Morgantown has been wonderful! It has about 25,000 people and when the students come back in the fall that number will double. Coming from Baltimore, it's so refreshing to be in this smaller community. We have meet 4 of our neighbors, 4 more people than we met the 3 years we lived in Bmore. Granted the average age of our neighbors here is 73 but they are so friendly! One man even brought over cookies that his wife had made for us! I love that kind of stuff and it is so rare to meet people that still do that!

Zach is busy putting up the fence outside and loving all the home projects. He is completely in his element. I am still working on unpacking boxes...totally NOT my element! I wish I could just wave a wand and have it all be done and organized the way I want it....We are really enjoying the new house though and being able to call Morgantown home.

I started orientation at the hospital Wednesday and it will continue until July 1st and then I will officially start on the Labor and Delivery floor. I'm definitely anxious and nervous but very excited! We went to a dinner last night honoring the outgoing 4th year residents and I know that these next 4 years are going to fly by and I'll be sitting in their position. I am 100% comfortable here and feel like this is the place for me.....

Moving Day

We are moving tomorrow to West Virginia and that's why I've been absent...I'm knee deep in boxes and moving responsibilities!

We received our professional wedding pictures Wednesday night and I am in LOVE!

I'll be absent until we get internet next Thursday....peace out until then!

Oh here is our new home!!

Italy

Well after we got back from the honeymoon I immediately left for St. Maarten and my medical school graduation. So the blog has been neglected.....but I'll try to get back on track!
Italy was amazing! The food, culture, shopping...it was all perfect! Zach and I had a great time just exploring and eating and having fun with each other. We left Saturday afternoon out of Dulles airport in DC and flew overnight to Paris. From Paris we took a regional jet to Florence. We got there around 9:30 local time. We figured it was best to just go ahead and start the site seeing otherwise if we went to the hotel we would probably crash and lose a whole day. We hoped in our Ford Fiesta (blah) and took off with no clue where we were headed (this happened frequently on the trip!) but that was part of the charm. We found downtown Florence and began exploring.....First was the duomo...Each city we visited throughout Italy had a duomo that dated back to the 1200's. The history in this country was unbelieveable and definitely part of its greatness. These are the famous bronze doors on the duomo in Florence. Notice the artist heads for the doorknobs.Zach and I still think that the meal we had in Florence for lunch may have been the greatest one! We had bruscetta, a salad and pizza and everything was so fresh! We continued to walk around most of the day but but the time 4:00 hit I was ready to crash so we decided to go find our hotel. We stayed in a castle out in the Chianti (Tuscany) region.It was beautiful and peaceful and built in 1010!! We both laid down for naps and neither one of us woke up until the next morning!
Monday was meant to be our traveling the countryside and exploring the cities day...and boy was it!! Zach found this scenic road that wound it's way through Tuscany and off we went! Here are a couple shots of the drive...
Notice the jackets...it wasn't as warm as I though it would be over there! Felt more like early spring than late spring! So be prepared to see me in some of the same clothes everyday!

First up was Siena....this was probably my favorite city of the whole trip. The history, ambiance and feel of it was really special! It's an old medieval town with a maze of cobblestone streets.

After Siena we were off to San Gignamno. Another medieval town that once had 76 towers built by rival families to ward off invasion. Today 14 of those towers still exist and it gives the city a neat feeling.All along this trip plenty of gelato was consumed and many, many snacks. In San Gignanmo we stopped at a market and bought a loaf of bread, salami and some cheese....delicious!

Next stop was Pisa....we were so close we felt it would be remiss to not stop and see in the leaning tower!


Alright....that's it for today! And that's only our first 2 days!

I'm off to do more packing because we close on our house Thursday and move next Saturday!!

A few more pics...

My grandma sent me these and I just had to post them!

Eyes locked with Zach

First Dance

Fun before the ceremony

Our cake! It was delicious!
Vows


Listening to Steve and our pastor sing...

Getting ready!

I'm BACK and MARRIED!!!`

Well we did it!!!! May 14th was TRULY the best night of my life!!! The wedding was spectacular and exceeded my expectations! All the hard work paid off and at the end of the day I'm married to my best friend!
The whole week was amazing. It all started Wednesday night with what I thought would be a low key bachelor/bachelorette party.......whoa....I was WAY off on that account!! Let's just say that Zach earned his future husband points that night!
I woke up a ball of nerves on Friday....sick to my stomach nervous. I have no idea why? I had been doing great up until that morning. I'm sure it was a combination of emotions and stress. I think I checked the weather report ever 10 minutes the 10 days prior to the wedding and every day the forecast got worse and worse...rain, thundershowers, hail, strong winds! I was a mess! We woke up Friday to beautiful blue skies and 85 degrees. I kept telling everyone that I only needed good weather from 4-7pm for pictures, ceremony and cocktails. Low and behold it was gorgeous up until 7:10 and then when everyone got inside to be seated for dinner the skies opened up and it poured! Someone was seriously looking out for us and a ton of prayers went answered!
The food was excellent and we danced the night away! It truly was a night to remember and I enjoyed every minute of it! I've heard of so many brides that say the day passes so quickly and is such a whirlwind, however I made an effort to remember every moment! And I think the reason I was able to do it is because we only had 75 guests. My advice for all newly engaged couples out there is to keep it small if possible! We were able to enjoy each and every guest and it made the day all the more magical! They came from all over and Zach and I are incredibly grateful and lucky!
Italy was incredible and there will be stories and pictures of that to come.

MAY!

I'm getting married this month...in 8 days actually!

Life is crazy!

Emotions are high!

Words can't describe how excited I am!

Our family and friends start coming in town starting Tuesday!

Kendra and Tobin are back in the US!

Picking up my dress in NYC Saturday!

So many things left to do.....trying to enjoy EVERY second!

Checking the weather every 10 minutes (predicting rain at this point :( but still holding out hope)

Marrying my best friend on May 14th.....life couldn't get any better!

Randoms...

Last weekend we took off for West Virginia again to meet the inspector on the house and do some things for the hospital (like get put on the payroll!). Inspection went alright...a couple things came up that we negotiated with the sellers and we finally signed the final contract today! The last hurdle is waiting for the appraisal and making sure the contract we settled on isn't more than what the appraised price is. Given the deal we got on the house, we should be alright, but fingers crossed until we know everything for sure!

I've got some pictures of the house but I'm not going to post them until it is officially "ours." Barring any unforseen circumstances we should be closing on June 4th!!! It's so exciting and we are both ready to move on to the next phase of our life! Zach has already printed blueprints and rendered drawings of all that he wants to do to upgrade the house. I am truly marrying Mr. Fix-it and he can't wait to get his hands on it! He looks at the Lowes and Home Depot websites everyday for tool bargains! We've already bought 4 nail guns this week and it's only Wednesday!!

Wedding details are slowly getting done. We ordered all the candy for the candy buffet and I must say...it is going to be awesome!!! We have around 16 containers for the candy and ordered so many different kinds! We also are working on getting the placecards finished and today we went and bought fabric for the guests to sign. I am cutting out 3x3 inch squares for the guests to leave their well wishes and then my grandma is going to sew them into a tapestry quilt that we'll be able to hang in our new house!

Just want to send a shout out to my brother...they ran at the Southern Conference championships last weekend and his 4x400 team placed first! His 4x100 team was third and he placed 6th individually in the 100 and 200 and was named to the All-Freshman team. Keep up the good work Dano!! We are so proud of you! I can't believe you are almost done with your freshman year at The Citadel!

I'm off to watch my trashy reality shows since Zach is STILL working nights on transplant! I think tonight is America's Next Top Model...and of course American Idol results!

Wedding in 3 weeks!

Today is the first time I have ever linked to another blog to share my story. I follow Kelly's Korner and she does a Friday Show Me Your Life and today's topic is "How you met your husband...." Well since the wedding is 3 weeks from today I figured it was a good time to tell the story of how Zach and I met! With him being born and raised in Utah and me being born in Iowa and moving to Georgia...we had to head even more south...to the Caribbean to meet.

It was Augusta of 2006 and I had just arrived on the island of St. Maarten to begin medical school. I was anxious, scared, excited and clueless!! During the first 2 weeks of school the incoming first years have a "white coat ceremony" where we get our short white coats for the first time on our way to becoming a true doctor. After the ceremony we had a huge celebration at one of the local spots on the island. Drinks were shared and it was a huge meet and greet since MANY of us did not know each other well at all. Needless to say this is the night I met Mr. Zachary. I knew of him because he was the head Anatomy TA for my class so I had seen him in our cadaver lab. That night we struck up a conversation and with the help of a little tequila (by me...not him) we talked for many hours. Now let me interject and be honest about my situation....when I had left the US I had started dating I guy I had met while nannying in Vermont and we were still together. However, here I was in St. Maarten talking to this blonde haired, blue eyed, skiing cutie from Utah. To my embarrassment we ended up going out to a gazebo just outside the bar and kissed. Well....this became the talk of the WHOLE school. Island life was much like being in a small high school. It was catty and gossipy and all around miserable at times. Everyone knew Zach since he had been on the island for a year already, but no one knew this "new girl" that he was kissing. Not to mention the fact that I had a boyfriend....
In leu of keeping with the honesty of this blog and for my memories....Zach and I proceeded to get to know each other all semester. We hung out a ton and most of the time he was helping me study which was also scandelous given that he was the teaching assistant. And this whole time I still had the boyfriend...I was scared to death of how I was feeling for Zach and he was always completely honest in how he felt about me. I was certain that my feelings were "situational" and that the only reason I cared about him was because we were both on the island, in medical school, facing the same obstacles. Also some of my class had ostersized me given that I was hanging out with Zach. It was a really rough beginning to a relationship, that really wasn't a relationship in my mind. He was slowly becoming my best friend and confidant and we spent MANY, MANY nights on gchat talking about all the things you talk about when you are getting to know someone.
Now I know this isn't my proudest moment...essentially cheating on the guy I was "dating" back in the US. And I'm not going to defend my actions. This is our story and I want to be real.

Christmas break came and went and I thought about Zach every second of every day. I told my mom and Steve about him over dinner one night and unbeknowst to me, mom told me later that she looked at Steve that night and said "that's the man Krystal is going to marry." I had tried to convince myself that after Christmas break I was going to distance myself from him and we would just go about being friends. I tried that approach for the month of January and on January 30th I got a call from my "boyfriend" back in the US saying he was coming to visit. I panicked! I headed over to Zach's and immediately told him that I couldn't do this anymore. I left him crying on his bed and as I drove away I knew I had made the biggest mistake of my life....
The whole month of February was a changing point in my life. I finally broke it off officially with the guy back in the US and then I spent the whole month trying to repair my relationship with Zach and actually have it start on a honest, real level. He forgave me for everything, told me he was waiting for me and we began this journey! The time from August 06 to February 07 was the toughest, most confusing, most regretful time in my life. Regret because of the person I was and my dishonesty. I am not proud of this time but I know in my heart that "it all happened for a reason." I met the man of my dreams and he stood by my side when I needed him the most. He just loved me even when I wasn't worthy of his love. He definitely didn't understand what I was doing through most of that time, nor did he agree with it, but he believed in us. And for that I am eternally grateful.....

And now 3 weeks from today we are getting married! We talk almost weekly about that time in our lives and what we were thinking and feeling. We are incredibly honest and open about it and I think that is tremendously important. It is not a "pretty story" but it is our story and in the end I met the man of my dreams.

I love you Zachary Paul Baker!!! Thanks for "just being" :)

News!

Wow a lot has happened since I last blogged....we are UNDER CONTRACT on a house!!! It's an amazing feeling and we are so excited! We spent all of last weekend in Morgantown and I'm not kidding when I say that we probably saw over 30 houses on Friday and Saturday. Our real estate agent was awesome! She was born in raised in Morgantown and has lived there her whole life. She is an older lady but we felt so comfortable with her and really trusted her! The house we decided on was one that we had seen the first day and put it on our "consider" list. It has great space but hasn't been updated since it was built in 1957! Blue carpet, blue bathtub and older kitchen. However it has a basement and a great front and side yard. It is 3 minutes from the hospital and property values in this neighborhood are fantastic! After a full day of searching on Saturday and not feeling that there were a whole lot of viable options we went back to this house and suddenly saw all the possibilities.

See...Zach is EXTREMELY handy when it comes to home projects. He can do electrical work, plumbing, move gas lines...you name it! So after we talked about it we decided to tackle the project and spend the next 5 years up dating and then sell it for a profit! With Zach doing the work himself we will save so much money and it's something we can truly be proud of! It's a completely livable space it just needs cosmetic updates.

We put in an offer Tuesday morning that was 50,000 less than the asking price given the work expense. We were expecting them to meet us in the middle somewhere which we would have been thrilled about....but last night our real estate agent called and told us they had countered back....and came down to only 2,000 above what we had offered!!!! Needless to say we jumped on this offer and signed the paperwork today!

We are headed back to Morgantown this weekend and I'll take some pictures to post on here when I get back....

Lots of exciting things going on in our lives right now....wedding in 3 weeks!!!!!

Weekend in Chicago!

One of my great friends, Allison, got married this weekend in Chicago and my med school gals and I made the trip! We had so much fun!

I flew in Friday and met Anna at Midway and we took the train into downtown. After a couple mishaps (we missed our stop...twice) we finally made it to the Four Seasons! Johanna and Janice met up with us and we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a French bistro...and proceeded to drink 2 bottles of wine!

That night everyone was invited to the rehearsal dinner but no one knew where it was! We all piled into the buses and drove through the city and ended up at......



Wrigley Field!! The sign read "Allison and Aaron No Longer Free Agents!!"

We were met by these cute little men!



They played all night long! We ate hotdogs and brats and had ice cream sundaes in those little baseball caps! A bunch of us went out to a bar later that night and the fun continued!

Saturday we woke up and had a fairly lazy morning and then once we regrouped we at brunch at a restaurant called Feast. The bloody mary's were great and it was a nice start to the day! We went down to Navy Pier and decided to do the Chicago River architecture tour. The city is beautiful and clean and some of the buildings are amazing! I did get one good picture of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears tower) but during most of the boat ride we were chatting and drinking our beer!





Best girlfriends ever...minus Britt and Ally....they had more fun things to do....like hair and makeup!


And here is the whole reason we went to Chicago....

The beautiful bride! We had so much fun dancing and drinking and laughing together....Congratulations Ally and Aaron! The wedding was gorgeous and you two looked blissful! Wish you nothing but happiness and laughter!!

I also came home to the best fiance....Zach wasn't able to go this weekend cause he was on call Sunday but he spent Friday night at the outlets buying me the cutest dresses and sandals for Italy! He kept saying I needed new clothes for the honeymoon and totally surprised me yesterday with a bag from Cole Haan and BCBG! He got some great deals including a great pair of sandals originally $325 for $40!! He is the best! I'm marrying my own personal shopper!