Snug as a Bug

Last night Ceej tucked me in "snug as a bug in a rug," and the HE grabbed the camera (a rare occurrence in this house) because of how cute (?) I looked. Note our still-separate blankets - as said a year ago, it's the secret to marital bliss. Also, don't mind the stuffed animals (from left: Noname, Ceej, and Ducky Doo). You have kids - I have them.

Special Events

Been a while, eh? Well, blogging friends & blog-stalkers, that just goes to show how crazy school has been because I lack time to both write AND do something blog-worthy. A double whammy. Life has a way of going on, though, doesn't it? There have been some wonderful events in the Reich-Hogen-Thurner-Rosener-Park family. Wouldn't it be crazy if instead of taking one or hyphenating two names at marriage, everyone in your family had to take the additional name?! Just a random thought. They happen.

Okay - events - BIG ones. First, Clara and Evelyn were baptized! Oh the little beauties were just two lil' peaches on their special day. Trained well (haha). Ceej and I were happy happy happy to be able to see the baptism because fun time is slim around these parts, especially if it means hours in the car.

My neice, Elliana, turned 3 whopping years old yesterday! I wasn't there, but it deserved notification. She's the cutest lil' lady you'll ever see. Unless, of course, you have your own daughter - then you're biased.

Next, my sister-in-law, Jenny, was rescued from the hottest day of the year by our Godson! Lucas Xavier was born May 24th in the wee hours of the morning weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces at 21 inches long. He decided that his mom's day off in their non-air-conditioned home was a good time to grace us all with his presence (allowing her to beat-the-heat in the air-conditioned hospital while not being 9 months pregnant). What a gentleman.

And, finally, Ceej and I have celebrated our first year of marriage. We woke up early and went to breakfast at Altoona Family Restaurant (where else?), attended the baptism of our nieces in Stillwater, and then headed to the cities for the Twins vs. Brewers game. The tickets were a surprise for him from me - he's a huge Twins fan! We decided to take turns planning an anniversary surprise for one another, and I have the odd years (no pun intended). SO, for numero uno we watched the game, and I kept the secret planning process zipped for a whole week! That sounds better than "I couldn't bare it any more and told him everything Friday night, when our anniversary was on Sunday." After the game (where we probably lost about 10 pounds each via perspiration), we had dinner at Cancun. Then we climbed the mountain where we got engaged, and Ceej played guitar in the moonlight and sang me a song he'd written. Okay, you caught me. I had an assignment due at midnight, so we sat next to one another on the couch and I completed it while he enjoyed every second of "Minute to Win it."

It was a great day and -better yet- a great year. We have been truly blessed to have one another and thoroughly enjoy our first year of marriage - looking forward to the wonders of our future. A little recap of our year: became roommates, honeymooned in Duluth, spent the summer livin' the dream with both of us working full-time and then coming home to spend time with one another, I started school (a story in itself), gained 2 nieces and a nephew/Godson, spent a week in Jamaica, a weekend getaway at Metropolis Resort, attended 4 weddings, grew a garden, killed some plants, learned how to cook guacamole, salsa, and a few other things, took lots of walks & bike rides & runs, spent a week with my family's at our cabin, got sick a few times, been in awe of one another, laughed (a lot), cried (me - a lot - regarding school - poor Ceej), and countless other milestones. It was better than anyone could have dreamed - simple & perfect. I can't believe how close we've come & how much we've grown as a couple, and I look forward to every minute of our life together.

So, that was the past week. I also took 2 exams in Rochester yesterday AND learned how to stretch my lumbricals. If you're interested in changing your life, do the following: First, your lumbricals are the muscles between the metacarpal bones in your hand - palm (or volar, if you will) side, which are innervated by the median nerve and are commonly affected by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, because I'm sure you were wondering. Anyway, what you do is basically make a "claw" by hyperextending your hand with a pencil "rolled up" in your 4 fingers. I don't know if that makes sense, but you know you're doing it right if it feels like leather is being stretched across the inside of your palm and, for a brief moment, you know what Heaven will be life. Being a heavy-computer-user myself, this stretch has made my hands some happy campers. I do it often. Maybe excessively. If you're interested in seeing the lumbricals, to know what you're working with, they're the purple muscles in this simplified picture:

As a side note, I came home after 2 days in Rochester and 7 hours of sleep over 2 nights to finding out that my husband had planted us a beautiful garden! I just love him.

Jammin' in Jamaica

Rats! I definitely intended to write more about our vacay in Jamaica, but you'll have to settle for the brief version because I have a module (like an online class with an additional 60 text book pages to read) due at midnight. First off, we LOVED it. It was an amazing time to spend together with (gasp!) no phones/TV/homework/distractions. Here is the view we saw outside our balcony each morning:

Don't get me wrong, this little all-inclusive-resort was by NO means a 5 star place... we realized this upon arriving as we had to hold the elevator button down until it reach our floor, which it falsely declared as the 4th (it was the 6th). Then, we found a little cockroach in the bathroom. No problem, mon! We were looking for a fun-filled vacation to be TOGETHER, experience a new country, and lounge on the beach/poolside for far too many hours soaking up enough sun so I wouldn't feel deprived this summer; that, my friends, is EXACTLY what we got.

Here is a general synopsis of our wonderful schedule: Wake up around 8:30, get in our suits & put on sunscreen, go to the yummy buffet, go sit poolside for a couple hours, participate in Aquacise (a 30 minute pool exercise program put on by one of the fun workers - way too entertaining), reapply sunscreen, lay by or swim around in the pool again, play in the warm ocean, decline about 5 offers to purchase paraphernalia and hair braiding, go have lunch & reapply sunscreen, go back to the ocean and/or pool to lay, go in the ocean and/or pool to swim and play, maybe ride on the fast sailboat or kayak, go lay down again, go back to our room and load on aloe to our sunburned bods, shower & get dressed up, go to one of the fancy restaurants for dinner (steak, shrimp, pasta, the works), have a couple drinks while watching the reggae band play, attend whatever activity was put on by the place (e.g., dancing, beach party, circus show, magician, & karaoke, to name a few).

Oh, MAN, I wish I was back there! Although I have been dreaming about it every night, so that's the next best thing. Our resort was very laid back and "more liberal than Sandals", according to one of the workers (whom we also declined paraphernalia from). The people that worked there were SO fun and outgoing and excellent dancers. Example: We were playing a game with some and I commented on their amazing dance skills... so they break out in a dance to whatever was playing... then literally start a "dance party" where even the lifeguards came to the area and started dancing to the music (which was always playing). This went on for about a half an hour and looked like a planned or choreographed event. Ahhhh the memories...

Our flight back included a 9 hour layover in Miami, so we checked our luggage and took a bus to "Miracle Mile" (a shopping/downtown area). We were QUITE tired, so we took an hour rest in a random (but nice) park. It was a beautiful day! After the delayed flight and drive home, we finally got in bed around 2 in the morning - a whopping 22 hour day of traveling. The only thing I would change about our time in Jamaica would be to extend it... it was glorious.

Now, sadly, I'm back in school. BARF. I was in tears today because I just want to hang out with my hubby and NOT be stuck in a room layered with too many fatty books entitled such things as "The Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain" and "A Function-Based Approach to Stroke Rehabilitation" listening to reggae music (true story - I'm slightly obsessed). Welcome to summer.

Note: Clearly I am not in the "school groove" yet, as this was not a short posting.

B R E A K

Well, clearly I have been on break from school because I have yet to find a need to blog (AKA procrastinate). With a little trip to Jamaica right around the corner (3 days!!), I thought this was necessary. Finals week was a success (and by success, I mean I passed). Friday night I got wasted to celebrate a s t r e s s f u l week. Actually, I drove home, ate dinner, went for a 20 minute bike ride with my hubby, spent 2-3 hours grocery shopping, watched a movie from the Redbox, and played SkipBo. It was a glorious. I spent the week in Rochester and left poor Ceej with a near-empty fridge & freezer. It was bad. Poor guy ate chips and ground beef for dinner one night because we were out of cheese, salsa, and taco sauce... among many, many things... so he was slightly malnourished.

On Saturday I slept in for a total of 11.5 hours, and I did not feel guilty about it in the slightest. We relaxed all day and that night went out with George, Quinn, Mitch, and Laura to a comedy show, birthday party, & rolly's. George and I also went downtown for a bit before rolly's to break up the night and visit his boss/boss' friends. Overall it was a BLAST and completely stress-free. It was great to not be thinking about all the homework I had yet to do. We also ran into Brandon Jacobs et al (some Gaint's players) at Ramada Inn and spent the night throwing footballs with them (Note: the latter part of that sentence is slightly false).


One random night, Ceej and I decided to bring a little beer & wine to a spot he found fishing on the water for an adventure. We strapped the cooler to the bike because we had taken off my super sweet basket for a long ride a couple of weeks ago (mistake), and then we threw our chairs on our backs. We sat by the water relaxing for a couple of hours. Success!


I also did 24 hours of fieldwork at a hands clinic and loved it! Yes, the girl who literally failed the Kinesiology exam on hands. I'm always up for a pleasant surprise. I am currently registered for next semester's classes and just ordered all of my books off of eBay. I feel (almost) too productive right now.

Tonight is my sister-in-law, Rebekkah's, 9th Birthday party!! I can't believe she's grown so much. When Ceej and I started dating she was one year old! She was such a sweet baby and only slightly afraid of me. She would never say good-bye to me, no matter how much we tried (and we did). But now she likes me and hugs me good-bye. Ahh... the difference time makes.

Peace Out Debbie Downer

In an effort to kick Debbie Downer to the curb, here is a list of things that I am happy about today (this may be corny, but just appreciate that I'm not expressing the stress I'm actually feeling... I wanted to spare you its ugliness):

1. Going to church with my husband
2. A nice conversation with my dear friends Jamie & Meg
3. The sun shining & weather being perfect
4. Walking outside (see point 3)
5. Eating dinner with my husband
6. Someone bidding on the Coogi Sweaters that I'm selling on eBay for my father-in-law (see picture above)
7. Knowing that this is my last weekend spent studying until May (Yes, I do know it's mid April... don't rain on my parade)
8. Ice cold water
9. Piping hot french vanilla coffee with too much sugar and cream (Ceej at my pile of sugar packets: "You better not be putting all of that in there. Completely unnecessary." That's what HE thinks.)
10. Not having an exam tomorrow
11. Having my double batch of banana bread turn out well (for the OT student bake sale, of course).

Okay, so 10 was a stretch. Whatev. Have a great night everyone! Back to the books for me.

Girlfriends and Easter Joys

Oh joy! This week entailed some exciting events: The first was that two of my best girlfriends from high school came to town from their "homes" of Colorado & Texas (although I'm sure they'll always consider Altoona their real home... I mean, who wouldn't?). Therefore my closest group of high school girlfriends got together for breakfast. I gave the baked french toast another go (haven't felt up to it since it prompted the fire a few months back), and it was a success. A tad smokey as the butter/brown sugar topping overflowed in the oven, but I'm not complaining. Also tried a new recipe for a bacon, tator tot, cheese, and egg dish. Here is a random side note: I have been obsessed with cooking lately. In the past week I've made (from scratch, mind you): macaroni and cheese, chili, the two breakfast dishes described above, rolls, and stir fry (among "easier"/low prep items). You may not be impressed, but it feels like a lot. I think it's because with cooking there is immediate gratification. That is, you prep, you bake, it's done, you eat. Yum. That's it! Job well done. This is completely the opposite of school, which is more like, you prep/plan, you try, you fail to complete you plan, you come back to it and complete it, you move on to the next assignment, it takes you longer than planned, you finish that, you missed this, you spent too much time on that, and oh, surprise! There's an exam tomorrow. Not quite as satisfying. ANYWAY, back to the breakfast, it was super great! We're all still very close, and it's just fun being with people who know so much about you and you them, and you all love one another anyway. That was an excellent morning. AND we had a new one in the mix, little Miss. Brinnley Louise. Hopefully she won't ruin things (JUST KIDDING).


Oh Easter!! I love this day and the days preceding it. Ceej and I went to church on Good Friday and the candle lit Mass Saturday night. Sunday morning the Easter bunny brought Ceej breakfast in bed (lucky kid). I did some homework, we went for a little bike ride, and then we went to his parents for lunch. A lot of family came, so it was especially nice to see everyone, play bean bag toss, and just be outside! My mom also stopped by for a bit, so we covered a lot of bases. Now I'm studying (well, was and will be; RIGHT now I'm blogging), and Ceej went back to his parents to spend time with the family. It was a really nice day! Now I just need to get a million things done. I hate that feeling of leaving something special to go to something completely horrid. Oh, did I mention that my semester is done in 11 days and 17 hours? Well, it is.

Still Alive

So, I took a little glance at the blog to see when my last post was. 20 days ago. Hmm. So then I took a little glance through my planner to see what I could post on. Nothing. Hmmm. Okay. Well then, here's the deal: I have 17 days left in the semester. In the two weeks following Easter I will have 7 exams (clearly the program is not familiar with my friend, Jesus, who died for our sins and deserves a day dedicated to him instead of studying). One of my exams entails walking into a room with 9 cadavers with 50 "items" (i.e., tendons, ligaments, muscles, arteries, or nerves) flagged, and we are to write down the item (spelled correctly, from memory, mind you). Nice. Anyway, homework and finals preparation will consume the next 17 days, then 3 days of fieldwork, then... (drum roll, please)... Ceej and I are going to Jamaica! Oh I am excited! It is what is keeping me trucking through this ish. I have 2 weeks off between-semesters (apparently grad students don't need a spring break...? News. to. me.) then back at it through the summer for more classes, research, fieldwork, and volunteering. BUT come 18 days, I'm halfway through the academic part of this program (there are 6 months of fieldwork next spring). This last point makes me quite happy.

Fortnight

In Australia it's common to use the terminology "fortnight" for a period of 2 weeks, hence the name of this entry summarizing the past 2 weeks. The above and below pictures are from "Casino Night" last weekend. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and the boys were trying to plan an activity for the evening. Some wanted to go to the actual casino, but then the idea to create our very own was brought up. Brilliant! They split up buying the table, card distributor, & 5 decks of cards. One person brought over the chips. Ceej made guacamole & I made brownies & meatballs. We pushed aside the coffee table and brought our kitchen table into the living room to play. It was a great night!! Some came out ahead, some behind. What a fun & random event!

The below picture is of my mom & I at Younkers for "Woman of the Year" through WWIB (a Christian radio station here in Eau Claire). I had nominated her and she was one of the 20 contestants. The Woman of the Year was actually just drawn out of a hat from the the 20 & won a $750 gift certificate to Younkers (a bonus for me because we can share clothes). Well, she didn't actually win, but we had a really nice morning. It started out with a long walk around Altoona, getting to the event at 10 and realizing that the drawing was at 11:45, so we drove to the Cap & Cork (wine store) to vote for her bottle label (she makes wine & labels for a hobby), and then to Aldi's for some groceries. I hadn't been to Aldi's for a while, so I forgot how CHEAP it is. I was quite excited and got a card full of great stuff. Some of you quality over quantity seekers may be shaking your head in disgust, but Aldi's suits us beautifully.

Below is a shot from yesterday. Ceej and I spent the day in Menomonie volunteering at a basketball tournament with Special Olympics. It was a ton of fun & a great experience! I can't wait to volunteer at more events (yes, I've already started looking into them), and Ceej enjoyed it, too! I was the announcer (can you imagine? it was great) and he kept score for one of the teams, so we were able to be together. I was amazed at how many people were there! There were 4 games going on at all times, and the parking lot was FULL of cars. The day was filled with magical moments; I would look around and just get tears in my eyes at the pure joy around me. Most of the teams had a few players who made most of the baskets. On one team, however, every single person had a made a basket with the exception of one boy. He was working hard and shooting, but all of them were slightly off. Finally, with 24.7 seconds left in the game he shot and made a 3 point basket! He threw his arms in the air and cheered. They won the game. It was amazing!

We received the shirts we're wearing in the picture at the event... and it suits me perfectly because I'm known for my value of "person-first language". It is something that is very important to me after my education about and work with individuals who have disabilities. We were at the basketball tournament from 1-6 PM and decided to make a night of our time in Menomonie. We went to a Mexican restaurant and then met Jesse & Quinn at a bar for an improv comedy show. It was lots of fun, but the last comic was very disrespectful and we ended up leaving (the comics had been on for 4 hours, so it was getting old). It was fun to get out and enjoy some quality time with friends and one another!

Off for a run... it's amazingly gorgeous outside!

Little Misses

As noted before, I stopped by my sister's on the way home from school to see the new little ladies. I was also able to make it to see my dad, but 2 stops after 12 hours of sleep over the course of 3 days was all I could do, so unfortunately couldn't make it to visit Jen & Elliana this time. It was a ROUGH two weeks, and the time in Rochester and the Twin Cities were brutal with two intense exams. Thursday in particular was horrible. Here is how my day went: I went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 3:30. Gross. Then I studied, took an exam at 9, most likely failed it, sat in class until 5pm, drove through rush hour, stopped in Stillwater, and then drove back to Eau Clare, getting home around 11pm. That night, Ceej actually thought I was drunk (and said he would have bet money had I not just drove an hour and a half). Looking back I can see why: I was so exhausted that I was stumbling around, had my eyes halfway open, and had a drowsy, slow response time. I slept over 11 hours that night, and it was glorious.

Anyway, big brother Rylan was so proud to show auntie Em his new sisters (big brother Mickeegan was at Boy Scouts). Evelyn is a little smaller, looks like Mickeegan, has lighter colored and thinner hair. Clara is slightly bigger, looks like Rylan, has darker and thicker hair. AKA Evelyn has Tyler's face and Jamie's teeny body, and Clara has Jamie's face and Tyler's long body. Either way, they are gorgeous and OH so sweet!

Liquid Gold

I have a major addiction to Diet Mountain Dew. I'm addicted to the flavor, the sound of the can clicking open like tap-dancers on the floors of heaven, the cold liquid running down my throat like a fresh spring, the jolt of energy I get after it merely touches my lips. It's pretty amazing. However, I have decided to give it up for Lent. This is a big sacrifice, and it has been a long time coming at that. Recap: Lent during Freshman year: Gave it up with success. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years: Fail. Call it stress, call it lack of will power. Whatev. We have an unhealthy relationship. I realize that. Anyway, I'm going strong so far. And the bonus? It solves the "lack of sleep" pattern, as described in a previous post. Apparently 6 cans throughout the day (yes, past roommates: it's gotten that bad) has put my body in overload, and it forgot how to wind down. Who knew? So while I'm missing my liquid gold, my sweet sleep is pretty great.