Fly by...

Just a quick stop by ye olde blog to share some pictures of the kick off to our Christmas season. Once again I successfully roasted a turkey (with stuffing this time) for our Thanksgiving dinner which was shared by a good friend and fellow anatomy lab buddy. The day after was spent pulling out the Christmas decorations and attending the annual Christmas tree lighting and light parade in downtown Mason. Tomorrow...A CHRISTMAS TREE!!! I have already started planning the barricades which will be constructed around the base of the tree to keep curious little hands away. I do love those curious little hands though.

Balance

No, we haven't fallen off a cliff or been eaten by sea monsters or anything. I fear it is much worse! We have been consumed by the beast that is medical gross anatomy. When I started this class I knew it would be difficult but I had no idea it would be such a burden. These days I spend every spare minute I can find while Connor is taking a nap or has gone down for the night to memorize the innervations of the arm muscles, or the branches of the brachial plexus, or the vasculature of the neck, etc. I think the most important lesson I am learning this semester, however, is about balance. I have found it really difficult to maintain that perfect balance between school, family, and myself. I don't know if there really is a perfect balance but I am striving for one. I am slowly learning to listen to the that voice in my center telling me when enough is enough and it is time to just let loose and play. For someone who has prided herself in her high grade point average, this is a really tough lesson to learn. In the grand scheme of things, a single test or paper is such a small part of such a huge life.

Connor is growing into such a wonderful little man. He is quite the handful these days but such a joy! I can't even begin to describe to you the joy I have watching him explore the world. He is experimenting everyday with new words and loves to talk talk talk. Unfortunately his feet don't quite go as fast as he would like which has resulted in a few falls recently. Daycare is going great and all of his teachers really love having him there. Apparently he has become quite the artist there as he loves to paint, draw and color. You should here him sing too. What a guy!

I will leave you now with some pictures from the past two weeks. Living out in the country here in Michigan is such a treat during the Fall. The colors this year have been fantastic. I will really miss Fall in Michigan when we leave.

Who would steal a guy's sand bunnies? -Curious George

My goodness...there went summer and here comes Autumn with a bang! The last two weeks have been quite a milestone for this little family. Connor started daycare for the first time and I have started what will most likely end up being the hardest semester of my Master's. Connor has adjusted to daycare really well and is having a blast with his new friends. I think finger painting has been his favorite activity so far. Unfortunately for us, however, he came home last week with a terrible cold which he so kindly shared with both of his parents. We are on the healing side of it now so we have survived. I only thought I was going to loose my mind a few times.

This semester I am taking one class and thesis credits. Unfortunately that one class is Medical Gross Anatomy which alone is enough credits to make a full load. I'm really enjoying the class and learning about the intricacy of the human body. I just can't get over the sheer complexity and beauty of the human form. At the same time, however, I'm completely daunted by the sheer amount of information I'm required to memorize. I have a new found respect for people who go to medical school. Go first year med students!

As I said earlier, Fall has already started to slowly settle in here in Mid-Michigan. Some of the trees are starting to turn and the breeze has a slight chill in it. I love this time of year more than any other. Last weekend we were treated to a visit from Tom's father who drove up from Mississippi. While he was here we decided to take a trip out to our favorite apple orchard for the best apples in the country. We will definitely miss this tradition when we leave!

The Oregon Coast

The last place we visited on our trip to the West Coast was Lincoln City, Oregon. It was such a wonderful weekend full of time spent at the beach and reminiscing with friends and family.

Lava Beds, Obsidian and Medicine Lake

One of the other day trips we took while in California was out to Lava Beds National Monument. What a fun place. One of the things that I love about Northern California is the wide variety of ecosystems and landscapes you run into. Driving though the lava beds was at times like what I think driving on the moon would look like. There were many places to stop and walk through lava tubes and caves so we decided to get out and walk through the most kid friendly one.








On the drive home from the lava beds we wound around the mountains a bit a stopped by Glass Mountain (which is basically a mountain made of pieces of obsidian) and Medicine Lake.

Mt. Shasta California

One of the really nice things about Mt. Shasta is that you can drive up to a little less than the 8,000 ft level. From there you have numerous paths to follow up and over the mountain. Early one morning Tom suggested we try to climb up to an old abandoned ski resort which was located around 9,000 feet. My Dad expressed an interest in going with us so we figured we take a nice easy morning hike up the side of this mountain. Little did we know my father is part mountain goat!

Connor also wanted to go but we figured it would be to difficult for him. =)


The hike started off fairly easy but as we climbed higher the terrain became somewhat foreign and rather difficult. I didn't realize how "sandy" the top of a mountain could be.




As you can see the paths were not clearly defined so after much debate we ended up taking what we later figured was a goat trail.




When we reached the abandoned (and avalanche demolished) ski resort, Tom and I called it quits. The high altitude and our sheer exhaustion had finally caught up to us. My Dad, on the other hand, decided he wanted to hike up over to the next ridge so he could look over it. So there he went...Can you see him on top of the ridge?




What a wonderful experience. Being surrounded by so much beauty is such a privilege and can be quite moving. You really feel like you are on top of the world up there.