|{ The National Guard }|

As of yesterday, my husband is now a 2nd Lieutenant in the medical division of the National Guard!!

It was a big step and something that we thought and prayed about a lot! We both feel really great about it and it was cool to see him be commissioned yesterday! He is so proud to be serving his country and I'm proud to be there to support him!!

More (better) photos will be coming once we get them back! :)

|{ Q & A: About Yours Truly }|

I was tagged to this post about myself!! As silly as it may sound, I AM SO EXCITED!!! I never get tagged for stuff like this!! Yay for blog sharing!! :)  Thanks Andrea!!


THE RULES:
1. Post these rules
2. Post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag
5. Tag 11 people

11 Random Things About Me
Let's see if I can think of 11 things.....
1-  I couldn't even think of 1 thing so I actually answered the 11 questions first... :)
2-  I LOVE fireworks, the 4th of July is one of my very favorite holidays!
3-  I need to have my toes painted all the time! I think they look weird without polish on them, even if most of it is gone.
4-  The only times that I really feel a strong desire to clean is when it's happy and sunny outside!
5-  I hate tomatoes...and zucchini
6-  I can't eat food when I have headphones on, the sound of me chewing is too loud and WAY too annoying!
7-  I don't really have a favorite season...I just like the change of the seasons! Though if I had to choose I would probably say Autumn...or Spring...
8-  I can't stand it when my feet get hot!! I can be hot all over my body and be fine but if I feel get too hot I freak out!
9-  My favorite pizza is ham and pineapple!
10-  I love it when my husband tells me about things he learned in school!
11-  I don't really have a favorite color... I have favorite color combos:  Gray & Yellow and Blue & Orange are my favorites right now




11 Questions

1. What instrument would you like to learn that you don't already know?

The piano! I don't play any instruments but the piano would be lots of fun! 

2. Do you celebrate the little holidays in your home (April fools, St Patrick etc)?

I do!! Today we didn't do much, mostly just wore green and snacked all day while the hubby studied.  I think these little holidays will be a lot more fun when we have kids!

3. What is your favorite TV series? 

The Office and Leverage at the top of a long list (too long of a list), currently though I am LOVING True Blood!

4. What is the best date you've ever been on?

Hmm...I've been on lots of awesome dates with my husband!! The best would have to be the date that he proposed though! We went around and did a bunch of things that we had done while were dating before he proposed to me in a park at sunset!

5. What did/do you want to be when you grew/grow up?

A mom!  I have just always wanted to be an awesome mom and be able to be home with them and raise them!

6. Do you like to cook? What is your favorite meal?

I LOVE to cook!! Not all the time, but most of the time!! My favorite meal is sushi (yes we make it at home) and I also really love Tangerine Stir-Fry Beef!!! YUM!!!

7. Are you a fan of social media?

Yes-ish! I am a big facebook and blogging addict BUT I refuse to join Twitter or Google Plus...

8. If you could live anywhere where would it be?

If language wasn't a factor it would be Italy.  BUT in real life, it would probably be California.

9. Who is your idol?

Hmm...That's a toughy.... I look up to lots of people! My husband, my parents, lots of my friends, any girl with amazing bodies.... Other than my husband I don't have 1 specific person I would say was 'my idol'.

10. Are you good at sports? what is your favorite sport?

Haha! NO, I am terrible at sports.  I do like to try and play though! My favorite sports are racket sports, particularly tennis and racquetball, even though I still suck at them! Favorite to watch:  Football and my husband's volleyball team! :)

11. What are you currently reading?

I am reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, not sure what I'll read when I'm done...

My Questions:

1.  What is your favorite vegetable?

2.  What do you like to do when you have alone time?

3.  What TV show/movie do you watch by yourself because no one wants to watch it with you?

4.  What is your biggest dream in life?

5.  What was the scariest nightmare you've ever had?

6.  What pet have you always wanted but never had?

7.  What is your guilty pleasure?

8.  Are you a Daddy's girl or Mommy's girl?

9.  What is something you just can't stand?

10.  What is your least favorite word? (Swear words don't count)

11.  What is your favorite blog?

I tag:

Jessica W.

Brianna P.

Kristin M.

Diane D.

Larisa K.

Jodi H.

Katrina L.

Ashlee O.

And anyone else who wants to do it! :)

|{ Going Shooting }|

On Monday we went shooting with our friends Leah and Paul!!  I haven't been in a long time and it was fun to re-learn! Jon is such a good teacher and I felt like I did pretty decent!!!

It was SUCH a blast!!  We had a super good time and being there with Leah and Paul made it even more fun!!! It's good to have awesome friends!!

|{ Leap Year }|

My birthday is on August 29th.  That means that my half birthday is on February 29th, which only happens on leap year.  Obviously a half birthday is really not a big deal, but we sure had a lot of fun this year!

My parents sent me this card! (This year was my 6th half birthday since I've been born!)  They also gave me $50!!!! (Half of a C-note)! They are so awesome!! I have the most wonderful parents! They rock!!

Jon had a lot of fun too! He gave me 2 half outfits.  A shirt and a pair of workout pants so that they don't go together.  :)

He then made me a delicious dinner!! We had a couple of half tuna croquettes, baby carrots that were cut in half, and little potatoes cut in half!  For dessert we had half of a slice of carrot cake with half of a glass of milk!

It was so much and so sweet of him to celebrate with me! We had a blast! It was a great day! Even if I did have work and school! :)

|{ What Its Like To Be Married To A Med Student }|

Hard.  That pretty much sums it up.

I do feel lucky that Jon is able to watch his lectures online, so if he isn't required to be there in person he has the choice to stay home.  Because of that, first year was not as bad as everyone told me.  I actually got to see him quite a bit and spend some time with him.  Second year is harder, maybe because Jon is recording the lectures so he has to be at every lecture every other week.  Also he has had some pretty tough sequences and has had to do a lot of studying.

It's also been harder since we moved because our 'office' is in our main living area which means that I have to be quiet, so I can't distract myself with TV while he is studying.

Some days are harder than other, for example yesterday (Saturday) Jon went to the school to study with some of his classmates.  He left at 10 a.m. and studied until about midnight and then wanted to get his test over with, so he didn't come home until 3 a.m.  I really missed him but he passed his test and I'm glad he got it done so we can spend some time together today.  He has Monday and Tuesday off of school but he is going to spend all day those days studying for his Step 1 exam.

As much as I miss him now, I've heard third year will be even worse! He will get to start doing rotations and seeing patients and will be gone a whole lot more.  I think how much he'll be gone will vary depending on the sequence he is on.  I guess we'll see.  All this missing him is just practice I guess!

The biggest thing that gets me through is that I know he is trying his hardest and that in the end...he'll be a doctor! And it will all pay off!  He'll be doing what he loves and we'll have a stable life!  We've really grown a lot as we've gone through this and I know we will continue to grow stronger as individuals and in our marriage!

So yes, it's a hard journey but I'm glad we're on it.

|{ Guest Post- Our Little Fam }|

Today I have my first guest post for you!!! Ashlee over at Our Little Fam is such a sweetheart and I'm excited for you to meet her!!

Hey there bloggers,

I am Ashlee, over at Our Little Fam. I am so happy to be guest posting for Shalay! She is so sweet and I adore her blog! She is super woman =)

Meet my family

Since this last family picture our sweet little boy has arrived. I am now a wife and mother to two sweet little boys.

My husband, call him J, is a busy man. He works full time and is currently in the military. (He is also a full time student, YAY school! Haha) He was deployed to Iraq during the summer of 2010 for a 12 month tour and returned in 2011. Can’t believe it’s now 2012. His time away from home seemed to last forever, and his time home with us always goes by so fast.  

He loves the outdoors, especially running. Is a computer nerd and loves bacon. =)

I am a full time mama and student. Although, this semester since our new little one arrived and I am adjusting to being a mother of two, I am going part time. Next semester is back to full time again. I am working on my pre nursing reqs. One day I will see the light at the end of the tunnel and I will be finished and happy with my career as an RN ;) Eventually my goal is to work in L&D.

I enjoy blogging, crafting, cooking (this is something new to me though haha), playing with my little boys, and time with my hubby.

This is “Little E”, our little stud and the older brother. He will be turning 3 in April. He sure keeps me on my toes. He is always teaching me something new. He is full of laughter, generosity, and of course attitude. Haha. I am so blessed to be a mama, absolutely love it!

Here is “Baby G”, he arrived on 12/30/2011. He was full term, but was born with fluid in his lungs and couldn’t seem to get the breathing part down. When he was born he was life flighted to a different hospital and spent 12 days in the NICU. He was sent home on oxygen. After his first month of life on oxygen we were able to ditch it (except for when he uses his car seat). He is our little fighter, he has already endured a lot within his first month and a half of life.

Come visit us and get to know us more over at Our Little Fam, I would love to get to know all of you and follow your blogs! I blog about life as a mom, wife, student, and whatever else I feel like writing about. Recently it has been crafts and food since I am a newbie when it comes to cooking. (P.s., if you have any fun crafts or recipes come share them with me!)

Thank you Shalay for hosting me on your blog! You are so awesome and your readers are so lucky to get to know you through your blog!!

Xoxo,

Ashlee

|{ Overwhelmed }|

I have been doing a lot of research and reading lately about pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and babies and while I feel like I have learned some good and valuable information and I am also starting to feel really overwhelmed.  I need to start writing down what I need to remember in a readable way because I know I've forgotten at least half of what I've read!

The lovely Elena from The Art Of Making A Baby had her baby girl a few days ago and I decided today that I really need to stop reading all the comments from her readers... They make my head spin and there are a lot of judgmental people who are being much to negative and rude to her.  I feel bad for her but she's pretty awesome and is taking it all well!  They sure are making me feel even more overwhelmed though and often talk about things that I haven't even thought about.  Sometimes I don't even know what they are talking about!! Lol!

I feel like I have so much more research to do, I feel like I don't know anything about babies and I worry that I won't be a good mom because of it.  So for right now I think I just need to take a step back for a few days and get my mind re-wired so I can come at this in a new and better way! I know to some people it may seem like I am going overboard but I just want to be as informed as I can so that I can better know what to expect and how I can have the healthiest baby possible!

|{ Early Valentines Day }|

Valentines day is going to be pretty busy for us this year.  I have school and then work a long shift and Jon will be busy with school as well so we won't get to see each other much that day.

So I decided that we should celebrate Valentines Day early! So on Saturday I set up a surprise Valentines Day for Jon.  He spent most of the day at school studying with some classmates so while he was gone I got everything set up!

I made a fort in our living room, using the cushions from the couch, it was pretty comfy actually! I made fried rice for dinner and put it into some take out containers and put it into the fort.  When Jon got home he was so surprised! I had him climb inside and waiting for him was dinner, a dozen yellow roses, and his favorite black licorice! We had dinner and watched the Big Bang Theory on my computer.  It was very relaxing and so much fun! We spent all night in there! We even played Killer Bunnies! It was a wonderful way to celebrate Valentines Day!!

Pardon the bad photos, it was dark and I suck at taking dark indoor photos in a hurry..

|{ Analyze Me (Well My Blog Anyway) }|

So I've been thinking about what makes blogs popular and wondering what I could do to make mine more interesting to general readers.

Are my posts too long?

Do I have too many photos?

Are my posts too centered around just my life so they are uninteresting?


Also, I would really like to add links to my blog so it can more easily be navigated, links like the ones they have at The Art Of Making A Baby and Rockstar Diaries.  I want to make my blog more accessible and professional looking in that way.

I would like to do giveaway's sometimes as well but I have no earthy idea how to even go about doing that...



I could definitely use some honest opinions and tips here, I won't be offended!  I would really be grateful for any tips and constructive criticism.

|{ Biorhythms- Phlomax }|

Do you remember when my awesome hubs did a rap for 'Biorhythms' a few months ago?

If not, I talked about it HERE!!

Biorhythms is a show that the medical school puts on where students get to perform dances, songs, and things of that nature.  Last time Jon's rap group was called 'Phlomax' and this time they got the group back together (with a few new members) and wrote a new rap! It was even better than last time! They did great!! Everyone thought it was hilarious (even though I personally did not understand some of the jokes!)

It's about pathologists (doctors who work in a lab) versus internists (doctors who work directly with patients).

Gangsta- Dr. Agon

This following photos were not taken by me!