Ice Storm

So this is the result of trying to chip the ice off of our car after an ice storm last week. Whoops! I had been more afraid of breaking off the door handle trying to pry the door open (hey, stop laughing...I know I'm not too strong, but I really think that could happen one day) than breaking the ice scraper. Anyhoo, next time I'll just let the defroster run for a few minutes before chipping away at the ice.

We have been incredibly busy for the last few weeks. Linzi had a test or big paper due every week, and I've been trying to study for our respiratory test we took yesterday. The good news is that we are both done and are incredibly glad to have the next couple of weeks off...from school at least...Linzi has to work next week :( The better news is that this time next week we'll be in Utah celebrating with everyone we miss so much! If we don't post again before Thursday, Merry Christmas everyone!!

Jury Duty, Day 2

Well, this turned out to be short-lived. I actually got picked as part of a group of 40 prospective jurors for a case, and was thinking that I was going to get picked to sit on the jury (I was number 14). It was interesting to go through the questioning of the jurors, talking about connections with law enforcement, relatives that had committed crimes or any lawyers that we knew. While I didn't have much to say about the first two, the judge interrupted me while I was naming some friends that were lawyers. He asked me about med school, and when he found out that I was missing classes to be on the jury, he called me and the lawyers up to the stand and after a short discussion they decided to release me from service.

So I was home in time for lunch. I'm grateful to be able to be back to my normal life of med school and that I won't get behind in that, but I did feel a little bad that I was released when others that have to miss jobs and such were asked to stay. And I think it really would be interesting to serve on a jury and see how a case is tried. I'm guessing it's much different from what television portrays. Anyhoo, I'm sure that I'll get my chance sometime again in the future.

Jury Duty, Day 1

I (Chris) got a jury duty summons in the mail a couple of months ago and decided that instead of postponing my service until sometime next year (when I will be cramming for the boards or working in clinics) when I really don't want to miss school/studying I would show up today when they had me scheduled. My hopes of reenacting "Runaway Jury" were dashed by 7 hours of boredom.

I had hoped to either get dismissed quickly or at least get picked to be on the jury of an interesting trial but I got neither. Instead, I sat in the jury selection room reading, studying, napping and wishing that I had brought some food for the entire day until they let us go at 3:30. I get to go back tomorrow and do it all again....hopefully I have better luck then.

It's never too late to be thankful......

We are grateful for our wonderful families (and how they work really hard to still include us in their lives), our amazing neighbors and friends, a place to live, school, the church, and our health. It is crazy to think we have lived here for a year and a half. I'm grateful for the people we have met and for the way that they have changed our lives for the better. I'm grateful for the new ways we grow when we are forced to "step outside of our comfort zones" and yet, it doesn't make it any easier to do so.

Mmmmm Bop!!

Last weekend we had the opportunity to chaperone a church dance, a task that took us back to our youth. As it turns out we did not get to walk the dance floor, prying couples apart or breaking out our killer break-dancing moves. We were happy to get stationed at the coat/bag check (I never had a coat check when I went to dances!), which was pretty much the social hub of the evening.

Anyhoo, when we weren't taking peoples' coats or making wish lists, we decided to compile the top 8 songs that they played at the dance (it was going to be 10, but not enough songs made the cut):

8. YMCA (The Village People)
7. Thriller (Michael Jackson)
6. Hero (Enrique Iglesias)
5. Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice)
4. Bye Bye Bye (N'Sync)
3. Best of Both Worlds (Hannah Montana)
2. Bye Bye Bye (N'Sync...yes they actually played it twice!..I was reminded of Tyler Hedin knowing every step of the music video and his wonderful performances back in high school)

1. Mmm Bop (Hanson....where have they gone?!)

So, we got a great laugh of re-living our church dance days and are extremely grateful that those days are behind us.

Happy Halloween

The weekend before Halloween, Linzi and I carved pumpkins with the Dodds Friday night, then the Pinkstons, Hilliers and Hawes on Saturday night. We actually got one of those kits with little saws and such to do some high class carving, and I think it shows (especially with the Best In Show displayed above). Before this year it had always been awkward looking jack-o-lanterns made by the biggest knife I could find in my parent's kitchen.


Then there was the actual night of Halloween...we had a great time watching some Halloween episodes of The Office, playing our annual match of Halloween Scrabble (sorry you couldn't be there with us Colleen), then throwing together these awesome costumes before we went over to the Andersons where we were introduced to that classic vampire flick, "The Lost Boys". It was pretty funny to see Keifer Sutherland in his pre-Jack Bauer days.

We only had about 10 trick-or-treaters come to our door, including the few teenagers not dressed up at all holding out their backpack. It's a tradition here to ask the trick-or-treaters to tell you a joke when they come to your door, so we were hoping that one of these teenagers could earn the candy they wanted. We asked one for a joke, and he just started saying "Oh man, I don't know" and pacing back and forth. We tried to help him by asking for any simple knock-knock joke, but even that was too much for him (remember, he's probably 15 years old) and he went back to his group of friends. That was totally not our intention, but it did kind of give us a chuckle...just one more reason to always have a good joke ready.

This makes us happy, very happy..........