He's taking his boards RIGHT NOW!!!

I just dropped Devin off at the testing center a few minutes ago.  He was told to be there by 7 am to start testing at 7:30.  Being the people we are, he was there at 6:48.  We talked ourselves out of going any earlier.  Hopefully they let him start early if he's ready.  We read through all the guidelines to make sure he followed every rule.  He went in wearing as few pockets as possible with a photo id and snacks.  He'll come out sometime after 3 pm pretty delirious but oh so glad to have it over with.  I'm stuck in a training until 5 pm today, but you can better believe we'll be celebrating tonight!  Then tomorrow, we will be headed out on a 4 day backpacking/camping trip with our boys!  Today, though, I'll be praying for Devin.  If anyone was ever ready for this test, though, it's my Babe!

My Dad, My Dad's the Greatest Guy Around

I have always, always known that my dad was amazing.  He's the one who taught me to braid, ride a bike, and drive a car.  It's because of him that I learned to love the outdoors, value hard work, and appreciate the simple things in life.  I have an awesome family and a wonderful life because of his love and guidance.  I cannot even begin to express the full extent of my gratitude for my dad.  He truly is the Greatest Dad Ever!

My dad's the biggest guy,
and my dad's the strongest guy,
and my dad's the nicest guy of any guy in town.

He can do anything you want,

he'll fix your bike or fly a kite

'cause my dad, my dad's the greatest guy around. 

He can throw a ball so high you think it's gonna break the sky
He knows the name of every kind of jet---Vrooom.
He can add up any sum.
He always had money for bubble gum.

I haven't figured out how he does it yet, but
my dad's the smartest guy,
and my dad's the bravest guy,
and my dad's the neatest guy, it's positively so!

Maybe I'll introduce you, then you'll know that it's the truth;
That my dad, my dad's the greatest guy you know.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!  I love you!

Board Beard

When Devin was in undergrad, he used skip shaving during finals week.  Now that he is prepping for boards, it's pretty much been finals week times a thousand.

While he's been studying and studying, the beard has been growing and growing.

Before he goes to sleep tomorrow night, he will be shaving it all of because when he wakes up Tuesday morning, he'll be taking Step One!  While I'm excited that it's almost over, I'm actually a little said to see the facial hair go away.  It definitely grew on me as well!

One Week

In one week I get my husband back.  Where is he you ask?  He right here, in the house.  Only, he spends all his time locked in the spare bedroom.  He studies, studies, and studies some more.  Step One is officially seven days away.  A couple weeks ago, studying was fun.  Unfortunately, those days are no more.  I get to see my husband for about 10 minutes in the morning, long enough for dinner in the evening, a couple minutes right before I go to sleep, and a groggy goodnight when he comes to bed a couple hours later.  Sigh.  I can last, right?  It's only seven more days.

On the bright side, when all of this is over, our little family of four is headed out on a nice camping trip to a beautiful spot.  We'll backpack in, have no phone reception, and we'll have days for just us.  I am SO excited.  To get me through this last week, I will be finalizing the meal plans, doing a little more shopping, and will start packing.  Hopefully, the days will just keep flying by!

For my Mo

For 5 1/2 years, my dear sweet car has been wonderful to me.  He was my first major purchase ever, and I have loved him so much!  However, he has grown from a sturdy, dapper gentlemen into a somewhat decrepit old man.  If he were a person, he'd be on a whole pile of different meds just to keep him going.  But, he is not a person.  And, it was time for him to go the way of dusty death. (Can you name the play?)  If you find me strange for personifying my car, just look through these photos, and you will see why we are so close.

Have you ever seen someone so excited to be holding a key in all your life?

Back in the day, Mo and I would drive around with that old Nokia phone and me wearing that Italian charm bracelet.  It's proof that we go waaaaaaay back.

I selected one of many pictures of me posed with Mo.  There have been many.  He was an awesome listener and knew so many of my most secret thoughts.  I loved our chats on long car rides.  He helped me realize that I loved Devin during one such drive.  Oh the memories!

Meet Zipper

Zipper is our new car.  He's a beautiful, shiny 2010 Honda Civic DX.  We love him.  But, I know he will never replace my Mo.  Maybe as we get better acquainted we'll form a similar bond.  For now, though, I'm just loving the way he handles and the fun I have behind the wheel!

Study Buddies

Yep, it's Friday night, and I'm on the blog.  Devin takes Step One in 13 days, so I'm finding lots of free time to fill right now.  We did share dinner with a friend, but Devin headed for his study room as soon as she left.  I'm now wearing my glasses and a pair of the husband's oversized shorts curled up on the couch with my lappy and 20/20 playing.  Definitely not a Date Night, but I'm okay with that.  When all is said and done, we'll spend 4 days in the mountains (out of cell phone range!!) with just us and our camping dogs. 

Occasionally, I do help Devin study.  Mostly, we do pharmacology because he has flashcards for this.  Lots of funny moments have come from these sessions.  Usually, they start with one of us asking, "Do you want to do drugs?"  Because it's a dumb joke, I always laugh. 

Another great moment occurred when I asked Devin something along the lines of "What drug attacks IgE?" to which he responded, "O-something-something-something-mab."  Of course, after some explanation (apparently this is the only one starting in O and ending in mab or something like that) it made more sense.  When I was sleepy and feeling a little punch drunk, though, it was pretty hilarious.

Of course, we have now started saying that, "Platinum hates the babies."  This was tied into cancer drugs but has become a nice inside joke.  However, you probably don't find it as funny because it would take too much explaining to get you on the inside of it.  But, I've documented it for me to remember in the future.

Lastly, we ended our study session one night when I asked Devin what a certain drug does, and he responded with "It makes you feel better."  It was good for giggles but bad for the tired, overworked brain.

I do want to say, I am very proud of Devin and how hard he is working to prep for this test.  I'm so grateful to him for working this hard so that he can assure us the most options possible when we're applying for residencies next year.  (Did you notice I said next year???  Crazy!!!)  He is working hard for our future, which really keeps things in perspective.  I have yet to complain about the lack of time with him (I only have to make it 13 more days!), but I sure will be glad when I all this is over!!

Beach Shoot

Because I have several blog posts in my queue, I've decided to share the easy one first.  It's not hard to put the finishing touches on a quick share.  This past weekend, we were at the beach with Devin's family down near Destin, FL.  While there, we have a wonderful photographer come do family pictures.  It was a pretty fun shoot on the beach, and the girl who did the pictures was great!  The pic in this post was the preview shot of Devin and me.  Literally, there are probably thousands of pictures that we haven't seen yet.  If you would like to check out the whole preview album (or see about doing your own shoot this summer at the beach!) check out Ursula Graham Photography.  Or, the album is shared on my Facebook page! 

Btw, I love that she realized how pale we are and put us in black and white...and not anyone else!  Oh, our poor future children and their super pale future skin...