Ready...set...craziness!!!

Holy catscans. HOLY catscans. This next month and a half are going to be craaaaazy.

We're moving. Yes. FINALLY. THANK THE STARS!!! HALLELUJAH!!! HOOORAY!!! WAHOOO!!!

So, in August...we're moving to WA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Friends, I'm SO excited!!!! I'm pretty antsy and anxious to get there. San Angelo has been fun and we've made the most of it...but I am SO ready to bust out of here. So now the hunt for a house and a job, and the (DREADED) packing begins. BUT HAPPY DAY!!! SEASONS! WATER! A COASTLINE NOT TOO FAR! HOOOOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of coastline...over Memorial Day weekend we headed to Galveston, TX. It was a blast. We toured the harbor, saw dolphins, toured an old ship, ate TONS of seafood, did touristy stuff, went to the beach, and ate more and more and more seafood. It was a wonderful vacation and it was delightful to see the ocean again. And the seafood...goodness gracious I could live off of shrimp for the rest of my life. So, we brought 3 pounds back home with us! 

Then, two weekends ago I headed to Tucson to see one of my best friends get married! 

It was fabulous and so fast! Everything was wonderful! I was honored to be asked to do Clary's flowers for her. Oh my goodness it was A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!! I love floral design!!

And it was SO fun to see lots of old friends! 

AND, in exciting news, beginning August 4th, I will be going full-time at the flower shop until we move (which sadly, may not be very long). We're still waiting on final dates of when we have to leave San Angelo and report to Spokane. Regardless, I'm delighted! I'm hoping to find a floral design/flower shop job in Spokane to continue to learn and develop my skills. I love it so! 

We'll be heading to Dallas for the Fourth and I can't wait! Then in a couple of weeks I'll be visiting one of my other best friends, Amy, in Myrtle Beach. I'm wicked excited to see Amy and the beach again, and we've already made plans of what we're going to do (most have to do with food! Ha!)! 

And, I again can't tell you enough how excited I am to get to Washington. I've already have made plans to see Seattle (never been), Portland and the Oregon coast, northern California, and have made lists of places to see in Spokane, places to eat, and things I'd like to do. Spokane I can't wait to see you!!!!!!!!!!! If you have suggestions of places to see, things to do, etc., please do share!

So, on to house hunting, job searching, and...packing....we go! 

Tender Mercies

This morning I wanted to quit my job. Obviously I wasn't really going to quit my job and then the thought of being unemployed was horrible so I looked up my patients and headed to the floors. And then it got a little better as I did some more work on a gigantic malnutrition project I've taken on and that made me excited! 

But as luck would have it....around 2:30 my day took a very sharp turn for the better.

I sent a message on whim to a woman who owns a flower shop a few weeks ago asking if she was looking for any free help because I know that this is one of the busiest times of the year for florists. Basically I just need an outlet. Something fun. I need to work with my hands and do something I enjoy. I mean I love baking but then all I want to do is eat the stuff I bake and that's not a win-win situation. I sent it thinking she'd likely not respond and didn't expect her to but thought why not? and sent the message anyway. A few days later she responded and we had been playing phone tag. Well, I finally got in touch with her but she was working with a client on wedding plans and I didn't hear back, and had pretty much given up. I tried. I came close but who am I kidding? I have no professional training. I've taken a floral design class and I worked at a flower shop for a couple of months after I graduated. Beyond that, I don't know a whole lot about floral design. Well. At 2:30 I received a message from the woman asking me to meet her today after work. So I did. And two hours later I walked out with a second job.

I. Cannot. Believe. It.

But it works out perfectly because Mark has been getting busier and busier so he doesn't get home until 7 or 8 so I'll go to the flower shop after I'm done with the hospital and then help them out on weekends...and I get paid!!! I tried to tell her that was unnecessary since that was never my intention and I just wanted to help out for fun and that I don't have that many, if any, qualifications, but she insisted. 

Friends, I am so excited. SO excited. I don't really know what I'll be doing but I'm excited just to be in the flower business and the floral environment. I promptly called Mark and told him everything and to make sure he was cool with it, which he was!!!, and then merrily drove home still in disbelief. I start tomorrow. I don't even care if all I do is sweep the floors and put stock away. I'm so excited! It helps that they've just recently hired two other people with very little experience so I won't be alone there. Oh happy day!

And now I'm going to go eat ice cream for dinner because this is cause for celebration (and because it's a suffocating 93 degrees outside. No need to stick me in an oven, I'm already there)!!! 

The week I realized I am most certainly human

What. a. week.

I was in a funky mood this week. I think part it stemmed from Mark had to do a lot of studying so I saw him for an hour when I got home and then he went back to base to study or was studying in the kitchen, or both, and that was a bummer. My deepest, sincerest sympathies to those of you who have significant others in med/law/dentist/post-grad/any-other-schooling-that-takes-most-of-their time. The other part of me is just so torn with so many things I want and hope and dream to do in my life. I'm restless. I'm bored with being a dietitian. I keep talking about culinary school to be a pastry chef with Mark and he's all for it and so am I but I have to wait because there isn't the right program here and I don't know how long we'll be here so I have to wait. Waiting. 99% of the time I do not like waiting. 

You know when you're in a funky mood or an impatient-you-want-dreams-to-happen-RIGHTTHISSECOND mood and there are certain things you should stay away from? Things that you know will make your mood worse? Well. Sometimes I'm a masochist so I do those things anyway. And/or, I do them and instead of controlling my emotions I let them take over completely. I was reading some blogs my mom recommended and I love them. One of them is Bluebirdbaby about a sweet family that lives in an old restored church in Maine. The blog is brilliant and beautiful and fun. I love it. Work was WIIIIIIIICKED slow a couple of afternoons this week so I read the blog. And then one of the nurses on one of the floors I cover recently visited someone in Boston and was going on and on and on and on about how wonderful it was and how her friend lives in Nashua and it was so close to Boston. I just stood there and smiled brightly, one on hand wanting to jump in and tell her all of the cool things and places to eat in Boston and on one hand wanting to cry because I was jealous and envious. Jealousy. Good, old-fashioned jealousy. Green with envy. Mad. So between that and the blog, I was home sick. And mad that I'm stuck in the middle-of-nowhere Texas where it was in the upper 80s this week and I wanted to melt. Yes. I know. I complained about this to my brother and knew I shouldn't have said anything since New England is preparing for yet another snow storm. Oops. 

And then I was reading another blog, Floret Flowers. A family owns a farm where they grow ACRES of flowers in Washington state. And the pictures. Mesmerizing. Wow. I also spent time reading post after post after post jotting down notes and planning my own gardens someday. An herb garden. A vegetable garden. A flower cutting garden. The varieties I want and the ones that grow well together and when they bloom and which are annuals and perennials. And there it was again. A ping of envy. How much I ache for a real house and land to garden. I know I'll have that someday but then impatience surges through my veins and that quickly turns to frustration. Next I knew it, my cute pots of flowers weren't good enough. I wasn't good enough. I felt stupid and mad and incompetent and hopeless. Impatience gets me almost every time. 

So. One day after work I decided to just peek at the plants Home Depot had. Just a peek. Just to make myself feel better and be surrounded by flowers and maybe help me add a few more to my list for my future garden. I don't need any more plants but I just... wanted to...see. And then I walked out with these:

Succulents meant for our bedroom window to greet us in the morning.

Gerber daisies because I decided I needed more color and had too much purple. Plus I can cut them and put them in vases!

And after reading about Floret's farm and seeing the magnificent arrangements she has created I decided I also want to take some floral design classes. While I was in college I took a floral design class to fulfill the required "arts" credit. No joke, it was one of my favorite classes. Learning about flowers and then creating arrangements and getting credit for it. Yes PLEASE. It was a blast! My last semester and shortly after I graduated I worked at a wholesale flower placed called "Mountain Bloom" just because they needed extra help for the holidays. That has been my favorite job. Hours of creating bouquets and arrangements. It was so much fun. It's my own way of being an artist. Pairing different colors and textures together. It's delightful. And much like baking, how can anyone get upset by flowers? 

So on a whim I sent a message to a woman who owns a local flower shop asking if she needs some extra help during the holidays and I'd do it for free just to learn and get some experience. I didn't think about it until 2 days later when I actually got a response! We've been playing phone tag the past few days so hopefully we'll finally have a conversation tomorrow. I'm giddy and nervous and there are moments where I think WHAT I am I doing??? Or I shouldn't have done that. But what have I got to lose? I hope she lets me help. I certainly think I would love it!!!

Toward the end of the week my mood got better. My first pot of grape hyacinths is doing well and lately I've been watching a bee come and visit them and pollenate them. But, sadly, I think their blooming is coming to an end so I've snipped two small bouquets so I can enjoy them before this pot is done. I think the heat expedited their blooming. 

But my second pot is coming along nicely! I've decided that if the weather is forecasted to get too hot, I'll bring them inside where it's cooler to try to elongate their bloom time so I can enjoy them a little longer. 

On to DIY project updates.

I think we've finally completed all of, or most of, the DIY projects we had on our list. Mark sanded down two night stands he had and we repainted them. The one on the left is Mark's (hence the star...gotta represent Texas!) and the one on the right is mine. 

 

Saturday Mark went golfing so I spent the afternoon running errands and wandering around downtown. The boutiques here are crazy. I don't get the fashion. I walked into every boutique and then walked out about 1-2 minutes later. Yikes. It's like bohemian/gypsy/bold/I don't even know how to describe it. It's not me, that's for sure. I popped into Pier One just to look around and found a cute plate I knew belonged in my kitchen (the one on the very top)! I love birds. The cute singing kind. There are lots of grackles here that are eery and creepy. Beady little eyes and strange calls. Yuck. I loved my room growing up because of the four walls, three had two windows each. It always so bright in my room. Every morning I woke up to birds...or Scotty pawing my face to wake up...but usually birds.   

I found Fiona, that's what I've named her because I name a lot of things I have, at Hobby Lobby a week or so ago and decided I had to have her to decorate our book shelf.  

And we finally got a new dresser! I found one I liked for over $1000 at a furniture store but that was WAY more than I was willing to pay. Then a colleague recommended a wholesale place because we have been looking for a nice reading chair and though we didn't find a chair, we found this for a fraction of the cost and got it. It arrived this week and I love it! 

The flower arrangement for the week. The sunflowers I bought lasted two weeks! Two! I was so pleased but they quickly started wilting 2 days ago and I wasn't going to buy another bouquet but I love hydrangeas and they were so cheap! Thank you HEB. 

These have been my new lounge wear for the past...4 days. 

This morning it rained. The weather has been saying a 30-40% chance of rain the past few days and nothing. We got nothing. So I have stopped believing it would actually rain. BUT, this morning while I was getting ready for church Mark told me it was really raining so I flung open the door and skipped outside. It was raining! Aw the smell of rain. Happiness! So after church I watched "The Three Musketeers" from 1993. What a great cast: Chris O'Donnell, Tim Curry, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, and Charlie Sheen (before he went crazy). Good flick. Last night we watched "Parent Trap," the one with Lindsey Lohan (when she was young and cute). I remember I got that movie for Christmas one year on VHS and must have watched it 4 or 5 times on Christmas day. And every day that week. I love that movie, and the original. And tonight I made risotto for the first time. We liked it! And per Mark's request, I made cinnamon roll cookies. So I'm going to go eat my 5th another one. 

Lent, books, and babies

I'm not Catholic so I don't observe Lent but last year my friend Amy and I took it as a challenge to eat healthier and we nixed sweets from our diets. I was surprised how well we did...until a week before Lent ended and then we both said forget it and had cookies. Well. Lent is upon us and I decided to take the challenge again and I roped encouraged Mark to join me so we could support it each other. He is giving up precious Dr. Pepper and I am giving up cookies, brownies, and my beloved ice cream (and making Mark too since it would cruel and down right rude for him to eat that stuff in front of me!) *moment of mournful silence* Except we're allowed small cheats on Sundays because the dietitian in me realizes that I HAVE to have some cheat days or I'll go mad. MAD. So far it's been good. I haven't been tempted or craving anything, though every time I open the freezer and see Bluebells' "I Love Chocolate," I have a split second cringe moment. 

Anyway, I also have been trying to cook about 3 times a week. This week we had grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, and rice. Mark got to bust out his grilling skills and did most of the heavy work. It was yummy! But seriously, I should have gotten salmon completely skinned or whatever the correct term is because there was skin on the underside that I ripped off before we grilled it and I nearly threw up from the smell. I don't mind fish but that smell was a little too fishy for me. Yuck. 

And I realize this picture is not very appetizing, if at all, but we've also decided (aka I have decided and Mark is being a good sport and going along with it) to try to have a vegetarian meal once a week. I could tell Mark was really skeptical but I was determined to prove to him that I could find some tasty entrees. So, tonight I made black bean and quinoa enchilada bake. It was SO good (despite this bad picture)!! I topped mine with sliced tomatoes, avocados, and green onions. DEE-LISH. Even Mark was impressed. Wahoo! You know it's a successful dish when the red meat lover likes a vegetarian dish (I think it helped that it was a Mexican dish). 

And what do you know just in time for Lent I got this cookbook in the mail (which I had ordered months ago and have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting for it to finally be released!). April is not that far away. I can do this. I can.

Since we're on the topic of one of my favorite things--books--I have to tell you about a new author that I LOVE: Juliet Marillier. Holy cow. I'm addicted to her books. One of my new friends here recommended one of her books and I can't get enough. So, let me back up. The first book I read was, "Wildwood Dancing." It's based on the fairy tale "Twelve Dancing Princesses," but she also intertwines that story with some of the folklore of Transylvania (NO not vampires but alludes to that). It is SUPERB. Also I should tell you that I am not a science fiction fan but I do have a very soft spot for fairy tales, and well written ones. FABULOUS read. It was one of those books that I thought about all day long and longed for some time to read. Well. There's a second book, but about one of the other main characters, and the library didn't have it so I did what was necessary...bought it off Amazon (and Wildwood Dancing!). If I am willing to purchase a book, it's a big deal; it's got to be good. I've read a lot of good books, but few that I buy to read again and again. While I was waiting for my parcel of books, I did some research on the author and discovered she had several other books. Well, like I said, I love a good fairy tale but get too science fiction on me and I'll lose interest. But desperate for something to hold me over, I picked up a series she wrote called "Shadowfall." It started off slow and I almost stopped reading but WOW, once it took off I was hooked. I finished the first book in a few days and then HAD to have the second one. It's so good. Riveting. Very creative. She's good. I am enjoying it so much I read while I bike in the mornings and yesterday I was truly angry that I had to go to work because I just wanted to read and find out what happens! I thought of the book the entire day. Ok, I admit, I do, at times, get emotionally attached to books I read. But, I think that's a sign of a good book. So, I was looking to borrow the third one from the library only to find that the third book ISN'T EVEN OUT YET!!! I have to wait until SEPTEMBER?!?!?!? CURSES!!!!!! THAT IS SO CRUEL!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to die from curiosity. DIE. Oh my gosh it's going to be torture. I almost considered not finishing the second one (that lasted for about 0.00003 seconds). I'll have to check out some of her other series. You're lucky I am using up some reading time to blog. But I had to share.

I never really understood why my mom referred to her flowers as her children but now I understand why. I am growing grape hyacinths from bulbs, which I have never done before and I'm scared that I will fail. And friends I BABY these flowers. I check the weather, bring the pot outside and bring it in if it's going to be too cold. It's kind of silly but I am determined. So, yesterday I walked outside to head to work and I looked down and saw this:

THEY ARE PEEKING THROUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kid you not I dropped everything, knelt by the pot and just stared incredulously. They are growing! WHAT!!!??!!?? Oh happy day!!!!! I was so proud I Instagrammed them and kept talking about it with Mark when we got home. 

Now, this is what they look like today. 

I am SUCH a proud "mom"!!!

October: The Month of Miracles & Bliss

I'm really not even sure where to begin! I am both happy and sad to see October go. October is one of my favorite months ever and this year's October was especially wonderful! Pictures, stories, you know, the usual to follow!

First of all I got to see Mark (and fam!) for 5 days, which is always too short a wonderful, awesome, fabulous, fun, hilarious, exciting, jam-packed-exhausting, wicked awesome good time. 

This is my favorite ice cream place in Texas. It's a throw-back ice cream parlor inside and just adorable. Plus the ice cream (!!!!!) is awesome. This time I got roasted campfire marshmallow (yummy!) and Mark went with his usual: classic vanilla. Out of ALL of the yummy, fun, chunky, crazy flavors he always chooses vanilla. I'll never understand it. 

Mark treated me to Six Flags!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a blast...until it rained with lightning and we got stuck inside Mr. Freeze for 2 1/2 hours while the rollercoasters were shutdown. 

BUT finally it opened just before we were about to call it quits and we got to ride it twice in about 15 minutes. It. was. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark also makes a mean chocolate milkshake. They are DELISH. They are a close second to In N Out's chocolate shakes and that, my friends, is sayin' somethin' because I LOOOOOOVE In N Out's chocolate shakes. Then we were going through Mark's baby/kid/high school pictures and he showed me his letterman jacket. What a stud right??? Right. I know. *swoon*

I am quite certain I told Mark 6,785,432 times how adorable his baby pictures are. I just wanted to squeeze him!!!!

And the next time I see Mark will be in 35 days December for our wedding. Romantic? Yes, kind of. LONG? YES. But that's ok. It is pretty romantic. Plus, holy catscans have I got a lot to do between now and December!!!!

Next: I got back from Texas, worked for 3 days and headed to *sigh* New England. Oh HAPPINESS. And now for a flying story: Whenever I fly home I usually fly Spirit because it's a direct flight to Boston and it's cheap. But you get what you pay for and about 87% of time I have flown with Spirit, my flight is delayed, which is annoying anyway but when your estimated arrival time is 12:30am, delays are A PAIN. Well, this time everything was a go. Flight was on time, good weather, boarded my flight, hooray! I was deep in my Nancy Drew book when I realized it had been a little longer than usual and finally the captain came on and said something about having to recount the bags. Annoying, but whatever. Then another 15-20 minutes went by and one of the flight attendants announced that due to "an unfavorable comment" by a passenger, we all had to de-board the plane so TSA could inspect the plane. I was NOT HAPPY. We were told we could leave our bags so I left my carry on in the overheard and took my personal bag. As soon as we were back in the terminal, we were instructed we had to go back onto the plane to get all of our bags so we had to RE-BOARD and DE-BOARD the plan again. Thirty minutes later after TSA searched the plane, we had to line up and have our boarding passes scanned. Not happy but at least they were being safe and I really did appreciate that. I felt terribly for my brother and sister-in-law who had to pick me up though...Finally we boarded and then not 15 minutes after we had boarded, another person was thrown off the plane. I was in the back so I didn't hear or see the commotion, I only heard clapping for the first half of the plane and thought I swear if another fool makes me deboard this plane...The rumor at the back of the plane (this is so dramatic) was this woman claimed to be from the Boston Globe and was allegedly snapping photos of people while we were waiting in the terminal. SKETCH. Get her outta here! She was escorted off the plane and then very shortly after that, the captain came on and announced we would be leaving. THANK GOODNESS. I made it home and was in bed around 5am. But it was absolutely delightful to see my sibs and Scotty!!!!

First thing the next morning (aka a few hours later) I headed to the ocean. The North Atlantic. Oh. my. gosh. The smell, the sounds, the sights...I was in heaven. My heart swelled up a bit with such happiness. There was even a few beach roses left in bloom. I inhaled them, literally. 

 

The colors. Oh the colors. I couldn't stop taking pictures and just taking it all in. New England in the fall is one of the most stunning mosaics of color ever to behold. I can't believe such beauty--sights, smells, sounds--exists. It's my absolute favorite scene. I even recorded a video crunching leaves just because I was so happy. I know, I'm silly. Oh well! It made me happy! The only thing missing, which would have made the trip prefect, was Mark. Maybe next year we can be there together! Mark my words, he will see a New England fall, he has to!

 I even got to see my beloved Boston. I drove, literally, through it (sadly only through, didn't have time for a day in Boston this trip!) on my way to meet our wedding photographer. I love this city!!! 

During my trip I had my usual twin lobster plate at Al's with my gramps, it's tradition after all! And then another day I had a very long overdue lunch with a very dear friend, whom I consider a mentor and a mother, Elaine, at Blue Moon Evolution in Exeter. I've never been here before but it is wonderful! They get all of their ingredients from farms within 100 miles and boy is their menu yummy! Then we walked through downtown Exeter to get ice cream and strolled along the river as we ate. I had apple pie ice cream...mmmm mmmm mmmm!!!! The whole afternoon was blissful. Just blissful!

After lunch I decided to just "pop" into one of my favorite stores, Serendipity, where I used to get most of my jewelry and I found the earrings I'm going to wear on my wedding day! Simple and elegant, just what I wanted.  

 SCOTTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you're not familiar, this is the LDS Boston Temple (where Mark and I will be getting married!!!). Beautiful. I got to spend an evening with Heath and Emma here. Afterward, we went to dinner. I LOVE spending time with these two. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard! 

Now, one of my assignments while I was home was to scan baby pictures for wedding stuff. It was a BLAST going through our old family albums. I have a few incriminating pictures of my brothers (muah! ah! ah!) and many more cute ones! 

Dane. Gosh he had the best curls when he was a baby!

Heath-totes presh!

 Baby Gabe

I LOVE this one of Heath!!!! 

One of my favorites of my darling grandmother Barbara, and grandfather Harry

Perhaps my favorite part was stumbling upon albums of my mom and her family when they were younger. My grandfather, Roger Christiance, passed away a few years ago and unfortunately I didn't get to know him very well because we lived so far away from each other and in more recent years, his health wasn't very good, but I have been thinking about him a lot lately and was delighted to find some pictures of him. He is SO handsome. One of the few memories I have from visiting him is eating rice crispie cereal and giggling about how they "snap! crackle! pop!" 

Being home was so wonderful and therapeutic and blissful. It was crazy busy; I was up early and home and in bed late but it was probably one of my favorite visits thus far. Oh New England! I can't wait for December!!!

Then. I got back and was invited to a Halloween party hosted my Dr. W and his wife. It was LEGIT. He told me I would know which house it was and as I was, according to my GPS, approaching I wasn't so sure...until I came around the bend in the road and there was a house with strobe lights flashing from the top floor, "Yeah" by Usher blaring and tons of cars. I couldn't help but laugh. It was really, really fun! My costume wasn't that cool or original, I just wore a masquerade mask, but I was crunched for time and so it worked.

Group shot of the people I work with on one of my floors

The man himself: Dr. W

Now you may be wondering about these miracles. Well, for starters I found out I got the dietitian job I was able to miraculously find in the town Mark and I are moving to after we get married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE miracle. The fact that it was available and that I got it and that they are willing to work around my schedule and let me start after the wedding is a huge miracle and relief.

Secondly. As you may recall, I took a board certification exam a month ago to become a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC). This basically means that I now have the knowledge and skill to work with very acute populations (ICU, trauma, NICU). I was ABSOLUTELY certain I had failed. 100% positive. My colleague and friend Amy, who had also taken the test, called me while I was running on Monday to tell me the test results had arrived (they come ONLY via snail mail) and she had passed! I was sick to my stomach nervous as I drove home because I did, but mostly did not, want to know. I told myself it was ok that I didn't pass but deep down, I knew I would be very disappointed. I mean I had studied HARD for that test and had been waiting 2 years (because they recommend 2 years of experience before you take it) to get this credential. I had wanted it since my internship! I texted Mark and he talked to me as I drove home to distract my thoughts and I told him I would prefer to open the envelope on my own and then call him after I had read it because I would need a few minutes to digest the disappointing news. Well...I got to my mailbox and the letter was on top so I sat in my car as Mark continued to talk (he had no idea I had gotten my mail) and decided to open it right there in my car. I carefully tore it open and literally squinting I pulled out the first slip of paper with a numerical breakdown of the questions I got right for certain categories. Ok blah blah blah. Did I pass or fail? I hardly looked at it as I slowly pulled out the folded paper and prepared for the worst. 

And then I screamed, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MARK I PASSED MY TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He thought I had gotten into an accident, and understandably so because I completely interrupted his sentence and started screaming, and then I repeated (aka screamed again) that I had passed!!!!!! I hung up, rushed to my apartment, awkwardly skipped/ran up my steps and called Mark immediately to read the letter, because all I cared about was the "congratulations" part and hadn't read the rest of it. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to tell you, it was thrilling writing new orders on Tuesday and signing my name RD, LD, CNSC! YAH BUDDY!!!!

That same day I had another WONDERFUL piece of mail: a drawing from my niece. My heart pretty much melted!

And then, to top of this month, my beloved Red Sox WON THE WORLD SERIES IN BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I stayed up to watch the entire game and could not have been happier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've even successfully converted Mark to a (secondary) Red Sox fan (his loyalty is to the Texas Rangers). Excellent! 

See? October was a superb month. AND! Tomorrow, weather permitting, I may be going for a spin in this...

Picture from here

...and then going horseback riding with some friends. A grand way to begin November. 

And!!!! Now I can now say I am getting married next month!