Fred

The other night as Ly left the house for her run she stepped on a little green frog. Luckily this frog, Fred as he is now known, was a smart frog who curled up really small and didn't even get hurt. He hopped a little bit away and hung out in the bushes. When Ly came back from her run he had resumed his place on the porch. Ly really wanted to keep him but after some convincing by Alan realized that they didn't have a proper home for him so Fred now lives in the bushes by the front door.

Jump for Joy!

Alan has officially finished his first year of medical school. One year down...only ten more to go.

Highlights of M1 year included:

+ making some great new friends

+ observing a lot of "awesome" (and long) surgeries

+ doing research with a plastic surgeon

+ learning a LOT about the human body

+ getting accepted into VCU's Masters of Health Administration program, thereby delaying graduation by a year

+ alan's first ever spring break

Bring on the next year!

Be a Match + Help Save a Life

Hi Friends!

Did you know that millions of people every day are waiting for that one person to save their life? It could be you! All you need to do is to join the National Bone Marrow Registry. It's super easy, free, and even online.

Here's what you do:

1. Go to www.marrow.org and fill out all the information to join the registry.

2. Wait for your cotton swabs to arrive in the mail

3. Swab your mouth with the cotton swabs, send it back, and voila - you might just end up being the ONE person able to give someone a second chance at life.

The best part of this is that you don't even need to get a needle prick to join.

Please PLEASE PLEASE consider signing up today if you can. The mother of my very good friend is super sick and in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. Please consider doing this for everyone out there who is need of a transplant.

Thanks for your help!

I love you all and may you be blessed with good health,

Lyanna

The Everglades: A Small Snapshot

Here are a few photographs before/while the canon broke. Most are taken in the Everglades.

Sunset at nine mile pond.

Nine mile pond canoe trip. Heading towards mangrove forests.

Nine mile pond canoe trip. Seagrass marshes.

Nine mile pond canoe trip. Red mangroves.

Nine mile pond canoe trip. American Crocodile.

Mrazek pond, Everglades. Alligator resting in the morning sun.

West Lake, Everglades.

Crocodile at the Flamingo Marina, Everglades

Manatee and baby coming up for air. Flamingo Marina, Everglades.

Campsite in Flamingo, Everglades.

Shore birds on the beach by our campsite. Flamingo, Everglades.

Flamingo, Everglades.

Canon the Camera

While Ly+Alan's trip to the Everglades was awesome the only bad thing that happened was that Ly's trusty canon camera died on the third day of their trip. It just decided to stop working....right when Ly and Alan reached the end of their 3 mile hike to see the nesting area of some rare birds. So not only does Ly not have a picture of that but a lot of the pictures that were taken weren't very good because the camera was having some problems focusing. Sadness.

Ly learned a very valuable lesson that day -- always bring a back up camera with you while on vacation.

And now she gets to get a new camera. Perhaps a Nikon is in her future...

RIP beautiful Canon. You were great while you lasted!

Canon's very last picture...on the 3 mile hike to the bird nest

Alan's First Spring Break

This year for Spring Break, Ly+Alan loaded up the corolla and drove down to the Everglades for five days of camping fun followed by a weekend of luxury on Hilton Head Island. It was exactly what the Doctor-to-be ordered. So much fun and relaxation!

Highlights of the trip included:

- Snorkeling in Key Largo...yes, Ly managed to overcome her fear of the ocean and loved every second of her snorkeling adventure where she swam with tons of fish including a reef shark.

- An early morning ranger guided canoe trip in the Everglades...Ly only got nervous once when they were feet away from an alligator eating his breakfast. But they also saw a ton of rare birds including a bald eagle and a giant (13 ft) American crocodile.

- An afternoon canoe trip in Biscayne National Park...where Ly + Alan spent some quality time with a very inquisitive manatee who hung out so close to the canoe that Ly could touch him.

- Watching the 'gators hunt on a moonlit walk...it was a bit creepy/super cool to see their eyes reflect the light of the flashlights.

- Bird watching in the Everglades...Alan loves the Anhinga birds who dive under the water for their food and live with the alligators.

- A visit to Cape Canaveral National Seashore - one of the most gorgeous beaches ever

- Relaxing on the beach of Hilton Head and then playing in the Atlantic Ocean as the tide came back in

- Riding bikes on the beach...Ly did mange to go a whopping 30 feet in the hour without Alan holding her bike. It was a fun adventure and she vows to learn to ride a bike before their next trip to Hilton Head.

- Really yummy fresh caught seafood.

Anyway the trip was a success and easily one of the best vacations Ly+Alan have been on in a long time.