Signs of Spring...Finally

There's just something about seeing the first flowers start to bloom after a long winter that warms my heart. The end of winter is somewhat depressing - everything seems dead and ugly. But then one day a flower (or two) pops up and you know that better weather is finally on the way. The trees will blossom, geese will start having babies (yay!) and basically everything will be better.

So Happy Spring!

Kiss me, I'm (part) Irish

This St. Patrick's Day, Ly embraced her Irish side and cooked corned beef and cabbage. Ever since she can remember, her family has always eaten this meal for dinner on St. Patrick's Day. And while it's not her favorite, a tradition is still a tradition.

Do you have any holiday traditions?

Cupcakes make everything better

Everyone has bad days. You know the day where you forgot you still had homework to turn in, your class was awful, you are sick, a patient dies, you have no food in your house, you only slept a few hours, and you got rejected from the school you desperately wanted to attend.

Basically an Alexander day - terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.

The solution to all of this awfulness? A cupcake. Or two. Or three. Heck, eat a dozen. No judgements here.

Everyone loves a snow day

Yesterday it snowed. Yes, in March.

Lest you think we got feet of snow, only about an inch or so actually stuck to the ground. But in typical Virginia fashion everything shut down.


Ly was excited because she got to spend the entire day in cuddled up in bed reading and watching movies. It's a good thing she listened to Alan who told her to finish up her classwork at the beginning of each week, so she had no responsibilities to worry about. Well it turns out there was no food in the kitchen or laundry completed, but eh eating and wearing clothes are overrated anyway.

Alan was excited about the snow because after a few nail-biting hours in the hospital he was released early (the sun was still up!!) so he came home and promptly took the nap of the century. Apparently getting up before the sun rises every day and working 10 hour shifts 6 days a week wears a person out.

All in all, Ly + Alan enjoyed their snow day - even if all the snow had melted by the time Ly went to run errands the next afternoon.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Day of love everyone! We hope that you get a chance to celebrate the things you love.

ETA: Since Alan was busy on Valentine's Day (he had to work) we celebrated on Sat. Ly planned a trip to take Alan's to his favorite movie theater - Cinebistro - and she even picked a movie she knew he wanted to see. In typical Alan fashion, he hijacked Ly's plans and ended up taking her to pick on some jewelery (Ly certainly wasn't complaining!) and then they went to the movies. Ly was super excited because normally Valentine's Day isn't Ly + Alan's favorite holiday but I guess after being together for more than 5 years, Alan decided it was time to do something over the top.

Anyway hope that you had an awesome Valentine's Day!

2013 so far

At the beginning of the month Ly started her MDiv program. The first part of the classes she is lucky enough to get to take online, so Alan was a bit nervous that her old procrastination habits would resurface and he'd be in for a lot of long nights. Luckily, Ly has learned from her old ways and has thus far managed to stay on top of things...she even submitted 2 assignments a whopping 10 hours before they were due! Maybe after all of these years, some of Alan's more admirable qualities are starting to rub off on her.

Ly was a bit worried starting this program that she might "forget" how to be a student. It has been over five years since she graduated college, after all. Luckily being a student is much like riding a bike (or so she's been told) and she jumped right in. So far she has managed to study at home, at the bookstore, a coffee shop and of course the local greek restaurant where the bartenders give her free diet coke with lime. There is something nice about reading books about the Old Testament while munching on humus and fresh made pita. Anyway, so far Ly has really enjoyed her program and especially likes sharing her new found knowledge with Alan at the end of the day. Her tales of Moses and the authorship of the Old Testament are certain to provide for better dinner conversation than Alan's tale of differential diagnoses.

So if the blog is quiet for a little bit, just imagine Ly reading those books pictured above and Alan administering patient exams or studying for his boards. You will most likely be spot on.