To my Mr. B., Our vacation month is over. Sadness, I know, but the time we spent together was a blast! I couldn't have wished for a more exciting, more adventure-filled month traveling [a small portion of] the globe with you! Here's to many more fun-filled excursions in our future!
To (formerly) Standing-Ear Dog, Your name has officially changed to "Dingo Dog". Thanks for bringing lightheartedness to each and every moment on the house boat trip last week... may you always find joy in chasing (and eating) insects and splashing in extra-large puddles. :) You and the White Dog made the trip that much more wonderful!
To Mama Ne' and Pilot Papa, Thank you for planning the incredible house boat trip that we were able to enjoy as a family last week! We had a blast and can't wait for another round of Lake Dale Hollow...last time Jack Johnson, this time Matt Wertz, next time...?! Cudos to Weathergirl and Hurricane Hunk for all your weather forecasts!
To Clifford the Big Blue Edge ("Cliff" for short), The Focus has been replaced. I'm excited that I am now the proud owner of a reliable vehicle. Here's to many adventures ahead!
To Banker Boy, You're a homeowner. Doesn't matter if it is really a condo, 13 stories up off the ground, it is still a home. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! :)
To my Handsome Hubby, Sometimes at night when you wake up cold, you pull the covers up from the end of the bed and tuck me in before you tuck yourself in. This makes me feel incredibly loved. I'm sorry that I am never awake to acknowledge your loving kindness...

[pictures to come soon...they are stuck on the camera for now]

To my Mr. B., We are regular world travelers now! Thanks for the adventure of this week. I'm so thankful that I could share it with you. 
To the Spanish-speaker at the Atlanta airport, We failed Exam 1 on day 1 of our travels. You asked "concourse T?" when you approached the tram we were on, to which I replied "C". Thinking I meant "sí", you promptly boarded the tram. I'm sorry for confusing you. Thank you Lord for giving me the courage to explain my mistake to her (in Spanish)!
To Costa Rica, Thanks for spoiling us...our own driver (kind of), our own private plane (although unintentional), incredible food, and amazingly kind people. We saw your resort side, and we saw the real Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
To the Daniel family, CR wouldn't have been the same without you. Thank you for the sweet time that you were able to share with us! Oh, and we loved going to your favorite Indian/Thai/Japanese/ Chinese restaurant in San Jose. Thanks Holton's for babysitting the precious little ones for our double date night. Can't wait to come visit you all in Cuzco! P.S. We made it safely back to the States!
To the White Dog (and Mama Ne and Pilot Papa), Thanks for taking care of Long Dog while we were away. I think he had so much fun!! He briefly greeted us at the door last night, but mostly wanted to keep an eye on what you were doing. I'm so glad that I know  I have left him in good "paws"!
To my travel companion, Phase II of vacation starts today! Thanks for an incredible Phase I. 

To my DOCTOR B., Congratulations! Job well done! You are officially gad-G-ate-ted (according to the oh-so-Southern women behind us at the ceremony). I'm so proud of what you have accomplished. I know the Lord has incredible plans for you ahead! Phase II of training starts July 1. Yeah for officially being a surgeon-in-the-making.

To Mama Ne' and Pilot Papa, Today when you left our house, you offered to take Long Dog with you so Handsome Hubby and I could take our time running errands and packing for the month of vacation ahead. After changing my mind after a too-quick "no", you left with my boy in the backseat...a grandpup just as excited as can be to be going to spend the weekend with you two and the White Dog. I know he'll have fun! I just hope he doesn't forget his mama...

To our incredible friends and family, Our doctor boy (well, man, really) has finished medical school! Thank you for your countless prayers, words of encouragement, calls of support, and many many well wishes over the last 4 years (and before)! We couldn't have made it without each one of you.

To my travel buddy, Flights look great for our travels ahead! Costa Rica, here we come. Can you say "first class"?

Thanks to all my blog readers who have been checking up on us! Because we will be traveling much over the next several weeks, I may be updating a little less frequently, but will when I can! Be looking for some exciting vaca pictures when we get back! :) In the mean time, enjoy some pictures from Handsome Hubby's graduation!

Me with Aaron's graduation cake...my idea, but absolutely incredible execution by Lori of LB Cakes. The funniest part: it's red velvet on the inside! :)

Aaron with his mama after the Hooding Ceremony

Mama Ne', Handsome Hubby, and Pilot Papa outside of our church after the Hooding Ceremony

Aaron with his grandparents

Aaron with his grandparents

Handsome Hubby and Banker Boy

Banker Boy, Mama Ne', Me, Aaron, and Pilot Papa

Aaron and his grandfather...I think they look so much a like

The whole clan at the Hooding Ceremony (minus Weathergirl and Hurricane Hunk...thanks for going home and letting out Miss Moneypenny and Long Dog!)

The almost-surgeon cutting into the "patient"

Aaron made a "PhT" degree for me ("Put him Through")

Aaron shaking hands with Dr. Azziz at graduation

Proud wife and sister-in-law. Thanks for coming to celebrate with us Weathergirl!

Dearest M-I-L and B-I-L!! I loved hanging out with you this week!

The two of us holding our newly received degrees...his is somewhat more official than mine. :)

The grill master. Thanks for cooking the awesome food!

To my Mr. B., Thank you for doing the grocery shopping for the week. Have I mentioned I love having a stay-at-home-hunny?! :) You even brought home a surprise: an orchid! I might spend more time killing it than keeping it alive, but I promise to try! Oh, and I will just overlook the manager's special sticker that I'm sure was mistakenly placed on this beautiful plant...
To my Mama Ne', On my way to work this morning, I couldn't think of anyone else I wanted to share my wonderful job news with (side note: I officially have a job effective July 1st!). Thank you for speaking your encouraging and supportive words even in the craziness of your busy morning today. The Lord has truly blessed me with such a wonderful mama. I can't wait to see you...day after tomorrow is Mama Day! Wahoooo!
To my work week, Today was my Thursday. So there. Happy vacation to me! Just one more day. I think I can, I think I can. 
To my remarkable Doctor husband, Thank you for letting me be your date tonight to the graduation cocktail social and dinner celebration. I had a lot of fun with you! Day 2 of festivities down, at least three more to go! 

To my helpful Mr. B., Thank you for your help this weekend. I may not be very verbal about it, but you are more helpful to me than you will ever know. I know chores aren't the most fun thing to do over a beautiful weekend, but now that they are finished (for the most part), we can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of this celebratory week. You only graduate from medical school once!!
To the Market-By-the-River, You brighten my Saturday mornings. Thank you for your range of produce, flowers, bakery items, and handmade goods. So funny that people even recognized us, well Long Dog anyway, from last year's trips. We will be making a regular Saturday-morning habit out of you!
To the Baby Birds in the nest on the porch,  I noticed that my geranium was looking a little neglected lately, only to find that it has more company than I could have ever imagined! Thanks for making a home on my front porch. You are so cute, I will just have to overlook my degrading hanging plant.
To (brother) Banker Boy, I'm excited about all the guests coming for Handsome Hubby's graduation, but I am especially excited that you are coming the night before anyone else. Here's to picking whatever guest bed you want! I promise not to tell anyone if you pretend to be Goldilocks and try them all out... :)
To my traveling companion, T minus six days until we leave for Costa Rica! No one will believe that it took us 3.5 years to finally get to our honeymoon destination... P.S. I had fun bowling with you tonight.

April Date Day

For awhile now, I have been a regular reader of a blog (thank you Ray Ray for sharing it with me!) that has inspired me to not only be a help-mate and encourager to Handsome Hubby, but to be his buddy. This blog includes "playing together" as one of the 10 Things That Have Made All the Difference in their marriage. After reading their list a few months back, I was convicted in that HH and I don't really "play" together, and I later found out that he also thought buddy-ship was missing in our relationship. Sure, we would go on dinner-and-a-movie dates, we would go on group outings, but we didn't make much time "playing" together, just the two of us. We made an agreement to try and apply this in our lives more frequently. But, how do we do this?! We needed to be intentional.

One of the women in my small group suggested a "date cup." HH and I each wrote down a few ideas of things we would really see ourselves enjoying doing together and placed them in a bowl. One piece of paper is drawn at the beginning of each month, and that is our date day for the month. This can certainly be done more frequently, but because of his crazy school and soon-to-be residency schedule, we decided it not to push it! :) Once the hubster has his schedule, we actually plan a date.

Thus far, this has worked really well for us in being intentional about spending "buddy" time together. In March, our date day was to the nearby zoo and today was our April date day horseback ridding at the military fort. It was awesome! And what's more, we are having fun being active and spending the day together. We always enjoy each other's company, but this has become a real treat!

Although we haven't but into place all of the 10 Things that are listed on the other blog, I would also recommend Tuesday Questions. It has been instrumental in how Handsome Hubby and I communicate our needs and stresses with one another.

Below are some pictures from our outing today. Enjoy! :)

Handsome Hubby waiting with his helmet before our trail ride.

Me. The weather was beautiful!

Greeting to know the horses before the ride.

Meeting Lightning before our ride. So excited!

Velvet...the view from on top.

Lightning (left) and Velvet (the black one just behind Lightning) after our ride. 

Lightning on the right. Great horse! Except he was always trying to eat leaves off the trees on the trail. He was pretty insistent too!

 

To my Mr. B., You probably don't need the reminder, but you have a grand total of TWO days left of rotations! Wahoooo! I know that you may feel that these are the hardest two days of medical school ever, but I know you can do it! Did I mention that one of those days is today?! So, really you only have 1 day left! ;)

To my front porch rose bush, Thank you for blooming this week. I know I confused you this winter when I brought you inside the house to rescue you from the cold outside. You loved the heat so much you produced at least a dozen flowers in the middle of January. You subsequently turned brown and all your leaves fell off. I am glad you have decided to delight me with your beauty once again! Next winter, you're staying outside...

To the Women at the Lasting Beauty Conference last night, Thank you for being called to share your stories. Thank you for reminding a whole room of women that God created beauty and defines beauty, and though the culture and sin may ravish our beauty, it is through God's grace and mercy that our beauty can be restored. Thank you for that sweet reminder. 

To soon-to-be Mama Elsken, Thank you for speaking sense to me. It is amazing how Handsome Hubby can tell me his opinion over and over again, but it is when I hear the same opinion from someone else, that it finally sinks in. Thank you for your honesty and encouragement. Thank you for your prayers. And, thank you for being willing to let the Lord speak through you to give me the discernment I needed about choosing the job opportunity that is right for me. And thank you for letting me eat your M&Ms...

To my [almost] doctor husband!, You graduate in less than a week. I'm totally stoked. Fyi, t minus 6 days until vacation begins!

 

To my creative Mr. B., Thanks for making up the yard game for us to play yesterday. Easter Sunday was a blast enjoying family and friends, incredible food, and hours of entertainment playing the yard game-without-a-name (so far!)...it is sure to become a family favorite. Is it possible to rig that up at our house? Oh, and congrats on having 5 BUSINESS DAYS LEFT OF MEDICAL SCHOOL!

To Stone Mountain, Thanks for providing loads of entertainment on Saturday. You were harder to climb than I remembered, but the hike plus the Lazer Show brought back sweet memories. Handsome Hubby, the Swede, and Banker Boy: I had lots of fun with you guys!

To Ray Ray, Nothing like needing a rescuer first thing on a Monday morning! Thanks for being willing to come let me in so I could retrieve my house and car keys. Yikes! I know it made us both a little later than expected, but I am so thankful for you! What an incredible blessing you were this morning. Hoping that all the mishaps this morning aren't an indication of the rest of the day (or week for that matter)!

To the Swede, I am so grateful that you took a week to come spend some time with your American family (and thankful to the Pig that he let us borrow you)! We enjoyed your visit so much, we almost swede-napped you! :) Here's to wonderful Georgia fun and our Swedish excursion soon to come! We miss you already.

To my precious family, Thank you for an incredible Easter weekend! What a way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! I'm so thankful for the time we were able to spend together. Can't wait for your visit in celebration of Aaron's graduation!

Brief rest stop with the Swede and Banker Boy about 3/4 of the way up.

Me and Handsome Hubby at the top

Thanks for coming Banker Boy!

The view from above. You can see the lazer show lawn filling up below.

Easter Sunday with the family! (The Swede, Hurricane Hunk, and Weathergirl!)

 
 To my incredible Mr B., You left for the hospital this morning wearing your GT scrubs and drinking out of your GT coffee mug. Way to represent! Hoping your attending today is also a fan...

To my Small Group, Thank for blessing me with our incredible discussion last night. I think all of us (the engaged and the married) needed the reminders and Godly marital advice that was shared. Thank you all for being so open and honest! All of you beautiful ladies are such a source of encouragement for me...I praise the Lord for you!

To the 7-minute Frosting, You have been conquered! It may have taken two recipes, eight eggs, two scientists (thank you Swede), one almost surgeon, and a troubleshooting website, but we got a final product that was amazing! The result: perfectly fluffy icing that tastes like marshmellow fluff...so great that I posted the recipe below.

To my Traveling Companion, When you woke up this morning, the first thing out of your mouth was "I'm excited about going on vacation with you." T minus 14 days before we begin our travels the world! Btw, two countries on two different continents qualifies as the world... ;)

RECIPE: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with 7-Minute Frosting

The cupcake recipe can be found on Martha Stewart's website. I have a gas oven and would only suggest baking the cupcakes for 15-17 minutes instead and I would also add about 1/4 tsp of cardamom to the mix just because I love it! Otherwise, I followed the directions accordingly. 

My first attempt at the 7-minute frosting, I used the recipe that is given with the snickerdoodle recipe...fail. Maybe it was due to a slight yoke contamination, but the frosting never became fluffy. Aaron was a good sport and dipped the cupcakes in the resulting product anyway. In an effort to try and make my cupcakes look just as good as those in the professional picture, I decided to troubleshoot and remake the icing to cover the remaining cupcakes. This is the recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS- 

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

 Use eggs taken straight from the fridge, as they separate more easily. Bring a pot of water (roughly 1 quart in a 4-quart pot) to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Place all ingredients except vanilla in a glass bowl and set the bowl on the pot of simmering water, careful that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix on medium for one minute and then increase to high and beat for an additional 5 minutes which will result in hot, shiny egg mixture with stiff peaks. You may need to beat for a few additional minutes to get the peaks you want. Remove bowl and beat the vanilla into the mixture. Once cooled (~30 mins), this is enough icing to cover at least a dozen cupcakes. Keep iced cupcakes at room temperature and eat within 24 hours. Enjoy!

 
To Mr. B., I'm so glad you had a wonderful birthday! You kept such a positive attitude...especially when Rooster's Beak ended up being closed (and we went to Nacho Mama's instead), the frosting for the cupcakes never became fluffy (but we dipped the cupcakes in the resulting product anyway), and the Green Jackets lost (but we got the best seats in the whole stadium! although we could pick from almost any seat...). I am so thankful for your ever-positive perspective! 
To the Swede, I'm so thankful that we were successful in the mission to find a formal dress for your high-hat ceremony. I'm sure you will be the only one wearing a dress purchased in the U.S.A. and I know that the Pig will love it! :) Thanks for an enjoyable girls night out...who doesn't love a little P.F. Changs and shopping?! It's so exciting that you are visiting this week!
To my Weathergirl, I just want to thank you in advance for ordering a beautiful weather day for this coming Saturday... the Stone Mountain Lazer show is really no fun if there is any "weather." Hope that you and Hurricane Hunk will be able to join us for a picnic dinner and spectacular entertainment! 
To my amazing husband, Thanks for being my buddy. We definitely have fun together! Can't wait for vacation with you... countdown: t minus 15 days! 

Burrito at Nacho Mama's...mmmmm!

The Swede and her Sunburn Nachos... I can't believe you forgot how much you liked them! Thankfully, it all came back to you!

Monday night at the baseball stadium... lots of seats to choose from and $1 hotdogs! What could be better!?

Aaron's Green Jackets souvenir from the game

Me and the birthday boy- Happy 26 years!