Utah

We left Thursday afternoon to Utah for a very special reason. Steph, Dave & Matthew were getting sealed in the Manti Temple.

We were so grateful to be able to witness this special day with them and be able to visit with all the Gunnell siblings and visit my family as well. Utah was gloriously cool in the mornings and nights with warm (hot to the wimpy Utahns) summer days.

We visited Bryce Canyon and enjoyed the 9 hour drive up and back again. (not!) That is the worst drive ever! Although I had it easy sitting and snoozing in the passenger seat as Phil commandeered our trusty little Sentra, which we can drive up to Kanab on one tank.

More pics to follow; I need to be productive and make some money, off to clean in Gold Canyon!

One Quarter

June 19th, 2008 I hit the quarter century mark. Scary. Phil took me out to dinner at Caffe Boa per my request where we had a lovely dinner. Because I am a foodie I will list in detail what we had for your gastronomical pleasure.

I chose the Agnolotti Boa Handmade ravioli filled with a blend of grilled portabella and cremini mushrooms in a mild sauce of tomato, herbs, and a touch of cream and Phil indulged his inner cave man with the Kobe Beef Burger; a ½ lb burger, grilled and topped with organic Point Reyes blue cheese and caramelized shallots; served with Yukon gold wedge cut roasted potatoes with fresh thyme and oregano. It was quite tasty.

And when we returned home I was attacked.

See below photos for evidence.

SURPRISE!!!!!
My dear sneaky husband planned a great surprise party and with the help of family and friends we had a wonderful evening. I was "welcomed" home with 8 cans of silly string, some of you had a great aim!

Phil found this awesome Happy Birthday hat that I had, no got to wear throughout the evening.

We had deliciously decadent chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

And for the viewing pleasure of the attendees I was to take out my frustrations on an unsuspecting Superman Piñata. With my poor, weak aluminum broom handle, that unfortunately did not survive.

For the record, Superman lived up to his name. He was super strong and resisted the forces my arms were giving him. He tried to escape the noose several times and lost his head in the process. After my broom handle gave up the ghost I told Phil to grab the bat from the garage and then instead of passing it to me, he proceeded to beat the living daylights out of Clark Kent. And candy spewed forth across the yard, smacking our guests and launching into the cul-de-sac.

With the carnage and brutality and humiliation over we headed indoors for some games. After our kind and supportive guests left a family fight broke out. It was not pretty.

Thankfully silly string is really fun to clean up.

The Host-In Review

Synopsis:

"The author of the Twilight series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake. Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time." Taken from Amazon.com

I bought this book because of the author's name and from my love of her previous works "Twilight". I did not read reviews and worry about the quality of the story. Just add to my Amazon cart and awaited shipment.

The book arrived and I began and subsequently finished in a 24-hour period (Phil made me come to bed and despite my best efforts-I had responsibilities). There have been complaints that it is slow and hard to get into. I admit there seems to be more of a drag as the author is setting the scene, informing you of pertinent details and familiarizing you with the alien invaders. It is deeper and the characters are real and more than the two dimensional reads from Twilight.

You may scoff at the notion of alien invaders but really, are vampires and werewolves any different? This is not Twilight. This book was written for adults, not the swooney love sick teenager that Twilight caters too. (I put myself in that category as far as the books are concerned-loved them). It is more emotionally developed and makes you think. Whenever I read a good book, it stays with me for a few days and I find myself thinking of the characters and putting myself in their shoes. This book made me examine my own relationships and the decisions I make.

It is a more intelligent read and touches on topics of humanity, personal growth, prejudice and environmental adaptation. It is not as romantically intense as Twilight and is a very clean read, passionate kissing mentioned but not exploited. Normally I can begin to unravel the plot as the book goes on but it wasn't until the last chapters that I could see where she was going.

Overall, this is a good read. Drop your expectations from Twilight, this is different. Deeper, more involved, a slower pace but a steady one. I will continue to purchase her books by her name alone. Stephenie Meyer knows how to tell a story. One deep with drama and emotion.

Buy it.

Have you read it? What did you think?

A Happy Monday

7am rolls around and I call my first patient back. He is reading TIME magazine and it apparently is too good to leave in the waiting room and it follows us into the operatory.

H: (Mentally muttering) Great. One of those.
(Verbally) "Good morning Bob, (names have been changed to protect the incompetent innocent) any changes in your health since our last visit?"
Bob: Still reading the magazine. "What? You're gonna have to speak up." (He's not old, 50s)
H: Repeat myself louder and still maintain cheerfulness. "Any concerns with your mouth today?"
B: "What? Oh, no." Resumes reading terribly important article.

I take the necessary x-rays in his really small mouth and begin the scaling.

Heavy, thick, sticky, nasty plaque. My favorite first thing in the morning. (Heavy sarcasm)

As I scale and gross myself out I know he doesn't care and I don't care to waste my time and efforts trying to convince him of the err of his tooth brushing ways. But it is my duty and I tactfully inform him of my findings and so on and so forth.

He doesn't care. His attitude says for me to shut it and quit the lecture. I do and resume the tedium of scaling crap out of his smelly little mouth. The mouth that has lips that tighten and restrict my access to the lower front teeth, the same mouth that houses the busy tongue that follows my instruments and impedes my vision. Yes, the very same mouth that will return in 6 months in the same condition.

I finish and sit him up, he resumes reading the dang magazine, which is more important and interesting than the services I just provided. The feeling is mutual; I would rather read the magazine than clean his teeth.

I schedule his next appointment.

With the other hygienist.

Why I ♥ Amazon

• Summer Reading.
• Reading in general.
• Amazon shipping directly to my happy mail box.
• Fantastic, just can't be beat pricing.
• All of this makes me very happy.

See. Very happy.

And reading makes me very unproductive.

Dang. I mean really, very, immensely, hopelessly unproductive. Makes Phil ask what I did with my day and I answer sheepishly yet proudly "I finished a whole book!" unproductive.

Well, I won't start until I clean my house and figure out dinner. I have 3 1/2 hours until Phil gets home. Better get crackin'!

What are your favorite reads?

It doesn't hurt to try...

Phil decided that he wants to apply to M.D. schools as well. One of those "I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering..."

So, we now are applying to a total of 13 schools; 8 D.O. and 5 M.D.

Scattered across the United States we are now hopeful in:

• Arizona-Tucson (M.D.) & Glendale (D.O.)
• California-Loma Linda (M.D.) & Vallejo (D.O.)
• Wisconsin (M.D.)
• Ohio (M.D.)
• Illinois-Chicago (M.D.) (D.O.)
• Nebraska (M.D.)
• Georgia (D.O.)
• Pennsylvania (D.O.)
• Nevada (D.O.)
• Florida (D.O.)

Please, oh, please someone take us!

Like, Totally Awesome

Bunco was 80s Night and we had some totally awesome fun at Kira's, several of us had the same idea going with the layered legging look, side ponytails and heavy make-up. I found a large shoulder-padded white shirt with the banded waist and a neon skirt at Goodwill, bright chunky plastic jewelry at Target and very original Jellies. (remember sweaty plastic feet?)

The whole radical 80s Bunco gang. Gotta love the Madonna wannabe in the front center, she even made a matching glove from her green leggings.

My cousin Jenn & I. She pegged her jeans, coordinated her socks with her shirts, feathered her bangs complete with half pony and scrunchie. I got suddenly nervous when she rang the doorbell since I was all decked out and was really grateful I had a carpool buddy to share in my fashion crisis.

Weekend Agenda

• Tackle the laundry, wash our bed
• File all the papers on my desk threatening to engulf me
• Clean our bathroom (the guest one is already clean, thankfully)
• Bunco tonight-Awesome 80s theme-stayed tuned for some totally radical pictures of yours truly
• Lunch date tomorrow with old friends
• Jungle themed Birthday pool party-no, I will not be gracing the waters
• Prepare for YW Pres. Meeting and YW lesson
• Conduct said meeting Sunday morning and teach about missionary work
• Plan Sunday Meal, thinking Grilled Pork with Asparagus, Sauteed Spinach and Brown Rice?
• Eat the produce section in my fridge before it goes to waste, since I always go over board when summer's bounty comes
• Exercise today and tomorrow so I can eat tonight at Bunco and for tomorrow's festivities

What's on your agenda for the weekend?

Let the Waiting Begin

We have submitted our application to 8 medical schools across the country. Arizona, Chicago, California, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, Philadelphia, and Ohio. Out of those 8 hopefully at least one will want us. We are vying for closer to home schools but beggars can't always be choosers, so we will go with whoever will take us!

We have a long wait. A few more weeks before we will know the schools have received Phil's application, then we need to send his fabulous Letter of Recommendations and pay ASU for sending them, then we wait for each school to ask for more money under the guise of a secondary application. Then, more waiting.

In the fall we can hope for interview invitations, also known as more money required to fly out, board up and dress to impress. We wait again. Almost a year later, we perhaps will hear that someone somewhere loved Phil and would be honored and delighted to offer a position at their prestigious medical school. Then, if the stars align and the powers that be deem it a worthy cause we will embark on a 10 year journey consisting of 4 years of medical school, 1 year of general surgery training and then 4-5 years of orthopaedic residency. Holy crap!

Yes, Phil, the eternal student, will be 40ish before we are "through". Maybe he and I should have a little chat about the specialty he wants to do. Maybe he will be inspired to go another route in medicine, something not quite as long. Maybe I will just buck up and go along for the ride. Maybe I will birth our entire family in med school, get a taste of being a "single mom" and still come out of it unscathed and stronger in the end. Maybe.

Home at Last

(A few of my lovely ladies dressed up for skit night)

Home from camp.

(The edited version)

3 1/2 days of crazy, campy fun. Testimonies were strengthened, friendships formed and fortified, candy abused, sleep deprived, annoying songs sung over and over and over...

I arrived home yesterday, took a 3 hour nap. Awoke with a monster headache feeling slightly nauseated. Took some drugs, ate some grub, went to bed at 7pm and awoke at 7am.

I felt reborn. Sleep will do that to ya!

Back to work and triple digits. Bring it!