"As long as it gets you there!"

 
The air conditioning in my car went out a couple of weeks ago. I try not to complain too much . . . but come now, it's got to be at least 100 degrees in there! So yesterday I'm sitting at a light and this guy pulls up next to me. His AC was broken too, all his windows were rolled down, and he looked just as hot and sweaty as I was. In any other state we may have nodded or smiled at each other and moved on. However, this isn't any other state. This is Texas. The land of frequent conversations with total strangers. He calls over to me, "girl you lookin' just as hot as I am!"(We're talking temperature of course). We commiserated for a bit, then he flashed a giant smile and said, "as long as it gets you there!" and drove off.

Funny story, especially since I've never had a conversation at a stop light before, but he made me think. Things could be worse. I'm grateful to have a job with a salary, and I'm grateful to have a car that gets me there.

What We've Been Up To

Matt: So after begging Matt to come write his own little blurb, he came over and typed two words, "Medical School," and refused to write anymore. Haha. I guess that pretty much sums it up! He started classes on Monday and is enjoying it so far. It's pretty overwhelming, and it's proving to be just as much work as he thought it would be (if not more), but he's ready to give it all he's got. One of his big classes this semester is anatomy. All of the students are assigned to cadavers in teams of three. Luckily, Matt really likes his team since they'll be spending a lot of time together. This week they began dissecting the back and looking at different muscles and arteries. Honestly it makes me a little queasy, but he's enjoying it and learning a ton.

Sarah: School starts tomorrow! I've been working 10 hour days for the last two weeks going to new teacher trainings, signing paperwork, attending professional development seminars, tech training, STAAR training, meeting with my "team" (the other 10th grade English teachers), creating lesson plans for the first couple weeks, decorating my classroom, and setting up classroom procedures. Phew! I am ready to teach! School is a weird place without any students. I love the other teachers, and I already have some really good friends (love my team!), but I love working with the kids/teenagers. It's going to be hard. Situations will arise that I don't feel equipped to deal with, and I'm curious about how classroom management is going to be. I know that I can do it though, and I feel like I'm going to grow so much as a teacher this year. I'll have lots of stories to tell. Stay posted!

And so it begins . . .

Tonight was Matt's White Coat Ceremony. It was a really cool experience. We were sad that his family couldn't be there, but it was kind of neat to share that together, just the two of us. He walked in with the rest of his class, a brass quintet playing super classy, regal music in the background, and I actually got a little choked up. I loved hearing all of the students repeat the Oath of Hippocrates, and hearing the Ethical Pledge, and watching everyone go through donning their white coats and signing the pledge book. It was very inspiring to see so many people ready and willing to donate their lives to public service. And that was my husband up there!

Matt has worked so hard to get to this point, and he has such a long road ahead. They say that while a typical undergrad course load is 16-20 credits, the required med school course load is the equivalent of 40 credits. Yikes! But he wants to be a doctor anyway. What a champ. He's so excited and ready to get going.  I couldn't be more proud of him. Doesn't he look good in white? :) 

Matt's Birthday Week: The Finale

Matt found one of the coolest places in Houston on Saturday. Houston Memorial Park and Arboretum! I know that this level of excitement for an arboretum might make us sound super boring, but trust me. It's pretty awesome. I think of it as a city oasis. Parts of it are cultivated as gardens and parks, but the area that we went to is this giant, wild, forest-y, magic land. It will be even more amazing when it's not a million degrees outside :)

And this, my friends, is the most delicious pizza we've ever made. I was trying to channel the baked potato pizza at Pizza Pie Cafe. The only thing it was missing was hot sauce . . . next time. Trust me, there will be a next time.

Which brings us to today! The real birthday. I was forbidden from telling anyone it was Matt's birthday. However, his Dad is here to visit and I think we pulled together a pretty good celebration.

My cupcake cake looks a little smushy. But I pulled it off with one cake mix instead of two so I'm calling it a success.

Happy birthday Matt! I love you so much.

The Newest Members of the Scott Family

Matt's birthday isn't until Sunday, but we were so excited about his birthday present that we just couldn't wait! A couple of days ago we went out and bought a real fish tank. It's so fun to watch those little guys swimming around. We're both having a lot of fun with it. Matt would really like a dog, but fish are about all we can handle right now. So far we have three little tetras breaking it in. In a week or two we'll be able to get a couple more fish and maybe even a shrimp! He really wants a frog too, one of the little aquatic ones that lives underwater, but I'm too nervous that it will get out and be jumping around in my kitchen . . .

House Tour

This is for you, Mom :) Please forgive my mediocre photography skills.

We live along the back fence of the complex. Nice and quiet except for the family of noisy squirrels that lives in the tree. They squeak and chitter all night long. It's so weird!

The downstairs is all one big, open floor. I love how open and airy everything feels after living in a basement apartment.

My Hawaii and Catalina tiles keep me in my happy place while I'm doing dishes :)

The second floor is all open as well. It's our bedroom/library. So fun!

Matt's Birthday Week

I love birthdays. I do. Any excuse for celebration is loved by me, but birthdays include sprinkles, candles, favorite foods, and giving/receiving presents. So yeah, I love them. That's why I do my best to extend the festivities and celebration for as long as possible. Matt patiently endures my birthday week hype even though he's more of a birthday person (I think he secretly likes it). 

His birthday is on Sunday so the birthday week has only just begun! Here is part one:

A walk through the Museum District and Hermann Park Gardens 

I was more excited about these than he was . . .

Our first Astros game

Beach trip!
We explored Galveston today. So awesome that it's only an hour away from home!

Of course we had to stop here. What is it with men and Fry's?

And it's only just begun. I love birthday week.