Insane for Ikea.

Since moving up to Phoenix, we have been able to take advantage of living within 20 minutes of the only Ikea in Arizona! It used to be a weekend treat to drive up and get everything we needed at each trip, now it's nice to go to peruse around, pick up a few things, and maybe grab a cinnamon bun. ;)

I needed to pick up a frame for a project and a chair for our bedroom vanity. Of course I left with quite a bit more than that. Best find: a cart for the popcorn machine my mom and dad got us for Christmas! We wanted something portable, but not too big. I found the perfect little utility cart (for under $30!!!).

I also got a frame for my project...a menu board for weekly meal planning. We've been trying to make an effort to eat at home more and the best way to combat the fast food demons is to plan! I found this print as a free download on a graphic design website! (LOVE the internet.)

I'm excited to use it this week and hopefully stay more organized and proactive as far as our meals go. I also picked up a side table for my brother's room that my mom has been looking for, six wine glasses for $4, a bathroom mat, and some extra frames - all for a great deal, of course (yay, Ikea!). 

This house is coming together one thing at a time. We had a fantastic weekend full of friends and Christian just took his last exam for this block and has a capstone week this week (meaning he has no classes but instead goes to clinical shadowing experiences throughout the week). I also start teaching my next series at work and this group of girls is big...those always tend to be more fun.

We hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

sanity.

So I've been making a huge effort to gain some of it back. Not really a new year's resolution so much as a desire to feel in control of my life that has become a little nutty since starting school this past August.

One of the things we're working at most is trying to develop a routine of sorts. This seems easy and really natural to most of you who do normal jobs and normal things. When you are two students - one of whom takes online classes and works a completely unpredictable job, one of whom is EXTREMELY involved in extracurriculars (I'll give you a hint, they're not the same person) - it's been kind of difficult. And let me tell you right now...the first thing to go is the house. And in particular, our bedroom. Which is sad. Since we moved in November we've pretty much kept it filled with boxes full of stuff we didn't know where to put away and laundry. Clean and folded or dirty, makes no difference.

Last night I decided that we would no longer dread going into our bedroom. I moved all the furniture around and hung some of our stuff on the wall and it looks like a totally different room (thank goodness for that). I'm headed into the office next (gulp) and then hopefully once we get caught up on the laundry, we can go into maintenance mode and the house won't be a big ticket item on my daily to-do list.

Christian is equally happy and says the new "fung shui" helped him get going this morning (he's taking an optional medical spanish class once a week before his lectures). I even decided to do my medical ethics class in bed this morning, which is a perk of going to school online that I never used to take advantage of when our room was a dark dungeon of chaos and dirty clothes.

I think I'll keep going while I'm on a roll. This one's been cheering me on all morning. She's obviously inspired by my hard work.

Hope everyone else is enjoying productivity today. I don't know if there's anything quite as rewarding as a steadily productive day.

The first Step.

I am excited/terrified to say that Christian has officially registered (and paid for, dangit) his USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) Step 1 exam. --GULP-- The beginning of June! This is the big one. Well, at least one of the big ones. Arguably the biggest one. He has a solid study plan (and has been reviewing case studies with friends since the middle of last year - talk about a head start) and has been working through the book below, First Aid for the 2011 Step 1, two other books (one with the phrase "made ridiculously simple" in the title, can't go wrong there), and the audio musings of one Dr. Goljan who records his notoriously lively Step 1 review lectures that my dear husband listens to in the car. And in the kitchen. Or as a perfect soundtrack to breakfast. I'm starting to enjoy reinforcing my knowledge of oxygen saturation of hemoglobin over eggs and bacon.

I'm sure I've written about Step 1 before, but it is so close now I can smell the fear...on all of them, frankly. I'm really proud of the hard work he has already put into this exam and am planning a few vacations to help me deal with the hard work he will be putting in closer to the exam. He's definitely hoping to fall to the right of the bell curve there (on both graphs).

My goal is to ensure he can study like he has no life and his mom does his cooking and laundry. Trust me...totally worth it...this sucker is important. 

This was one of the reasons going to school at the same time was so important (if not financially ill advised). At least we get to be holed up in the library together. :)

PS - Other med spouses/SOs: help!!! Advice? How can I keep my sanity while helping him to be as successful as humanly possible? 

December in Instagram photos (Let's catch up, shall we?)

After Christian's last final in the second week of December, we headed to Tucson for a bit. 

                     

We went to Winterhaven Festival of Lights with Christian's family (where we were the weekend before watching my sister get engaged!). This is Chris with his best man/best friend Clinton and his brothers.

This is the wish tree, filled with paper chains that have wishes written on them. Christian's little brother, Ethan, wrote the sweetest wish.

(We had been talking about Megan and Kyle's engagement a lot that night. He has the sweetest heart.)

Mom and Dad outdid themselves this year. 

Then we left Vies in Tucson with my family so we could take a little anniversary trip! We went to Disneyland for three days and had an amazing time. It's hands down our favorite place to go on vacation (which makes us giant seven year olds). Oh yeah...and the entire time we were on vacation, I was deathly ill. WHAT A BUMMER.

                   

                   

                   

                       

Then we got home and had a wonderful Christmas. I didn't snap too many pictures...I was too busy having a good time (this one is from Grandma and Grandpa Allen's house). 

                  

                  

                  

Then, we took a mini-vacation with my mom, dad, bother, aunt, and cousins to San Diego. They had some hotel vouchers and Sea World tickets that were expiring at the end of 2011. Hooray for free vacations!!! (And hooray for San Diego, AMIRIGHT?!) That last photo is this amazing pasta/pizza joint we found not too far from Sea World that served the Torpasta - a garlic roll with the bread torn out and pasta stuffed inside. Kill me now.

                   

                   

Back home...I tried to do a little of this. I think my added sickness continually reinforced my "No school over the holidays at all whatsoever 'cause it's just not right" policy. 

                        

Then we got to: go shooting with Grandpa, get started on wedding planning (!!!!), and get together with old friends at a show. We love being in Tucson. :D

                   

                                

                   

                   

THEN (yes...the fun continues) we had a fantastic New Year's Eve party at my parents house. There was lots of eating, more eating, football/basketball watching, Fruit Ninja playing, and I got to ring in the New Year with my best friend and my husband (does it get any better than that?). Also, New Year's Day pork and sauerkraut at Grammy's. Basically, I probably gained 50 pounds over the holidays. 

                   

                               

Finally, we couldn't put it off any longer and headed home. Dad came up with us and helped us install our new (to us) washer/dryer that a friend from Tucson got rid of to make way for new ones. We are SO THANKFUL to not have to go to the laundromat anymore. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP, DAD!

                   

Now Viesa is happy to be home and it's back to the grind. First pharmacology exam next week and I'm reeeally sweatin'. 

We had an absolutely delightful holiday filled with friends, family, and unholy amounts of food. We are so grateful to have people to share the holidays with. I'd take the stress of the holidays five times a year if it meant spending so much quality time with our favorite people. 

More posts to come...I have so much to share/discuss with you all, but I took a little break from studying and have to get back. We hope you all had an equally enjoyable Christmas and New Year. May 2012 be your best yet. xoxo