Jinx

Don't want to jinx them, but let's go RED SOX!!!!!!!! Isn't Jacoby Ellsbury the cutest ever? Lew's favorite is Dustin Pedroia and Brooks loves Manny. Who's your favorite player?

Treats, gum, and new walls

We had our ward Trunk of Treat this Wednesday and it was fun, but when we got home we had to turn on the heat!! How crazy is that since I had the AC on all day Monday. The kids had a blast at the carnival, and like all things in the Bham ward it was completely over the top. A was Tinkerbell and B was Peter Pan (although he was called Robin Hood too and when you think of it they have a similar way of dressing). A wanted to to be "an angel like the one that came to Joseph Smith or a queen", but I thought this was a cute theme and almost got Lewis to be captain hook. Almost.


This picture is further proof that Aiden is related to me. We have a gift for finding gum or dog poop (actually poop of any kind) and stepping right in it. My mom gave me the gift and now I am passing it on.




Here are the pictures of the new dining room paint job. I am putting the picture of me on my birthday so you can see the color before. There were also various degrees of wallpaper (one later painted over, 2 layers, or just the thick old glue stuff painted over). The chair rail was also painted red. The close up is hard to see the texture, but it's there!

Finally DONE

The dining room is finally done! After hours of: attempting to remove wallpaper with water then with fabric softener and then with a scraper, priming, sanding, sanding (yes I meant to put that twice), texturizing with orange peel, sanding again, texturizing "venetian plaster" with joint compound, priming, painting, and scraping all the stuff off the floor, it is DONE and it looks great. Lewis was a champ helping out this weekend and I forgot to mention he also caulked the crown moulding.
Did I mention the comeback the Red Sox pulled off? They rule. You can watch them stomp the Rockies tonight. Cause we will and if you hear Lewis yelling "YEAH!!!!!" then you know why. (he really does cheer a little too loudly)
I need to get video of Brooks. He cheers "Let's go Red Sox" and his favorite player is Manny because he has "wong haya" aka long hair.
Oh, and did I mention that it's FREEZING today, I think it's 60 degrees or something and we are totally pulling out the sweaters. HOOOOOOOOORAY for fall, finally. I actually am loving the 3 days of rain and gloom we've been having. Connecticut rubbed off on me I guess. All this sunshine was stressing us out. Even Aiden said "I don't want to live here anymore. It's just SUMMER all the time. I want to live where there is rain and cold and snow and WIND" I just want to be able to open my windows at night and have a nice mountain breeze.

The Pocket

I would defend myself regarding the previous post about the Wii, but there are much more important things to discuss apparently. There was an outpouring of concern regarding my potential for future back pain with a front pocket loaded as full as it is in my lab coat. People really did notice and comment on it, so I will let you know 1--what is in there, and 2--why it is necessary. Enjoy.



2 black pens--all chart writing is done in black and I have run out of ink at inconvenient times with no spare pen in sight.








Highlighter and red pen: some things need to be emphasized.














Pen light--because Clint carries one everywhere he goes and I will not be outdone. Just kidding--it is for looking in mouths, noses, ears and eyes.
























Two reference mini-books. Pharmacopia is a drug reference. The other is full of useful hospital tips like normal lab values etc.















Palm pilot and notes/pt. lists. The palm is used for storing my codes, reminders, and to use as a calendar. It is a necessary evil.

So those are the regulars--other items make occasional guest appearances--like my cell phone stuffed in as an unwelcomed guest, or cash, which is always invited but never stays long. So that is the pocket. You wanted to know what was in there and there you have it.

FYI: there are 4 other pockets on the jacket, each of which carry a greater number of items as they are bigger pockets. Suture material, stethoscope, and many other items make their way around the hospital by hitching a ride in the Jones lab coat. In the meantime, I will continue to monitor my back pain.

NOTE from JJ: If you want to see the lab coat in action, look to the second to last post.

My Arch Rival

I mean it too. It's 11:12 pm and I am so tired and I want to go to sleep. It's that tired that hurts. Like when you travel somewhere far away and you know you need to stay awake until night but it hurts to or like when you are a teenager and you are having a sleepover and everyone else is wide awake and ready to party and you just want to go to sleep but know if you do you will be the one with the toothpaste on her face. So you stay awake. And it hurts. You know what I mean? Well, Lewis is home tonight and he keeps saying "stay awake and after the Red Sox game (they won and it was a great game to watch by the way so I hope you did) we will watch last night's episode of the office "(which he missed because he was working and did I mention he is working again tomorrow and then again on Tuesday?). Then he got this idea that he could play a hole of golf on the Wii when it was a commercial--not wasting time, see. And he wasn't playing well so he keeps having to start over so it won't ruin his blah blah blah blah. At least that's what I heard. Seriously, I just went out there and he's been playing FOREVER and he was on hole 9. Out of 18. Enough is enough but he says "I know I'm better than this" and I know he is too because he never stops anything until he's the best but there are some times when you just have to go to bed. And risk the toothpaste. Believe me, it comes off easy and actually is great for zits.
PS I think I convinced Lewis to do an entry that should be quite informative and explain his back pain. Stay tuned.
PSS Please excuse the run ons and excessive amounts of parenthesis. If you are reading this, you probably know how well I function after 10, but at least I didn't say anything outrageous this time.

Great Weekend

I must have thought we were doing funny faces!

I don't have anything to say but--so cute.

Serious Aiden.

The "CHAIR"

OMS department nurses station.

First of all, I have to start out by saying that the Irondale Cafe (whistlestop cafe) was really fun. Lucky for us we saw a helicopter being transported on our way over there which was the highlight for Brooks. He also loved the trains which were RIGHT in front of the cafe. The fried green tomatoes were great and so were the turnip greens that you put pepper vinegar on. It was a cultural experience for sure and I can't wait to take Lewis there.
Second of all it was a great weekend for us. I was feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude for all the blessings that I have. This weekend:
1) was Talledega race weekend so we were invaded by 250,000 of the most interesting people on the planet. Football is HUGE here in Alabama, but I think NASCAR is even bigger. We've seen our share of diehard fans this weekend.
2) we got to go visit Lewis at the hospital on Saturday while he was working. We brought dinner and ate in the dental school and then headed over to the cafeteria and got chocolate milk for the kids. They loved sitting in the chair where lots of teeth are pulled (more incentive to brush and floss!!) They especially loved running up and down the hall again and again.
3) we hung out with friends twice. We barbequed and celebrated birthdays. It was nice to have time with friends and let our kids play together. Between five families there were 16 kids, I think we were seriously bringing down the average.
4) it was general conference. I so look forward to this weekend twice a year (and not just because we don't have to go to church). It is wonderful to sustain our leaders and hear their messages to us. I am grateful for all that I heard and felt this weekend.

Oh yeah, HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!!!!!!

Fried Green Tomatoes

I am going here for lunch tomorrow with my Visiting Teachers but it won't feel right going without Johanna. It's the REAL whistlestop cafe but it's called the Irondale Cafe. I think we saw "Fried Green Tomatoes" the movie 7 times in the theater in PC because it was the only decent thing playing for about 6 months. (at least it felt like that long, but we really did see it 7 times). I can't wait to try some real southern cooking--meat and 3 sides. Fried okra, black eyed peas, collard greens, grits, and of course fried green tomatoes. I tend to not like fried food, but I'm willing to give it a try. I'll take pictures and let you know how it goes!!!