SNOW!

Today is the first day it has snowed... December 7th... I could get use to this.

Happy Birthday Syd!

One day, many years ago, back in High School, I was having a really bad day. My friend Syd could tell something was wrong and asked me what was going on. I told her that it was my sister Laura's birthday and I was really missing her. She told me that we shouldn't grieve everyday, but on days like birthdays or anniversaries of death it is justified to have a bad day and miss someone who has passed.

Well today is Syd's birthday, and I miss her. A lot. It comforts me to know that I have her permission to miss her today.

Happy Birthday, Syd!

Neapolitan Hair

I have had to learn a lot of lessons since being in TN. The biggest lesson I have learned is to not get your hair done when you live in the middle of nowhere. I got my hair done in September and it was a disaster. I told the girl I wanted very natural highlights. I guess in the south that means chunky, bleach streaks. Worst of all she apparently doesn't know that you have to use a different developer on regrowth, thus causing my hair to be two completely different colors. After a tearful conversation with Shannon I decided that when I am in Utah for Christmas I am going to have my hair dyed to my natural color and then be done with having my hair colored while I live in Harrogate.

The other day we were sitting at Kevin's and Holly commented on my regrowth. I pulled up my hair to show her how I have three colors of hair and Rick made the comment that my hair looks like neapolitan ice cream. He nailed it...

Only 11 days till I will have normal hair again!! Oh! And see that mark on my forehead?? Well when I was a baby I had a huge, hideous mark there. It disappeared when I was four, but it's back now! I have had a zit looking thing there for over a month now. I am just a hot mess.

Fall in TN

Somehow my camera charger did not make it to TN. My camera died at Steve's white coat ceremony. Since then I have just had to use Steve's i pod. I tried so hard to take pictures of all the trees changing, but I never have Steve's i pod. Steve and I decided to go to Knoxville, like a month ago. I finally had his i pod to take a picture. This is the best picture I could get...

You can barely see the trees, but there you have it. Fall was gorgeous, and lasted longer than two weeks unlike Utah's falls. Hopefully next fall I will have a better camera and better pictures to show you.

Nashville, TN

My sister in law and her two kids flew into Nashville the Monday before Thanksgiving. Since I am the unemployed, childless member of the family I was lucky enough to go pick them up.

I woke up Monday morning and it was POURING. For those of you who have never experienced southern rain... it is a whole different experience from western rain. Your wipers can't go fast enough. And people are already crazy drives and the rain does not help! I made it about thirty miles till I had to pull over and practice my yoga breathing to try to calm myself down. After a couple of deep breathes I got back on the rain. I made it about another thirty miles before pulling over again. I called Steve so that he would calm me down (which he is always able to) and ate some lunch.

After I was done eating I got back on the road. Thankfully the rain stopped! The rest of the drive was very beautiful and pleasant.

I posted on my facebook that I was going to Nashville and my Uncle Randy told me to stop in a little town called Gallatin where my 5th great grandparents are buried. I figured this could be a once in a life time experience and I should go the thirty miles out of my way to visit their graves. I am so glad I did! It was an amazing experience. It was incredible to look around the area and see what my ancestors saw. It was great.

Sarah Bell's grave

William Bell's grave. It was so old I couldn't read any of the writing on it.

My mother in law told me that I needed to go to Andrew Jackson's home. It was so beautiful and very educational. Im not really sure how I feel about Andrew Jackson, but he had a beautiful home!

This is the original pathway people would take to the mansion.

The back of the mansion

The side of the mansion

The pillars are the original pillars, made of wood.

I wanted proof that I had been there, so I was a loser and took pictures of myself.

This is the pathway to where Jackson and his wife are buried. They are buried in the garden.

The garden. I hope I can go sometime when the flowers are in bloom.

In the back is the graveyard. Kind of spooky. I was the only one there!

Jackson and his wife were the first to be buried there. Then they started burying other family members.

Tree headstone! Cool.

Tiny headstone!

This is where Jackson and his wife are buried. His wife died right before he became president. He was madly in love with her and would go visit her grave every single night.

One of the many slave cabins

After I went to the mansion I decided to drive into the city. My father in law told me I needed to go see the Ryman Auditorium. I drove into the city right when it was getting dark. It took me twenty minutes to find a parking spot. I was a little nervous walking around by myself so I didn't stay long, but what I did see I loved!

Awesome building downtown

I am such a city girl. Something about being around tall building and lots of people just makes me so happy.

Ryman Auditorium. I wish I could have gone for a tour. It is a beautiful building.

I really wish I could have spent more time downtown, but at least I got my thirty minutes! After that I went to the airport to get Sarah and the kiddies. We stopped and got dinner and then made the drive back home. Luckily it wasn't raining, but there was very heavy fog. I was definitely ready to be out of the car by the time we got back to Harrogate.

I had such a fun day. I absolutely love living in a new part of the country. It is fun going on little adventures like this one.

Our First Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving this year at Steve's dad house. Steve's oldest brother Chad, his wife Sarah, and their two adorable kids came to visit for the week. It was so fun having the whole family here for Thanksgiving.

I was in charge of making rolls for dinner. Steve and his brothers had a football game at eight so I had to wake up at seven to cut out the rolls. I watched the Friends Thanksgiving episode with Brad Pitt while I cut out the rolls. It sure put me in the Thanksgiving mood!

After the rolls were cut, we took off for the big football game! It was so foggy and cold. We couldn't even see our neighbors house across the street. Kevin and I bundled up and cheered the boys on.

The fog started to clear and it finally warmed up a little.

After two hours of watching them play, I decided to go home and get ready. Then I headed over to Kevin's for our early dinner.

The dinner was delicious! After dinner the boys watched football and the rest of us just hung out.

It was a pretty fun day. I got really homesick which I didn't expect. Holly and Sarah made me feel a lot better. They told me stories about their first holidays with the Joneses and it helped to know it was normal to be so homesick.

I am so grateful for so many things. I am thankful for my wonderful parents who having been so supportive of everything I have done. I am thankful for my sisters who I know are always there for me. I am thankful for my amazing friends who still care about me even though I am hundreds of miles away. I am thankful for my in laws who have been so kind to me.

Most of all I am thankful for my wonderful husband whom I love so much. I could not ask for a better man. He is so kind to me and is working so hard to build a good future for us. I am thankful everyday for him.

I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our First Married Halloween

Last year on the weekend of Halloween Steve had to go to a football game in California and Halloween was on a Sunday. I went to a Halloween party with some friends over the weekend and then on Halloween Steve came home and we spent the day watching TV. Very eventful Halloween.

Well this Halloween was worse. We did not do one Halloween thing. I went to a Witches Tea Party with Holly a couple of weeks ago and that was really fun, but it was the only Halloween thing I did. And it just breaks my heart because Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!

This year I spent the day being extremely homesick, especially for my nieces and nephews. Steve had the day off from school and we spent it lying around the house. I wanted to watch a scary movie and wait for trick or treaters. Instead we watch the dumbest movie ever and didn't have even one trick or treater. I really enjoyed spending the day with Steve but it was the lamest Halloween.

Here's to hoping someday Steve and I will have a fun Halloween together!

White Coat Ceremony

On Saturday, September 24th 2011 Steve had his White Coat Ceremony.

"The White Coat Ceremony is a time for medical students to hear words of wisdom and encouragement from their mentors. The Ceremony provides an opportunity to reflect on what it means to become a physician and a time for students to reaffirm their commitment to becoming physicians. It is also an opportunity for the medical school to reaffirm its commitment to providing the education and clinical training necessary to help each student achieve his or her professional goals."

The Ceremony began Friday night with a fantastic BBQ! A couple of the Doctors are award winning barbecuers and spent all day preparing a fabulous meal for the students and their family.

The enormous barbecuers.

After dinner there was a flag football game. The first years played against the second years. Sadly the first years lost.

The next morning was the Ceremony. They laid out all of the white coats on chairs for the students.

That's my husband!!

Steve is in the middle wearing a green shirt.

Steve getting ready to recite his pledge.

I am so proud of him!

Steve and his step mom Cindy.

Steve and his adorable nephew Brady.

with Katie and Brady

A proud father!

Jones men minus one.

The future Dr. Joneses

Steve, Rick, Holly, and the kiddos. They have been so extremely great to Steve and me. It is nice having people who went through exactly what we are going through.

I am so extremely proud of my husband. He is amazing. He is doing so well in school. By the White Coat Ceremony his class was already 20 people less. He wasn't sure how many of those were people who couldn't handle it or who had already failed out. He is going strong! He is getting excellent grades and is working very hard. The Ceremony made me think a lot about his graduation and how fast it is going to come. He is already almost done with his first semester which means we only have a year and a half till rotations! Not that I don't love living off student loans and having a husband that studies all the time, but I really hope the next three and a half years go as fast as these first six months have. Then I will have an absent husband in residency making next to nothing. Something to look forward to. :)