Now until Christmas...

This past weekend, Ben and I managed to get a lot of things done. We baked Christmas cookies, sent out some Christmas cards, went grocery shopping among other errands. We are ready to head back to PA for Christmas!

We have a few Christmas parties to go to this week, then I have off on Saturday, then Sunday I head back to work in order to have off on Friday (Christmas day). So this upcoming two weeks will be a little bit odd for us.

I am very anxious for it to be next Thursday and for us to head up to PA. I know that anticipation is half the excitment, but I just want everyone to meet Wrigley- and to be with my family and loved ones for the holiday.

*For all those who will be around on the 26th- Ben and I will be hanging out at Arooga's on Linglestown Rd (accross from Sheetz- on the corner of Linglestown Rd and Colonial Rd) on the evening of the 26th to hang out with friends and family. Anyone is welcome and bring family/friends if you wish. We don't have a firm time yet, so text/call us if you want to join in!

Miss you all... 9 more days until PA! :o)

Pictures from Thanksgiving and our first Christmas tree!

Hello everyone! Below are some pictures from the pasts two weekends. We have been very busy but I managed to capture a few images :o) We picked out our very first Christmas tree from a small family nursery (reminding me of SKH) and had it set up in no time. It looks awesome and really helps keep us in the Christmas spirit down here in the warm state of GA. We can't wait to come home for Christmas and for everyone to meet Wrigley! Hope you enjoy the photos <3>

The awesome fabric we found for our tree skirt

Christmas decorations in the kitchen


a view from the family room into the kitchen

we just got the cardinal picture framed- just in time for Christmas

a festive Ben showing off our fabulous tree :o)

Wrigley crawled up on him all on his own... what a snuggle bug.



He sat there all by himself too, I managed to grab the camera before he moved

Thanksgiving and my Birthday

This thanksgiving our friend Sean came down from NC to spend the holiday with us. He did the turkey (which was fantastic) and I did the rest. It turned out well with no big issues! The boys said it was good, so I guess that's all that matters. I am very thankful for Ben, Wrigley, having a job that I enjoy, a wonderful home, and a loving family (even if they are far away).

We also celebrated my birthday while he was down, we went out to dinner at Gordon Bierch and it was very yummy. Then Saturday was the GA vs GA Tech game, we tailgated all day and then Ben went to the game and Sean and I came back to watch it at home. They ended up loosing but it was a fun weekend. We decorated for Christmas and plan on getting our very first tree together next weekend.

Tomorrow (or for some of you reading this on Monday- today) is my 24th birthday. It sucks not being able to see my family around this time of year but we are trying to handle it as best as we can. I decided that I didn't want to cook so we are planning on going up to a pub up the street for dinner. I also have to work on my birthday, but I guess that is what most people have to do. Nothing else too exciting happening here- just can't wait to get home for Christmas!

Miss and love you all <3

Another weekend

This week went really well at work. A patient that was discharged this week, filled out a survey and wrote an excellent review about me and the other physical therapy assistant that treated him- which was then given to my boss- and she gave it to the program director at the corporate office. We also had a work dinner on Friday night. Ben came along and got to meet all of the people I work with, (as well as their significant others) it was a good time! Then we went to a tavern for our friend's birthday. Ben sang karaoke and it was a good time. This weekend proves to be another busy one- never enough time.

But we are doing well, and will most likely have our friend Sean with us for Thanksgiving meal. It will be nice to have someone else to join in the festivities to make it special.

This Tuesday we are going to see Train in concert. I bought Ben tickets for his birthday, it is at a small venue so we should have good seats (or standing room) wherever we are.

The warm weather is still hard to get use to, it is already the middle of November but still in the 70's here- very weird. I miss everyone, and wish I could be home for Thanksgiving, but will make the most of my first official Thanksgiving dinner here.

Love you all.

Ben's 24th Birthday

This weekend, two of Ben's friends from college came to visit for his birthday. Matt and Zach arrived Thursday and the boys went out to a bar up the street to play darts and pool and have guy time. Friday they stayed home with Wrigley and then we went out to ABC for happy hour. We went to The Vortex for dinner, then went to two other bars for some beers on Peachtree St. Saturday we went to the football tailgate and the guys went to the game vs. Wake Forest- I went home to be with Wrigley and watch PSU. Unfortunately, PSU lost, but GT won in OT! Then we went to La Parilla (a Mexican restaurant) for dinner and then just hung out at the condo for a while, eventually we headed up to Fox and Hounds for a few birthday drinks. We stayed up late, and I think Ben had a great birthday celebration. Sunday (today), we took Matt, Zach, and Wrigley to Piedmont Park. It was a beautiful day to be outside and walk around. Matt is leaving tonight and Zach is leaving tomorrow afternoon. I think that Ben had a fun birthday and are very glad to have his friends here to celebrate it. I only hope that it was all that he wanted for his birthday :o)

Another week at work ahead, I'm fitting in more every day, and love being an O.T. Ben is winding down his semester, and anxious to finish up his course work and find a job that he enjoys. We think about you all often, miss and love you.

Fun Weekends

This past weekend Ben and I went to Harrisburg for my dad's 50th birthday :o) We ended up getting delayed in ATL and stuck in Charlotte bc we missed our connecting flight (after much stress and sprinting about 1/2 mile to our gate). Then we had a 6:30am connecting flight getting us in Hbg at 9:30am. So after 4 hours of sleep, we finally made it home. I was absolutely thrilled to be able to see almost my whole family all day long- at one place (not having to drive everywhere to see everyone). It was a blast and I think my dad enjoyed it too. I also got to spend Sunday with my mom while Ben spent the day w/ his family. Overall, it was a very short, yet sweet weekend. It was the refresher that I needed :o) Plus, I didn't have to miss my dad's 50th birthday! Happy Birthday dad :o)


This weekend Ben's 2 friends Zach and Matt are coming down to celebrate his birthday! Ben's turning 24 on November 7th (Saturday). So they are coming down Thursday and will probably go out and have some drinks then party it up on Friday and then the GT vs Wake Forest football game and tailgate on Saturday. I'm so glad that they decided to come down and make his birthday special. Another fun filled weekend coming up!

Miss everyone already, much love.

Change

As many of you know, I hate change. But since this move to ATL, I have been "forced" to embrace it.

One good change this week was that I got my first real pay check! It was such a good feeling to finally be valued for my education and service. Of course we would always love more, but I think once it starts coming in every two weeks, we will finally be on our feet :o) We celebrated my job and first pay check by going out to dinner at Brio on Friday night, a date night! It was a lovely meal, but felt weird to actually be acting like adults! Then Saturday we drove out of the city, toward Alabama, to go to a haunted house and trail. We were a little disappointed but just happy to be experiencing something true to GA and getting in the Halloween spirit.

Another change in my life is that I just found out that I won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving. I was absolutely crushed when I found out, I was under the impression that I could work the weekend before and everything would be fine- apparently that isn't the case. I am a very traditional person, but I guess Ben and I will have to break our traditions and have the big meal here by ourselves. What makes it slightly worse, is that Thanksgiving was when my family celebrated my birthday... things have to change sometime, even if it isn't welcomed.

The next big change was that Sunday... I got my hair cut. I went in with the thought of letting them do what they wanted, and sure enough, they turned me back to blonde- and then cut it all off. Below is my updated-do. I have mixed feelings about it :o)

Next we are off to PA for my dad's 50th birthday party!! I am so glad to be spending time with my family and even more excited to be able to celebrate with my dad. This will hopefully help hold me off until Christmas when we can go home to PA again.




Love you all!

Ben's Parents Visit for the Weekend

We were blessed to have visitors this weekend! Ben's parents arrived Friday afternoon while we were away, and Wrigley gave them a wonderful welcome. It was fantastic to have a full house when I came home from work! Wrigley was well taken care of all day, so we were able to go out to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, ohh boy was it yummy! Then Saturday we went to Einstein Bagel Brothers for breakfast. Saturday night we went tailgating at GT and headed to the football game. It was homecoming, so there were a ton of people there, they played VT and it was a great game (the student body stormed the field at the end of the game which was neat to see). The weather wasn't too bad and we had great seats too. Sunday, Lisa and I went to Buckhead Church, which was a huge production, and I also enjoyed being back in church. Then we went for a walk at the park and headed to The Pizza Kitchen in Lenox Square Mall for lunch. Before you knew it, we were driving them to the airport. It is never enough time when our parents come to visit, and always quiet when we return home. We were both very glad that they came and had a wonderful time.

In two weeks we are headed back home to PA for my dad's 50th birthday party! It will be a very short weekend since I have to work on Friday and Monday, but I am just thrilled to be able to see everyone, even if it is for only two days.

Ben's birthday is coming up, and two of his friends just decided to make the trip down to celebrate with him. I am glad that they decided to come, because now Ben has something special happening for his birthday. We will most likely be going to the GT football game that day, as long as we all can get tickets.

Starting another week back at work, which is going well- I'm getting the hang of multi-tasking and starting to fit in with the other therapists. I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Love and miss you all.

Work in the "real world"

I started working at Golden Living Center (but hired by Aegis Therapies) this past Thursday. My first day did not go so well... They were not prepared for me at all. My boss was out sick and I got passed around between a rehab aid and shadowing an OT. I was also not able to gain access to the computer the second half of the day which kept me from doing what was "planned" for me. I also discovered that the rehab staff (physical therapists, aids, and OTs) referred to it as a skilled nursing/long term care facility. I was told that there were a few long term care beds, but that the majority were patients that would eventually return home, and were there for general rehab. I learned that this was not the case. This is a great concern of mine, because the long term care setting is the only setting that I knew did not want to work in. Then to top it all off, I got stuck in traffic on the way home, it took me 45min to make the trip, when it should have only taken me about 20min.

The second day went much better, my boss (Emma) was there, and I spoke up and asked a lot of questions that I needed answers to. I also spoke up and cleared myself a spot to put my things, asked about parking, hours, and wages. I still have many more questions, but I got a good number of them answered. One of the Physical Therapists actually said that it was good that I spoke up, or else I would have never gotten my questions answered! All of the staff are very friendly and nice. There are a lot of newly hired employees, and at least one other new grad, and one therapist that only graduated 2 years ago. I hope that it will be a good fit for me, I will try hard to keep an open mind.

Ben's parents come down to visit this Friday and we are both excited to have plans for the weekend and see family! We are going to see the GT vs Virginia Tech game on Saturday night and then Lisa and I plan to go to church on Sunday. Other than that, we will attend the tailgate of course before the football game, but just relax, visit, and enjoy their company!

Only 3 more weeks until we travel home for my dad's 50th birthday party, we are excited to go home and see everyone! Miss you all- much love.

OTR/L

It's official! The state of GA decided to cough up my license! I can now put the letters "OTR/L" behind my name, something that has been my goal for the last 5 years of my life. I tentatively start on Thursday, October 8th. I am suppose to get a call from Ageis Therapies (the company that hired me to work at Golden Living Center) tomorrow to discuss a formal starting date and time. I am nervous to start working full time as an OT. I am also sad to be leaving Wrigley but think that starting out with only 2 days being left alone, and then the weekend, will be a good transition for him.

Wrigley and I have both been very spoiled these past two days, Ben had off for fall break and was home with us both Monday and Tuesday- I am definitely very grateful for being able to spend the time at home with both of them.


This past weekend was very calm and relaxing, we spent most of the days watching football. PSU, GT and the Steelers won- so it was a good weekend to watch football. We also took Wrigley to a park down the street and both enjoyed walking through the family neighborhoods. The weather has been in the mid-low 70s lately and is expected to warm up slightly but the forcast is for it to stay the same throughout the week. We are liking this cool weather and are in the fall spirit.


Ben's parents are visiting in 2 weeks and we can't wait to see them. They are coming down for a GT football game and will get here Friday morning and depart Sunday evening. Hopefully these two weeks will go quickly so we can see loved ones!


I miss everyone in PA and hope that you are enjoying the fall weather and festivities. Love you all- here are some pictures from the weekend...


Caught him mid bark.


A Penn State dog

He decided to bring his bowl over after he was done eating, And thanks to Lisa for his new toys and goodies! (the bat is in the background)

Hanging out :o)

Football Weekend

It is still hot and humid here in ATL, I wish it were more like autumn but apparently it's not too much like fall in PA either. This week it should be a bit cooler though, staying in the mid-low 70s. This past Saturday we went to the GT tailgate and football game vs UNC, we won! But at the end of the game it started pouring rain, thank goodness we decided to bring our ponchos with us. So we got a little wet walking back to the car, which explains why I look a little scruffy in the pictures below. Then we came home and changed into dry clothes and sat down and watched the PSU game! This was the first time we have gotten to watch them yet this season. Unfortunately at the most important moment in the game, our electricity cut out!! We frantically called who we could to get updates, thanks to my dad and Ben's mom, we got to at least hear how it ended up. Then Sunday (today) we watched The Eagles and also The Steelers game. We also took Wrigley to a nearby park for a long walk, such nice weather today! Here are a few pictures from the night of the PSU game, after getting rained on while walking back from the GT game. (Also, I'm still waiting for the State of GA to approve my license application- I'm quickly learning that they are very slow at this...)

Giving Ben some love...



Getting dried off after going potty in the rain.


Let's go, PSU!

Laughing...

Wrigley makes us laugh :o)


Watching the game

after we dried out a bit from the rain

Tuckered out after all the fun

My boys

Watching football on Sunday

Playing in the morning

Can you find Wrigley?

There he is!

Playing with his new toy from Mimi (my mom)

How does such a small dog have the whole couch to himself?

I passed the NBCOT exam = I'm a O.T.!!

For starters... I passed the National Board of Certification for Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)!!! I'm officially an O.T.!! Now I just have to figure out when I can start my job :o) I was pleasantly surprised to sign onto the website and find the word "PASSED" next to my name. I wasn't supposed to find out until tomorrow but it was a wonderful surprise! In order to pass you have to get a score of 450 out of 600. Each test is weighted differently and is unique in which questions are on it. I didn't write in my blog that I was taking it because if I didn't pass, I didn't want everyone to know. I actually took the exam last Wednesday, the day we got Wrigley. I was stressed enough not knowing if I would pass and just thought that if everyone knew I was taking it, it would add more stress onto the exam. But it all ended up working out for the best and I passed on my first try!

The next news is that I took Wrigley to the vet yesterday and we found out a lot about him. He is actually older than we thought- he is about 7 months old, weighs 17.3lbs, has all his adult teeth, and is at his adult size (with the exception of gaining maybe another 3lbs or so). He was also tested for heart worms, which he does not have. I am very glad that we decided to take him, because now we know a bit more about our little guy. We are both happy that he will not get much bigger, he is the perfect size for our condo and will hopefully fit on the plane when we go home for Dad's birthday in October.

Below are some pictures of the ArtsFest that we went to at Piedmont Park on Saturday. It was a huge beautiful park, which you can see for yourself in the pictures below. There are also a few more pictures of Wrigley below of him sporting his Penn State gear :o)

There was a lake at the park!

The soccer area and baseball field, the little white tents far off in the picture are the tents that the artists were set up in- a lot like the art fair at the river in Hbg.

Sand volleyball court, I came home and signed up for notifications of when people play

Chewing on his big bone from my mom

Sporting his PSU collar and bandanna from my mom, and they were playing that day :o)

Update on our life with Wrigley

Wrigley continues to be everything that we ever wanted in a puppy. He went to his first GT tailgate and behaved very well. He stayed right beside me the whole time and was friendly to anyone who came up to pet him. He even played a bit w/ another dog that was there. He walks well on a leash and behaves like an angel during car rides as well. He sleeps throughout the entire night on a pillow in our room, and goes back to sleep after being let out. We left him alone today for two hours (gated in the kitchen) and came back to no accidents or barking! Ben and I went to an ArtsFest in Piedmont Park today. It was lovely to walk around and just have it be the two of us, plus we saw some awesome art work. We even bought a small spoon dish to put on the oven for when I cook. I enjoy my days with Wrigley but can't wait to get going in the work world, right now I am just waiting for my license to come in! Here are some more pictures of Wrigley :o)

Relaxing on a Friday night

Watching Ben get out of his car... how cute!

He's sleeping!

Going to the GT tailgate!

Wrigley Comes Home

O.k. here are some pictures from Wrigley's first night! They are in reverse order... I still haven't gotten the hang of the picture/blog thing yet... He explored the outside of our condo a bit when he first arrived, then showed himself around the inside of our condo, and then we played a bit. He slept under the table during dinner and then it was bath time! He didn't mind it too much and was very submissive, of course there was much playing after we dried him off, then he got tuckered out- and fell asleep on the couch with Ben. He then slept on his pillow in our room the whole night! So far this morning he has gone potty outside twice (only one accident last night, but I caught him and took him outside to finish) and played while I got ready. Right now he is asleep on my lap :o) We couldn't have asked for a better puppy. You might want to view the pictures from bottom to top to get the feel of the whole evening, but either way, here are some picutres of our new puppy Wrigley!

tuckered out after a long evening...

Ben is in there...

His nap during dinner.

He discovered his bed!

Wrigley was exploring our room for the first time :o)