june book club

we had a smaller turnout this month than last due to schedule conflicts, but our book club still went rather well. i hosted this month and had picked the book marley & me, which turned out to be not only a great book, but a great topic of discussion too (which i was very excited about!). i would highly recommend the book to anyone, but especially those who have or have had a dog. in honor of the book, i made homemade cut-out sugar cookies (and frosting) in the shapes of dog bone treats and tennis balls. the guys enjoyed their time out too, but i don't have any pics of that because we only have one camera...sorry!

june book club

newlyweds...

so, to follow up on my previous "6 months in" post...here is more of what we do on our free nights. pickin's are slim, since we don't have gobs of disposable income and my schedule is so crazy. we tend to spend most of our time together between the hours of 5 or 6pm and 2-3am, though sometimes i can convince matt to stay up with me later (so we can go get donuts or make breakfast together!). sometimes we'll go see movies, but that requires waking up "early," like, before 3pm, so we can see a matinée. we'll also go out to eat, but it tends to be more expensive and much less healthy than eating at home anyway. besides, when your prime hours together are after things close, shopping, dining out and theaters aren't great options. what do we normally do? play cards, play board games, watch movies at home, take lexi on long walks (she prefers this during the hot months anyway), and, as seen in this post, buy ice cream at the store and try a sample of each! this was actually a way to convince my husband we didn't need to go out to eat... something he enjoys a great deal and i would probably be fine never doing again if not for social engagements and a few favorite entrees! we went to the grocery store and i persuaded him with the idea of having our own ice cream sampling at home. we each picked a few flavors, then headed home to try them after dinner. it was way more fun (and, naturally, less expensive) than eating out, and we found a new favorite flav! enjoy the pics :)

lake eufaula

lake eufaula 2008

last wednesday, we left behind our work and daily routines for a mini-vacation to my parents' houseboat on lake eufaula in oklahoma. my family goes every year around this time, but the last few years matt and i haven't been able to go due to schedule conflicts, etc. it was a three hour drive to lake eufaula (pronounced u-fall-uh) and the trip was fairly exhausting considering matt and i had both worked the night before, we had dentist appointments that morning, laundry to do and made last-minute arrangements for lexi's care. it was all worth it in the end, though, because we thoroughly enjoyed the slow pace and endless time for reading, relaxing, family, dominoes, wakeboarding and jet skiing. we drove back home saturday night, but took the liberty of declaring sunday a vacation day too and went to see a matinée movie and enjoy a gift-card-paid-for lunch.
by that time, the rest of the family was back home in texas and we were invited to spend some time with "the lake gang" at my parents house. we chatted a while and then realized the reason we'd been called together - jonah learned to crawl that morning! he showed off his new skill, repeatedly, and was always rewarded with smiles and cheers. parents of the newly-mobile eight month old were thrilled, but also relieved that he waited until *after* returning home from the lake to "take off."
congrats to jonah, and thanks to my parents for a wonderful extended weekend getaway!
love you!

happy father's day!

just wanted to wish a happy father's day to all the fathers out there! hope you are having a wonderful day :)

dads of puppies

and newer dads with little kiddos

"seasoned" dads

and out-of-state dads

grand-dads!


thanks for all you do for us, we love you!

from panther to mustang!

jared's graduation

my baby brother graduated from high school on tuesday, ending a legacy in the plano school district. since 1984, there has been at least one miller child enrolled in the district, making my parents proud PTA members for the last 24 years (my entire lifetime so far!).
unfortunately for jared, his graduation was on a tuesday at 7pm, so we didn't get to have a big party like we normally do. jared was great, though, and was content with the barbecue and cake we enjoyed before the ceremony. our entire immediate family was there to cheer him across the stage (and on the jumbo-tron, it *was* reunion arena, after all) and we are all very proud of his accomplishments!
for those who haven't heard, he has been accepted into SMU's engineering program for the fall and is currently planning on pursuing a mechanical engineering degree.
congratulations, jared! we are so proud of you!

six months in!

we've survived the first 6 months of marriage and, we're happy to report, we seem to be doing just fine. aside from schedule conflicts (the day/night work hours), a puppy who still wants loads of attention, figuring out finances and long-term planning, and trying to write (and supporting the writing of) a dissertation, we enjoy a fairly blissful existence here at 31 brewster court. recently, the baby bug bit when several of my friends at work announced they were pregnant. but, this post isn't to announce a new king on the way, we've decided to wait until matt has finished his PhD and has a full-time, steady job. because, of course, as exciting as it would be to have a little kinger running around the house, sometimes we do sit back and enjoy the newlywed bliss of little-to-no obligations. last night we started running errands around 7pm, cooked and ate dinner around 11:30pm and then stayed up chatting about the day and working on various projects until around 2am. we realize that once we have kiddos this schedule will be drastically changed. while we do envy the love and joy my sisters receive from their little ones, we know that it won't hurt us to live "care-free" (i use the term loosely) for another year or two. we look forward with anticipation to the thought of being parents, but in the mean-time, we'll enjoy the time we have together as a couple. the pics below are a representation of our nights together when i'm off work (i.e. what it means to be newly married without kiddos!)

making chocolate covered strawberries for dessert


no, it's *my* turn to take a pic of YOU!


grilling the steaks


grilling with a longboard beer in hand


this dinner gets matt's thumbs up


dinner's ready


a member of the clean-plate club

tag...you're it!

i got "tagged" by my sister sarah a few days ago and haven't had time to fill it out until today. hope you guys all learn a little something about me from it...

one of my favorite "solo" pics...i love pumpkins!

Favorite person (outside family)? could i really pick just one? i think it's an unfair question. i agree with sarah, that each of my friends plays a different, but important role in my life. i am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends from work, from college and even a couple from high school ;) i am thankful that i have friends that i can count on, that i can laugh with and that i can be there to support in their times of need.

a few of my best buds

just part of my wonderful family

Favorite food? again with the favorites...i don't think anyone has just *one* favorite. i certainly don't! i think my favorite memories of food are much better. for example, the BEST burger i ever had was in rome, italy. not because of the burger, but because i'd been away from american food for a week and i was starving for a real, beef burger! i love creme de menthe cake because i only get it on my birthday. homemade chicken fried steak only comes twice a year: for my dad's birthday and father's day....and it's *so* good! i used to love going to my grandma miller's house for holidays because she made this amazing chocolate cake (that we still can't duplicate). subway will forever make me think of my days as a "sandwich artist" and the simple life of high school and a part-time job. one of the best desserts i've *ever* enjoyed was on matt and my anniversary (before marriage), we had molten chocolate cake at fogo de chao....yum!!! i think my favorite foods are the ones i associate with my favorite memories, because, of course, there are plenty of foods that just taste good.

molten chocolate cake!

Quirks about you? hmmm...i'm sure there are several. my toenails are always painted (since about 6th grade!), and almost always a shade of pink, but i really dislike having my fingernails painted. i line up all the drinks in my refrigerator (a row for water bottles, a row for energy drinks, a row for beer....etc.). i don't eat high fructose corn syrup. i honestly do much better on a night schedule, and i tend to be more awake during the late evening regardless of what i've done that day. i don't like wearing shoes, and i'll only wear socks if my feet are cold.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? this would probably be matt. i'm sure he'd say i was frugal (or something along those lines), health conscious, intelligent, beautiful, nurturing and witty (things he's told me before). the rest i'm not sure about. i know he thinks i'm good at my job and good with cars, that i'm too hard on myself most of the time and that i can be quite emotional, but i guess i'd really have to ask him how he'd best describe me.

Any regrets in life? things i wish i wouldn't have done? sure. but do i regret those things? not really. i firmly believe in learning from your mistakes and that more often than not, things happen for a reason. if i make a mistake, i try to prevent it from happening again. also, i'm a very boring person, so i never really got into a lot of trouble.
the one thing i wish i never would have said: once when i was little (elementary school age) i got really angry with jared and, while in another room, screamed at my mom that i never wanted a brother. i walked back into the living room and found my brother bawling because he had overheard my rash statement. i'll never forget the look he gave me, and how he ran out of the room and wouldn't talk to me. of course, i didn't mean it, and he wasn't supposed to hear it. we said a lot of mean things to each other growing up, but for some reason it crushed me to see his reaction that time, and i've never forgotten it. of course, i've worked ever since then to make sure he knows that i didn't mean it and i love him VERY much.

Favorite Charity/Cause? i'm not sure i have one. i think programs that promote education (about anything -- healthcare, math, science, reading, etc.) are the most beneficial to everyone because you can't help people who can't help themselves, and you can't change something if you don't know anything about it.

Favorite Blog recently? my favorite has always been the proctor family blog because it has updates on my family! there are several others i have looked at and enjoy, though.

Something you can't get enough of? massages, roller coasters, family time, laughing (not necessarily in that order).

Worst job you've ever had? it's hard to say. i've always at least enjoyed some aspect of my job(s), even if i got frustrated at management or something else. i guess if i had to choose i would say best buy, because i was making them a lot of money selling, and they weren't willing to give me a pay raise, even at my 1 year review. then, they weren't willing to work with my college schedule. but i enjoyed the people, i enjoyed selling, and i got a lot of experience working there (the customer service skills still come in handy!)

What job would you pay NOT to have? i read a story recently about the guy who has the job of telling people that their family members had died overseas fighting in the war. i don't think i could do this, no matter how much you paid me. to know that i was the person that would tell the family, spouse, kids, whoever, that their loved one wasn't coming home would be something i wouldn't be able to get up and face everyday. i deal with death and dying in my job, and sometimes i am there when the entire course of people's lives shift, but it is only a part of what i do. it would be all i could do not to break down on their front steps every time i delivered the message. give me a job doing something creepy, disgusting or gross...those jobs tend to pay well and you can typically leave them at the end of the day, but not this one.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? since i just got married, a couple days come to mind. first, the day my husband asked my dad if he could marry me, since they plotted the whole surprise engagement then. second, the "guys" room on the wedding day, seeing my husband and hearing what was said (i heard he was really nervous!).

Favorite Bible verse right now? i always find comfort in the serenity prayer, other than that, i'm not sure i have *a* favorite.

Guilty Pleasure? in day-to-day life: reading things on the internet -- email, blogs, articles...anything. on a larger scale: something i don't typically spend money on -- pedicures, massages, dinners out...

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? a spa day would be nice. but maybe i'd buy something material -- a new computer for photo editing, scrapbooking, etc., a fooseball table, a new tv, some diamond jewelry? i think, ideally, i'd take a week off work, take my husband on vacation with me, and pay someone else to write his dissertation while we were gone (do you think $1000 would cover that?)

Favorite thing about your house? the size. for right now, it's the perfect size for two people and a dog. it's easy to clean and matt and i can easily talk to each other no matter where we are in the house. of course, sometimes this doesn't seem like such a good thing when we try to host parties and such, but the rest of the time i love our cozy little abode. oh, i also love the tree in the front yard. i just love big trees :)

our house

Least favorite thing about your house? in the summer, i hate that our master bedroom is upstairs because it gets so hot (particularly tough for a daytime sleeper). the only other thing i don't like is the crazy cul-de-sac layout of our neighborhood. not the layout itself, just trying to give people directions to get to our house while navigating past about 50 streets called "collin"...while on "collin"

One thing you are bad at? making small talk. it makes me uncomfortable and i feel so awkward trying to talk to someone about nothing. i think i've gotten a little better at it, though, thanks to my job (being stuck in a patient room for 5 minutes while you have to slowly push an IV medicine is good for that sort of thing).

One thing you're good at? my husband would say my job, but i would just say that i am passionate about that. i would probably say something like scrapbooking or doing anything creative/visual like that. i *love* to make posters and cards and do other projects along those lines. my initial career choice was actually advertising, i wanted to design billboards, magazine ads and commercials. later, i discovered nursing and i've never regretted my career choice, but i still have to find ways to use my "visual creativity" (i just finished putting together our honeymoon album and am working on one for our mexico trip!)

If you could change something about your circumstances, what? i'd want matt to be done with his dissertation and someone to pay off the student loans. i know sometimes he feels like he hasn't really "started" life yet (my wording, not his) because he's not quite done with school and we've decided not to have kids until he has a steady job. i think sometimes everything kindof feels like it's on hold.

Who would you like to meet someday? my (step)grandma maryann. she died about 2 years before i was born (i think), but she played a major role in helping shape my parents' early marriage and had a big influence on my mom. i've heard so many stories about her and she seems like one of those wonderful, quirky people that you just want to be around.

Who is your real life hero? i don't like this question. a hero is someone who saves, and i would prefer to answer a question like, who has had the most influence on your life, or who do you aspire to be like, or who has helped you become who you are today?

of course, the answer would probably be the same to all questions. each person is shaped by their individual experiences, and i believe that each person we meet, no matter how brief a time we may know them, helps shape our lives. that being said, the people who have had the most influence over my development into the person i am today would be my parents. some of this may sound cliche, but i'm not sure how else to put it. my parents are truly wonderful people. they provided a loving, nurturing home for me and my 3 siblings, ensured we had a solid education and a love of knowledge and learning. they led by example, teaching us to be compassionate to those in need, work hard for the things we want and reach high for our dreams. because of my parents i value honesty, perseverance, religion, and education. i also know to respect other cultures, religions and ideas. i appreciate not only a job well-done, but the effort it takes to get there. i value my family, my friends and the things i have earned for myself. i am convinced that i am the person i am today because of the things my parents did, said and sacrificed for me. their own life together is an example of what hard work, faith, and love can accomplish. i will be happy to be 1/2 the parent to my children that my parents are to me.

i get my wit and practicality from dad, and my strength (in daily living) and faith from mom.

in this section, i must also include my husband. his name and influence have been mentioned several times in this survey, but i must confess that for the comparatively short time i have known him, he has helped shape me into a (for lack of better terms) better person. because of him, i realized many shortcomings in previous relationships with friends and feel i am a stronger person because of that. he sings the praises of my intelligence, and makes me feel more self-assured as i build my new career as a nurse. he constantly reminds me that, to him, i am beautiful and, especially, that beauty is also not necessarily what we see on tv and in magazines. because of all of these things, i am more confident than i have been in as long as i can remember.
oh, he also helps me with my patience, since sometimes i get more frustrated at his work than he does!

What is the hardest part of your job? seeing someone lose a family member. i mean this in more than one way. working next to a psychiatric facility, i see people who have lost their family members to mental illness - schizophrenics who are paranoid that their loving, devoted husband is going to hurt them. i see alzheimers - children who are no longer recognized by their parents, husbands who don't know their wives. and, the obvious, i see the people who typically don't expect a death - it comes in as an accident, a trauma, a suicide. i've explained to matt before that the worst sound i've ever heard (and i've heard some bad ones in the ER) is the sound someone makes when they first hear that their loved one has passed. the piercing wail that encompasses all stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, etc. i've heard it many times when a family receives the news. you can hear it no matter where you are in the department, and it will shake you to your core every time.

When are you most relaxed? there are two times that come to mind:
1) when the housework and yardwork are done and i get to spend a night at home with matt. nowhere to go, nothing to be done, and then to drift off to sleep in a clean house, between clean sheets next to the man i love.
2) in the quiet, early hours of the morning. this is probably a large part of why i'm a "night person." i love the way the world seems to spin just a little slower around 2, 3, 4am. it's not quite sunrise, but you know it's just around the corner. most of the world is asleep and there is a simple stillness that comes with that. i love when i am at home during this time, but even when i'm at work it tends to be the quietest time of the shift.

What stresses you out? more than anything: i do! i put a lot of pressure on myself to meet certain self-set criteria about housework, activities, nutrition, family time, work and so on. i tend to get stressed when i feel like i'm not living up to these "criteria" and have to step back and remind myself that it will be okay.

What can you not live without? if you ask who: my husband. i'm sure i *could* if i had to, but i prefer not to think about that. matt is so much to me that i would have a hard time going on if he wasn't here. he loves me unconditionally and is one of the most supportive, trustworthy, funny people i have ever met. he motivates me to be a better person for myself, for our relationship, for our future kids.
if you ask what: music. i love music. all kinds of music. i have songs in my head all day long and i can't help but think that the world would be a much duller, more boring place without melodies and rhythm. i had to live without a car stereo for 2 weeks once and i nearly went crazy!

Why do you blog? to keep a record of what's going on in our lives. i started the blog shortly after matt and i were engaged and it's a nice way to chronicle the ups (and downs) of what's going on. sometimes i go back and look through the pictures and the stories to see what happened. i think it will only get better as the years go on and we can see what's changed and what's stayed the same. it's like keeping a very detailed photo album! it's also an incredibly easy way to keep our family, especially our long-distance family, up-to-date on the happenings around here.

Who Am I Tagging?

New/Newer bloggers- i don't really know anyone new to blogging, but if you are reading this post...answer it so i know more about you!

Bloggers you'd like to get to know better- the mom from steece's pieces

Blogger you don't think will respond, but hope will - the people i would want to respond, have!

Bloggy friends - robin


Rules:
1. Answer the questions
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category:
New/ newer bloggers (since we want to share the love and send them traffic)
Bloggy friendsBloggers you'd like to get to know better
Bloggers you don't think will respond, but you hope will
Bloggy friends

book club

may bookclub

a few of my buddies from nursing school decided to start up a book club so we would have an excuse to get together. all of us enjoyed reading for fun and we didn't want to drift apart since we (almost) all ended up at different hospitals and in different specialties of nursing. our first meeting was in april, where we read, or attempted to read, the once and future king. unfortunately, due to the length of the book, no one actually finished it before the meeting night and we ended up talking a lot about nursing stuff, but we still had a great time!
we just had our may book club on the 30th, where we discussed the catcher in the rye. however, this meeting doubled as a housewarming party for the hostess and her husband, who moved into their new house in denton shortly before our wedding. the first part of the night (from about 7 -9pm) the girls ate dinner and discussed the book while the guys went out for dinner. the second part of the night (9pm-ish and beyond) was the housewarming party with all the book club members, our husbands and additional friends of the host couple.
and, for those who are curious: the next meeting will be hosted at my house, and i've selected the book marley & me. hopefully i'll have more pics to post later in the month!