April Showers

No, I wasn't the only person on Earth raptured in May.  :)  Life has been a teensy bit crazy lately!  

Time to catch up!

Becky's Shower

Becky, her mother-in-law, and her mom

Candyce & Mecca

Ash & Me

Lauren (baby A was born in April, too!), Michelle, & Ashley

Easter

The next big event was Easter.  We had our usual extravagant fare, but got started having fun and put the camera down as soon as everybody arrived.  Luckily I got this cute one with mom before lunch started.

Operative Faculty Dinner

One of the most fun things I did this semester was teach in the D1 (first year) labs at school.  I worked in occlusion (ie, how your teeth come together) and operative (ie, fillings). To celebrate the end of the year, the operative faculty all went to a Mexican restaurant for margaritas and dinner.  Unfortunately, we were cut a little short by tornadoes (literally - crazy weather), but Megan and I had fun none-the-less!

UT Scholarship Banquet

Last weekend the College of Dentistry hosted its annual Scholarship Banquet.  

It's always the same weekend as the hoopla that is the Mid-South Dental Congress (aka, welcome back to Memphis, dental nerds.  Come party with your old friends!)

I've been honored to receive the Gov. Winfield C. Dunn Scholarship for the past 2 years.  Governor Dunn is a dentist who [duh] became Governor of Tennessee.  He was an integral part of establishing our current clinic (which is named for him), and he is now the chair of the committee that is funding the multi-million dollar renovations that have once again made UT THE most technologically advanced teaching clinic in the country.  

So basically, he's kind of a big deal!

Thanks so much, Kendall, for this picture!

One of the best parts of any dental school event is the photo shoot with Dr. Hatch.  He's like party pics at a sorority function, y'all.

sweet Jeni and me

my handsome date, Heath

good friends!

me, Ashley, Katie, and Nishel

Last but not least, my Katie!

We needed a new one!

Whew, now that I'm caught up, it's off to Spring Break!  It's okay, go ahead and be jealous.  :)

yep, still here!

Geez, Louise!

How did two months get away from me?

Have you ever heard that phrase "running around like a chicken with his head cut off"?  Yeah, that's me.  And loving every minute.

Mostly.  Sometimes this little chicken wants to pull her hair out.


Anywho ...

Waaay back in January, my bff Erica came to Memphis.  We certainly needed a whole weekend to catch up.  (Speaking of, now that it's been two months, we need another weekend.  Come back, please and thank you.)

Yay for sushi dinner dates with your bff.

Then, there was the I-need-a-handful-of-pharmaceuticals stress of SRTA PIE I, aka how to become a dentist: really, this time, part I.

After spending all day with our plastic patients, I looked at Katie and said, "I NEED A DRINK." Lucky for me, she felt the same way.

Margaritas and Mexican always make for a great celebration.

Next, Emily's birthday.  So much fun catching up with friends I don't see a lot!

Oh, and as an aside, don't ever be the only non-dentist at a party.  Poor Alyssa ...

Then, there was Lauren's baby shower.  We are all soooo excited about baby Aven's upcoming arrival.  Oh, and baby girls are way too fun to buy for ... that really doesn't even need to be said.

Yummy cupcakes, of course!  

I should mention that I was incredibly close to winning the "guess the belly" game.  You know what I'm talking about.  Dang Candice and her perfectly-sized yarn.  

I manned Lauren's camera during the shower, so I will have to borrow some pics from her and post more about that later.

Now that I'm back on track, I'll post about the scholarship banquet soon!  Happy Sunday, everyone!

Zoo on Ice

Just call me Dorothy Hamill; I'm a skating superstar!

(well, um, maybe not quite . . . but I'm on my way.)

Today I took some of my favorite kiddos to Zoo on Ice at the Memphis Zoo!

The boys had never been ice skating before, and I had not been since the Mall of Memphis's rink was open (15+ years?) . . . oh boy, this outing was just a perfect opportunity for lots of laughs.  (and a broken wrist or two, but I really, truly cannot afford that right now, so we were praying hard on that one!)

"mrslaurabowen", aka my mom, came along as our fab photographer!  Thanks, Mom!

(And yes, that's "mrslaurabowen" all strung together.  These guys call her nothing else.  It's fantastic.)

After about, oh, 90 seconds of somewhat questionable coaching from me, they were de-ter-mined to set out on their own.

Questionable, questionable coaching, I said.

We saw this stance a lot.  

Lots of slow-motion falls, too.

Big spills.

No broken bones

(Whew.)

Way to go!  Thank goodness my coaching had no adverse effects.

After we skated, we checked out the Zoo's newest exhibit, Teton Trek.

We saw wolves, grizzly bears, elk, swans, and anything else that you might associate with Yellowstone.  It was so cool.  

(I know, I know, I am such a nerd.  I love the zoo, the animals, all of it. So fun.)

(Wow, Sooie does this too!  Allllllmost makes me think this guy would be cuddly.  Then, back to reality.)

Then, of course, we had to go see the polar bears and sea lions at the Northwest Passage.

I think this guy is lonely; they are waiting to see if the girl polar bear is pregnant, so she is off exhibit. :(  He was shoving all of his toys into the pool skimmer to occupy time.

And, of course, the sea lions were enjoying a little time in the sun after their morning show.

After such a fun morning, we had lunch at Huey's.  Of course, J got his toothpick into the ceiling - first try, straight shot.  Love those guys.

Happy Birthday . . . to Me!

I took a little blog break yesterday to celebrate my birthday!  YAY!  (well, and to take mock boards at school, but that is a totally different issue, and NO celebrating was involved.)

That's right, we all know I have a slight, ahem, obsession with birthdays.

Luckily, I have awesome friends that are willing to give up some of their precious study time to help me celebrate!

After the dreaded event that was Mock Boards 2010 (listen, you haven't had it handed to you until someone has gone over your work with a digital caliper and judged you to the 0.1mm.  ick.) I had a job interview!  I will keep the details confidential, but let's just say this whole "finally entering the real world" thing became a whole lot more "real" yesterday.

After that, it was time to celebrate at one of my favorite places - Bhan Thai.  We were in our own room upstairs, which gave us plenty of latitude to eat, drink, catch up, and laugh a lot.

Megan and me at dinner

Of course, there was cake.  Everyone laughed because I made my own.  (Don't be distressed, my precious friend Jeni offered, but I had to share my Mimi's Chocolate Swirl cake with my friends ... I have it as my birthday cake every year!)

(Coincidentally, it was my breakfast this morning, too.  yes, I know I went overboard on the glaze.  That's your prerogative on your birthday.  :)  And sorry, folks, this recipe is a family secret.  Some things can't be shared, right?)

As we left we asked the bartender to take our picture.  After the first one he said, "wow, that was really good!"  I honestly thought he was lying. (they all say that, you know?)

NO!  He was telling the honest-to-goodness truth!!  What a great picture!  (This one is a framer, I do believe!)  It doesn't hurt that I have GORGEOUS friends!  (I do, don't I?)  Jeni missed the picture.  :(  She snuck off without us knowing!!

PS - Take a look a what my two bffs mailed me for my birthday:  

(sadly, they both live hours away.)

Cookbooks!  Do they know me well, or what??  I told one of them that this is called enabling.  Looks like lots of fun (and new recipes to post!) in my future!

PPS - the St. Jude Marathon is today!

(Please please PLEASE visit their website and learn more about this awesome hospital if you aren't familiar with it!)

What is especially cool about the marathon is that it ends right by my apartment.  Literally, the last turn of mile 26, as seen right here:

The half marathon finishes on the other side of our building.  There are signs everywhere that say, "Be a hero for Hanna!" and "Run for Devon!" I could go on and on.  

I have been listening to the 'cheerleaders' for the last few hours as the runners are finishing -- not conducive to studying at all but so so heartwarming.  They are clapping, yelling "YOU'RE A HERO!" (St. Jude is all about being a hero for their kids!) and being so encouraging!  There is one lady in particular who has been here for the past hour (they come in shifts).  She has the sweetest Southern voice and her "Woo" is more of a "whuu-ooo"; you know, she sliiiides into it!  And it's two short "woos" before a long one.  "Whu-oo, whu-oo, whu-oooooooo!"  (Goodness, I wish I had a video camera so everyone could hear.  Typing does not do it justice.)  I don't even know this lady, but I love her.  She is giving 100% for every single person that comes by!!  

Now that her shift is over, I guess I will have to get out the earplugs for the rest of the day and actually get some studying done.  

Back to the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge later today!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

The 12 days of Christmas Blog Challenge - day 2

Day 2 (or 1b. in my case) of this Christmas-y blog challenge is "black Friday/general shopping tips and tricks".

My advice on black Friday?  Sleep in!!

I know, I know, I know, this is practically sacrilegious for some out there, but honestly, when you get up at 4 am most days, sleeping until 6 is a rare treat!  

Every year mom and I talk about getting up and going shopping.  For about 10 minutes.  This, of course, is always in the middle of all of our cooking and ramblings about life.  By the time the dishes are washed and the leftovers are in the fridge; however, we are have laughed that little talk off and set the coffeemaker for a more reasonable hour.

The point of my story?  Enjoy your day, however that may be.  If that is knocking somebody over the head in Target for that really adorable pump in size 8 at 4:09 am, go for it!! I will be cozy, warm and snuggly in my bed.  (And shopping at 11:00, when the really intense people have gone home.)

Happy shopping, everyone!

PS - if you have any really awesome finds or ideas for gifts, leave a comment!  (especially for my brother...he is the best gift giver.  so good, it's almost annoying.)

Flip Cup Tourney 2010

Ah, the flip cup tournament!  

It's the traditional end to ZIPS rush: Friday night, the Train Station downtown, and head-to-head flipping competition.

Teams "recruit" members and start practicing, well, that night.  But it's serious competition.

ZIPS Officers filling in the bracket

"Dr. Wicks's Flippers" team members Nishel and Candice practiced hard before the competition started.  The team is Nishel, Candice, Ashley, and Michelle.  They won our D2 year, were topped last year in the finals and were looking to take back the trophy this year.  Sadly, they lost to the same team in the semis.  

Peru Reunion!

Me, RJ, Leslie, and Candice

D4 girls

Michelle, Leslie, Candice, Nishel, Megan, and me

D4 class picture

Not a great picture, but a great group of people!

At the end of the night, a group of D2s won the tournament.  No D4s even made the finals, but we had a great time anyway.  It was a great end to our Rush week! 

Flight

Isn't that a great name for a restaurant?

Okay, I must admit that I have never actually eaten there, but I've heard it's fabulous.  I used to go to the former restaurant, Stella, quite frequently so I don't know why I always forget about it!  hmmm...anyway, the topic at hand... 

Fraternity Rush!

This is not your typical "Greek Life" from college, although I do miss those days.  (Chi Omega just got 104 new members Saturday.  104! Oh, I miss my days at the Chi-O house!)  The dental school fraternities are laid-back, co-ed organizations that basically operate just to provide a social outlet for students outside of the stresses of our two little blocks in the medical district.  We encourage the D1s to get involved, whichever organization they choose.

I missed our first 'Rush' event last Monday due to another meeting, so I was ready to go on Wednesday.  We had our annual cocktail party at the aforementioned Flight, which is one of my favorite events all year!  After wearing scrubs 5 days a week it is nice to remember what it's like to look nice.  And wear heels.

Michelle and me

happy to be out of clinic and out on the town!

We survived both Dr. Beaupre AND Dr. Durdik together at the UA.  Steve and I can conquer anything.  

It was so great to catch up with Jessica!  She just had a baby.  I know, you wouldn't have known, would you?  Baby E was at Anna's playing for the night so Mrs. Gambill could come celebrate the beginning of her back-to-school, too!  

Beautiful Ashley, my fellow football fan, birthday twin, and basically just a-mazing girl!  I'm so glad we had that conversation a year ago where I said, "um, why aren't you applying to dental school?!?" and Ashley just looked at me and smiled.  Now here she is in Memphis with me!

Jessica (D1), Ashley (D1), me, Sarah (D3), Megan (D3), and Stefania (an Italian exchange student)

I'm slowly but surely meeting the D1s and learning their names.  Emphasis on slowly.

And a few D1s whose names I didn't need to learn:

Some of my faves from the UA!  

Lance, who worked for Dr. Hays, and Jessi and Nicole, both Chi-Os a few pledge classes behind me.  The Chi-O hootie-hoos are taking over UT!

It was nice to get out and enjoy time with friends away from school.  This was just the first celebration of many last week, so there will be many more posts and pictures to come in the next few days!

Happy Monday!

Weekend Whirlwind

This past weekend I travelled across my favorite state to visit some of my favorite people.  All-in-all I spent about eleven hours in the car and was away from home for less than 48 hours, but the whirlwind roadtrip was just what I needed.

I left early Saturday morning with Sooie in tow to go to her friend Bella's house (Ashley's), where she was going to spend the day and night playing.  I just have to say, I love that when I call my parents to let them know I'm going to be gone, they don't even ask, "where are you going?" or something along those lines, but immediately, "who is keeping Sooie?!?"  Oh, they are already like grandparents!

She has figured out that something is up ... even though I packed her bag (lots of tail-wagging and bouncing around involved), "her" seat is not empty and the leash is mysteriously still on.  Note the confused/slightly angry face that she is not going to go on this trip.

After dropping Sooie off at Ashley's, I headed off to Bentonville!  About 45 minutes later than I intended.  Oops.  I was on my way to NWA for my friend Kelsie's bridal shower, so I was on a bit of a schedule.  Arkansas, here I come!

Okay, I don't recommend taking pictures while you're driving, but these are two of my landmarks:  the first is the I-30/I-40 split in Little Rock.  After Little Rock, the drive becomes infinitely prettier!  Then, on I-540, the tunnel, which to me, was always that sign that we were getting close to Fayetteville on a football game weekend (or that I was close to getting back to school).

On this trip, though, this is what happened when I was in the tunnel:

Hello, gas light.  Don't you know I need to get to Bentonville?

So, I stopped in Fayetteville.  Whew, full tank, made it to the shower.

The beautiful bride!

Kelsie's friend Megan gave her this cute "K" apron.  We can just ask Jared's Aunt Tina what it is for.  I'm so glad I was able to celebrate with Kelsie!  Less than one month until the big day.

After the shower I drove back to Conway and spent the night with Erica.  We took no pictures.  :(  Of course!  It's like we have a disease when it comes to taking pictures.  I told her yesterday that this will be the one hiccup on our path to world domination ... we will not have a picture to put on the posters.  If you know me and Erica, you know this is not far from the truth.  :)  After endless hours of catching up Saturday night and church Sunday, I reluctantly came back to Memphis and real life.

Such great friends, such a great weekend.

Katie had a birthday!

I love birthdays.  Is it your birthday?  Your half-birthday?  Let's celebrate!  I'll bring the cake! 

I have had a [small...okay, huge] obsession with birthdays as long as I can remember.  Growing up, my parents made a really big deal about our birthday.  Not the present, but the day itself.  Your birthday was your day, the day that was all about celebrating how special you were!  This is something that has stuck with me as I've gotten older; each of my friends' birthdays is a day that, more than any other day, I try to let them know how much they mean to me, how blessed I am to have them as a friend, and how special I think they are!  I sincerely hope that they know I am thankful for them everyday, but know that I am guilty of not expressing that enough. 

Thus, the birthday extravaganza. 

I know, I know, call me obsessed, overzealous, and out-of-control, but come your birthday, there will be a party, and I will be making you a cake.  And telling you happy birthday.  Starting about a week in advance ...

My sweet friend Katie had a birthday Saturday.  She was out of town last weekend, so we opted to hold off on her big celebration until Wednesday (our first test was Tuesday).  She chose Bosco's for her belated birthday dinner.  Her request for cake was vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting; they were her request last year and were the hands-down favorites from all of our celebrations. 

me, the beautiful birthday girl Katie, and her pretty pink cupcakes

(if you have ever met Katie, you know that pink frosting with sprinkles was RIGHT up her alley!)

We had a wonderful time laughing, catching up, and eating lots of delicious food.  We laughed about clinic stories, the joys of [finally!] being D4s, stresses, and professors.  Then a department chair stuck his head in our little room and waved.  Oops.  (Good thing we didn't say anything about him! Lesson - your momma was right, you NEVER know who is listening!)

Leslie, Ashley, me, Katie, and Nishel

(as you can see, we cleaned our plates!)

Katie and Nina

(Poor girls, they were doing lab work until after six.  Are you jealous?  I'm not!)

Jeni and Clair

After we ate, we enjoyed our cupcakes and Katie opened her gift:

Yep, those are cat potholders and a "blond" scrubbrush!  Katie just moved into her own apartment last year and has been having fun stocking her kitchen!  Jeni did a great job finding things that screamed "Katie".

To mix things up a little from last year, I made this year's cupcakes vanilla with a strawberry filling and buttercream frosting.  This picture is so ugly since the filling smeared, but I was wanting to dig in and didn't want to pause to take another one!

Oooh, the deliciousness.  One day I will be super-saavy and take pictures of my baking like my friend Kendall.  Until then, I'll just direct you to the recipes.  The cupcake batter was  "Ultimate Vanilla Cake" from last year's March issue of Southern Living.  Both the filling and buttercream came from Nick Malgieri's book Perfect Cakes.  (I wasn't able to find those recipes online, but I believe the book is about $25 and has a lot of delicious recipes - a good investment if you want to start baking from scratch.)

Ashley was so excited that she wanted a picture with hers.

Oh, so much fun!  I am already looking forward to our next celebration.

Happy birthday, dear Katie!