TAG...you're it!

Thanks Megan for tagging me! :) Now I guess I have to come up with 7 random facts about myself. Here it goes...

1.) Since today is Halloween I have to say that is probably my favorite holiday with Thanksgiving being a very close second! Halloween is great because it starts the holiday season. I love decorating the house, carving pumpkins, and I can't wait to see all the kids in their costumes tonight. Every year Greg and I search and search for the perfect "couple" costumes. It gets a little challenging year after year but we enjoy putting all the time and energy into finding just the right costumes!

2.) I love to cook and bake. As much as I love being in health care, sometimes I dream about being a chef or a cake decorator. I love to watch all the cooking shows on Food Network, Iron Chef, and Ace of Cakes. There just isn't a lot of room for creativity in nursing and I think I need more of that in my life.

3.) I love love love to travel. I want to see the world. The next big trip I'd like to take would be to Australia and New Zealand. I know it is a 26+ hour flight to get to these destinations but I just have this burning desire to go! I just feel like there are so many countries to explore and so many cultures that I have never been exposed to. If I could have it my way I'd visit a different country every year. Who knows if I'll have the time or money to do that but I can always dream!

4.) Megan, I have the same weird OCD tendency where my hands (and feet) must be clean at all times. I love the smell of soap on my hands. I hate to touch a basketball and as I kid I use to lick my hands too! Whenever I wear flip flops I have to immediately rinse off my feet as soon as I get home because I can feel the dirt on the bottoms! I don't like to walk on the floor barefoot, I usually wear slippers. But...I do love to walk in the grass barefoot (weird). Especially the grass in my dad's backyard because it is so soft and feels great on your feet.

5.) I am weird about my hair. Lisa Eager (formerly Prince) has been cutting my hair since I was 15 maybe 16. Every time I go home for a holiday I have to call ahead and make sure I can see Lisa! She just makes my hair look so nice every time!!! When I was in California my hair was really long and nasty and I had no time to go back to Arizona . I had started asking friends and family for referrals because my hair had to be cut. I finally found a man who was formerly Keira Knightly's hair dresser. He was more than qualified to cut my hair but I nearly had a panic attack when he did! It turned out alright, but I love you Lisa and can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving :)

6.) I like to be outdoors. A lot of people don't picture me as the outdoorsy type but I love to camp, hike, and go fishing. I wish I had more time to enjoy nature and take lots of camping trips but it just seems like life gets in the way. We went camping in Texas once and it was so humid that I could barely breathe in our tent! The mosquitoes were attacking me, Greg, and our dogs...it was terrible! I didn't realize how good the camping was up in Flagstaff, Prescott, Pine top, and Sedona, but I wish I could go back!

7.) Once I finish up my FNP in May my next goal is to speak another language. My Spanish is alright but I've decided I want to speak Farsi. I think most of you know that my father is Persian and his entire side of the family speaks Farsi. I have always wanted to be able to share in the conversation during family get togethers so I'm determined to learn Farsi after I finish school. Apparently, Rosetta Stone has really helped people learn other languages in record time so I think that is the way to go! I'm hoping my spanish will just continue to come along as I continue to work in health care (I use it everyday).

Happy Halloween! I am going to tag RACHEL, LISA S., and KATIE B.

Fall is here!

It's starting to get a little chilly here in Tyler (not nearly as chilly as it will be in Chicago in a couple months) and it's really starting to feel like fall!




Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday and this weekend we decided to carve our pumpkins. I think they turned out pretty good! I did the scary face and Greg did the one that looks scared :) Pretty hilarious!

I wanted to get a shot of the beautiful trees in our back yard. The leaves are just starting to change colors and I can't wait for them to turn all red, yellow, and orange. As much as I dislike living in Texas, this is the most beautiful back yard we've ever had!

Here is our porch all ready for our trick or treaters. Greg and I have costumes too but I'm not giving those away until after Halloween so I can post some pictures!




And for those of you who didn't already know, our next and final move in Greg's rotational program is to Chicago (I tried to sneak it in the beginning of this post)! We're moving January 1st and I'm very excited that this will be our final move before we settle down. I've never been to Chicago and I can't wait to explore this amazing city!!! I'm a little worried about how our dogs will manage in the snow but I guess they'll get use to it. I hope Greg and I can survive, this will be the coldest weather either of us have ever lived in!

The Right Place at the Right Time!

Yesterday Greg and I went to his company's fall picnic. This is a huge event and all the offices from all over Texas were there. Greg and I were wandering around not sure what to do with ourselves because all the activities and entertainment were meant for children and as you all know...we don't have any!

Greg saw a familiar face, the VP of his office here in Tyler, and we decided to sit with him and his family. I had met his wife and two daughter's once before and they are a very sweet family. A minute later and very large man came over and said hello to Greg's superior and then turned and introduced himself to Greg and I. He said his name was "Luke" and he asked Greg how things were going.

For those of you who don't know, Greg is about to finish up his last rotation of his two year training program (the reason we move so frequently). It is almost time for him to be placed in a permanent location! So Luke asks Greg where he'd like to end up??? He told this Luke guy that he had really enjoyed his time in the California offices. I'm not going to quote the entire conversation but basically Luke tells Greg that they need people to go out to California. I'm a little dazed and confused at this point. We didn't think there was much of a chance to go back to California and this man has given me new hope! All I know is "Luke" is my new best friend and my hero!!!

It turns out that Luke is the Vice President of USA Operations for Greg's company. He's "the man" if you will, and he gave Greg his card and said to email him on Monday to talk about his future with the company. I'm not sure if this will actually lead to a permanent position for Greg out in California but everyone please cross your fingers!

4 Years and Cruise to Celebrate!

Four years ago on October 2, 2004 Greg and I had our first date in Tucson, Arizona. Since then we have lived in 4 different houses in 2 different states. We have had a crazy ride and this anniversary we decided to treat ourselves to a little getaway!

Here we are just a few minutes after getting on the Carnival Ecstacy. Everyone had to participate in the Emergency drill and actually "put on" their life vests!

Greg out on the boat deck enjoying the sun!

Here I am with our little towel animal. We had a different little friend every night! The housekeeping and staff on the boat were awesome. Every time we left our room we came back and it was perfect! They were like super heroes!

We got a chance to visit the Mayan ruins in Cozumel. They were very cool but it had just rained and the mosquitoes were out to get us!!!

Snorkeling in the crystal blue water.

Don't mind the lovely hair in this picture!

The fishies were so friendly they swam right up to us. I even got to touch a few!

The End :)