tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13290730629315714992024-02-07T17:05:44.266-07:00Mile-High Maendelscurrently living at sea-levelAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-26466103778364155632014-04-29T06:29:00.001-06:002014-04-29T06:38:11.676-06:00CraftySo I'm inspired by all the tutorials that I see on Pinterest and have tried a few out. From now on I think I might just document my own projects on the blog. We're not using it for much else anyway. <br />
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Project 1 - Bird Feeder<br />
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I wanted a bird feeder for the yard but wasn't too thrilled with the ones at the store, they were either too expensive or not cute so I, of course, turned to Pinterest. I found a few that were sold on Etsy but I'd rather make my own so I copied the general idea. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiZCAi3ItOw9IsW17go5X-x1hwC-BEskoF3YOLd2oUkCBVNz7AqavIXN58xTESvHjYAxOPQuYrBR92eQ_at4ILaL1L6rnIxDEvCC7UBvb1xuANWQGcZTbEoqaQei7gZGnsbvry_2AvI4/s1600/P1040808.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiZCAi3ItOw9IsW17go5X-x1hwC-BEskoF3YOLd2oUkCBVNz7AqavIXN58xTESvHjYAxOPQuYrBR92eQ_at4ILaL1L6rnIxDEvCC7UBvb1xuANWQGcZTbEoqaQei7gZGnsbvry_2AvI4/s1600/P1040808.JPG" height="320" title="DIY Bird Feeder" width="240" /></a></div>
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I went to the local farmer supply store and picked up a chicken feeder for about $3. It's made to screw into a mason jar (which I just happened to have!) and sit on the ground. In order to elevate it, I grabbed some hemp cord I had laying around and just started tying knots. Here's what I ended up with:<br />
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I should really go back and clean up the ends but I was too excited to get it up so the birds could snack!<br />
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After about a week I started seeing all sorts of birds including this beautiful cardinal and his mate. <br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-56888501713292612242014-02-20T15:20:00.002-07:002014-02-20T15:20:55.504-07:00Ice StormLast week I experienced my first ice storm. (I don't even know if that's the right term.)
I'm starting to question if I really did move to the south. There has just been too much frozen precipitation lately to be the south.<br />
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Wednesday morning I was reading in the living room listening to all the branches snap off the trees and fall. I timed it at one point and at least one branch was falling every two minutes. I was just sitting there waiting for one to fall on the house. Thankfully we didn't have any damage to the house.<br />
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We did lose power for a little over 24 hours. When we did have power, we had friends over who didn't have power at their places. The city didn't shut down quite as completely as the storm a couple weeks before even though I thought this storm was worse because of all the power outages. <br />
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We've had so many days off from school that for the month of March school will start 15 minutes early and get out 15 minutes late to make up the time. It's better than losing spring break.<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-80399823874600079372014-01-29T19:16:00.001-07:002014-01-29T19:16:52.341-07:00Snow Day!You know you live in the south when half an inch of snow shuts down your city for <i>3 days!</i> <br />
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This was the view from our back door this morning after our huge winter storm. </div>
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The view from the woods better shows that the snow wasn't even enough to cover the grass. Despite that, the hospital went into emergency lock-down. It's really more of a lock-in. Some people are chosen to work and a few sent home. If you have to stay to work, you're stuck at the hospital until the lock-in is over, even during your off hours. Jules was locked-in during Hurricane Irene two years ago. This time he go to come home because he works this weekend. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We took advantage of his unexpected reprieve from work. Jules came home around noon yesterday and we spent the afternoon watching TV and napping. Today we stayed in bed until late and made a grand breakfast. We also went for a walk in the woods behind the house. Tomorrow he goes back to work but not until 10 am! I have another day off tomorrow as all schools are closed for day number 3. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Denver had a blast. As far as we know, this was is first taste of snow. He ran around jumping and leaping about. He loved it!</span></div>
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To be fair, the snow was more ice than snow. We had a couple hours of frozen rain and sleet before the snow. We went to some friend's for dinner last night in the middle of the "storm" and did just fine. </div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-19386184488391843292014-01-25T14:05:00.000-07:002014-01-25T14:07:47.823-07:002013: A Year in ReviewI'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I suppose that given the relative dormancy of this blog over the past year pledging to post more frequently the goings-on of the Maendel family might not be a terrible idea. To that end, here's a small attempt to cover a few of the more exciting episodes from 2013.<br />
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<b>Home Improvement:</b><br />
Sometime in Spring I finished a slew of outdoor projects around the house, the largest of which were installation of a slate patio and a privacy fence complete with single as well as double gates. Smaller efforts included wheelbarrow restoration, rain barrel installation, compost barrel manufacture, and garden construction (see Wife's last post for the latter). <br />
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<b>Boundary Waters/"Paddlapalooza":</b><br />
I've wanted to take a trip to the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota for a long time, and last May we finally made it up there along with my friend Sharon (Vida days), her husband Miguel, and their friend Andy. Sharon and Miguel live in St Paul. We flew into the Twin Cities and then proceeded to load Sharon's sister's canoe onto their tiny car like true Minnesotans and drive our happy little party three hours north to Duluth. There, we picked up Andy with his truck, another canoe, and a kayak, and drove the additional three hours into THE BOONIES along a two lane road called the Gunflint Trail. The Boundary Waters is one of the few remaining areas of true Wilderness left in the lower 48 States. No one lives within the borders of this vast wilderness area, and approximately 70% of lakes its lakes are accessible by canoe/portage only. One can literally go days without seeing another canoe party, and trips can range from one or two days to weeks depending on how much time/energy/stamina one has. In any case, we chose to spend four days and three nights paddling around in this enchanted landscape (waterscape?). The fishing was excellent - as one would expect in an area only accessible by canoe. We spent the majority of our time camping on Ogishkemunchie Lake ("Ogish" to us Boundary Water vets), about four lakes and a full day's paddle/portage in from Seagull Lake where we put in. We got caught in a deluge on the way back and had significant percentages of our canoes fill with water, but made it back safe and soggy.<br />
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Travel MN-style!</div>
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The prerequisite trip to the Walmart rental center (a classic Vida tradition)</div>
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Whole areas around the first few lakes were burned in a 2004 fire</div>
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By the time we got to our own private island, we had crossed the fire line</div>
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Yup, that's how we roll</div>
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We put in at the top right end of Seagull, main campsite is bottom left</div>
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On the way back we took a detour and instead of doing a poorly maintained portage, the Wife and I ran the rapids between lakes!</div>
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Sunset</div>
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Fish-fry!</div>
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The rainy last day on the paddle back</div>
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Back soaked but safe!</div>
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<b>Appalachian Trail:</b><br />
Fast forward to Autumn, when I had a few days off in a row which we spent hiking a 30-mile segment of the Appalachian Trail near Asheville, NC. We brought the dog and he promptly fell in love with the backpacking experience. Blisters and IT-band issues notwithstanding, we had an awesome time hiking/camping for little more than the cost of gas/food. <br />
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On of the ubiquitous white trail markers along the AT</div>
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A well-deserved rest for man and beast atop Bluff Mountain</div>
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No pain no gain</div>
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Arrival in Hot Springs, NC - the end of our three-day journey</div>
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<b>Battleship Half-Marathon:</b></div>
I started running with the dog this past year, and over the course of a few months worked my way up to half-marathon distance. Three weeks before the Battleship Half Marathon - a yearly race here in Wilmington where you start and end at a WWII battleship/museum and run over three bridges along the route, I injured my left IT band hiking on the AT (see above). Come race day it was still hurting but I applied some topical diclofenac, popped a few ibuprofen/tylenol, wrapped the knee, and hope for the best. It hurt for the first few miles then settled down, and the remainder of the race went well (if rather slow - I only just got under my 2 hour goal). My friend Rick did it with me - it was also his first Half, so we were both rather pleased that we even finished. Good times, large medals!<br />
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That concludes the 2013 highlight reel. Bring on 2014!</div>
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Julianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03925762023397076724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-52610761559654789322013-11-24T19:27:00.000-07:002013-11-24T19:27:40.551-07:00A Cold November DaySo today is just another day, but today I remembered that we have a blog. So here's a update:<br />
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The seedlings in the eggshells did very well. They shot up right away but they also ran out of room fast! I was a bit worried that the tender little seedlings wouldn't be able to break out of the eggshell when I transplanted them in the garden so I pre-broke many of the shells to give them a leg up. Turns out that many of them couldn't even get through the eggshell with that help. When I checked on them weeks later, I found that many of the roots just grew up over the shells and then down. I even tried it with other veggies but had the same result. I think I'm going to forgo the eggshells next year.<br />
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Here's a picture of the veggie garden just after we made it. (And by we I mean Julian with minimal help from me) And of course, there's Denver soaking up the sun. He kind of blends in!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYn4E9DzRPJH3aCFUnkz4EeKtTE609J7rQH7wQp0_yd5kd3bzfHq1t6JWQAbXQXDXoF-Q8LB2Sz-DnaqUrvWV5oSdhtf6munhZVVGJ-tDTy_6afBwL8EYmf1AYtMYiKSo4h-MTkCR2bA/s1600/IMG_1056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIYn4E9DzRPJH3aCFUnkz4EeKtTE609J7rQH7wQp0_yd5kd3bzfHq1t6JWQAbXQXDXoF-Q8LB2Sz-DnaqUrvWV5oSdhtf6munhZVVGJ-tDTy_6afBwL8EYmf1AYtMYiKSo4h-MTkCR2bA/s320/IMG_1056.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Our dog is adorable and we love him. He can do basic commands now and I'm teaching him to pick things up off the floor for me, he he. Occasionally, when he feels wronged or loses his chew toys under the couch he wrecks havoc! He also thinks that yarn is a dog toy. We've had to rewind several skeins. The red tangle in the middle is actually one of his toys. It used to be a lobster rope toy.<br />
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But I'm painting a bad picture. He is usually very good. Everyone loves him and he loves everyone (except cats and squirrels). He will just hang out in the front yard with me if I'm gardening and he loves to go out and tramp about the woods behind our house.<br />
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-11948181651309554712013-02-09T16:22:00.000-07:002013-02-09T16:22:00.330-07:00Seedling in EggshellsI love Pintrest!<br />
But like any good pinner I'm a bit skeptical of many of the things I see. Having said that, Julian and I decided to try to grow seedlings in eggshells.<br />
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Apparently where we live you can start certain veggies in January! That is so weird to me! Anyway, sweet peas can be sown into the ground in January. Instead, we're starting them in the eggs, then transplanting them into our (yet to be finished) garden.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-37229271837543202342013-02-02T16:18:00.001-07:002013-02-28T17:54:43.516-07:00A New Addition<br />
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We adopted a dog today! We're going to call him Denver :)<br />
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He's a year and a half, German Shepard mix. He is so incredibly soft! He had been at animal control for months and was almost put down before Adopt an Angel rescued him from there. He doesn't know any commands yet but seems really sweet and smart. We'll see how it goes!</div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-89610477381417414022012-05-22T19:43:00.000-06:002013-02-28T17:55:26.574-07:00What a year!A lot has happened this year, and I obviously haven't done the best job of updating the blog on, well, anything. So here it is, the update, in no particular order:<br />
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Julian is about to complete his intern year of residency. It was hard, but that was expected. <br />
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We bought a house in November. We've settled in quite nicely and love it and the neighborhood. I don't know that the neighbors love our lawn very much. I know I hate it! It's more weed than lawn.<br />
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I'm still teaching dual-language kinder. I love the kinder part and am still iffy on the dual-language. It is a lot of fun to hear the kids speaking in Spanish when they didn't know any at the beginning of the year. The highest group is slowly starting to come out of the silent phase of language acquisition. It's amazing how much they all understand though! <br />
Next year, kinder and first grade will be full immersion so I will hardly be saying a word in English all day. The kids are supposed to think I may not even speak English, which will be interesting. The idea is that they will try harder to communicate in Spanish if I don't give them an easy way out by responding in English.<br />
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Well, those are the biggies I guess. I figure I don't have to write everything in one big post or else I might not write for another year : )Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-54395663652196032642011-09-18T07:16:00.000-06:002011-09-18T07:16:10.053-06:00If at first you don't succeed, tri tri againSo after my first triathlon last year I've tried to do 2 others. In both cases I was thwarted by timing at the last minute.<br />
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The first was rescheduled because of a massive forest fire in Boulder. Now, the fire wasn't anywhere near where the race was supposed to be, but the firefighters took over the reservoir as their base camp. When things had settled down, they rescheduled the event for a day that I couldn't go.<br />
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The second tri that I wanted to do was the day after my last day of work in Denver. Yeah, we ended up taking off for Wilmington a few days earlier than expected, so we were driving the U-haul while everyone swam, biked and ran.<br />
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Yesterday, I finally made it to a triathlon!<br />
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I did the Wilmington Triathlon, which actually takes place in the town of Wrightsville Beach. Julian's fellow intern's wife does triathlons as well. We're the same age and so in the same starting wave. It was a lot of fun to have someone to hang out with before and after the race. Jules was working all day.<br />
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The best part? I met my goals for the race! <br />
My total time: 1:43:41 <br />
My 5k run time: 27:49Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-41320809123035801442011-09-06T03:33:00.001-06:002011-09-06T03:45:51.151-06:00Grandma<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kzEXQ5YziPeSwJ9_4f_PYDkHHhrVrio0NswcfqhW1zWTpZU3W-QGk2bSJVXCaK0-7Qu6MLP-oYT0qd-PK7c9qktSbzlwh1MdHGok079cnM2L4fag2m553nbUkeCvDIxUSvpgmdu3aXY/s1600/449810_0297.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kzEXQ5YziPeSwJ9_4f_PYDkHHhrVrio0NswcfqhW1zWTpZU3W-QGk2bSJVXCaK0-7Qu6MLP-oYT0qd-PK7c9qktSbzlwh1MdHGok079cnM2L4fag2m553nbUkeCvDIxUSvpgmdu3aXY/s320/449810_0297.jpg" /></a> </div>
We took a last minute trip to Denver this weekend to say goodbye to my grandma.<br />
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A couple months ago, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. She had several large tumors.<br />
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She had been slowly declining until Thursday, when she went from being fully communicative and still ambulatory to barley able to respond. When Jules and I arrived on Saturday, she wasn't responding at all.<br />
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She passed away Sunday night, at home, with the whole family around her. </div>
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Grandma was the glue that held our family together. Now we are faced with figuring out how to be a family without her. </div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-52878503022308101402011-09-03T08:17:00.001-06:002011-09-03T08:17:00.441-06:00Oof, Kindergarten!I have a class of 21 lovely 5 year olds, but man oh man, they are worlds away from the now-second-graders I left in May. I'm having quite the reality check as I teach them how we behave at school. <div>
<br /></div><div>It's not that they're all naughty, most of them just haven't had to learn this stuff yet. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>For the most part, at the end of the day, I'm happy and exhausted. (Just don't ask be an hour before school is out!)</div><div>
<br /></div><div>My new school is very different from Vanguard. There is not nearly as much structure in place for the children or the teachers, but everyone has been so kind and supportive. That is one thing I LOVE about living here: everyone is so kind!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Oh, and in the end it turns out that my kids will stay in my class all day. I'll teach them literacy in Spanish, then math, science, and social studies in English. Yay! I love teaching math, science, and social studies, so I'm thrilled!</div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-3416272775627893162011-08-30T19:52:00.003-06:002011-08-30T20:11:18.667-06:00Post Storm<div style="text-align: left;">Well, we made it through the hurricane safe and sound!</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWzMK_CNTXGJ8QjC_OYevC_FtINrtqOR8wTnaE1F2bkRZM3V_4JWGInewCOXRqKeKB_XR9eB_XeapQvuM5oRmiAu_gKF9-cNfrW4MIRdhxCm_9_btlrddRNccB2o_bnbONp1yAhY1vWg/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646836187712147618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div>Before the hurricane hit, I made a quick foray to the beach to check out the waves. The pictures don't begin to convey how windy it was and how choppy and chaotic the waves were.</div><div>
<br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdG0RLDMtuGQj8zb8CZmr-34ndjuhhYcgxDdry19Nx6QqLIMf76ARUOq-hlY32B6gWxsVKBa0iHZ-m_TAyKm3znawMXJ_yMXgfiDBj83TBqpsFfmFGr0BlJPvDMMCSTlbEVN4BEcZj1GA/s320/IMG_0035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646836195074339922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div><div>Wilmington had minimal damage. There were some downed trees, <i>lots</i> of leaves everywhere, and a friend's neighbor lost 1 shingle of his roof, but overall I'd say we got off easy. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I stayed up until 3:30 Friday night (Saturday morning) waiting for the "hurricane" to hit. To me, it was just a bad storm that lasted a very long time. I kept thinking it would get a lot worse and I didn't want to be woken up by that in the middle of the night. Eventually, I convinced myself (quite wisely) that I just needed to go to bed. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>We are so thankful that we weren't hit more directly or intensely, especially as we watch the coverage of the damage and devastation elsewhere. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I know it's said too often and it begins to lose meaning, but our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives have been devastated. </div></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-39611551160751287672011-08-26T04:14:00.000-06:002011-08-26T04:14:24.980-06:00Hurricane PrepRemember how I was awed at all the things we have in North Carolina? Well, I'm not so excited about that anymore. <br />
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As luck would have it, Julian is on the team that is locked into the hospital. I guess there are 3 teams: one for before, one locked in, and one that cleans up the mess after the hurricane. Since Jules was supposed to work nights this weekend, he's one of the <i>lucky</i> ones that gets locked in the hospital. <br />
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Which means that the girl that was afraid to move to the coast because of the hurricanes is going to go through her first one by herself. I could go to a friends house, but I'm too stubborn/ worried about the apartment. I figure if I'm here and it starts to flood, I can carry things upstairs. If a window breaks, well I'm not actually sure what I'll do if that happens, but I'll figure something out. <br />
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I have half a day of work today, then it'll be time to lock myself in. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-86040554694767392602011-08-13T15:28:00.000-06:002011-08-13T15:28:39.322-06:00Update<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It's been 2 months since we moved to NC!<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Time has flown, but so far I am enjoying my time here. There are definitely some things about living here that blow my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">There are these random 2 ft by 2 ft areas on the beach that are roped off. I found out recently that they are sea turtle nests!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
<a href="http://www.nestonline.org/images/news/2010Earl-A.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://www.nestonline.org/images/news/2010Earl-A.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">There is a big lake/park about 3/4 of a mile from our house that is my favorite place to go running. Here's one of many signs posted around the park.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HA0GV0nBpDSeivFHhCtsb1oi59wgdVDrUqnrb48YZdAGIVPexSZMoSBdctKS11mg9vIyNvHF3B_PPA00jVDS6oux4CDlbhMnscQbyxzqfZEinsSi0eE3p7MIJwhwyfO6sgLk9cRGubUt/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HA0GV0nBpDSeivFHhCtsb1oi59wgdVDrUqnrb48YZdAGIVPexSZMoSBdctKS11mg9vIyNvHF3B_PPA00jVDS6oux4CDlbhMnscQbyxzqfZEinsSi0eE3p7MIJwhwyfO6sgLk9cRGubUt/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
Yes, I have seen an alligator. I was on a walk with a friend and we were standing on a bridge over a finger of the lake when we saw a 4 ft alligator just chillin' in the water with the turtles. The other day on the news, I saw part of a story about one alligator who had to be captured after wandering away from the lake.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Julian is settling into the chaos that is intern year. Usually, there are</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">so-so</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">days and</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">ugh</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">days, but he's amazed at how fast the last two months have felt. We're taking that as good news.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">I've been keeping busy working at a summer camp. I did a couple days of subbing at a preschool and on that second day they offered me a job that unexpectedly opened up in their summer camp room. So, I was a TA for four weeks with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">On Wednesday, I will start my new job as a Kindergarten teacher at one of the public elementary schools in town. They have a dual-immersion program, which means that they teach the kids in both Spanish and English. Surprisingly, there are only 2-3 native Spanish speaking students in the program (from what I understand). I'll be teaching the kids reading and writing in Spanish, then trading kids with another teacher to teach them reading and writing in Spanish. I still don't know how I feel about the whole thing, but I'm thankful that I have a job.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-38010534622563464042011-06-25T15:39:00.003-06:002011-06-25T16:02:14.972-06:00It Was THIS Big<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't like spiders.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know they are a part of creation and that they serve a purpose and I'm OK with all that until they come into my space. Then I freak out. This usually involves running and begging Julian do fix the situation ASAP.<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GSX1vd-fBE1HOdBsUpI-vgQD1v2MnqO6ylwRcTiuI90O_yEpHHlfdo0X7jCGJdKV_Dl9CYDtL0RaQlk6RO3n2xOloUuaj37_NcL74OK3leiYgXJnfEHInchCKF3zSf8FVGNpsKmsqYc/s320/openphotonet_huntsman+spider3.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 86px; height: 77px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622281026632549666" /><div>Well, Julian is now officially in residency which means that this morning when the spider inside the front door tried to attack me, there was no one to run to. To make matters worse, that big, long legged creature was holding it's ground between me and the bug spray!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I was tempted to turn tail and run, but instead I tempted fate and ran past it. The crazy thing was jumping all around, obviously in an attempt to intimidate me back up the stairs! I made it to the bug spray and came rushed back to the battlefield.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, the spider did not seem ill affected by the ant and roach spray that I doused him with. It just made him hopping mad, literally!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I sprayed more, and more, and more until I'm pretty sure he was just drowning. Then I got him with a sandal. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ha!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-69390386494832130572011-06-17T09:21:00.005-06:002011-06-23T09:56:26.042-06:00Settling InA quick re-cap of our move:<br /><br />It somehow took 2 days of careful packing and 1 day of just throwing things in boxes to get us packed up. How on Earth did we accumulate so much stuff?! Fortunately, my brother Daniel and our friend Sam came over to help us load the U-haul.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_hk-X9b3cPHd8OoXihePdJZIP2BRIkM_L-PVvfWaIn6kqkpjDvTYJX8EivssMdRd5iOzRtN54X4h2uVYR5r6sH43qFm7zDevXTfE7HJbECJuVqd9qUTmWgL89QLhs9eLbx4UGXvedW0/s320/IMG_0473.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621439527965055778" />It took us over 30 hours to drive from Denver to Wilmington. The U-haul's gas mileage was terrible so we ended up driving between 50 - 60 mph after the first fill-up. <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM971QLccw4slqT2hIEsWXKZR32FJ0Kpk4qggI6vh1PaBwIPyWEFBD-FhdfoGtCMhm8_uO2lO2wnQ-CTkvvjjwyZ-JQjaCtvR0w3MjXo1jeGRjAYK7fkeY-wNbi_BWpadZvYd8tY0FsTI/s1600/IMG_0477.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM971QLccw4slqT2hIEsWXKZR32FJ0Kpk4qggI6vh1PaBwIPyWEFBD-FhdfoGtCMhm8_uO2lO2wnQ-CTkvvjjwyZ-JQjaCtvR0w3MjXo1jeGRjAYK7fkeY-wNbi_BWpadZvYd8tY0FsTI/s320/IMG_0477.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621439827068449570" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The long drive was very nicely broken up by a visit to Brent and Pam, some friends who live in Kansas. We got a 12 hour respite there before the second leg of our drive.</div></div><div><br />Dan drove down from D.C. to help us unload which we are so thankful for. I like to think I'm tough, but there's no way I could have helped Julian move that couch!<br /><br />Now we're just down to those last few stubborn boxes that we just don't want to deal with and trying to find the missing things. For example, I have no idea where the camera cord is, so I can't get to the pictures on the camera to post. Oh well.<br /><br />We've made it to the beach a couple of times and are loving our new proximity. We both really want to try surfing now.<br /><br />Our neighbors are really nice, in fact almost everyone is nice. It's really odd to me to get into conversations with the cashiers at the store or to be asked my opinion on an outfit by a fellow shopper. I've always heard Colorado was a friendly place, but it doesn't hold a candle to this.<br /></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-41538106805569449762011-06-15T12:51:00.000-06:002011-06-15T12:52:52.047-06:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4Bp1mv61mfIXxPRQ0YmeTwXCOhdJIcvoknoEo347Fioh_yrbEMNdk7rUw76r0te9a3839sK-kh1dUKnH7nzOcsrisRolRHw1_s-ohqZuwREKOEZUab9PmZ68RFXU_L2GwzxSgIYUlOk/s1600/800px-Welcome_To_Wilmington.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4Bp1mv61mfIXxPRQ0YmeTwXCOhdJIcvoknoEo347Fioh_yrbEMNdk7rUw76r0te9a3839sK-kh1dUKnH7nzOcsrisRolRHw1_s-ohqZuwREKOEZUab9PmZ68RFXU_L2GwzxSgIYUlOk/s320/800px-Welcome_To_Wilmington.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618521311727692386" /></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-39702684666859336692011-05-23T12:13:00.000-06:002011-05-23T12:13:08.146-06:00U2 360⁰ (and then some)U2 was originally slated to come to Denver in June of 2010. That was before Bono slipped a disc in his back,prompting a one year postponement of this entire leg of the U2360⁰ tour. We finally got to use our tickets on Saturday, as Bono and company finally made it to a sold out Invesco Field. It was entirely worth the wait. <br />
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As it turned out, it was also well worth camping out for seven hours on the tarmac outside in the general admission queue, and waiting for three more in the crowded "inner circle" under "the Claw". To explain, U2's stage for this tour is gigantic - it reportedly takes four days to set up and two to take down, and consists of a more or less basic center platform surrounded by a runway about 50 feet out. The two elements are connected via two bridges that can move around the radius of the circle. Above the whole thing stand four pillars the bend over the stage to connect in the middle, from which hangs a 360-degrees circular video screen that can expand to reach all the way down to the stage floor. We ended up getting a spot inside the circle between the stage and the circular runway, and the show was EPIC. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhdH_3R867hduczNVXRFnkn5nF-2NtRlFOEJtLYEmsMO9uTVWGwnbr3zQTfj0wY6N9KtjG2KLdKlY2y5aYHwRo_KEoPDW93nL9t6HdbqOcxh2WSRXP6eVXf1MSUYIwhB_fvwddN99vYF2/s1600/P1030245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhdH_3R867hduczNVXRFnkn5nF-2NtRlFOEJtLYEmsMO9uTVWGwnbr3zQTfj0wY6N9KtjG2KLdKlY2y5aYHwRo_KEoPDW93nL9t6HdbqOcxh2WSRXP6eVXf1MSUYIwhB_fvwddN99vYF2/s320/P1030245.JPG" /></a></div>Waiting outside in the GA queue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0Y5dwY9l3S5Nx2vhNlJtHAKxW3DGPtj6TRypF-xPmEpAI_vgJn7ufUlfefabAtetn6SdjSewjw7CaCruNy8gCjUB55ZXk0p_aMJ__e9R04ojDbgE-Je_dksmH4AcQ-zS1MQFUVkVZOF9/s1600/P1030246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0Y5dwY9l3S5Nx2vhNlJtHAKxW3DGPtj6TRypF-xPmEpAI_vgJn7ufUlfefabAtetn6SdjSewjw7CaCruNy8gCjUB55ZXk0p_aMJ__e9R04ojDbgE-Je_dksmH4AcQ-zS1MQFUVkVZOF9/s320/P1030246.JPG" /></a></div>The Wife two-fisting it. (CAGE questionnaire anyone?)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFF-BlJyb9qFcJpwSCEbo9VmkhNdOfywodQzkufRTBy_hKw7Ew4jfW5oi-HElpCGoTEZQqZjWfc-sO2KVm5tZBC5tONkF5szp4rjZqMz6mjA3JAYw-WEiyXyKdEJXbpZE_Lf_9On8aOUG/s1600/P1030247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFF-BlJyb9qFcJpwSCEbo9VmkhNdOfywodQzkufRTBy_hKw7Ew4jfW5oi-HElpCGoTEZQqZjWfc-sO2KVm5tZBC5tONkF5szp4rjZqMz6mjA3JAYw-WEiyXyKdEJXbpZE_Lf_9On8aOUG/s320/P1030247.JPG" /></a></div>People left behind everything from chairs to unopened Doritos to untouched six-packs (now you see where Amy got the liquid refreshment seen in previous shot).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6AlqXrOTryIlgVu_uQlbI-P0cFKt7-N9lugh4uKLTgW9tZhgjFQS3A85s-95sxTx6cf3DuCSPaFQyTI3aQHpEtKT5jWICapGYDSWMiHRpyDKa9DaVRPRDhhOmg0LGewiI__TF06k1mPl/s1600/P1030249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6AlqXrOTryIlgVu_uQlbI-P0cFKt7-N9lugh4uKLTgW9tZhgjFQS3A85s-95sxTx6cf3DuCSPaFQyTI3aQHpEtKT5jWICapGYDSWMiHRpyDKa9DaVRPRDhhOmg0LGewiI__TF06k1mPl/s320/P1030249.JPG" /></a></div>Getting ready for the mad scramble.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhaWX8bVN8_IjgWooxWj3rj3ld_lM_GnD7TbG7Ax352cecECvOh2GHamfmtQDtICXQ32I-L-4U6MfIzHjiFsysAMJNcre90h_QVJ4qtggSqkfo_JOjk-l45jcLLSCudOgnff7Kqc_ksEM/s1600/P1030262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhaWX8bVN8_IjgWooxWj3rj3ld_lM_GnD7TbG7Ax352cecECvOh2GHamfmtQDtICXQ32I-L-4U6MfIzHjiFsysAMJNcre90h_QVJ4qtggSqkfo_JOjk-l45jcLLSCudOgnff7Kqc_ksEM/s320/P1030262.JPG" /></a></div>Inside "the circle". First 2000 fans were allowed in, we were probably around #'s 800 and 801.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQP3Lb17v3BqkAk-40KbHsKYXZAXdSjRUTb69hCWH3eVxADHygp-hAd8AT1svJwmshYYDLCWP03owe13zyAJLoc41qytny2ThLhA95PYAhDR0aTcIaHYEjt3rnIHeMdWcMfe6xI-zAWrK/s1600/P1030261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQP3Lb17v3BqkAk-40KbHsKYXZAXdSjRUTb69hCWH3eVxADHygp-hAd8AT1svJwmshYYDLCWP03owe13zyAJLoc41qytny2ThLhA95PYAhDR0aTcIaHYEjt3rnIHeMdWcMfe6xI-zAWrK/s320/P1030261.JPG" /></a></div>In between the opening act (The Fray) and the real thing, all these facts rotated by on the big screen - some lighthearted ("tweets today") and some more sobering ("People who died of hunger today").<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitiezVUVRcsB5pTjRkeCo9yZjdKE4U2sor8wpU_RXb8hjdNcUvs_0q3Wa-Qxh6ztDZoG49z8xTYVnueGVq1Ra4V8BlUXkvg9Cjv7ST5xLiBJSYwu-FaD1VYQBYe2ukRSqvJDYrwzfoQwz8/s1600/P1030263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitiezVUVRcsB5pTjRkeCo9yZjdKE4U2sor8wpU_RXb8hjdNcUvs_0q3Wa-Qxh6ztDZoG49z8xTYVnueGVq1Ra4V8BlUXkvg9Cjv7ST5xLiBJSYwu-FaD1VYQBYe2ukRSqvJDYrwzfoQwz8/s320/P1030263.JPG" /></a></div>The band shows up first on the big screen on their way out to the stage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zOTfJPerH6B6vLPmYgocOnxNViaH6xp18t9glFBLNZWbNistbUXxcnHt03czQmp929_UJEMfkIn1GDbsdjXpXKltRUyLD5mEeXzNGvwHDBfPimLZs8Hg3ryu2PI_xOHizSRfkKJW8U5i/s1600/P1030316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zOTfJPerH6B6vLPmYgocOnxNViaH6xp18t9glFBLNZWbNistbUXxcnHt03czQmp929_UJEMfkIn1GDbsdjXpXKltRUyLD5mEeXzNGvwHDBfPimLZs8Hg3ryu2PI_xOHizSRfkKJW8U5i/s320/P1030316.JPG" /></a></div>Bono on one of the moving bridges - my best shot of the night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F9-SSWGr8HdB_ziGDiwsXSGGjPhTJ1OSMDp8jY41ICZ-dUpoDHXKVm6FZd8J2AlvLmeLiBybFzLw_raGFHmxrUqTQk2gsILUkmy_OONc211Qss66xX8XRljNe0xh-qi4-9AOYkB1RCFq/s1600/P1030308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F9-SSWGr8HdB_ziGDiwsXSGGjPhTJ1OSMDp8jY41ICZ-dUpoDHXKVm6FZd8J2AlvLmeLiBybFzLw_raGFHmxrUqTQk2gsILUkmy_OONc211Qss66xX8XRljNe0xh-qi4-9AOYkB1RCFq/s320/P1030308.JPG" /></a></div>"In the place where art meets science, the super hero who was bitten by a spider and turned into a nerd...on guitar, The Edge."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXyTZCEgbchG2Y6ApCYPfpgHhWqoM42h5c1s22WIdiHPDoPYlDPx7T7sE8jYftIu5q-QrN17hhWAzxLjLTXqXuICCFL7IVNXI5XM9ubwwxsaaIBWpJDffHTkGTVcGfPlbtdWlGWFAnlUL/s1600/P1030309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXyTZCEgbchG2Y6ApCYPfpgHhWqoM42h5c1s22WIdiHPDoPYlDPx7T7sE8jYftIu5q-QrN17hhWAzxLjLTXqXuICCFL7IVNXI5XM9ubwwxsaaIBWpJDffHTkGTVcGfPlbtdWlGWFAnlUL/s320/P1030309.JPG" /></a></div>"A wonder of nature, Adam Clayton became a father in the last year, still a young buck though!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLMYHPmOzgONVo9Cz1QQRmlttbkjPU214DK_k6yzeoogUUWxJzvJ2Gphh_m6MuPzjEBcdklvYcQ9gAnT2YAEkJsMplH8Ea-6byDFAzUjWJuOjAW-8RaZ93gH7Df4PGUCz1-7S-TBUXaF9/s1600/P1030310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLMYHPmOzgONVo9Cz1QQRmlttbkjPU214DK_k6yzeoogUUWxJzvJ2Gphh_m6MuPzjEBcdklvYcQ9gAnT2YAEkJsMplH8Ea-6byDFAzUjWJuOjAW-8RaZ93gH7Df4PGUCz1-7S-TBUXaF9/s320/P1030310.JPG" /></a></div>"Part-Terminator part Duracell Bunny....Larry Mullen Jr on drums..."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTItGcqTf0bKUFRWwgQnwLOElRw2PGig5RDxhSnnaZoVZ_YGxr0s6i9ziZ5Z_c-JvYUcJKq6gcnLvgpiQ01FVBDfhf8bcwBfZF-hSTaU_pHWHVbxU3LWQZtlCQ5bgWpP7ltDx3gVdZmxE/s1600/P1030295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTItGcqTf0bKUFRWwgQnwLOElRw2PGig5RDxhSnnaZoVZ_YGxr0s6i9ziZ5Z_c-JvYUcJKq6gcnLvgpiQ01FVBDfhf8bcwBfZF-hSTaU_pHWHVbxU3LWQZtlCQ5bgWpP7ltDx3gVdZmxE/s320/P1030295.JPG" /></a></div>Ten feet away.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9LvuJdG7hyphenhyphenQSIZcJrKmFX86tYe6bdstCBfL5JTvbqfiuIom7KZWrupj6PHwTRMjhFgfMQm3IcZ-cdYJ8O2HteiTcaif2KwMeDpgfrgnQEu3DQjY8iJl4DrKf5qXvbYGAmVTNo3aM2wMP/s1600/P1030323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9LvuJdG7hyphenhyphenQSIZcJrKmFX86tYe6bdstCBfL5JTvbqfiuIom7KZWrupj6PHwTRMjhFgfMQm3IcZ-cdYJ8O2HteiTcaif2KwMeDpgfrgnQEu3DQjY8iJl4DrKf5qXvbYGAmVTNo3aM2wMP/s320/P1030323.JPG" /></a></div>Bono and The Edge on main stage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSGSPV6n8KU0BdIiEjqI31dYCPiCEJVavOCZUKtamIOfphHZGJr0ieHhZuprqd6ObKp8NIpUQgLBk-uCAutuKu1V3C8XaSsQHk703Yr3n3Rg4BhHXor0C-WTfFZGOl_bHqN43U1_YKRSW/s1600/P1030354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSGSPV6n8KU0BdIiEjqI31dYCPiCEJVavOCZUKtamIOfphHZGJr0ieHhZuprqd6ObKp8NIpUQgLBk-uCAutuKu1V3C8XaSsQHk703Yr3n3Rg4BhHXor0C-WTfFZGOl_bHqN43U1_YKRSW/s320/P1030354.JPG" /></a></div>Even Larry got the chance to get out from behind his set and amble about on the runway.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGF1oj3M4FlJVzjzaIWV4syKMdoEK12awYk7b8irIa8PxqejTbdEkA7CF00KBvja6jcwOkbNDAlqWCz7U_fMR_SL9pmWaT9VD5A36YSIUGRnX41qUymqiYH70r0FjyRCIOqUYc48irVewK/s1600/P1030358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGF1oj3M4FlJVzjzaIWV4syKMdoEK12awYk7b8irIa8PxqejTbdEkA7CF00KBvja6jcwOkbNDAlqWCz7U_fMR_SL9pmWaT9VD5A36YSIUGRnX41qUymqiYH70r0FjyRCIOqUYc48irVewK/s320/P1030358.JPG" /></a></div>The rhythm section steals the limelight for a minute. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULZle7fYnZuh_rIVoN0HU6sE3HKD7We3RxS4HwiqbKt0IIKROcVqHvMi_0Xq08KSWJr_MY7SOF58ZGqyE94KL7DBcINQDMlgcE8DWIZ-YGke5CHffQK4e664r5st-ocFeJkW1rZLsVmqz/s1600/P1030277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULZle7fYnZuh_rIVoN0HU6sE3HKD7We3RxS4HwiqbKt0IIKROcVqHvMi_0Xq08KSWJr_MY7SOF58ZGqyE94KL7DBcINQDMlgcE8DWIZ-YGke5CHffQK4e664r5st-ocFeJkW1rZLsVmqz/s320/P1030277.JPG" /></a></div>Bono and Adam main stage - this was about 20 feet in front of us. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6vxpoh_eq_CsAVI1AXvez2rkUrjWH76HmKEPi7b5g2nBlzPX8rsq0xXpnKNsVZ5MlgnPI7aph2K7HjtpWbFBu7KLRgmiWHmY_wjLNFB_2Y7PW1LINogznDDsruw1eGAJ6rAWXylgvgPx/s1600/P1030352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6vxpoh_eq_CsAVI1AXvez2rkUrjWH76HmKEPi7b5g2nBlzPX8rsq0xXpnKNsVZ5MlgnPI7aph2K7HjtpWbFBu7KLRgmiWHmY_wjLNFB_2Y7PW1LINogznDDsruw1eGAJ6rAWXylgvgPx/s320/P1030352.JPG" /></a></div>The video screen was massive, and later in the show expanded down to within about two feet of the stage floor. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoN4AwM6ejtzZ9hIrrOgFXVyCo3v35fU9EAbGHI_cgMIL3o5EMzPW59WaxiC61N5_KKAy10jZqtxtSwmf_CSf8dYoeo0twJwRT_5eGvOhCXph-amvEDesK-vue3uOei06vdz29OZZ7EslY/s1600/P1030365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoN4AwM6ejtzZ9hIrrOgFXVyCo3v35fU9EAbGHI_cgMIL3o5EMzPW59WaxiC61N5_KKAy10jZqtxtSwmf_CSf8dYoeo0twJwRT_5eGvOhCXph-amvEDesK-vue3uOei06vdz29OZZ7EslY/s320/P1030365.JPG" /></a></div>Bono breaks out an ax of his own. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbx8vNP9uf3-ArRlx1LD6k1XGI0gRqMRdKVyPKZXUhhmvp1aZ_sG9UCR9cHEdRJwzmx2xRWgVv9jQ8QcRvy3X7LqCC7eXkbHTWOOEKtAGTqTgH410rg_aNUNIIifjnozgQBMrlUdMWiv5/s1600/P1030374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbx8vNP9uf3-ArRlx1LD6k1XGI0gRqMRdKVyPKZXUhhmvp1aZ_sG9UCR9cHEdRJwzmx2xRWgVv9jQ8QcRvy3X7LqCC7eXkbHTWOOEKtAGTqTgH410rg_aNUNIIifjnozgQBMrlUdMWiv5/s320/P1030374.JPG" /></a></div>Wrapping it up - they would come back out two more times after leaving the stage the first time. Special thanks to the doofus who ruined the shot with his paws. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9KqI7a89kaOvsxsTKB8tz7LtmGXjUCrg19vrJ5UVzcoFw4DZTRFR915nj1Ibuzc0EDKH1tWTj7P1Gp-yZRQZJ8vbed9LepBH3NnmAIq5yAxYDrmLB0HLZ5rRAZKD1BgGkCBNO9MdDBvv/s1600/P1030380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9KqI7a89kaOvsxsTKB8tz7LtmGXjUCrg19vrJ5UVzcoFw4DZTRFR915nj1Ibuzc0EDKH1tWTj7P1Gp-yZRQZJ8vbed9LepBH3NnmAIq5yAxYDrmLB0HLZ5rRAZKD1BgGkCBNO9MdDBvv/s320/P1030380.JPG" /></a></div>A shot back at the Claw as we leave the stadium. Thirty+ years and these guys still have it. Amazing show.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-91083963940711591932011-05-19T14:01:00.000-06:002011-05-19T14:01:48.440-06:00Last Test of Med SchoolHas been taken. That is all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-16426111938058770862011-05-07T09:53:00.002-06:002011-05-07T10:04:29.120-06:00LicenseAsk any teacher, getting a teaching license is an exercise in bureaucracy at its finest. (Well, at least in Colorado)<br /><br />I applied for my North Carolina license about a month ago. Then after starting applications I realized that I had taken the wrong subset of the PRAXIS (think SAT or ACT but for teachers). I took <span style="font-style:italic;">Elementary Education: Content Area</span> while North Carolina wants <span style="font-style:italic;">Elementary Education: Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction</span>. <div> Seriously?!<br /><br />I've been working on getting though a loophole, but today when I checked the website I found out that...(drum roll please) I am now a licensed teacher in NC!<br /><br />It hurts my Colorado pride a bit to admit this, but NC seems to have a great system set-up over there. In Colorado, it would have taken 3-4 months just to find out that they had received the application, then another month for them to figure out I had taken the wrong test. Oh, CDE I will miss you not.</div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-46236020431226219192011-04-07T13:35:00.023-06:002011-04-07T15:32:00.273-06:00Guate y ZacapaWhen looking for a Central American country to visit on a budget, may I suggest passing over more popular destinations such as Costa Rica and Panama for the oft overlooked yet visually stunning country of Guatemala. I was there in 2008 for one month, during which I spent a few days at Lake Atitlan, considered by many to be the most beautiful lake in the world. I returned, this time with the wife, for the better part of the past week during her spring break. It was a trip taken to celebrate a successful Match, secure in the knowledge that the next five years will leave us little time for travel. <br />
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After spending the night sleeping on the threadbare carpet of Miami International Airport with an annoying voice loudly jumping out of the speakers to proclaim the time every fifteen minutes, we arrived, after two layovers, in Guatemala City. A short taxi ride to the bus terminal and we jumped on a camioneta (aka "chicken bus") for the 4 hour ride up to Panajachel on the Lake. From there, we took a lancha (aka small covered boat powered by an overworked but compliant outboard) across the lake to our hotel. La Casa del Mundo is perched on a cliff overlooking the lake, and is only accesible by boat. From the dock, you need to climb a bunch of cement/rock stairs to get to the hotel. Nice rooms at $35/night and an array of decks and various platforms, complete with woodstove-fired outdoor hot tub completed the basic picture. My friend Oscar, whom I had gotten to know on my last trip there, still works at the hotel. He was our unofficial guide during our time there, taking us to, in order: a local friend with a backyard sauna; a local restaurant that doled out $2 shots of Zacapa (considered by many to be the best rum in the world); and to the summit of a volcano overlooking the lake. The last of these took us the better part of a morning, and was worth hiring an official guide for. The 40-something year old gentleman proceeded to kick our collective butt in volcano climbing, despite our Rocky Mountain pedigrees. Even so, we got up in two and one half hours (the norm is three), so we weren't completely undone about it. <br />
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Otherwise, lots of reading time, with us each reading three (non-medical) books, something I haven't done for a long time. Hammocks are my friend. The water in the lake was clear blue providing for an assortment of refreshing daily dips/swims. At night the sauna awaited, under a glorious sparkling night sky complete with the "Southern Cross" constellation of the southern hemisphere hanging over the horizon. We got back to Guatemala City ("Guate" to the locals) by the same means as we came. This time, however, we needed to change buses three times en route - something that went surprisingly smoothly considering the chaotic-looking scenes that are the change-over points. The flight back included another airport sleep over, this time at the Orlando airport, but we made it home safe and sound - very tired and moderately sunburned, but filled with the memories of our latest adventure together. <br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFirDx2Egj6UBZPs53H2QyRk_ayJvEiHRSLHxzNmPkVO0Foda8kCA9jxRkhrrhzxOtdO8BByPqhrrAyWnMEe8-cnXA6Amkjoc-YeoJxZTbZsbj28ahYB7xKULrCUqNLluwaf7l-6IybUoE/s1600/P1030181.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFirDx2Egj6UBZPs53H2QyRk_ayJvEiHRSLHxzNmPkVO0Foda8kCA9jxRkhrrhzxOtdO8BByPqhrrAyWnMEe8-cnXA6Amkjoc-YeoJxZTbZsbj28ahYB7xKULrCUqNLluwaf7l-6IybUoE/s320/P1030181.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592941760741311778" /></a><br />
Camioneta - 4-hour bus rides complete with overcrowding and nice guatemalan radio music blared at damaging decibel levels for $3<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I9JzeNNbl1TnEpaCvmIlA7SBY88OUu6sXAcJ8KvFN1yNE4YYQcqpMisiOPfq7KIucuSXxbqe2GKEffZgGcfV9NG9Sp6PHScMqv3k9HjUa8QgM1ms_QUARRYnVpo2yBx0Q25dSN9TYHr_/s1600/P1030164.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I9JzeNNbl1TnEpaCvmIlA7SBY88OUu6sXAcJ8KvFN1yNE4YYQcqpMisiOPfq7KIucuSXxbqe2GKEffZgGcfV9NG9Sp6PHScMqv3k9HjUa8QgM1ms_QUARRYnVpo2yBx0Q25dSN9TYHr_/s320/P1030164.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592941541707200082" /></a><br />
Our room<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyw8DoSuekQbwlHeGv5E-nITfQY8a3qk2Oda5OOJaryec_k19f5Q81vMNKHR9PYf3pz1sbWOi9F0ryMElET5BoN3BDJ7T1ADFtioczGls1Kt6V_GBgHzYHUdtO1XFPE02vfcyoC3_xXdw/s1600/P1030170.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyw8DoSuekQbwlHeGv5E-nITfQY8a3qk2Oda5OOJaryec_k19f5Q81vMNKHR9PYf3pz1sbWOi9F0ryMElET5BoN3BDJ7T1ADFtioczGls1Kt6V_GBgHzYHUdtO1XFPE02vfcyoC3_xXdw/s320/P1030170.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592941347984545970" /></a><br />
La Casa del Mundo, our spectacular hotel<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELy9I2-SraGFWOP1kH0oA1ssMAzLA0gnNtX_3DYKTPrXj8GZmD8EjpLA768dEY3bUHC_-HwlQyMNv8AgBBVNPe8ep-4VmSfzzL2xcmyP93ClJqPzkJWJgdHlhbvDfagc6jUdCu9YdqStF/s1600/P1030178.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELy9I2-SraGFWOP1kH0oA1ssMAzLA0gnNtX_3DYKTPrXj8GZmD8EjpLA768dEY3bUHC_-HwlQyMNv8AgBBVNPe8ep-4VmSfzzL2xcmyP93ClJqPzkJWJgdHlhbvDfagc6jUdCu9YdqStF/s320/P1030178.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592941193215288530" /></a><br />
Inside view of a lancha<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipphB9h8XusjVRZVoO07jgoazHrtF6C2Jsi3LTx_sSa5HTyuIl41bBECv3FeogEfHDn92T39Aotm-08FmGE4G1I94kp9VOO9xumoBEERwRpicVHXvikdbcRad8m4zD7wuMjAOyZOnwuP33/s1600/P1030169.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipphB9h8XusjVRZVoO07jgoazHrtF6C2Jsi3LTx_sSa5HTyuIl41bBECv3FeogEfHDn92T39Aotm-08FmGE4G1I94kp9VOO9xumoBEERwRpicVHXvikdbcRad8m4zD7wuMjAOyZOnwuP33/s320/P1030169.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592941067132396082" /></a><br />
Outside view of a lancha<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBTKz4SqorzhBz6tQCpw-bYKtOUrTJkbW2ZzlkcTim8c2NCnux49V-7Lnd_P1YdcY2uaUINgJnHXtoBI9B3MIfBpNopPsoAmUvT_PbuwvtGPwO8QIzjTwhnJAIJKCxFYQIQlMHvW7uQa4/s1600/P1030168.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBTKz4SqorzhBz6tQCpw-bYKtOUrTJkbW2ZzlkcTim8c2NCnux49V-7Lnd_P1YdcY2uaUINgJnHXtoBI9B3MIfBpNopPsoAmUvT_PbuwvtGPwO8QIzjTwhnJAIJKCxFYQIQlMHvW7uQa4/s320/P1030168.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592940955017347090" /></a><br />
Amy with Volcan San Pedro, the volcano we climbed, in the background<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwhyIDonw8myhweSXrlB89uJ48B2zzS5wDx0BxGUoxEYl11713qm4gB_UhEgHMAY-xTGbZXvcLrR3AIlPM3hMt-GzAfWIFOTOn6o598HlKFEHIr7vcly-pwsAlX8JvJ_YuloCid14-Qik/s1600/P1030156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwhyIDonw8myhweSXrlB89uJ48B2zzS5wDx0BxGUoxEYl11713qm4gB_UhEgHMAY-xTGbZXvcLrR3AIlPM3hMt-GzAfWIFOTOn6o598HlKFEHIr7vcly-pwsAlX8JvJ_YuloCid14-Qik/s320/P1030156.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592940825465390354" /></a><br />
On the way down<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUTTxhVyUoZGowezFTf_RWbxqkY21JXHnWzq14-xU63he7uzIrasGZSpftX2bBuf1GLbe2jDdVZ7opEhHwUUwmQ9SlylVj41a-kbAWxuu1CZj9QvrlkXucJ04M2_1vHONwPvkmYus4s6u/s1600/P1030132.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUTTxhVyUoZGowezFTf_RWbxqkY21JXHnWzq14-xU63he7uzIrasGZSpftX2bBuf1GLbe2jDdVZ7opEhHwUUwmQ9SlylVj41a-kbAWxuu1CZj9QvrlkXucJ04M2_1vHONwPvkmYus4s6u/s320/P1030132.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592940642601179250" /></a><br />
At the top with our friend Oscar (L) and our awesome guide (seriously, he was incredible)<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSI7l8aaK02E0TimxUaHaAc8BVTrlVWiExW21eh1h8k4gehjhEnzgQ7qzN9UkOzus0do301YvpeQewglabCDtU0LfPwhLU4rVh-CkbyyI80ETP2lo_HcBnsXGc3fn0ycUFlAC01gi917A/s1600/P1030080.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSI7l8aaK02E0TimxUaHaAc8BVTrlVWiExW21eh1h8k4gehjhEnzgQ7qzN9UkOzus0do301YvpeQewglabCDtU0LfPwhLU4rVh-CkbyyI80ETP2lo_HcBnsXGc3fn0ycUFlAC01gi917A/s320/P1030080.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592940377089822418" /></a><br />
Tuk Tuk, three-wheeled transportation extraordinaire<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OmrdWYyitRDvL7g7jSgY6cFDwBODcZZ2byhJN8HV3-Cqh5mjVYxFN8GrCBVXwyQLImsJgSzurYd5oprJc9WnEPkF6C0JXHRmVONsPZ6WEPKJQd4Hzcy2oJknOpTFyY9_WY6D_TO8Dwr2/s1600/P1030075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OmrdWYyitRDvL7g7jSgY6cFDwBODcZZ2byhJN8HV3-Cqh5mjVYxFN8GrCBVXwyQLImsJgSzurYd5oprJc9WnEPkF6C0JXHRmVONsPZ6WEPKJQd4Hzcy2oJknOpTFyY9_WY6D_TO8Dwr2/s320/P1030075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592940169444053426" /></a><br />
Be nice to spiders<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRRx8tCGLDCpm-PtT3ux9hhUxhJ_0V-ZuTwX0PkBwigF1f0FK1GurvuNHXtKgdrj3vFlQuK25q2M8jmFWiamim8njQk_ksrRqw_LJ19RePvDFZ_UolgAed_wImwZFrhZH_sN_AhG6reFU/s1600/P1030048.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRRx8tCGLDCpm-PtT3ux9hhUxhJ_0V-ZuTwX0PkBwigF1f0FK1GurvuNHXtKgdrj3vFlQuK25q2M8jmFWiamim8njQk_ksrRqw_LJ19RePvDFZ_UolgAed_wImwZFrhZH_sN_AhG6reFU/s320/P1030048.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592939866526067874" /></a><br />
Also to homeless cats who come and sit on your lap without prompting <br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5LuctrwaadTMXEIRlrRI91O7_sIUAg7P0elhywrSAnjX2XAKNCF4bUbrsu92-pOtEs-0kJc9AIBwJbNxtBvzEZOt096a0mLZdzN06U_pXt7d5XdUXVzotrRc48_HSvYc5ojQe9y3402c/s1600/P1030071.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5LuctrwaadTMXEIRlrRI91O7_sIUAg7P0elhywrSAnjX2XAKNCF4bUbrsu92-pOtEs-0kJc9AIBwJbNxtBvzEZOt096a0mLZdzN06U_pXt7d5XdUXVzotrRc48_HSvYc5ojQe9y3402c/s320/P1030071.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592940045525087074" /></a><br />
Oprah has her Favorite Things (or so I hear); I have my Favorite Spot. <br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqZBGcQ3mmLFDUVa0r7AiuwdUTqJ1ZnAKRmh50NpDyXVmqeSf6IHUf5snpT_fLtqb3AXYmUT-bJW6wIj6TK0v0lzf7adFaYv_d1IQiRd_Ak9QfBK_qE9_5uplNljQy4-Vr8hFCV8ipE1k/s1600/P1030065.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqZBGcQ3mmLFDUVa0r7AiuwdUTqJ1ZnAKRmh50NpDyXVmqeSf6IHUf5snpT_fLtqb3AXYmUT-bJW6wIj6TK0v0lzf7adFaYv_d1IQiRd_Ak9QfBK_qE9_5uplNljQy4-Vr8hFCV8ipE1k/s320/P1030065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592939700679776114" /></a><br />
View from balcony outside our room<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp_jPAo9cuvHwxImD3YTzFMK1mYOdh3y1KN9N2MEz0CB-V_KCWL-j_skcSOIcLYv9igSaBldInRge7a6gGTTngfBN_vW5NxqxDINXHFXejPB66JD3XKPz4aJGJXVVtt80wO7M1XA9AJOE/s1600/P1030024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp_jPAo9cuvHwxImD3YTzFMK1mYOdh3y1KN9N2MEz0CB-V_KCWL-j_skcSOIcLYv9igSaBldInRge7a6gGTTngfBN_vW5NxqxDINXHFXejPB66JD3XKPz4aJGJXVVtt80wO7M1XA9AJOE/s320/P1030024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592939484858054930" /></a><br />
Inside a camioneta (this one is practically empty)<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9O2yzuUArGsPhyphenhyphenue106bPciGZmxECP6X5OWYrJ3SRxdgxwmuQxvF_M_u78RE7Y8sCJiLVJvztLNvLiSuS6nrOJ_yIkniiRavPs6Eyo9ZFBJ2CXtvhzWaEPW7m630QHX0eIYs410VsQNQ/s1600/P1030182.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9O2yzuUArGsPhyphenhyphenue106bPciGZmxECP6X5OWYrJ3SRxdgxwmuQxvF_M_u78RE7Y8sCJiLVJvztLNvLiSuS6nrOJ_yIkniiRavPs6Eyo9ZFBJ2CXtvhzWaEPW7m630QHX0eIYs410VsQNQ/s320/P1030182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592941820688143714" /></a><br />
To pay for the trip, I am selling Amy's car (in any case, there is no way we are taking this boat all the way to NC)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-34362615202274405382011-03-20T13:04:00.004-06:002011-03-20T13:22:04.342-06:00Match Day 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyejK0uLwX9aSloFYe_4WdN8KsWkjH-ch7tU5tsW7WZjNfV-NLoqOrtoql9WPAqnXK9-aRoz9QrlkCi-nTha5nHwBepwL-mFQ1fklYj5AG0A9xmJqoPCRs-BtDzIUB-bIRw8llMh9MbYO1/s1600/IMG_1087.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyejK0uLwX9aSloFYe_4WdN8KsWkjH-ch7tU5tsW7WZjNfV-NLoqOrtoql9WPAqnXK9-aRoz9QrlkCi-nTha5nHwBepwL-mFQ1fklYj5AG0A9xmJqoPCRs-BtDzIUB-bIRw8llMh9MbYO1/s320/IMG_1087.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586242803493464050" /></a><br /><br />My friend Kemeni and I directly after opening our envelopes. We both got our first choices. <br /><br />Here's the official add-on to the wife's initial real-time post below. I can't tell you how relieved I am after spending the last four years in pursuit of a favorable residency match. Just to reiterate - we matched at my #1 general surgery program choice - New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC (we could have matched at any one of the twelve programs on my rank list). It's a small program that takes only two categorical surgery residents/yr. Beautiful location right along the NC coast. I loved my interview day there and then Amy and I were able to make a trip back there prior to making our rank list so she could get a better direct impression. It's a big move, but we are excited to start the next phase of our life together and I'm looking forward to starting my training in earnest!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-51650296523051749102011-03-17T12:29:00.002-06:002011-03-17T12:34:40.293-06:00And the winner is...Wilmington, NC<br />This was our first choice so we are thrilled. It's all still a bit surreal!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-86622513334589831472011-03-16T18:12:00.001-06:002011-03-16T18:13:41.252-06:00tick, tock, tick, tock...The waiting is starting to get stressful!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329073062931571499.post-64793292237595544462011-03-14T20:11:00.001-06:002011-03-14T20:14:17.875-06:00Step One Down......one big step to go. <br /><br />We matched!<br /><br />Yay for not having to scramble!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00422538195980196844noreply@blogger.com1