Brazil

And we're back...!
We had an unforgettable trip to Brazil. I am still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened, it certainly was a whirlwind. And I am taking a while to process, as usual.
The boys did so awesome on this trip, several of them stepped up and it was such an amazing thing to see. One of my favourite things about these trips is watching how other people react and grow right before your very eyes. I am so proud of them. God blessed us with good health and safe travels. I hope we represented Him well!
Enjoy the pics...

Corcovado
the infamous Jesus statue

Tyler, Robbie, Alex, Drew & Porter

the guys at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janerio

At Maracana Stadium

the team at Cruzeiro's

Brett & Bruno
often imitated, never duplicated

overlooking Belo Horizonte

Atletico game

"bacon wrapped chicken-on-a-stick"
yum-o!

Brett & Fabricio with the prized pequita

The Resende girls - Tashiana, Ana Maria & Mariana

plane ride # 7 to Recife

working in the playground at the future orphanage

"testing" the equipment to make sure it was safe for the kids
yeah, yeah... that's it...

painting the dorm

VBS with neighbourhood kids

Judy & the little guy who has the sweetest eyelashes ever!

princes & princesses have lots of jewels to wear, right?

Bethany & friends making bracelets

Chad & his buddy :)

Nayane painting faces

Brazil-bound!!

Heading out tomorrow to join Brett and the Faulkner boys in Brazil...! How lucky am I? The boys are training with the Cruzeiro team in Belo Horizonte, and then we will go to Recife to be a part of the Torch mission trip. Can't wait!
Prayers for a successful mission trip would be very much appreciated. Soon I'll be a South American tourist ;)

If you're lucky...

... you'll get a surprise in your mailbox from your school- sending you pictures of your hooding ceremony before your own pictures make it farther than your laptop...!
Maybe I'll print them all out together soon... but I wouldn't hold your breath! ;)

Me...... a Dr?? Why yes..... I am!

Anna Jane

Dinah Lou Who

Kristen - who is taller than Dr. Halle if he's not on a step :)

Our class gift- yeah, we went all out... pics of ourselves!
Gail~ Our fearless class advisor
& Sells practicing a rugby move?

Class of 2006... aka "The best class evah!"

10th Anniversary

Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
~ Emily Bronte

Happy anniversary to the only person on this earth God gave enough patience to be my husband. He knows me better than I know myself, and chooses to love me anyway. I am proud to be the one he chose as his bride. And there is no one else I would rather have beside me as I journey through life on this earth. In only ten short years we have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams: walked the beaches of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean Oceans, seen the lights of Vegas, the monuments of DC, played in the Palm Springs desert, snorkeled the coral reefs of Roatan, skied the mountains of Colorado, rode the New York City subway, caught Mardi Gras beads in New Orleans, and watched the Leafs play in three different cities. We became addicted to missions and had our hearts stolen by the people of Honduras. We have lived in dorms of 130 girls, duplexes, apartment complexes, two story houses, and simultaneously in different states/countries. We have had weekly budgets of $25, and weekly budgets of $125 to spend on groceries. We've had the ride of our lives mixed with moments of chaos, frustration, and complete exhaustion. To God be the glory. Without Him, today would have not been possible....
Here's to 110 more years together baby, I love you!

Happy birthday Anna Jane

29 things I love about Anna:

• the face she gives over her shoulder if someone is popping their gum in the middle of class
• she thinks that "32. iliacus" is just as funny as I do, even in the middle of a cadavre practical
• she sits outside of SatCo eating queso dip with you when you're both reeking of formalyn

• I only had to ask her one time to come to Honduras, and now she is hooked for life
• she loves the people of Honduras as much as Brett and I do

• the way she says "GrAc-iE"
• her idea of a girls night out includes going to a Predators game with me
• she lets me borrow her dresses for PT prom... every year

• she lets me borrow her flip flops... indefinately!
• she lived underwater for 80% of our Roatan trip
• she'll eat Mexican with you any time, even if she just had it for lunch

• she also needs to study 478 hours for a PT test knowing that Kristen & Dinah are still going to kick our butts
• she'll ask if the 10 second rule still applies when she's accidently dropped her gum in the cadavre lab

• she can be your personal tour guide in New York City

• she'll get the same colour nail polish as I do, even if we're in different states getting a pedicure
  
• she's participated in a drag race... with someelse's car
• she'll take on Terry or Nate thinking she'll have the last laugh :)

• if I wake her up in the middle of the night and ask her "what's in the upper left quadrant" she doesn't slap me upside the head

• she loves wound care as much as I do
• she'll always drive {"Whoa Black Betty!"}
• she keeps air freshner in her car for her "moments"
• I always have to unlock her car door before I can open it because she always manages to open her door and simultanously lock the car before I realize she's pulled into a parking space

• she'll buy you tan-in-a-bottle if you miss your spray-on-mystic-tan appointment by some unforseen event
• she didn't watch the end of the UT-LSU game in '05, but her reaction to the final score won her a jersey in pharmacology

• she drove to Canada.. twice... to see me.. once!
• after freaking out about her boards she'll pause and say "don't let me scare you, it's not that bad"
  
• she understands my Honduran rooster obsession

• I can leave her a voicemail that is nothing but a song...
• I can get a voicemail from her that is nothing but a song...
  

And I could go on and on... Happy 29th Anna Jane!
love ya, mean it ;)

Orange Beach

This post is for my Mom... who thought she would have to wait until next year to see pictures from this weekend... :) {happy birthday Mom!}
We got to do something we thought would never in a million years come to fruition.. we took a family trip ('cause they are too close to call "friends") to the Alabama Gulf coast with Karen & Derek and their sweet little one Emily... (Prince Harry also came along for the ride, but we won't actually meet him until August!)
We had a great time, and would love to make this an annual trip, if the Kramers can stand being with us for that long again! I hate that we no longer live 40 minutes from their house... Who would have thought that working in the dorm together would turn into an irreplaceable friendship. After going back and reminiscing this weekend I've come to the conclusion that the summer we met was the summer that Brett and Derek were out of town for weeks on end... hence the instant friendship between Karen and I. That and the fact that as soon as "Too legit to quit" came on the radio all four of us started to do the hand motions, while we encouraged Emily to "rock out" with us from her car seat! We love you guys, and can't wait to take the newest Kramer on next year's trip. :)
Here are some of my favourite pics.. and I may add more later when I get a hold of Karen's...

Judy & Brett
{my hair was actually straight mere hours before this pic was taken... humidity much?}

Derek, Emily & Karen

sweet Emily Paige

the girls

the boys building "Emily" a sand castle
yeah, riiiiiiiiiiight

the infamous

stopping just long enough to take off my running shoes before cooling off

Beautiful Bride

This past weekend one of my dearest friends got married. Dinah Pigg is now Mrs. Alan Hall and I couldn't be happier for her. There are a thousand crazy ways my life entertwines with the Pigg's, and not the least of them is the fact that I am now living in their hometown of Montgomery. And although all of them are living elsewhere, I still feel close with them. In fact, I feel that way about all the girls in this picture... The ONE picture my camera took before promptly needing more batteries... {thanks for taking it Alan!}

Judy, Dinah, Anna, Kristen

Dinah Lou~ You were the most beautiful bride! I hope you know how ridiculously happy I am for you. This is it. This is right. It's how it's supposed to be, how God intended it. And sitting on the stairs in 402 with you that November night, to where you were this weekend... all of it has been a honour to be a part of. I hope you know how much I love you. How much your friendship means to me. Because I am definitely having difficulty finding the words.
love always, Judy Lou

Invest yourself...

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily.
-Sally Koch

Still learning...

The more patients I come in contact with the more I realize just how fine the line is between remaining optimistic and being realistic. How can you tell someone that there is a strong possibility that they may never walk again, or that there is really no way of knowing how much longer they may live...
The only thing I know for certain is that lately my patients are teaching me a great deal more than I could ever teach them.
And I still believe in miracles and in the One who performs them.

Happy Birthday Brett!

And here's to decades more to celebrate together
You are my everything!

We celebrated in Gulf Shores this year

Me & my sister
(yes, she IS in fact wearing long sleeves at the beach...)

And these are a shout out for Baron :)

Happy Leap Day!

Here are some pics of my sweet niece Emily... who just so happens to have the greatest Mommy & Daddy ever, dear sweet friends of ours! They are experiencing some camera issues so I thought I'd post a few shots from our visit with them in January. Love you Karen & Derek!

check out that awesome shirt! :)

Derek & Brett in the CA car

she loves playing in her Daddy's cars

Karen & Judy
{okay, so this is from Sept - only Karen would know that without the date stamp!}

Em & Brett heading to Blue Coast Burrito {where else?}

The Biggest Loser

Who knew that boy night would bring the most tears?

To my Belmont family

Anna and I have decided we need to have a Belmont ski trip next winter. Maybe Jeremy could ski more than two runs at Breckenridge this time :) Or you could just come to Honduras with us June 28 - July 7.
Either way leave a comment and let me know. How fun would a reunion be?