Finley Family

Residency

2011-09-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Stephen started his orthopedic residency on June 21. For the first year he does a general surgery year. Each month is spent on a different rotation. He started on trauma, then on to vascular surgery, and is now doing ortho. Next month will be plastic surgery. So far he is learning a lot and really enjoying it. The hours are a little rough but we are doing great. When you don’t have a ton of time together, what you do have is precious and you make the most of it. I am so proud of him and I am thankful that we get to do this journey together.

There are four residents for each year and five years in the program. Stephen’s co-residents are Justin, Jake, and Julia. Justin and Leslie came from Kansas City and have two little girls: Liviella and Rivleigh Rose. Jake and Carly are from Georgia and just had a baby girl named Louise. Julia is from California and is married to one of the general surgery residents, Dave. They are all really nice and we are super excited to get to know them better.

From left to right: Stephen, Julia, Justin, and Jake

Moving Week

2011-09-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

On our third anniversary, June 15, we spent our last night in the condo. Our wonderful small group came over with pizza to help pack up the Penske and say goodbye. It was definitely an anniversary we will never forget: sitting in an empty apartment with friends eating pizza and doing hard labor. : ) We had a great time though. The guys even invented a new game with a tennis ball and some random cleaning supplies. I don’t remember exactly how it went, just that Brad was awesome at it, lol. We are so thankful for this group of friends and we already miss them like crazy.

My parents came over the night before to help pack up our house. I had no idea how much stuff we had and how long it would take to box up. There is no way we would have been ready to load the truck if they hadn’t helped. I’m tempted to go ahead and start saving up to hire people to do it when we move again in five years.

Stephen really enjoyed driving the Penske. They didn’t have our truck yet so they gave us the biggest one they make. After seeing it with the Jeep being pulled behind I was terrified, but Stephen did great. Bella rode with him in the front seat and she loved it.

When we arrived in Greenville Stephen’s parents, his brother Matt, and cousins Jonathan and Austin came over to help unload the truck. They did a great job and everything went pretty quick. My desk did get dropped down the stairs but Stephen was able to screw it all back together. We are so blessed to have such great friends and family. They really made the transition so much easier.

Lake Vacation

2011-08-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a very busy summer! However, life is starting to slow down and I am ready to get back to the blog. When we came back from Thailand, we went straight to Lake Kiwi for the Finley Family vacation. It was a wonderful transition and opportunity to rest from the big trip and just spend time with family.

We stayed in a house right on the lake. We swam, kayaked, went boating, played badminton, and lots of card games. A new one we played with the kids was exercise poker, where you bid push-ups, sit ups, laps around the house, and jumping jacks instead of money. We had a great time and got lots of exercise!

Stephen wakeboarding

Matt skiing

Jenni and I supervising the water sports

Group shot

Mmmm coffee

On the boat

Playing in the waterfall

Straight up gangsta'

Matt jumping off a giant rock

Stephen jumping

Back to Bangkok

2011-06-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

When we returned to Bangkok we spent the remaining two days of our trip staying at the Shanghai mansion in china town. It was a very cool hotel right in the heart of China town. The funniest part was that we got there pretty late and the guy at the desk ran ahead of us to turn the very short escalator on just for us. It didn't sound really funny when I just typed it, but trust me, it was hilarious in person.

The next morning, Sunday morning, we did the entire day at the weekend market, Chatuchak Market. Stephen and I now consider ourselves expert bargainers after that day. It is actually really fun if you just smile and laugh while you do it (keep it friendly). The secrets are to know your cut off ahead if time, get out your offer so they see the cash, and be willing to walk away (95% of the time they run after you). We had so much fun and we got a lot of really great deals. We really didn't spend much but walked away with a lot of cool stuff. My favorite purchase was tied: a Thai tea set, 12 earrings (for $3), and a watch. I also got a few dresses for about $3-5 each. Stephen's favorites include a giant knife and a triangle cushion. He also had a suit custom made for him.

coke in a bag, a popular method for quenching one's thirst

On Monday morning Ben and Christy left to head north. It was really sad saying goodbye. We have really enjoyed vacationing with them. This experience has really bonded us forever and I know that they will be one of those "lifetime friends" that you keep in touch with forever.

That afternoon Stephen and I did a tour of the grand palace which includes the temple with the emerald Buddha. I have never seen anything like these buildings. The outside is so ornate with carvings of gold and jewels. It was breathtaking to see. It was also interesting to see the monks praying in the temples. We have certainly learned a lot about the religion and customs of Thailand.

Later we went out to eat and then hit up the night market. This is where they sell the "designer" stuff for really cheap. Afterwards we bought a bunch of really weird fruits to try. A few of them were really tasty, it was just weird to eat such strange looking things. After the strange fruit we went back to the hotel to pack for the trip home.

We enjoyed Thailand so much and would definitely recommend it! The people are so nice, the country is beautiful, and we had such great experience.

Elephant trekking

2011-06-06T17:38:00.001-07:00

On Thursday we did a half day of elephant trekking. Stephen and I were on one elephant and Ben and Christy were on a different one. Our elephant was named Bida ( bee- da) and he was awesome. Both of our elephants had a guide but for some reason ours kept leaving. Everytime he did Bida would stop and eat some trees or get down in the river. It was hilarious, as soon as the guide came back he would get back on the trail. We did this for couple hours and then headed on to koh tao.

To get there we did an overnight ferry. It had mattresses that were about 15 inches wide with no space between them. Poor Ben ended up next to a girl with bed bug bites on her. Luckily, we didn't get any and we all actually managed to get some sleep.

The boys were gracious enough to give us girls the inside

In koh tao we took a very scary "taxi" ride in the back of a pick up down an unfinished road to a little bay called tanote bay. It was well worth the trip. There was a big rock about 40 feet high that Ben and Stephen jumped off. They were really brave, we watched several people climb up, look over, and climb back down. Stephen set up the hammock for me, and then Christy and I read on the beach. Afterwards we rented snorkel gear and did some of the coolest snorkeling we had seen all trip.

Our hotel was one of the coolest places we stayed at. It had a beautiful room with a patio and the hotel was right off a cliff overhanging. There were two pools and an outdoor restaraunt that we tried out that had amazing views.

The next morning we woke up and explored the area a little more. We actually found a little pizza shop that had some of the best pizza I have ever had. Afterwards we took a ferry and an overnight bus back to Bangkok. After having traveled overnight by train, ferry, and bus, I think train is the way to go, although other people in the group would disagree.

Lake tour

2011-06-03T06:19:00.001-07:00

On wednesday we did an all day trip into the national park. We started by taking a small boat tour around Chieow Laan lake. It started to sprinkle a little but it was gorgeous. When the rain started, our driver stripped down to his whitey tighties. Luckily we all had our nice rain jackets so we didn't feel the need to take off all our clothes.

After the tour we went kayaking on our own for a bit, and jumped off a sketchy make-shift diving board that was surprisingly sturdy. Following that, we went to a floating restaurant on the lake. We had the best meal. There was a huge fish with lots of teeth, and several types of mixed veggie dishes. Christy and I told them we were vegetarians so we didn't have to eat the scary looking fish. They also served us fresh pineapple and watermelon. Delicious.

After lunch it started pouring. That didn't stop us though. We continued on with our 3.5 hour hike into the jungle. Our guide told us "is ok" when we passed the sign that said "do not enter when raining: dangerous." The rain forest was amazing. We saw beautiful trees and really interesting creatures. The most interesting were the leeches. Every once in a while we had to do a "leech check." I only got 2 but I think Stephen had 6. They didn't hurt, they were just kind of gross.

The trek was amazing but it did get kind of scary. We had to cross the river several times and the water was really high (about to our chest). Christy almost got swept away once but luckily she grabbed Ben in time. He has a huge bruise on his arm from it. We went a couple hours to a waterfall and then back. The hard part was climbing in the huge wet rocks in the rain.

Overall, the whole day was really great. It was definitely an experience we will never forget.

yummm...

Our boat

one of my leech spots

kayaking in the rain before the tour

trekking out in the jungle

got a leech off on the boat ride back

stephen going off the diving board

stopping at a waterfall, the four of us were the only ones that ventured out to it

hmmm....

Khao sok

2011-06-02T05:01:00.001-07:00

Two days ago we said farewell to the beach and traveled to the jungle. We are staying at a nice place up in the trees called las orquideas. It is a really nice place and the owner has given us really personalized service.

We are really in a small town just outside of Khao sok. Up here we are really getting a taste of why it is monsoon season. It rains all day but it is actually kind of nice. We have still been able to do everything we want to do.

The first day we just kind of relaxed and explored on our own. It is really different in this area. Something interesting is that everyone lives at their place of work. For example, while we ate dinner (open air patio) the family was just a few tables over watching tv (mostly soap operas and the Thai soap operas are really over the top. We had fun making up scenarios of what was going on). It was their living room. It was the same at the massage places.

The restaurant was really good. It was called thaiherb. Everyone is getting a little more adventurous with their orders. The great part is if you don't like something just order something else because the dinners are only 2 dollars anyway. It got especially exciting when a bat starting swooping down over us.

Our Porch

Stephen opening the room

Walking to our room

Outside the main office

The Last Bar

2011-06-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Railay was pretty relaxed. We rested from all our excursions and read on the beach for a while. We got lunch from my favorite spot, a boat that pulls up to the beach. They also make the best banana shakes. Stephen set up the hammock on the beach and it was so wonderful.

That evening, we went to this place some Canadian girls told us about called the last bar. It was literally the last bar down the east side and you wouldn't ever find it unless you were really looking specifically for it. It turned out to be a hookah bar. We sat on cushions on the floor ( which was an open air deck out over the river) and played cards while we drank some cocktails. We listened to a guy sing songs like Wonderwall and other old but popular hits with a thick Thai accent. All of a sudden it got really crowded and that is when "the fire show" started.

It was incredible. There were three Thai guys (one only sixteen) that had a stick (I would say baton but it was not girlie at all) which was lit on both sides. They also had these things that were like a flaming ball that was on a chain about 2 feet long connected to a handle. They kind of danced with the fire to some crazy songs (including limp bizkit). They
threw it to each other over our heads and did some crazy stunts.

The interesting part was that it was really informal and kind of dangerous. They burnt themselves several times and dropped it pretty often. Despite the scary mess ups they were actually really cool and entertaining.

After the last bar we headed to a different place to stay for the night. Rampala is a small place that is basically just a mattress, mosquito net, and a small non flushing bathroom in each hut. There is a fan but no AC. It was quite an experience (which is what the guys really wanted) and it only cost 7 dollars a night :) We have kind of been saving on some nights and splurging on others. So far our lodging has ranged from $7 (hut) to $50 a night (5 star resort) .

One thing Thailand is teaching me is to be a little more laid back and to just go with the flow. It turns out life is just as enjoyable and even less stressful.

Exploring Railay

2011-05-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day exploring more in depth the caves and mountains of Railay. We climbed up the mountain of cave beach to some of the amazing viewpoints. It was really breathtaking, which made all the intense and scary climbing so worth it. We definitely got a good workout. After the caves and climbing we were kind of gross so we swam out to one of the little islands just off the beach where we ran into John and Shirley again. They had kayaked out to the little island.

After lunch we did a sunset snorkeling excursion. The neatest part of this trip was when they took us to an area after dark where we swam in the ocean with the bioluminescent algae. Whenever you move the water lit up. It was one of the neatest things I have ever seen. We all swam and splashed around for a while and Stephen did a cannonball of the boat to spread out the glow : )

This morning we have just finished breakfast and lounging by the water. The guys are trying to figure out where we are going to stay tonight on Khao Sok. We might do a little rock climbing (since Railay is so famous for it and it is pretty affordable) before we head out.

We are actually all getting adjusted to the culture here pretty quickly. We have learned quite a few Thai sentences. We are also getting better at remembering to take our shoes off before we go in shops. Something I think is really interesting has been learning about the religion here. For example, in the Jim Thompson house there was a miniature house on the lot (the size of a large dollhouse) which is kept in the northeast corner so the sun cant set on it. It is supposed to drive away evil spirits and they put offerings of food and flowers in it every morning. We have seen these little statues and structures a lot with the offerings in them, even at the shops.

view from the caves

Tour to Phi Phi

2011-05-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Today we did an all day speed boat tour to Phi Phi and several other small islands. The first was Bamboo island and it was a beautiful beach. We actually saw some small sharks swimming around but they swam off as soon as you went near them. The water was a bright turquoise color and you could see all the way to the bottom for as far as you could swim out. Another place we went was Maya Bay where the film The Beach was filmed.

We have met a lot of interesting people on this trip. Today we met John and Shirley from Austrailia. They had both been married over 40 years and lost thier significant others. They met while traveling solo and fell in love. They are now in Thailand for their honeymoon : )

Probably the best part of the day was the snorkeling. We went at two different islands. The first was Lohsamah and they had some really big and beautiful fish. They also had some very bright sea creatures that were attached to the rocks but would close up when you swam by. It was really neat. The second spot was Hin Klarng. The fish were not as big but they were just as beautiful. The guide gave us some bread and the fish swarmed us and eventually came up and ate it out of our hands.

After the tour we got some banana drinks and banana pancakes (not actually pancakes, it was a very different kind of dough). Then we did some shopping. I made my first purchase: a very cute little dress for 9 dollars. For dinner, we ate at a restaurant on the beach that is famous for its sunsets. Stephen decided to rub one of those little evil peppers I mentioned earlier on his lips. He really loves to torture himself with spicy food. It really looked like he was wearing lipstick.

We really like it on this island so we are going to stay a few days and take day trips to the surrounding areas.

to the very left you can see the triangle pillow we saw everywhere

on the boat

if there is a cliff, Stephen will jump from it

Bamboo Island

Maya Beach

snorkel time

can't get enough of that iced coffee

Krabi to Railay

2011-05-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

I have decided to blog about our travels instead of keeping a travel journal (I really don't enjoy journaling) so these posts will be a little more detailed. Feel free to skip the long ones, lol. I am just using the internet while the guys research where we might stay next. Also, we are taking amazing pictues but I can't get them up until we get back.

After the train we arrived in Krabi. We were all kind of tired from travling so we had a pretty laid back day. We got a massage (we went for the more relaxing swedish massage) and got some lunch. It was the most amazing pad thai and it was only 2 dollars. After lunch we went to the beach and hung out there most of the day. We had some dinner and then Stephen and I set up the hammock on the beach. We actually fell asleep for about an hour which kind of freaked me out a little, lol. After we woke up, we took a boat over to another island called Railay (which is where we are right now).

I loved the picture of the monkey on this sign!

Awesome view from the hike

Ben and Stephen playing on the bouncy rafts

We were so tired at dinner

Enjoying more iced coffees

Mmmm cappucino

Today was definitely an amazing day!!! After we arrived, we checked into our resort and then headed to the beach. It is definitely the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The sand is so soft and the water is really clear. Next to the beach are the beautiful tree covered mountains jutting out of the water.

On the way to the beach we bought a couple of bananas. The lady that sold them had a sling shot and she said "monkey like banana." We thought yes, true statement, no need to point out the obvious. However as we walked down to the beach, the monkeys came and took our banans! Bad monkeys!! Sure they were only a few cents but I was hungry. Then, the little bugger went just out of reach and ate them in front of us. It was actually pretty funny.

Once we got to the beach we swam a little and the guys jumped off some cliffs. There was actually a small boat in the water selling lunch so we got some noodles and veggies. It was actually really good. We kept going back for banana shakes (stephen comment: and they were awesome!).

We decided to walk all the way down the beach just for the heck of it and I am so glad we did. We eventually came to a bunch of trees. There wasn't anyone around but there looked like a little trail, so we took it. It led to a ladder going up some rocks, so we climbed it. This led to a little cliff area, so we scaled it. We eventually made it to some caves up in one of those mountains. It was a little scary getting up but it was so worth it. It was absolutely the prettiest view I have ever seen. I hope the pictures can capture at least some of it. We also went down another way and found a little secluded beach area and swam some more.

On the walk back we passed that food stand. It was closed now but the woman had left one of the cabinets open and the little bad monkeys were helping themselves to pringles, pretzels, oreos and other yummy snacks. We locked up her cabinet for her and the guys took turn "shooing" away the monkeys with her sling shot. Normally I am against sling shotting rocks (and pretzels) at animals but these were naughty monkeys!!

After we got back to the resort we swam some at the pool then walked to the other side of the island and watched the amazing sunset. Sitting there seeing something so beautiful just got me thinking. If this feels like a paradise, imagine what awaits us in Heaven :)

This boat was one of my fav lunch places

pretty sunset

a view looking out of the caves

outside our hotel

this is the monkey, right before he took Stephen's bananas

First day in Thailand

2011-05-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well we made it to Thailand. We got in about 5:30am (only 6 hours late) which worked out fine. We met up with ben and christy at their b&b and took showers and had some breakfast. I am ashamed to say my first meal in Thailand was "the American breakfast": two eggs, four toast, fresh fruit, bacon, and coffee. Haha, it was delicious though.

After breakfast we headed to the spa where we all got a 1 hour traditional thai message. It is a little painful but still great at the same time. It is kind if a mix between yoga and accupressure. Since the whole hour only costs $7 we decided this should be a daily event.

The rest of our day was spent exploring bangkok. We checked out some shops and had a wonderful Thai lunch. I can't explain exactly what we ate but it included rice, chicken, veggies, wonderful sauces, and tiny little peppers about a fourth the size of a pea. I only ate one and thought that my mouth was going to melt off. Poor Stephen ate 4 at once and then downed the rest of his rice and water. Everything was really good though. The coffee here is great.

Something else we did was tour the Jim Thompson house. It is pretty famous. He was an American architect that fell in love with the Thai people and helped rebuild the silk industry here. His house was beautiful. He was an art collector so we saw gorgeous furniture, sculptures, and other pieces.

After our day exploring we took an overnight train down to Krabi in southern Thailand. The train was actually not too bad. We had a bed and it was the first bed Stephen and I had slept in three days. Well, we headed out but I will write more a little later.

Eating at Eddie's Zone where we discovered the wonderful iced coffee of Thailand

Mini replica of the Jim Thompson House which is used for offerings and kept at the north east corner of the property so the sun never sets on it

In the garden on the Jim Thompson House

Looking into the house from the front

Japan

2011-05-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

Well, due to some bad weather in Dallas, our flight was delayed and we missed our connecting flight to Thailand. No worries though because now we get to hang out in Japan for a while! We flew into Tokyo and we are flying out of another airport after a while. Everyone here is really nice. For some reason, they think Stephen is hilarious, haha. It really is so different here. For one thing the toilets have remotes. I still haven't figured that out yet. Also, I thought most people spoke English over here but they don't. Getting around is kind of confusing. It has been really fun though trying to communicate and figure out what kind of food we are ordering. I'm still not sure what we had for dinner :)

Pictures to come...

Mr. and Mrs. Jones

2011-05-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

Craig and Becca's wedding was this Saturday. They had a beautiful ceremony with not a dry eye in the place! The reception was at a plantation on Edisto and it was beautiful! We are so happy for you guys and we love you and wish you the best!!

Graduation Party

2011-05-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Friday Night we had a graduation party for Stephen at the Retreat Clubhouse. It was so much fun to celebrate his accomplishment with family, friends, yummy food, and of course cornhole. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful graduation week.

Dr. Stephen Finley

2011-05-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday, May 20, 2011 Stephen graduated from MUSC and became Dr. Stephen Finley. The ceremony was outside in the horseshoe and it was a wonderful program. The guest speaker was Darius Rucker, a Charleston native. Afterward, we went to lunch at Fuel to continue the celebration.

Stephen has worked very hard and I am so proud of him. I know he will make a wonderful doctor!

The Oath Ceremony

2011-05-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday night Stephen was officially "hooded" and took the Hippocratic Oath. MUSC put on a very classy ceremony at the Charleston Performing Arts Center complete with graduation gowns and bagpipes. The speakers all did a great job, including class president David Bowen. It was a wonderful night to honor Stephen and celebrate with family as he took one more step to becoming a licensed physician.

Award Ceremony

2011-05-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning we attended the MUSC college of medicine awards ceremony. Stephen was recognized as a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and a Alpha Omega Alpha member. He was also given the President's Clinical Sciences Award which he was nominated for by his peers. Stephen has done so well and I am so proud of all his hard work!

Home Owners

2011-05-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

It is official. On Tuesday we drove up to Greenville to close on our house. It was a very exciting day. We met with the lawyer and poor Stephen had to sign literally over 100 pages. I couldn't believe how much paperwork there was. Afterward, we went back to the house and just hung out together. We won't move in for a while but we did leave a few things there to make it our own.

On a humorous note, as we were leaving we couldn't get the garage door to go down on its own. We were only home owners for a few hours and already having issues. We actually had to go knock on the neighbor's door to get some help. At least we already met someone in the neighborhood : )

Becca's Wedding Shower

2011-05-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last, our small group hosted a wedding shower for Craig and Becca at the Caldwell's. We had a wonderful time honoring this special couple. Less than two weeks until the big day!

The hostesses cooking in the kitchen

Massive amounts of pimento cheese

Stephen talking to Buster about Thailand!!

Reading out questions for the shoe game

Becca's Bachelorette Weekend

2011-05-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am quite late with this post, but better late than never. A few weeks ago we did a girls weekend in Edisto to celebrate Becca and her future marriage. Her parents were kind enough to let a ton of girls all take over their beach house. We had a great weekend walking on the beach, laying out on the deck, swinging on the porch and just being together. It was a wonderful weekend of fellowship and honoring Becca. We love you girl!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Matthew 28: 1-10

Jesus Has Risen

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Hunting Eggs

Stephen juggling the Easter eggs and Bella waiting for one to drop

Our little Easter Bunny

Cooper River Bridge Run 2011

2011-04-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from this years bridge run. Despite our terrible knees we were actually able to run the whole thing this year.

Meeting Nathan

2011-04-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last we got to meet Nathan and visit with the Finley 7.

The kids took turns taking pictures too : )

Bad Dog

2011-03-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

AOA Banquet

2011-03-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to the AOA banquet. This is the honors society that Stephen was inducted into his third year of medical school. There was a wonderful dinner and the guest speaker was Dr. Lawrence Mohr Jr., the White House physician for Reagan and Bush. It was really interesting to hear him talk about his experiences. Here are some pics from the evening:

We Matched At...

2011-03-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

...Greenville!!! We are so excited. After much prayer and consideration, we put Greenville as our first choice with Charlotte and Vanderbilt close behind. We would have been happy at any of those places, but we are confident that we are going where God wants us to be. Greenville has an amazing orthopedics program and Stephen had one of the best "gut feelings" after interviewing there. He will get an amazing education and get to work with really great people at Greenville. He meshed really well with the other residents and the attendings. The big things you look for are quality of education, happiness of the residents, reputation so you can get a good fellowship, if you get along with the residents (because you will spend a lot of time with them), and location. We really felt Greenville was strong in all these areas.

Stephen's parents, my parents, and Stephen's brother went with us to the match ceremony. One at a time, a name is drawn at random. When they call your name, you walk up on stage and open an envelope to find out where you are going. It is completely nerve racking and exciting at the same time. We were so excited to say "Greenville" into the microphone. Each person gets to walk up to a song of their choice and have some pictures on the screen. We walked up to All Time Low's "Vegas." It is one of our favorite songs that has a lot of meaning to us. It is filled with memories of when we started dating at Clemson. Here are the pics that were shown on stage as we walked up:

Lots of people dressed up. There was a crustacean, a banana, a pirate, the cowbell guy from SNL, a dancing otter, hulk hogan, many St Patty Day costumes, and lots more. If you want to see a video from the local news you can go here.
Here are some pics from the ceremony:

Afterward we went to lunch with the family at Saffron's downtown. After that we went to Salty Mikes for the post-match celebration, which continued at Fuel for dinner, and then Closed for Business on King Street.

Stephen, I am so proud of you. You are an amazing man and I continue to fall in love with you every day. I am so excited to start this next stage of life with you!

We Matched

2011-03-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today is "Black Monday." At 12pm every medical student across the nation found out whether or not they matched into their specialty. We matched! We don't know where we are going, but we know we are going somewhere.

If you don't match, then you have to scramble. This involves calling every open slot around the country to try to convince them to take you. This year there are 2 open slots in orthopedics in which 500-600 people will be competing for. The other options are to do a year of research or a prelim year of general surgery and re-enter the match process next year.

We are thankful to have matched, and are excited to find out Thursday where we are going!

Bella's first haircut

2011-03-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend Bella got her very first haircut. We love love our fluffy dog, but we decided it might be time for a shorter summer do. This will be cooler for her and more manageable for us.

Evan

2011-03-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

On February 23, we were expecting to welcome my nephew, Evan Charles, into the world. Instead, baby Evan went home to be with the Lord. There was a knot in his umbilical cord, and he died that morning before they could deliver him.

These past few weeks have been very difficult as we all have mourned the loss of this precious boy. However, there is so much comfort in knowing that Evan is with Jesus and never had the chance to be touched by sin. As much as he is loved here on Earth, we can not comprehend how much our Heavenly Father loves him.

His memorial was last Tuesday and it was a beautiful service. The pastor did a wonderful job. Some of the things he shared in his message have really stuck with me. The first was that God did not take Evan, but He received him. Once again, it is so comforting to be assured that Evan will spend eternity in Paradise. He said that there are a few things people say like "God needed another flower in his garden" or that "God needed Evan more than we did" and these things are not true. God does not need Evan more than us and if he wanted another flower, then the creator of the universe can make one in an instant. Evan is with the Lord because that was God's plan for him. Whatever my nephew's purpose here on Earth, it has been or is being fulfilled. He shared that this kind of experience can make us bitter or can make us better. It can make us cold, or it can make us compassionate. We should honor Evan's memory by allowing it to make us better and more compassionate.

Everyday I think about Evan. I think about my brother Rob and Melissa, and how they must be feeling. I love them both so much. I pray that this experience brings us all closer together as a family and also closer to God. I am constantly reminding myself that God understands the loss of a child. He has been there. He understands everything we are going through. He sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. He sacrificed His baby boy for our salvation. What an amazing gift. If we acknowledge this gift and commit ourselves to the Lord, then we too can spend eternity in Heaven.

Evan, I love you. You are such a beautiful little boy. When I held you here on this Earth, I cried tears of sadness. I look forward to holding you again some day and crying tears of joy.

Isaiah 40:18-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard you hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.

A Weekend Away

2011-02-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

The weekend before last, the guys of our small group decided to take a three day man trip out into the wilderness. They hiked the Chatooga Trail and camped out there for the weekend. The did typical man stuff like hiking, fishing, camping, building fires, chopping things, and of course had some male bonding time. Here are some pics (some of which I stole from Alyssa's blog).

While the boys were away, some of the girls had a slumber party at Alyssa's house. We did some typical girl stuff like talking, watching wedding shows, painting nails, talking, drinking wine, torturing ourselves with hair removal devices, and of course more talking. Holly and I both brought our dogs, so they had a slumber party too, complete with a dog park visit. On Saturday night we went downtown to Juanita Greenberg's (yum!) and then to Cupcake for dessert.

California

2011-02-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

We spent about a week in California in January. We interviewed in Sacramento and San Francisco. While we were in Sacramento we hung out with some friends, Jason and Veronica. We went out to dinner at a Japanese fondue place and went to see the capitol. The next day Stephen and I drove out to Napa Valley to see the wine country. The landscape and all the vineyards really reminded me of being in Italy and I felt right at home there. It was really beautiful. I even had my first In-N-Out Burger experience. Stephen had been dying to take me. Our last adventure with them was the wonderful ski trip we took to Lake Tahoe.

After the Sacramento interview we headed north to San Francisco. We were able to stay with some friends in Walnut Creek, a little ways outside the city. Steve and Cara were so sweet and hospitable. They also had some really young kittens that were a blast to play with. I tried to get one in my suitcase when we left, but Stephen caught me : ( One of our days there we went out to Muir Woods to see some big Redwood trees. I had never seen one and they are amazing. It was such a blessing to see a part a of God's creation that I had never experienced before. We had a great time exploring.

Afterward we drove down the coast a bit to Half Moon Bay. We stopped at a few beaches and even had lunch at a little restaurant on the water.

That evening, Stephen and I went into the city together. We walked around pier 39 and saw the famous sea lions. It is a spot on the pier where tons of sea lions come to sunbathe. It was really cool. The next day Stephen had his interview and I braved the city solo. I had a great day just exploring. I started back at the pier and walked around to see the place in the daylight.Then I headed over to some shops, watched a ton of street performers, and went in a lot of art galleries. There were just so many cool things to do there. I even got over to Ghirardelli square where the make the chocolate, and yes I got lots of samples. After his interview, Stephen met with me. We went to dinner, walked around a bit and shopped, then went back to Ghirardelli square for some dessert. On the was out of town we drove down the famous curvy road they have there in SanFran. That night we caught the red eye home. It was an amazing trip I will never forget and I definitely want to go back!

The fountain at Ghirardelli square

eating some fresh seafood

Nathan Auby Finley

2011-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world baby Nathan! Nathan Auby Finley was born yesterday, Feb. 15 and weighed in at 7lbs 14ounces. We are so excited to meet our new nephew!

I will add a pic when I get one : )

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I had a terrible headache all day and my sweet hubby showed up at my work with a bottle of advil and some chocolate. I am so lucky to have such an amazing man to spend the rest of my life with. Last night we had a reenactment of our first date. We got into our sweatpants and headed over for a romantic dinner at Zaxby's. It was a wonderful night of reminiscing and spending quality time together! In case you were wondering, yes, that is the exact outfit he wore on our first date.

Lake Tahoe

2011-02-15T19:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Stephen and I were interviewing in California and we were able to get away for awhile and go skiing. We went with some friends, Jason and Veronica, up to Lake Tahoe. Jason, Stephen, and I were able to ski and Veronica did some schoolwork. The boys were nice enough to start out on some of the easy ones for me. After a while, I took on a few slopes solo while they hit the crazy double black diamonds.

Jason before the cliff

Lakehouse

2011-02-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Stephen and I are finally finished with interviews, which means I can get caught up with my blog! A few weekends ago, our small group took a trip to Lexington. Mandy's parents were kind enough to let us stay in their lake house. The best part was that everyone was able to come! It was a jampacked weekend full of fun, fellowship, wii dance, and cornhole!

We played the wii dance game for hours. Here is Ben and Brad (not in sync, haha).

Sitting down to a big breakfast!

Playing ping pong

building a fire in the snow

All the girls

enjoying some orange juice

the guys after the corn hole tournament

Finger Update

2011-01-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well, a lot has happened since I first posted about Stephen's finger. While interviewing in California last week, he was able to see an ortho guy in Sacramento. They took additional x-rays and decided that he needed surgery. As soon as we got back to Charleston Stephen met with a hand specialist and they scheduled his surgery for today. Everything went really well. They put three pins in his finger and he will get follow up x-rays for 6-8 weeks.

Stephen pre-op:

After the surgery he was still feeling a little loopy. I was trying to help him get dressed and kept saying something like "I put my pants on one leg at a time and I make gold records." It was hilarious. It was also funny watching him try to get the straw from his ginger ale in his mouth with his tongue while the nurse took his vitals.

He should heal well, but please pray that he will make a full recovery so that he can be a successful surgeon and help people in the future the way he was helped today!
Here he is post-op:

The Finger

2011-01-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Stephen broke his right ring finger playing frisbee. He laid out for one pretty early on in the game. He didn't catch it, but he did finish the game like a champ. Later we went for x-rays and he got a splint (with a bright purple wrap). He has had to go on his last orthopedic interviews with a broken finger. Kind of ironic huh?

New Years/Birthday 2010

2011-01-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

On New Years Eve I turned a quarter of a century. We went over to Casa de Cogdill for a New Years/Birthday party. They even made me a cake! It was a blast. It always is with those crazy kids : )

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

*will add a few more pics once we get some from the Finley fam Christmas

Congrats Becky!

2011-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

So I know I am a little late, but I wanted to say congrats to my wonderful friend Becky. She was married on Dec. 18th. She was a beautiful bride and I was honored to stand with her on her special day.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. -Gen 2:24

I love you Becky and I am so excited for the two of you!

Birthday celebrations

2010-12-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of Dec. birthdays around here. Bella's is Dec. 16th. Our puppy just turned 1!

My mom's is Dec 11. Stephen and I were out of town for my mother's so we celebrated hers and Stephen's together that next tuesday. We all went out to Chili's and a wonderful dinner. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you so much.

Stephen's is Dec 15th and he turned 27 this year. For 15 days I get to tease him about being three years older than me : ) For his birthday, his parents took us out to a great dinner at Stella's when we went to pick the puppy the Monday before his birthday. Then we celebrated at Chili's again on Tuesday with my family. Then on Wednesday we went to Five Loaves downtown with friends. That is three birthday dinners in row! After dinner we headed over to the James Island County Park to drive through the lights and enjoy some hot chocolate by the fire pits.

A Christmas Carol

2010-12-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

Stephen and I started out the Christmas season by by going to see a production of a Christmas Carol with our small group at the Dock Street Theatre. We have really enjoyed going to the theater so much this year. It was a wonderful show and it really got us in the Christmas spirit!

Decorating the tree

2010-12-12T18:17:00.000-08:00

Last week Stephen and I got our tree and decorated it. We always go to the same place every year because they are really nice and affordable. They also send us a discount coupon in the mail every year. We had a great time decorating. We turned on the fire and watched the Finley Family traditional movie: Christmas Vacation as well as Shrek the Halls. Bella was at her grandparents but Marky was able to participate. He was a big help.

Like I said... a big help

Making friends with Mr. Snowman

The final touch: the angel at the top.

Interview season

2010-12-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

Right now Stephen and I are smack dab in the middle of interview season. I am so fortunate to be at a stage in my life where work is flexible and I can travel with him to various interviews. The way it works on "the trail" is each program has a social the night before the interview where you can meet and talk informally with the residents. It is great to be able to talk with some of the residents' spouses about how they like the area and what the housing is like. So far everyone has been really nice and we have enjoyed traveling to the various places. Some of the places we have gone are Rochester, NY, Akron, OH, Yale in CT, Burlington, VT, Winston-Salem, NC, Charlotte, NC and of course MUSC. Upcoming is Duke and then there is a short break for the holidays.

While we were in Vermont we took some pics since it was snowing. It snowed about 6 inches with a temperature of "feels like 9 degrees." We had a great time though. We played in the snow, checked out the ski resort just 30 mins away, visited the Ben and Jerry's factory, and had apple cider and cider doughnuts from a cute little bakery/shop. Here are some pics:

This is the view at the ski resort. You can actually see one of the trails in the background.

Stephen throwing snow.

at the cider place

the downtown area

DC

2010-11-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

On our way home from Rochester, Stephen and I stopped in DC again and stayed with our wonderful cousins. We took a whole day and a half to tour the city. We toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, saw the Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, Jefferson memorial, White House, Capitol, WWI memorial, WWII memorial, Vietnam memorial, 911 memorial, Korean memorial, reflection pond, The Archives, Natural History Museum and much, much more. We even got to go up in the Washington monument and see the city from up high. We loved the city and had blast seeing everything.

View from the top of the Washington memorial

Gettysburg

2010-11-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

On our way from Rochester to DC, Stephen and I drove through Gettysburg, PA and decided to stop and soak in some history. The battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863. It is referred to as the turning point of the war when Robert E Lee and the confederates were defeated. This battle had the highest casualty count of the Civil War with a total of about 51,000 killed. We went first to the museum of Gettysburg and then drove out to the fields and walked around where the actual battle was fought.

This tree marks the point of the "bloody angle"

Here is a description

Oh Canada

2010-11-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

Before we left Rochester, Stephen and I got the opportunity to drive up into Canada. We saw Niagara Falls and went on the Maid of the Mist tour. Afterward, we walked around some and even managed to catch the second half of the Clemson game at sports bar.

Eating at the Rain Forest Cafe

A view from afar

Getting ready to get on the boat

Reenacting the Jim and Pam moment

A view from the very top of the falls

A view from the top as a boat like we were on heads into the "mist"

Happy Halloween

2010-11-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

Stephen's first post - Think I didn't know what a Eu- googaly was?

2010-10-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is my first official post, and I know that it has been a long time coming, so let me start off by saying go tigers! But seriously, I’m going to get started with the post now… no more distractions!

Em was able to come for the first two weeks, and as you can read from her post, we had a lot of good times. The day that Em had to leave was very sad, but it was really cool though what happened that day. I was supposed to do my saturday morning to sunday morning shift but the resident told me to go and spend the rest of saturday morning with Em and take her to the airport, and to just come back after that. He said that family was important to the program.

Backtracking a little bit to the first day of the rotation, I would have to admit, I was a little nervous starting out again at a new place. Being around a bunch of new faces, 100% new faces, and having to make all new first impressions was a little overwhelming. I mean, I was a little nervous about finding my way anywhere around the place, this hospital is Gi-normous! However, it all worked out just fine because everyone was so helpful. Everywhere I turned someone was willing to help me on my first day.

The first two weeks, I was on the foot and ankle service where at this program they have four attendings (that is a lot for this specialty…most programs only have one). I clearly had no idea the variety of things that are being done and can be done in this subspecialty of orthopaedics. It was pretty cool because some of the procedures were done right in the clinic, such as simple tenotomies for contractures.

During the last two weeks, I have been on the sports service. It has been a really good time, as well. On this rotation, I really have got to learn a good deal of the physical exam in orthopaedics. Prior to this rotation, I had not had much exposure to patients with meniscus tears and the like, so it was really neat being able to see these patients in clinic and then seeing them in the operating room to literally see what the condition of the cartilage inside their knee was like. Dr. Maloney is one of the sports attending here at Rochester, and he is a Machine! This man had 16 cases scheduled on Wednesday, and got through every single one of them by 5:15 pm.

In addition to my duties at the hospital, I have gotten to enjoy a few extracurricular activities while here in Rochester. I have found a very competitive group of ultimate Frisbee players who play pickup within walking distance of the hospital. This has been fantastic! It’s been really fun getting back out there and playing some competitive ultimate again. Apparently there is also a very competitive bowling league here as well as a paddle ball league. One of the patients I was seeing was delaying his surgery until the spring that way he did not have to sit out for too much of paddle ball season. I still have no idea what paddle ball is… I thought he was referring to ping pong, but apparently it is not that!

I was also able to check out a local church in the area. It was really nice, and I really enjoyed the worship time there. They had a huge crowd on stage playing tons of instruments, but it worked really well, people were really having a good time praising Jesus which really is a cool sight to see. The pastor there was very very enthusiastic and walked about the crowd interacting with those who dared sit in the aisle near the front. I am sooo glad that I chose to sit near the back! He came within two rows of me during the service, but did not quite make it to me! While there, they were on the series called, “the Jesus Life: Part 6” from Luke 6. It was a good message.

I just want to say thanks to all those who prayed for us while we were up here, it really has been an amazing time, and it really is awesome to have such awesome friends and family who support us. Thanks for taking the time to read this ridiculously long post, and I will sign out at this point!

I want to end by letting you guess the movie quote(this is an easy one): “What is this?? A CENTER FOR ANTS!? It needs to be at least……three times bigger than this!”

Race for The Cure

2010-10-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I ran in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5k on Daniel Island. It was the first time I had ran a race without Stephen. I almost opted out because I didn't want to do it by myself, but I am glad I didn't. It was incredible to see so many people (around 9,500 I think) out to support this cause. Since I have started working at Roper, I am often scanning women in the breast center. I have seen some nasty cancers and and met some really incredible women. It was certainly a privilege to participate in this event.

Wineries

2010-10-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

On one of our Saturday's off in NY, we went to tour some of the wineries in the upstate. The wine country there is so beautiful. It is right along the finger lakes. We toured two of the five. The way it works is you pay two dollars and get to pick eight wines that you want to try. We had a blast. We tasted some great wine, toured the wineries, and met some very nice New Yorkers. We met a group who all had son's on the same hockey team. After one of the tastings, they invited us to drink some wine, eat some cheese and other snacks, and hang out with them outside by one of the lakes. They were from Rochester and we ended up talking with them for hours. They were fascinated that we were from SC. One of them even asked "Is it true they have those 'buffet restaurants' down there?"

We didn't know this guy. He just wanted to take a picture with us...

This is where they process the grapes.

Stephen was fascinated by this thing, something about the chemical process of something...

The view from the porch we sat on outside the winery with our new friends

JK, I didn't really eat it : )

One of our new friends is demonstrating how to do an Irish Jig : )

Our Time in Rochester

2010-10-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

These past two weeks Stephen and I have been living in Rochester, NY. Even though he has some long day, we still spent a good bit of time together in the evenings.

Rochester is a big city, but it is surrounded by tons of parks, rivers, pastures, farms, woods, etc. We really didn't do too much in the city. Parts of it were kind of scary looking. The big thing in Rochester is the Museum of Play. It is a giant children's museum and since we are currently childless, it really wasn't relevant to us. What we did do was explore a lot outside of the downtown area. Here are just a couple of the highlights. Sorry it is so long!

1. We touched lake Ontario!

Our first Monday in town we walked around one of the parks and then drove out to Lake Ontario. It was huge and it looked more like an ocean than a lake. Even though it was freezing, we both stuck our fingers in just to say we touched Lake Ontario.

2. We tried some local cuisine!

Since the kitchen had absolutely nothing to cook with, our dinners consisted of either frozen healthy choice meals, sandwiches, cereal, ready to serve frozen lasagnas, or eating out. We ate at a Vietnamese restaurant first. They are all over the place. I didn't care for it much but Stephen loved their Pho soup. We also tried a little local place that was #1 on trip adviser. It was called Open Face. It is a sandwich shop that makes these ridiculously elaborate sandwiches. They serve them opened and pour the soup of the day on them like a gravy. They don't have any Mexican restaurants here. The only thing they have is Chipotle which is kind of similar to a Moe's, only way better. It was very delicious. My favorite place we ate was the Cheesecake factory. Wow. For desert Stephen got a chocolate Godiva cheesecake and I got a cheesecake that had layers of red velvet cake in it and white chocolate shavings in the icing. Best dessert I have ever had, hands down. I try not to think about the fact that it was 1200 calories. Oh but it was delightful.

This is from Open Face:

3. We played Frisbee at the University of Rochester : )

Oh the good old days of undergrad. We walked all around the college campus and even ate lunch at their cafeteria. The campus was built in the 1920's and it was so gorgeous. It was one of the prettiest campuses I have seen. The best part was when we saw a strange looking boy run very quickly by us with a broom between his legs. ??? We figured it must be some fraternity thing. Then we figured it out when we stumbled onto a Quidditch match. Yes, the fictional game from Harry Potter. University of Rochester was playing against Rochester Institute of Technology. Lots of people were on the field running around with broomsticks. If you would like a visual of how muggles play quidditch, check out this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UfPij5ABdo

4. We ran!

I have never really enjoyed running, until now. It is so much different when you are running next to beautiful lakes and rivers, over old bridges, with gorgeous yellow and red leaves all around, and the love of your life next to you. It was probably my favorite part. Several times Stephen and I found some beautiful parks with tons of trails to run through. You just wouldn't believe how much of the city is covered in parks, and the trees here are amazing. One time we ended up running over an hour, probably for about six miles. It is just so much easier to run with someone you love and in such a beautiful setting. Although I will say, I did run some by myself while Stephen worked ( I miss Tae Bo). One time, this older man that I passed on the sidewalk yelled "Keep going! You are almost there! Great job!" When I looked up at him he was smiling and pumping his fist in the air. It was very sincere and encouraging. It kind of made my day: )

5. We had dinner with one of the residents!

One of the third year residents, Chris invited us over for dinner. We went to his home and ate with him, his wife, and their four children. They were so nice. They moved to Rochester for his residency all the way from California. They talked a lot with us about life in NY, adjusting to a new place, raising a family here, finances in residency, family life, enduring the long hours, the interview process, and anything else we had questions about. It was so helpful to get that information from someone going through it. It was so generous of them to have us over and to be so open and helpful. His wife even gave me her email in case I thought of any questions later on. How sweet! At the end of the night they showed us all the tricks their dog can do. It made me miss my Bella and my Marky-boo.

Well I guess that is it for now. I wish we had taken more pictures of the trees and the parks, but it is hard to carry a camera when you run. I am headed back to Chuck Town in the morning. I am going to miss Stephen so much! This will be the longest we have been apart since we were married. We decided tonight that we are going to have to figure out this skype thing : ) Also, Stephen has agreed to do a "guest post" soon to talk about his experience on the rotation, so be on the look out!

Our Trip up North

2010-09-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I started our journey to New York Friday night. We stopped at my parents' house in Goose Creek to drop off Marcus and pick up a TV they graciously let us borrow. We then headed up to Simpsonville. We stayed the night there and dropped off Bella at Stephen's parents' house. Saturday, we headed north and stopped at Kings Mountain nursing home to see my grandmother. She was adorable, as always. She is the kind of person you can't help but smile when you are around. After lunch, we headed to DC to stay with my dear, sweet cousin Danna, her wonderful hubby, Wade, and their darling nine month old, Brady. They were sweet enough to put us up for the night and let us break up our trip. It was great to catch up with them and meet Brady. He is the sweetest, happiest, little boy. I think we are best friends now. It was hard to leave him. I wish we could have snuck him with us. He would be great company while Stephen is working ; )

Check out that hair!

Sunday morning we left for Rochester. It took about six hours to get there. We could already feel the difference of the north while we were driving. There were Christmas trees in the McDonalds landscape, we saw gas for $6.35, and it was cold!!

Random Christmas Tree in the McDonald's Parking lot

Beautiful drive, the leaves are already turning

We made it to the apartment and got settled in. Apparently, an air mattress, a table, and a futon count as fully furnished. We had to hit up a Wal-Mart for some cheap dishes, hand soap, and other necessities. Overall it is a nice little place. It is the upstairs level of a house. Our landlord lives downstairs and is an OR nurse. The great thing about this place is that it is only a block from the hospital : )

The kitchen is actually pretty nice. It just didn't have anything in it. Thankfully, we brought our coffee pot just in case ; )

Visit from the Finley 7

2010-09-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday night Stephen's brother and his family came to visit. We tried out the new Duke's BBQ on Folly road and played some baseball before we settled in for the night. Before they left on Friday, we stopped by the hospital so I could scan Cayce and the baby. It was so much fun to get to see our new little nephew! Thank you Finleys for letting me share in the special moment!

Pics from the Clemson vs PC game

2010-09-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hairspray

2010-09-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night we went with several friends to go see Hairspray downtown at the Dock Street Theatre. The tickets are normally a little pricey but for every show they put on, they have one night where they do a five dollar showing. Starting at midnight before the day of the show show you can go online and get them for five dollars. The Charleston Stage company did a wonderful job. It was very funny throughout the show and I think even the guys enjoyed it a little. I love that my wonderful husband is willing to sit through plays, ballets, musicals, etc. : )

First Game of the Season

2010-09-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday we traveled to the upstate for the first Clemson football game of the season. They beat N. Texas 35 to 10. Sunday we spent the day just visiting and hanging out. We played a lot of horseshoes and we even set up the baby pool for Bella. She had a blast!

Our Blogless Summer

2010-09-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Summer is over and it is true- I neglected the blog for the entire season. We had a wonderful summer so I wanted to give a little overview of some of the things that we did so I can get back on track with the blog.

Stephen and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary.
It fell on a Tuesday and we both had to work so we went to dinner at a fondue restaurant and then went home to eat the top of our wedding cake. I know what you are thinking: aren't you supposed to do that on the one year? Yes, well, we forgot. We finally ate it (well a bite of it). The cake tasted OK but the icing wasn't that great. I must say it does feel good to finally have it out of our freezer. These past two years have been amazing and I thank God everyday for the wonderful husband He picked out for me. I love you Stephen and I'm looking forward to many, many more anniversaries.

We took a weekend to go to the mountains.
The weekend of July fourth Stephen and I drove up to North Carolina and spent the weekend in a little cabin in the mountains. It was so wonderful to get away and just spend a few days with each other. We hung out, cooked together, watched old Disney movies, played board games, read on the front porch, and just enjoyed God's creation and each other's company. We went hiking, swimming in rivers, and even climbed up a few waterfalls. One night we drove into Brevard, a nearby town, to watch the local fireworks show. That town has a strange obsession with white squirrels. They have pictures of them everywhere and they sell white squirrel stuffed animals and paraphernalia. It was a little strange but very amusing.

Matt and Jenni got married!
On June 27th Stephen's brother Matt got married! The wedding was in Lexington and it was beautiful. We had so much fun hanging out with family all weekend and celebrating their special day. Welcome to the family Jenni, we love you both and are so excited and happy for you two.

This was also my dad's birthday. When we got home we all went out for dinner since Stephen and I were out of town on the actual day. Love you dad!

Marcus had an unfortunate incident.
Poor Marcus, he always seems to be getting himself hurt. He has chased bugs off balconies, fallen off balconies, eaten wasps, jumped on the hot stove, jumped on the treadmill while it was going full speed, and has now stuck his tail in a candle. We have always burned candles and he has always stayed away from them, until now. His little tail just engulfed in flames right in front of Stephen and I. We both lunged toward him and got the flames out. It didn't get to his skin, but some of the hair was black. He kept sniffing his tail and making a disgusted face. It smelled awful. We finally had to just cut some of his tail fur off. Don't worry, he made a full recovery and still has a beautiful tail.

The Finley family vacation
In July, the Finleys rented a beach house on Folly and spent the week in Charleston. Stephen and I still had to be at the hospital for school but I was able to take half days. We had a great time just hanging out and relaxing at the beach. We swam a lot and played games like cornhole and horseshoes. It was fun to spend time with family and just relax.

Visiting friends
My dear sweet friend Amber Wise came to visit. She teaches up in NC. We went to the beach and out to dinner at Red's Icehouse. It is always refreshing to see her smiling face. She has been a great friend to me and has had such an impact on my life. I am always grateful when I get to spend time with her.

Well, those are just a few of the things that happened this summer. Life is so eventful and it goes by so fast. I wanted to get of few of these things posted because I like to think of this blog as my electronic scrapbook : )

Stephen is a fourth year!

2010-06-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

This past Friday Stephen completed his last day of clinicals as a third year medical student. He finished up with neurosurgery and neuro ICU. He will get two weeks off and then he begins his fourth year with a cardiology consults rotation. I am so proud of him for all the hard work he has put in. He has done so well this year. We have both really enjoyed this time and are really looking forward to his final year in school.

Silly Marcus

2010-06-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

My little Marky loves diet coke just like his momma : )

Trivia Night

2010-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I have always been fond of trivia night. We both used to play when we attended Clemson. Recently, we found out that the Applebee's next to our house has trivia every Wednesday night. We have been trying to get a group going but it hasn't worked out yet. So... last Wednesday we decided just to go the two us and just have fun. We had a great date night, lots of fun, and we won! We couldn't believe it. We were down by 7 points going into the final round so we decided to just go for it. The question was:

Put these movies in order by release date from oldest to most recent: Maverick, Mall Rats, Major League, Married to the Mob.

We had never heard of the last one so we just guessed that it had to be old. The correct answer is: Married to the Mob, Major League, Maverick, Mall Rats. We got it right and won a $50 gift card, yay. We got a free meal (and some) thanks to our neighborhood grill. Thanks Applebees : )

Memorial Day Fun

2010-06-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

The Sunday before Memorial Day, we headed to my parents house for a cookout. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time having fun with family. My parents put up a baby pool in the backyard for the kids (Layna and Bella). Bella wasn't sure she was allowed in at first. However, once we told her it was OK we couldn't get her out. They had so much fun playing together. They swam, played ball, and chased bubbles all day.

Layna and Bella in the pool

Bella chasing Layna's bubbles

Stephen getting in on the fun

Enjoying some yummy food

Visit to Beckley

2010-06-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I made a solo trip to Beckley, WV to visit my school, Mountain State University. So far in my schooling, I have taken all of my classes online. On June 14th, I start full time doing clinical rotations at Roper St. Francis. Before I could start my clinicals, I had to do a 3 day orientation on campus.

I was a little nervous because this was my first trip away from home by myself. (When I studied abroad in Italy I had roommates that I did stuff with, so I don't count that). Overall it wasn't as scary as I though it would be. The only dumb thing I did was getting into someone else's car. I had a rental car, so I wasn't used to it yet. I went to where I thought I had parked. There was a silver car so I pressed the unlock button. It was open, so I got in. I put my seat belt on, adjusted the mirrors and was about to stick the key in when I noticed the car didn't look right. It said Ford on the steering wheel and that is when I realized I was in the wrong car! Opps. I got out really fast hoping the owners weren't around. In my defense though, who leaves their car unlocked at a Quality Inn hotel?! It is 2010 people, you can't do that.

I had a blast on campus. It was so great to finally meet all of the faculty I had been working with online and get some hands on experience. Everyone was really nice and helpful. I basically spent the entire three days scanning. The staff all took turns in the lab letting me scan them. I did full abdominal protocols (aorta, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and spleen), thyroid, and female pelvis. One of the instructors was even 19 weeks pregnant so I got to do an OB exam. It was amazing to see that little life moving around inside her. I felt like I had met him and knew him and he wasn't even born yet!

The time I spent there was really helpful. There is such a big difference in looking at pictures in a book and seeing the images on the screen in real time. I also got familiar with the machine and how to use the controls to get the best possible images. I learned lots of little tips like it is ok to press hard during an abdominal exam, asking them to take a deep breath can make all the difference, when in doubt put color flow on it, the cine loop is your friend, and small movements can make big differences. I feel so much more confident and excited about starting clinicals now!

This is the lab we used to scan in. It is right inside the DMS department next to the faculty offices.

This is the machine I learned on.

This is Bre, my clinical coordinator. She taught me almost the entire time.

Me and Bre

A few of the staff. From left to right: Tammy (clinical lab and small parts instructor), Nashella (abdominal instructor), Bre (clinical coordinator), and Ashley (DMS administrative assistant)

MSU campus, you can see the
MSU sign to the very right of the pic.

Driving to the airport. WV is so beautiful. The entire drive was just winding around these gorgeous mountains.

My rental car, a Nissan Versa. It was really nice.

So Long Insecurity

2010-04-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the girls from my small group all attended Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity simulcast at Seacoast in Mt. Pleasant. Beth Moore taught in Atlanta and over 300,000 women tuned in live to watch her speak. The message was based on her new book, which our small group will be studying for the next 6 weeks. The simulcast was wonderful. Beth Moore delivered a great message about being secure women of God. She used Ephesians 4:17-24 to describe a secure woman.

¹⁷So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. ²⁰You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. ²¹Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

She encouraged us to take off our old selves and put on the new. When we are secure in our relationship with Christ and his love and grace, then we can "stick out like a healthy thumb" and positively impact those around us. She made the point that we should not dwell on past sins because it does not honor God to disbelieve his forgiveness (that one really hit home with me). When we know we are forgiven, we forgive. When we know we are loved, we love. When we know we are graced, we grace. I am really excited to read and study this book with my small group.

While the girls attended the simulcast, the men got together to build sets of cornhole boards for the guys that didn't have them. Afterward we all met over at Riverland woods to grill out for Ben's birthday. It was a wonderful day filled with God's word and great fellowship.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

On Easter, Stephen and I attended the 8:30 service at our church, ECBC, and then headed to Simpsonville to see family. We originally thought Stephen was going to have to work on Easter, but at the last minute he was able to change his shift.

The Perry Family

The Finley Family

A smaller Finley Family (minus Marcus of course)

The guys playing lazy cornhole, sitting down

The girls

Bella finding some shade in a not so safe place

Meet Bella

2010-04-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

Bella is our 14 week old Goldendoodle puppy. We got her Friday night from Greenwood South Carolina. She is the sweetest girl and we already love her so much! She is such a joy. Her father was a poodle and her mother was a golden retriever. Marcus, our cat is getting used to her. He isn't scared of Bella, but if she starts sniffing him for too long he hisses at her. Overall they are doing pretty well together. She is pretty big for her age so we think she is going to be pretty large as an adult. She could be anywhere from 65-100 lbs. She loves to play fetch and socialize with other dogs and people. On Saturday we took her to the dog park and she did great! She has been such a wonderful addition to our family!

At Petco shopping for some goodies

Playing with her tennis ball

She loves her tennis balls

Taking a nap with dad

Marcus keeping an eye on the newcomer

She really is just a big baby : )

Bridge Run

2010-03-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the 33rd annual Cooper River Bridge Run. Stephen and I started training for it 10 weeks ago. (Well actually I started training, Stephen could run a 10k with just a day's notice). We found a schedule online that tells you what to do everyday for 8 weeks. We were doing really well. We were even running the actual bridge on Sundays (the distance days). We were up to about 4.5 miles in week 5 when I injured my knee. Ever since then I haven't been able to run more than 10 minutes without it giving out on me and being in extreme pain. For the past couple weeks I have been icing it, taking Aleve, and doing lots of strengthening exercises, but it hasn't gotten any better. Needless to say, we didn't get to run the bridge. We ran the first mile and had to walk the rest. My wonderful husband was so sweet and walked with me even though he could have kept going. I was really disappointed that I had to stop running after the first mile, especially since I had been working really hard to get ready for it. I swam competitively for 10 years, but I am not and never have been a runner. It took a lot of "pushing through" for me to get to the point where I actually got the runner's high. (Swimming is great by the way- your joints don't hurt and you can't feel yourself sweat since you are in the water.) Hopefully when my knee heals we can find another 10k to do together.

Chad Hewett, one of Stephen's good friends, came up from Georgia to run the bridge. He did great and finished in under an hour. Chad stayed with us for the weekend and we had a great time!

This guy actually has his dog in his backpack!

I don't even know what to say about this!Weird!

Fun in the Sun

2010-03-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the first beautiful weekend we have had in Charleston. On Saturday our small group gathered for some fun in the sun. We took our cornhole boards outside and had a tournament. We also had some football and a home run derby. It was great to be out enjoying God's creation. Here are some pics.

Ski Weekend

2010-03-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Stephen and I were invited up to the mountains of North Carolina to enjoy some skiing and great fellowship. Brad's family has a house on Beech Mountain and he and Mandy were kind enough to invite us to spend the weekend with them there.

Stephen and I spent the whole day Saturday skiing. He is a wonderful skier. Sometimes I get nervous because he likes to do the double black diamonds and crazy slopes. This is the first time we ever went together. We had to stop in Columbia to get some ski pants for me. I ended up getting a purple pair. I figured it would be easier for him to find me when I crashed! Also, Stephen's ski jacket is orange so as a couple we supported Clemson well.

The first half an hour we spent on the bunny slopes and he taught me how to slow down, stop, turn, and fall correctly. Then we moved on the the green circles and eventually the blue squares. He skied in front of me backwards the whole time helping me and giving me instruction. Stephen was so patient and encouraging. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. Although there were a few times that my self esteem took a hit, like when I looked up from extreme concentration to see him skiing backwards in front of me eating a pack of crackers. Here I am trying to stay calm and get down the mountain in one piece, and he is having a little snack! Haha. We had a great time though. After lunch I braved some slopes on my own and he took off to do the more difficult ones. Then, we met back up and skied together some more. I was really anxious about the whole day since I had no idea what I was doing, but he made it so enjoyable. I felt so safe with him and I think I fell in love with him all over again.

Our skis while riding the lift

On the ski lift

On the slopes, check out my purple pants!

Stephen in speed position!

After lunch

View from the top

Stephen at the bottom of the mountain

When we got back to the house, Brad, Mandy, and Rob (Brad's brother) had made a little ramp on the steep snow covered driveway. We played in the snow, sledded, and the guys had a pretty intense snowball fight. It was a blast.

Mandy in the snow!

Sledding down the driveway

These steps led down the the house we stayed at

Brad and his brother, Rob

Stephen after a sledding crash

On our way home Sunday we stopped in Greenville to visit Stephen's parents. We played horseshoes on the court Stephen and his dad built over Christmas break. They completely destroyed us. I think we won one game out of like 6 or 7. Haha. We are going to have to do some serious practicing before we challenge them again! Afterward we watched the Clemson game (kind of a bummer) and then headed home. It was a wonderful weekend!

Stephen and his dad throwing horseshoes

Valentine's Day

2010-02-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

Every year on Valentine's Day our Sunday School teachers have a romantic dinner for the Newlywed class. This year was our second year attending and we had a blast. On Saturday, the Caldwell's set up their house just like a romantic restaurant with tables seating from 2-6 people. Then they cook us an amazing four course meal. It is such as blessing to have friends like these. It is so selfless for them to spend their V-day serving us. What is even more impressive is that the power was out all day from the snow and they pulled off the whole event without electricity. It was very romantic to eat by only candlelight. We sat with Ryan, Anna, Matt, and Alyssa and we had a great time.

On Sunday we usually spend the evening with our Community group at someone's house. Since it was Valentine's Day our Community group decided to go out to eat together. We went to the Ruby Tuesdays on Folly Road. We love our community group and were very excited to spend V-Day with them!

Snow in Charleston!

2010-02-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

On Feb 12th it actually snowed in Charleston. We were having sushi in Mt. P with some friends when it started. We had to drive over the Cooper River Bridge in the civic to get home. It was a little scary and it took about 45 minutes but we made it! When we got home we met Matt and Alyssa to go play in the snow! We used the skim board and a plastic lid to go sledding. (That's how we do it in the south). Even Tiger, their chocolate lab, was getting into it. He would grab the sled in his mouth and run down the hill. He had the general idea, just not the right technique. Next time we will try to get him on the sled : ) We stayed up late enjoying the snow. We even built a snowman right at The Retreat entrance to welcome people in. He was a big hit. We caught several people getting out of their cars to take his picture. Afterwards we wanted Marcus to enjoy the snow too. We brought some up and put it on the porch for him to play in. Turns out, he really wasn't a fan.

Outside our building

Me and Stephen

Tiger holding the sled and watching his mom attempt to keep sledding even after the skim board had stopped.

Stephen and I going down together.

Tiger watching Stephen crash

Tiger watching Stephen not crash

The next morning we still had snow!

Our snowman

Marcus not enjoying the snow and running away after we threw him in it

Finley Family Chick-fil-a campout # 2

2010-02-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

On January 28th a chick-fil-a in West Ashley opened. Last year Stephen and some friends camped out at the chick-fil-a opening in Goose Creek. The top 100 get 52 free value meal coupons and he was lucky #99. This year Alyssa, Mandy, Jordan, Will, Ben, Ben, and I all went.

Alyssa, Mandy, and I showed up at five am to secure our spot. However, we didn't know the policy had changed and they didn't take the first 100 anymore. Instead, whoever is there at 6am gets put into a raffle and 100 numbers get called. Well, about 130 some people showed up. After waiting around for an hour they lined us up and asked for our IDs to start issuing raffle tickets. Of course I had left mine in the car. I had to sprint to where we were parked and back and I barely made it. Then about 10 minutes later Alyssa yells "Emma! Your ticket is on the ground!" I had almost lost it. Ugh! So slowly but surely they start calling out numbers. One by one I watch my friends go in and start filling out forms. Finally, there are only 2 spots left and over 30 people waiting to get called. At this point I am thinking it just isn't meant to be. However, to my surprise they call my number. Yep, I was number 99!

#99!!

We spent the whole day just hanging out and playing games. Ben A. taught me to play poker. We also won a "smart people game" the chick-fil-a people held, where each person on a 7 person team has a number. The worker calls out a 7 digit number and you have to be the first team to put yourself in the right order. Our team actually won and they deemed us the smartest people at the camp out. It was quite an honor. We also made Valentines day cards for the MUSC children's hospital. It has been a while since I made a card from construction paper.

This is one of our Sunday School leaders, Greg, taking a little nap

Us holding up our prizes (plastic cups) like we held up our numbers!

Mandy with her Valentine's card

Making the cards

Lounging around

Stephen got to stop by for a short bit after work!

After the last roll call we decided to hit the hay. Mandy, Alyssa, and I shared a tent. The air mattress we brought was bigger than the tent but somehow we got it in. Despite being really cold and waking up to an ice covered tent, it was a pretty decent night. I had so much fun and I met a lot of really great new friends. I hope that one day Stephen and I can do one together!

Little tent, large air mattress

Writing little notes before bed..

Eat more chicken, this is the chick fil a cow, #99, and #100

The next morning... we made it!!!!

My Birthday

2010-02-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 31 I turned 24. We spent the morning in Simpsonville and Stephen's sweet parents took us to Olive Garden for lunch. After lunch we headed back to Charleston in time to get changed and meet some friends for dinner at King Street Grill. Then we piled (literally) into Ben and Holly's car to go watch the fireworks at James Island County Park. I love being able to watch a big firework show at the end of my birthday. When I was little my parents always told me the fireworks were for me. I know I am too old to believe it now, but I still like to pretend ; ) The next night my parents took us to Outback for dinner and we had a blast. It was a wonderful birthday weekend.

Me and Alyssa

The Drechslers and the Martins

The Cogdills and the Finleys

literally piled in

Fireworks at JI county park

Silly uncle Stephen :)

Birthday gift with handmade card and wrappings

The fam at the outback

A kiss for my sweetie

Hiking in the snow

2010-02-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

I know I have been neglecting my blog for quite awhile now, but I have finally returned. Yay! I'd like to backtrack to some memorable moments that have happened since my last update. Stephen and I had a wonderful holiday, but one of my favorite days was when he took me hiking the day before my birthday. We drove up to Panthertown, NC and were pleasantly surprised to find snow! We trekked through the snow and found a waterfall and some giant icicles. We had so much fun spending the day together in the beautiful outdoors.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Every year the James Island County Park does the Festival of lights. You drive around the park and there are hundreds of light displays by various sponsors. You can also park for a while and walk around where they have art by schools, bonfires to make smores, and shops with lots of holiday stuff. It is a really big thing and people come from all over to see it. Luckily we only live 5 mins away. It is so fun. I have been going for many years and now Stephen and I go every year together as our own Christmas tradition. Mine and Stephen's favorite is a light display on the water in the park. It is a huge display of the old bridge that fades out and then there is the new bridge. Thanks to our wonderful camera we got last year for Christmas, we got some really great pics.

Old Bridge...

New Bridge!!

This one is sponsored by MUSC

I love this one too...

This is another one of my favs. Rudolph is measuring the chimney and it doesn't look like Santa is gonna make it! The best part is that it is sponsored by weight watchers!

Rainbow row..

Stephen at the bonfire

Some of the art from an elementary school

Giant sandcastle

More art..

Happy Birthday Stephen!

2009-12-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

Dec. 15th was Stephen's 26th birthday. Since it fell on his test week he decided to celebrate it on the weekend. On Friday we went out with some of Stephen's friends from school. On Saturday my parents took us out to a fondue restaurant in Mt. Pleasant. Afterward we went back to my parents for cake, ice cream, and presents. I went in with my parents to get Stephen a nice Keurig coffee maker and some k-cups! He has been going crazy over the one parents have. He was so excited when he opened it. He had been wanting one for so long. He makes coffee and tea all the time now!

Stephen at dinner

Stephen, Layna, Mary Jane, Rob, Melissa, Dad, Mom, and Me

Stephen with his cake

Getting ready to open presents

Opening..

He loves it!!

Dad giving out cake

Layna and her sweet cousin Mary Jane. They were so excited about cake and ice cream. They also told uncle Stephen happy birthday many, many times!