Catching up...

Life remains busy in the Fain household, but this weekend did provide some much needed sleep and (a moderate amount of) down-time. Friday night we got some quality hang-out time with the Beasley's and Schwee (who is moving to B'ham, yay!), and sleeping until 8 on Saturday felt like I was in college again (sad, isn't it?). Walker worked all day Saturday, and I (tried) to get in some studying for my upcoming Neurology shelf exam.

Sweet Michael planned a party for Mary Lauren's 25th b-day on Saturday night, and it provided an excellent opportunity for all the med school crew to celebrate the occasion and reunite! These people have been my sanity the past 2 years, but now that we have started clinical rotations, it has been much more difficult to arrange time for all of us to be together. We thought we were going to be Fran-less, but she managed to switch call nights and was able to join us!

the birthday girl!

delicious lettuce (er, cabbage?) for the burgers...

Josh, Walker, & Daniel

hooray for reunions :)

In other news, we cooked a delicious meal tonight that I highly recommend... "White Chicken Spaghetti". It's in one of the Southern Living cookbooks but I found the recipe online so I thought I would share it (yum!). Italian food comes in right behind Mexican on our list of favorites, so we are always excited when we find new delicious recipes (this one is pretty healthy too!).

On a final note... somewhere along the way we heard that it was a good idea to try to brush a dog's teeth to keep them healthy (and to avoid expensive vet bills). We bought Bella a kiddy toothbrush at Publix yesterday (don't laugh, apparently dogs need the super soft bristles), and tonight attempted to improve her oral hygiene (see previous post...). It was an epic failure and I think she thought we were trying to poison her. We will continue to make an effort, but it looks like we may just have to take our chances as far as her dental health goes.

Time to re-set the 5 a.m. alarm...

Happenings...

1. I started my first clinical rotation (Neurology) last Monday and I was at the hospital for 65 hours from Monday morning to Friday evening. Hello, world of clinical medicine :)

2. My all-time favorite couch received a makeover. It went from this...

to this...

3. Walker's mom celebrated her birthday on Saturday, and thanks to some secretive planning by her children, she was surprised by everyone being present for her birthday dinner at our house.

delicious carrot cake from Savage's

Fain/Griesheimer/Norris Crew

birthday girl + kids

cute Campbell

Happy weekend everyone!

Lacey came to visit...

Walker was out of town this past week on business, my research is nearing an end so my free time has increased dramatically, and I wanted some added entertainment for the week, so I requested a week-long visit from my canine niece, Lacey. Matt agreed, and alas, I had another dog for the week! I am not too fond of being alone at night, and I went from having a guard dog that looks like this...

to one that looks like this...

Bella is two months older than Lacey and they have essentially grown up together. Here they are at 4 and 2 months...

And this week...

Lacey has come along way from this...

to this...

She is 75 lbs of muscle, energy and affection. She thinks she is a lapdog and will do whatever she can to be close to you. Where Bella loves to lounge on her bed on the ground, Lacey prefers to curl up next to you on the couch with her head in your lap. Matt has done an excellent job training her, so she was a breeze to take care of. I thoroughly enjoyed our temporary family addition!

Destin & Dobb's Birthday

Over the fourth Walker and I headed down to Sandestin for a few days. All of the Fain siblings + spouses were present with the exception of the Norris's, who were missed greatly. We stayed in a condo at Baytowne Wharf, spent everyday down at the beach (and let's be honest, 90% of that time was spent in the water b/c it was so ridiculously hot), and ate delicious seafood. 4 days at the Gulf go by entirely too quick...

@ the Red Bar (where we got a free meal due to a sudden storm that arose as we ate on the patio: free Red Bar = zero complaints from the Fain's/Griesheimer's)

brothers

siblings + me and Eric

the whole crew...

brother & sister

Last night we hosted a cookout for Jennifer's 24th birthday. About 30 minutes prior to the party starting, we lost power (frequent power outages are one of the VERY few negatives of living in Homewood), which resulted in some creative cooking (i.e., cooking Rotel on the grill - it worked brilliantly) and cupcakes that melted to look like this (don't worry, they were still delicious - any other funfetti cake + rainbow chip icing fans out there?)... 

the birthday girl

my husband the grill-master

we love Brad!

Dobbs & Fran

(side note: power was restored about an hour and a half into the party - hence the electricity present in the indoor photos)

the past 2 weekends...

2 weeks ago Walker & I celebrated our 1 year anniversary! It is hard to believe over a year has gone by since our big day...

Bella celebrated our anniversary by picking up a viral infection and giving us a couple of nights of less-than-restful sleep while we took care of (read: cleaned up after) her. After a trip to the vet for anti-emetics and rehydration, and several days of rest, she has since made a full recovery.

Last weekend Walker & I went home to visit mom and for Father's Day. We got to spend a few hours with my niece Lauren, and I attempted to continue playing with/learning the ever-difficult but always-important manual setting on my camera (it doesn't hurt to have such cute subject matter).

Happy weekend to everyone!

Doggy orthodontics?

She is usually pretty shy about showing off that glorious set of bottom teeth, but we caught her in a weak moment...

I caved.

Have you ever been in a hospital or doctor's office and noticed otherwise normal-looking, often even attractive, doctors and nurses sporting a cute/stylish outfit or scrubs with a pair of less-than-fashionable clog-like shoes? I noticed this trend a long time ago, and vowed I would never let my career destroy my fashion sense like it apparently had for these unfortunate souls.

Fast-forward several years. Unless you are a patient or family member, time spent seated in a hospital is minimal and short-lived. After a full day of standing, your feet and lower back hate you. Slowly but surely, the idea of a blissfully comfortable (albeit, ugly) shoe (that is approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association) starts to sound pretty darn good. 

Goodbye attractive footwear. Hello Dansko. Their slogan reads "Millions of Dansko fans can't be wrong." Next time you are in a hospital, take a look at the footwear worn by the medical professionals. Millions is right.

I am now the proud owner of these beauties... 

Don't get me wrong, it took a long time before I was ready to jump on the Dankso boat. Should one shoe be functional enough to be worn with scrubs, dress pants, skirts AND dresses? (At this point I am only on board for scrubs and pants. Hopefully I will never stoop to the level of wearing them with skirts and dresses, although I can't make any promises). 

Even after the point where I realized they were an inevitable purchase, it was still difficult to take that final leap. Due to an amazing deal on them at Sikes & Kohns Country Mall, my financially responsible husband insisted that I do my emotional grieving quickly for the sake of the budget. Now, my feet long for their presence. Never have I worn a shoe that so wonderfully supports every aspect of the sole of my foot. No more low back pain. No more blisters. They don't even need to be worn in. Even the most trendy of my classmates have caved. Unfortunately for my fashion sense (but fortunately for my feet), I am one of them.

(For some good entertainment and laughs, check out Dankos line of sandals. 

http://www.dansko.com/#CATEGORIES,0,1,3

That's right, sandals. No worries, I will not take it this far.)