Check out the new blog at…. drumroll please….

http://ourlifefromscratch.com

Real original, I know.  But it’s cool.  We’re throwing off the burden of 9 extra letters and one period.

And we’re going to Europe, so updates will be on that page, not here.  So check it there, not here.  You get the picture.  This place is so last week.

We are a slightly obsessed with our cute-enough-to-barbecue niece.

This weekend Andrew and I drove to Birmingham for our second weekend in a row to hang with all our friends at the Halloween extravganza. Clint and Liz’s porch caved in while 30 people were standing on it, Jon gave us endless entertainment and blackmail material, everyone thought I was pregnant, and Andrew dusted the Well’s house with orange tic-tacs. Oh, and we won 2nd place in the costume contest! I think Andrew enjoyed wearing these short shorts way too much…

Some celebs at the party:

Brittney Spears and Sarah Palin

The White Witch of Narnia and her Polar Bear (1st place costumes!)

Robert Smith

and, of course, Barack:

So, we had a big weekend.  I went to Birmingham for the first time in a few months.  We went to Kate and Gray’s engagement party and hung out a little while with Kelly’s boss Anna.  We ate food at the Gilbreath’s house.  It was a kind of short weekend, but that is good because it meant we headed out to see McKayla.

First off, there are a lot of cute babies.  LOTS.  I met one last week for the first time in Mobile (more to come on Jackson).  But I think one wins.  She’s a total monster and a handful and a half.  I can’t wait for her to be ambulatory so she can destroy everything she sees.  And then she’ll graduate from terrorist to heartbreaker (because she supposedly looks like me and I’m a heartbreaker).

Anyway, she has personality and is pretty funny.  I look forward to her growing up.

For pictures of our weekend, check it HERE.  McKayla has already updated her blog because she’s so advanced.

We got to visit Johnny, Tara, and Jack yesterday and little Jack is adorable. Here are some pictues!

a little black and white…

the whole family…

Yesterday afternoon, our good friends Johnny and Tara became proud parents of a little boy, Jackson Wesley Ross.  Johnny sent out a picture text message of the little guy, but we couldn’t figure out how to get him on here.  So, after we visit them sometime in the next day or so, you will get to see him too.  He has a strong chin, a large brain, and is well-endowed with ten fingers and ten toes.

Can’t wait to meet you, little guy.

In Andrew and Kelly news, I just finished up a month in the surgical ICU, which makes me want to never get shot, stabbed, fall off tall buildings, or get hit by trains.  It was a pretty boring month overall, since we couldn’t really do anything except write down lab values from the computer.

But, I started Renal medicine, which is all about beans.  Kidney beans.  I live by the motto “Don’t neglect the beans” for the next four weeks.  It’s been interesting, and I realized I don’t know much about the kidneys.  Anyway…

Kelly has been working on a couple websites and projects.  We’ve been planning our trip across the ditch pretty diligently and have almost gotten a good working schedule together.

i see uvula!!

And as for the title, one of our good friends is getting a parasite removed from her belly today.  It’s been in there feeding on her for the last nine months, and we’re pretty excited to meet Jack later today/tomorrow.  He is going to be a complete stud, and I’m sure he’ll make an appearance here later for you all to admire.  For now, here is the nearly excavated belly.

Jack just kind of set up shop like he owned the place.

And in other news, we made some delicious food the other day with some friends.  And by “we made” I mean we watched and I helped throw the skinny little buggers in boiling water.  Our friends Lori and Jason prepared a huge shrimp boil, and we added some delicious blue crab.  Jason didn’t have the heart to throw the buggers in the boiling water, so I had to do the honors.

crabs are very slow when you put a bag of ice on them for a while. not too feisty here.

One tried to run out of the pot.

crab gets testy when put into hot water. tries to run. doesn't get far.

It was kind of sad, but more delicious than sad.  Much more delicious than sad.

holy deliciousness. this is the boil without the meat.

Anyway, we hope to get that recipe on here soon, because it was fine eating.  This weekend we are going to Birmingham for Kate and Gray’s engagement party, then to the beach to visit my sister, brother-in-law, and neice.  We’re going to have tons of crock pot pictures by the end of the week!!!

Soon Andrew will be traveling far and wide to interview for Emergency Medicine Residency spots. A couple weeks ago we purchased lots of $$ worth of suits at the Banana Republic outlet. Our friend Lori is an expert on men’s suits so she helped us pair up suits/ties/shirts/shoes/belts, etc. WAY out of our league!!

Anyway, who knew that there was a proper etiquette to how you handle the buttons on your suit? Gentlemen, pay attention, now you can be educated (or laugh at us for not knowing the difference)

How to not look like a dork in a suit:

Remember this:  SOMETIMES, ALWAYS, NEVER.  It’s the order of the buttons

ALWAYS button the middle button:

Sometimes button the top (especially when sitting):

and NEVER button the bottom:

and absolutely NEVER unbutton them all…

And for all the robbers out there, we have a guardcat, and she’s vicious.  So back off our meager apartment.

So, for those of you who feel like we’ve dropped off the face of the planet, we’re actually planning our reappearance on the other side of the great ditch.  We’re extremely stoked, and this is going to be the vacation to end all vacations, besides the one to Costa Rica, which was pretty dank.  I have a vacation month (it happens in med school, who knew?), and we decided to make it the best we could, because there won’t be much vacation time for the next 8 years.  So we’re taking 3 weeks in Great Britain and a few days in Paris.

We have been gleaning bits and pieces of information about the UK from our various traveling companion friends.  We think we’ve put together the ultimate 3 weeks during the slow season.  But if you have any ideas, please let us know.  We’re down for more input.

So, we are leaving on a certain given day, which won’t be given here because of thieves, vandals, and catburlars.  We are going to Bath first, which is a old city where people used to hang out naked in big Roman baths fed by hot springs.  We’re going to do the same with plenty of clothes on because it will be cold, otherwise I would be at home.

After spending an evening and a day bathing after our long trip across the ditch, we are heading down to Glastonbury, which is home to the King Arthur legends.  His body was once buried there, and the Holy Grail is supposed to be at the bottom of some well.  There’s a big tower on top of a hill, and an old castle.  I’m looking forward to it, and trying to convince Kelly is will be supercool.

From Glastonbury, it’s off to London.  I don’t know what we’re doing there, because my London tourguide Kelly is in charge of those plans.  But I do know it will involve plays, shopping, and a place where they used to cut off heads.  That’s cool.  We’re doing day trips to Windsor Castle, Oxford, and somewhere else I think.  London will be cool.  In Oxford, we’re going to drink beer at the little restaurant where my boys Chesterton, Lewis, Williams, and Tolkien used to chill, smoke pipes, and talk.  Sweet action.

Then it’s off to Edinburgh.  This is going to be AWESOME.  I’m in charge of the Scotland leg.  There will be many pubs, cold beers, warm beers, and people talking in funny accents.  We’re going to the castle, walking the Royal Mile, going to the national museum, and walking up this big hill that should be cool.  We’re staying a few feet off the Royal Mile, so we are looking forward to getting the full rowdy experience.

Then it’s off to Glasgow for some more modern takes on Scotland.  It’s a big architectural hub, with a couple modern art museums and a big walk through the city to visit tea and coffee houses.  Supposedly a good look at where Scotland is going as a country.

Then off to the Highlands.  We’re staying in a castle in Nairn, outside Inverness.  Getting a rental car and driving to Loch Ness and the castle over there.  Getting a few pictures of the dragon.  Then driving down through the countryside to Edinburgh to fly out to Dublin.

Well, my hands are getting tired of typing, and now it’s up to Kelly to explain the rest of the trip.  She’s been outlining what we do in Ireland and Paris, and I’ve been booking planes, trains, automobiles, and hotels.  We’re tagteaming the heck out of this trip.

So she will post soon about the rest.  I hope all is well.  Sorry we have been quiet lately, but we have lots of good pictures to post, so that should liven things up.

peace

house

Just wanted to share this picture with you! We have the cutest neice ever…

I stole it from her blog. Click here to see more.