Birthday bash

Matt doesn't get very excited about his birthday. He doesn't even really eat cake. (I know what you're thinking- what kind of freak did I marry??? Who doesn't eat cake?!) But he always tries so hard to make my birthday special. A couple of years ago, he threw me a surprise party. One year he drove the thirty minutes from his house to mine at midnight to give me my presents.

This year, he decided to have a party at our house. It was one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time! A ton of our friends came over, and we ate and drank until I could hardly breathe. Matt and our friend Nolan manned the grill all night. They cooked deer meat, duck, sausage, and hamburgers. Nolan is a carnivore. Matt thinks duck is borderline exotic, considering I pretty much cook chicken 6 nights a week. They marinated mushrooms, stuffed them with cream cheese and jalapenos, wrapped them in bacon, and put them on the grill--their signature appetizer. Matt got me an ice cream cake and ice cream cookies from Coldstone. Not to mention all the chips and dip and I consumed. And Lyssa made amaretto freezes. I might have gained 10 pounds in 6 hours.

Most of the afternoon and night was spent around the fire outside, but a dance party did take place to a Jay-Z Pandora station at one point.

Hayes "Dryer Sheet" Baker. Keepin' those skeeters away.

Real housewives of Madison County. 

This happened totally against my will. 

Med school crew.

Twins. And the only LSU fan we tolerate on a regular basis :)

It was such a fun night with all of my favorite people! Thanks to my favorite husband for always making sure March 31 is a wonderful day. 25 was my favorite year so far- Matt and I got engaged, had a summer full of parties and showers, we got married, Alabama won the National Championship (and we got to go!), and I matched into residency. I can't wait to see what my 26th year brings!

Happy birthday, Oscar Bob!

The Bobster's birthday was last month. He's three years old!! I can hardly believe it. It just seems like yesterday that Matt showed up at my house with a 1.2-pound ball of black fuzz that I didn't want to love, but I did. I told him not to bring the little guy. I was a first-year medical student. I had no time to train a puppy, and besides that, boy dogs pee on everything. That's annoying. Per usual, Matt didn't listen. There he was in my driveway with a dog the size of a hamster. It was love at first sight. He's such a smart, funny little guy. I'm glad I kept him.

For the record, he doesn't pee on everything.

For his birthday, we had Gigi's cupcakes. I mean, let's be honest. I'm all about any excuse to eat a good cupcake. I gave about 1/3 of a Wedding Cake (vanilla with buttercream icing and edible pearls) to Oscar Bob and another 1/3 of it to Grayce. They flipped out. They never, ever, ever get table food. Ever. When I threw away the cupcake liners, Grayce stood in front of the trash cabinet and whined for almost an hour. Matt and I split a Midnight Chocolate Chip one and a Raspberry Limeade one. They were delicious!

Please pretend not to notice the junk on my table. Thanks.

Post-cupcake food coma.

I would say something along the lines of "Hallelujah! Tomorrow's Friday!" but Friday doesn't mean much to me these days. But I hope YOU have a fabulous weekend. 18 more days, and I never have to see the inside of a VA hospital again. Amen.

Easter... or not.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this post won't be including lovely, colorful pictures of Easter baskets and the Sunday lunch spread. Unfortunately, the only semblance of an Easter celebration I had took place in my heart. No Easter eggs, no family dinner, no church. Just some quality time at the VA. This was the first Easter Sunday in my life that I didn't go to church. It felt odd. Things like that are probably the biggest downside to being a physician. Sick folks don't suddenly get well just because it's a holiday.

I spent the first half of my very early Sunday morning being irritated that I had to work on such an important day. Then, as we rounded on our patients, I realized that I wasn't the only one stuck in that hospital. Several of our patients were lying alone in their hospital rooms. It made me sad. So count your blessings, people. It could always be worse. How lucky am I to serve a risen Savior who is just as present in the VA hospital as he is inside a sanctuary!

Laura, the other M4 providing quality healthcare to our nation's finest veterans this month, made us a little Easter treat. Cinnabunnies. Haha. It was delicious, and I ate it for lunch.

I did get home in time for the last 3 hours of the Masters. I was really worried that I would miss that. What a relief. 

Hope you had a happy Easter! 

"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." Matthew 28: 5-7