Holiday Road Trip....Part 1: Winston-Salem

Sigh. We're back from vacation and back to the grind. Repeat sigh. Nah....it's not that bad. We just miss being back east. It was simply wonderful to visit with friends, play with new babies, and hang out with family. Don't get me wrong...I"m happy here in Texas, I just miss the people back east.


First, I headed to Winston Salem for New Years Eve. Byron had to work on New Years Day so he followed me a few days later. Charlie and Lesa were gracious enough to let me have a "Sleepover" with Jennie. She came to the Wake v. Richmond game with us that night and we stayed up till the wee hours of the morning chatting about live. You know those rare friends that you can just pick up with wherever you left off and never miss a beat? She's one of those:)

New Years Day Lesa, Jennie, Leslie and I hit the shoppes. It was a leisurely ladies day out and we found some great post Christmas deals. I tried to be disciplined and only buy a FEW things- and the fact that I had to bring everything back in an already stuffed suitcase helped me reign in control. Mostly- it was just nice to mill about with the girls and not have to really go anywhere or do anything. I spent that night back at Jennie's place where we watched old episodes of that sing-off show (I can't remember the name of it now), a movie, and ate lots of junk-food.

Meanwhile, Poor Byron was slaving away at the hospital. Gentry was great (and instrumental I might add) in getting Byron out of the hospital on time for his Saturday morning flight to Charlotte. Phew. It was a close one- but after being up all night and flying all day, he finally made it back to Winston. Leslie and I took a little pit-stop on our way to pick him up at the airport (thank you Byron for flying into Charlotte and NOT in Greensboro just this once). That's right...we hit the POLISH POTTERY WAREHOUSE! I know, I know- its a mild obsession. We only allowed ourselves an hour in the store, and thereby accrued only minimal damage.

We picked up a VERY groggy Byron and headed back to the house for an amazing meal (Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, peas, homemade biscuits, and pear pie), a very late Christmas gift exchange, some bunny play/trick time, and a good moive. Byron ducked out as soon as the gifts were opened, but Lesa, Leslie, and I watched 7 lbs which was a real tear jerker.




Sunday we headed to church where many of our friends worship. It was simply WONDERFUL to see everyone. Charlie and Lesa were gracious enough to let us have a little party after church where about 30 of our friends came over for lunch. It took Byron and I FOREVER to get out the front door of the church building because of all the wonderful hugs, well wishes, and greetings from everyone there. Its a true role reversal when you get the call from your parents to: "Get in the car...let's go."



Back at the house we visited with friends for the entire afternoon. I got to hold Nathan again for a few hours! He's changed so much in the last two months and is so much more interactive! I'm so glad Katie has started her blog (wink wink) and I can now follow his happenings. Tyler and Wyatt were also there and they had a great time playing with Ginger. On the other side of a glass door of course. Ashling and Luke are so big now and are the coolest little people I know- I love listening to their table talk. They were somewhat obsessed with Leslie's bunny- and Bunny did a great job of enduring their "love and attention".

Check out the video Byron caught of the kids interacting with Bunny. Note Tyler's outfit and him eating the "Rabbit food". SOOO Cute.







Byron had a chance to go bird hunting for an entire day with Charlie which was a real treat. They shot 20 of the 21 releases and we cooked up a feast that night! Yummo- fresh quail is just something that can't be beat. Its one of those meals that you talk about for the next 10 years. I missed most of it however for a much needed visit with my girlfriends Kiera, Candice and Shanna. Shanna's little one has the best hair of any kid I know! It stands strait up and I LOVE IT. I love his expression in this picture. I can't believe how fast these kids change. It makes me a little sad to miss it all. I'll just have to make more trips I guess. If I must. :)


All in all it was a fabulous trip to Winston.

Our First Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! As you can see from the pictures, Byron got a new cell phone holder. Its highly advanced and frees up his hands to do various other things while talking on the phone. You can open presents, make coffee, vacuum all without skipping a beat talking to your loved ones! Watch out for the patented design coming to stores near you.

Byron was a little delirious the night before Christmas and crafted this "cell phone" holder. We watched movies and drank hot tea and tried to talk ourselves out of opening presents early. It was wonderful. He is on Trauma surgery right now, and some nights they just get swamped. HE says its like a war zone some nights- especially on holiday's. People having off work, going to parties, drinking, fighting etc. does not make a good recipe for a quiet night in the ER. He's been burning the midnight oil...but I've heard nothing but positive things said about his work ethic. That was a really cool thing to hear the nurses, docs, and administrative staff speak so highly of him! I'm so proud!

Anyway- Christmas morning started early (well...earlier for Byron than for me:). I headed to the church to help my friend Julie with a Christmas dinner for some of the needy families in the area. but...the power was out at church! Yikes. So- we rushed around trying to find available kitchens to finish cooking up the meal. God bless Grandma B for opening her kitchen to us on Christmas morning! SHe was a lifesaver. We served dinner to one lady who was so grateful to have somewhere to go for Christmas. She lives alone and doesn't have much family she can count on. It was heartbreaking to hear her story. We also delivered meals to two other families on Christmas day. Julie said they called her the next day thanking her over and over again for her outpouring of love and how much having a good meal meant to them. That made it all the hectic hustle and bustle totally worth while. Next year- we hope to have more families!

Byron even got off work early and was able to join us at the church! After cleaning up- we headed back home to open presents together. Byron got me a MacBook! Whooo hooo! My old computer was about 8 years old and was on its last leg. He said he couldn't stand the constant buzz saw noise coming from my desk anymore. Yipppeeee! Byron got some Aggie scrubs, gift cards to his favorite stores, a marshmallow shooter (which my 4 year old sunday school class thinks is the COOLEST gift ever. They think you can make it rain marshmallows with it.) and a few other ods and ends. And...with his Christmas money...he bought a shotgun he's been wanting for several years now. He was listing off all these other 'practical' things to do with the money- but I pushed him toward getting the gun. He works very very hard for our family and rarely splurges on things for himself (which is more than I can say for myself. Oops), so with a little encouragement- he gave in and bought the thing! He's now looking forward to duck season...if he can ever get away from the hospital.

After presents we headed over to Gentry's house. She's a 4th or 5th year neuro resident (I can't remember) and we cooked up a feast! It was amazing. SHe's and awesome cook and I'm so looking forward to learning more techniques from her. We were all running behind (who isn't on Christmas day?), so I got to help her cook! It was a lot of fun actually. We made Roast duck, apricots with cranberry sauce, several sauces for the duck (Raspberry, chocolate orange), sweet potatoes, cherry risotto, green beans and almonds, apple pie, homemade rolls, chocolate souffle, berry crisps, stuffing balls, fried apples and so much more! It was amazing. A true gourmet feast! We were STUFFED to say the least. I should have taken some pics of the before (when it all looked so pretty), but once again- I didn't remember my camera until we were about to leave. But- you get the idea.





We finished up the Christmas day by watching a movie and heading to bed. It was an excellent first Christmas together. THank you all for our gifts and holiday wishes! And...heres to a great 2010!

I'm going to have to download some pictures from Christmas morning- but another day...another post.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas everyone! Though Christmas time is my favorite time of year (Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year), Im somewhat relieved now that things have slowed down a bit. Don't get me wrong- I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays -but for some reason- it seemed a little more hectic than last year. Like...this year it actually snuck up on me! Maybe it was being out of town so many weekends in Nov. and Dec, or maybe it was being in a new city or maybe it was all the other big life events of the last six months (new job, new marriage, new city etc), but I feel like I blinked...and it was Christmas week!

THe holiday week was filled with GREAT meals (thanks Grandma B), quality hang out time with friends and family, and of course some last minute shopping. Most of my shopping was done online this year since almost everything had to be shipped. Byron took me to see the Lion King on Broadway. It was absolutely AMAZING! if you ever get the chance...you should go. The money is totally worth it! The opening scene is simply stunning. THe music is so loud and all your senses are overwhelmed as the "animals" come out on stage. It almost brought me to tears it was so good! I spend the next 45 minutes trying to figure out how the costumes worked. Johnny and Genevieve went with us too, so it was a great night of entertainment and friends.


Julie, ELliot and I delivered some HOliday harvest boxes to a few local needy families. Our church puts together over 530 boxes of food complete with everything you need for a traditional Christmas dinner: Turkey, green beans, stuffing, mashed potatoes etc. and also wraps up Christmas presents if the family has young children. It was such a privilege to deliver these boxes. the families are so grateful and really count on this help. One little boy waited ALL day by the window waiting for us to drop off this meal. He was so excited when we finally arrived with the goodies he hid behind the couch and wouldn't come out. He was overly shy at that point, but he poked his head out at the very end to say thank you. He made that day totally worth the effort.

Byron's work party was downtown on the riverwalk at Hotel Valencia. Neurosurgery does it right! The balcony overlook was simply beautiful. San ANtonio decorates the riverwalk with thousands of Christmas lights which makes the river walk even more stunning. I really enjoyed getting dressed up, and visiting with the other residents and their spouses. I'll admit- I was a little intimidated at first- this being a formal event and all, but after the music came on, and all the meals were served, talking and chatting came easily. Shannon- the wife of a faculty member, is an avid amateur marathon runner and she and I really hit it off. She is so full of energy- I hope I can keep up with her! She ran the SA marathon in 3 hrs and 45 minutes! yikes! Go Shannon. After a few hours, almost everyone was out on the dance floor movin' and groovin' while some good ol fashioned "Baby Got Back" played in the background.


Here is Byron with most of the other residents and some other co-workers. Two are missing from the picture... but someone's gotta be at the hospital right?!?




Christmas dinner was shared at Grandma B's house along with the Adam's family, and Warren and Melissa. THe Adam's kids donned their most obnoxious Christmas sweaters for the occasion. Grandma served up a wonderful meal, followed by a small Christmas in the family room. She bought Byron and I an oil painting of a beach scene that reminds me of North Carolina. I love it!

Thanksgiving Boswell Reunion

So after a mini reunion with friends...I headed out to the Branch Ranch for some quality family time. Thanksgiving day was an outing at the Ranch complete with a Family Olympics, devotionals, and lots and lots of food. There were so many activities including skeet shooting, a scavenger hunt, fishing tournaments, relay races (both running AND Kayak) and some good old fashioned hanging out. O my how the day flew by. It was a great way to get to know more of the Boswell clan. Its huge! I had such a wonderful time getting to know new members of my extended family.

Thanksgiving dinner was served at Grayln and the meat was excellent. I must learn how to cook a turkey and still keep it nice and juicy inside! the Dinner was peppered with little bits of trivia about the Boswell clan and its histories. One thing that really struck me was the lineage of Church of Christers. Wow! as I spend more time in the "real World" I'm learning more and more what a blessing it is to be part of a family that places such importance on Christ.

Friday was a relaxing day out at the ranch and we walked, talked, and went to see The Blind Side. What a great movie! SO inspiring! If you haven't seen it- I highly recommend it. We finished up Friday with a night of games and hanging out in the kitchen. It was so sad that Byron couldn't make it. Hopefully he'll have some more say in vacations and such as the time goes on in residency. We are really looking forward to that!

the reunion before the reunion

Last week I traveled 1/2 way across the country to the great city of Winston-salem. I can't adequetly describe my excitement upon landing! There is just something different about east coast air. Something refreshing and welcoming. As soon as I landed I started thinking about how much I didn't want to leave in a few days.

Lesa picked me up and we hit up one of our favorite restaurants for lunch. We stalled a little so we could meet up with Dave, Kiera and little Ty before they hit the road. It was so wonderful to see them...even if only for a few minutes. Tyler has grown so much since I last saw him. He's his own little person now with so much personality. He loves his sandbox and company of course. Go figure! Have you met his parents?!?! They are some of my best friends and I really miss just hanging out living life together.

Lesa and I headed back to the Branch ranch for a nice long visit and tour of the latest developments on the Ranch. I wish I took some pictures, but again- I never remember to take it out until after the fact! The farm looks gorgeous and they've put a lot of work into it these last few months.

I later met up with my old Bible study group and all the young girls were back from their first semester of college! They Lisette, Emily, and Kelsey all look and act so grown up- like they've been enlightened with the way of the world or something. College a place where you become your own person. You learn a few lessons (both good and bad), forge new friendships, learn valuable lessons like how to get by on $5/week in food allowance (hollar ramen noodles) and figure out (to a small degree) what it is you want to do in life. I'm so thankful these girls have settled in well with a good group of friends.

I also got to meet Nathan, Katie and Brian's new addition. He is super sweet and looked just like a little glo worn all swaddled in his blankets. I was in heaven just holding him and visiting with friends for hours Tuesday night. I also made Melissa go home and get Dominic so I could hang out with him too. He's about 6 months old now and he is just precious! He was 3 weeks old and tiny tiny tiny when we left. Now- he's got huge blue eyes and long lashes to match that will make any girl swoon. He has such an easy going personality and just sat in my lap and clutched my hair forever. O how I miss those babies!

Jennie and I had a great time being roomates again for 2 days. She bought a house a few months ago and it looks awesome! The decorations and furniture all fit so perfectly to her style and taste and I'm so proud of all she's accomplished! She had to work, but we got to watch some reality TV, hang out on the couch and chat, eat pizza, and just be roomies again for a while. I think I'm going to have to do it again in 5 weeks.

24 hr Puppy fix....

That's right. I got a puppy. For 24 hrs. Olivia, Julia and I went running on Saturday, but our normal park was flooded so we went to another one. It was getting new asphalt. So we decided to run in a nearby neighborhood. After passing a large, but strange looking house, a little black super cute puppy came running out of the woods as we passed. He was soooooo excited to see us. We jerry rigged him a lease from some old vinyl blind cordes and he kept up with us (for the most part) for the rest of the 3 miles. After findinga puppy...who cares about running and keeping a good pace?!?! We tried to find his owners to no avail, but he didn't have a collar and we later discovered fleas so I think it was just destiny that we came by when we did.

So I decided I wanted him. He needed a good home. Julie and I were headed to a movie right after the run so Olivia took him home to babysit him until I could get back into town. She also gave him a flea bath, and fed him. I bought him a little black collar and a leash and Julie lent me a crate.

I arrive at home...totally prepared with crate, puppy food, collar, lease and babysitting for thanksgiving all lined up to improve my chances that Byron will love this puppy as much as me. So I sneak into the bedroom with the puppy and we sit on the bed and slowly wake Byron up. Try to imagine Byron's excitement of waking up to a little puppy face:) Or not. "What is thaaaaaaattttt?" he asked. Me: "The newest member of our family". Byron: "um-hmmm. Where did you get that".

I proceeded to tell him how the stars are aligned for us to adopt this sweet thing. "Um-hmmm" he says again. The puppy curled right up next to Byron and just layed there looking at him with puppy eyes. How could anyone resist you ask? Ask Byron. He's the only person I've ever met that is able to resist the puppy temptation.

We kept "Puppy" for 24hrs and found a home for him with a couple from church. They are great, but have only agreed to watch "Puppy" until we find a permenant home for him. They already have a 90 lb lab who simply dwarfs Puppy. I can't wait to hear the update on how he is doing!

I must say- I was somewhat depressed coming home from church Sunday night. Its amazing how attached I became in just 24 hrs. Puppy was just so excited to see me each time and I couldn't wait to get home to him either. Saturday night I was cooking all evening and Puppy was on the back porch. He would cry a little when I disappeared from sight, but as soon as I came back- he was fine and went back to playing with his toys. It was so sad to come home to no one waiting eagerly for me. But...Byron has promised that I can have as many critters as I want when we move to a house with a yard. I'm holding him to it. So far on the list: Mini goat, mini pig, a lab, and a bunny. We'll see what other creatures I can come up with in the meantime.

Marathon Fever...

Its official...I'm hooked. I'm a total Marathon junkie now. I'm sure I'll change this statement while training for the next one...but right now the euphoria from finishing my first one is still in full effect. This Sunday I ran in the 2nd annual San Antonio Rock and roll 1/2 marathon. 31,000 people were gathered at the start line around 6:30 am on Sunday morning. You could feel the crowd pulse with excitement, and the anticipation of the start gun was exhilarating. I was in the 19th corral (you are grouped according to your expected finish time) so I was WAYYYYY in the back. I couldn't even see the start line- but I could hear the announcers and all the cheering each time a corral started. It took 40 minutes for me to even cross the start line- but the 40 minutes of anticipation made me that much more excited!

About mile 8 though- I was not excited. This is when the mental battle "should I keep running or take a break to walk?" began...and it lasted until the 12th mile. But- I tell you what: it is so encouraging to have so many people on the sidelines cheering perfect strangers on- you just don't want to quit. There wasn't a single place along the whole course without crowds of people cheering. Plus- I knew I was being 'tracked' by friends, family, and co-workers, which also helped keep my mind focused on keeping pace. They set up a new program where supporters could track individual racers via text message. (there is a tag tied to the runner's shoe, and we run over metal detector type things laying in the road ever few miles). Byron was on call- but was able to see how I was doing via phone.

By the last mile- huge masses of people are lining the streets cheering you on for the last mile. I felt a surge of energy to keep running and cross that finish line! The last 10th of a mile was strait UP hill to the Alamo dome (where the Spurs play). Ugh. But- man- when you can see the finish line- somehow- you find the willpower to go all out.

I finished in 2 hrs and 8 minutes which was about 12 minutes faster than I planned! I cooled down a bit and called Byron to tell him I finished, but I couldn't hear him at all. "Are you in the ER or something?" I asked. Byron: "No- I'm at the race...did you finish?!?!" I wanted to cry I was so touched. He was on call the night before with zero sleep anticipating not being able to make it to the race at all. But he came! He got to the finish line about 3 minutes after I crossed. But seriously- it meant the world to me that he came. I know he was exhausted, traffic was terrible (all the roads being closed and all), and the crowds of people were just everywhere, but he came. Do I have a great husband or what?!?! And...he brought me roses. What a guy I tell ya.

We waited for Julie to finish and then walked around a bit to all the booths to cool off and get our free stuff:) Byron went home strait to bed and I joined him later for a much needed nap. My boss was great and allowed me to take Monday morning off to recover so we headed to the ranch for the night. It is so peaceful up there. It was wonderful to have some down time to relax and recover. Byron got up to hunt in the morning...but I slept in. I could hardly move the next day. the stairs are still not my friend. I took a hot bath and made some breakfast and enjoyed reading the paper on the front porch. It was wonderful. I did not want to come back!

So...after running a 1/2....I now want to attempt a full. Maybe. I'm half way there. I was a bit jealous of those that finish the full! What an accomplishment! It takes so much hard work but I want to say that I did it. Just once. I'll keep you posted.