1 year and counting

Byron surprised me with these anniversary flowers:) Aren't they beautiful!?!

Byron and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary a week ago! I keep teasing Byron saying " the real anniversary is actually 1 year of Residency". It's by FAR the harder of the two things. Not to say we haven't learned a few lessons about living together this year- but compared to residency- marriage has been a delight!

In the last year we've:

* Driven across the country dragging a trailer behind us
* Celebrated our first Christmas together
* endured a few family losses together (:()
* Given each other 100's of pep talks to "Stick it out". Oh wait- that's mainly me...not a "We" item
* Started house hunting
*Took a financial planning course at church
*Found an amazing church family
* adopted our first pet:)
* attended an Aggie Game
and much much more.


I'm so thankful for Byron. He is an amazing man. He is the most honest, hardworking man I know, and he inspires me to be better. He is my best friend and I'm excited to see what life has in store for us!

Byron was post call on our anniversary and needed some peace and quiet to catch some zzzz's. I went to my friend Wenrui's house (she's the new PhD student in our lab) to learn to make chinese dumplings. I took her to the store to buy all our ingredients (mentally- this was a must for me. I've been surprised too many times by the contents of dumplings:)

Like most things worth eating- they take a long time to make, but are delicious afterwards! Byron however voted for Cheeseburgers for our anniversary dinner instead of my precious dumplings.









Yesterday- Byron was on call (are you getting the theme here?) for my birthday but the night before he set up my present. He bought a new blue ray streaming device that can stream netflix stuff strait onto the tv from the internet. I'm not sure how it works- or how he set it up- but I"m sure glad I have such a handy- electronically savvy man around! Something about wire splitters, what?

Anyway- I've been begging for better cable ever since we moved here. But- we've been trying to save all our extra pennies for a new house. Seriously- we have the 8 dollar cable with 10 channels. 7 of which are in spanish. Yuck. But with NETFLIX...I can watch shows, movies etc etc at the press of a button. It'll come in handy on those long nights when Byron is Q2 call for weeks in a row.

Honestly - his schedule doesn't bother me in the spring or summer because I have lots of stuff going on in the evenings (softball, volleyball, church, etc etc). But in the winter....I get bored at night. Nothing is going on and it gets dark early. I read a lot- but even that gets a little hum drum after a few hours. I'm looking forward to catching up on some LOST and other choice selections! Thanks for my present B! I have a feeling you're gonna enjoy it's benefits as much as me!

NCAA Division Three World Series

This weekend I attended my little brother's baseball tournament. It's the last hurrah for the Yocum family's baseball streak. I don't know what Dad is going to do with himself next year!?! Baseball/softball/t-ball/ coach pitch you name it... flowed through the Yocum family veins for the last 20 years. It's the end of an era. Sigh.

Anyway- Jake's team (Shennandoah University Hornets) won the regional tournament last weekend and we quickly found out they'd be traveling to Appleton for the 2nd consecutive year to the World Series. Now...last year- Jake graciously (uh hem) missed out on his first game to attend his big sister's wedding. But- I figured...since this is his senior year and he missed such a big event for me...I owed it to him to show up. Dad and I flew into Greenbay, WI for the tournament and had a blast hanging out and shootin' the breeze until the games all started.

The first night- they lost to Illinois Weslyn 7-5 and the 2nd day they lost to John's Hopkin's. Jake pitched the second game for the first 5 innings and didn't give up a single run! He did an amazing job pitching and I'll admit I was beaming with pride for my little bro! It's been a LONG time since I've seen him play baseball- and I'll admit- it's much more interesting to watch now than it used to be! He's so tall (I'm not really sure where that comes from ...we're all chinese), but he's a great athlete. It was a serious bummer they lost the 2nd game. But- I'm glad he played his absolute best, and went out with a bang!


Dad took me to a steak dinner for my birthday and we grilled our own steaks over an open fire and visited the whole time. We had a great time together watching Jake play and catching up. I don't get to see my family that often- but I love the little snipits of family time when I get the chance.

Our hotel was amazing as well- you can sort of see the pool in this photo. Seriously awesome water slide. Everything is indoor since I'm sure it's miserable here in the winter. Our weekend was perfect weather however- and a welcome change from the San Antonio Heat.

Our new piglet....

Guinea piglet that is.

He is super cute and is only 4 weeks old. After returning from vacation my desire for a new pet could not be ignored any longer. Byron has this thing about animals living indoors with us, so no dogs or cats for us for a while. I routinely feed the stray kitty outside (and continue to do so), but I wanted something more! Monday - I looked on craigslist and sure enough someone was selling guinea piglets:)

He is a little afraid of us right now- but he'll grow accustomed eventually (once he learns that we are the ones who feed him!). I bought him a cage as well (off of craigslist! gotta love it!), and he seems to like like the larger space. He loves spinach and grass. He'll sometimes plop down in his water bowl and just sit there like he's taking a bath.

Anyway- after one year of marriage....we have moved up to the guinea pig stage of life. Next up.....kids. Just kidding. Maybe a dog first?

Vacation Vacation

Last week Byron and I headed back east for a whole week! It makes my heart happy to see all our friends and family and catch up on life. Byron was on call Friday before we left- so he came home- and jumped in Becky's car headed for the airport. He was so excited to get on that plane- but the eventually the weariness took over. He was a pittiful sight to see navigating through the Atlanta airport.

On a side note: Becky is one of my good friends here- that I see 2-3 times a week. We go to movies, play softball together, have bible study and she lives pretty close to us. Anyway- driving us to the airport- was the first time she had met Byron....ever! Now isn't that just sad!?!? It took almost a year for them to meet!

Anyway- we arrived in WS and headed strait to the house for some quick dinner and catching up before heading to bed. Poor Byron could barely keep his eyes open. He slept till 11:30 the next day!

Sunday evening we had a party out at the Branch Ranch with all our friends from Southfork. It was wonderful to see everyone and catch up on what's been happening back east. Nathan is so big now and he was precious playing with Leslie's bunny! I love to hear him laugh outloud! Ashling was pretty darn cute too. She kept relaying the plotline of My Little Pony to Byron while fishing by the lake. Needless to say- Byron wasn't too interested- but I thought it was sweet. Wyatt was out in full force and Luke couldn't be torn away from his fishing post. The weather was absolutely perfect and I'm glad most of our friends could make it. Kiera missed out due to a sick little boy- o the things mother's do:)

Jennie spent the night with us on Monday night and took the whole day off on Tuesday to hang out. We stayed up till 2 am talking and catching up and slept in late the next day! We had lunch at downtown Thai- one of our old favorites, and then headed back to her place for some R & R. It was like dejavu of one year ago as roomates. We curled up on the couch and watched some good old fashioned Reality TV! Then Dave and Kiera picked me up for dinner at Kimono and Byron eventually made an appearance. He's in the phase now-where he is perpetually late for EVERYTHING. I mean- everything. It doens't matter so much on vacation- but this is something we'll have to work on:)


Candance and Bradshaw met us for dinner as well and we laughed and laughed...until we were almost kicked out. Well- not really- we were just being loud. We then headed to Brian and Katie's while Byron and Brian began round 1 of Halo while Katie and I visited and played with Nathan. I love this pic of Tyler doing the "I Love you " sign which is actually the "Ok" sign. So cute!



My parents came in from MD on Wed and my dad headed strait for the lake. Which couldn't have come at a better time since Emily, Leslie and I were rounding the corner of the field from our suicide run Emily was leading. That girl can go for hours! I was relieved to have an excuse to stop! Dad to save the day! All the pics of the boys fishing are on Byron's phone so I'll have to post those later. I always regret not taking more pictures on vacation.

Thursday we went to BLUE ROSE POTTERY and spent a few hours in that warehouse. I Love that store. It's like a timewarp. I never thought I'd be so excited about dishes- but you'd have to go there to understand:) The shipment should arrive anytime and I'll be sure to post some pics. (I'm sure you're soooo interested right?!?!)

Friday and Saturday were relaxing days and I was even able to attend Kiera's baby shower! I can't wait to meet their 2nd baby boy on the next visit back home. Candance and I caught up on many things while watching Kiera open gifts. I also had a chance to catch up with Dr. Kuhn over some good ol fashioned NC BBQ (non of that Texas crap!). The company's research is being taken in a new direction that will hopefully end up in it being sold! Horray! I'll keep you posted on how that turns out.

We headed back on Sunday and hung out with our Texas family. All in all- it was a great vacation! We can't wait to do it again!


Also- we put an offer in on a house- but the owners don't seem to motivated to sell. So...onward we go with the house-hunt. It was exciting to place an offer though. I couldn't sleep that whole night thinking about all the things I was going to do to fix up that house. I'm gonna have to break that habit if we end up looking at more than one house! I'll keep you all posted on that front.

Easter festivities

This post was intended for a few weeks ago- but better late than never. I'm so bad about getting my pics uploaded!


As most of you know by now...weekend days off are a rare treat for our family. Byron actually had easter Sunday off this year! I've been working weekends too in efforts to build up some time in case I need to take weekdays off for house hunting stuff. I bought tickets for the new movie Clash of the Titans online. Byron has been dying to see it- and I knew it would be sold out. So- I pre-emted the attack and tried to be prepared since date nights are vritually non-existent anyway.

We headed to the theatre and were actually on time for once in our lives. But- the theatre was PACKED. I mean- Line wrapping around the theatre packed. Byron in his infinite wisdom suggested we ask for our money back- or tickets to the next show. He spent a few minutes waring down the teenage boy at the counter and finally got us some tickets for the 3-D version- WITH a full refund of our old tickets. Go Byron. I would have let the negotiation fall after about 2 minutes of him saying no.

To add icing to the cake- we spent Easter sunday together with family as well. Grandma Branch cooked a big meal and invited the family over. Byron and I hid easter eggs stuffed with money in the back yard for hte Adam's kids (Who are not so little by the way). This was not a "Play Nice" easter egg hunt. Full out sprints. body checks, knocking of baskets and plundering the spoils are all fair game for this crowd. Biscuit- the ever rambunctious yellow lab- also gets to play! Bo - found a few treats in the tree for his easter treat! (It's amazing- that dog can actually climb trees!)




We finished up the easter evening having burgers with our friends, sharing stories, and trying to entertain little Ava. All in all- a great weekend.

Bluebonnets and wedding bells

This weekend was absolutely beautiful! The bluebonnets (Texas state flower) are in full bloom outside our apartment. I see at least three cars stopped everyday with kids in easter outfits and parents with the camera and tripod in tow stopping to pose for pictures in front of them. Some kids are happy (mostly the little girls in their floofy dresses), and some are not. But - cute all the same. O the memories of the TORTURE of family photos.

This weekend was also the wedding of Chris Sobey and Jenna Helmer. The ceremony and reception were held at the Southwest School of the Arts downtown. It's a beautiful historic chapel in the downtown area with a gorgeous garden in the back. it was particularly amusing with the liberachi band went by right as Jenna was saying her vows. "Welcome to SA" she said!

I went to college with Chris (aka...Sobey). He and Jenna met in medical school here in SA and have both moved to Nashville to start their residencies in Anesthesiology. Jenna is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet and she was simply breathtaking on her wedding day.

The best part- was being together again with friends from forever ago! As I was walking in- the shuttle from the hotel unloaded and I several people call out "Yocum?!?!" all at once. I haven't been called that in so long! Everyone in college referred to each other by our last names for whatever reason.

The only time we ever really hang out is at weddings. So much has changed since we wasted time doing nothing 5 years ago. Life was a breeze then. Now we all have real jobs and most of us have gone back to school for some reason or another. But- when you get us all together again...it's back to the same old same old. I can't believe it's been 5 years! Yikes!

The dancing was so much fun- and it honestly felt like we were in the basement of Brookwood all over again. I love me some dancing. Byron's not much of a dancer and I'm definitely a white girl out there-but I love it! Please note Sobeys' air guitar move. Classic Sobey. Everyone looks great, and it made my heart happy to hear about the successes everyone has enjoyed in the last five years. Unfortunately- my camera phone doesn't take great pictures in the dark- but you can sort of see the Sig Ep tradition of singing to the bride.

I wish Byron could have come. He was on call- yet again. All my college friends tease me that I'm hiding him away bc a. I'm ashamed of them or b. I am afraid of the stories they might reveal. Only two of my college friends have met him. He's always at the hospital whenever anyone comes to town, or stuck on a plane somewhere. Some day people- someday! He's great- and you're love him!







Monday- I took off work to get on the phone with various lenders and educate myself about this whole home-buying process. I learned a lot. Armed with new information-I dragged Byron out of bed that evening to meet with the realtor and look at a few new houses. We looked at one I liked (From the weekend before). I was SURE BYron would like this one. I was wrong. He has an eye for repairs- and apparently- this one would need a lot. I just noticed the "Bones" of the place and liked the layout. But- with his job demands- we just can't delve into a true fixer upper. And we all know I'm not doing any heavy construction. Pshh.

ONto a house- we knew was out of our price range- but the realtor wanted to show us- to demonstrate what could be done with a house. Last- we went to a house- Byron Vetoed at first- but who are we kidding- I book the appointments. just kidding. One of our friends encouraged us to just take a look as it was a reasonable price in a FANTASTIC neighborhood. He was right. We both LOVED it. It's great. It's still a little on the higher end of our price range- and it's currently under contract pending the sale of the buyers other house. But- as our realtor says "If it's meant to be...It's meant to be". The house had only one owner and it was so well cared for. It's a great size and has excellent features- like a fireplace, big backyard, greenhouse (Not that I'm planning on doing all that much gardening), and it's in a safe neighborhood (a major point of interest for me).

We both we excited after leaving this house and had to calm ourselves down in order to prevent a rash decision. But- it gave me that much more energy to find a good lender quickly. I don't like doing this kind of research, but if I have a goal in mind - it makes the job easier.

I can't believe a whole month has gone by with nothing really to report. I'm actually ok with that. It's nice to have a routine again. It's spring here- finally- and we're getting some great weather. I keep telling myself to enjoy it while it lasts, and encouraging all our friends to come visit now. While they still can. Before misery becomes the status quo. I'm hoping we paid our dues last summer with the heat and all- but I'm not holding my breath.

Byron has been working a lot. He's gotten to be skin and bones! I try to feed him extra brownies and desserts when I can. Gotta make sure he gets his nutrients:) We've seen a few movies together- and hit the arcade with Dan and Kate. We're trying to decide where to go and what to do for vacation in a month. Suggestions and free lodging is welcome. Do we stay in TX and explore a new area or do we fly east for some family time?

We have started the process of hunting for a house- since our lease runs out in June. We found a realtor we like- but this house hunting stuff makes my head spin. There are so many decisions to make and ducks to align in a row. Sigh. It makes me want to just lie down and take a nap. I do get excited at times- but then I realize how much "stuff" needs to be done. I'm sure it's much worse for Byron. The last thing he wants to do when he gets home at night is drive around looking at houses. But so far- he's been a good sport. My strategy is to give him a brownie and a cup of coffee on the way out the door. That usually buys me at least an hour.

I also adopted a stray kitty. Well- sort of. I feed him every day. He's waiting for me every morning before work and he's sleeping on our doormat when I get home. he's sweet. he's sort of scruffy and always has stuff stuck in his fur or eye booggers on his face- but I like that he likes me. This is extra motivation to move into a house with a yard. I got to play with some piglets the other day and it made my desire for a little piggy of my own undeniable. So- one of my only "specs" for the house- is a fenced in backyard.

Other things that have just started up:

1. Softball with our sunday school class. We play downtown (YIKES) every tuesday night. Last nigh we had 25 people show up to play- which was a little difficult trying to get everyone in. Subs are necessary, but - hopefully- we won't all show up at once!

2. I was a judge at the local science fair with some co-workers. I judged the middle school girls botany. The kids were really cute. I really enjoy doing stuff like that- getting out in the community- and doing science stuff.

3. Volleyball with the Medical school: So- at the science fair- I met a few people who also work at the Health Science Center and they asked me to play on their team. We play every Thursday night on the sandcourts right outside my office! I'm excited for this. I see these teams playing all the time while I'm running on the track and I'm always tempted to ask if they need an extra.

4. Financial Peace University: Byron and I started taking a class offered at church called FPU. I'm mildly obsessed with Dave Ramsey and his talk radio show. I'm inspired to get out and stay out of debt. Hearing stories from regular people- climbing out of a mountain of debt, makes me believe we can do it too! FPU gives great advice, strategy, and TANGIBLE goals that keep the ball rolling. Gazelle forward as Dave would say. It's tough- and there are parts of the class I do NOT enjoy - but they are good training principles. After beginning the class- we have determined that I am indeed the "free spirit" in our family, while Byron is the "nerd". Yes- I know how to make a budget. I do not however, care to keep all my paper receipts on file for 7 years. I'm soooo not that into detail. I do not put my budget into excel each month,or color code my line items. Byron on the other hand is VERY organized and has everything played out to a T. But alas, I must learn to be more organized and pay better attention to detail. I do it everyday at work- why not in my budget?