It must be nice in Vermont this time of year, all that snow!

So I had a bit of a lag on blogging this month, as we have dedicated most of our time to working on the house.   It was just soooooo dirty!  My mom and sister came out for several days to work with me, and my mom did some major cleaning.  While one expects that an old house has some dirty corners and cubbies, we found reletively new doors, blinds, and appliances that were filthy!  I just don't understand.  My mom had to clean the inside of the washing machine and nice dishwasher!  My sister and I tackled some big projects, like ripping up all the ugly, brown, dog-polluted carpet and the pink carpet from the dining room.  Again, we were suprised by the age of the carpet, as the back was stamped 2005, but it had the appearance of 10 years wear.  We installed shelves and organized, too.  The most frustrating job was taking off the wallpaper in the future office.  It was thick and textured, so we had to pull off multiple layers, and the glue was so tough it needed several scrapings and scrubbings.  The biggest hinderance was the odd order that someone had put together the room; the wallpaper was hung before the window frames, baseboards, and heating boards.  This means the paper continues behind all these peices!  We did buy a spilt box-spring and sold our old one, so we finally have our bed put together!  We are getting carpet today, so hopefully we can finally place our furniture on the right places.
My mom was in town for her birthday, so we drove to Stowe to see the Von Trapp Family Lodge.  We took a tour with Maria and the Captain's youngest grand-daughter (also named Maria).  Her father runs the Inn, and none of them sing, but they celebrate their family storey.  Michelle and I enjoyed comparing our Austria tour of movie sites to the true story of the Von Trapps.  It is a beautiful spot, and we can see why it reminded the family of Salzburg.  The Inn was also responsible for bring cross country skiing to the US, and the sport remains the focus of the resort.  My sister found her Christmas present, a singing goat, and we stopped at the Ben & Jerry's Factory on the way home for dessert
We have only been able to watch a few Christmas movies this advent.  Brian and I used movie passes that I won on the radio to see Disney's A Christmas Carol.  It was pretty frightening, so do not bring children!  It was pretty good, but we are so used the the Muppet's version that is it hard to watch any other.
We had really warm weather at the end of November, including 68 and wet when my mom and sister arrived.  When it changed to snow, we watched White Christmas.  It was just like we were living out the movie, celebrating the first big snow of the season in Vermont! 
We have participated in several small-town Christmas celebrations.  Brian, Michelle, and my mom enjoyed free food and drink in Norwich at the little shops having sales (my mom really enjoyed King Arthur Flour).  Hanover had horse-drawn carriages, Santa, a model railroad exhibit, accapella groups and more.  Brian and I braved the snow with a friend to join in a Messiah sing in Woodstock, where half of the people sing part 1, then everyone sings the well-known Hallelujah chorus.  We had not decorated our house, as we have been busy working on it and awaiting the carpet.  We also realized that our low ceilings prohibit our using our fake tree!  Hopefully, we will get some festive decor up before our little holiday party and Christmas travels.

We're in!!!

It has been a very busy week for Brian and myself.  I have been working on the house, when not at work, and Brian has been busy reading applications for the Dartmouth class of 1014.  I have ripped up carpet in the hallway and part of the dining room, which is a lot of work!  I am hoping to try removing the staples used to hold carpet padding in place with an ice scraper, as pliers take a long time!  It does pay off, as we found maple flooring that can be revived.  We have a lot more carpet to remove, as we are going to replace the worn brown carpet in the family room, hall, and landing with a lighter color.  We had a few friends over to help us paint and have completely changed the tone of the bathroom and freshened up our bedroom.  I even fixed the cracking wall in the bedroom with joint compound (which I now know is different from Spackle,which is used to fix nail holes.)  I washed the walls in preparation to paint and it was gross, partly because there is dog hair everywhere.  I doubt most people wash their walls as often as they should.  I spent hours cleaning the old fridge and stove-top; the kitchen was pretty filthy.  We have slowly been moving our stuff into the basement, as I want to clean everything before we organize.
We have had little time for entertainment this week, but we did make it to a showing of an old dark comedy, The Loved One, centered around the funeral and burial business.  It was funny, but very odd and long.  It was worth watching, but not one to recommend.
The flu visits seem to be slowing down the last few days (though it may peak again) and I am still working 3 days a week.  The weather has been great, but Brian keeps thinking about the winter and ways to avoid cabin fever.  Perhaps we will make a get-away in early spring.  We are looking forward to decorating the house for Christmas and preparing for the holidays.  We are also excited for a visit from my mom and sister, who plan to help us get the house in order and suitable for us.

House pictures. . . before

Here are some pictures of the house before we have redecorated and moved our possessions into it.  Sorry if it is dark, there are not many lights and the sunlight was drowned by Hurricane Ike.  Kitchen, Dining, Office, Landing, Bathroom, Bedroom 2 (den).

Land Barons

We have a house!  Sorry for the delay in writing lately; part of the reason is the decisions and packing related to the move.  We closed on Friday the 13th, after our walk-through.  I was not sure what Brian's reaction would be to seeing the house, as he had not been there since before we put in the offer, 2 months ago.  Of course, it was different without furniture.  It seems pretty empty and uninviting without furniture or our tastes reflected in the decor (the lack of light fixtures doesn't help).  The only hang-up with closing was a typo.  After signing most of the paperwork, Brian noticed that only a few documents had the address correct, most listed the location as a street not avenue.  So, it made for a longer morning with more signing, but nothing to worry us!  Oh, and the soil came back cleared by the EPA, so we should not have to worry about oil.  We have a lot a packing to do, but have chosen a few paint colors and are trying to figure out the flooring priorities.  We do not like the dark brown carpet in the family room, halls, and stairs, nor the fact that each bedroom has very different carpet.  The dining room floor needs help, too!  We need carpet advice.  I am also not sure how much of the trim I should paint.  Most of the trim is new, very plain medium wood.  Can I paint it in some rooms and not others?  Does painting it decrease the home's value if the wood is not original?  We hope to get some projects done while we move things into the basement this week, then move everything before Thanksgiving.  It is a bit overwhelming
Brian has been watching a lot of football lately.  TCU has been winning games by large margins and was highlighted on ESPN today.  The team may be invitied to play a college bowl game this year.  Brian organized a tailgate for last week's Dartmouth vs Cornell game, and was surrounded by Cornell fans.  Apparently Dartmouth fans do not tailgate (they also have not performed well the last two years).  The game was not very competitive, but it was interesting to see a Freshman in his first game go from a nobody to the star.  He led the team to win for the first time in double overtime.  Both of us have enjoyed watching Mad Men.  Although many are talking about the season 3 finale, we do not want to hear about it, as we are only half-way through season 2.
I have been working quite a bit, and it is busy!  We have been seeing flu, likely H1N1, in our clinic, sometimes leading to pneumonia.  I have been a bit sick for a month, and was much worse at the beginning of the week until I was treated for walking pneumonia myself.  I have been giving sooo many flu vaccines, which is complex this year with different types, different strains, and different ages of patients.  I will be working less in December, when I can work on the house.  Brian has begun reading applicants for next year's Dartmouth students, and he must finish "early decision"  applications this month.  We did find time for a trivia night and a lovely reception at the Dartmouth library.

Get outta town!

We have a tentative closing date!  It had been hard to get the paperwork done when Brian was gone.  Now, we need to get homeowner's insurance and pay for next year BEFORE they will set a closing date.  This is odd, as we have to have an insurance coverage start date and we won't know that until there is a closing date!  I guess we will see what we can do.  Apparently, we have to wait a week to set the date after all our insurance stuff and paperwork is complete.  We also have no more information on the oil in the soil (that sounds like the name of a good album).  We hope to close on Friday the 13th.
It has been a big week, with Brian returning on Tuesday night.  He was supposed to be home the night before, after 16 days on the road, but the bad weather in Houston delayed his flight to Dallas for several hours, so he returned to the comfort of his parents' house.  If he had taken the flight late, he would not have made the flight and bus connections to make it home.  He thought things were going smoothly the next day, as he flew from Houston to Dallas on time, but then had no plane to go to Boston!  He arrived in Boston 1.5 hours late, and by some miracle, he from the plane to his luggage and on the bus to NH in 10 minutes!
While Brian dominates college fairs, I had my turn this week.  I went to Saint Anslem in Manchester to represent Maggie's Place at a fair to recruit long-term volunteers.  The campus minister who set it up looked familiar and was talking up Maggie's Place to the students.  She had been there on a Spring Break trip from her college in Boston.  It happened to be the year I was there and I hosted her groups!  How strange.
I enjoyed a break from the unseasonable weather and busy work schedule to go to join my sister in Florida.  It was great - 7 hours at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios to do our favorite rides and the food and wine festival (yummm), followed by 2 days on the beach at Disney's Vero Island resort.  Michelle and I learned archery (with sad equipment) had s'mores on the beach, and got just a bit sunburned.  The Atlantic coast had high rip tides and ocean storms, causing dangerous swells that made for exciting play.  The storms brought up a lot of shells, which hurt our feet!  Luckily the weather has been better this week, making my transition easier.
I finally finished reading the Bourne Identity, which is WAY different from the movie.  I do recommend the book, but be forewarned that it is loosely connected to the movie.   It has been a slow time for entertainment news, so let us know if you have any recommendations.
We had a nice dinner to celebrate Brian's return and ran into the father of a family for whom I nannied.  They are buying a house we liked, only 2 blocks from our new house!  It will be nice to know some of our neighbors.  Halloween was spooky with warm weather and leaves blowing in strong winds.  We attended a low-key party, without any crazy costumes.  I have started seeing H1N1 in my patients and giving the vaccine.  This is early for the flu, so I am not sure what will happen when it peaks.

Waiting

The house continues to move slowly. As Brian is worried about the age of the furnace (and it wasn't serviced last year), we asked for it to be maintenanced. The sellers removed an old, empty oil tank from the ground. The soil had low levels of contamination, one sample above the Vermont acceptable level. So, now the state will take samples and determine if a clean-up is needed. So, we wait. I continue to look at decorations and paint.
I think we missed fall! The weather has been in the 40's and we already had snow.
Brian has been off traveling the world, but it was a rocky start. He had a greyhound ticket for a 4 am shuttle to the Boston airport, so I brought him to the bus stop and we waited in the rain. We checked in online and continued to wait for an hour. We called the station closest to us on the route and found no one knew when the bus would meet us! We were getting closer to his flight to Costa Rica, so we drove to Boston. I was in my pajamas! It was quite a morning, dropping him off and still having most of the day. He did make his flight, but got a bad cold in Costa Rica. He safely traveled on to Mexico City and then to Texas.
I went to a speaker on the books Hospital Sketches, but Louisa May Alcott, and March, which follows the trials of the father from Little Women in the Civil War. It was a wonderful discussion and I am excited to read the first and maybe the latter book.
I had a busy week working, also. I have been giving flu vaccines as fast as our clinic receives doses. We have not had word about the H1N1 vaccine. I made some new friends through church and choir, and learned how to make beer with some other friends.

Bats in the attic, but not the belfry

We made it through the inspection without any major shocks! We knew there were some issues with the garage and driveway, but the house has no structural issues looming. We are likely to need to replace the furnace and water tank soon, but they work now! As alluded to in the title, there is evidence of bats in the attic, but there is no way for bats to get into the house itself. I was able to take some videos of the house and re-discover the size of some of the rooms. I will post more pictures when the rooms are not filled with other people's belongings. We have had more paperwork to complete, and hope to have a closing date soon (it is not usually set until after the inspection).
This last weekend was memorable because I turned 29! I celebrated all weekend, starting in Boston at my Grandma's house. I met my roommate from Nashville, Stacey, in Cambridge and some jazz and fancy hotel bars with her and her friends. We went to the Liberty Hotel's bar, next to Mass General, and found why the hotel's name was ironic. Until 1990, it was a prison for short-term attainments. It was really interesting, but I am not sure if I want to sleep there! Brian flew in on the red-eye on my birthday, so I drove him home from Boston in the hard rain (I was able to stop at Target, yea). He was out for the whole afternoon, but we gathered with 5 friends for drinks and desserts at the one trendy local place. We had a fancy brunch the next day at our favorite Inn and it was soooo yummy. Overall, it was a nice birthday with icky weather.
I don't have much to say about entertainment this week. I have finally become a follower of the Office last year, just in time for the big wedding. I was a little disappointed; I thought the show has been better before. However, there is nothing like watching the character Kevin wearing Kleenex-box shoes!
I won another radio contest for naming a song on the oldies station. Hopefully, we will have time to use the 2 movie tickets that I won before they expire in 60 days. Brian and I have been working with some young adults, grad students, and our priests to get some ministry and social activities for our age group. Brian is off to Costa Rica, Mexico, and Texas for the rest of the month, while I work a lot. he has been trying to get prepared today with a flu shot, Malaria and Typhoid prevention, and packing. Oh, and I need new tires, so if you have advice, please let us know.

Little green houses for you and me

We have a purchase agreement! On Friday, we received word that the sellers accepted our third offer on the green two-story house. It was quite favorable to us, so we were excited! When we met with our agent the next day to sign the offer, we found out there was miscommunication between the sellers and their agent. The had not accepted our offer; they could only add 3 appliances to their last offer. It was not ideal for us, but we still viewed it as a good deal, so we signed an agreement. I was getting nervous when there was a delay in the sellers signing the agreement, apparently they were not in town. The next steps are moving ahead with the mortgage and inspection. The inspectors we wanted could not fit us in next week, but I was able to arrange another for next week. It seems like everything with this house takes a few tries before we get it right! I am worried about the inspection, as the house was built in 1900 and has likely not been inspected in 60 years. So, there could easily be a big surprise! The sellers have to remove the old oil tank from the ground and prove the soil oil-free, so hopefully that does not add time. We hope to close before Thanksgiving.
We have not had much excitement this week, except that we went "out" both nights this weekend. We had dinner out to celebrate the agreement, and then met new friends for dinner and a movie. I can recommend Away We Go, although I expected it to be more comedy than interpersonal (there were some very funny parts, though). I also thought it would fit us more, as we were moving and buying a house. However, it was more about parenting. It also seemed to equate making promises to each other while laying on a trampoline to wedding vows, implying that marriage is not necessary. Hmmm.
We had hoped to have one last outdoor day, hosting a BBQ on Sunday, but there was 100% chance of rain. It is cold and wet, we are deep in fall.
I have started my first dance class in 5 years, which is really fun. I have never tried Belly Dancing before, but have taken to it quickly.
Brian flew to Los Angeles Monday, were he was able to meet on of his goals: exploring the Reagan library. He will be in the area all week for work and I am glad that we are not often separated by 3 time zones.

Happy Fall!

Happy first day of fall! I am trying to re-organize the blog, so bear with us.
First, on the home-buyer front, we put in an offer on a colonial gambrel on Sunday. We are currently in negotiations. It is like playing a game, trying to guess the seller's strategy and make our moves. It is not always easy for Brian and I to agree on offers, since neither of us has experience in this area, but at least we agree on the houses! I am constantly entering home improvement sweepstakes, in my grandmother's line.
Our big adventure this week was the U2 concert on Monday night. We left home in the afternoon, hoping to arrive at the stadium by 6:30 for the 7 o'clock opening act, Snow Patrol. I guess we under-estimated Boston commuter traffic and concert traffic. I was famished, bone-dry, and really in need of a bathroom when we finally arrived; it took over 4 1/2 hours to get to the Patriot's stadium! We heard that exiting the parking lot had been a problem after the show the night before, but we were still surprised to see the private lots charging $50 for 'easy-out' parking. It was a reality check when we reached the stadium lot; it was $40 for gravel parking FAR from the stadium! As we navigated our way to our seats, I was overwhelmed by all the people. I guess I have gotten used to rural life, and 80,000 people seemed ridiculous. We missed Snow Patrol, but had plenty of time before U2 started. The stage was weird, a four-legged monster structure that was meant to be alien-like and give people a good view from all angles of the stadium. The show was good, but there were 5 songs in the middle that I didn't know and found a bit dull. Bono clearly loves to perform, but his age did seem to slow him down sometimes. They ended strong and Brian was able to hear some songs that had not been performed at the show he saw 4 years ago. We sat in the parking lot nearly 2 hours before getting on the road, and made it to my grandma's house at 2 pm, thirsty and tired.
From the show, we went straight to Dartmouth, where they installed a new president. We went for the music, speeches, and free good food!
For entertainment, I recommend Julie & Julia. I saw the movie this week but have not read the book. Julia Child's joi de vivre is contagious. The movie reminded me of last fall, when I had no jobs or local friends. I planned most of my days around meals and enjoyed serving Brian exciting meals. You can always fall back on good food.
It has been nice to have Brian home this week before he heads off to LA!

Come on Over

The last few weeks have been very busy. We enjoyed a lot of visitors, starting with the Knutsons. We had hoped for an end-of summer outdoor weekend, with hiking and enjoying the Long Trail Brewery deck, but the rain changed our outlook. We did have time for some tough Scrabble games, and Brian was able to use all 7 letters in one turn! We had great weather the next weekend, when the Shows came up from CT. I saw new parts of Dartmouth as we toured the campus, and we sat next to Dr. C. Everett Koop at brunch (the '80's Surgeon General that wrote the cigarette warning). When they left, I met up with my Aunt Rosie and collected my sister, Michelle. Michelle and I had fun with hikes, picnics, and a trip to the Ben & Jerry's factory where we tasted Orange & Cream.
We brought Michelle to Boston as we started our crazy trip to VA. We flew to Baltimore, met Brian's dad, and drove to Charlottesville. We explored the university campus and met up with a few of Brian's friends before the UVA vs TCU football game. While I went to visit my cousins, the rest of the group saw TCU win by a landslide. We headed back the next day, as Brian had only one day at home before he left for his first work trip of the fall. He is in Atlanta and Alabama this week.
Amongst all the visitors and travels, we have continued our quest to buy a house. We took Michelle on our second viewing of the top 3 houses and quickly ranked our choices. We are still learning the lingo and procedures. We put in our first offer as we left for Virginia, and had a little back and forth over the next 3 days. Another buyer put in an offer, and we had some anxious waiting time before finding that our top offer was out-bid. So, nearly a week later, we have to start planning our next offer. We will wait until Brian is home next week, as it has been hard to negotiate apart and while traveling!

Summer has arrived. . .and gone

We had warm weather!!! Mid-July until today finally felt like summer with temps in the 80's and even 90's. I have enjoyed the small, cool pool at our apartment complex. The pool is funny, because it is surrounded by Cedars, so there is a strong tree smell. Today did not hit 70 and I think that it may not warm back up much, but it is good for hiking.
Brian and I had a great time in Minnesota. He went to the PGA tournament with my parents and brother, while my sister and I walked down to a beach. Brian had a 10 minute pro lesson and watched Tiger on a fairway stroke. Brian and I drove to Rochester to see my college friends at the Streefland house. It was so nice to see them all, meet the youngest children.
The biggest thing this this month has been our focus on home-buying. We started the process and things have been moving quickly. We are hoping to close on a house by the end of November to get the tax rebate, and we have to search before Brian begins his fall work travel. This was a very busy week, as we saw 5 houses! All of them have been in Hartford, Vermont, which is only a few miles from where we are now.

It seems weird that we might live in Vermont! We like 3 of them so far. We are also planning to look at a few in other towns, but most of the affordable homes are south of where we are now (I work 30 miles north).

We are deciding if we want a realtor to help us, which may be nice for us as we learn terms and procedures. If you have any tips, please let us know!

Brian is busy planning his fall trip, which involves new and exciting travel. Watch for more info on his trips!
On a colder note, it has not hit 70 for the last 2 days and I don't see it in the forecast. The leaves will be changing in no time!

August already???

Well, the rain has slowed down to only 3 or 4 full days a week, so we have slowly started to enjoy summer. Our area is now 5 inches ahead in rain for the year, while our parents have seen droughts in both Minnesota and Texas! We had a wet Independence Day weekend, first in Burlington on the 3rd, and then in Hanover and Lebanon on the 4th itself. It was our first trip in Burlington, and we started at Magic Hat Brewery, where we toured and sampled the beer. We had train tickets from the brewery to the river front festival on an old Vermont train. We were able to see the interesting folk of Burlington. While there were stilt-walkers, singers, and lots of food, it was the people-watching that was most entertaining in this city (picture below). The firework display was surprisingly long! The Hanover Old-Fashioned Fourth had horse-drawn wagon rides and kids having races with eggs on a spoon, etc. However, there was nothing else! A storm came through after we had been there 20 minutes, and then we were done. Lebanon had a bit more on their Green - food and bands kept people there in spite of the drizzle.



Our biggest summer fun day was Brian's birthday weekend. I was able to borrow my boss's kayak to take with us to the beach at Lake Sunapee. We had quite the mental and physical exercise trying to tie it to Brian's car with only 2 straps. We finally atattched it with the help of a spry, elderly neighbor and his bungee cables. It was nice to blend in on the roadways around here, as nearly every other car has some piece of recreational equipment strapped to the roof (picture below). In the hour it took us to get to the Lake (we had to drive slowly on the interstate), we only had to stop once to fix the ties. The exhaust had burned right through the nylon tie! We had fun kayaking, relaxing, and wading (it was cold water) and some friends joined us for grilling and Ladder Golf. We even made it home before the rain (of course it rained)!



We had more small-town adventures the following weekend, starting with the Hanover Streetfest. The streets are closed for vendors, mostly food and ski-clothing, and bands. It was fun, and the weather was hot! It was nice to recognize some people as we walked around. We followed it with mini-golf. We also saw Up, which I had heard such great things about from multiple sources. It was good, but I think we missed out on a big part of the draw of the movie, as our local theater could not play it on a 3-D projector. Booo!

We had no big trips this month - we went to a baptism in NH, where I was able to see cousins I had not seen in 5 years, and I spent a day at my grandmother's in Boston. Brian did not travel, but we hosted his mother for a few days. It was warm and humid, but not raining, so we were able to show her the best of the Upper Valley. I took her to the local orchard for raspberry picking (we got 2 pounds)! We brought her the the local Harpoon Brewery BBQ fest, where we ran into some friends (Texans who were also magnetically attracted to the BBQ festival). I thought it was funny that we took Brian's mom for BBQ, when she has lots of BBQ options back home, but it was a fun festival and we were able to sample several choice meats. We will definitely be back next year, and are lucky to live nearby, as people came from all over New England to be there.



Brian has been busy at work with the first of two summer programs where Dartmouth brings a group of select high-schoolers in from across the country to show them what the college has to offer. It seems like no time before he starts travel season again. We are looking forward to a short trip to MN later this month!

Start building an arc. . or the Summer that wasn't

After a long, snowy winter, we were ready for God's reward - a beautiful summer. However, we have seen only rain and gray gloom! There is no going to local Farmer's Markets and little concerts in the town square. No breaking in my new hiking boots. No lawn games, pool time, ice cream stands or meals on the porch. Uggggg!
We have felt a bit of heat though, as we travelled to attend weddings. We went to Nashville for the first time since our move. It was a bit of a whirlwind trying to see many friends, but we enjoyed it. The reception had a surprise performance from the groom & his band, with the bride grabbing the mic for a few songs! We realized how much we miss the friends, the pace, and the opportunities for fun in Nashville, but not our jobs.



Our second trip was a week in Texas, satisfying Brian's need to reconnect with his home land. It was my first time to see much of the state, and we spent quite a bit of time driving from Houston to Arlington to New Braunfels and back. Brian's friend Dev drove with us, which kept things interesting! Brian was the Best Man in the wedding, and did a great job keeping charge of the rings and giving a stunning toast. I was able to see the Irving Doughertys and my cousin Karen. She and her boyfriend met us at Schlitterbahn, a large waterpark, on our anniversary. We were all very relieved to leave the waterpark without burning our skin in the 100 degree heat! I even enjoyed my first visit to an authentic Texas BBQ joint. We celebrated our anniversary in a more traditional way with a couples' massage back in Friendswood, which was very enjoyable. We saw a lot of Brian's family and attempted to entice his mom and brother to visit us in New England. On our return home, we hosted the TX newlyweds on the last night of their Honeymoon.



Brian has squeezed in a few wet softball games this month I have have picked up some babysitting and extra work days (I am only scheduled to work on Mondays). Dartmouth has welcomed a new president, and we are curious to see the effects. The rest of the summer will bring 2 visit programs that Brian is coordinating. We are off the Burlington today for a "big city" Independence Day celebration, followed by local old fashioned 4ths. I expect it to be like the bazaar in Pollyanna, which was written in a town nearby. Report to follow!

Memorial Day

The weather was not fantastic for the first part of Memorial Day weekend, but Memorial Day itself was absolutely beautiful in Northern New England. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and temperature was in the mid-70s. We met up with some friends and drove over to Woodstock, Vt to hike to the top of Mount Tom. The summitt offered some terrific views of the picturesque Vermont town:

After the hike, we went over to the "village" of Bridgewater Corners, Vt and dined at the Long Trail Brewery. It was lovely weather to quaff a brew and down some grub on the deck. After we ate, Kate found some time to play in the Ottaquechee River.

We hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Here are some pictures from our Quebec City trip:

View many more on our facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2152400&id=4703812&l=b5f840caa2

Enjoy!

Spring!

April was busy for me! My training at the Pediatric clinic is going well. It is overwhelming to learn so much Psych treatment and the complex social situations. I have already done 2 school visits! I have seen some patients by myself, so I no longer feel like I am a student anymore. I should be authorized to prescribe soon. This weekend I finally met the head of my clinic; he has been in Hawaii for 4 months! I will be at the clinic several days in May, then Mondays in June (and likely more). We have a rural health conference this week, where I am sure they will have added a Swine Flu discussion.

I had several days this month without nanny or clinic work, so I spent a lot of time with family. My parents and brother met us in Boston for Easter at my Grandma's house. My parents came out to NH for two days to explore. Last week, I flew to Chicago to meet my mother. We had dinner with my Grandpa in Arlington Heights and then drove a car to my sister in Orlando. We did a monster day at the Disney parks, trying several shows and attractions we had not done before. This is the advantage of multiple Disney trips in a 9 months period! Ironically, the temperatures were warmer in NH than in FL while I was gone.

Brian has been enjoying a more relaxed spring schedule, as budget constraints at Dartmouth have prevented his usual April travel. This allowed him to meet friends in Providence last weekend, join a softball league with Resident physicians, and become a Youth Baseball umpire.

In Nashville, we used to celebrate Easter with some friends we met trough Fr. Richard, the Knutsons and the Lunds. We enjoyed Holy Saturday in Boston this year with the the same crowd, including Father Richard! It was funny, and so nice to see them all. We are continuing to get to know new friends in our area, also. This weekend we met some to watch Dartmouth compete for the Ivy Championship in baseball, followed by grilling steaks at our friends' place. We also attended a "Tres de Mayo" party on Sunday afternoon, which gave Brian a good excuse to wear his Mexico soccer jersey.

JOBS, JOBS

Hello, all! I have been busy the last few weeks with several jobs! I worked extra hours, as I finished teaching gymnastics and being a nanny. Last week, I started orienting at the medical center clinic. The medical center has great benefits, including education, and the clinic is very well run. I enjoyed my 2 days in the clinic, then told them about the PNP job that I will start part-time. While my supervisor thought that they could use me PT, the administration did not agree. So, today I left before noon, leaving a great job for an opportunity to work in the job I trained. I am hoping to get into the float pool or find a PT job in the medical center sometime, but it is hard with no acute care (hospital) experience. I may pick up some hours at my old jobs again, but for now I will study and review my NP stuff.
I will have more time to enjoy my parents' visit next week. They are going to join us in Boston for Easter, along with my brother and sister, and then visit us in NH. I may even help my mom drive a car down to Florida to my sister (and enjoy a little Disney and sunshine). It would be a nice break from the cool rain here.
Brian has, finally, decreased his work hours, since Dartmouth announced it's admits for next year. Last weekend, we were both in town and not working for the first time since New Year's.

Mud Season

I was waiting for Brian to post about his dad's visit before I wrote about March, but he had been far too busy with work. So, that can be written later! I had a wonderful, short trip home to Minnesota in mid-March. It is not easy to get home now - flying from Burlington and stopping in Chicago makes for a long day! After finding elementary school friends on Facebook this year, I met with two of them. I had not seen them in at least 10 or 12 years! My college girls come to my parents' house and my sister flew home. I had a lot of family time, including going to an old theater to see Dial M for Murder with my mom & dad. Back in New Hampshire, it was the first time Brian had the apartment to himself since we moved here!

I have had more excitement/confusion with jobs. I am almost done with my nanny jobs and gymnastics (I will have to work out again). I interviewed for 2 PNP jobs - one in a small Vermont clinic, one day a week, and another with the Dartmouth system in Manchester (90 min away). I was much more comfortable with the Dartmouth practice and patient population, but it is far away and will not make a decision for at least 2 more weeks. I accepted an offer to work in the Vermont clinic. I will start the RN job in a week, then see if I can cut hours. This is the first job offer as a Nurse Practitioner I have had since becoming certified 2.5 years ago. I have to review! The odd thing about the offer is that the Physician called from Hawaii, where he spends the winter. I have not even met him yet! So, I am trying to complete my annual re-certification and household chores before beginning work 40 or more hours a week. It is a good thing Dartmouth's admission decisions will be complete soon, so Brian and I can redistribute household duties.

The snow is finally melting and mud season is upon us. Melting season was known for flooding in MN, but was not nearly as muddy in the Twin Cities as it is here. There is just less pavement for things like parking lots, so it becomes mud! We took advantage of last Saturday's warm weather and Brian's forced break from work (the computers were down) to do some exploring in Vermont. We stopped at a local brewery, Longtrail, that prides itself on its environmentally friendly practices. We continued driving to the Killington Ski Resort, which was impressive and bustling with late-season skiers from all over the Northeast. We were able to take the gondola ride to the top of Killington peak and had a great view, but we could not imaging skiing our way down! There was a woodsy vacation feel to the town, and we even found live music (though I can't say that we enjoyed it). We even finished the day with a beer pong tournament/party thrown by a friend at Dartmouth. It was an immersion to another aspect of the local culture.

Ski Weekend

Last weekend, we enjoyed a visit from our Bostonian friends, Charlie and Sarah. On tap was some downhill skiing, after a fresh snowstorm covered the icy, old snow. The weather was great - sunny and near freezing. The only thing lacking was skill and experience, as none of us had skied more that a few times. That did not decrease our enthusiasm as we took on the bunny hill. I was first to make a run, and everyone was able to get into the flow pretty quickly. We found the most difficult part of the day was getting around on flat land and walking in the ski boots (I still have bruised shins). We enjoyed a festive atmosphere at the Dartmouth Skiway, with a ski race on one slope and chicken barbecuing near the bunny hill. We graduated from the small beginner's hill to a "green" run from the top of one of the main lifts. I liked the long lift ride, but Brian was worried about his somewhat checkered history of rough dismounts from the ski lifts during his only other ski experience in Utah 12 years ago. Luckily, he managed to always exit without pain, though still some embarassment. Our first runs were fast and fun (or terrifying, as Brian would put it), with everyone having a fall and loss of control. We gained skill and control as the runs became icy and more difficult. We came home to a nice evening of playing Risk, which took us back to the time when world domination sounded like fun.

While Brian has been hard at work reading applications and creating a newsletter (and avoiding the job cuts at Dartmouth), I have had several job issues. I have had some varying schedules at my current jobs, while exploring a surge of new possibilities in nursing. I have been offered a good RN job in a family clinic. I have been meeting more pediatricians in the area, and finally getting to follow up on some PNP possibilities. I will likely return to nursing work in the near future, but am looking forward to time in MN next week with friends and family.

Winter

It has been awhile since the last post, and we are pleased to be past the halfway point (we hope) of winter. Brian had the pin tip removed from his toe in early January and we now have it in a jar to show off to visitors.

I have been busy with three jobs. I have been teaching gymnastics to kids ages 18 months to 6 years. I pass them off to other instructors as they surpass my old skills! It can be quite challenging, but some weeks have special things happen, like a child getting over a fear of heights. I nanny an 18 month old boy three afternoons a week. He has severe non-acidic reflux and frequent aspirations, so he has a nasal feeding tube and thickened diet. The other two afternoons, I nanny for two children, ages 6 and 12. They are deaf with cochlear implants (they choose to only wear one). I get my fill of war video games and drawing ponies.

We have met more friends for meals, cross-country skiing, and a hockey game at Dartmouth. We have been to a handful Dartmouth men's and women's basketball games, where the average number in the stands is just a bit less than we were used to at Vanderbilt. Brian has been busy working from home on reading applications, but he did attend a quick conference in NYC and sat on an admission panel in West Palm Beach last month.
We have been on an exercise kick for a few months, and I have never felt stronger.

A highlight earlier this month was seeing the Dartmouth Glee Club present the Pirates of Penzance. It was a hoot! We enjoyed some warmer weather last week, which unfotunately melted the snow sculpture for Dartmouth's Winter Carnival (though we still have PLENTY of snow). The carnival concluded with the "Occom Pond Party" today (pictured above), and Brian got to try outdoor ice skating for the first time. Things went well until he sat to fix his skates and I tried to help him up. Instead, my jaw colided with his head! It is hard to eat and I have a giant bump on my chin, but Brian's hard head is fine.
We are looking forward to visits from our friends Charlie and Sarah from Boston this weekend, and Brian's dad next week. We would be happy to host anyone!

Christmas Time

Happy 2009! For all five of you reading this blog, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!

While we're still in the 12 days of Christmas (today is day 9 - nine ladies dancing!), it seems like a good time to look back on our holiday.

Our holiday travel actually started with a drive to Burlington, VT, about 90 minutes northwest of our home on Interstate 89. We had a flight from Burlington to Chicago at 6:00am on Christmas Eve, so we decided to get a hotel near the airport on the 23rd. I used hotel points to get a room at the Doubletree Hotel, and we were lucky to get upgraded to a two-room suite. This worked out well because it allowed me to watch TCU's outstanding Poinsettia Bowl victory over previously undefeated Boise State while Kate watched a movie in the other room.

Unlike many travelers this holiday season, we managed to have relatively uneventful travel in and out of Chicago's O'Hare airport. In spite of bad weather on Christmas Eve, we arrived at O'Hare only 30 minutes late. Once there, we saw the stressed faces and long re-booking lines left over from bad weather on the 23rd.

It was my first Christmas with Kate's family (also my first Christmas away from my family), and, perhaps as part of some hazing ritual, I was tapped to dress as Santa Claus at the Christmas Eve celebration (right).

The Chicago area enjoyed its first "White" Christmas in several years, but by the 27th it was 61 degrees! I guess this was a piece of Houston weather to help me feel more at home! Kate, her parents, and I went to downtown Chicago and visited the historic Marshall Fields flagship department store (now a Macy's) while it was decorated for Christmas. It is definitely the biggest department store I have ever seen - nine stories worth of shopping. Here is a shot from the top of just one of the store atriums:

We returned from Chicago on the 28th, saw a performance of Les Miserables on the 29th, spent several hours at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock emergency room (subject of a future post, I am sure), and then hit the road again on the 30th. This time we headed to Falmouth, Maine to visit our friends Bill and Sandra. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting visit. It was also Kate's first time ever to Maine.

Our next destination was Cambridge, MA, where we were to ring in the New Year with our friends Charlie and Sarah. Before leaving Maine, however, we needed to pick up our New Year's Eve dinner - fresh, live Maine lobster! We went straight to the source, a fish market on the wharf in Portland. With eight live lobster and about a dozen oysters in tow, we made our way to Massachusetts.

Our New Year's meal was delicious and fun!

The holiday break travel is not quite over. On Saturday, we plan to drive to Amherst, Mass. to watch Vanderbilt take on the UMass Minutemen in men's basketball. We'll meet up with Heather and Ken, friends from my time at Vanderbilt's Office of Undergraduate Admissions who have also relocated to New England. It will be an enjoyable way to cap off this holiday break time, and hopefully a good send-off into the busy winter reading season.

That's all for now! Happy New Year from New Hampshire!