Greetings from Philly!

I just learned there is an app for blogger so now I can write on my phone. So in my three days in Philadelphia I have learned many things

1) 97% of the streets are one way and the green light is your signal to walk
2) being other shoes besides heels and flip flops
3) don't ask for sweet tea because they will laugh at you
4) hashbrowns doesn't exist above the mason Dixon line.
5) dont speak to anyone because southerns, including tennesseans, will be laughed at immediately.
6) instead of saying excuse me just push your way through.
7) scrapple is like the southern equivalent to hash.

So far, the convention has been wonderful. We presented our posters yesterday afternoon and last night. Yesterday afternoon was all the undergraduate students. The following presentation was a mix of everyone( including professionals, professors, graduates and undergrads) however, they only excepted 25 of the undergraduate posters out of 400 total and both of our posters were accepted. We go a certificate, pretty ribbon to put on our name badges and popcorn. Overall it has been a great trip but, I miss home. Especially my husband. i think this will be the last research presentation for me.

1 year and counting

Well, we made it! It's hard to believe it has been a year already. People say that the first year is the hardest. I, however, disagree. Our first year was actually really good. Now some days weren't as easy as others and it did require lots of prayer and perseverance but overall not a bad first year of marriage.

As I was growing up, Walt Disney was a big part of my life. In every movie that contained a princess, she and the prince lived happily ever after in a HUGE castle with no care in the world. But he forgets to mention that in the real world when a princess finds her prince and the marry that things are a little different. You don't start off in a castle, you now have added families members and there aren't dancing kitchen objects that cook extravagant meals for you. Oh, the imagination of a child.

To celebrate, monday night we went out to dinner to The Stockyard in Nashville. Let's just say it was worth every penny we spent. This is my steak. it was HUGE. I ate a 1/3, Allen ate 1/3 and the rest was for lunch the next day. Yes, it did come with one onion ring. We then came home to dig into the top tier of our wedding cake. I hope it tasted better the first time because the only person who liked it was Marley, well she not really a person but you get my drift.

Since we didn't do the whole smash the cake in the other persons face deal we decided to have some fun with the dry crusty cake. 

 As I lay in bed that night, I just kept thinking about how blessed we have been. The Lord says not to worry about anything which I am really bad about. Everything was taken care of this year. We paid off Allen's car. My yearly MRI was crystal clean. My hormone levels are dropping. I got a wonderful student teaching assignment although it seemed kind of sketchy at first. and I am graduating in December. Everything is just falling into place as far as I know, but only he knows the true plan for this journey.

Day 2

Whew! I am pooped and it's only my second day. If you didn't know this already, I am student teaching this semester. I am four months shy of being a High School Chemistry and Biology Teacher. I'm crazy right? Who in their right mind would teach chemistry and biology let alone with high schoolers? I guess this girl is. If I can teach college students then high school should be easy peasy. Maybe? Tomorrow is the BIG day. I get to meet my students, well first period anyway.

This whole student teaching this is a real adjustment. Instead of sleeping until 8-830 (sometimes 9), like the past 3 months, it's 6 AM for me. That was a real shocker yesterday. My body did not want to get up let alone try and get ready. But I did. My cooperating teacher is really nice now to see how the kids are tomorrow.

As far as any yummy concoctions from the Kitchen goes, I got nada. I cant remember the last real meal that I have cooked beside just cooking for me or picking at leftovers. Last week I did make these scrumptious whole wheat garlic and herb pretzels. For being healthy, they were actually pretty good.