August 28, 2008

From Passions to Phrases....All about Steph!

So...I got tagged. Not a fan, but here's to you Momma Sheryl!

Eight of my Passions
  • Cuddling with Brendon
  • Playing games with my family
  • Holding babies (& making them smile/laugh)
  • Bonding with loved ones; family & friends
  • Running outside
  • Feeling productive
  • Cooking a good meal
  • Eating an ice cream sandwich from Smart Cookie (too bad those can't be sent in a package to MO)
Eight Things on my "To Do" List before I Die
  • Raise children
  • Run another marathon
  • Serve a mission
  • Buy a home
  • Go to a different country for a medical mission
  • Start doing family history
  • Be an active learner (...till I die)
  • Enjoy all the small moments in life
Eight Phrases that Commonly Exit my Mouth
  • I love you!
  • Brendon's home!!!!
  • Are you serious?
  • You're SOOO funny!
  • Gol! (I was told I say this when I get tickled)
  • Look at you!!!
  • Let's play a game!
  • You are my sunshine....(I only sing in front of one person)
Eight Items of Entertainment my Eyes have Viewed (books & movies)
  • The scriptures
  • The Last Lecture
  • Biography of Mother Teresa
  • They Saw Beyond Death (written by my very own Arvin Gibson)
  • The Pelican Brief
  • My Wedding Video
  • Emma Smith
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Eight People I Want to Hear From (blog, phone, letter, or package:)
  • Mindy, Mindy, Mindy! (blog)
  • Julie Burnett
  • Cassie
  • Mom
  • Dad
  • Brittany
  • Austin
  • Melissa (new site coming soon???)

...okay, so that was more fun than I expected. Thanks for the advice on my blog, Momma Sheryl!

August 17, 2008

Home Sweet Home

It's a new phase of life for the Holmes...
Not only will I be taking over our blog (this is my first post on this blog...Brendon has been so wonderful about posting while I read everyone else's blogs and leave comments), but we also made it to our new home in Kirksville, Missouri!

We left Utah first thing Monday morning with our treat bag from my mom (it wouldn't be a road trip without it). Saying "good-bye" to my family was a little harder than anticipated, but Brendon said I did a good job. :)

We jumped into our Penske truck and headed for Colorado to stay with Matt & Heidi.

Playing with baby Jackson and talking with Matt & Heidi in Colorado was so much fun!.

Since Tyler & Mindy were nearby (Littleton, Colorado), we thought we'd stop by and say hi before we parted ways to Michigan (for them) and Missouri (for us). We played with baby Brooklyn and had dinner with Tyler, Mindy, & Tyler's parents.

We just can't get enough of our niece and nephew! And we love our time with our siblings and their spouses.

We left early Wednesday morning for our new home. We saw hundreds of thousands of millions of corn. The ride was enjoyable and beautiful. I've always been a fan of road trips, they always provide good "bonding moments.


After driving in Missouri seeing small towns here and there, I asked, "Is that what Kirksville is like?" Brendon nodded his head and I prepared myself for the worst.



I was pleasantly surprised as we drove into Kirksville; we even have several street lights.
Population: 17,406


And we love our apartment. We're in a four-plex with three levels.
Upstairs: 2 bedrooms and a bathroom; Main Level: living room and kitchen; Downstairs: unfinished basement with PLENTY of room for our washer & dryer and a lot of storage room--I'm a huge fan of that--goodbye junk rooms, hello storage room! More pictures to come...right after we're all settled in.



Orientation at A.T. Still University...
It was so much fun! Brendon & I got to meet a lot of new people (they even had a spouse orientation, a good sign that I will be well taken care of while Brendon is busy). The school is wonderful. We heard many times that the next few years of school will be hard and challenging, but there is plenty of help, for the both of us.

We are excited for our new beginning in our lovable town of Missouri. We adore the people here!

During Orientation, the school had a white coat ceremony. A previous A.T. Still student spoke. As a recent patient with cancer, she gave advise to the students on how to be a good doctor from the viewpoint of the patient. I wish I recorded it and could post it.

Here's Brendon walking down with his white coat in hand.

I am so proud of Brendon and his hard work as he achieves his life-long goal of becoming a doctor. Here he is during the ceremony, getting coated.


Last, but not least...the future Dr. Brendon Holmes (just for you, Mom).






The Last Lecture


As a gift from the Dean during orientation, each new 1st year was given a copy of a book called "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. Just out of curiosity, I picked it up on Friday and couldn't put it down! Randy was a computer science professor who was invited to give a last lecture to the school after he was diagnosed with fatal pancreatic cancer. It's a story of a phenomenal man, sharing his unique perspective on life lessons. I would love to share more, but I really want everyone to read it for themselves.