Ready for 2013!

We went home for Christmas this year! We had enough time to go home for a whole week-- it was FABULOUS!!! Quick highlights: Family! Chachushka!!!! Food Processor! Cuisinart K-Cup Coffee Maker! Friends! Church! Avatar! CHRISTMAS TOWN!! Pretty much, everything was ah-mazing.

Right now, it's New Year's Eve, and I'm watching Alice in Wonderland (the animated version from the 1950's, aka one of my FAVORITE MOVIES EVER) while Seth plays his game. It's actually a wonderful night for us-- hopefully it's a sign of us getting ready for a much more relaxing year with all that we look forward to. :-) We're hoping and praying for the chance to travel and do our real honeymoon finally-- I just learned that I can actually eat eggs, which I haven't been able to enjoy for about 2 years now! So, I can eat what I want, and we can choose what and where we eat!!! If you've never had food problems, I'm sure this is much less exciting, but for me, and for Seth by extension, it's huge that my list is down to three things, 2 of which I don't like anyways! (I love Cabernet Sauvignon, but swelling throat = none of that for me.) Seth can enjoy it, but fortunately we have other options. :-)

So, while home, we got to spend some quality time with the Tweedles!!! I was super stoked to spend time with both of my brothers-- we went shopping, and just in general enjoyed our time with them. They seriously are the coolest. Jon and I had adventures just in cleaning the house for Christmas dinner, but in a good way. When everyone was out, I even got the chance to paint! Rosie was super excited by the painting adventure-- she wanted to stay in the room while I was prepping and painting, and it didn't work so well, so she got locked out. She's been looking for Dante for the past couple of nights-- she's sure that if we just open the door, he'll be there, ready to come hang out with her. Rosie loves my brothers, even Marc's pugs (although I think she relaxed more without them). She remembered Jon from living with him when we first got to Charleston! It was way cute.

We were able to attend my church and then go to breakfast with the Powells on Sunday, then enjoyed Christmas Eve at Seth's church after, which just renewed my conviction to find a church where there's more community service and a chance to truly participate this year.  It's just a matter of finding a church that suits us, and, if it's a Catholic church, one that doesn't use incense, which unfortunately sets off my asthma like none other. :-) It's a non-resolution, since I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I've also started looking into the gym across the street-- there are tons of yoga and pilates classes that should work for my schedule for both rotations!! I start in just about a week, which is insane to me, in the best possible way. I am SO EXCITED (and sooooo nervous), but I'm also stoked to be one step closer to graduation and real life again (and a real paycheck). Seth and I have been looking forward to and planning for the future, but knowing where I can find employment will definitely have a major impact on how our lives go!

While home, we were able to FINALLY go to Christmas Town!!! I have been looking forward to it for 4 years now, and it was AWESOME. I loved it, wholeheartedly, although in the future I will bring a hat and a scarf to be warmer! We went with both sets of parents and Seth's brother, which was a lot of fun. Lines were much longer than expected-- we thought the line for the Mach Tower wasn't going to be that bad, but we were mistaken. The Mach Tower ride went up and down slowly, although Seth and I both learned that we are NEVER going to go on that ride regularly-- it's too high and feels unsafe. I spent the entire ride worrying that my shoes were going to come off. It was also odd in that they didn't let the ride down to the ground, which made getting out of the seats MUCH more difficult than necessary. It was so high!!! It was beautiful, and that and the trainride let us see all of the grounds, but omigoodness it was too high. I apparently am more scared of heights than I thought. :-) Oh, well. The shows were pretty good, although I had issues with the phrasing of the music for one of the shows. They did manage to do a "Santa Baby/Mama Kissing Santa Claus" mashup that didn't end in me professing my unending hatred for "I saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus," so props to them. I think that is my least favorite song pretty much ever.

What else... Overall, we just had a wonderful trip with family and friends! It was nice to spend so much time at home and getting to spend the time with everyone, both near and far. Chach and Seth and I went to lunch at No Frill and enjoyed delicious vegetarian nachos, an old favorite, which were awesome. I love food. We're actually getting ready to celebrate restaurant week in January, thanks in part to a generous gift from Seth's brother and SIL, and it'll be awesome-- we'll get to go right after my first week of fieldwork as well as a week after Seth's b-day. He turns 29 this year!!! Only 1 year away from the big 3-0!! Part of that celebration will hopefully happen early with our belated honeymoon trips.

I feel like I skipped over most of what happened, but overall, it was just an amazing trip. We loved seeing everyone, more so since we realized there's a good chance we won't see anyone next year with the new job and whatnot. This is, of course, dependent upon me finding a job. While I have loved having the time off the past few weeks, I think I'd go mad without a real job (and a real income), although little Roo would likely enjoy the endless mommy time. :-) We both really appreciated being able to spend quality time with both families, and look forward to seeing everyone again soonish.

Happy New Year!

Love,
Cassi (and Seth and Rosie)

Savannah Anniversary Trip

Waving Girl statue-- she used to welcome all ships in and was known throughout the world!

We finally made it down to Savannah!  It was the perfect end of school trip. :-) After 1.5 years of didactic portion, including days when Seth had to counsel me that this is my dream and I truly love what I'm doing, I am DONE! And ready to move on to clinicals. I still have a poster to put together and a few other small things to do for follow up, basically, but I am done, and as far as I know I passed, so I am feeling very proud! Seth and I were able to celebrate our 3 year and 1 month anniversary there, which was fun.

Last day of school!

We had our pinning ceremony on Thursday after the exam. It was almost sad, but I'm so relieved to be done that I don't think it's really fully hit me yet. I will be sad, I'm sure, especially once my favorite Texan leaves, but right now, I'm just like, oh, wow, I have free time! I have a couple more Christmas presents to make/get, and have plans to READ and play video games (yes, this is a priority) and catch up on shows. We're 90% done with shopping, and even know what we're getting for the last bits! Anyways, back to the end of school, we then had our OT Holiday Cocktail party at Upstairs at Midtown! It was a very pretty place, and I rocked my favorite dress and shoes (which will also be making an appearance at Seth's holiday party next week). I may have been a little tall...

With Seth, Cherisa, Courtney, Becca, and Greg.

OT girls at Cracker Barrel! So glad I could finally go to one. :-)

Before we left for Savannah, I went out to breakfast with my classmates at Cracker Barrel! Seth and I got a later start, but it was fun. Rosie spent the weekend at Paws in Paradise, which is her favorite place pretty much ever. We took a nap (a much needed nap after festivities), then headed out. It was a lovely drive-- relaxing, and full of fun sights! The trees are so pretty down here-- I'm obsessed with Spanish Moss.  My ipod decided to be a little punk, so we had much more random music for the trip than expected, but it wasn't bad for an hour and a half. :-)

Seth in front of the John Wesley statue.

In Savannah, we checked into the hotel, then went downtown for dinner and exploring. The first night, we really just took it easy, but we did discover lots of John Wesley stuff! I made Seth take a picture next to it. We saw the Marshall House, which is apparently the first hotel in Savannah. We got to see some of the things down by the River, but then went off for food. We had Thai, and I tried Thai Tea with bubbles for the first time. The meal was only okay-- apparently the chefs threw a mini temper tantrum when I had to send my food back for being drenched in onions, as my second dish was about half the size of the first. Seth's dish was awesome, though, and we had a good time anyways!  It was actually just really nice to walk after then head back to the hotel-- we caught up on HGTV and Food Network shows. It's the little things in life. :-) We got to sleep in, too, which was amazing. I love Rosie, but it was fun to not have to wake up super early to escort her first thing in the morning.

"Silence is Golden" fountain.

The next day, we spent pretty much the whole day exploring. We visited several shops and parks, and even checked out the SCAD museum. Seth and I have very similar taste in art-- a.k.a., not modern like at all. There was one installation that was all orange yarn and crochet pieces-- it was kind of ugly, really. There was one piece I liked, pictured to the right, and one being installed that I loved, but most of them were just not that attractive or our style. We saw some cool art down by the River Walk, and Seth and I found an awesome nativity ornament that we really liked. It's such a dog friendly place there-- Seth and I have decided we're going to take Rosie down to Savannah to check out the parks and do more sightseeing.

At the Cotton Exchange before lunch.

Such delicious food!

For lunch, we had an AMAZING meal at the Olde Pink House! (I keep wanting to call it the Olde Pink Lady, combining this restaurant with the Painted Lady Tea Room in Norfolk.) I had Fried Green Tomatoes, and they were super duper helpful about my no-onion thing. Seth even enjoyed the FGT! I am super obsessed with them now. I also had an amazing beer with lunch, and enjoyed delicious cheese straws. Seth had the Lobster Roll (and remarked how funny it was that we traveled further south to enjoy more lobster), and I had a fabulous Mahi-Mahi sandwich. Seth's side was better-- he had asparagus, and I had sweet potato fries, which just weren't as good as Sesame's. We finished with delicious key lime pie, one of the best we've ever had. Thanks to a friend's recommendation, we had a later lunch, and were able to explore the house afterward! The ballroom was ah-maz-ing, and it was really fun to just explore and read the history. We ate outside, because the weather was seriously divine, then did a little more shopping.

Forsyth Park- beautiful!

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

We did more exploring after dark, and found a few fun parks and got to see pretty streets and holiday decor, including a holiday party. We did go by Lady and Sons, but definitely didn't feel obligated to eat there (we have awesome Southern food here in Charleston, realistically). There was a theatre there playing It's A Wonderful Life, but not until next weekend. All the holiday decor was gorgeous, though! We also saw an amazing church downtown (well, several, but this was our favorite). It's the Catholic church, and it was just stunning, even at night, with all these fabulous details and designs echoed throughout the building. It reminded me of the awesome churches in England that I fell in love with. We also got to enjoy antiquing, and it was a lot of fun, although I hate going into stores where I'm terrified of breaking everything because it's too close together.

Now, Seth and I are back with our little Roo, and it's been a good day overall. We took a nice long nap with Rosie, which was much needed, and did a little shopping. We're now watching Christmas with Holly, based on Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, which is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Lisa Kleypas. It's not like the book in many ways, but it's still a lot of fun. Time to start enjoying vacation! (Including all the awesome Disney movies now on Netflix!)

Feeling Thankful!

So, we've been busy, just with surviving school, running, and travel to and fro. I love all the thankful-for lists going on Facebook, so I wanted to do a quick one on here! I'll just make it 25 so I'm ahead for a bit. :-)

1. I'm thankful that Seth and I just celebrated 3 years of marriage on November 7th!
2. That we have an adorable, protective, loving, fluffy puppy who brings joy into our lives every day... Even when she's a fink.
3. That I've been able to work so long and so hard on my occupational therapy degree, and it's almost done with coursework!!!
4. That I got accepted into the conference for the Society of Student Run Free Clinics in January!!!! 
5. To go with 4, that I finally am doing my research, which I am so passionate about and cannot wait to share the results of, both for our school and for other groups thinking about making a free clinic for people who need OT and PT.
6. That I've had the opportunity to work with so many people through classes, fieldwork, and the CARES clinic. It's amazing, and inspires me to keep going on the path God led me to.
7. That Seth and I both have such awesome families! I love my inlaws, and he loves my parents and siblings, so it's awesome.
8. That I got to see my now-sister-in-law get married, and reconnect with her on an honest level. :-) I am looking forward to spending some real time with her in the future.
9. That Seth has a job he loves, with awesome people.
10. That we're doing running, which is just fun! We're doing the Jingle Bell Run in a few days.
11. That my brother starts his new job soon! It's a different path than he expected, but it's apparently what was meant to be.
12. For Netflix, for keeping me sane when I'm working on assignments I'd rather pretend didn't exist.
13. For library books, both digital and hard copy, because I'm a serious bookworm.
14. As weird as it sounds, I am so thankful that I live in a time where I have access to medicine to help control my asthma. I had a random attack this morning, and I was just thinking how horrible it would be if I couldn't just take my inhaler and breathe again. 
15. For our amazing friends, near and far, who have touched our lives both as individuals and as a married couple.
16. For being able to live in such a beautiful city, and have such an AMAZING backyard-- there's nothing like waking up, walking down the back stairs, and seeing Shem Creek with my prancing puppy.
17. For my aunt, who recently had a stroke, and I am so incredibly thankful that it was a mild one with an expectation of a full recovery. Also, for the health of the rest of my family.
18. For Facebook and technology, which allows us to keep in touch, and contact people when we get lost in schoolwork or playing games (I feel like it's obvious who's who in each category).
19. For all the blessings in our lives, and the people who have been a part of it, bringing us signs of grace and God's love every day. 
20. For the chance for Seth and I to both work in the fields we love, and be mentored by amazing people along the way.
21. For being able to celebrate Thanksgiving in a low-key way.
22. For being over most food allergies, and restaurants (and weddings) that will accommodate the very odd ones I still have (onions, coconut, and cabernet sauvignon). I missed dairy.
23. For living so close to history and the beach-- it's wonderful to spend time with my husband and puppy as we walk and explore and discover beauty in nature and in the amazing things people made. I am always impressed that they made single story houses before they had all the technology we do now... And that they did a better job than we do now with designing them for air flow.
24. That we're taking an anniversary trip to Savannah in a few weeks! When I'm done with school, we're heading for a month-delayed trip, to see food, history, and art galore! And did I mention food?
25. That we're heading home to Norfolk for a week at Christmas to spend with family and friends! And we finally get to visit Christmas Town.

That's just a short list!  Rosie is thankful that we feed her and take her to daycare and love her.

Also, we had a great time this weekend at the wedding, and I loved my shoes and dress! Hopefully someone else took real photos, because I definitely didn't. I was so glad to get to spend time with my sister in law. :-)

Cheers,
Cassi

Study Break Time!

Charleston amazes me. It's seriously October 1st, and it was hotter this evening when we went to take little RooRoo for a walk than it was when I walked back from class this afternoon! It's amazing that the weather's still in the 80's at least when the sun goes down. It was cooler a week ago, and I want that weather back.


On the plus side, I'll get that weather in less than 2 weeks when we go to BLACKSBURG!!! We're going to see the Hokies play, and visit with family and friends! I am so, so, so excited!! Seriously, y'all, the weather down here is ah-maz-ing, and I'll love it when I can still go running without fear of killing myself in the cold, but right now, I'd do just about anything for the cooler weather. :-)

But since it's October, it's another month closer to the end of the semester! We have our first exam coming up Thursday, so studying is taking over my life a little bit. Rosie is not pleased, but she is cute and cuddly. On the major plus side, we can hit the beach anytime now! Daniel Island is open to dogs 24/7 now, even if it is leashed part of the time.

In other news, we've got our plan for Halloween set! I just need to purchase all the supplies. Also, only a month and a half until I get a real haircut! I'll be donating my hair at that time, and I'm really excited, but also nervous-- I haven't found a haircut I really want that's short yet. I fully admit my idea of high maintenance is needing to put product in my hair before I walk out the door, so I'm hoping to find something very low key and low maintenance.

We're doing better with running, and will in fact go for a run tomorrow morning with Rosie, who has been joining us on the Sunday runs. I have to skip my Wednesday workout for class (and the Tuesday alternate day is CARES class), but I'll make it up later, hopefully. I might go Thursday instead after the exam, assuming the weather won't make me die of heat. :-)

On that note, back to studying! And doing my business plan. And cognitive tool. And OT promotion project. And continue waiting on research so I can even START it, which would be helpful as I have to present in a month with a poster that I have nothing ready for yet.  It might be time to start panicking. . .

Oh, well, the pinning ceremony/holiday party/end of semester is only 2 months and 6 days away!

School's Back in Session

It's officially my LAST SEMESTER of class work! This time next year, I will hopefully be an employed occupational therapist. :-) I cannot wait!

Quick summary:
This is the semester of groups. Fortunately, there are amazing women in my program, but it's definitely just overwhelming to have even my free time dictated by the need to work with others. It's still odd to think I won't be in such close quarters with most of them until July, though, when we finish fieldwork! It's a really busy semester outside of school, too, with a trip to Blacksburg in October, where I get to visit with my inspiration for OT school, and then the wedding in November, for which plane tickets are booked and the tux is rented.

Seth and I are training for our first half-marathon! I have a definite obsession with going to do the Disney Princess Half, but we'll see if that is possible to do. :-) We're definitely planning on doing the Charleston Half Marathon at least. In other running news, since I can't remember what I've posted, we'll be doing the Columbia Color Me Rad run on October 20th and then the Zombie Run in Charleston on the 27th! The weather is getting better all the time, so hopefully it'll be awesomely cool. I'm still a super slow runner, but I finally ran 1.2 miles without stopping or even being that tired!!! It's a huge improvement already. We're both getting in better shape!

Sullivan's Island! One of out favorite places to run.

We did restaurant week with the McFarlands and Hendersons! It was AMAZING. We did some fun things around town, but the focus was definitely on the food. Peninsula Grill had the best food pretty much ever. I even liked their Peanut Butter Chocolate cake! I am not a fan of most things that alter peanut butter. High Cotton's peanut butter pie was the worst thing ever; just no for me. I also learned that Wholly Cow Ice Cream is ah-maz-ing. I also discovered what I will look like when I'm 4 months pregnant, thanks to a food baby, awkward posing, and bad lighting...

I swear, that belly was only there like that in the photo.

Good start to the morning!

Ummmm... So, photos are just scattered in! Today was the first day of fall, and it was AWESOME!!! We saw dolphins, avoided an evil butterfly, played with Rosie on the beach, watched the Hokie Game downtown, got me a Coach purse (clearance + 30% extra off = WIN!!), got Seth running shorts, replaced the sandals Rosie ate, and finished shopping for the weekend! It was seriously like the best possible day. We even got like half our Christmas shopping done! I'm so stoked.

I found my first sand dollar on the beach!

I feel like I had more to share, but I honestly can't remember it right now, so time to go make uber-healthy fettucine alfredo! (Greek yogurt = best thing ever.)

~Cassi (and Seth)

Feeling so accomplished!

It's been a fantabulous break so far!
1. I made all 4.0's this semester! Which is the first time I've managed it in grad school. I definitely did a happy dance.
2. I finished my scarf! It's super pretty, and my friend C's promised to help me learn the crochet stitch to fix the oddities so I can wear both sides out if I want.
3. I learned the purl stitch! Way easier than I had feared.
4. We've been getting up ridiculously early to run! Rosie's learning to run on leash without being a jerk, fortunately. :-) She's super duper cute and fuzzy first thing in the morning, which is both good and bad. She is *not* the motivation to wake up.
5. The motivation to wake up is that Seth and I are doing two 5K's in October-- the Color Me Rad in Columbia and then the rUnDead run here in Charleston the following weekend! The latter is more like an obstacle course. I'm kinda excited.
5a. I am thinking seriously about doing a half marathon-- I really want to do the Princess Half Marathon at Disney in February, but with fieldwork, there's a good chance that won't happen, so we're looking into the feasibility of doing the half marathon here in Charleston-- it ends with Shrimp and Grits and supports the arts, and is a lot cheaper/closer to home/music friendly.

Aaaand that's about it! Not bad for a week of break.

There's also a sad note, in that one of my professors passed away unexpectedly. I unfortunately won't make it to his memorial service tomorrow, but I've been keeping his friends and family in my prayers. He was a good person, and I am sorry I never got to thank him in person for his help with fieldwork placements. Hopefully he knows. :-)

End of Summer Semester!

Summer semester is only one day away from being done! Rosie is glad, as well, as I am no longer taking over the couch with study materials. She did not approve:

I'm actually done with all my normal classes, but I am doing a constraint-induced movement therapy camp as a class as well (Camp Hand to Hands), and it is AMAZING! I get to work with a super cute child, who drives me nuts sometimes but is super sweet and fun overall, and their movements are getting SO much better! It's amazing to see the difference even a few days will make, as well as how much I've learned about how to deal with the child, and when to let them take a break or when to push. It's not 100%, obviously, but it's much better! Our group did Olympics day for the event:

I made a torch! I'm quite proud of it. :-)

And my classmates made another awesome banner as well as a flags! It was so much fun. All the days have been fun-- we have had a circus day, Disney day, and cartoon day, and tomorrow concludes with Jungle Day!

In other good news in our lives, I am officially staying in Charleston for my fieldwork!! I am so excited to get to stay with Seth and Rosie. As much as we love Norfolk, it's definitely nice that I'll be here for the full 27 months of the program! I am doing acute care for my first rotation, which I shadowed and discovered that I kind of loved right before I found out I had an acute care placement, and then I'm doing a pediatrics rotation for the second half! I'll be working primarily with kids with sensory problems and autism and other associated diagnoses, which is super exciting to me. I have a good sized reading list, but that's still super exciting!

I have another year of views like this outside my front door!

We went home this past weekend with assistance from my awesome parents to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday! She is an amazing lady-- she has seen and done so much, and continues to make beautiful art and be active in the community. The dinner was a ton of fun; we helped set up a little bit, and got to see lots of old photos -  including my parent's wedding invite and wedding pictures! Gotta love the styles of 1980 for the men's suits. :-D We also got to help Seth's mom with her house, and meet Jon's girlfriend and her two puppies! I learned a shaved Scottie dog looks like a mini Dante with stumpy legs.  Unfortunately, I forgot my phone literally every time I left the house, so I have no real photos-- hopefully family members will upload/post them soon! (Hint, hint.)

My birthday celebrations began super early this year! My parents presented me with an awesome saucer (bowl?) from my alma mater.

Love, love, love it! 

 

 

Rosie with the dish!

I totally love it, and it goes with my RMWC wedgewood dishes (technically ashtrays, but perfect for jewelry storage!) that I get to see daily. :-) I also have a Macon Teddy Bear!

So, yeah! We're going to go to the Summerville Farmer's Market to get some fabulous grits and corn meal, fresh ground, for my mother in law-- apparently the stash we had given her from Middleton Place was too big of a hit, and she had to share more than she had hoped to.

We also just realized we missed Rosie's birthday! It was yesterday, so we're not too late, but our baby girl is already two years old! We also decided that we would like to expand our family in the next year-- we're going to be looking for another doodle to adopt, we think. (No, we're not having a kid yet, please and thank you, despite my little cousin's wishes. Grad school and puppies are PLENTY of responsibility at the moment.) We're just going to keep our eyes open-- it will likely be after the wedding in November, just to help keep everything balanced, but we'd love to get Roo a playmate. <3 She really is the love of our lives.

Little Roo at 7 months!

Our tiny baby girl, right after coming home at 4 months,with her dragons. <3

I think those are all the updates for now! We're just enjoying life, and I'm getting ready to enjoy the break-- Rosie and I are likely going to just be out and about doing little things, and staying inside during the heat of the day so I can craft! I have plans to make lots of fun pillows this week, and to read! I'm reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and it is amazing, as well as a fast read. I need to finish Insurgent and The Hunger Games this break as well, and we're going to try to hit the beach again and go to do our harbor tour of Charleston while I don't have schoolwork or other crazy responsibilities.

Summer Semester Update

Seth and I at the Charleston Beer Festival with D!

Wow! We've been a lot busier than I realized this semester, between classes, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends, and just enjoying our lives. We live in Mount Pleasant now, and we LOOOOOVE it.

Our dock! This is at high tide...

Rosie loooooves the smells.

Our backyard view = tranquil escape.

Poor Seth was eating, but it's still cute of us.

To start the summer off, our friend T came to visit! She loves historical preservation, and had never been to Charleston, so we were stoked to help show her around. :-) We went to Middleton Place, took her to Shem Creek Park, and tried a couple new restaurants, including Andolini's, which has AWESOME pizza and Taco Boy with delicious tacos, of course! We also went to see Back to the Future at Waterfront Park in Mount P, which was so much fun! We found friends.

Cooper River Bridge at twilight, and the side of the screen.

We have been able to explore the parks around here some-- we've been to the beach a couple times, and I spent an afternoon working for the ALS 5K on the beach with the lovely C. C's gone walking with me (and Rosie) several times now. It's been so much fun! I love Charleston in the summer, especially when there's not that much heat compared to last year.

Beaching it up with C!

Seth's work has been going awesomely-- he loves it, which is about all we ask for. :-) He's learning a lot, and enjoying himself and the people he works with. Always a plus.

Relaxing on the dock after work at night with Rosie.

We did a painting class together!

I LOOOOOVE this semester. I'm working on a research project that I'm insanely passionate about, and have finally worked out how to do it. I should actually be working on that now rather than updating the blog, but, eh. I've also been tutoring for anatomy, which makes WAY more sense now, including why the heck origins and insertions of muscles are so important! Neuro is AMAZING, and I love it. It's just so much fun, and the people are so inspiring-- between CARES and this summer, I've found another passion of mine, which I didn't expect to love nearly as much as I do. Between classes and work, we've just had a wonderful summer with great food, lots of relaxation, and good time together.  We're going home in 2 weeks to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday-- so excited!

Our first Riverdogs game. :-) 

Rosie loves the crab pot... 

Rosie and I in Shem Creek.

It's not a super exciting life, but especially after the insanity of last semester, it's seriously been the perfect prescription. I just need to find out where I'll be on fieldwork in January, and it'll be truly perfect! We've had lots of small moments that have added up to awesomeness-- we signed up for the Color Run 5K in October, watched Rosie scare away a turkey vulture, have enjoyed swimming, played board games with friends, enjoyed a few new restaurants, and just spent time outside, loving the sunshine. Rosie's gotten a couple haircuts, and I just learned tonight that my longest hair is now 8 inches-- the minimum to donate! It needs to grow more to really be as long as it should be all over, but still-- that's way longer than I thought it was. I'm going to keep going for at least another few months. My goal is to grow it out until graduation, but we'll see if I make it that long; it may be gone well before then. :-) Even so, I'm excited! It's been a personal goal for ages, but I tend to get sick of it and chop it all off well before this point.

On that note, Rosie needs a walk, and I need to finish my homework-- the end of the semester is nigh!

Home Sweet Home

Seth was finally able to take a break with me, and we went home to Norfolk to visit our parents! It was so, so, so much fun to be able to spend time with both the Powells and McFarlands. We went to Stockley Gardens Art Festival, where for the first time in 24 years my grandmother (who turns 90 in August!) chose not to show. It was probably for the best, as yesterday was cold and wet, but still, it was the end of an era, and people were sure to ask after my grandmother. <3 She is amazing. We had lunch with her, and while lunch itself was less than exciting, it was fun to hear about her life down here in Charleston and just get to see her for a little bit!

While in Norfolk, we were able to go to the one and only Busch Gardens Williamsburg!

It was amazing to ride Verbolten the day it opened. I was sad that we  missed the Physics presentation-- it brought back good memories of high school with some of the most amazing friends, including my MOH, Chach! She was having fun in New York this past weekend, so I feel less bad, but I miss our Busch Gardens dates. But, yeah, Verbolten was amazing! Mom and I knew what to expect more, having watched the Virginian Pilot dude go on the coaster, but the free fall was still amazing. We also got ice cream (for me, for the first time in 4 years!!!!!) and went on my all time favorite ride, Griffin. I am totally a roller coaster junkie, so this was a lovely way to get my fix with my family.

My parents in front of the Verbolten ride! (Dad didn't catch the 1-2-3 cue, but they still look cute.)

We got to see aunts and uncles as well as my younger cousins, who crack me up. I helped clean my aunt's place, which has cats, so I realized when I went home that my smile of hello behind the allergen mask probably didn't look all that welcoming....  Whoops. Seth was a champ and a half and was able to help my dad move everything out to prepare for my brother and his roommate to move in as soon as Jon's done with Navy stuff.

Seth and I enjoying Busch Gardens!

It was so nice to have relaxation time with Seth. He and I are both now proven contortionists in the McFarland household. Rosie napped at my feet while I curled up into an easy chair to take a nap while Seth worked on the computers, doing the IT thing quite nicely.  We loved seeing both sets of our parents, and remembering how amazing (and COLD) Virginia is. We were truly pathetic the first couple of days-- the 60 degree damp weather was positively frigid compared to our normal Charleston weather.

On another super happy note, Seth's parents and aunt and uncle may be joining us for part of restaurant week! I am so, so excited. About the only thing to make it better would be my parents joining in the festivities. :-) We'll get there, though!

Anyways, yes, we had an amazing trip home, got Jon's Christmas present (which I left in Norfolk by accident, but compared to normal isn't bad to leave), and just in general had a wonderful, relaxing, family-filled trip. Next item on the list: get my camera so I can better record everything! I might give in and just get a cheaper camera, but I think I'll try to hold out for the camera I really want.

Cheers,
Cassi

A Fabulous Break

Break has been wonderful so far! To start...

Rosie swims! Woo.

Rosie loves the walks in the grass.

It's been a good break. I've been catching up on reading, including devouring the Deanna Raybourn series of Lady Julia Grey (<3), and packing the house primarily. Today, I finally got to try Raising Cane's, which isn't as good as Zaxby's but is still pretty dang enjoyable. We've been watching various shows I ignore all semester, like Eureka (which angers me in this current season) and Dr. Who (which is love!). Rosie hates the moving aspect, but is enjoying having me home. Seth's looking forward still to a short week, and then we go home!

Rosie keeps a close eye on me at the dog park.

We're (hopefully) going to Busch Gardens on Friday, and then enjoying Stockley Gardens Art Festival and seeing my amazing Grandmother and her art!

Rosie also says it's bedtime.

Cheers,
Cassi

Rosie at the Beach, and Swimming!

Good news first: Today, Rosie swam intentionally for the first time ever!
Bad news: Our dog 100% hates the beach. Like, not a little amount of hate, but glare-at-mom-and-dad and run-away hate. She got in the water, but she will not willingly go back in it.

Ever.

We'll take her back in the fall and stick to hiking and James Island with our little Roo.

So, yeah, we took her to the beach because we thought she'd like it, and she jumped over the waves (our dog can get super vertical and jump about 6 feet in distance effortlessly). Not so much. She was miserable, so we left after 20 minutes and took her to James Island instead, which was awesome because we got to see one of my favorite classmates and her ADORABLE Golden Retriever, Dallas! I wish I had photos, because he is a doll, and Rosie's decided he's her boyfriend for real. She loved him. It's been so nice to see people outside of school!

Also: Rosie SWAM!!! Since Seth and I were still dressed for the beach, we waded out in the water and got Rosie to finally come in and swim! By the end, she was like, eh, someone else can get the balls, but that's okay. I'll take her back Tuesday, and we'll try this swimming thing again. :-)

Speaking of swimming, Seth and I were finally able to go for a swim on Saturday again. I figure while I'm on break, I'm going to try to swim daily, even if just for 20 minutes or so. It's been awesome-- my lungs are finally getting better again and actually working like I think they should! It probably helps that I don't need to take my inhaler every couple hours from a stupid chest cold like earlier this year when I tried swimming, but I'm so excited to be able to do a couple laps without my lungs making me breathe way more often than I used to. I didn't realize how much I had let my asthma control my breathing until I went for a swim and had trouble holding my breath for more than a couple of seconds. *SO* depressing. Also, kind of scary after pathophysiology this semester, when I learned just how dangerous asthma really can be in the long term. Getting back in shape was a priority anyways, and I love, love, love swimming, so it's a double win to get my lungs whipped into shape while working on my body.

It's disappointing to not be able to go climbing, but the gym that was supposed to open in early March (like the 1st) is still not open, so we're just not dealing with it.  We're in Charleston, so we might as well enjoy it and take advantage of the sunshine and pool season pretty much year round!

Seth and I have also set a few things we're doing just for ourselves over the next couple months: Seth's getting Diablo III as soon as it comes out, and then his next big thing is to update his graphics card! He'll update this with details if anyone cares. My purchase that I'm super stoked about is getting a new camera! I'm kind of in love with the Nikon J1-- the weight is awesome, and it's just fun. I definitely want an easy to use DSLR, though, if we can swing it easily enough. Our "us" purchases are going to be our passports and then a patio set for our new porch! We found a set we like, so we're hoping memorial day will yield an awesome sale.

Anyways, that's all for this weekend!

Year One is DONE!

Our first year in Charleston is drawing to a close, and I am officially a second year occupational therapy student! I feel so incredibly blessed that I was put on the path to not only discover OT through one of the little girls I love most in this world, but that I have a supportive husband who helped me choose MUSC. We love Charleston, Seth loves his job, and I love my classes, teachers, and classmates.

It's been a crazy year. It's hard to believe that I'm done with so much! I feel like I've learned so, so, so much, but that I also have a ton left to learn.  I've been able to give back to the community, too, through the CARES program, which I am so passionate about. I've learned an insane amount through all of my different advisers through the CARES process, and I've met some amazing clients who I really adore. I love all that we're exposed to through our program, and look forward to working at MUSC's children's camp at the end of summer to work with constraint therapy.

One thing I learned is that I do appreciate hand therapy way more than I thought I did! I worked with an awesome clinician and was just like, oh, this is WAY cooler than I thought! He was amazing, and I had about 20 ah-ha moments in 2 hours. I still love, love, love pediatrics, though. Kids are so fun!

We're going home in less than a month to visit with our families, including a stop in the always awesome Busch Gardens! I see a Pierce's BBQ stop on the way as well. Although it may not live up to my Home Team Barbeque... Their mac and cheese is to die for! I am actually most excited to just have down time with our wonderful families, including my awesomest older cousins! (There are only 2, so they can both be the awesomest.) I'll be prepping Rosie for the car trip with daily visits sitting in the car while I catch up on my reading! I have a stack of 17 library books, plus all my normal books, to keep myself entertained. I am SO excited.

We're so excited to have a break and move to Mount Pleasant in just under a month! Time to watch a movie with Seth and just enjoy our time together without me panicking and studying and prepping. :-)

Cheers,
Cassi

A belated goodbye

One of my favorite people in this world. Emily, passed away from cancer late last year. I didn't keep in touch with her as I probably should have, but she is one of the people that you met and couldn't help but love. She was the true embodiment of a Macon Woman, living life abundantly in her passions, from loving her family to loving life despite cancer. It's hard for me to remember she's really gone-- I think of a couple random things that I associate with things from England or movie nights, and it's just so ridiculous to me that God would take away one of the best, most amazing women I've ever known. Of course, minutes later, I think, of COURSE God wants her, she's amazing and helped shape the people of this world through her goodness, her light, her passions, her lovely soul.

I was talking with Seth right after she died, and my first thought was, "She shouldn't be gone."She was one of the best people I've ever met. Not perfect, of course, but amazing nonetheless. I feel like she just had so much to offer the world, but at the same time, I do believe that God always has a plan, even when it doesn't make any sense at all to me. Emily was an amazing woman, beautiful inside and out. You hear that a lot, and it's turned into a platitude, something to tell yourself when someone you loved is gone, but it's also so true. She was one of the best people I've ever met, and I feel so blessed to have gotten to experience RMWC and England with her. <3

There was something that came up recently in classes that made me think of her, and I just wanted to share it with her. It wasn't anything major, just something I knew she'd appreciate, and it really sucked to realize that one of the people I thought I'd be seeing at Macon reunions for the next 60 years wasn't there to share with. I hope she knows she's in my thoughts and my prayers, and especially my memories, both in my mind and in photos. She is one of the people I think of first when it comes to my Alma Mater, as a true embodiment of "Vita Abundantior," and just remembering her acceptance of everyone and everything as they came make me strive to live my life to the fullest, taking advantage of all my blessings, and being grateful for the amazing women in my life.

I'm blessed, and I know it. If nothing else, I am blessed to have met Emily and be able to have the memories, photos, and stories I shared with her over the years. My prayers remain with Emily's family and friends, and with Emily herself, keeping an eye on everything and hopefully bringing her joy and enthusiasm to heaven even as I write this.

<3 Cassi

Hello, Spring Break!

It's been an awesome start to spring break. To begin with, Rosie met Jack, a Jack Russell mix:

She at first was a little overwhelmed, but then decided they should be BFFs. The only dog I've seen her love as quickly was Dante:

Later that day, we sadly discovered that I apparently need all new tires, so we're just getting them taken care of as soon as the new ones come in. But, on the happy side of life, we chose a new apartment! Assuming we're approved as we think we will be, we'll be living in Mount Pleasant at Paces Watch! We're downsizing to a one bedroom, but there's still going to be plenty of space, PLUS a screened in porch, PLUS direct access to Shem Creek, PLUS a fireplace, PLUS access to the screened in porch from the living room and our bedroom, PLUS we'll be right near the pool, AND there's going to be a dog park built by the time we move in. :-) Best of all in Seth's eyes, we won't be walking by the middle school every day. Which kind of makes us look like potential creepers. Eek.

I'm really excited by it! It's also closer to school, downtown, and Trader Joe's. It's also super dog friendly! While moving kinda sucks, we're stoked to be moving somewhere new while we're down here. The dining room will be my study area, and we're going to use my dressing screen to block off the area better.

To leave you with something completely awesome, here's Rosie, discovering her version of catnip in the grass.

<3 Cassi

Super Fast Housing Update

So, we found one apartment we kind of love in Mount Pleasant... But we may have also found a place downtown that'll work wonderfully for us. Here's hoping one of them works out!

It's (almost) Friday. And we so excited! :-P

(Unfortunately, that song's been stuck in my head all day.)

On that note, I'm done with classes for 2 weeks. Life is good.

OH! Aaaand....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWEEDLES!!! Enjoy the Quarter Century mark!

Check it! Tweedles Front and Center at the bottom!

<3 Cassi

To move or not?

So, Seth and I are trying to figure out what we want to do about our living situation. We love our apartment in some ways-- it works, it's in a nice enough area, and we have amazing staff here. (Seriously, <3 the staff!) We just found out today though that they're planning on redoing the pricing scheme in June, i.e. when our lease is up for renewal, and that's seriously terrifying. It could be just the normal 5% raise, which is annoying but normal, but it's also possible that they're going to do something else entirely re: the pricing scheme. We found an apartment we thought, but we went in to try to lock it in and were told it would be nearly $100 a month more than we had thought-- so not worth the move to a slightly less good location.

On the other hand, we're not going to be lifers down here; we've pretty much decided we want to move closer to our families, especially before we're in the family way, which hopefully, God willing, won't be for a couple more years. (I definitely need baby blinders-- they're freaking adorable and EVERYWHERE.) My cousin in law just posted a picture of her 2 month old son-- SO CUTE. I'm going to continue to hit "snooze" on that biological clock for a couple more years, though.

So, we're debating moving either to Mount Pleasant or closer to downtown if possible to take advantage of our time down here.

Rosie says she'll just sniff out over here while Mommy and Daddy think things through....

Update like 24 hours later: We're going to be downsizing! We're looking at one-bedrooms in Mount Pleasant, which is definitely exciting! We decided that, with only about 6 months left of classes at the end of this semester, it just makes more sense to choose somewhere we have closer access to downtown Charleston and the beaches for little Roo. <3 It's going to be literally the smallest space we've ever lived in, but we're hoping to gain good outdoor space, a closer commute for me, and hopefully (pretty pretty please) a more walkable neighborhood. I totally miss having a grocery store right nearby. If it doesn't work out, oh, well, but I can hope!

Spring break is super soon, and I think my brain needs a break. If nothing else, I'll get to enjoy SUNSHINE! Sun! Warmth! Puppy! BOOKS! Sun!

Puppy and Books and Sleep. <3

(I desperately need to get outside, apparently.)

It's also a great time to catch up on some studying for various classes, which is great. I'll even get to lunch with my husband at least once, and do my doctor's appointments. :-) Then, during the May break, we'll get to go home for a week and visit Stockley Gardens and see my grandmother's awesome artwork! Maybe we'll even get to go to Busch Gardens again!

Life's looking wonderful. We're so incredibly blessed, and grateful for everything we have going on in our lives right now.

Cheers,
Cassi

Our dog is SO weird!

We love our dog. We love all the compliments we get on our dog, especially that people think she's a miniature Irish Wolfhound. But our dog is nuts.

1. She loves spicy food. She'll steal hot sauce from me when she gets the chance, and is not deterred by the pretty high amounts of red pepper that happens with some dishes.
2. She LOVES getting sprayed by the water bottle. We're hoping to take a video later. It's supposed to be a deterrent, but she keeps trying to get us to spray it so she can drink from it.
3. She has no idea that she's not tiny.
4. She thinks cats should want to play with her. She really doesn't understand that cats don't like it when you sniff their rear ends.
5. She starts eating all her food she's spilled as soon as I start vacuuming it. But, if the vacuum is anywhere else near her, she runs away in terror. Or, drops her tennis ball on it.

But that's okay, because she lets me dress her up, move her around, carry her, and just in general make her move when she's in the way. Plus, while it drives me nuts, it's really cute that she comes over when I'm studying to make me play with her. :-)

She's definitely our baby girl.

This semester is a hot mess.

I have been awful about updating, but it's been insanely busy! We just got through our exam week (which was really a couple weeks of just non-stop exams and projects). Well, "just"-- it ended Monday. In addition to the exams, Rosie got sick randomly with a stomach bug, so we spent 2 nights in the veterinary ER-- the first night to fix the dehydration and tummy bug, the second to fix what they did the night before. Rosie got a lump from the water from the dehydration fix, so she got some antibiotics, but on Friday I had to take her to the vet yet again, because she couldn't walk at all. It was so sad! I literally had to carry her down the stairs... Then back up the stairs. She felt bad enough that she didn't even wiggle, she just sat in my arms as I carried her up the 4 flights. (It's the one time I really wished she was a tiny puppy.)

I feel like we've been really boring people, but it's been so, so nice to just be able to spend time together and talk! We started watching House Hunters on HGTV.com, and it was so much fun! HGTV and Food Network are pretty much the only things we really miss on Cable, so it was nice to catch up on our shows while I made a weighted snake! (Shown above with Rosie.) I want to make another one-- I apparently really like deep pressure on my shoulders, as it makes my upper traps relax. :-) We have been able to talk about where we want to end up, where we can see ourselves, and where I should look for fieldwork opportunities. It's coming up sooner than one might think!

Dr. Rosie agrees-- the real world is coming soon!

Also, I have the most patient dog ever.

This weekend was our catch-up-on-shopping weekend, so after a breakfast at Cracker Barrel (so much fun!), we went to Tanger Outlet. I am now in LOVE with JCrew, as their regular pants are long enough on me! They fit, too, in the waist, which is amazing. I also got 2 adorable knit tops in orange! I have an orange obsession right now apparently. JCrew has a 15% student discount, so we actually ran home so I could grab my ID before I bought anything. I also grabbed some super cute tops at Ann Taylor, which will be great for fieldwork in a couple weeks. :-)

Rosie decided that Daddy needed cuddle time when he was feeling under the weather. <3

Aside from that, Seth's doing the work thing, and I'm in school. Spring break comes after field work, and my only to-do is to finish The Hunger Games trilogy-- the first book was amazing, and I want to read the rest now! But I'm not allowed to pick them up until break. Books really are my one real addiction in life; I can give up anything else, except maybe music, but books = 100% needed, always.

Reason 145729 we <3 Charleston: It's spring in February, and we have pretty flowers on campus.

And the winter semester begins!

School started a week and a half ago, and thus far, it's been one heck of a semester. 8 a.m.s two days a week, and 8:30's the other two. It makes a girl wish she drank coffee! (And it definitely is a good thing for everyone else I'm near that I don't drink coffee, as anyone who's seen me on caffeine knows!) I actually really love our pathophysiology class, and have even been really enjoying musculo lab. I know that the basis for everything is needed before you get into the fun stuff for applications, but it's still nice to do more practical things now. :-) It just makes me feel like I'm going to be a real OT!

Seth is still doing well at work, and we're loving Charleston. We went to the Charleston Tea Plantation with my parents, and just in general had a lovely time with them as we celebrated Seth's birthday! Although I sadly keep thinking he's a year older he is. I made the mistake of doing bad math, forgetting the time of year when I added, so I am somehow convinced in my subconscious that his 30th birthday is next year. Fortunately, it's not, so there's a better chance that I'll get to spend his 30th b-day with him!

We got a couple last minute Christmas gifts, one of which included Chocolates from Seth's grandmother. I've decided I need to go down with Seth so I can learn how to make the chocolates myself. :-) I'm still madly in love with my Nook Tablet, although I did just order the Hunger Games trilogy in hardback so Seth can read it, too! I read the first one, and the library doesn't have 2 and 3, so I've been desperate to read them. Now I have to wait until next weekend, but still. I am currently a little in love with Peeta. I seriously hope the movies can live up to the book, because I was so ridiculously involved with the first one, and I know 2 and 3 are going to be just as fantabulous.

Although school just started, I am super glad that we have a 3 day weekend this week! Seth and I are enjoying a lazy day today, so tomorrow will be work day after church and grocery shopping. :-) I have a ton of objectives to do, so yay for long weekends to do catch up! Right now we're watching The Italian Job, which is always fun. "I said I had a bad experience!" So funny, every time. <3 Mos Def!

Best of all, we have some tentative plans for over the May break, just us and the Roo! I am ridiculously excited-- we're looking at a cabin in the mountains in North Carolina! We'll hopefully also have a chance to stop by Savannah either over May or over a long weekend while we're down here. I've been missing travelling to new places, as awesome as Charleston is, so I'm really excited to have a chance to go hiking and whatnot. :-)

And that basically covers all that's new in life until fieldwork kicks off.

Cheers,
Cassi