Counting the Weeks

I'm no longer simply, Mandy Murphy.  I am pregnant Mandy Murphy.  

People ask me every single day

     "How are you feeling?" 

     "Do you have a name picked out?"

     "How far along are you?" "When is baby due?" "Girl or boy?" 

     "Nursery colors? Have you painted? Is the crib put together?"

And sometimes..

     "How long are you going to work for?"

     "Are you going to get an epidural?"
     "Have you taken pregnancy classes?"

     "Do you have a pediatrician?"

     "Are you going to breastfeed?"

     "How long are you going to take off work?"

I'm getting used to...

     random people smiling at me...all the time.

     not being able to bend over very easily. 

     having to take it slow.
     those abdominal muscles cramping from moving too fast.    

     not being able to see, well, things.

     it being difficult to get in and out of a car. 

     not being able to do everything I want to do.

     relying more and more on my wonderful husband.

     weight gain being a good thing, but only within reason.

     thinking about everything I do and how it will impact baby. 

     the changes within my body.

     worrying about if baby is going to be healthy.

     feeling her movements. 

     dreaming about the day we get to hold her in our arms. 

     imaging what our precious girl will look like. 
     not drinking loads of coffee.
     not having a glass of wine after a stressful day. Or ever. 
     drinking TONS of water.

Yes.  I am pregnant Mandy Murphy, and although there are so many things to get used to, and I only named a few, I love it.  Granted, I am only 25 weeks into this pregnancy thing, (well, that is more than half way), I would do it all over again.  

Pre-pregnancy. 

YES we were planning/trying to having a baby.  No, we didn't really tell anyone. It was stressful enough every month when we realized we weren't pregnant, we didn't really want others to weigh in with "oh, I'm so sorry."  So, after many months, when I finally got that "+", it was VERY difficult not to spread the news that very moment we found out. And we were very excited to share the joy when we felt it was the right time.

The first trimester: 

1. Nausea. All the time. 

2. Fatigue. Like, real fatigue. Not just being tired. Being exhausted. 

3. Keeping baby a secret was tough. 

4. Is there really a baby in there? Thankful I had access to an ultrasound at work, so whenever I needed reassurance, I could take a peak. 

5. Baby GIRL!!!

The second trimester:

1.  Spreading the news! 

2. Energy? I've missed you!

3. Pickles and orange juice, yum.

4. Oh I feel her...and Brendan can feel her kick against my belly too. AND we can see her movements.  And..the feeling her thing, it's all the time now. 

5. HELLO BELLY!

6. Back pain, a little. 

7. Swollen feet/ankles, starting to notice at the end of the day. 

8. Sleep? I almost forgot. I'm not getting much of that. 

Ok, so back to those questions. 

I'm feeling pretty good, overall.  Since I'm not sleeping well, I've adjusted to feeling tired.  It's much different than the fatigue from the first trimester.  It probably feels how anyone would feel, pregnant or not, if they weren't sleeping well. I have decided this is to help me get used to the rest of my life.  Not sleeping, because of baby, or child, or teen, or maybe even adult.  

Yes, we have a name. No, we aren't sharing that just yet. 

Our weeks start on Thursdays, so, I am 25 weeks and 3 days.  Don't ask me how many months, because that is confusing, and doesn't help.  Pregnancy is 40 weeks. Baby's due date is 02-16-2017. 

Nursery will be pink, gold, white, neutrals. We have a rocker and a crib (which isn't put together yet).  We have paint samples in the room, we will pick the color...soon..?

I'm going to work as long as I can! I love my job and don't want to stop working until I have to.  I'm getting time off, and it'll be hard to go back no matter what. Good thing I love what I do, and I'll love coming home to my little family as well. 

Breastfeeding? I surely hope it works out.

The rest, well, the rest doesn't have to be shared. And really, none of it does.  The birth plan is mine, and ours, and the people who need to know it, know it.  It'll change. It already has. At the end of it all, the only thing that matters is baby comes out and is healthy. So, that's all anyone else should focus on too.  

What else?....

Brendan has been amazing throughout this entire thing!  He's truly my rock in all this.  Steady. Patient. Kind. Loving. Couldn't have a better partner. Couldn't have a better man. 

I am most nervous about the delivery.  Pretty much all of it.  But, getting more and more used to the idea that my body is made for this.  And the rest of it, I know we can do it.  Will it be easy? Don't worry, I'm not fooling myself.  

Oh, and baby girl clothes..well, they are just the cutest!! THE. CUTEST. 

We love her so much and our love for her grows with each day. 

That's it for now. 

xoxo
The Pregnant Mandy Murphy

     

     

Le Jules Verne

Day 1: After gearing up for the cold weather, we were off into the streets of Paris.  We had reservations at Le Jules Verne, a fancy restaurant in the Tour de Eiffel on the second floor.  Ha, the second floor. It's about 38 stories up!! We started the walk, but after a mile or so decided we should take a taxi and walk after lunch. We arrive at the tower, and boy is it magnificent! One cannot simply describe how it feels to be standing in front of such an iconic building.  We take a few photos and then head to the entrance.  We get to skip the line (hundreds of people) because we have reservations at La Jules Verne.  Aren't we just special?  So, we go to our entrance and go through a small security check.  As directed, we enter a lift to start the trek up.  It's surely an experience.  Of course the questions of "um how old is this lift?" run through my mind. I quickly stop those thoughts and take it in.  The Tower is actually a brown-ish color for our visit. We arrive at the restaurant and are seated right next to a window! It was beautiful. ( I don't think I know enough adjectives for these blog posts about our trip!!)

We then are "greeted" by a "lovely" waitress who clearly favored French couples over American couples.  She wasn't the most kind waitress, but, she brought us water, when we flagged her down :-) There were several people "assigned" to our table. Someone else took our order, another gentleman brought our food, etc.  We had no idea what to order. All the food was for sure fancy and for true foodies.  So, we decided we would try the duck as an appetizer and the fish for our meal.



We are presented with a strange shooter filled with... a creamy substance? and chunks of what we guessed was duck?..we still don't know.  ------->



They then brought our appetizer...pictured below. It was strangely textured and the flavor was...different. We each had one plate like this.  Brendan pretty much finished his, I left a good portion on my plate. The veggies were really good though!!

 Side note: About four days later, while talking to a lovely Parisian, we realize this "duck" we had was really duck or goose LIVER. Yup. Liver. For a once vegetarian, still picky about meat person, this was maybe the most awful part of the entire trip. I ate an organ? I ate the organ that filters all the bad stuff...gross. I can't even think about it anymore. But, it was worth mentioning.

 The picture above is the fish.  I wish I could remember what kind of white fish it was, but honestly, it's nothing to ask for again. It was alright. It was served with some sort of veggies and potatoes.  Eh, it was nothing like what we can get on the coast of Florida.

Then came the good stuff....Delicious desserts! If Parisians know anything, it's how to make desserts!  I tell ya, that was by far my favorite food group in Paris.
Each of us had a delicious chocolate concoction --------------------->
And then shared the rest. There is something about marshmellows in Europe and the UK.  They are really big into making home-made marshmellows.  That's what the cubes of white and black are below. They were fine, but the rest was the best.  The orange macaroons were my first taste of this dessert.  They were very very tasty.  
I did like it, but I still think I'd pick cookies or chocolate over them :-) Also we had some sort of peanut ice cream and of course espresso. I think the price was overrated for this restruant, but the view was amazing and the desserts were one of a kind!  (Maybe the meal was one of a kind, but not a good kind that's for sure ;-) )

After almost two hours in the restaurant, we embarked on our journey of the tower.  We walked around the second floor platform and then walked down to the first floor. It was an insane amount of steps!!  We decided to take the lift down to the ground. 

 

I'm off to take a run with Renny now... I have to get my exercise in now because I'm meeting up with some friends for a wine night...need to burn off the calories ahead of time ;-)  More on day one and the rest of Paris soon!!!! 

Arrival in Paris

Paris, the city of love. 

We arrived very early in the morning, about 7:30am Paris time. Now is the time to mention that Paris is 6 hours ahead of Florida time (which we had adjusted to when there for the holidays).  Neither of us slept on the flight.  We arrive at baggage claim and were so happy to see our bags! We then realize we didn't plan on how to get to the apartment from the airport. So, we found out there was a bus that could take us from the airport to the center of Paris.  Before we left the airport, we thought we needed to have the rest of the rent for the apartment in Euros, so we tried to pull out some money.  After buying the bus tickets our bank put a hold on our account.  We hoped for the best and got on the bus.

Once we get to the bus stop, we realized we didn't know where we were!! So, we hailed a taxi and got to the apartment.  We could've walked, but considering we couldn't tell east from west and had all of our luggage, we just paid the fare and didn't think twice about it.

We arrive to our apartment, which presents to us as a huge door with a code box out front.  I pull out the reservation and contract and find the code. 

One hurdle down.  Then we walk in through a hallway and find our selves in a courtyard with many doors.  We felt like Alice.  We looked again at the contract and followed the instructions.    

Into door B we go.  Hurdle two down.  We have to make it to the sixth floor with four suitcases, a backpack, and a satchel. We enter door B and see a TINY elevator surrounded by a circular staircase.

We can't read the instructions on the side of the elevator because of course it is in French.  All I could make out, from my little bit of French training in high school,  was that it didn't seem to say anything about "do not ride" or "do not use." Brendan says he will go first, with his suitcases. After he manages to squeeze in the elevator, by stacking his suitcases upright on each other, he closes the door and pushes floor 5.

 (This photo is actually of the LARGER elevator we used the rest of the trip).

Hurdle 3 down? Not quite.  As he ascends, there is a small window in the elevator door, and I see him and the elevator go up a few inches, down a few inches, up a few inches, down a few inches, up....clanking the entire way up.  I was terrified for him!  I wait about 15 minutes, and nothing.  No Brendan coming back down to get me or to tell me to take the elevator up.  So, I yell "Brendan?" about 5 times.  I hear suitcases rolling around above my head, but no answer from Brendan. Ok, that's it...I decide to climb the stairs with all my luggage. I was sure Brendan was abducted and somehow I was going to get him out of it.  Now I am clink clanging the entire way up the staircase.  I get to the top, and a few seconds later, I see Brendan's smiling face.  " I found Patrick!"  Patrick is who we were renting the place from.  I was terrified and just walked 5 flights of stairs with 80 pounds. But, all is well, because we now know where we are going....or so I thought. Brendan then says he doesn't know how to get back to the apartment. I had to just laugh!  Eventually we start walking down a hall and Patrick arrives.  Brendan and Patrick help carry my luggage up the last flight of stairs to the sixth floor (which was only accessible in one hallway).  Yay, we've arrived at the apartment. Whew!!!

Our apartment was so wonderful....TINY, but wonderful. We had all we needed.  Patrick gave us some tips about Paris, accepted credit card (which I got working after calling the bank) and then left. We spent a few minutes there wrapping our heads around the fact we were in Paris.  Then we hit the streets!

We have returned!

We have returned from our dream vacation!!! I (Mandy) have decided to blog our vacation details because we weren't able to keep everyone informed of what we were up to! We'd love to share our journey and give a little detail to our days abroad.  I'm going to try to include the little stories, but some may end up being long! So hang in there, or just skip those posts! They'll come in every day or so, and I'll include photos, too. 

First, we have arrived back in Texas and are just about done unpacking and doing laundry.  Brendan said to me "wow, we are home!" when we walked in the door on Monday. We've been gone for over a month! It's nice to be back in our own home.

We returned and the girls adjusted very well. Renny and Molly were even left alone in the house for about 10 minutes and they didn't destroy anything! Quite surprising.  But, (there is always a BUT..), Renny did manage to get some near-by clothes when she was in her crate. I guess it was about time I got rid of that Holister cardigan anyway...

I talked to our neighbor Sarah (Renny's boyfriends mom, who is also becoming one of my close friends) and I was so excited to get the dogs together. BUT (see what I mean about those but's!) CJ isn't feeling well and hurt his hip, so they won't be able to play until next week. Bummer.  Renny will just have to deal with walks with mom or dad.  Maybe a dog park visit is in the plans...or should be at least! Poor thing gets so car sick I hate to put her back in there, and she will not want to get in.

Brendan started classes yesterday, so far so good. He has two late nights, which might stink when I go back to being in the clinic, but it's only temporary!  He also has classes Monday-Friday, no weekday off this semester, which is different for him.  He seems to be excited for this semester and is looking forward to his internship this summer.  He's moving right along with his degree and doing so wonderful. He's also getting an idea of what part of electrical engineering he likes, so that will help him with his job search!  I am so proud of him.

I am on my "professional development" month, so I have online work to do.  Hence why I am going to try my best to blog about our trip now.  Next month is Women's health, and then is Pediatrics. I'll be spending time the next couple weeks brushing up on that so I am prepared. I can also start the application for my license. That is crazy. But it takes awhile to process, and they encouraged us to get all the information we could in as soon as we can.  I'll be starting to look for jobs in the next few months as well. I haven't decided exactly what I want to do, but time will tell!

Brendan and I are trying to do our own version of the Paleo diet.  I say our own version because I do not see Brendan NOT drinking milk! He loves milk. And also, I already made turkey meatballs, which sound healthy but have oats in them, and those are a no no on the Paleo diet. So, we are basing our new lifestyle off the Paleo ways, but we aren't going to be ridiculous about it!  I'm even eating eggs again so I can have a non-carb breakfast.  I was shocked to find that my grocery bill was under budget after purchasing the fruit, veggies and meat for the week. This lifestyle may just work!  We are also going to get back in the gym.  I don't have clearance to work out from the cardiologist but walking and weights should be fine. I have to get moving! 

That's our update for now. Stay tuned for the first post about our trip!!!

Time Flies

Well, it's been awhile since our last post...but, things have been wonderful!  We took a quick trip back to Florida to celebrate Darren's 10 year transplant anniversary, I'm now in my third clinical rotation, Brendan finished up his internship and has now started his Fall Semester at UH, the fur babies are doing very well together, Renegade has a boyfriend, I have made an awesome new girl friend, Brendan has taken on a leadership position with IEEE...lots of stuff!!

First, the trip to Florida was much needed.  Because we went home for such a huge celebration, we got to see a lot of our family and friends.  My forever friend, Brittany, came over early Saturday morning and helped us prepare the house for the 80-something guest we would have!   It was awesome to have her over early so we could really spend some time together before the crowd arrived.  Dana, my brother Jerry's girlfriend (sorry to use the term girlfriend, Dana, but ladyfriend sounds too old!) was there and she is amazing.  She fits right in with our family, it was nice to spend time with her.  My sister and her boyfriend were in town to celebrate, and she is so very happy.  It was my first time meeting George, and he fits in perfectly as well.  Sheri is in love and is looking more beautiful than ever.  It's amazing what love does to you!   I don't know what's going on, but it seems everyone in the family is really in a good place in life...happy and in love! Aunt Connie and Uncle Frank were also in from across the state...they are wonderful and every time we get to see them is a treat for sure.  One of the most special guests was Darren's nurse...she was there for us through the challenging times of his transplant. I think every one in my family cried when we saw her. We are so thankful for everything she did for Darren and the family during that time. She is a very special person and it was absolutely amazing to have her there with us celebrating 10 years.  She now lives very close to my family in Florida, and we hope to continue to build our friendship with her. She is an awesome person.  There were so many other guests who came in and out throughout the day.  My other family, the Gaines, were there.  I couldn't have gotten through the transplant without them...I lived with them while trying to make it through junior year of high school, and on the weekends I would drive up to see Darren in Gainesville. Without the Gaines, I don't think I would have come out of the challenges the way I did. They provided a stable home for me live and provided nothing but a loving environment.  Anyway, it was a fabulous day celebrating the life of my brother, one of my best friends.  We are very lucky... I could write a novel about the guests we had to celebrate Darren's life, and that alone is a gift.  We are surrounded by nothing but love.  Darren has been surrounded by love this entire time.  He has amazing support and he is living life to the fullest.  Of course, we are forever thankful to his donor family.  You have the power to give the biggest gift, the gift of life.  Be an organ donor.

So, Brendan has finished up his internship and started his Fall semester. He has taken on a leadership position, as the Chair of Company Outreach for the electrical engineering organization at UH. He is just kicking butt, and I couldn't be more proud.

I am in my third month of my surgical/emergency medicine block.  I loved the emergency department, learned a lot in general surgery, and now I am in Urology.  I have had two job offers already.  I can't believe it!  Another cool thing, is a PA I am working with has changed fields multiple times. He went from EENT to Urology and is also picking up shifts in the Emergency Department. It's awesome that he is actually doing this, because this flexibility is something that attracted me to the PA field. I have a huge exam at the end of this rotation, so I'll be spending more time studying this month than the last few months.

Renegade has a boyfriend.  His name is Captain Jack, or CJ. He is a handsome golden retriever who is also 5 months old.  He lives in our neighborhood so they have been having play dates here.  We also went to the dog park together.  Renny still LOVES the dog park.  They are adorable. They even give eachother real kisses.  CJ came over with his parents the other night and the 7 of us had a great time...until Renny broke a wine glass with red wine in it all over the couch.  No worries...we got the wine out just fine. WHEW.  (And Renny is now not allowed on the couch.  She's learning pretty quickly, which is awesome.)  Molly hung out with the people, and the two puppies had a blast.  I really get along with CJ's mom.  It's nice to have a girl friend to hang out with.  We got pedicures and did some shopping yesterday.  It was a really nice day :-)

We are thinking of renting a house next year if we are committed to staying in TX another year. Depends on jobs, etc. But we would love to have more space!! It's ok when it is just the four of us, but when anyone comes over it feels a little cramped.  Plus it would be nice to have a fenced in backyard for Renny.

We also have made a huge purchase.  We bought a new fancy dancy camera!  Why??? Because we are planning a trip to EUROPE!!!!  We are going to be going to Europe this December-January.  We are starting off in Paris.  We are still deciding where else to go.  We just realized today that Brendan doesn't start classes until Jan 20, so we have a lot of time that we could spend in Europe.  We are thinking of maybe expanding the trip to London, too.  We are so excited.  We want to take advantage of this time off together because soon we won't have that, or it won't be as easy to have that.  And sooner or later there will be little non-fur babies running around.  So, we are biting the bullet and planning an awesome Just the Two of Us trip to Europe!!

College Football is back and we couldn't be more excited.  Can't wait to see our Noles play tonight.

Hoping to get some family photos soon with our new camera.

My mom is going to come into town the weekend Brendan goes to Austin for his brothers bachelor party.  I am really looking forward to that.

Three more weeks in urology/urosurgery, then a huge test, then I start Internal Medicine Block with my first month in Pulmonology, and then I go to the VA for IM and Mental Health.  I still haven't decided where I'd like to start my PA career, but I do know now more than ever that this is 100% the right career for me!

I'll try to be better about updating, and fill y'all in on the little details and small stories.

Life is good. We are healthy and happy.  Couldn't ask for anything more.

Life is Precious

Warning: Sensitive, frightening content.

After a wonderful experience walking in a 5K at the Transplant Games of America, we were hot, tired and headed home.  When approaching Interstate 45, we noticed the one lane, one direction, HOV lane was "OPEN" and ready for use. As getting on the highway, we even commented on the service vehicle at the entrance monitoring, as there always is when it is open. We are cruising along enjoying the beautiful day, discussing our options for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Were we to go to Galveston Island and take the free ferry and see the dolphins and wildlife? Were we to hang out by our pool? What about going back into Houston later that night to our favorite Mediterranean restaurant and for the opening ceremony for the Transplant Games of America? What about going to the dog park with Renny? We had so many options and were not quite sure what we were going to do!  The only thing we knew is we wanted to go home for a shower, see our fur babies, and recharge for a little while.

BRAKE, PROTECT YOUR HUSBAND, PROTECT YOURSELF, STAY ALIVE, STAY UPRIGHT, DON'T HIT THE RAIL, CONTROL THE SHAKING WHEEL, STAY OVER FAR ENOUGH NOT RAM INTO THE STREET SWEEPER HEADED STRAIGHT FOR YOU, YOU ARE NOT READY TO DIE. THIS ISN'T THE END.

Thoughts. Worries. Fears. Yes, those were all thoughts racing through my mind that Saturday morning.  I was staring death straight in the face. I was looking at a possible end to my husbands life, my life, and looking directly into what could be a tragedy. I was trying to minimize the damage ahead, minimize the trauma, save our lives.  I still get emotional thinking about this time. It was almost one week ago, and I still get shaky and anxiety just going through the memory, let alone getting in a vehicle.

Going 65 miles an hour in the HOV lane is considered conservative.
I am thankful I was conservative that day.

Being distracted by changing a song on the radio or cd is a common occurrence.
I am thankful I was not changing a song that day.

Being distracted by the phone ringing, searching for your phone..common occurrence.
I am thankful I was not searching for my phone that day.

Talking on the phone with one hand on the wheel, seems innocent enough.
I am thankful both hands were on the wheel that day.

Looking around at ones surroundings while driving...also a seemingly innocent happening.
I am thankful I was looking straight ahead that day.

Falling asleep, drooping eyelids, tired eyes, yawning, even sneezing...all things that can disrupt driving.
I am thankful I was awake, eyes wide open that day, with no allergies/sneezes that day.

Trusting yourself.
I am thankful my instinct was to trust myself that day.

Staying calm in a terrifying moment.
I am thankful I was able to stay calm in a terrifying moment that day.

Wheel shaking, centimeters away from the side concrete barrier, the street sweeper zoomed by my left only centimeters away from us. I was clenched, muscles tight, forehead scrunched, expecting an impact of some sort. Terrified.

As we screeched by, we still went another 15-20 feet...yes, still 15-20 feet.. After slamming on the brakes, and the street sweeper doing the same, we still were 15-20 feet away AFTER passing each other. If it weren't for every inch of that lane, we would have slammed head first into each other.   Due to every inch of that lane, we walked away, no external scrapes or injuries to our bodies or the vehicles.

A few minutes later, another car abruptly stopped facing the halted street sweeper.  They stated they also got on the HOV lane in downtown Houston and because the signs said open.  Who's at fault? The city.

Scratches and injuries did occur.  They are internal.  They are in our minds and our hearts.  We are changed. This experience has truly impacted me and Brendan in a large way. We are recovering together.

There are so many questions we ask. So many thoughts.
Our focus:

*We are ok. We are here. We are alive.*

Those three short phrases must be repeated in my mind countless times a day.

We love our life together, we love planning for our future, we love our families, we love our friends, we love our little girl dogs, we have so much happiness in our lives.  We are so thankful we are still here to create more memories together and more memories with our family and friends.

Driving is difficult for us.  It is especially hard for me right now.  I know we will get through it. Together, the two of us will get through this. We can overcome anything, together.

Ask me how I am and I will say ok. Because thankfully, I am. I am ok.

PLEASE never use any HOV lane. Driving is risky enough, don't make it even more dangerous.  Pay attention, get a blue tooth headset, have a car playlist, focus, be awake. Because if you don't, it is not worth it. It is not worth the trauma it could cause, whether you survive or not. Just avoid it these things. And avoid the HOV lanes.

Please, if you read this, just promise me, heck, promise yourself, you will forever stay away from any HOV lane.

And, drive safely. You never know when you may need those two hands on the wheel, those two eyes on the road ahead, and that brake so easily accessible by that foot.

Quick Update!

Whew!  We have had a busy few weeks!! Brendan is still doing a fabulous job at his internship. I have started clinical rotations!  But, before any of that happened, my brother, mom, dad, and grandpa visited us here in good ole' Texas!!

We had a wonderful time with them...Darren and I even got to have some time, just the two of us, which was really special!  While they were here, we went to the Natural Science Museum, Mood Gardens, Space Center!,Kemah, Galveston, and a lot of other fun places!! We had such a great time with them all here.  We sure do miss being near our family.

I started rotations off in the Emergency Department at one of the many Houston hospitals.  Due to HIPPA, I can't really talk about much of the details, but I have been able to do some procedures! I have sutured (actually did that one my very first day!!) and have done a pelvic exam, assisted in a draining a pleural effusion, performed an infected toe nail removal..just to name a few of the experiences thus far :-) I am absolutely loving clinicals. Last week was tough, I had 3 night shifts in a row! But I adjusted and actually I am now having a harder time getting back to a normal schedule than I had getting in the groove of the night schedule.

Renegade is still a puppy...that's for sure! We thought we had it all figured out...we have been putting her *and* Molly in their respective crates at bed time....well, last night...in the middle of the night I feel a "thump, thump, thump" on my legs...Miss Renny got out of her crate and jumped into bed with us! It was pretty funny actually. Time to start putting the MasterLock back on her crate!  She is already 20 pounds! Molly is doing better and the two seem to be getting a long much better now.

Tomorrow Brendan and I are going into the city to participate in the Transplant Games of America!  We are going to walk a 5K and see some events.  We were going to volunteer, but with rotations, by the time I knew my schedule, we couldn't find spots that would work! So, walking in the 5K and watching some events will have to do!!

Just wanted to give a quick update on the Texas Murphy Family and let y'all know we are still alive and well!

The Brown Palette

From the puppy to the Murphy's visit to finishing up didactic year...a lot has happened in the past few weeks!

Best thing comes first...POOP. I tell ya, never had I seen so much poop...all over our bathroom. No, Brendan didn't eat terrible Mexican food. Nor did the cast of Bridesmaids make an appearance in our home.  The lovely brown masterpiece was created from our one and only artist....Renegade.  It was the first day since we adopted Renny that both Brendan and I were going to be gone for several hours. We didn't want to leave her in her crate for too long...but we didn't know how she'd be with Molly in the rest of our home either.  The bathroom was "our only choice."  Now this choice wasn't such a great idea a few days prior when we had to throw out our MacGyver-ed barrier between the bathroom and the hallway and replace it with a higher store purchased gate.  Renny still tried to escape by climbing...meanwhile breaking her nail and causing a trip to the vet to stop the bleeding.  Anyway, after that we realized we needed to try to block her from climbing...that didn't work so well and she just managed to get out.  So, the door had to be shut and she had to be isolated...I didn't like it, but thought it was the best option.  Well, some may say at least my apartment wasn't the victim of her puppy poo. However, I really don't have any positive thing to say about our experience.  After cleaning the bathroom, once by me, and again by Brendan, our bathroom was back in business. Since then, we decided maybe it wasn't a good place for her, if she has to go poo we don't want her to be confined to such a small area that forces her to dance in it.  I mean elephants painting with their trunk is amazing, but puppies painting with their poopy feet, ehhh not so much.  We have tried putting her in her crate, after increasing the size a little bit, and leaving the crate out in the dining room.  Well, she managed to escape her crate...MULTIPLE times.  Running the house with Molly.  We were curious to what exactly went on when we weren't home...after many failed attempts, we finally got them on video when we were gone.  Renny and Molly got along just fine and after about 20 minutes of Renny crying and running around like a crazy dog, she settled down on the couch and slept. Let me not forget to mention the table...oh yes, she climbed up onto the dining room table.  ON TOP OF THE TABLE.  We have now moved all of the chairs into the study, and have temporarily (I hope) given up eating at the table. Anyway, she sure has given us our challenges.  And I thought the hardest thing was going to be waking up in the middle of the night to take her out...HA!  She's actually proven to be pretty smart and catching on to the potty training thing very quickly!  (minus the poop party, although the original pile was indeed on a training pad)  She has successfully slept through the night (by accident..), waken us up if she has needed to go out, and gone to the bathroom on a training pad when we have been gone.  Oh, did I mention we now just leave her out with Molly most of the time?  Occasionally we may need to lock, literally lock, her in her crate, but not much.  So, that's the Renegade update for now...

Cheryl and Joe were here!  I can't describe how wonderful it was to see them and spend time with them.  We had a fabulous time.  We showed them Kemah and the boardwalk, the new BUC-EES (it's a Texas thing), some good Texas Bar-B-Q, Mediterranean food in Houston, they took us to see WarHorse (FABULOUS!) and also an Astros game, and we spent some time just hanging out at our home...I tell ya, it was pretty amazing.  They even stayed an extra day!  We really miss our families, so, it's so nice that they were able to come over and spend time here with us.  It was the perfect time for them to come, too.  My summer wasn't so bad, and Brendan's internship allows him to be free over the weekends.  I was able to pretty much take the weekend off, and only study early in the morning.  We didn't want them to leave...I feel so lucky to have married into such an awesome family.  I mean, seriously...that is truly a blessing!  Hopefully they will be back soon, but they are busy with Joe and Kristen's wedding, so I'm thinking our next time together will probably be in Florida.  Regardless, we are so happy they were here and so thankful we were able to spend so much quality time together!

Soon after they left, I finished up didactic year!  I had a pretty intense practical exam in my skills class, which was probably the most challenging thing of the summer.  I had to go into it not knowing exactly what I had to do...turns out, I had to do a subcutaneous injection, a urethral catheterization, and then three vertical mattress sutures and five simple interrupted...all timed..all with a faculty member closely watching.  It was stressful, but I feel confident in my clinical skills, so I just have to trust that!  I can't believe my first year of PA school is actually over.  It's unreal.  I have learned SO much, but still feel there is lots to learn, but that's medicine for ya! My rotations start June 30, and I start out in the emergency department.  Should be pretty fun!  Clinical orientation is this next week, and then we have one week off.

This Wednesday, my mom and dad are going to be here!  Grandpa is coming with them, too!  And then on Friday, Darren is flying in! I can't wait.  I really can't believe Darren is coming here!  I never thought I'd get him into Texas.  I know we are going to have a blast while they are here...just being together with them is going to be a treat!  I don't know our plans, all I know is we will be hanging together as many minutes out of those days as possible.  Unfortunately, it's pretty freaking hot here...but, we will try to not let that limit us.  Only a few nights and they'll be here...woohoo!

Brendan is still kicking butt at his internship.  He is currently programming the plans of the river authority onto a computer interface screen so they can monitor and control the pipes from a screen....EH, I don't know if I explained that well enough, but just know he is a rock star at his internship!

Ok, off to bed...this whole 5am wake up thing has made it pretty difficult to stay up late.

RENEGADE!

OK, here is the story!  Brendan and I were talking about Molly and how anxious she gets when we leave her home.  We both had heard from several people that if a dog has separation anxiety it can help them to have a friend.  So, we talked it over.  We talked dogs, cats, fish, you name it, we talked it.  We talked about the different responsibilities of each pet and after much debate we settled on fish...(What? Fish? How in the world would fish help Molly?)  

We went to PetSmart to go pick out some fish..yes, seriously.  We couldn't decide on any, and almost simultaneously we looked at each other and said "This is not going to help Molly!" (We finally came to our senses)  Right next to the fish was about 10 cats, poor cats..they had to be next to the fish!  Luckily, they couldn't see that they were right next to a thousand yummy treats!  We went in the cat room and were able to play with them all.  There was one particular cat that we both really liked!  We thought, well hey, cats are easily trained and Molly loves her cat cousin Mr. Brooks, so maybe this would work!  After about 45 minutes playing with Casper the cat...or like we called him, Garfield..we realized we were both WAY too allergic.  Brendan was sneezing and I was breaking out in a rash and our eyes were watering...needless to say, we realized we were not meant to be cat people.  

We then left PetSmart.  We both realized we really wanted a dog, and that we were just being absolutely CRAZY thinking about fish or a cat.  We are not cat people!  Not that there is anything wrong with cat people...especially after we know Mr. Brooks and then met Casper, we can totally see how people can become cat crazy.  But, we were never as excited about a cat or fish as we were when we really started discussing if we could get a new dog.  We carefully planned out all of the ins and outs of having a new puppy, and decided we could "abso-posit-utley" get a new dog.  We wanted to rescue a dog this time and really truly save an animal.  

So, as we headed to Galveston the next day, we toyed with the idea of stopping at the Galveston Humane Society.  Brendan warned, "You know this is a kill shelter, right? We may leave being really sad."  And I said "I understand.  But, not matter what, we aren't going home with any new animal without us bringing Molly to meet it.  So, either way, we can't take any new fur baby home today."  That made both of us feel better.  Also, since this was the Saturday before Memorial Day, we were going to have two days before the shelter was open again.  Giving us plenty of time to marinate with the idea, if we did indeed see a pup that just had to be ours. 

Turns out, on that Saturday afternoon, Brendan spotted a little mutt that he thought we should play with.  As soon as we got into the play room with her, she walked right up onto Brendan's lap and just wanted some love.  We played with her for about 45 minutes.  We were so excited and nervous at the same time.  We knew we had to leave her that day and come back with Princess Molly to see if we could make this puppy a Murphy.  The shelter allowed us to put her on hold until the end of the day on Tuesday.  We spent the next two days puppy proofing and creating a home for a puppy.  We were anxious and excited...so much pressure was on little Molly! 

 So, after creating a nice warm welcoming home (the bathroom is now hers...), Tuesday two of my study buddies (and now close friends) accompanied me to the shelter with Molly.  Brendan had to work and wouldn't have made it to the island before the shelter closed.  The three of us and two dogs spent well over an hour together at the shelter.  Molly wasn't extremely welcoming, but she was tolerating the puppy the best she knew how and the puppy would listen if Molly tried to put her in her place.   Basically, the interaction was better than I thought it would be, and Brendan trusted me to make the right decision...so, the adoption took place!  Now we have a new fur baby, Renegade (named after the FSU mascot, of course!).  She has already thrown some challenges our way, but we knew going into this it wouldn't be easy!  We love her already and can't wait until Molly and Renegade become best friends :)  

That's all for now, time to redo a quiz (technology got me today...as I submitted a 40 minute quiz there was an error and the entire thing had to be reset...just got an email from my professor saying it's ready for me to attempt again)  and do a little suture practice and studying!  Cheryl and Joe are coming into town tonight for the weekend and I am going to try my best to not have too much school work to do! It's so exciting to have family here!!! More updates to come later!  

One year!

Wow, I can't believe Brendan and I celebrated our one year anniversary already!  Time flies when you are married to the love of your life :-)  We had a great day.  Brendan had to study for half of the day (he had a final exam the next day).  He was able to get home in the late afternoon.  We opened cards/gifts from family and friends and are so very thankful for being surrounded by love...even if it is from afar. Since this year is the "paper" year we tried to base our gifts to each other off of that, and actually our family did too!  Uncle Frank and Aunt Connie gave us a digital photo frame that anyone can send us pictures to and it will display them!  So, that gift is the "new age" paper medium, and still qualifies as a "paper" gift to us!  Our best friends, Tina and MJ, sent us a USA map.  The purpose of this map is to get pictures of ourselves during a visit to a particular state, cut it out in the shape of that state, and place them over the state on the map.  It's super cool and creative.  Tina already cut out Texas, California, and Florida and added pictures.  We are currently on the hunt for pictures from a few other states to get them added...we LOVE the gift.  We also exchanged gifts between the two of us.  I am the lucky recipient of various personally made coupons from Brendan!  I can't wait to use these...including a mani/pedi, or shopping day, or movie night, etc etc etc..all the things I love, he has made me coupons that I can present to him ANY TIME!  I framed our wedding vows that we wrote for each other and decorated them.  They are now on our wall.  I hope that we never forget the words we spoke that day and forever live by them.  So far, so good.  Also I created a binder where we are going to keep our goals and achievements documented.  Hopefully we will update this yearly and have a pretty cool memory book to look back on.  We also went out to our favorite Sushi restaurant and then even ice cream afterwards! That was a huge treat. We had a nice evening!

We also decided to treat ourselves after we have so carefully been spending/saving money as our first year rolled by.  We also both are working so hard in school, we thought we could reward ourselves a little...We each got new iPads!!  I was encouraged by the second year PA students to purchase this for rotations, and Brendan has been eyeing his friends at school who use these during lecture for note taking.  This will save him a backache or two!!  We both LOVE them already.  

Last week I finished up Great Syndromes.  This course was a speedy course, only 4 weeks, and covered an enormous amount of information.  It consisted of lectures and small group/problem based learning sessions.  The PA school (first years) and the medical school (second years) students are all mixed up together in this course.  It was really interesting to see where we were at comparatively in our knowledge base.  The medical students knew a lot more about pathophysiology than we did, but we held our own on some subjects (particularly HIV) and pharmacological treatments.  It was an awesome experience because technically we should be around the same base of knowledge with each other, and I think we were.  I read some pretty neat comments that my small group said about me (we had to comment on each of our 8 other small group students).  That was a confidence booster for sure...which is nice to have right before clinical rotation start!  We still do not know our final grades...but we are anxiously awaiting!  BUT, Brendan got his last grade of the semester yesterday...and he ROCKED it! I am so very proud of him.  He is doing great in engineering and he truly seems to be enjoying learning this material.  It's hard, but he is a hard worker and very determined for success.  

Last weekend was really nice.  Neither of us had too much going on, and we were pretty much able to just enjoy each other!! We went wandering around various stores and places around town...just to be out in the "real world!"  We also checked out Fresh Market, which just opened up last week!  It was awesome. So many goodies and delicious foods.  We also checked out a new Buc-ee's...it's a Texas thing...it's literally a giant gas station with Texas gifts, Buc-ee the beaver gifts, all the different sodas, or icees, or candy or snacks you could want, and this one was beach-themed because it is on the way down to Galveston.  It is an experience, and was very crowded when we went. We went into Houston on Saturday night to dinner with a friend from PA school who is in my study group and her boyfriend.  It was a lot of fun.  We went to Alladin's, which was a delicious greek place and then out to a bar/lounge Hay Merchant.  We played darts and chatted all night.  It was worth the drive into the city.  Hopefully we can do something similar again soon!  Sunday was Mother's Day, and of course we both really wish we could have been with our moms and Grandma Jo.  But, we were able to talk with them all and even skype with my mom.  Holiday's make it hard to be away, but we know it is a temporary thing!   

I started clinical skills, applied research, and community medicine on Monday.  This 5 week summer shouldn't be too difficult, however, it will require a lot of work!  This week I've already started practicing suturing, which I actually enjoy! Brendan started his internship this week.  We've been waking up together at 5:00am every day and getting into bed by 9:00pm...with the lights out by 9:30pm. So far, it's been going fine! I know, what??! 5 am?! Brendan's internship is a hike through the middle of Houston and then further north. It was my idea to force myself to wake up and go to bed with him, because otherwise neither of us would have gotten a good night's rest.  So, it's worth it!  And I can get a lot of work done in the mornings!   Brendan is really enjoying his internship so far.  He thinks it is really going to be a wonderful experience for him.  He has been issued his own computer, which I think is pretty cool. I know he is just going to shine during this opportunity.  

This weekend we are going to miss out on Joe and his fiancee's engagement party.  Unfortunately, we just couldn't get it work out with Brendan just starting a new internship and multiple other factors.  We are sad to not be there for Joe, but hope he knows we will be thinking of him!   

So, instead of a quick trip to Florida we are trying to find other fun things to do this weekend.  We are going to see a band, Jimmy Eat World, and are looking forward to that.  We both have liked them for a long time!  Our apartment complex is having a crawfish boil (apparently crawfish are a big deal around here) so we may wonder over to the pool area on Saturday.  Other than that, I'll be keeping myself busy with school.  Brendan has also been doing some research at night on things he learned about that day at the office, so I'm sure he can find enough to keep himself occupied this weekend too!  

Lastly, I am tickled to announce I am the recipient of a Scholarship!  I just found out and I am so honored!  Not only is it neat that I received one, BUT it also automatically changes my tuition for the next year to be based on in-state fees...Meaning it will save us tens of thousands of dollars.  I am so so excited.  I guess hard work does "pay" off sometimes!!  Now to keep our fingers crossed that Brendan qualifies for in-state tuition at Houston this year....he was told he would after living in Texas for a year..so, we are hoping that is the case!! 

Ok, that's the update for now!  Here are a few pictures :-) 

One year ago <3 

Suturing Day 1: 

This is a suture pad and the very first sutures I tried! Not too shabby...

Gift from Tina and MJ: 

Since I couldn't describe this well enough, here's a photo:

Here's a picture of my hunny and our spread at our sushi place...can you see how happy he is?:

Buc-ees!:

That's all folks!

Crovo Wedding

Hey there, Mandy here.  Well last weekend was a blast.  I took a fast trip back to Florida for my dear friend Noelle's wedding.  Everything was absolutely beautiful, from the bride to the ceremony space, everything was seemingly perfect!  I had so much fun!!  Which is to be expected when the company was so awesome.  I was able to spend time with one of my bestest friends, Brittany, and see another close friend, Adam.  Brittany is such an awesome friend. True friends are hard to come by, so even though we are so far away, I'm keeping her close to my heart!  We ate, we danced, we just had no worries about anything and focused on having a good time!!  It's so hard to be away from "my people" and to be deprived of fun weekends, so, I am really happy I decided to take a break and fly home. Plus,  I already missed one wedding that I regret missing, and didn't want to do that twice!

When I arrived, my mom, dad, and grandpa were there to greet me! It is such a comforting feeling to see them.  They are such wonderful people, and the more time I spend in "the real world," the more it is confirmed, I am one lucky gal to have the family I do!  My grandpa is a night owl, thank goodness, so he took the trip to the airport with my parents. He's earned the pleasure of sleeping in late and being a social butterfly, so I don't think I could have seen him if he hadn't made it to the airport.

I also squeezed in a visit to Brooksville and saw some more family!  My mom and I took the short treck up to Brooksville together.  Jo had her hip replaced and is recovering fantastically.  She is amazing!! It was a pleasure to see her, HL and I even got to see Cheryl!  The time spent there was precious.  They are my family, and it means the world to me to be able to spend some time with them, even if it was just a few hours.

So, Saturday I hung out with my parents in the morning, went to Brooksville, saw my nephew (YES! Jerry Lee was at the house to show off his car...he's getting all sorts of work done to it, including a new paint job...and that was an added bonus to the trip to see him...he's growing up way too quickly.), then rushed to get ready for the wedding because time just got away from me.  Adam came over and we went to the wedding together...which was nice, because Brendan had to stay back in Texas to study hard for his finals.  Sunday was filled with time with my parents.  We sat around and just talked about everything and anything.  We also got to see some wild turkeys, and some beautiful birds visit their bird feeders.  Even got to see a blue bird!  OH, they also just redid the flooring in the family room and dining room...all wood...it is stunning.  We stayed in our PJ's until it was time to leave for a quick bite to eat before I headed back to Texas.  It was a perfect Sunday with my parents, but of course, I did miss Brendan...and Molly, and it was short, although I think it would never seem like quite enough time.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see some of "my people" that I had wanted to see.  BUT, I will be back.  And luckily, Joe and Cheryl are coming in just a few weeks.  My parents are going to be here in June.  Still trying to convince other family and friends to come and visit...Texas really isn't all that bad!!  And we are planning a quick trip home in August to celebrate Darren's 10 year anniversary of his transplant!  So, there are things to look forward to.

Other updates....Brendan is kicking butt in school. I am so very proud of him.  He is also my rock, that's for sure.  I know I couldn't be doing PA school without him here with me.  I am thankful for him every single day. He's just about to finish up his semester. He has one test and two finals this week, then one more next week and he is done.  He will then be starting an internship!!  He's pretty excited. It's competitive to find internships, and especially since he is a "sophomore", it's really awesome he's going to have this experience.  He talked to some upperclassmen who were upset because they are going into their senior year without any internships. So, like I said, my hunny is kicking butt. The only drawback is he will be traveling an hour and a half-ish for it, but he knows it is going to be worth it. Oh, it's paid too...which is a huge plus.

Molly is doing well.  She's as loving as ever and she's all adjusted to our life out here in Texas.

I will be starting clinical rotations June 30th.  I have 2 weeks left of a course we take with the medical students. Then I have three summer courses.  Clinical Skills is the one I am looking forward to most. We learn how to suture, give injections, etc.  It'll be lots of fun, and shouldn't be too bad because I have experience with some of this already!  Tomorrow is my first time doing a well women's exam and a male physical exam.  I am looking forward to the experience...but, need to stop updating the blog and do a little more studying for that!  Here are a couple pictures from the weekend.

Signing off for now...searching google/youtube for "hernia checks for males" "DRE" "examining the male patient" because Bates (one of our "bibles") just wasn't enough....wish me luck!!

Welcome!

I decided it was time for us to create an easily accessible space where we can share our adventures, big and small, with our friends and family.  Stay tuned for posts...and welcome to The Murphy's Adventure!