This week..
-- we took family pictures! It was 55 degrees right before sunset so poor Elle was shivering with rosy cheeks by the end. She was such a good sport! We only had to bribe her with fruit snacks once to get her to stand in a specific spot. We have thousands of pictures of Elle but it will be great to have some formal photos of the three of us!
-- our contractor poured footings for our covered deck and fireplace! We wanted to maximize our outdoor space but the west sun is pretty intense on our deck in the evenings (basically the only time we're out there!). We've talked about a roof for a while, but of course, if we're going to do a project I'll find a way to make it even better. Furniture is going to be the slowest part so we may be enjoying it in bag-chairs - but it will be such a nice space when it's finished!
-- Elle had a cough this week and we successfully bribed her to take a cough syrup with dark chocolate. She's a fan like her mama. She can now pull the freezer drawer open (using all of her body weight - but effective!) and pulls ice cream out multiple times a day. She is loving all the pumpkins around town and can point them all out in her books too. Before bed, we still read books but she also stretches and grunts pretending to reach the top shelf in her room where her stuffed lion sits (a gift from Uncle Evan from his trip to Mexico!). She insists on growling and playing with it before she'll willingly go to bed. 

xo,

Krista

This week...

— we started making some progress beautifying our backyard. We planted window boxes off the garage earlier this season but now we have a rain gutter on that side, a sidewalk back to the alley (no more walking through the snow or mud to take out the trash!), and we’ve started making a flower bed between the trees in the back corner! I cannot wait for the flower bed to be complete - it’s going to be gorgeous frame of that corner of our lot. Of course, this weekend was > 100F heat index so we weren't able to get all the sod removed without getting heat stroke. So, it will be a slow process with planting this fall - but it’s going to be fabulous! We also ordered some new shelving for our living room that I think will be both very appealing but also functional. We're having fun continuing to settle into this place!

— I had the privilege of delivering one of our best friend’s babies! There is nothing better than a a brand new baby - but even better when it’s a close friend. There’s also a big sigh of relief when it’s over and everyone is safe and healthy. 

— Elle is incredibly fun right now. She is no longer simply walking but is now running and enjoys making laps around our house. She is more and more creative - especially with her playmats and dolls. She jabbers non-stop and seems so intentional. I can't wait to hear what is on her mind!

xo,

Krista

This week..

-- we're loving the small-town life! We love how our friends spontaneously stop over and how we can sit at the downtown coffee shop on a Saturday morning, catch up with other friends, then stop in a boutique for some shopping before walking home. Grandma and Grandpa had to reschedule their visit so our weekend turned in to a great time to reorganize Elle's room (didn't we just pull out all the clothes she outgrew?!) and plan for the upcoming week. We've been doing Bountiful Baskets for a lot of our produce so it's a fun challenge to plan our menu's around whatever we receive. This morning we had fresh-squeezed juice from the oranges and tangelos!

-- we've had a fair amount of snow. For now, we tradeoff shoveling our driveway (our friends & neighbors tease us because it has to be over 40 yards long..). We've been watching everyone else's solutions ranging from paying for snow removal to tractors/four-wheelers with blades to snowblowers. We've been super indecisive so for this season we will continue with the good-ole-fashioned shovel. It's not all bad to throw on some headphones and listen to a podcast while you scoop.. but it is a problem if you need to be somewhere quick!

xo,

Krista

This week..
-- we finally ordered some storage cabinets for our second living room (family room? tv room? what do you call a second space with a couch and tv?) which is one step closer to having a second space to lounge in our home. We are LOVING our new furniture but it was quickly apparent that we cannot entertain very many people with our current setup and that we should pursue a second living room instead of an eat-in-kitchen (how we expected to use the space when we first bought the house). It will be a while until we complete the space but we were both in agreement we didn't want to just continue the white cabinets from our kitchen so we went with navy. It should be an awesome pop of color!
-- Elle's vocalizations sound more and more like real words which crack T and I up. She is entertaining everyone at daycare with her enthusiasm for peekaboo. We starting to transition her to her own room at night mostly because her pack-n-play mattress seems so uncomfortable compared to her crib. She doesn't seem to care where she initially falls asleep at night but she is getting in the bad habit of wanting to at least cuddle if not eat at 2am each night.  She is still working on her top four teeth but she's been a good sport about it!

xo,

Krista

This week..

-- we introduced Elle to patty cake.. as well as the influenza A virus that Mom brought home from work. Thankfully, Mom had the worst of it and we were able to hide (most) of Elle's doses of medication in baby foods that she tolerated. 

-- we found out that our water softener which we made a point of getting installed before we installed our appliances.. was never properly set up. In fact, it was plumbed on bypass mode and it was never given a drain. So, we kept trying to adjust the water hardness settings and it needed a little bit more than just reprogramming. Thankfully, it's now up and running and there is a huge difference in our water. Unfortunately, when it was initially functional some so-dark-you-couldn't-see-through-it brown water flowed through all of our pipes. It was backup that had been sitting in the pipes not flowing for over a year, I guess. There is nothing scarier than not knowing if your water is safe to drink and when it is all truly flushed. Gross. 

xo,

Krista

HO3-- WEEK 40

Many finished projects! Shutters on the garage, sliding door to the master ensuite, pot of vegetable soup,
highchair assembly, stroller assembly, and crib assembly! So fun!

This week..

-- it's a new month so I'm on a new rotation! I'm working with an OB/GYN in Hastings, NE (just a 20-30 minute commute from home) which is an especially good rotation because he has a satellite clinic in Holdrege each week. So, not only are we busy with surgeries, deliveries, and clinic - but I also get to know him and what he can offer my future patients! Of course, I'm trying to keep the majority of my focus on boards which are just 8 days away!
-- we spent the weekend at the new house wrapping up a bunch of small projects! We were really hoping we could rent a power rake and get the backyard seeded for grass (we had SO much dust and weeds last year as we waited to complete the garage!) however, the weather did not cooperate. But, in the end it all worked out because the 4 of us (Thanks Mom & Dad!) stayed busy with many other to-dos! We had a couple fun baby projects are people have already generously gifted us a crib, high chair, and stroller. It's been like Christmas as packages keep showing up on our front porch! You all are the best! I also twisted by dad's arm to make me a whole pot of his delicious vegetable soup to make my low-carb diet a little easier. The biggest project was hanging a sliding barn door between our master bedroom and ensuite. It looks gorgeous but it had a decent number of steps (including drilling 1/4th inch holes into the steel track. I didn't think the drill bit T had was going to be able to do it!). We only made one serious mistake with where we hung the header - but my parents were great and had the holes in the drywall spackled before I could even whine much. Probably the simplest to-do (but it has huge visual impact!) was hanging some decorative shutters on our garage. We spent some extra time/money to make that side of the garage appealing since we see it from the back of the house/deck/backyard. Unfortunately, its been super cold or muddy since the siding was hung so we've kept putting it off. I forgot to take a wide shot from the alley but they look super sharp as our deck has black accents. Probably the best part of the weekend was just spending time with family, dreaming about this kid, and feeling one step closer to moving in! The next time I expect to be at the house will be the big moving day in one month!

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 31

The food highlight of my week - a serious milkshake at a local burger joint

This week..

-- I'm trying to look at the "glass half-full", so, with that perspective, we've both stimulated the economy and supported local business/contractors by hiring an electrician, plumber, HVAC guy, and exterminator in the past week! That was on-top of paying over $500 between our gas and electric bill at the new place. Yeah. Not what I wanted to spend money on this week. We feel totally nickel-and-dimed and are definitely not going to buy any fun baby stuff for a while! But, I think most of those issues are now taken care of, so we'll stick to that glass half-full perspective!
-- started a new month which means two things! (1) My fabulous grandma had a birthday! Love you Grandma E! (2) I started a new rotation! I will be spending my time outside of my own clinic in Kearney with the Sports Medicine clinic. I'm very excited because it is something I don't have much experience with! Unfortunately, I haven't been out there yet because I've been busy on Labor and Delivery (which is a very good reason to not be on my rotation - according to this OB-loving doctor!). So, for these next few months, I'll be balancing my rotation, clinic, call, studying for boards, and putting together a poster for a research poster. It's going to be busy around here!

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 27

This week..
-- we spent NYE at our new house! We started with lunch at a restaurant in Grand Island with our families before heading to Holdrege. T was super excited to get his ping-pong table to the new house and put it together! Thanks to Grandpa's truck and my parents minivan, we got the 200 pound ping-pong table and two living room chairs delivered! We spent most of the afternoon putting together things: the ping-pong table, two arm chairs, as well as a stationary tub. My mom and T also shoveled the driveway! The boys got the guest mattress up to the guest room and the water softener down to the basement. Lots of little to-dos! We were thrilled to park both vehicles inside the new garage away from the record-low temperatures! Unfortunately, despite keeping the house heated to the mid-60s one of our facets was frozen. We are so thankful the pipe didn't burst! As per our normal NYE, we had fondue! Just swiss cheese and chocolate (heavy cream + semi-sweet, 60%, & white) with baked salmon for the main course. We spent the evening playing games (especially the dice game Qwixx on one of the chair's boxes upside-down as a table) and worked on a puzzle of the Italian Coast. T made his first fires in the fireplace at the new house and, against my approval, he also explored the attic. We didn't have a ladder at the new house so my dad hoisted him up through the opening in the 9 foot ceiling. To his credit, there was a low-battery in the smoke alarm up there that was quietly chirping that he was able to fix. Unfortunately, T came down but accidentally left the light switch on and the cover out of reach so we had to hoist him back up there a few more times. We can't wait to be there full-time!

And if you're looking for a laugh - here is a video snippet of the attic shenanigans:

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 23

This week..

-- was fairly festive! We started with a Mannheim Steamroller concert Thursday night (tickets were courtesy of T's Mom's Boss - and were in their cooperate box! Plush seats. Free Drinks. And no cost to us!) The concert was exactly as you would imagine - complex scores of mostly Christmas music with intense lights, dramatic video, extreme volume, and heavy on the harpsichord. The best part was watching the two percussionists who played an insane number of instruments in each arrangement. 

-- we also had T's Christmas Party for work (of which he was volun-told to be on the party planning committee and was in charge of the party bus!) It was at a new venue in Grand Island with drinks, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, an open bar, and entertainment including a team karaoke contest, raffle prizes, and a professional musician. We even had party favors (Christmas ornaments!). This bank definitely has more holiday cheer (and allotted budget) compared to T's last job where they had a catered lunch as their celebration! We've been total scrooges this year missing most of my work Christmas Parties and with minimal decorations at home (some are already in storage at the new house!) so these were welcomed events!

-- we can officially call the garage complete! (Aren't you glad to be done with weekly updates!) We have one bill left from the electrician and then we can finally regroup and see what we may or may not have left for any furnishings or window coverings at the new house. We can both be pretty type-A, especially when it comes to finances, so we both feel relieved to have a final invoice.

xo,

Krista

HO3-- WEEK 22

This week..
-- we have another garage update! (You're probably as anxious as we are for it to be DONE) They've finished the siding and both doors are in place! Unfortunately, the exterior lights we had shipped arrived cracked so this weekend we found ourselves in Omaha buying replacements. Once the shutters and exterior lights are hung - the project will be officially finished! (Technically, we have a couple of future projects we will do once we get there - paint the foundation, paint the floor, and insulate/drywall the interior) I've only seen pictures since it was framed, so I am excited to see it in person (and to get the final invoice behind us!)
-- began a new month so a new rotation! I am spending the month in Saint Paul, NE (about 30 minutes from Grand Island) where I'll be working in the clinic and the ER. I imagine I will see mostly acute-care visits (coughs, colds, aches & pains, etc) but only time will tell! I also bit the bullet and registered for my board exam this week. Last month I jokingly called it "No-spend November" and I tried to keep unnecessary purchases to a minimum. Well, I kicked December off with a bang by spending over $2,000 between the test and study materials. Yuck. But I suppose it is worth it to be considered a board-certified family physician! I'll take the test the 2nd week of April so I'm not in the thick of studying... yet.

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 20

See the garage back there! It's sans siding - but it won't be for long!

This week..

-- we met with the electrician at the new house to talk wiring for the garage! I have SO MUCH respect for people who truly design a home from scratch. T and I *thought* we had considered every possibility (lighting, outlets near floor, outlets above future workbench, outdoor outlet, future heater, future Tesla!) but we still have about thirty decisions to make on the fly. The only complication was we wanted the ability to control the garage lights from the house and it would have been a huge ordeal to add that at this stage of the game due to a tiny crawlspace and an essentially full panel in the house. So we got creative! We found a wifi wall switch so we will be able to just use our phones! Those switches and our exterior lights are en route thanks to online shopping (the in-city options were pretty lame). T is thrilled we're past this stage because he was totally over it.
-- we're spending this afternoon get stoked for Thanksgiving! We're pouring over old recipes, new recipes, and trying to stay realistic as we are celebrating twice (with each of our families!) with a call shift sandwiched in the middle. Life is always borderline crazy around these parts but we love it!

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 19

This week..
-- T has been enjoying driving a 2018 pickup while his car is in the shop. His doesn't need a big or complicated repair, but the dealership has been behind scheduled so they lent him the truck for the weekend! He's loved playing with all the bells & whistles (heated steering wheel, parking assist including seat vibration to alert you, big spacious cab, etc).
-- the garage was framed! Our contractor was nice enough to snap this photo for us as we haven't been able to visit for a while. We haven't heard an estimated completion date but we can finally imagine what it may look like once it's finished. (Actually.. I created a to-scale mock-up online before they broke ground so we have an image of what it may look like - but this makes us hopeful it will be as we expect!)

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 15

The best part of this week's Husker game was definitely the Taco Box from El Tucan!

This week...
-- T celebrated a birthday! 365 days until he turns thirty! We celebrated with a simple dinner at Gram's (T chose tacos for dinner!). Of course, she made one of his favorite desserts - pumpkin bars! We have tickets for the Garth Brooks concert next weekend to really celebrate but I was strongly instructed to not purchase any other gifts since we're spending so much on the garage addition. I managed to comply by passing along my favorite idea to my family.  We look forward to seeing them next weekend and celebrating my Dad's birthday too!
-- our lot is still a muddy mess. We've heard they poured the floor of the garage but had to hold off on the section of driveway we're replacing because it was just too wet. However, we did find a new vendor/installer for our garage door! That was stressful until it was finalized. I think the only purchases we have left are the light fixtures? Hopefully more significant progress next week.

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 14

[ Jones Design Company ]

This week..

-- begins a super busy month for both T and I. He has work responsibilities in almost every city but our own - including a trip out of state towards the end of the month. Things are busy with the youth group at church (parades! canned food drives! halloween!). And some fun things too! T had a birthday next week, we have tickets to one of of his favorite concerts, and we just found out we get to spend a weekend with 2 of my siblings & see our cousins' new babies! So we're sort of in survival mode - but it's a great busy!
-- I've been working in the ER when I'm not in my own clinic. Our ER is like many others - there are a few emergencies, many sick patients, and even more coughs/colds/sore ankles. Most of my day feels like my own clinic (or even simpler because they only have one complaint/concern!) but I'm trying to be there during the busier times and seek out the less-common things.
-- I can't end the blog post without a garage update! It was super frustrating this week when we were told the by big-box-store where we ordered the garage door (which, we ordered in person, asking specifically about this issue..) that they were cancelling our order because their installer refused to travel to Holdrege. Sort of  a big deal as the footings are already poured for this oversized door that is no longer a thing. Thankfully, T made a million phone calls and we've found another supplier and installer for price that is in the same ball-park. There was no physical progress made this week because it was a rainy/soggy mess. But maybe by next week it will start to look like a structure?

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 13

See the foundation on the footings! 

This week..

-- progress was made on our garage! I'm sure you are completely uninterested in these step-by-step updates but it is so exciting for us! This is the first project we've designed and contracted out from the ground-up (not to mention it will cost about every spare dollar to our name!). We've taken on some larger home renovations in the past but we were typically the ones doing the labor so this is totally new to us to watch a project just happen. The forecast has a fair amount of rain this week so I'm not sure there will be much change by next week..
-- we had a church activity at a local pumpkin patch! It's no Vala's.. but there were more activities than the kids had time to partake in (and we didn't have to share with anyone else!). Plus, the weather was 70-60F while we were there - a beautiful night for a soup/chili potluck! There are times T and I miss the stores/restaurants/activities of Omaha, but overall, we love the simplicity of living in a smaller community (and can't wait to get to Holdrege!). Plus, with Amazon Prime or Google Express we can get almost anything on our doorstep in 48 hours.
-- I became certified in Advanced Trauma Life Support! Being a general practitioner, we are certified in many types of life support (basic, advanced cardiac, pediatric, and neonatal!) but this one is quite a bit different than the others. You use ATLS when, for example, someone is transported to the hospital after a fall from a ladder or car accident and you have to do life-saving procedures and survey their injuries in an organized manner. While the others discuss CPR, heart rhythms, medications, and the order you offer each of those things (which is slightly different for each age group) - ATLS is more procedure based with chest tubes, needle decompressions (that dramatic thing you see in the movies when someone grabs a pen and saves someone's life jamming it into their chest), tourniquets, removing helmets with spinal cord injuries, when to go to surgery, when to transfer to a trauma center, more details about ways to protect the airway, etc.
-- we didn't even have to get dressed today for church! Twice a year, our church hosts a General Conference which is televised throughout the world. I don't know how many millions of people watch - but it is interpreted to 80 languages via live broadcast and 90 via internet/print/radio. So we enjoyed a weekend of educational & uplifting talks from the comfort of our sectional!

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 12

This week..
-- we have big news! They demolished the previous, small one-car garage at our new house and poured the footings for our new garage! T spent the night there Friday night since he was working with Habit for Humanity in Kearney Saturday morning and he FaceTimed me so I could see the action! I spent the weekend picking out the design elements (overhead door, exterior door, and windows!) which involved about 1,000 more decisions then I anticipated. As you can see, we're squeezing the garage into our small backyard so I've been stressing about how to make it pleasant to look at it from our deck. After a lot of time on Pinterest and a to-scale mock-up, I think I've finally settled on the details. I'm sure I'll share more pictures once it's complete!
-- was Junk Jaunt in Central Nebraska. "[...] Junk Jaunt, like a large garage sale, is happening in 36 towns along the Loup River and Sandhills Journey Scenic Byways. The event spans nearly 500 miles of garage sales, collectibles, antiques, vintage items and quirky finds. This year, 760 vendors are selling things for Junk Jaunt [...]"  I didn't do any shopping- but it meant I got to spend the weekend with one of my favorite people while she crashed at my house! Our townhouse in Grand Island is so not setup for entertaining - but we still love any excuse!

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 11

This week..
-- ended with Birthday celebrations! I was on-call Thursday, my actual birthday, but it left the weekend open to party! T and I had a fabulous dinner on Friday night at Sozo in Kearney before heading to the new house for the night. The barstools we ordered for the kitchen island had been shipped which felt like a gift to me! Saturday we watched the Husker game and then went out for steak with T's family. Finally, today we met my family in Holdrege for lunch + cake + a tour of the new place with Gma! It was basically the perfect weekend! I'm looking forward to this 28th year of life!
-- felt like nature was partying with us because we had a butterfly migration through the city with thousands of butterflies. I was almost distracted the first few times I drove because there would be so many in my vision - but I've since adjusted. I've also been totally smitten with the Black-eyed Susans along the interstate (though their season is now over).

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 9

Using folding chairs at the island - it's a bit of a stretch!

This week..

-- we spent Labor Day between the new house and a local lake (Johnson Lake). We packed a cooler and spent the morning/afternoon sharing a picnic on the beach and napping. Does it get any better? We love this stage - while the new house has no internet or TV - where we just relish in the quiet and time together. BUT, we are stoked about the current Labor  Day Sales because we have barstools on the way! This was the last time we will eat using camping chairs with our plates at chest-level! Of course there are chores during each visit, but it's still the honeymoon stage with this new house and they're still fun.

-- I finished my ophthalmology rotation. We spent the week split between clinic, office procedures (eyelid surgeries, cancer removals, etc), and time in the OR (cataract surgery mostly). Thankfully we didn't see any retina injuries from the eclipse! This final year I have a handful of 2-week rotations and they sure go fast (especially since I still have 3-halfdays of my own clinic each week and a few other responsibilities) but the exposure is crucial since we're the frontline.

xo,

Krista

HO3-- WEEK 6

The only picture from our day at the lake
(you know you're in good company when you don't think about taking photos)

This week..

-- we spent Saturday night with good friends at their family's lake house. The weather was beautiful. We spent some time on the beach and even more time cruising in their boat. They are friends who also appreciate good food so we had a delicious meal finished with dessert to celebrate a birthday! (We brought the Chantilly cake from Whole Foods - if you're looking for a non-chocolate dessert I recommend it!)  Is there anything better than time with great friends?!
-- we got to briefly talk to my little brother on FaceTime. Did I tell you he is no longer in L.A.? He moved to Hawaii! It's so fun to see the adventures my siblings are creating! The best part of errands & events in Omaha is that we typically crash with my parent's on Friday night. We relaxed on their deck, checked out the newest projects at their house, and I complained about taxes (T confirmed our tax rate next year and since I'm considered a contractor we will pay >50%. Barf!) They also introduced us to their new favorite ice cream which is poor timing as I've been trying to improve my diet (fast-food is way to convenient in this city!). And bonus! We were with them when my brother called! A 5-hour time difference is a little difficult.. just sayin'.
-- the appliances were delivered to the new house! Yay! Now you don't have to hear my chatter about them any longer! Yes - it felt like Christmas. Yes - I did stand in the laundry room for the whole first cycle expecting a hose to fly off the back and the room to flood. Yes - I am completely impressed with the advancements in technology and the thousand features. And yes - it is amazing to have a perfectly clean, empty fridge.

xo,
Krista

HO3-- WEEK 5

Quick trip to the new house - and gorgeous fall-like weather!

This week...

-- we took a quick trip out to the new house for a night away! The weather has been gorgeous - 70F without much humidity. So we spent the evening on the porch chatting, munching on chips, you know - the typical. The countdown is on - next time we're there we should have a refrigerator, washer, and dryer! I really only care about the fridge.. food (work and church!) are about the only reasons we leave.

-- my desire to ever visit Sea World was crushed by the documentary Blackfish. You've all probably seen it because it's a documentary on Netflix that was at Sundance in 2013 (but T and I held out getting Netflix until this year so we are still in catch-up mode). I never had any desire to swim with dolphins or interact with other sea creatures - but it is incredible to learn more about them and see evidence of their power!

xo,

Krista