Med School Updates: December's End

As the month is closing and I've realized that we haven't truly updated the world with med school application news, I submit to you this picture and apologize for the messiness of legend marks.

Here's the low down of our current application situation:

- Scott has been accepted to the Class of 2015 at Rocky Vista University (RVU) in Parker, CO (just south of Denver). Our first payment to RVU was due Dec 17, so of course we put in our deposit to attend medical school. The second payment is due in the middle of January. We really enjoyed RVU when we went to visit the campus in July. Scott knows that he would have a good experience there and thinks that the program would prepare him to be a good doctor. We're not sure if this is Scott's favorite program, as we are still learning about all his options. But we've decided that even if we make the second, and very large, deposit for school it's still okay to go to another school if we feel it will better prepare him. That being said, we are VERY happy to be going to medical school next year!

- In the beginning of December, Scott had an interview at Western University's campus in Oregon. I was lucky enough to follow him there to check out the town and new campus. Scott was impressed with the many options that come from Western's established program (since this will be a new campus for their existing program in Southern California). About a week ago, Scott received a call from Western informing him that Scott is on the Alternate List. The list is reviewed once a month as those accepted candidates drop off and alternates are chosen to take their place. We aren't really sure when we would hear back from Oregon. From our interview with them, we feel like the program would provide good opportunities for Scott, but he still needs to do some serious praying to decide, if he's accepted, if he prefers to attend this school.

- Just today we received a letter from the University of New England in Maine that Scott will not be requested to interview for this next year's class. While we are slightly disappointed to not visit the campus and be near extended family there and Scott's church mission area, we know that we'll be settling around the West Coast anyway after med school. And let's not forget, we're still ACCEPTED to a med school.

-We have not heard anything further about interviews for other schools but expect that we will start hearing more about second round interviews in January. Many of the interviews will be finished in February and March, and we would probably move from Sacramento to the campus in June to settle before med school things get going in the end of July.


Directly after Scott's interview was done in Oregon, we drove back six hours to Sacramento. Though it was a bit of a drive, we were glad to sit down and talk about what Scott's first impressions of the school were and how he thinks it would compare to RVU. While I would prefer living in the town of Parker, CO, we both could see the benefits of Western's program in Oregon and how many more opportunities Scott would have there to further his career exploration. After six hours of discussing the pros and cons from our perspectives, we came to the conclusion that we had no conclusion.

Both schools seem to have equal weight and we feel Scott would be successful at either school. It was quite a mystery to us what decision to make (at the time we had assumed from the three Oregon interviewer's responses that Scott would be accepted immediately). In Sunday School the next day, we had a miraculous lesson about Daniel in the Old Testament interpreting a dream for the King of Babylon.  I know that that would seem to have no connection whatsoever to our situation, but we felt we had a complete mystery on our hands and limited time to solve it. The lesson and scriptures helped us to realize the optimal steps to receiving personal revelation and moving forward with this major life decision.

Though I would say that we are still no where near understanding what we should do and which school we'll be attending come July, we know that we will be attending school (Yay! Can't say that enough!) and that the Lord will help us make that decision and reveal options. When one door closes, another opens... or maybe a window. Depends on who you hear it from.

As you can tell from our medical school application journey, that statement is Oh So TRUE!

Merry Christmas 2010

I know I'm a video-aholic! I sure do love the Mormon Messages YouTube channel, though. Also, check out this Hallelujah Chorus - Alaskan Style that my friend Heather posted. She said the whole town of Quinhagak, AK got together (all 680 town citizens) to participate in the video for a fifth grade winter concert!

Merry Christmas from California!

Family photo January 2010 (Wish my hair was still that cute)

Luke 2: 10-11
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.


For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Christmas Lights of Elk Grove

Saw these Christmas lights in Elk Grove, CA yesterday! Christmas light routes sure have changed since my dad would "drag" us around Sitkan streets on Christmas Eve. I guess technology will do that. As a kid I dreaded getting into the car for the traditional event, but ALWAYS ended up enjoying the beautiful lights and colors. Funny now that I'm older that I initiate Christmas light routes, and the new generation of nieces and nefews are murmuring!

So get this... I planned out a route, starting with what was rumored to be a neighborhood FULL of lights. We planned to walk around the neighbor, and then check out three lights synced to music starting with the house in the video. Well we get to the rumoredly lit neighborhood, and few houses had lights. So we drove around trying to figure out if we were on the wrong street.

Finally, we decided that we would go to the first house with music. It was awesome! Which made all the other houses I had planned a poor sight in comparison. Second house was lit with music but not exactly "sync"ed. The third house that was on the list of houses with music.... well...

This is what we found when we got there... Three trees! That's it! We were all laughing so hard. Felt like we'd been punked or something. The route I had planned was not perfect, but it definitely accomplished the goal of family togetherness in the Christmas spirit. We sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Clause is coming to Town with the radio, as we tried to find any house with lights on it in Sacramento.

John 8:12
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Day of Christmas Craft Reckoning

The day finally arrived that the Chandler women would craft the morning through. The night before I had been talking with my mom about how excited I was to craft, and she asked me if I tested my craft yet. I had decided on the tile coasters that I found before on the Curbly blog and had watched the video on the blog where i found instructions. But I decided it would be best to test the craft out before I try to teach five other women to make it. It wasn't difficult, really, but I'm glad I tested it because I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't by doing my set first.

So yesterday morning I brought all of my craft ingredients to make the tile coasters. Though we had a few delays in getting started, and I had to leave in the middle, I feel like the day was still a success! After a full day of the ladies crafting I get to take home beautiful tissue paper candles, an ornament, and had some help making a fun fabric tree and some present tags!

Tips for making the napkin coasters:

Watch the video on the Curbly blog
Choose which part of the napkin design you want on your tile before you paint ModPodge on the tile. The napkin is difficult to move and makes more wrinkles when you try to adjust.
Let the ModPodge completely dry before pinching off the napkin (we liked having the napkin torn on the edges for a painted look, so remember to pull down)
Apply two coats of clear coat polyurethane to cover the tile
When the two coats completely dry, apply one more coat to seal the deal
AND the polyurethane doesn't smell pretty, so you may want to apply it on a good weather day where you can leave the tiles outdoors.

I got napkins at Target ($2/pack for fancy pattern), tiles (16 cents/per) and polyurethane ($6) at Lowes, and  ModPodge at Joanns ($2 with % off coupon). You'll also need paint brushes you don't want to use again. I may also get some felt circles for the bottom of the coasters.

Simple, inexpensive gift for Christmas, wedding, birthday, etc.

Thanks Chandler ladies for a fun day of girly togetherness!

We Believe- Kids and Christmas

Is this not the most adorable video?! Every year I make a Christmas video present for Scott's mom... I'm thinking I need to do this with the grandkids.

Shh... Don't tell Martie!

Christmas Movie Favorites

Christmas in the Cavanaugh household had some great traditions, most of which revolved around the fact that us kids couldn't sleep past 4:00 am until we were teenagers. So Christmas morning went something like this:

4:00 am - Each of us wakes up gradually in our own bed
30 second later - we look for our Christmas stockings which Santa left by the end of our beds
5 minutes later - we have gone through the entire contents of our stocking, eaten a piece of candy, opened a wrapped CD, and are now anxious to see if siblings are awake
Pause for one minute of silent tiptoeing to see if you can look beyond the banister at the Christmas Tree
Another quiet minute of creeking open siblings doors to see if the other two are awake
10 minutes - whispers can be heard downstairs of the three Cavanaugh siblings opening up our stockings for each other

At this point it's almost 4:20/ 4:30 ish, and we were NOT aloud to wake my parents up until 7:00 am, 6:00 am if we're lucky. So the night before we stacked all the Christmas VHS movies we own next to the kids TV, and at 4:30 am we started watching them until Dad came in to check on us. This is probably what the list of options would have looked like:

Classic home movie Christmases - of course
The first, and real, Toy Story - Jim Henson's The Christmas Toy
Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Nightmare Before Christmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol

We are big Jim Henson and Tim Burton fans! Can I just say how much I have come to LOVE DVR at the Chandler home in Sacramento?! I can check out which of my favorite holiday specials will be airing ahead of time and schedule to record them. This just plays to my organization obsession.

When my Dad approached us we knew it was time... time for torture! The Christmas Torture tradition involves my dad standing at the top or bottom of the stairs (depending on the house we lived in) to video tape us kids' excitement as we waited to run to the Christmas tree and rip open presents. It usually lasted around two minutes, but felt more like twenty. My dad told us when we were older that this special time was meant more so that my mom could put together anything they didn't finish at midnight and turn on the Christmas tree lights.

I wish I had some torture time footage to show you. It's kind of awesome! We love watching the home movies every year. My dad actually is in the process of moving old VHS footage to DVDs using the present we gave him last Christmas (DVD converter). So I may upload some Cavanaugh Christmas Classics later.

Maxed Out

My brother Matt wrote our family a message on Facebook this week and said we absolutely had to watch this documentary called Maxed Out. He said you'll love it and be outraged by it at the same time. We all have Netflix accounts in my family, so by logging in you can watch the movie instantly.

The movie describes how Americans are becoming more and more in debt. Really the one thing that Americans do really well now, is not manufacturing like we used to be known for, but it's spending. And this "strength" of ours is something that the government encourages and banks exploit.

Matt and I kept chatting after I watched the movie about how thankful we are to have a very frugal dad who taught us while we were young to be responsible with money. It's a great movie! Really well put together and edited. Enjoy!

Dairy Heaven

On the way up to Portland Scott asked me what I thought I might want to do with our one day with family. There aren't many things I love more than a good day relaxing and playing games with family. But there was one thing that I've always wanted to do in Oregon that I hadn't up until this trip, and that was visit the Tillamook factory!!! That's right, THREE exclamation points! I went there, and it was AMAZING!

I am a die-hard Tillamook fan. I love the sharpness of their cheddar! They used to make a fantastic coffee ice cream that was like vanilla with a good hint of coffee, but then discontinued the flavor. Have I already confessed that I am a coffee ice cream connoisseur? The truth is out there. Usually the stuff with real coffee in it is too strong for my tastes, but I sure do love that hint. Maplenut may be the only ice cream I would put in the same category of greatness. Anyway, I love Tillamook and have always heard that the factory was fun to visit. But Scott said it was out of the way and we would most likely spend the day in Lake Oswego with family.

Well, come to find out when we arrive in Portland, Grandma and Grandpa have big plans for us to visit Seaside and Tillmook on our day of visit! You can image how excited I was... or maybe you can't. Let's just say that when we pulled up to the factory I could hardly containing the bouncing feeling inside myself. Scott can attest that I may have started applauding.

The evidence really speaks for itself:

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches from the Tillamook Cafe and Tillamook ice cream. The only thing that could POSSIBLY be better in Foodland is this. Been there, would definitely go again! With this post, I feel I must also take a large step out of denial to say that my life really does revolve around food.

Oregon Interview Road Trip

This last week we drove up to Oregon for Scott's second medical school interview. We drove up a couple days before to enjoy some family time in Portland and then drove down on Saturday for Scott's interview to Lebanon (not pronounced like the country, apparently) where the new Western University campus will be. I will be writing a couple of posts about this to give you all the fun details.

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite tidbits of joy from the road trip up to Portland.

First of all, Martie (my MIL) came on the trip with us because she stayed with her parents in Portland for a few days and will fly back this week to Sacramento to welcome family for Christmas. So we enjoyed her company on the trip, which meant mostly sharing fun facts from Better Homes and Gardens and the sounds of her sleeping. But Martie was also starving the whole way to Portland on account of how Scott likes to drive - stopping only for gas and a stretch. We usually bring our own treats. That wouldn't do for Martie though. In fact we discovered that there are two traditions that Martie loves about road trips and that is stopping at McDonalds for a McGriddle Breakfast and Dairy Queen.

Well, Scott didn't want to stop for McDonalds of course and teased his mom for a good 20 - 40 miles saying he wouldn't stop so early on the trip. So Martie started reading, and right about the point she had forgotten all about breakfast, Scott stopped for gas and a McDonalds breakfast. At which point Martie said, "Greater love hath no son, than to pull over to McDonalds for a McGriddle breakfast!" Gotta love road trips with Martie.

I also listened to SEVERAL versions of the 12 Days of Christmas on Sirius Xm Holly channel, including some pretty bad ones. Don't even get me started on Destiny's Child. My favorite however was this version by Straight No Chaser!

I had never heard this before but it is AWESOME. I tried to also find the Muppets version I heard, but I really don't remember John Denver being in the version I heard and that's all I can find on YouTube.

One other favorite moment was driving along I-5 in beautiful weather (up until Corvalis) and seeing the beautiful green fields filled with sheep. When we started to see more and more green pastures full of sheep Scott said,

"If Oregon were an octagon on the Settlers of Catan board, it would definitely have the sheep resource."

Can you tell we're gamers? Mostly Scott. It's true.

Social Clout

Lately my work life revolves around Facebook and email marketing. I follow a lot of local businesses to share the love, and scan through customer email addresses to start campaigns in January. It's pretty fun, though I think some friends are surprised at this sudden burst of social activity from me.

This month we are doing a Facebook promotion for Auto Insurance quotes where you can be entered in a drawing to win Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers tickets. (Know anyone in Cali who needs insurance and NBA tickets?) So I'm reading the Kings Fan Page and see this video/event they did with Klout.

Klout is a company that tracks social influencers, individuals who Tweet and Facebook with many responses. They do this through an algorithim of posts, clicks, responses, and weights... Well Klout invited key social influencers to a Kings game to be wined, dined, and enjoy floor seats. Of course that was all in exchange for some fantastic tweetage.

I was curious of course so I went to visit their site. You can register with Klout to see your social influence score (1-100) if you enter your Twitter handle. Glad I don't have a Twitter account, because curiosity would have killed this cat. I'm already spending way too much time on Facebook! I definitely don't need the pressure of working to be a social influencer. Have you ever met a premium social influencer? I wonder if they get to enjoy real life outside the cyber world.

This picture from Klout's blog, where all the influencers are watching the game with their cell phones, REALLY makes me wonder!

The Future Dr. Chandler

Sorry, at the moment I don't have any new medical school updates. I just had to share a funny thought.

I was watching TV the other day... actually, Scott was watching TV the other day and left during commercials. I saw this commercial and immediately realized this was the exact image of the future Dr. Scott Chandler:



For those of you who know my husband, tell me you don't see the future?! Scott is always texting or emailing on his phone. He's VERY connected to family and friends! Not to mention his fantasy team. That video IS his future... maybe even the hair line.

Before Thanksgiving we were helping my sister-in-law move into her new house and our friends, The Danielsons, were there too. I was talking to Stefani about what our future would be like, because her husband just finished his residency and is now a full-time radiologist. She said, "Do you realize what you're getting yourself into?" Her husband didn't have the days around Thanksgiving off. In fact, he was lucky to have Thanksgiving Day free! He is often working late too, to get his work done (and after hours pay). They are a fun family! I have MUCH to learn from Stefani about my future life as a medical school student and future doctor's wife!

Noteworthy

All during Thanksgiving we kept hearing that two girls from Scott's home ward were on a float during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since we didn't see them on Thursday (I'll have to go back and watch on DVR!), I decided to look them up on YouTube today. Katie and Courtney Jensen are apart of an all girls a cappella group, Noteworthy, from BYU that competed in the first season of NBC's show, The Sing Off.


Anyway, found this video of Katie and Courtney singing and love it! Thought I would share.

Tis Best Black Friday

Sitka, Alaska wasn't exactly Black Friday central growing up. So, the first time I ever even heard about Black Friday was on the news. Sales were up, sales were down, someone was shot at a ghetto WalMart for taking the last gaming system, etc. I tried Black Friday shopping when I was first married and realized I really just can't avoid sleep like that. Physically impossible.

What I'm saying is, this post isn't about my shopping finds. I know... the post title is deceiving, but it is accurate. I've been in a movie posting mood this week. This one is from TisBest, a philanthropy network and charity gift card site. They went out and interviewed Black Friday shoppers last year to ask them who was the most difficult to shop for, and what was the silliest gift you've ever received.

My mom is definitely the hardest to shop for. She has everything and doesn't want much, so that makes it hard to find something meaningful to give her.

And the silliest gift I've ever received...

... Scott put Comet (the can of cleaning powder) in my stocking one year. I was pretty outraged, until he told me that he had put the comet in there because he bought it to clean out our bathtub so I could soak. I do love and good hot bath, and Scott had included some new bath concoctions in my stocking as well.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

I am grateful for:

-A super smart and hottie husband

-Loving parents

-Siblings

-Temples

-To be in sunny Sacramento surrounded by fun family

-Good grades and stimulating discussion in my master's program

-That we are finally going to medical school and for options

-That my Heavenly Father loves me and knows how to direct me 

-The scriptures that teach me about my Savior, Jesus Christ

-The awesome food that we are going to eat today

-and the nap that I will take afterward!

 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Nephews

 I like to steal Amy's phone pictures! Kaden said he was the Indian and Scott was the turkey, which is just so true!

Nephews are funny! This is not to say that I don't LOVE my nieces on both sides of the family. I DO! In fact, I need to spend more time with them. They are so adorable and polite! And nephews are different breed! As I've had some time to spend close to Amy's sons lately, I've noticed how funny little boys really are!

Here are just a few things I have laughed about lately with Kaden, Sterling, and Jackson:

-The other day I was bringing one of the boys home from school and he was in a very talkative mood. I didn't need to ask many questions, or even add much to the conversation. He just went on and on, happily, about the individual powers of the characters on Star Wars. Specifically we are talking about Star Wars lego game on the Wii. "3PO's okay, but he can only open doors. That's it! R2D2 can open doors and fly the star ship." Yeah... I really don't remember the specifics.

- At dinner, the boys were sitting around the table asking each other "Would you rather" type questions. I asked Amy if she had ever played this with them before, and she said she has no idea how they could have learned it. These were the options... "Would you want to fall off a tree into the road where a car was driving, or swing from a vine and land on a monkey?" They would giggle at first, and then in very serious tones, go around the table and answer. Next one, "Would you want to sit in a dark room with Sterling for a long time, or eat the rest of your dinner?"

-Jackson just learned the phrase, "I don't like that." He's been saying the phrase ALL THE TIME now.

Amy: Jackson, d'you want to go home?
Jackson: I don't like to go home.

Big Curt: Jackson do you like the orange potatoes? (orange is his favorite color)
Jackson: I don't LIKE orange potatoes! (Sweet potatoes are NOT his favorite! That one had much more emphasis and some tongue sticking outage with the potatoes still attached.)

Then we tried tricking him... thinking he didn't know the difference between I like and I don't like.

Me: Jackson do you like cookies?
Jackson: I LIKE some cookies!!!

Didn't work. He wanted to eat cookies for dinner instead.

Thanksgiving Daily

I am so grateful to belong to a church where the teachings inspire me to be more thoughtful and improve.

It's So Time to Start Sewing

I was going through my Google reader this weekend and found this amazing gem of a site - New Dress a Day! As usual I find these gems way too late! Yet I am STILL so impressed and inspired! This post is one of my favorites, but there are so many to choose from. I feel like Marisa Lynch, the designer/seamstress, creates fashion way out of my league, especially since my sewing skills ended back with 1990s simple square baby quilts for charity. What charity project was that, Mom?

None-the-less I recently was giving a new church calling or Relief Society Activities Committee Assistant Leader... I know it's a ridiculously long title. In my first conversation with the newly called activities committee leader, she mentioned that the Relief Society is being encouraged to go back to the basics with activities because our sisters don't know how to sew or can. So I have new-found inspiration, motivation, spare time, and I know the perfect tutor. Word has it that a certain mother-in-law was once the costumer for BYU's Young Ambassador group and infamously sewed children's Halloween costumes, like, oh let's say, a Watermelon.

Check out the designer/seamstress behind New Dress A Day on the Early Show:



With a $1 price tag, I feel like my only barrier is design. But I have three awesome sisters-in-law in California and tons of fashion inspiration to help me with that part! If I can learn the skills, then maybe I can start with something like this remade from thrifty material. Christmas Craft, Chandlers?

Garage Saleswoman

My sister-in-law Amy is moving to a new home at the end of this month and is trying to pack up all of her things. There comes a point were you decide you just need to end your hoarding and let your possessions go, and that point often comes when you're thinking about how you would move them. So I convinced Amy to have a garage sale, because I told her I grew up garage selling with my mom. Of course, I didn't mention that it was really my mom who was the expert! Seriously, my mom is a master pricer/negotiator when it comes to throwing her own garage sales. I just sold the baked goods and popcorn. Moving on...

Saturday came and Amy had laid out all of her items for sale. My request for no early birds was ignored as expected, but the only downside was that some kids toys went to a good family at a fraction of what they might have gone for because they weren't priced beforehand. No biggie! I advertised on Craigslist and put posters around the area. I'm not sure what worked best, but people came in waves and money was made.

And do you know how we made money? Because Amy is a master sales woman! If someone was interested in a puzzle, Amy would count the pieces for them and then play it with them to make sure they liked it. Then when she saw the love in their eyes and they asked how much for the game, she said, "$5." Slight exaggeration? Maybe, but Amy was satisfied with her earnings at the end of the day. The only disappointment was that more of the furniture didn't sell. There's still a beautiful black hutch, humongous TV, and set of three furniture items remaining. Some of the littler items were left as well when we closed up shop at noon. But everything is still priced... and it went so well! So, Amy said, "Let's do this again next week."

Weather permitting, you can find us out again this Saturday trying to pawn off Amy's belongings on unsuspecting victims. This time, though, we wont try to sell the cat.

Med School Update: Second Interview Call

So first of all, Scott's interview went great at Rocky Vista University. He loves the school and really enjoyed sitting in on a manual manipulation class. I already know that Scott's really cut out to be a D.O. because the first thing he wanted to show me when he got on Friday afternoon were the techniques he learned during that one class. When Scott finished his interview on Thursday, RVU said that the group of applicants who interviewed that day were really impressive. He was in the last group to interview during the first cycle of interviews (Fall). This put him at an advantage, because they informed him that decisions would be made on Monday as to whether or not he would be accepted. Yeah! That was yesterday.

So yesterday morning, Scott receives a call from an unknown number and he answers the phone. It wasn't RVU like he was expecting. Western University was calling to offer Scott an interview for their new campus opening in Lebanon, Oregon! We are very excited! This invitation helps Scott feel good about his application and it will offer another perspective of Osteopathic programs! It doesn't hurt either that I feel great about moving to Oregon. Scott will interview at the Oregon campus, that is in the final stages of construction, in early December!!!

Then.... wait for it... he received another unknown call and answered it. This time, it was RVU! Now you only get a call if the answer is really REALLY great! Otherwise they email you. So when he picked up the unknown phone call we were sitting together in the living room, and he put the phone up so I could hear a little bit. I heard enough to know that my husband was offered a spot in Rocky Vista University's class of 2015!!!! I cannot put enough exclamation points there! The wait is over! My husband has been accepted to a medical school!

I definitely did a little victory dance while Scott finished up his phone call. Then every few minutes I like to yell out, "We're going to medical school!"

To seal the deal with RVU, we need to make security deposits to save our spot during the next two months. We do have a little bit of time to consider the decision before the first deposit is due, which will involve some research as the school does not currently offer federal loans to students. So Scott and I need to have a BIG money conversation. :(

I have to say though, it's just so relieving to know that all of Scott's efforts this past year to improve his application have really paid off! No matter where we go, we at least know that next year we'll be in medical school for sure and Scott will one day be a doctor!

Ogling Clothes Lately

Lately I have been itching for some new clothes, so I've been iWindow shopping. Not sure how I came across it, but I found ModCloth.com. Am I way behind on the times?! This is the first time I've seen the AmAzInG selection at ModCloth. I HEART looking through all their longer dresses and wondering if I would look good in any of them...

Like this one:

and this one:

Seriously all so cute and so many to choose from. I'm also loving this outfit from MikaRose:

I think it started when I went with my sister-in-law Amy to Dressbarn. I know, right? I'm never lucky enough to find anything cute in there, but Amy says it's her secret weapon. Anyway, she found this uber cute Christmas party dress and it looks amazing on her!

But really dresses are the least of my worries right now. Every day when I get up in the morning I search through the clothes that aren't in permanent storage to find something long sleeved and warm. I know, I know! I've become a wimp since moving to California. But you'd be surprised at the morning chill factor here! No snow, like Utah or Colorado, but it feels like there very well could be. My feet always feel cold! I guess then, I'm saying I need better socks... or maybe tights to go with a new dress!

Christmas Crafts

So my sister-in-law Sara had a great idea for this Christmas. She suggested that each of the women in the Chandler family put together a craft for one of the days that we are together for the Christmas holiday. It's like a family Super Satruday! I'm so excited!

So excited, in fact, that I've been keeping my eye open for good crafty ideas that I could facilitate. Here's my thoughts so far:

Christmas Wrapping Wreath from the red thread blog

Felt Flower Pillow from Classy Clutter blog

or
Poinsettia Pillow from Censational Girl blog

Paper Napkin Tile Decoupage Coasters from Curbly blog

Or

This Family Tree I saw on etsy and on a blog, but the etsy store now appears to be closed.

Which craft do you like best?

Do you have any other crafty ideas?

Med School Update: Interview at RVU

After a less than tip-worthy arrival in Denver, Scott is at this moment on his way to Rocky Vista University for his first medical school interview!

Picture from our trip to RVU in July

Good luck, Schnookims! I'm praying that good things will happen. But really, how can the admissions committee resist his impressive charm?!

Bowling Birthday

Monday was my nephew Jackson's 4th birthday! All week before we were asking him, "Hey Jackson! Where are we going for your birthday?" and he would jump up and down and say, "Birthday bowling! Birthday bowling!" Amy kept telling me that we HAD to be there because we couldn't miss seeing how excited Jackson got about bowling. She warned that he spends the whole time jumping up and down flapping his arms in front of the lanes. We were not disappointed! In fact, all of Amy's kids enjoyed bowling, and Kaden even enjoyed dancing to the ghetto music blaring over the system.





Not only was Jackson super excited to turn four and celebrate it in the bowling alley, but he beat us all! Granted that was with bumpers and an extra push after his little granny toss was loosely shoved down the lane. He still beat my 92 pin score, and after two games Jackson's and my combined scores of two games were equal. Scott, however, was able to pull it together during the second game to pull out a 166 point addition to his first measly score.

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Creative Efforts for Big Curt

I had the urge to whip out my camera this morning on my way to work. The leaves are just starting to turn colors in the Sacramento area, and it's the second week in November!

Big Curt, my father-in-law, is the owner and principle agent of an Allstate Insurance agency here in Elk Grove, CA. Part of the awesome deal we have in coming to live with my in-laws for a few months between schools, is that Scott and I are both working for Big Curt and Allstate to help him meet his goals for this year. Scott is doing what he does best, being personable in sales, and I am doing what I do best, marketing genius! My first project is the Curtis Chandler Allstate Facebook fan page and getting more fans there hopefully through email marketing. I'm still learning all the tricks that Facebook can do and that Allstate will allow (which isn't much)... but wanted to brag for myself on these extra tabs that I whipped up for the page.

If you are logged into Facebook, you can click on the above post picture it will take you directly to the fan page and the AWESOME Welcome image I created. And if you live in California and need insurance, give Big Curt a call! Sorry, had to throw that in. I also created a Refer a Friend Form for current customers and fans. There's still so much to create and plan, but it has definitely been fun so far to use my skills.

Spooky Halloween

As we are currently behind in everyhing, I am posting about how Scott and I carved pumpkins... as Trick or Treaters were coming to the Chandler door this Halloween. Of course, sports had to be in the background as Scott worked!

The pumpkins went straight from Scott's hands to the special table outside where they could be admired by all trick-or-treaters and neighbors. I can only take credit for the scrumptious seeds. Scott is particularly proud of the bat pumpkin.

Then today I introduced my nephew Sterling to my mac. At first, we had to start off slow. (Ignore the messy room.)

But then he really got the hang of it!

Pretty Spooky, huh?

Med School Update: First Interview Call

On Scott's birthday he received a call from Rocky Vista University in Parker, CO to inform him that he has been selected for an interview! This is definitely the most excited news we have received so far in Scott's med school application process. We always knew that most interviews take place in the Fall but last year we never really received word at all.

The admissions woman who called congratulated Scott on the excellent job he did of raising his GPA and MCAT score from the last time he applied. We visited this school in July, so they are somewhat familiar with Scott's story. I am so proud of Scott and knows that this means we will be hearing more about interviews in the near future!

What a great birthday present for Scott, huh?

25 in Sacramento

This October 22 was Scott's 25th birthday! We had arrived only two days before that with a car full of clothes and toilletries to Sacramento where we will be living with my in-laws for the next few months as we await our med school fate. We walked in the Chandler house and found this scene:

Martie sure knows how to decorate her house for the holidays! You don't even want to know how many boxes of Christmas goodies we had to move around the garage to free up storage space for our stuff. Pretty sure she thinks we are going to help her take down and put up decorations, and rumor has it that it takes DAYS!

Scott's birthday present this year from me was, no surprise, a trip to Costa Rica (the one that we took in September). That's actually our birthday presents to each other this year. It's not as much fun to say that now that the trip is over, but it was well worth it! For Scott's birthday, we went out to Texas Roadhouse with his family. It's one of Scott's most favorite restaurants! I asked him why just now, and he says he doesn't know, but he's pondered the question many a time. The waitress there had to sing Happy Birthday at least a dozen times Friday night, so by the time she got to our table, she skipped the singing and blaring of the dim table light on the birthday celebrator, and instead just dropped off this bowl of ice cream with six spoons.

I think Scott looks like quite the gentleman with that sweater/collar shirt combo. You should see it with a red tie! Rawrr! After dinner we went to the movies to see RED, a new movie with Bruce Willis. It was pretty good, and surprisingly funny for the topic. Had the comedic lines been removed and had the music been a smidge on the threatening side, then the producers might have called it Die Hard 17. All in all though, I liked it.

Later on that weekend, I also made Scott his two favorite desserts - Aroz con Leche (learned in Costa Rica and is so rich and nummy) and Kneaders Raspberry Bread pudding! Thanks, Heidi, for the recipe! It was as good as it looks!

Moving and Marketing

It's about time right? I bet some of you were wondering if I got lost in the move. In a way I did! I've realized after this move that I hate moving! I know I'm not alone on that one. If I have to open or pack another box in the next six months I may just burst into tears. Moving is emotional!

So I took a little while to get situated here in Sacramento [read: to watch Scott organize our new abode]. We're still getting things organized, as a new shipment of our things just came into town. *A hearty sarcastic Yay! Luckily it is the last of our things, and I have decided that all boxes will be in permanent storage until the day that we go to medical school. I have yet to set up my beautiful computer... though Scott is working on my new desk as I type/You read. Soon I'll have a beautiful throne for my magnanimous Mac. Subsequently, though, I am behind on blog posts and school work. We're getting there!

There's so much to blog about too! Scott had his 25th birthday last week, we have med school updates, and new creative endeavors! Pictures included... when my mac is up and running.

But for now I thought I would share marketing tidbit so you know I'm still alive. Last week in my MBA Marketing class we had a discussion about our favorite advertisements and why we thought they were so effective. Of course, Coke, Dos Equis, Mac, Gap, and other favorites were brought up. I had to put in one of my favorites - Old Spice's The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. Love IT and BYU's copy. I was curious in this discussion how these ads affect sales, especially when humor is involved? Sometimes it seems like the humor is the main point (like beer commercials) and consumers forget all about the product. One of my classmates linked to this article for the answer - The Man Your Man Could Smell Like vs. The Most Interesting Man in the World.

Even better though, another classmate linked to a Sesame Street copy of the advertisement to teach kiddos about the word "on". Haha!

In the Midst of Boxes

Boxes and empty walls.

After much deliberation and searching, Scott and I decided that it was time for us to move to Sacramento. We tried hard to stay in Utah where we have amazing friends and cousins nearby, fun church callings, and snow. Nix that last one. We are just not the type to stay for snow! We've decided that we are more the type to move where the weather is pleasant all year round when the going gets tough.

So while Scott is putting in his last hours at the physical therapy clinic in Lehi, I am trying to pack up our house. One shipment of things is now on its way to Sacramento to be in storage for months. This coming Wednesday is the official day we turn in our keys and make the long drive to our next home. Thank you to my in-laws who are so gracious to allow us to live with them temporarily!

For now, though, so much of our apartment is itching to get in a box. The kitchen is relatively unpacked, furniture, do-dads, food that will most likely not get eaten by Wednesday, and a big pile that will eventually find itself at the DI. Here's what I'm thinking - Moving Party! Bestest of friends nearby, come visit our place and if you pack a box you can have free range of the pile of things to stay in Utah, including, but not limited to... a Rainbow Chip Cake Mix and matching Icing!

Sorry, Christie! You snooze, you lose!