Okay, okay...

I guess it's time for an update.  I just couldn't bring myself to sit down at the computer for the past two weeks.

Reason 1: We had the entire house to ourselves while the family upstairs was gone for Spring Break.  That meant I got windows - and lots of them!  Real sunlight shining in through beautiful, glorious, large windows. (We live in a basement, remember?).

Reason 2: Spring is here.  Today is actually already too hot for me (80's) but last week was divine.

So you see my predicament in not wanting to be down in the basement staring at our computer.

Due to the delay, the update will now be quick and concise.  I don't have time for details.  I have sunshine and a book awaiting me outside.

THE INTERVIEW

Ryan arrived in Omaha late on a Wednesday night.  Our wonderful friend, Kyle, picked him up and dropped him off at Tommy and Jayme's (who were so kind as to let him stay... again).  Lastly, a third friend, Rob and Melissa, had dropped off a car to let him use during his stay.  Can you say incredibly blessed? Seriously, this is why we're moving back to Omaha.  Three separate very generous friends had everything covered for Ryan's trip.  

(It also seems as though I lied.  You're going to get details because words are just flowing right now).

Ryan's biggest predicament was getting his suit out of the storage unit.  Thankfully, his tote of clothes was near the front and after it was obtained he had the task of ironing it to an acceptable level so as to appear presentable for his interview.  A few unwelcome rusty iron-water spits and a washer and dryer cycle later, it was 1:00 a.m. and Ryan was able to snooze a few hours before his big day.

At 8:30 a.m. Ryan drove to Creighton University to meet with their current residents.  He was elated to find that two of them had facial hair which immediately meant they were cool.  They had a grand old time chatting and touring the facility until Ryan's real interview with the big guns at 10:00 a.m.  I had given him a list of practice questions which he studied diligently on the plane and was therefore ready to rock.  There were multiple people sitting in on this interview - Creighton Faculty and representatives from their two partner clinics, Madonna Rehab in Lincoln and Makovicka PT in Omaha.  It was Ryan's job to "connect" with the site that he was most interested and hope that they liked him back and would select him as their Resident.  He said he gave the best interview he could give and that was all that we can ask for, right?

In fact, this was the first thing I heard from him all day:

 

But really, its Ryan.  Did we expect anything less? People love him.

That night was another great reminder of just what is waiting for us back in Omaha.  Ryan surrounded himself with a table full of friends, wings, and March Madness.  If I hadn't been here in NC with the pup, I'm not sure he would have come back.

Bright and early Friday morning, Ryan drove to Lincoln to tour the Madonna facility.  He LOVED it.  He just wished it weren't in Lincoln.  If he is placed there, he still has to be in Omaha at Creighton two days a week for class so there is a commute no matter where we were to live.  He was kind enough to stop by to see my parents where he finally heard from Makovicka PT that they wanted to meet with him again, as well.  He felt like an idiot when a guy named Joel walked into the interview and introduced himself.  Ryan said something to the effect of, "Oh, are you a PT here, too?" As soon as Joel started talking, Ryan had an embarrassing "DUH!" moment when he realized it was Joel MAKOVICKA - the OWNER.  He also happens to be an ex-Husker football player who played during their 1990's glory days and has multiple national championships to his name.  His massive stature and lunch of pure protein should have tipped Ryan off, but it all clicked just seconds too late.

All in all, Ryan really feels like everything went as well as it could. Like I said, he thinks Lincoln would be a great fit for him, but the commute will wear him down very quickly.  He says he'll have to think pretty hard about it if he's offered that position, but we both know that he'll take it.  Initially, he really wanted to be placed with Makovicka but he's not so sure anymore.  They have a very demanding schedule and it seems like they might have a preference towards students they've worked with already and know their skill level.  But who knows, Ryan's charm and facial hair may have sealed the deal.

So when do we find out? Ugh, that's the bad news.  The Creighton students who applied are in the Dominican Republic on a service trip and aren't scheduled to meet with the sites until May 6 and 7.  The deadline they gave was May 10. That's two days before graduation.  Let's all pray that it will make for a happy graduation weekend.

After all the interview stuff, I made Ryan fly back to me that night because we had signed up for "Color Me Rad" the next day.  It was 7,000+ people arranged in somewhat organized chaos.  We want to do at least one race together a year and this is my kind of race.  There was absolutely no timer and the majority of people were walking.  We did our best to jog the whole thing though, just to feel a little bit better about ourselves.  In the future, we want friends to come with! We tried this time, but we do understand that these type of races are expensive.  But save your pennies, it's worth it!

The Easter Bunny was white when it all started!

Sweenalicious and Wifey

Pictures of the pup

I know, I know. You all want updates on Ryan's interview and our day to day life, but I'm currently still in bed with my cute husband sleeping on his hand like children do when they pretend and my puppy at our feet, hoping we'll get up and let him play soon. So while I lay here and enjoy this moment, I'll let you enjoy some adorable puppy pics. Because its been awhile.

This is Boo, the slightly miniature version of Ryno. 

Post bath.  Pre haircut.

Hoping Dad will save him from the scary trimmers.

Velcro.

Giving Ryan "the paw of love"

ALWAYS on my fabric.  ALWAYS.

Cuddling up with me while Ryan was away.

Waiting to come inside after playing with his friends. He's the BEST.

Something scared him really badly while I was in the shower and he would not come out from under the chair.

"Oh, you want to dry your dishes here? Too bad."

Totally normal.

That was a bad idea.

Ugh, I feel awful right now. 

For two reasons I decided to ignore the doctor's orders not to exercise.

1. Ryan and I have a 5k "Color Me Rad" race next weekend

2. I just feel gross. I don't think I've gained weight, it's just shifted and I feel soft.

and a bonus 3. The weather is too good to resist and we now have sun until 7 p.m.

I got home from work, charged our completely dead GPS watch for 5 minutes, and charged my phone which was down to 30%, changed, grabbed the pup and headed out the door.  Our neighbor told us about some trails near the house so I quickly googled them and went out the door.

The trailhead and parking was only 5 minutes away which is awesome because I miss having a trail that I could enter right from our apartment complex.

Ryno was whining and itching to go while I got the watch set up and tried the Map My Run app for the first time while also running Pandora for music.  (I was trying to download Songza but it wouldn't work.  My friend recommended it and I love it!) And remember how my phone was only at 30%? I really hoped it would last.

Online I saw a 2.5 mile loop and I thought that's all the trail was.  Then I started running and there were forks in the road.  A lot of them.  I didn't know where to go, so I just made decisions as I went.  No one else was on the trail to ask.  I was fairly confident in my decisions until about 2 miles in.  I looked down at my phone (THANK GOODNESS I was using Map My Run. I'm pretty sure that was divine inspiration) and could see that I was not heading back to where I started.  So I turned around and tried another turn that seemed to take me in the general direction I needed.

Shortly afterwards, Ryan called me on his drive home and I had to confess I was lost.  The trails go around a little airport and I was now on the complete other side from where I started.  It was going to be at least another 2 miles in either direction for me to get back to the car.  I decided to stick by the fence surrounding the airport because it looked like it would at least hit a main road.  Well, although people had obviously run along there, it wasn't really a path.  And there were plenty of fallen and overgrown trees cutting my arms and legs as I pushed through.  I got to where I thought I should turn to go to the road and it didn't look like an option.  I called Ryan again this time slightly panicked and asked him to say a quick prayer (or two or three) that I would be able to find my way before dark and before my phone died (it was now at 17%).

I stuck with my gut feeling and headed toward the road.  I had to climb down a rocky path to get to the road, but I made it.  Then I had to run along a busy street with no side walk (thank you, NC) and a dog who was being a total butt and not wanting to run on my left side where he would be away from the road and safe.  Minus the few times I had to stop to find my way, adrenaline kept me running (and by running I mean 10 minute mile pace) the entire way.  

Four miles, a few scrapes, and some puppy vomit later, I made it back to the car.

Ryan made me a delicious healthy salad for dinner and when he went off to play basketball tonight I ate way too many gummy bears.  Now I'm just plain exhausted and my tummy hurts.

Perhaps I should go back to not exercising.

P.S. I very quickly just spewed out this story without rereading it and like I said, I'm exhausted so I apologize if it does not make sense or if there or errors.  But I don't really apologize because I don't really care.

I get these crazy ideas.

Working at a craft store is a brilliant and terrible idea all at the same time.  

Stuff goes on sale, I get big ideas, I buy it and it sits.  

You don't want to know how much craft stuff I have boxed up in our storage unit.  

Or how much I'm starting to collect here.  

I have enough snuggle flannel to make at least half a dozen receiving blankets.  

With 60% off and adorable dinosaur prints, how could I say no?  

Also purchased was enough flannel to make a new "sleep" blanket as the Lukes call it.  

These blankets are the BEST.  

They are called sleep blankets because it is almost a guarantee that if the blanket is on top of you, you will fall asleep.

In case you forgot, this is why I need a new sleep blanket:

 

And this is what the new material will be: 

 

It was hard to find something that was gender neutral, and I know this isn't, but it's adorable!

And finally, my newest insane endeavor.  We are selling our home decor fabric samples for $2 each.  They are about 16" square and some absolutely beautiful fabrics! I first found just a few of each of the greens, blues, pinks and greys and thought they were beautiful together.  So I kept gathering and got a crazy idea.  I'm going to make a quilt out of them.  

And not just a quilt, a queen size-new bedspread-quilt.

 

 Oh, they're soooo pretty! And they have different textures which makes them way more fun than just cottons. 
I got to thinking last night and came up with this design:

 

Then I was thinking about it more today and I think I'm going to turn it into a duvet cover instead of a quilt.  But, I'm also considering other pattern options.  I chose that pattern when I had quilt in mind.  Now that I'm thinking duvet cover, my ideas are expanding.  Oh the possibilities, it's going to be gorgeous!

Meanwhile in NC...

While no one really cared that Nebrasketball was playing its last game in the Devaney Center in Lincoln, we sadly said farewell to Cameron Indoor Stadium by going to Duke's last home game of the season which will most likely be our last game there.

Our 2013 graduates!

Jared's "Mustache March" is always a winner.

While Omaha experienced "Snowmageddon Part II" we were enjoying 65 degrees 

and sunshine while hiking Occoneechee Mountain with Mitch, Maile, and Lucy.

 

 

 

 

While Nebraska was still digging out of the snow, I rearranged my work schedule to enjoy Spring Break with some girlfriends of mine.  Beach trips with girls are the best because we can just be lazy and get a tan with no husbands bugging us to kick around a ball or get in the water. 

 

Although my birthday was 1.5 months ago, Ryan finally bought me my birthday cake I've been wanting.  

They're expensive, but ice cream cakes are such a nice treat! 

Note the mini-jar candle tradition on cakes is still holding strong.

And lastly here in NC, we found out that Ryan got an interview at Creighton for the residency! Now we have to see if it's worth paying $500 or use ALL of our frequent flyer miles to fly him out there.  A phone interview is an option, but it's really not an option.  If you want it (which we do) you gotta be there in person.  We were honestly getting a little worried and wondering if we got cocky, so that email couldn't have come soon enough.

Oh, and I quit Joann's.  Next week is my last week. It was supposed to be my fun job and it was not fun.  I was working way too many hours and I was a walking zombie.  So I quit.

Awkward Encounter

I went to the doctor today.  The lady doctor.  I went to get an ultrasound to check to make sure everything was okay in there.  I was first surprised when on the phone the nurse told me that it's not going to be on the outside like I've always seen on TV.  I didn't know there was another kind, but I'd deal.

I didn't even think about who would be performing the exam.  I guess I assumed a nurse.  But the nurse left me to undress and a man doctor entered.  Crap.  I'm not a shy person, but to prevent awkward encounters like this one, I've always scheduled with lady OB/GYN's.  This kid was young, too.  His tag said MD but he was probably right out of school, or at least he looked it. 

I don't know if he could sense my surprise/nervousness at that point but he complimented my toenail polish (which is a glittery turquoise - thanks Whit!).  I don't know if that was his attempt to make it less awkward, but it definitely made it more awkward.  Then he looked over and saw my shoes sitting on the ground and he just LOVED those! They are very cute, but again, how is this supposed to help the situation? Now I couldn't tell if he was just being nice or gay.  Because he reiterated once more just how pretty my shoes were.

All in all, let's not repeat that encounter mmkay?

2010 Photo Album!

Remember how over six months ago I asked everyone their opinion on how I should make our family photo albums? Well, I hate to admit it, but I ended up changing it from what we all agreed on.  It was too much pressure to add the cute doodles and it was preventing me from getting it done.  I cleaned it all up by removing the little drawings and simplified the font.  I still love it, especially because it's DONE!  We'll see how soon I have the motivation to begin on 2011.

Click on the link below to preview of some of the pages! I took out ones with vital information (our address) and ones that I thought were boring or not very pretty. :)


http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/4117193-sweeney-family-2010#share-pane