How could someone do such a thing!!!

Ok- get ready for a story that will make you want to drive up to Lubbock and regulate yourself!

So Friday was my birthday- thank you to all who wished me well (I will be returning phone calls soon) and on my way home from work, I called Chase to see what time we were going to dinner. When he answers the phone, he sounds ultra depressed...
Chase said something was wrong with Toby and he wasn't moving.
Being the over-protective "mom" that I am, I rush home to find Toby laying on the floor, looking miserable. He looked about 5 lbs lighter and didn't even jump up to greet me like he usually does... he actually couldn't even get up.

Chase and I though he must have ate something earlier in the day and he was felling a little icky, so we let him sleep on the couch while we went out.

When we got home later that night, there was still no change- except he was starting to throw up now (sorry for the visual... but more sorry for my carpet).

We cleaned up the carpet (looks like new now) and put Toby to bed, praying he would be better by morning.

No such luck. When I went to get Toby in the laundry room, he had been sick all night and was still throwing up. Blah!

I decided to take him to the vet, while Chase studied for his test tomorrow. At this point, Toby hadn't had anything to eat in more than 24 hours and was starting to get weak and shake- my heart was just breaking for the little guy.

When we finally get to the vet, he decides to take an x-ray of Toby and later tells me Toby has been shot in the side.

And I lose it- I'm mad, confused, sad, frustrated and ready to go hurt whoever decided my sweet Toby needed to be shot. We had noticed a cut on Toby's side the day before, but the hair was matted down and you couldn't see below it. The vet shaved his hair off and showed me the perfect hole- he thinks it was a pellet gun.

By this point, I can barely breathe and stay focused enough on what he is saying. The vet tells me it might have perforated his intestines and he doesn't think he will be able to find the bullet even in surgery. We decide to put him on some antibiotics for pain because we think he's really just in too much pain to function.

We leave the vet, a few pretty pennies later, and I try to drive home amongst all the tears to tell Chase the news. At this point, I've decided either Toby is going to have to live with the bullet in him pain free, or we are going to have to put him down-- but I really did not want that to be an option.

Chase was way more mad than upset and immediately called the cops to report what happened and hopefully we can find who wants to kill our dog- I mean yeah he barks, but only when he feels threatened and only during the day. I mean, if you are going to stay home all day and don't like to hear dogs bark, then move out to the country. Geez! Every person on our street has a dog that barks occasionally, but I don't see anyone going around shooting them...

To make a long story short, today is new day and I think Toby is going to make it. We prayed a whole lot yesterday and he woke up this morning and decided to eat a little and play with his toys! He won't leave my side and his tail is wagging much more today!

Toby's wound and Tess trying to protect him.



So, please keep him in your prayers- he's like a child to me and I would be devastated if I had to put him down.

Oh... anyone have some good ideas on what we should do in retaliation?

Other good news.... THE KITCHEN REMODEL IS FINISHED!!!!!!
Here are some before and after pics!

BEFORE:



AFTER

My favorite time of year

So here is what we have been up to lately..
A few weekends ago, Chase and I traveled to Dallas, with the dogs in tow, so Chase could speak at a COBA (ACU business dept) fundraiser appreciation dinner.
We got to stay at the Crescent in Dallas- one of the nicest hotels I've ever been through. Thank goodness Chase convinced me to change out of my workout T-shirt and shorts before we checked in... I would have been completely embarrassed. Seriously, it was that nice. Once we made it to the dinner fundraiser, we chatted it up with some big time COBA donors and then ate some delish food. By the way, I felt completely out of my league at this event- I didn't really even know what were eating or what silverware to use.


View from our hotel room... so Dallas

Chase spoke after dinner about his COBA experience and how his experience has helped him through med school and MBA. I was way nervous for him about his speech, considering the day before I asked if it was ready and he said, "I'm just gonna wing it."

Oh, ok I thought- yeah that sounds like a good idea to speak about how good of an education you received at COBA and stumble along your speech. But being who Chase is, he did awesome!! So proud of him!


All dressed up for the fundraiser!

On Sunday, Chase played in a golf tournament with some family and we didn't get to leave FW until about 7pm. Thats right. We didn't get back til about 1am and then I had to be at work at 7 the next day. Let's just say it was a rough Monday.

On house news... the kitchen should be 100% done by this weekend. The countertops are in and backsplash is almost done. I don't mean to brag, but our kitchen looks awesome!!! I'll post pics when its all done.

Tess and Toby are still just the most precious dogs. I just love them like my little babies:) Well, more like toddlers- it seems like they are in the "terrible twos" stage right now.


Little babies sleeping...

In other news, I am so excited for the weekend to come. Friday is my birthday (Yikes 25!) and we're gonna go out with some friends I think. I'm trying to convince Chase to take me to the new Twilight movie coming out this weekend... but this is his response "Like I really want to be with every other middle school girl in town at the movies."
He does have a good point... but its my birthday wish:) I think he'll come around with enough persuasion.
Chase also said I could decorate early this year for Christmas, even though that totally goes against his rules for Christmas decorating. Since, we are going to be out of town for Thanksgiving, he says its ok. "Out of sight, out of mind."

Chase is still trying to be a doctor by the way. We probably have a weekly discussion on what type he will be and where we will move next- we are such OCD planners! Currently we are wanting to move to an city that has an SEC football team... Nashville, I think so!!!!

Anyway, thats about all that is going on here in Lubbock. Its cold. Its windy. Its the best time of the year!!!!

And that makes 4

I know I've been the world's worst blogger... and I really don't even have a good excuse, except for the usual "Its been busy."

Matter of fact, I've only blogged 2x since MAY!!!! How embarrassing.
But, to make myself feel better, Chase hasn't blogged that much either.

Here's an update on the last few months in Lubbock:

House remodel is at a standstill- we ordered new kitchen counter tops in early July and they STILL aren't here, so we are using an old closet door as our current bar. It's pretty resourceful if I say so myself, but its kinda weird to eat dinner next to a door handle!
FYI: Counters should be here at the end of OCTOBER- that's right, it takes Lowe's 4 months to satisfy their customers... or should I say DISSATISFIED!

Chase's school is pretty intense this semester, but overall not bad. My job has improved tremendously and I actually don't hate it anymore. I would like to take this opportunity to say I have not cried once this school year- major improvement from last year. Thank you Jesus. Seriously couldn't have done it without Him!

Little puppy Tess is growing like crazy and continues to be a little spaz.

Our big news lately is that we adopted another dog.
Now, I know what you're thinking..."really guys, another dog- isn't Tess crazy enough for everyone?"
Well, yeah she is, that's why we got another one!
We would like to welcome Toby to the Cawyer household. Toby is a rescue I adopted from the Humane Society. Chase gave me strict guidelines for getting another dog (secretly hoping I wouldn't find a dog). I had to find a male that was fixed, 1 year old and already had all his shots. Mission accomplished. Toby is 1 year old exactly and meets all the requirements.
Toby is not quite as cute as Tess, but he is the sweetest dog I've ever known. No one is a stranger to him and he will just sit right by me and put his head in my life. He just wants to be loved. He's also so smart- he already opens doors by himself, which is quite nice when he wants to go outside, because I don't have to go open the door for him.
Tess now has a friend to play with during the day and he has really calmed her down- thank goodness!!!!




Here is what Chase and I have concluded: Tess is the cutest, but Toby is by far the sweetest. (Not that Tess isn't sweet, she's just a little spastic and very puppy still.)

In case you're thinking I've become the "dog lady", I assure you I haven't!!!

Anyway, I am super pumped that fall is here- the house his in full fall mode with my new fall wreath I made, scarecrows, pumpkins and fall trail mixes!!!! Yay for new seasons!!!!



Until next time,
Live. Laugh. Love. Pray.
T

Wait, I already have a day off? YES!!!

So.... I'm sitting here on my day off watching CMT music videos and thinking...."I love labor day!"

I know I've only been back to work like a month now, but man I sure did need this day off.

Maybe I should give a little update on my 2nd year of teaching so far... well, so far, so good. Last year was in a word, ROUGH! Poor Chase said the hardest part of med school last year was my job- how sad is that?!? I would cry every morning before going to work and usually do the same when I got home. Ridiculous, but this year has been so much better already for many reasons.
1. I'm teaching 8th grade this year- some of the same kids from last year (this is good and bad).
2. I'm teaching 8th grade- major maturity over the summer- its like their new people. Its weird to see how much they can change in just a few months, but so far they are impressing me. Thank goodness I don't have 6th grade. I just can't handle those little wiggle worms:)
3. I sort of know what I am doing now. Last week, one of my students said, "MISS, You're so organized this year." I almost gave her an A for the rest of the year. Last year, I was just trying to get through the day without drowning, but now I've had a few swim lessons to improve and doing much better.
4. I'm more confident in my teaching and in myself. If they don't like me.... whateve! This is pretty hard for me to do because if you know me at all, I am such a people pleaser (thanks DAD for this)
5. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Last year, I thought the school year would never end, but now I know that time zips by and I get a summer break- praise God above for that! I told Chase, "No matter how many tears I cry throughout the school year, its worth it to get 2 months off.

So, all in all, good start so far.

On another note, Chase, Tess and I will be trekking to the F-dub this coming weekend for Will's wedding. YAY! I love weddings. We will be dropping off Tess at Chase's parents for the weekend. Bless them for that. She's currently in the "terrible two" stage and thinks everything is "edible." Love her though. Pics to come soon.

Until next time,
Live. Love. Laugh. Pray

Our little family is growing

No, not with a child

Well, I figured since its been about 3 months since I blogged, I have some updating to do.

DISCLAIMER: This will be a pretty lengthy post, since I am recapping the last few months... don't say you weren't warned:)

April:
We bought our first house at the end of April and I have tirelessly been working on it non-stop. It was built in 1959 and needed major updating. Yay! Project for me:) I love being busy and I have spent every waking moment on this house all summer... until today. I am pretty much done with the big stuff, except for the bathrooms. They are a looming project that will just have to wait. Right now, I am painting one door at a time. Its a slow process trying to paint those dang doors. You have to prime and prime then paint and paint. It takes about a day. So, maybe by October I'll have them all finished. We've completely re-done the kitchen, living room, dining room and both bedrooms. Exhausting but exciting

May:
School's out for me!!! I told Chase, "no matter how many tears I cry during the school year, its worth it to be off 3 months in the summer." I've been super busy traveling and visiting friends and family. Loving life. Chase has been working a lot and wasn't able to come with me... and its true, absence does make the heart grow fonder. I've missed that kid.
I took Emily to see George Strait at the new Cowboy Stadium.. Absolutely Amazing! (sorry, no pictures. My hard drive crashed and I lost them... just imagine ok). Also had a roommate reunion in FW. It was so good to see everyone and catch up on life. I dont know what I would do without those girls.

June:
Went to Abilene for Kim and John's wedding. So, so, so fun. It was like a college reunion with everybody there. Then the Edwards, Eyers and us made the ridiculously long drive to Hilton Head, South Carolina to spend a week at Jesse's parents house. Maybe one of the top 5 weeks of my life. No worries, no cares. Just fun, sun, dolphins, laughter, good food, good wine and great company. By the way, I'm ready to move to SC any day now. Surely everyone will want to come visit us there right?!?!

(Back story to me next update) We decided this summer was a good time to get a dog. We have a yard and Chase is starting to get really busy with school, so I needed a "best friend" close by. Some friends of ours had some boxer puppies, so we went and picked one out to actually not bring home until mid-July. Well the next day, the mom ate two of the puppies and the rest of them died the following day. Yikes!!! We think they all had some sort of infection. Yes I did say she ATE them. Crazy. So, we had to come up with a new plan. While we were home visiting the rents, I thought I would go around to the shelters and pick one out. So while Chase went golfing one day, I went dog hunting. Well within an hour I found the perfect puppy. I called Chase and told him I didn't have any luck, but I lied. When he came home to his parents house I was standing there holding little Tess.

Tess is a mutt. We think blue-healer/Rottweiler mix, but she is precious. We love her so much already. She was 5 weeks when we got her, so she's already about 9 weeks. Man, they sure do grow up fast:) As of two days ago, she had mastered "sit" and she knows to go to the back door when she has to potty. Her only downfall right now it the gnawing on your appendages. She is obsessed with Chase's feet and pants. Its almost funny how much she attacks him.

July:
Did the yearly 4th of July extravaganza at Heath's lake house. Always a blast!!
I had a teacher conference at NASA for week. I am now obsessed with NASA. Not in a nerdy kind of way, but everything they do there is almost unfathomable to me. Some of the most brilliant minds in the world and also some of the most faithful people I've ever met. Almost every astronaut and NASA employee mentioned their faith and that God helped them land these amazing jobs. I was not expecting that; it was refreshing.
On the way home from NASA, made a pit stop in SA for Elena and Cherry's baby shower. Can't wait to see those little babies.

Whew, so that is the recap of the summer. Here's a few pics to capture the moments:)

Here's the view from Jesse's parents back porch. Breathtaking.


This is me with Dom... an astronaut that just retired. Nicest man ever.



This is an astronaut in training. He is getting all geared up to practice weightlessness in the training pool. They have to learn/practice doing mechanics in the water to simulate doing them in space. Way cool!


Here is a picture of the whole training pool. It has a mack space station built under the water.



At the baby shower for Cherry and Elena, we played a game to see who could drink the bottle the fastest. Please take note at Shaylee's playing stance:)


Meet Tess!!!


This was the first day we had her. Isn't she too cute!!!


Sweet puppy.


The crew in South Carolina.


Girl pic on the boat in South Carolina


Boys being boys. They all 3 decided it would be more fun to ride the tube together than by themselves. It really was some of the best entertainment of the week.


Beautiful mommies-to-be!


Beautiful bride-to-be!


Roommate reunion weekend. This was at Joe T's on Friday night. Erin met us there to catch up on life too.



Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks.
T

Pictures of the house remodel coming soon...

What's in a sandwich?

So since we moved we now live about 5 minutes from campus which is awesome. And what's even more awesome is that this summer I've been working on campus so I spend like 20 minutes max in the car each day (yeah that's right big city folks, there is ONE advantage to living in Lubbock). But because of this close location I have been able to go home each day at lunch. Well last week Taryn was gone and so I had to go home and let Tess out and while I was there I made myself a sandwich. You know the typical turkey and cheese with mustard on wheat bread nothing out of the ordinary. However, as with most foods 4 straight days of the same sandwich with the same cracked pepper potato chips, baby carrot sticks and cherries you get a little sick and so you mix it up with a PB&J.

Well this week I haven't been feeling either of these two staple sandwiches and wanted to try something different. So since Taryn and I have just a stock-pile of flour tortillas we have been creating our own version of wrap sandwiches. And let me tell you when you throw them in a microwave and heat them up they are DELICIOUS. So since Monday we have had wrap sandwich made different ways. First day was basic turkey and cheese, the next we added lettuce (little did I know the lettuce was a month old and needless to say had a odd taste to it), and then today replaced the lettuce with some pepperoni. Each of these sandwiches was delicious in their own way, even the one with the nasty lettuce and I'm really excited to try some different salad dressings, different veggies, and different types of meat. But what is most surprising is that I just now realized how good a sandwich in a flour tortilla is. So for all you readers who have way too many extra tortillas and lunch meat make yourself a wrap and throw whatever you want into it.

Until next time

I Don't Mind Waiting on a Woman, but 2.5 months is enough

So this is the first blog I have written since early May and the reason is simple Taryn wanted to blog about the house, the summer and our new puppy Tess. Well she hasn't because she's busy with the house, the summer travels and our new puppy Tess. So instead of stealing her thunder I would just like to take this time writing about something very near and dear to me. Relative Value Units or (RVUs)

Now for those of you who don't know what RVUs are let me explain. They are these ridiculously complicated value that dozens of Harvard minds have come up with that basically decide how much Physicians should be paid for each procedure or practice that they preform. For instance a 30 minute first patient visit has an RVU of 2.2 and a lumbar injection has one of 8.5. Interesting enough these values get multiplied by what is called a Conversion Factor that establishes how much each RVU pays. For instance this year the conversion factor is 36.06 so your patient visit you get reimbursed just around $80. While your lumbar injection gets paid about $300 or so. Now I need to add this is what the government pays you not a private insurance agent. That's too complicated and has nothing to do with my point so I will stop. Funny how you don't learn anything about these things until your LAST YEAR OF RESIDENCY, even though they are the most important factor in figuring out how much you get paid. Anyway I write my post to say this. We all hear that Medicare/Medicaid spending is out of control and is costing tax payers millions of dollars so it needs to be fixed.

A little known secret is that congress doesn't control these reimbursement rates they just pass legislation to create standards and decide what kind of people are eligible. But anyway our beautiful government in the form of the CMS or Center for Medicare Services has decided the best way to reduce our Medicare services is to decrease reimbursement rates by reducing the conversion factor 21%. That's right 21% and that's doesn't just effect physician's it effects nurses, the staff and even patients. For instance that lumbar puncture instead of receiving $300 they will receive $just under $250. Well new flash that procedure cost $250 so do you think physicians will be providing that procedure to those that can just pay the minimum rate? I think if they want their office manager to fire them they will. So what does this mean to people who the government is trying to help get care? In essence they are going to be denied care b/c a practice or hospital cannot afford to perform the procedure.

It's not just about physician's salaries decreasing or hospital guruys making 600 grand instead of a million, it's about people's healthcare treatment getting worse. Now I'm against Obama's plan of hiking up taxes to help pay for the spending as much as the next conservative, but people that plan does not have a direct effect of cutting the reimbursement rates.

I leave you with this illustration. This summer I'm working at a Pain Center (where people go to get treated for chronic pain, neat stuff Drs. make anywhere from $300 grand to $800 grand). They are the only pain center within a 300 mile radius that accepts Medicare patients and so they have a lot of low reimbursement rates and because of this they are not doing so well. With the continual cuts in reimbursement they are looking at a loss that triples their current one in 3 years. AKA they will go out of business and therefore patients that need chronic pain treatment won't be seen. So in effect these cuts that the government is making to help its citizens are actually going to be denying them treatment.

Sounds like were headed in the right direction.

Until next time

House Remodel Lessons Learned

So we had our first weekend of redoing the house and all is going well. That is to say Taryn is so obsessed that she probably won't be blogging for another couple weeks because all she wants to do is paint and make the house look good (OK BY ME). Anyway a few lessons learned for those of you who are planning on buying an older house and wanting to do a little remodel:

1) Make sure the bathroom has outlets. Our's has one and it is at the light at the top of the mirror, thank goodness my brother does electrical work).
2) Make sure you have a power drill. I have already unscrewed at least 500 screws on the wall or anywhere else.
3) Make sure you have good jams. The only thing I like about painting is being with Taryn and listening to music.
4) Be prepared for your arms and fingers to be stuck in certain positions.
5) Make sure your budget has a spot that says crap expenses and make sure it is half of your total budget. You think I'm kidding.
6) Be prepared to get in arguments about missing painting spots or breaking something of little concern and then laughing two minutes later b/c you stepped in paint in your good shoes.
7) Move close to a Rosas
8) Have fun because it will be worth it.

Overall Taryn and I have already had so much fun seeing the little transformation in our new home and whenever she writes about it hopefully it will be much better than mine.

Until next time

The Reverge of the Nacho Burger and we bought a house

So yesterday we signed our life away and bought a house. More to come on that whenever Taryn gets around to blogging, (I don't want to steal her thunder). On a just important note I have rediscovered the Nacho Burger.

In one of my first blogs I talked about how much I love Chili's (scroll down to the post titled Chili's http://cawyer.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-08-17T14:30:00-07:00&max-results=7 and my experience with their Menu. The link is only provided for you who really care to reread post that I wrote almost a year ago. Well anyway Taryn and I went there to eat dinner and I was just craving the Nacho Burger so I asked our waiter, who both Taryn and I think is an old DT, if she could see if they still make it. She came back and said yeah its on the old menu and its only $7.59. $7.59???? There is only one other burger cheaper than that and thats the Oldtimer, which is basically a burger you can make out on the grill for 1/8th the cost and just as delicious of a taste. Well of course I said sign me up and so I got it, I ate it and it was delicious so everyone be jealous. Ummm well I'm in class right now learning about Pseudomonas (you know things that cause pneumonia) and so I should probably play attention. I just wanted to share the excitement that is the Nacho Burger. Look forward to Taryn's post on the new house.

Until next time

Who would have thought???

Who would have thought it was this hard to pick out paint?

Here's my new dilemma. Its not really a "dilemma," but to a type A person like myself, it is.

I just don't know what to paint the trim on our new house!

I know this sounds like a stupid thing to fret about, but it really is a taxing decision.

Currently, the house has cornflower blue trim. That's right blue- YUCK!! It will be one of the first things removed when we move in (two weeks by the way!!) I really can't stand the current curb-appeal... well, I wouldn't say it really even has curb appeal right now. Oh but it will in due time!!!!

So, I've been getting paint sample after paint sample and holding them up to every part of the house trying to narrow it down to something... but I just can't decide. You are probably thinking "its just paint, its not that big of decision." Wrong. Its so important for two reasons:

1. We are new to the neighborhood and I don't want people to look at our newly painted house and think "who are these new people that moved in and made our street look ridiculous?" I know it won't look as bad as the current cornflower blue, but still... I'm a people pleaser:)

2. We are sort of "flipping" this house to sell in a few years and I don't want someone not to buy it based on the trim color- that would be terrible. I've watched enough HGTV to know that people have a hard time looking past the current color of a house so I don't want someone to not give our house the credit it deserves based on the trim.

Side note: as I'm sitting here writing this, I'm thinking "just pick a color and go with it Taryn!" Geez.

Ok, this post was more therapeutic for me, than entertaining for you. Sorry.
I believe I'm going to go with a grayish/brown color.

Stayed tuned to see if I actually pick that color.

Until next time,
Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks.
T

My First Easter as THE CHEF!

Happy Easter!!!

So far it has been a wonderful day!
Chase and I woke up early and went to the early 8:30 service. Our church just started this early, early service today, so we though we'd try it out.

We love our church. Today, I was especially moved by the sermon. Our preacher started a new series called, "Confessions of a Preacher." Its about how even preachers struggle with sin and NOBODY is perfect. At the end of the sermon the preacher wrote on an index card what sins he struggles with and has decided to surrender them to God. He then nailed the index card to a wooden cross on the stage to say "I surrender." He then invited us all to do the same. There were wooden crosses all around the room and Chase and I wrote what sins we struggle with and nailed it to the cross. I loved this. Not only did it actually make me think about what I struggle with, but that I have the freedom to surrender it to Christ and let him help me overcome these sins. What a great service!!!

After church, Chase and I came home and I made my first Easter meal. Since we had such a short break for Easter and we live so far from home, we didn't go home this weekend to be with family- its been a little sad this weekend, but Chase and I have enjoyed our little holiday to ourselves.

Anyway, back to the cooking. I mean I cook and all, but not really from scratch very often. Earlier in the week I asked Chase what he wanted for Easter lunch, and you can only imagine what he said. "Umm... have to have a ham and at least four sides and rolls."
My response... "Chase, its just the two of us." But, I agreed because lets face it, the guy loves leftovers and from my point of view, I sure don't mind cooking one HUGE meal on Sunday for him to feast on the rest of the week.

So, no more cooking for Taryn the rest of the week!!!!!

I would like to announce that my first Easter feast was a complete success!!! We dined on baked ham, broccoli rice casserole, HOMEMADE mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and my favorite green bean casserole!!! Delish!

Oh and of course cake for desert. I've attached a few pictures for those family members who may need actual evidence to prove my stellar cooking abilities.

And to round out the afternoon, Chase and I are watching some fantastic Master's action. Go Tiger!!!

Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks.
T

Fireproof.

We finally did it and broke down to watch Fireproof. I've wanted to see it because I love those types of movies but Chase was a little less enthused. He definitely wasn't about to pay $9 at the theater, but due to the wonder that is the "Red Box," he was more willing.

So Friday night, I was feeling pretty nauseous (no I'm not pregnant... I don't think) and just wanted to stay home and veg. So, with a little convincing and begging Chase said we could watch it.

We made a little pallet on the floor and started the experience of "Fireproof."
I don't know if you know the premise, but its about a husband and wife of 7 years that is on the brink of divorce and neither of them have Christ in their lives.

Now, let me clear one thing up, the acting leaves much to be desired, but the story is great!

Halfway through the movie, Chase said, "I'm glad you made me watch this."
Aaaahhh, the joy of being right:)

If you get a chance to see the movie, you should. It is such a good reminder why God puts up with our antics everyday and why marriage is so sacred. It reminds people not to take the other for granted and to treat them with REAL LOVE daily. Such a great movie.

After it was over and I had cried for a while, we talked about how happy we were married and how thankful we were for each other.

PSA for the day: Go see the movie.


Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks

When is it time to say goodbye?

So once again I am sitting in my ethics class and bored. Which is really weird considering this class is one of my favorites I've had. Anyway I'm bored so I have a question. When is it time to say goodbye to your favorite jeans? Or for that matter any other article of clothing.

Last weekend I bought (or I should say my wonderful mother in law bought) a new pair of blue jeans. I had not purchased a new pair of jeans or received a new pair since Christmas of my freshman year so needless to say I needed some new ones. What prompted this decision you might ask? Well beside the fact that my mother in law is awesome she saw me wearing my favorite pair of jeans that I got my sophomore year of high school and the holes all over them (including the most important part my back left pocket wear my wallet is stored). On a side note is it not just so awkward to change which cheek your wallet is stored on?

Anyway so my question is when do you move an article of clothing out of the rotation of everyday wear into the area of work and junk wear? I have been struggling with this question for a week and I couldn't come up with an answer. More so I think this question is so stupid because it really has no bearing on life in the fact that it is just a pair of jeans, but regardless in the last hour I have decided when it is time to retire a article of clothing. When your wife says so. Taryn told me to not wear the jeans anymore and of course I ignored her b/c their my clothes and if my wallet falls out its my fault not hers. But in class just now I just heard "Ain't no one's happy if momma ain't happy" (it was great b/c a 30 year old black women said it.) Therefore, I am going to retire them into the 'I don't care what I look like category.' For those of you that have a pair of jeans or a shirt that you loved and it was always the one that you picked when you went out in, those are these jeans to me and so I ask that when you go home to put your favorite article of clothing away treasure that time b/c it flies by and have a moment of silence for me.

Until next time,
Chase

New Homeowners

It is true.
As of Friday the 13th (now considered my lucky day), Chase and I bought a house!!!

It's been the craziest week. We just started looking last Saturday. We met the cutest husband and wife relators. (He was even an ACU alum, so Chase was just about giddy they were working with us.) They showed us three houses around Lubbock in our price range and we happened to LOVE one of them. So, a few days passed and we looked at a few more houses, but we just couldn't stop thinking about the house we saw the first day... so we decided to make an offer, not really expecting them to take it. But after a few changes, they took it!!!! So in less than 7 days, we looked, offered and bought a house. Wow. So fast. We are so excited!!!!

Here's the deal though. We loved this house because it has so much POTENTIAL. One of my favorite things to do it fix things up. After many hours of watching HGTV, I have found a new passion in decorating homes. So this house will be my new summer project. The house was built in the 60's and it still has the original dark wood paneling, salmon-colored range, orange and brown carpet in the kitchen and no dishwasher... but we see great things. Nothing a little paint can't fix. I've already been to Lowe's 3 times to pick out paint.... I'm ready to get into the house and get busy:)

I'll be keeping you updated on the household changes that are soon to come!!

On another note, I think my camera broke so I can't post pictures of our fun-filled weekend, but I'll give you a little taste of what I experienced.

I attended my first Doctor function. Chase's med school class had a fundraiser event Saturday night. I got to dress up, which I haven't done since we got married, and Chase looked so James Bond in his suit, sunglasses and shaved head.

At the fundraiser, there was a silent auction, live auction, good food, dancing and ...lots of wealthy people.

This was quite a new cultural experience for me. I felt like a fish out of water. I was surrounded by affluent doctors and their trophy wives. Now, let me be clear on one thing, not all doctor's wives are trophy wives, but there are a good handful... and let me tell you... its pretty obvious who they are.

To quote my sweet husband, "Taryn, you're beautiful, but you will never be a 'trophy wife'." In response, Chase's friend said, "yeah, you have intelligence."

I took this as quite a complement, because I NEVER want to be viewed as that.

Then there were also the cute couples that were a little socially awkward, like they have never been to a large social event, but just loved life.

If you don't already know, I love people watching, so really I had one of the best nights ever, especially when the 60 year old doctor and his wife were droppin it to "Get Low." Wonderful entertainment!!!!

That's all for now, until next time,
Live. Love. Pray. Give thanks.
Taryn

Ethical Debates and March Madness

So I'm sitting in my Leadership & Ethics class and we are having a panel that is pretending to have a philosophical discussion about Kantian, Utilitarian or Egotism ethics. An ethical class is important in that it really does help you think about how you react to different situations, but overall it is just a class to make people think they are getting smarter while paying thousands of dollars for an MBA. Whatever read the BIBLE it tells you what to do in every situation, that is my ethical belief.

March madness has begun and I already have the DVR set for Selection Sunday on CBS. More than that this is the first time in 3 years I actually get to enjoy two of my favorite days of the year by sitting in front of my TV and watching the NCAA tournament in HD, o life is good. That's right I will be skipping class, I will be ordering pizza, or other junk food and yes my wife will be right beside me (at least for the night games) to try and will her Sooners to a National Title. BTW it ain't happening. So if anyone wants to do nothing on March 19 & 20 but enjoy the greatness that is March Madness I will be at my Apartment so just come on over.

As a side note 8 predictions before the tournament bracket is set.
1) A 16 seed will come within 10 points of beating a number 1 (my guess is that number 1 is Memphis)
2) This will be the tournament with the least amount of big upsets in a long time.
3) At least three of the four brackets will have a 1-2 game regional final which would make for one of the most exciting weekends in basketball history
4) It's been awhile since a Cinderella hit a buzzer beater, that will change this year.
5) Twice
6) There is a better than 50% chance their could be 3 teams from the same conference in the Final Four
7) I'm going to be upset that Stefan Curry won't be in this year's tournament
8) I will be wearing my Wii pajama pants for the early Thursday games.

Until next time

St. Baldricks and other exciting stuff!

Well, its official, I am married to man who looks likes he is about to join the Marines.

Yep. Chase shaved his head- for kids with cancer of course.
Chase's med school class raised money for kids with cancer and if they raised a certain amount, some people volunteered to shave their heads- and Chase was one of them.

I was a little uneasy about this. I mean Chase does have pretty sharp facial features and crazy dark eyebrows. I was afraid he was going to look like an assassin. But, I think he turned out ok. I'm just ready for it to be a little bit longer- like a buzz cut that's a little softer. It kinda freaks me out to touch his head right now.

There's a few pictures below to document this wonderful occassion.

Also yesterday, we started looking at houses to buy! This is so crazy for us. Its amazing what money can buy you in this west Texas, conservative town. We found this way old and outdated house, but it has so much potential. Its in a wonderful neighborhood with a great yard for a dog. Its perfect for us, but we'll see how it goes!

Anyway, T-minus 5 days until Spring Break!! WOOHOO. I've never been more excited for a break.

Until next time,

Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks.

And now my 25.

I decided to my favorite 25 things too. Here it goes:

1. My dad once took the door off of my room in high school because I was so mad I slammed it shut. I never slammed my door again.
2. Even though I got married, my initials stayed the same.
3. I've had every color of labrador retriever and am in the market for another.
4. My favorite movie of all time is Father of the Bride.
5. My favorite time I ever watched Father of the Bride was with my dad the night before I got married. I will always remember that moment.
6. I knew I wanted to marry Chase the first time I heard him pray.
7. I have read almost every Karen Kingsbury book and I get so involved in the books I even find myself praying for the characters.
8. I teach middle school science. I sure hope I wasn't that immature when I was younger. I'm sure I was.
9. As I get older, I look less like my dad and more like my mom. Its crazy what getting older does to you.
10. I used to go to the NCAA Gymnastics National Gymnastics championships with my dad every year.
11. I had jaw surgery and was wired shut for 3 weeks. Talk about instant weight loss.
12. In preparation for #11, I also had braces put back on my junior year of college. So cute.
13. I have a slight obsession with Celine Dion. If only I had her voice...
14. My dream is to go on an African Safari someday.
15. I genuinely enjoy working out. Well, I like how I feel afterward, but I actually hate putting on my running shoes and walking out the door.
16. To add to Chase's comment on wanting kids that all start with the letter C, We actually have all their names already picked out. Sad right.
17. I'm Sooner born, Sooner bread and when I die I'll be Sooner dead.
18. I truly think I am going to have twins. They say it skips a generation and my mom is a twin, so I think I'm due.
19. I dream of someday having a cabin in Colorado. I love the snow, the mountains, the skiing and the warm nights with friends by the fire. Hopefully Chase's profession will let this dream come true.
20. I miss all my friends from college. A lot.
21. I pray my daughter and I have the same great relationship my mom and I have.
22. I feel like my week is incomplete if we don't eat Dion's pizza and watch the Office every Thursday with Mark and Elizabeth.
23. I would marry Chase all over again. Everyday is a wonderful adventure.
24. I love organizing. It really brings me great happiness.
25. Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks

25 Random Facts Blog Style

So at first I thought the 25 random facts on facebook was stupid. Then I loved reading people's and thought they were way cool. I don't really want to post them on facebook mainly because I don't know how and I don't know 25 people to tag so I just figured I'd post it on the Blog. I had so much fun doing them that I might do them again sometime anyway hope you enjoy.

1) In 7th grade I made a make believe genetic child and she had strawberry blonde hair and I thought that color hair was the nastiest color. My wife’s hair is strawberry blonde and I think its beautiful
2) I get obsessed with things. Example. I played 3 games of Settlers of Catan one afternoon. By myself. The games take 2 hours a piece
3) I have seen every Sing Song from 1983-2008 on VHS/DVD
4) One of my goals in life is to be a Sing Song judge
5) I am taking 30 hours this semester. 24 Medical and 6 MBA.
6) In my last 3 undergrad semesters combined I did not take 30 hours.
7) When in Oxford Shaylee Busch and Brooke James told me I should date Taryn. I said she was cute and I’d think about it.
8) I scored one of the 5 lowest grades on my first Physiology test and one of the 5 highest grades on my next Physiology test
9) I have seen every Best Picture Winner from 1927-1984.
10) At one point I considered myself a Libertarian. Then I realized I was a fiscally conservative Republican.
11) I believe the reason I never won a high school state championship of any kind was because I did not hate to lose. i.e. the same reason Tony Romo will never win a Super Bowl.
12) I’ve never dated a girl who was taller than 5’7.
13) I believe my last name is the greatest name ever. Even though no one knows how to pronounce it and people give me weird looks when I spell it.
14) I change what kind of physician I want to be every week. I have wanted to be anything from a Dermatologist, Cardiologist, Ob/Gyn, Ophthalmologist and Pulmonologist. I have 3 more years to decide.
15) My mom and my college roommate’s mom were roommates in college. I will be very disappointed if my child does not carry on the tradition.
16) My great grandmother got kicked out of ACU for being caught dancing.
17) I want 4 kids (some days 5) and want all their names to start with the letter C.
18) The main reason I want to be a Dr. is so that I can go on Medical mission trips the rest of my life and never really retire.
19) My favorite food is any kind of dip.
20) I am one of those who believe Disney World truly is the happiest place on earth.
21) I believe that buying things on credit is the single stupidest financial move any individual can make.
22) Despite that belief because of the society we live in and the way things work I’m sure I will buy something on credit at some point in my lifetime.
23) One of the greatest moments of my life was when I made a 50 foot par putt on hole 17 and birdied the 18th hole to shoot a 79.
24) My wife and I met at a wedding, Got engaged at a wedding and got married at one.
25) This took me less than 15 minutes to type b/c I wrote the first thing that came to my mind. I am a random person.

Free Food

Those of you who know me know that I love anything free. I am a Cawyer after all and we are all about finding a good deal. Let me tell you how great Medical School is as far as free food goes. We had a lunch meeting today and they ordered about 20 extra Dominoes pizza. What do I do? Grab two extra because if I don't then they would just throw them away. And WALA lunch/dinner for probably 3 meals. O and it gets better. At least once a week (more often then not 2 sometimes 3 times)one of the medical organizations has a meeting and orders WAYYY more food then they should. Like I'm talking about a meeting for 30 people they will order food that could feed 50 athletes. So what happens to all this extra food? A) it gets thrown away or B) I take it home and tell Taryn that I'm cooking dinner i.e. I'm reheating it. Some of you might think "Pizza everyday, that sucks" well it would except for that fact that we get Rudy's BBQ, Chick-fil-a, Thai Pepper (great oriental food), Market Street and the list goes on and on. I love Medical School if for no other reason then I get to take free food home all the time.

Until next time

I love Sundays

Well, its February and its pretty dull around here in Lubbock. I realize I haven't blogged in a while- but really there hasn't been that much to talk about.

I think we are going to continue our "get to the point" writng style that Chase displayed earlier this week- I think it best suites us- If you received our Christmas card, hopefully you'll agree...

Chase no longer thinks going to class in beneficial. He just received the second highest grade on his last exam. I guess his theory proves well. I however, still go to work. Everyday. Some days tolerable. Some days dreadful. Still faithfully following LOST, 24 and Idol. Can't get enough. Unfortunately, I'm into the Bachelor this year. I hate that for myself. 68 school days until I get my summer vacation. Thats right, I'm counting down. Sing Song next weekend. Can't wait. We miss our families. A lot. We love our friends here. A lot. Chase is now an occasional substitute teacher- ha. Maybe my kids will have Mr. Cawyer instead of Mrs. Cawyer. That'll throw them off. I'm still wanting a puppy. Labradoodle would be wonderful, but only if we won the lotto. So I'll settle for a lab instead. I applied for a week long teacher conference at NASA this summer- nerd alert right. We are currently in the market to buy our first house. CRAZY! Only in the dirt cheap Lubbock housing market would this be possible. Anywhere else, impossible. I still hate ironing. I wish I had kids to pay them to do it. Thanks dad for the brillant idea. Its still very cold and very windy here. I'm ready for the spring. Chase is obsessed with this board game called Settlers of Catan. I'm just intrigued. It really is so fun. Everyone should give it a whirl. I'm in the middle of the fourth Harry Potter book. Love it. Movies, however, I don't love. We are going on our Valentine date tonight instead of last night. Mainly to avoid the crowds. Are we old people or what? Contrary to Chase's blog below, I did not almost dye my hair... but maybe I should. I'm still waiting to see Celine. I love her. If you can help me out in this, I would be much appreciated.

Until next time,
Live. Love. Pray. Give Thanks

ITS ABOUT TIME

Yeah it has been a good two months since our last blog entry. I decided its about time to finally add something. Because I'm just getting back into the habit this is going to be short and sweet.

I'm taking Physiology right now. It's crazy. Between 2 test I had a 30 point swing in grades. That's insane. Taryn loves/hates her job. Yesterday she came in and talked about how much she loved her day. The day before she talked for 20 minutes about a kid from hell. Love my wife. She thought about dyeing her hair. Not really she would never do that. Parents just got back from Vegas. They saw Elton John. Loved it. We listening to him that night in their honor. It was fun. Found a new obsession. The game is called Settlers of Catan. It's German. I love Germany. Especially Dirk's house. You need to buy the game. Sing Song is next weekend. It's going to be awesome. Except that I have a test two days later and will studying in a hotel room all of Saturday afternoon. I love lamp. Not really but that's a funny movie. My computer was kind of broken. I called Dell. It took an hour for them to tell me to reboot my computer. Idiots. I'm going camping. Don't know when or where, but it will be awesome. Taryn has mastered the chocolate chip cookie. Good for friends. Bad for my waist line. More to come at a later date. I really want everyone to learn how to play Settlers of Catan.

Until next time,
Chase Cawyer