hey everyone.... not much new with us going on. it's just starting to get cold here in new england and we had our first snow flurry yesterday...but not enough to last. we're getting excited about seeing family for the holidays and just getting away for a few days. mike's new job is going well and i'm in my pediatrics rotation. my exam is this next friday!!!!! so.....i'm supposed to be studying right now. ok...hope everyone is enjoying the holiday hustle and bustle!!! we're definitely missing friends and family this time of the year.

this is a random christmas picture from last year.

~thanksgiving with friends~

Appetizers to start........ and then there's more

thanksgiving......the main course

Thanksgiving at Mike and Caroline's

We decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner for a few friends at our house. We had a really good time. I made my first turkey! We also had ham and all the other goodies and a ton of desserts. It was our first thanksgiving apart from our families so we used both of our mom's recipes and combined the traditions to make our own dinner. Thanks to both moms for always putting together a wonderful meal. We miss our family and friends :) On the actual day of thanksgiving we were able to have dinner with a family from church who graciously invited us and that was also really nice. We've really been blessed by the church we attend.

PA get together between rotations

we always try to get together and hang out a bit before we move on to the next rotation....so here are some of the PA people. Also, the gators beat the mess out of western carolina 62-0 on this day...GO GATORS!

mmm.....what's new

well, michael recently got a new job working in an office that helps paroled inmates acclimate into society and find jobs, create resumes etc. the hours for this job are 9-5pm mon-fri so it's nice to be able to have the same schedule. michael liked his previous job but the hrs wre thurs-mon 2:30-10:30pm so that was hard. anyway, i just wrapped up my "family practice" rotation and start my pediatrics rotation on monday. i have 4 more roations left and then one more semester of classes/examinations. my graduation date is august 11th...can't wait. we've been missing everyone around tis holiday time but enjoying the seasons here in new england. fall is beautiful and i'm actually excited for the snow to come.

oopsies

i guess mike and i both decided to post about fall foliage so enjoy our fall pictures....twice :)

fall foliage

New England Fall foliage

mike and i live about 2 miles away from this beautiful little state park called westrock ridge state park. fall is really beautiful and we wanted to take some pics before all the leaves fall.

Fall in Connecticut

Here we are enjoying a chilly day surrounded by lovely fall foliage at our most frequented state park, West Rock Ridge.

Lyman Orchard Fun

here's me in my 1st REAL pumpkin patch

delicious...apples and ripe for the picking!

here we are eating apple pie, apple fritters, apple cider and ice cream.

here's the group. from the left: catherine, bekka, britt (tall blonde), kristin, sean, perrin and rosie

catherine and i waiting in line for ther corn maze and being blinded by the sun

a bunch of us PA kids decided to do some fall festivities and we went apple picking and through a corn maze one fine saturday. it was a beautiful fall day!

still cheering for the GATORS

smoooches.....

here we are getting ready to watch the GATORS beat alabama

out in new haven with the surgery crew

this is jennifer and her boyfriend eric

this is rick and catherine and christine

we went to ZINC downtown new haven for dinner and then out dancing at BAR, a very fun night!

more BIG E pics

my favorite chocolate sheep...it was so adorable

SWINGS!!!!

here i'm enjoying a fried pickle...we also tried fried green tomatoes..both delicious!

mike on SWINGS!

The BIG E

here's mike and i at the big E which is a huge fair in springfield mass. you can get just about anything fried there (like pickles, oreos, green tomatoes etc) and it represents all the northeastern states or something...anyway it's a big deal around here and it was a super good time
here's michael's long-eared friend...some type of a goat or something,,,they also had sheep, ponies, alpacas, camels, a kangaroo, an elephant and other animal friends we visited with

riding the ferris wheel at the end of the day... so great!
here we are enjoying a big E cream puff....so yummy!!!!

difficult times

well.....i'm pooped....i work way too many hrs about 80 per week but i am enjoying surgery. however, the rest of my life is difficult and keeping everything in order and on track is draining. just pray for me....my personal growth and for God to guide my steps..... i have a lot on my plate and want to make good decisions. here's me in poland at my grandma's house...what a chubster

Florida Football Baby!!!!!

the big day

meredith and ben browning!!!
the hottie groom and....well me :)
the happy couple...how cute are they?
getting ready with the bride
my two best friends...