Derek's 26th Birthday

My amazing husband turned 26 on September 30th. I can't even describe how much I love and appreciate my husband. We aren't much for PDA, but I will take this chance to gush about him. I don't know anyone who works harder and smarter for his family. Derek is loyal, generous, empathetic and determined. He can make me laugh whenever I need it. He sees things I would never see and helps me look at life from a fresh perspective. He is pretty much the best guy I know... I am so lucky I snatched him up!

For his birthday we went to dinner at a little Italian place downtown. After we watched the Dolphins game and played games with friends. It was a great night! Thanks so much to everyone who came and helped me celebrate Derek! 

Has it really been 4 years?

May is a big month! On May 23rd Derek and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. I cant believe we have been married for 4 years already... the time has flown by! It was great to sit at dinner and talk about all the things we have accomplished since we got married and our plans for the future. I couldn't be happier with the choice I made to marry Derek! I cant wait for many, many more years of happiness.

To celebrate we went to Ola, a boutique restaurant in South Beach. The food was TO DIE FOR.

We started with a lobster empanada and fish tacos

I got the snapper and Derek of course got the filet

We finished with a deconstructed key lime pie and a chocolate cigar and coffee ice cream

We had a perfect night together! 

For our gifts to each other, I got Derek a "Date Ideas" jar. I made a list of 50 dates we could do together, ranging from free to expensive and hopefully over the next year we can do them all. I think this satisfied the indecisiveness Derek sometimes feels when we plan dates.

Derek sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers to my work. They are gorgeous! The receptionist called me to the front of the office and made me walk them back myself. She said it's the best walk of shame I could do :) Derek also got me a massage that I promptly used and was completely relaxed.

All in all I think this was a perfect anniversary. I am excited to see what this next year has in store for us!

It's My Birthday

If you have read my blog then you know I have had very mixed feelings about my birthday this year. I feel like I am still a kid in so many ways and part of me has felt very nostalgic for my childhood in the last few months. The best way to describe it is this: I want the knowledge and skills of my 20's combined with the care-free lifestyle of my teens. I think we all feel that way at times (or at least that is what I tell myself). I saw a quote recently and it really resonated with me.

In lieu of Dr. Seuss's amazing advice, I truly enjoyed my birthday. Derek and I were talking about how, when you are a kid, your birthday means an excessive amount of sweets, gifts and attention. As you get older it becomes more about doing things with people you love.That was exactly how I celebrated my birthday. The night before my birthday I went and got pedicures with Alana, Olivia and Jacki. I love these girls and spending some girl time at the salon was the perfect way to kick off my birthday celebration. They also brought me some amazing cupcakes that Derek and I ate much too quickly. 

Such a fun night :)

These didn't last long! 

The night of my birthday Derek took me to a Thai cooking class. It was so much fun! We made spring rolls, soup, custard and an Indian dish as well. I love Thai food and it was a very enlightening process to learn how to make all of these dishes. We were in charge of the spring rolls and it turns out I make a pretty mean spring roll (evidence below). Since this was my first cooking class I had no idea what to expect, but I am happy to say that I loved it and now feel very motivated to take additional classes. It was the perfect way to spend my birthday night! The next step is taking Derek up on my birthday gift of starting my urban garden. Once he is done with finals it is on.

Derek was suited up and ready to cook. 

I was really into rolling my Spring Roll

The finished product... I am pretty proud! 

Shrimp and Mushroom soup... sooo good! 

 Our custard was caramelized and I was pretty bummed we didn't get to use the fire. But it turned out awesome so I cant complain!

April Staycation

This year Derek spent his Spring Break in Nicaragua with UM med school students. He had the chance to work in clinics around the capital and learn more about practicing medicine. He had some amazing experiences and, because he is a guy, he didn't take any pictures, so I can't add any here. I am rounding up pictures from other people, but I am glad he had the opportunity to go and serve. He also made some great friends that I hope we keep for years to come. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to be in medical school and I am glad he has the chance to do things like this.

When Derek came back, I planned a weekend "stay-cation" surprise. I made him a little vacation pamphlet to let him know the agenda for the weekend. On Friday night we went to dinner at Novacento, a great Argentinean restaurant. We had papusas and all kinds of yummy food (see below for proof).

On Saturday we went to the Miami Zoo. I have been wanting to go because I heard the animals were amazing, and it lived up to all that I have heard! It was such a fun day! My favorite parts were the Asian elephants and watching the lions be fed.

Saturday night we had dinner with a family from our ward. We made tacos and got to know each other better. It is amazing the lives they have had and I really enjoyed being with them. It was a little hard because they only speak Spanish, but I tried my best to keep up and Derek translated the rest. Slowly but surly I will learn this language! 

Sunday Derek and I laid out by the pool and listened to conference talks. I love conference weekend, and even though we didn't listen to the whole conference that weekend, it is always amazing to hear the words of our living prophets. 

It really was a perfect weekend together. I couldn't be more grateful to be Derek's wife and I try to treasure these fun weekends together! 

One Year Ago

One year ago this month Derek and I loaded up my little Ford Focus and left Utah. This might not seem like a big deal, but the longer we are away, the more I realize this event was a really big deal! First I have to say, coming to Miami was ABSOLUTELY the right thing to do for our family. The blessings we have received and the happiness we have here is beyond what I expected when we made this move. Miami is home in every sense of the word and I couldn't be happier to be here.

I also have to say that Utah gave me so much! It was where I grew into an adult. I learned so much about myself while I lived there and I am so glad I had the chance to leave my home and have an adventure. BYU provided me with opportunities to learn and be challenged academically at a level I never anticipated. I learned to love who I am while I lived there, truly understanding my purpose in life. I made the best friends I have working and studying there (Love you guys!).

I will admit I got in my car and didn't look back when I left. But some days I miss the people and experiences I had there. I really miss the affordable food (Zupas, Cafe Rio, Everything at Riverwoods) and of course the FroYo. I am glad that I can look back at my time in Utah and remember a lot of fun times and great memories that helped me get to the place I am in now.

MISS YOU UTAH!

Pinning Ceremony

In March we had the opportunity to attend the UM Pinning Ceremony to honor all of the 1st year medical students. Usually medical schools do a white coat ceremony earlier in the year but UM does a pinning ceremony instead later in the year. My parents and Derek's dad came down for the weekend to celebrate with Derek and I (Vickie was going to come but she was sick). The event was great and it was fun to see Derek with all of his medical school friends. And he sure did look handsome in his white coat!

The dean speaking 

Derek and Phil 

Love him :) 

Derek with my parents 

Derek and Dustin 

A few of Derek's friends

My parents came up early and we had the chance to go to Key Biscayne and enjoy the sun. It was great to show my parents around the city and to have a day off of work! 

 The weather was perfect! 

We also ate a ton of really good food over the weekend. We tried a ceviche place downtown after the ceremony (we ate the ceviche so fast I didn't get a picture) and then went to Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach on Saturday. I think I gained 5 pounds but it was totally worth it! I am so grateful that we have such amazing family who support and love us. I don't know where we would be without both of our parents. The journey is just beginning but I know it will fly by and be over before we know it! I am just trying to enjoy the journey that is medical school! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I have been thinking a lot about being thankful and about giving. I love the recent trend of posting something you are thankful for everyday of the month. People are using Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to express their thanks, which I just love. As I have seen this, I wondered if I could come up with 30 things I am thankful for. It reminds me of a funny experience I had as a kid. For some reason, I wanted to say a really long prayer. I would see my mom and dad pray and it seemed like they were down on their knees forever! So with the resolve of a child, I sat on my knees and started praying. I ran out of things to pray about pretty quickly and so I decided to start giving thanks for all of the animals on the earth. I went through all of the animals I could think of. Then I went to people. I remember going through my whole school class and church class. Eventually I ran out of things pray about and was surprised only a few minutes had passed (it felt like an eternity). I realize that in my busy life, I often don't take the time to stop and just be thankful for everything I have. I have so many things to be thankful for and I am grateful for a month to remember all of those things. For all of you sharing your thanks on social media, thank you for sharing what is most important and precious to you! It reminds me of the blessings I have!

 Oh and I am thankful for this kid :)

I really do love November. First, every two years there is an election of some sort. I love politics and elections, but what I love the most is seeing everything come together in an election. Even if my candidate didn't win, at least I had the chance to participate in the democratic process and witness what makes America unique. Second, I get to prepare for Christmas! I love Christmas time and November means I can clean off my Harry Connick Jr CDs and get in the Christmas spirit. We haven't really been in a position to go all out and decorate for Christmas since we have been married (mainly because we travel so much this time of year) but I still enjoy putting up my small tree and putting twinkle lights around the house. Third, there is a break from school and work! Since Derek is the eternal student (thanks babe!) these little breaks are awesome! I love having him around for a few days without the distraction of school. I get a few days off work as well so it really is one of the few weeks in the year we get to enjoy each others company without distraction.

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving! I hope we all take a second after we have stuffed ourselves on yummy food to be thankful for all of the little things we have.