Favorite Quotes?

When Colby and I first set up the blog (back when we were moving to stay in touch) brainstormed for several days to try to think of a name. This being back when he actually posted on the blog! We went back and forth and finally decided on Simply Stated because we wanted our blog to be just that...tell it like it is with whatever that may be. I don't really get the chance to write and express what's going on all the time and it often becomes a picture update instead, and I don't get to update that even as much as I would like, but I am grateful that our blog is just that..still simple!

So...I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but under the title (yes the very boring non-blog header title) I often put quotes up there. I've put scripture, ones that represent what is going on in our life, ones that inspire me, ones that make me smile, etc. And lately, I haven't changed it! And I looked at a couple of the websites that I usually find a quote and I've got nothing. So, I know that many people have favorite quotes. Will you share those with me? I'm needing some inspiration! :) 

Colby finished his last day of Family Med today, takes his shelf exam on Friday and I start school again on Friday, gulp. Last, if you think about it, I'd appreciate prayers for some of my patients and their families...lots of sick kiddos and work has been very difficult lately. 

Good Summer Times!

This summer involved a lot of school/clinicals for me but Colby has been having lots more time with weekends off which has been very nice for him, considering all that he's done the last 2 years. He's been on Family Medicine rotation and we've been really spoiled with 1/2 days of Fridays and weekends! I've joked with him that he's had to be my house husband this summer and help me with grocery shopping, etc. It's wonderful! He went to the lake with our small group and also with his dad, and then played in the annual Father/Son golf tournament. How fun that we've added Austin to the fam!

Aren't they cute in their matching shirts?

Jarod, Colb, Reo, Austin

There's always time for Callyn kisses!

Colby with little sis Kaylan

This past weekend was lots of fun for both of us, since I've been on school break. His whole family came into town and we spent it doing lots of fun things! We cooked out hamburgers on Thursday, shopped and went to the Rangers and Red Sox game on Friday (that was incredible and they won in the bottom of the 11th!) and then to the zoo and golfing on Saturday. And all this in 100 degree weather, yikes! It was fun spending time together and relaxing! We wish Kirsten could have been there for the whole weekend but are so proud of her with attending her Discovery weekends. And we of course enjoyed playing with our sweet niece!

Callyn in her new skinny jeans, is she not the sweetest you've ever seen!?!

 Go Rangers!!

 Look at this amazing collage that Paige made!

 We had great seats behind homeplate that made it perfect for fireworks after the game!

Here we are melting at the zoo..

And then melting further at golf!

I start back to classes next week and am really looking forward to this semester as I'm in all Pedi classes and it will be great to be in my specialty area. Colby finishes up Family next week and then moves into Internal Medicine which will involve a MUCH busier schedule, but I'm amazed at all he's learning!

My Runnaway Post!

I updated on Monday. Sorry if you came to read and my post disappeared, I have no idea what happened! Thanks to Claire who filled me in on the technology gap! :)

 And just for fun...got to love on this cutie bug tonight at small group!  This is Mr. Harrison Howlett- the cutest small group baby around! Phone picture, but isn't he the cutest? I just love babies in pj's!

Freedom!!!

Took my last final this morning!!! Whoohoo! This past summer has proven to be the hardest yet in my program and I hear it is somewhat downhill from here...yay! That and maybe because as we get more into seeing patients in clinicals, it doesn't feel as painful because we are actually learning what we will do. 

I really learned a lot in my summer clinicals and had so much fun in the pedi office doing well-child checks, immunizations, common stuff like ear infections, strep, rashes, school physicals. This was cool not that the sweet kiddos were sick, but it was nice to see "well kids." I guess I'm a bit jaded having worked with kids with cancer my entire nursing career, so this change was definitely a good change. Not that I don't love the kisses on my sweet bald heads, oh because I do--SO much!, it's just a good change seeing a different patient population.

If you're still reading my ramblings (which if you are, you must be bored, ha!) then you'll also notice the new blog look. I was bored. Yah, yah.."Joanna, you complain about being busy all the time." (I'm working on being better at that!) Well, I guess bored is worse. :)  I did get to go to the pool this afternoon with sweet friends and catch up, to the gym, and then to dinner with gals from my small group. And Colby's family comes this weekend! :)

I'll recap the last month sometime later this week! :)

Third Year!!

Well, I have a few posts and pictures that are overdue as always, but I had to do a quick one to let you know that this week marks something VERY exciting! Colby started his THIRD year of medical school! Whoohoo! As you saw in the last post, he has finished Step 1 of his boards (though he won't get results for awhile) and started out in in his family medicine rotation. In case you aren't familiar, med school is set up with the first 2 years of "book work" and lots of studying and then the 2nd two years are clinical rotations where they rotate through all sorts of areas and see real patients and have a different kind of studying-more related to what do I do now? So, he still has reading, quizzes, and shelf exams, but this is where the fun starts and he gets to start learning the clinician side to build on the background he's been establishing over the last 2 LONG years!

I wanted to post some fun inspiring quote that contained either the word three or third. So I googled it and surprisingly there were a whole lot of quotes, just none that really applied. But the one that I did find was from Abbott and Costello. "Now, on the St. Louis team we have Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third." This actually made me laugh out loud because I too have been in a pediatrician's office this summer and am seeing kiddos on my own and presenting them to my preceptor with what I have found and Colby and I have joked at the number of times that "I don't know" is said in a day! HA! So it's getting better, but this was pretty fitting for both of us.

We had the pleasure of getting to spend the weekend with Colby's family and watch Kaylan, one of his little sisters, and Austin get married. We just love these two and really have felt like Austin was part of the family years ago. We are so excited to see what God has planned for these two!

Since then Colby's been golfing it up, watching tons of World Cup, went on a kayaking trip, and the lake over the last 3 weeks of his summer and unfortunately I'm in the craziest summer semester of my program, but it's all a season and I've enjoyed having my "house-husband" to go to the grocery store for me, clean the shower, laundry, etc. Well, test on Saturday so back to studies and I probably won't be back on until August after this crazy month is over. Hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their summer!

This cutie bug and her mama came and visited for some shopping-Our precious niece Callyn Joy

Mr. & Mrs. Austin Yocham
Rehearsal evening
The Whole "Brownlee" FamSisters!Love these two! Have literally hundreds of photos, but that'll be an Aug. project. :)

Lakehouse weekend 2010

Don't know what I'd do without these girls!

Here's us at the "Boot Party" saying goodbye to the first 2 years of school and on to the next!

Colby with his compadresEveryone stay well...haha :) Thanks to everyone that has helped us get to where we are- For your patience with our crazy schedules and MIAness, prayers and encouragement, and for loving us and getting us through days that seem too chaotic to handle, love you!

May, where did you go?

Well, I must admit, I've been in a bit of a blogging funk lately. Haven't felt like posting, haven't been reading them, but don't know why!? I guess things have been really crazy lately and I've been soaking up all the down time as much as possible. I finished up my classes for the Spring semester and have been on a little school break. So it's been awesome just having to work and "wife" and not having school in the mix. However I start my summer semester on Monday...boo. And it will be a VERY busy summer with work, class, papers, projects, and seeing patients in a pediatrician office. I'm looking forward to the office setting so I can further narrow down what I want to do. So I better take full advantage of this week of freedom!!!

Here's what we've been up to the last month and 1/2 or so! You'll notice the whole middle section involves a lot of me and the girls and not much of Colby. This has been the busiest, most intense month of his med school career (and life in general!), as he's been studying relentlessly for his Step 1 medical boards. Yikes! I'm so proud of him and all his hard work, so big prayers from everyone over these last 2 weeks would be much appreciated as this is important for licensing to practice and also scores for applying to residency programs. He'll have a break after these 2 tests before starting rotations. But sadly, that's when I'll be the busiest with summer school. Too bad our breaks didn't work together! :(

Saying goodbye to Ellie the Elantra

As promised, Tres, my new (to me) car!Dinner at Yucatan with The Grady's. Love these two!

Kickball with our Small GroupWe, that's right, WE played in a scramble golf tournament benefiting Candlelighters- and organization that helps support families going through childhood cancer, and are amazing at our hospital too!Showing off the hole where we used MY drive! Wahoo! :)Crohn's and Colitis walk with my SommerRoommate Reunion weekend in Austin! LOVED seeing my girls! We live all over the place now, so coordinating is often hard, but so worth it when we finally make it all together!And this guy too! Can't believe how big Mason is! Our weekend was filled with a whole lot of this....Laughed til my face hurt!1905!Pedicures with my FW gals and fellow med school wives. We gotta stick together!Pretty toes and an afternoon by the pool!

Then I got to steal Colb away from studies for an evening to celebrate our 5th wedding Anniversary! I can't believe it's been 5 years of marriage! That sounds like a really long time but sure hasn't felt like it. I'm amazed when I think back to all that we've been through together. So blessed by my Colby! He had a great surprise evening planned and honestly the best part was just getting to be with him with his undivided attention for the WHOLE evening! We needed this evening with these last 2 weeks of crunchtime ahead of us. Love him so much and so glad God chose him for me!

Here we are enjoying our yummy dinner at Eddie V's
He's my favorite.

Kinda reminds me of this picture back in our Baylor days when we were dating, Ha..Colby's hair!

Here's to 5 wonderful years!

Blogging trumps Studying

SO behind on my blogging. Have lots of fun photos and stories to tell, yet unfortunately clinicals,work, and studying for finals has consumed my time. Soon I tell you...soon! In the meantime, enjoy the preview of Rocky dog in the Bluebonnets over Easter, a Texas tradition! :)

“Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen…. If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified.”

- Oswald Chambers