Catching Up

Well, Brian is almost a month into his externship in Batesville, AR. It was pretty tough at first, and although it's still PAINFULLY lonely at home and I have trouble sleeping, it's getting a bit easier for both of us. :) We'll be ready for December, that's all I can say. I went to visit him a few weekends back, and we had a great time. He comes home on weekends, but this weekend we decided to go camping close to where he lives. It didn't work out though, because young kids kept driving around the campsite and we were worried about the dogs, and it's not the most relaxing feeling to keep seeing people driving- some of them speeding- throughout a campsite! We packed up our things and decided we should just climb in bed at his apartment and watch the Arkansas football game and drink beer instead. :) It was a good decision (although the Razorbacks didn't make for a great game that night against Alabama...). He lives in a cute apartment that looks like a cabin! It's wooden on the outside and is one long story of 6 or 7 apartments. It's got new carpets and a dishwasher and is clean, so we're grateful we found it at the price we got!
Work is going well for Brian. The doctor he's working with has told him he's doing a fantastic job and even called a doctor in Little Rock for us to see if he needed anyone (it's a 65 year old guy in his own clinic downtown close to the Clinton Library- we were fantasizing about him retiring soon and selling his practice to Brian after having him under his wing for a year or two...). It may pan out, but we'll see...
Work is busy for me. The restaurant is going well, and I'm currently 4th in a National Sales Manager contest for banquet sales. It goes through the end of December, and if I win I get a trip for 2 to Napa Valley, CA for 3 days!! That would be VERY appreciated after Brian gets home from Batesville!!! I don't know how much of a chance I have, but I'm doing fairly well so far, so we'll see... I know it would be a GREEEEAAAATTTTT trip if we were to go- Ruth's Chris doesn't skimp when it comes to these things. They'd pay for everything and we'd get into exclusive wineries and meet really cool people- it would be SOOO fun!!
My photography business is also doing pretty well! I took some bridal pictures this past Sunday, and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I'm taking a friend's wedding pictures on the 20th of this month, too. I've been staying as busy as I want to be with my other job into consideration, and I haven't advertised at all, so I'm very proud of the work I've been doing!
The "girls" are doing well. They miss their daddy (especially Emma). She gets so anxious after he leaves on Sundays. :( I also feel terrible that they have to stay cooped up at home while I'm at work and Brian's not here to entertain them! It was good for them to go "semi-camping" with us. We did go on a great hike, and Brian almost stepped on 2 snakes!!! The second time his foot was en route to the snakes head, about 6 inches away! It was a pretty big snake, too!
This separation has made my heart grow fonder, without a doubt. I realize everyday the things we take for granted in seeing each other everyday, and it makes for great weekends together with no bickering or whining. We just enjoy each other's company and get to re-live why we decided to spend our lives together. :) I get confirmation all the time that I made the right choice in snagging this guy up! :)

Glad to be Home, but Busier than Ever!

I'm back from Washington D.C.! It was so great to get that hug from Brian when I got off the plane!! The girls were very, very excited to see me too.

My experience in D.C. was such a great one. I missed home a lot, but it was a HUGE learning experience and great confidence boost for me to be out there for 3 weeks alone, with no comfort zone whatsoever! I think I did pretty well and it will help me do my job much better. I really, really liked the D.C. area. It's gorgeous.

Brian has an apartment "semi" lined up for Batesville. The lady who promised a GREAT priced apartment with no lease won't return his calls! We have less than 3 weeks until he starts his position there. It's going to be a LONG 4 months! (And I thought 3 weeks was bad!) :)

Not too much is new around here but work, work, work. I got another request to photograph a wedding in November! That will be my 3rd "official" wedding to shoot. I'm really enjoying taking photos professionally. I feel very comfortable doing it!

Well, I've pretty much said all that's new for us right now! I'll have plenty more to say soon, I'm sure! Brian and I will have a strange time getting used to having a "long distance" relationship for a while. I'll be glad when it's over.

Bye for now!

First Blog

Our latest adventure is me being in Bethesda, Maryland (right outside of Washington D.C.) for 3 weeks for sales training, while Brian looks for a place to live for 4 months in Batesville, Arkansas!

My birthday was last week, so Brian got to come visit on one of my only two days off while I'm here and we got to see all there is to see in D.C. We had a great time, but it was hard to see him off Monday morning. I've less than a week left, and I'm ready to come home! Our girls are ready for their mom to come home too. :)

After I get home, we'll have about 3 weeks until Brian heads off to do an externship in Batesville. He'll be there from September until December. It's going to be a HARD 4 months! It's close enough that he can come home every weekend, but not having him during the week will be hard. Not that we've been able to see much of each other the past few years!!

With his studying and my work, we stay pretty busy. We have less than a year until he becomes DR. GUICE though, so it'll all be worth it! I'm proud, impressed, and inspired by his diligence throughout his time at optometry school. He's put in some LOOOONG hours cooped up in our office staring at books. I've worked pretty hard to pay the bills while he's worked hard to ensure our bills will continue to be paid in the future. :) We've done well (not without help from our wonderful, loving family though).

When we're not working, we're spending time with our furry little daughters- our Chocolate Lab, Emma and our Border Collie, Speckles. They love being outside with us. Being outside together with friends, family, or just each other is what keeps us going.