It's been almost four months since I've last blogged and I blame my negligence on 3 things. 1) We are really busy; 2) Facebook has taken my attention away from blogging; and 3) the iPhone has made strangers of my computer and me.

Recently, a dear friend asked me if I had stopped blogging. I was reminded that not only do I enjoy blogging but that others get pleasure from it too. With the intimacy of having a private blog, I can record our happenings and my more personal thoughts without sharing it with all my old high school classmates and acquaintances on Facebook. Plus, it allows me to scratch a certain writing itch that I somehow seem to have acquired. Where was this itch in the 90s? Is it too late to re-submit my junior English papers? Trouble is, I am still a huge fan of run-on sentences and ending sentences with ....

Anyway, I'm back to blogging and I do very much appreciate the reminder, you know who!

In the months that have passed since my last entry we've been working hard and having a ball. Britton is still loving his residency (picture with the only 2 other male residents in OB/GYN). He's gone through rotations in Moffitt Cancer Center, oncology at TGH, labor & delivery, gyn surgery, and family medicine at local clinics. Meanwhile, I started working at TGH as well. The plan is for me to take over the position of a PT who is currently pregnant. She is the sole PT of the pelvic floor program as well as one of 2 PTs in a multi-disciplinary pain management program at TGH. Both are outpatient settings. I have big shoes to fill while she is on ~ 6 to 9 months of maternity leave and I hope to expand both programs a little while she's gone to make room for me when she comes back. In the meantime I am working in acute care at TGH and constantly feeling a little overwhelmed with being thrown in a different unit each day since I don't really have "a home" there. I'm in ortho trauma one day, neuro ICU the next, and so on. I am not loving my job in acute care, but I do get to work in the outpatient rehab clinic on Wednesdays practicing my upcoming job and will go full-time in outpatient starting Jan. 11 so I am in good spirits about the future of my career.

In September, we put a little container garden on the side of our house which is still a work in progress. So far, I have herbs, flowers, lettuce and green tomatoes. My garden struggles with too little sunlight, but a sunnier spot is not really available. Britton and I also became board members of our HOA, treasurer and secretary, respectively. This is not so much a project that we wanted to take on as much as something we had to take on as the current board was falling apart and several issues needed attention.

In October, I visited my much-adored friend, Sarah and her husband Jeff in Austin, Tx. It was great to see them and as a bonus I loved Austin, if only they could move it to Florida or Georgia even... Later in the month, Britton and I visited Jupiter and yes, I am very much enjoying being closer to my parents. I haven't been able to "pop home for a weekend" in eight years. My mom has a new dog named Aiko, who is pretty cute, weighing in around 3 lbs. The very next weekend, my parents came to visit us in Tampa and we all attended my grandfather's 96th birthday party at my Aunt Helen's house in New Port Richey, FL (~1 hr from north of south Tampa). It was a good party and my grandfather obviously enjoyed himself.

In November, we added a roof and screened in our already existing back porch. We are thrilled with the addition as the weather is making outdoor dining delightful. Later, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Charleston with Britton's mom's large extended family. We all gathered at Bryan and Ursula's house (Britton's cousin) and were treated to a feast created by the Rodwell clan. It is wonderful to see all the children in the family grow, they have such neat little personalities. Next stop: Lexington, SC to visit Britton's dad and Pat where we were once again treated to more good food and hospitality. We returned on Monday evening and, after a super-short work week, I left on Thursday to go to my parents house for the weekend while Britton stayed in Tampa to study. In Jupiter, my parents spoiled me with more good food at local restaurants that were new to me. (For my few Jupiter peeps, you should try Leftovers, it was awesome!)

Currently, I am back in Tampa, 5 lbs heavier with a head cold which is making me miserable and impairing my writing! Britton is studying for the boards (USMLE Step III) which he will take next Tuesday and Wednesday. Now I believe I am all caught up with blogging, for the most part; and I am hereby vowing to update the blog more frequently... an easy goal as the bar was recently set quite low. ;-)