I knew today would be a good day

I woke up this morning with a feeling that today was going to be great.  Why?  Because we met our quota of bad things in the early morning hours.  At about 3am the barking began.  Daisy acted like someone was trying to break in and chop us up into tiny little pieces.  We could not figure out what in the world was bothering her.  The aggressive barking continued in spurts throughout the night.  Needless to say, we slept very little last night.  This morning we figured out what all of her hooping and hollering was about.  Someone either drunk or very sleepy plowed their car through our mailbox.  They completely took out the post, mailbox, and bricks surrounding the landscaped area.  What a mess.  Hopefully the property owners take care of stuff like this.  The second culprit of Daisy's psycho bark fest involved a living creature trying to come down the fireplace.  This morning as I was having breakfast the commotion started up again.  It was really freaking me out.  Something was trying to get in and it wasn't Santa Clause.  I hope a bird is not trying to build a nest.  What should we do?!?!

So, because the night was so eventful I just KNEW today would be great!  I had an interview with the Health and Wellness Market Director for Walmart today.  It went well and I am happy to say that I will officially be working for Walmart!  I will start out as a floater doing fill-in work until a full-time position opens within a drivable distance from Athens.  I am so excited to start working again.  This housewife stuff is not for me.. oh, and we have bills to pay.  God has truly blessed us.  His hand has been in every aspect of our move to Athens.  He is constantly reminding me that there is no use in the excessive worrying.  He always provides.

Yellow Snapdragon

I've been a crafty little lady!  I bought a desk from the Habitat for Humanity Restore here in Athens.  I sanded it down, cleaned it up, and painted it.  For $18 + paint + 5 hours of work I have a brand new desk!  It's going upstairs in our "office" room.  I really didn't want to go out and spend a ton of money on office  furniture when it may be easier to buy something cheap, use it for the next few years, and then donate it when we move again. Typically, I prefer more neutral colors for the home, but I always like to have one room with lots of fun colors.  Check it out!

Before

After

We are still on the look out for some used bookshelves.  This is my pinterest inspiration.  The backboard of the bookshelves will match the desk. 

Pinterest Recipe Successes

Greek Dip:  I made this on Labor Day for a little get-together with some new friends from church.  It is really yummy and healthy!  It's a layered dip and here's the order:  hummus on the bottom (I use store bought, but you can make your own if you are feeling like a rock star), next is crumbled feta cheese, then top with a mix of chopped cucumber and red bell pepper.  You could also add black olives, but I'm not a huge fan.  Use whatever ratios you prefer.  I serve it with whole wheat pita loaf toasted and cut into small pieces.  It is very easy to make and requires little preparation.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken for Two:  Tonight for dinner I tried out this recipe.  It was fantastic and I can't wait to make it again.  Ingredients: 

     1.  1/4 cup of flour
     2.  1 egg beaten
     3.  2 chicken breasts
     4.  1/4 cup parmesan
     5.  1/2 cup crushed garlic croutons (italian bread crumbs would probably work too)
     6.  1 tbsp melted butter
     7.  1 large tomato diced
     8.  1 tbsp basil
     9.  1 tsp minced garlic
   10.  1 tbsp olive oil
   11.  salt and pepper

Cover chicken in flour and then egg.  Place in dish.  Combine 4-6 and cover chicken with mix.  Bake at 375 until chicken is done.  Combine 7-11 and cover chicken with mix.  Cook for 7 more minutes and you're done! 

Flea Market, Creole, Puppy Pals

Since moving to Athens, Saturday has become our day to explore.  Allan heard about the "flea market" from a friend at school so we had to check it out.  I've never been to First Monday in Ripley, MS, but according to Allan the flea market we went to was very similar.  We spent three hours scouring through four big warehouses full of stuff and lots of outdoor tables.  You can pay $10 to set up a table and sell your own stuff, kind of like having a garage sale that is not at your house!  Items ranged from live chickens to those puffy dresses the little girls on "Toddlers and Tiaras" wear.  Our loot consisted of an assortment of local fruits and vegetables, a small bookshelf for the kitchen to put my cookbooks on, and some Star Wars figures to add to Allan's collection. 

For lunch we stopped by a little mom and pop diner that is walking distance from our house.  It's called "Sisters Creole Market" and it specializes in Cajun cuisine.  I got the fried catfish poboy and sweet potato tots.  Allan got the jambalaya that he said was the best he's ever had.  We give them two thumbs up!

We took another trip to the dog park because last week it started raining soon after we got there.  Daisy had fun playing, but she is a little shy around large groups of dogs.  We have to walk her into the group to make her play and we have to stay in her line of vision or she gets nervous. One lady had four smooth collies and they were so cute!  We think Daisy is half smooth collie so it was really fun to see them all playing together.

Later Saturday night I made some muffins that I found the recipe for on pinterest.  I don't know about you, but I feel like the stuff I find on pinterest is very hit or miss.  I made some pretty gross stuff from pinterest recipes, but these muffins were definitely a win.  Three simple ingredients:  1 box of sugar free chocolate cake mix, 15 oz can pumpkin puree, 1/2 bag of chocolate chips.  Bake about 25 minutes at 350.  Makes 18 muffins weighing in at a whopping 130 calories each!     

The Next Chapter

After 2 months of zero posts, it's time for an update.  This has been ONE CRAZY SUMMER.  I feel like I have never been busier in my entire life.  Between working 32-40 hours a week, preparing for four licensure exams, packing our entire house to move, a garage sale, weddings, and last goodbyes to family and friends, I stayed busy 24/7. 

I passed the NAPLEX and MS MPJE making me a licensed pharmacist in MS!  At some point in the future I know we will come home to MS and it is much easier to get licensed on the front end rather than later down the road.  I passed the GA MPJE and just took the practical last Thursday.  I have to wait 4 weeks to get my scores back.  Until then I'll be patiently waiting.. ha!

Allan and I both said goodbye to our jobs at the end of July.  I know it was especially hard for Allan to leave the art department at Ole Miss.  A job that was only guaranteed to last 6 months lasted 5 years.  I've never met another person that loved going to their job so much than when Allan was working at the art department.  I definitely miss Walmart in Oxford.  It was a great internship and I got to work with some great people.   I learned a lot and it was a really good experience. 

The weekend before we moved was Ann Katelyn's wedding.  I was honored to be a part of her special day.  I loved our little pharmacy girls reunion too!

 We've officially been in Athens for two weeks.  Allan started classes last week and is already working so hard. I've gotten the house mostly unpacked and we are slowly settling in.  I LOVE our new house.  I was a little worried that we signed the lease without being able to come see the house first, but it is honestly better than I imagined it would be.  I think we will be very happy here for the next 3 years.  We are looking for a church and have met some very nice couples already.  We had a good weekend of art show openings at the galleries at UGA, farmer's market, and a visit to the dog park.  We are quickly learning our way around.  I'm just ready for this "transitional" period to be over so that we can feel like we live and belong here.

So, until I get my scores back from the practical to get licensed I get to play housewife.  It's been five days and I'm ready to go back to work.  I shouldn't complain.  Who wouldn't want a break from working to cook, clean, work-out, sew, read, watch tv, socialize, etc?  I just find myself being very lazy when I don't have a routine.  I hope to make the most of my little break and maybe I'll even blog more!

Firsts, Fourths, and Twenty-sevenths

Notable events from the last 3&1/2 weeks:

1.  Nashville:  Pooja and I took a little trip to Nashville to go to Christina and Andy's wedding!  Neither of us had been to Nashville before so it was fun exploring the city!  We went to Centennial park and checked out The Parthenon, visited the County Music Hall of Fame Museum, walked up and down Broadway where we stopped in Hatch Show Print (I got a cool print for our kitchen and t-shirt for Allan), had dinner with my aunt and uncle followed by a mini-tour of really cool, historical places in Nashville (and got to see Reba's house), went to the zoo, walked around the inside of the Opryland hotel and gardens (beautiful!), did some shopping at Opry Mills mall, and last but not least went to the wedding!

Pharmacy girls with the bride and groom

2.  On the last day in May we celebrated our four year wedding anniversary.  I can't believe it has already been four years.  I guess the craziness of pharmacy school really made the time fly.  It has been a great four years.  Allan was very supportive during the last four years of my being in school and now it is time for me to return the favor.  I'm excited about our future and the new adventures that await us in Athens.

3.  First big girl paycheck:  The second I saw it I instantly knew the last four years of stress and craziness in pharmacy school were worth it.  Does that sound bad?  Obviously, I like being a pharmacist for other reasons, but hey.. somebody's gotta pay off these student loans!

4.  Authorization to test:  NAPLEX (June 25), MS MPJE (July 13), GA MPJE (July 30), practical exam for GA (August 16).  It's gonna be loooooong summer.  Prayers please!

5.  Welcoming 27:  Happy Birthday to me!!

6.  Byram:  So glad I got to spend some time with my family!!  We took our nephew Benjamin with us so he could play with Chance.  We saw the dinosaurs at the Natural Science Museum and went to the Children's Museum.  It honestly is the COOLEST place ever for kids!  If you have children, you MUST take them.

Natural Science Museum

Their favorite activity at the Children's museum- picking up logs with the claw and moving them.

 7.  Celebrated Allan's granny's 93rd birthday.  She truly amazes me.  She is completely independent!  I hope I'm like that when I'm 93!

8.   Tomorrow we are signing a lease!!  We found the perfect house for the two of us and Daisy.  I think it is so cute and has a lot of character.  It's 4-5 miles from UGA which is perfect for Allan.  This is it!

Erin Innman, Pharm.D.

A week ago today I graduated from pharmacy school!  It was such a special day.  I was blessed to be surrounded by family that have supported me along the way.  It was bittersweet to say goodbye to friends that I will not get to see as often as I would like.  It has been a long journey and it is finally over.  On to the next chapter!

 It still doesn't feel real!  I don't think it will until I have that license hanging on the wall.  Too bad four tests stand in the way of getting that license.  I'm getting licensed in GA and MS so I've got the NAPLEX, 2 MPJEs (one for GA and one for MS), and a practical exam for GA to look forward to.  Getting licensed in another state is somewhat of a challenge so I probably won't be licensed until the end of the summer.  Until then I'll be working at Walmart Pharmacy in Oxford (grad-intern!), studying, and preparing for the big move. 

Can I just say how nice it has been to be at home today!  I cannot remember a Saturday when I was home with no plans.  It seems like every weekend I'm either working, doing something, or going somewhere.  Not that I don't love going on trips and having fun with friends, but sometimes it is really nice to just be home (even if the day has been spent studying).  On that note, I'll leave you with a day in the life of Daisy.