tour de cure

On June 13th, my dad and I are doing the Cure de Tour- a 50 mile ride to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. Below is the text from my fundraising site. But instead of reading it here, you can just go to the site and help me reach my goal of raising $250 for diabetes research. If you know me well, you might be thinking, “Wait a minute. Don’t you do diabetes research? Is this money funding your salary?” The answer: kinda! No, seriously. My lab’s research is partially funded by the ADA, and that includes the people to do the research. But really, I am doing this because I like to ride and want to raise money for a good cause.

Please check out my fundraising site, and if you can, sponsor me. Anything from $5 to $500 is appreciated:) The site is really easy to use and you can use your credit card to make  your donation.

(excerpt from my site below)

 My dad and I are doing this ride together and I’m really excited about it. We have a lot of personal reasons for riding: We both work in the field of diabetes research, my grandfather and uncle on my dad’s side both have diabetes, and my dad and I love to ride!

He develops insulin at Eli Lilly and I do diabetes research at IU School of Medicine. I can tell you from personal experience that there is a lot of great research going on in this field. New insights are being gained all the time. The research in my lab is even sponsored, in part, by a grant from the ADA!

The minimum fundraising goal for the ride is $150, but I’ve set my goal at $250 and would love to exceed that! I’m especially counting on my blog friends:)

These are not per mile, but one time donations. (”The Office” anyone? Remember when Michael sponsored Oscar for $25 and then found out it was per mile?!)

Thanks for your help!

in the month of may

I know this is not the Las Vegas post I promised awhile ago. But last night, I was lucky enough to catch The Writer’s Almanac segement on NPR. This poem by Robert Bly was read and I really liked it, so I wanted to post it here. You can actually hear the poem read by Garrison Keillor if you click on the link above.

After taking Mary Brown’s Creative Writing class (one of my favorite classes ever) in college, I really really appreciate a good poem.

In the Month of May

In the month of May when all leaves open,

I see when I walk how well all things

lean on each other, how the bees work,

the fish make their living the first day.

Monarchs fly high; then I understand.

I love you with what in me is unfinished.

 

I love you with what in me is still

changing, what has no head or arms

or legs, what has not found its body.

And why shouldn’t the miraculous,

caught on this earth, visit

the old man alone in his hut?

 

And why shouldn’t Gabriel, who loves honey,

be fed with our own radishes and walnuts?

And lovers, tough ones, how many there are

whose holy bodies are not yet born.

Along the roads, I see so many places

I would like us to spend the night.

 

-1985

my thoughts exactly

 

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.

-Douglas Adams-

j&j

Don’t kid- I know you’ve been waiting impatiently for a Johnny and Jenna update. A lot has happened since I first “introduced” him to you. I really like this guy:)

So I think we left off with visiting the parents in Chicago. We’ve been to Chicago twice since then!

… The next Sunday, we went to Caroline’s birthday party at Bounce Planet and had a blast jumping around with the kids.

Johhny with his niece Caroline

The Monday after this, I got deathly ill and Johnny brought me blue Gatorade. I had some kind of stomach thing that lasted forever. I couldn’t eat or drink for 3 days. I lost about 10 pounds which have unfortunately almost all come back.

Then, on March 26th, I got my baby, the Kia Soul. Johnny was soooo excited for me which is one of the things that I like most about him. We’re both excited kinda people.

Brit, Tiff, Sara and Me

That weekend, the Soul made it’s innagural journey with me, Brit and Tiff to go see Sara in Columbus and celebrate her engagement. I love these girls.

The next weekend, I had my interview in Arizona (we know how it turned out!). On my way home, I bought Johnny an Arizona magnet at the airport, hoping that I would be able to give it to him when I told him I got in. I gave it to him:) My flight that was supposed to get in at 12am was delayed and didn’t get in til 3am, and Johnny picked me up like the great boyfriend that he is. Unfortunately, we had to leave early in the morning because the weekend wasn’t over yet. We went with Kessara and our friend Robert to an OAR concert in Milwakee with a stop in Chicago. We were on the front row! Back in Chicago we got to eat at Johnny and Kessara’s favorite late night Mexican place from their crazy youth:) And we had brunch at my favorite place, Orange.

At the concert

Easter weekend: We both had Good Friday off and were able to have lunch with Lori and Kyle (my friends who now live in Baltimore) at Petit Chou. I was so glad Johnny got to meet them- they’ve been an important part of my life. We had dinner with my parents and brother and then went to an Easter play with my parents. Friday night was also important as Johnny and I shared a very important first. My first trip to White Castle! The food was ok, and redeemed by the fact that White Castle has red creme soda:) Saturday morning we gave each other the easter baskets that we made for each other and left to go to Chicago. We had dinner on Saturday at the Thai Temple in Chicago. Johnny and I and Caroline went to church on Sunday morning and then met the rest of the family (except his dad who was playing golf) for Easter Brunch at their country club.

Johnny with all our loot!

Johnny's Family: mom, sister Kessara, bro-in-law Dan, Jack and Caroline, and us

Yes, I did pick out his shirt to match my dress:)

The following Wednesday we went to the last Pacers game of the season with Brit and Brian ($5 tickets!) and had a blast.

Ghetto. He's just a little taller than me...

 

We had this past weekend “off” and enjoyed dinner at Vito Provolones, State of Play, making sausage gravy, taking Johhny’s car in for service, a nice bike ride and dinner with my parents,  a drink with Robert, Johnny’s first time at my church, and lunch at a Mexican place with friends. As you can see, we don’t really understand how to take a weekend off:) But it was relaxing. Which is good…

Because we’re PUMPED ABOUT HEADING TO VEGAS TOMORROW!!!

Please do not ask if we’re getting married at the Elvis chapel:)

you have to see this

Have you heard about Susan Boyle from Britain’s Got Talent? If not, you have to read this and watch the YouTube video of her performance on the show.  It has to make you smile and it almost made me cry. This woman makes me happy.

Seriously. I can’t stop watching this!

can i tell you how happy i am?

If you’ve seen me lately, chances are, I don’t have to tell you how happy I am.  You can see it all over my face.  There are two main reasons for this.

1. I am dating the most amazing man ever. We are so right for each other that I can’t even believe it. We have been traveling, spending time with each others family and friends, and just enjoying having someone to share the little things of life with. I have lots of pictures of our latest adventures to share in a future post. I have to get caught up before we go to Las Vegas! But this post isn’t really about our adventures. It’s about the fact that…

2. I GOT ACCEPTED TO ANOTHER MED SCHOOL!!!!! And I had decided after my interview there that this was the school I wanted to go to (as opposed to the one in Tennessee). The school is Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM). It is in Glendale, AZ, about 20 mintues north of Phoenix (America’s Sweatiest City). I realize that I am trading Indiana’s extremely cold winters for Arizona’s extremely hot summers, but I am ok with this. Someone that I have been talking to about apartments in the area told me that they keep their themostat at 80 “because it feels cool when you’re walking in from 120.” I think if you kept it at 65 your electric bill would be outrageous.

Things are falling into place and it’s so nice to know where I’ll be in August. This is a huge adventure for me- I never dreamed that I would live so far away from my family and friends, but everyone keeps promising that they would love to visit come winter time. Every day, I am more and more excited. I’m moving to Arizona! How cool is that?!

I know you’re wondering, so I’ll just tell you that Johnny and I are going to make things work (whatever that may entail). We’re just trying to take things one step at a time:) He’s very excited for me and about Arizona!

Did you know that Phoenix is only a 5 hour drive from LA, San Diego, and Vegas? Can you say long weekend? Another plus- Glendale is extremely bike friendly:) Tennessee is nice, but what can I say, I’m just a big-city kinda girl.

Reservations for winter vacations will be accepted starting in August:)

Oh yeah! And I also have a new car! A Kia Soul! It makes me happy every time I walk outside and realize that the coolest car on the block belongs to me. More on that soon too!

The main entrance to AZCOM

My 2010 Kia Soul ! (! is the model) in Dune

the talented ms shelia

Shelia is the mother of one of my good friends from college, Lacey. We took several trips to Lacey’s home in VA while we were in college and I became fond of her wonderfully fun mother, Shelia. Shelia was a crafts major in college so it’s no wonder that she’s talented. But I was soo proud to see that she started her own blog about crafting! She’s currently doing a giveaway, so I’m linking to her site so that you can sign up for a chance to win (and so I get more chances to win!). Also, if you’re looking for a gift, look this woman up. Her things are incredible.

i knew it!

I do not shower every day. And I am not ashamed to tell you that. I have always said that showering every day is not healthy for most people’s skin and hair. I usually work out on Mon-Wed-Fri mornings and shower at the YMCA before I go to work. And I typically take a bonus shower either Saturday or Sunday. Now, honestly, this has less to do with what is good for my skin and more to do with my laziness, but that is not the point. I read a story on NPR.org this morning that explained why not washing your hair every day is good! It did not, however, say that you shouldn’t shower every day… If I ever smell bad, please please please feel free to tell me. I do not like stinky-ness. Until then, I will continue under the guise of being skin and environmentally friendly.

Happy St Patrick’s Day! (and my weekend in Chicago)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Last weekend while Johnny and I were in Chicago, we caught some of the St. Pat’s parade.

We spent the weekend in Chicago soaking in the city and some time with the fam. Last stop in the “Tour de Parents.” Johnny’s parents live in Olympia Fields (a south suburb).  PS- If you live in Indy and ever need flowers to take when meeting your bf’s mom, check out Watt’s Blooming on Mass Ave. What a great floral shop! (Just wanted to plug the local business.)

 I got to  meet his dad when we got there Friday night, and then we went into the city with Kessara and Dan (Johnny’s sister and brother-in-law) and had some bubble tea. This is the view from the balcony of Johnny’s parent’s downtown condo. It literally took my breath away.

 

 

Saturday morning we met up with Nick, Johnny’s cousin who was visiting from Thailand, and headed out to the Field Museum. But on our way, we ran into the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and decided to stay and watch for awhile. That and the beautiful day- what great Irish luck!

 

 

I'm cheating and standing on the next step up and I'm still short!

Then we went to the Field Museum. It was ok, but the special exhibit on Pirates was sold out for the day so that was kind of a bummer.

 

Another bummer- the wait at Giordano’s was an hour at 3pm! We didn’t have time to wait, but it turned out not to be so much of a bummer after all because Johnny knew of this cute little placeunder the Hancock Building where we had a light lunch and delicious cookies and cannoli! And on our way there we had to stop and take a picture by the river which they had dyed green that morning.

Johnny and I had a really nice dinner with his parents Saturday night and then crashed early. We were exhausted! Sunday morning we had brunch with Dan’s side of the family at Old Country Buffet in Crown Point to celebrate Johnny’s niece Caroline’s birthday. It’s crazy that I have now met all of Johnny’s family that lives in the US! Sunday afternoon we did a little shopping with his mom, rested for a bit, and then headed back to Indy.

All in all, a really wonderful weekend and a great practice vacation.

Practice vacation?

That’s right. While we were at Johnny’s parent’s on Sunday afternoon, we booked tickets to go with them to LAS VEGAS at the end of April!!!

meet johnny

I know, I have been absent, but for a good reason. I’ve been spending a lot of my free time with the wonderful man I’m dating. And now that things are official, I think it’s time that you meet him.

This is Johnny and I.

And here are all the juicy details. Yeah, right. Like I’m going to tell you all the juicy details:) We met back during the holidays when our mutual friend Robert introduced us. The three of us went out a couple of times and watched LOST together every week. And about a month ago, Johnny and I started dating. I can’t exactly explain how it happened because I don’t really understand exactly how it happened. It just did:) We went to see He’s Just Not That Into You on our first “date” (though neither of us were 100% sure it was a date). But we both agree that it was Casino Night (the next night) when we knew this was going to be something.  That’s right, Casino Night. Think “The Office.” It was just like that. Only without all the awkward moments.  (My neighborhood had a Casino Night at the community center to raise money for the Neighborhood Association).

Here we are at Casino Night

And we haven’t stopped having fun since! Here are just a few of the amazing dates that we’ve been on (all planned by Johnny- he spoils me rotton):

-El Torito and playing pool at Jillians (I stink but he’s an excellent teacher)

-Brunch at Petit Chou and a 3D movie at the IMAX (Under the Sea 3D- you MUST go see this. It is sooo fun!)

-Dinner at a great little Italian place, Mama Carollas  and meeting his sister and brother-in-law

Johnny has jokingly dubbed this week  the “Tour de Parents.” I met his sister and brother-in-law this past Saturday, we had lunch with my parents on Sunday, last night I met his mother, cousin, niece, nephew, and brother-in-law’s mother! And this weekend we’re going to Chicago where I’ll meet his dad (and everyone else will be there too). Definitely look for pictures of that coming soon!

So I think you can probably tell that I’m pretty happy really happy. And I hope you haven’g gagged yet. Now you know where I’ve been lately:)

*The content of this blog has been approved by Johnny:)