Welcome to 2017, lovelies! My little family & I spent day one of the new year lounging in our pajamas and recovering from a wild night of cuddling, Facetiming with our West coast family, and watching fireworks from the toasty-warmth of our apartment. Despite the lazy start to the new year, 2017 is destined to be a busy year for us, Cruzes. Here are a few things we’re looking forward to this year: For now, I relish in the quiet,…
Spending the holidays in Chicago and experiencing a midwest winter was always our (crazy) plan. Jay and Reesie were supposed to make the trek home a few weeks earlier, but a winter snowstorm kept them in Philadelphia. Right where they belong with me. Which is why, with just three days ’til Christmas, we forewent the wrapping of last-minute presents and instead hit the road to Chicago. Coming off of a 12-hours shift the night before combined with the sounds of…
For the next nine months (on & off), Chicago will be “home” for us, Cruzes. With that in mind, Jay & I decided not to jam-pack our itinerary, and instead opted for a walk through Millenium Park and a deep dish pizza. There may have been a Chicago dog or two hurt in the process. We ordered a half sausage, half-cheese deep dish; and patiently waited the 45 minutes or so for it to come out. Being the newbies we…
The last four months living in North Carolina flew by so quickly, but you know the age-old adage about “time flying”. If I had known just how much we would love North Carolina or how much I truly enjoyed working at the Veteran’s Clinic in Wilmington, I would have chosen a six-month contract instead of three-months. Hindsight is 20/20 (lame optometry pun totally intended). So, onward to Chicago! By the early morning hours of Saturday, I was on the road…
A weekend trip to Savannah has been in the works for years, but somehow J & I never quite made it there for one reason or another. As news of tropical storm “Bonnie” broke, I was certain history would repeat itself & we’d once again have to cancel our trip. The storm was supposed to make landfall in South Carolina & reach as far south as Savannah. Last minute we decided to pack our bags & drive down despite the…
Can you recall a moment in your life that was so perfect you wish you could bottle it up forever? I can think of a few times that fit that description and last Saturday is definitely one of them. My “best people” from optometry school made the 18-hour roundtrip trek from Pennsylvania to North Carolina just to spend 24-hours with my little family & I. I knew when they came traipsing through our front door at 4 o’clock in the…
Turn your face towards the sun and the shadows will fall behind you. – Maori Proverb To put it lightly, the last two months have been very stressful for no other reason than work. As silly as this may seem, my phone wallpapers have been reading like a self-help book to serve as a mid-day boost or reminder of the greater picture. I often found myself allowing the chaos of the day to seep in & I’d waste whatever energy…
We have been living in Georgia for almost two months now, but sadly, up until this past weekend Jay & I haven’t done as much exploring as we hoped to do. This rotation has been keeping me busy & on my toes. I’ve been working six days per week; and on my day off the last thing I want to do is go out. Last week, however, I had some time off, so Stacy flew down from D.C. to spend…
To put it lightly, the last two months have been very stressful for no other reason than work. As silly as this may seem, my phone wallpapers have been reading like a self-help book to serve as a mid-day boost or reminder of the greater picture. I often found myself allowing the chaos of the day to seep in & I’d waste whatever energy I had left throwing a pity party for one. Then something happened. Last week was awful.…
The drive to Ennistymon, Ireland from Northern Ireland was just a little over five hours & it seemed to pass so quickly. Gabriela & I talked for a bit, sang along to music, but for the most part we were content to sit in silence and enjoy the beautiful scenery. It was dark when we arrived at Keelkyle, so we hurriedly lugged our things inside while trying to avoid tripping. Since Gaby got the master bedroom during the last Ireland…