Succumbing to Peer Pressure

Everyone's doing it. I figure I might as well do it, too. (And I secretly like these things).

25 random things about me

1. Today in assessment class it was discovered that I have a very prominent false rib (those lower ribs that don't connect all the way around to your sternum). Several people got a kick out of feeling it.
2. I am marrying a guy 14 inches taller than me. Yes, we look extremely funny together. About once a week, I randomly exclaim "You're SO TALL!" when I realize it again. But I wouldn't trade him for the world.
3. I was excessively ticklish when I was younger, and it was often used as a means of torture.
4. Sometimes I get so furious at winter I see angry red spots and forget who I am for a minute.
5. I have a form of Raynaud's, which when I'm cold causes my hands and feet to blanche, turn green, be numb, and feel like I have them sticking in a flame. This contributes to #4.
6. When I was growing up, my mom hid a chewable vitamin in my tuna english muffin sandwich, and I threw up when I bit into it.
7. I have several recurring dreams. One is about an alligator coming out of the tv and eating my family, and the other is about a monster chasing me and making me jump down a whole flight of stairs at once.
8. My college friends think of me when they see pictures of kittens speaking in broken English and acting tough.
9. Almost everyone refers to me by my first and last name as one word. SarahDill. It has been this way all my life.
10. I wanted to get surgery to correct my vision a few years back, but my corneas were deemed to be too thin.
11. I've eaten cow's tongue from an open air cafe in Honduras.
12. I used to hate many vegetables, specifically beans. My parents would make me sit at the table long after everyone else left until I ate them all. I hid them in my drinks, in my napkins, under my plate in an effort to avoid actually eating them. Now I love beans.
13. I really don't have any desire to have a pet.
14. I don't understand professional sports or tv show obsessions.
15. Sometimes when no one is looking, I kiss the babies at work and sing to them.
16. The more I have to do, the more I seem to find distractions like this.
17. I wish it was June already for a number of reasons: no cold, my wedding, no grad school.
18. Despite my occasional compliant, I really enjoy school. It is easy to me, and I secretly am a big nerd who likes to learn things.
19. I have to best thesis group ever: working on a several hundred page document with two awesome ladies makes all the difference in the world.
20. After this round of school, I see myself doing more. Maybe a master's in public health, maybe a diploma in tropical medicine, mostly likely language school.
21. I wish Africa was closer to the U.S and that Rwandans and Ugandans spoke Spanish, because I have a foundation in that language and it is easy to learn, and those are the top places I want to go.
22. My fiance's driving annoys me. Like everyone else in the world, I think I am a better driver than most.
23. I'm trying to find a half marathon to run in late April or May.
24. I currently teach 1st-5th grade Sunday school at church. If I didn't feel obligated to stay, I'd switch and start a college age class. I'm much better and more comfortable with that group.
25. I bought a house last summer, and it was a decorating disaster when I got it. Gold wallpaper, pink/purple striped wallpaper, robin egg blue walls, pink walls....Now I think it looks pretty darn good. Most people would have not given it a second glance, but I like to think I've got vision.

You will not beat me, MN

Yesterday, I strapped on my running shoes, put on a long sleeve shirt and some light gloves, and headed out the door into the sunshine. It was a balmy 26 degrees, and in my mind that translated to my first chance to run outside in three or so months. I snickered at the thought of the treadmill sitting inside the massive Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center, pointlessly spinning its track, never getting anywhere. I stepped into the snow and prayed the trail near my house was well-groomed.

The run was glorious. Slow and at times slippery, yes, but the sun was beaming down and I was free and not cold. The snow was well packed beneath my feet, making a surface very similar to wet sand on the beach. I followed the snow plow for a while as it completed some touch-ups on the trail. I saw a bunch of bright red cardinals seemingly having a cardinal convention in one lucky bush. I followed Cascade Creek down its winding path, amused by the alternating patches of running water and frozen ice. I got attacked by a large, slobbery, yet friendly black Labrador that managed to shed both its collar and owner in its excitement over me. I stood on the picturesque bridge crossing the creek for a break, marveling at how the creek seemed to be frozen solid for 100 yards, then gush it found an opening, spilling out in crystal clear waterfalls.

Love it.

The temperatures drop again today, hurting my lungs too much to tolerate being outside for long. So back to the Healthy Dan I go, waiting rather impatiently for the sun to come out so I can be free once again.

Christmas Rundown

There was much Christmas-ing last month for me. I went home to TN for a few days to visit the family. The time went quickly, being filled with wedding dress shopping with my mom and sister, visiting with extended family, and gift opening.
The Dill kids


The Man in Charge


The twin separated by 7 seven years

(I was trying to make my dad fall in love with Minnesota at the time via the sweatshirt, though I am not a fan of the place right now. You can't blame me, considering my windshield wipers are stuck to my windshield, my left foot has been white and numb all day, my heat bill cost enough to feed a small family for a month, and my skin hurts. I'm dreaming of the day when I can move to someplace warmer. But I digress.)

After returning to MN, I worked Christmas Eve and Day, but working holidays are much more fun in pediatrics! Santa and the Elves came to visit our patients and families with their sleighful of gifts-twice! Nobody wants their kid to be in the hospital on Christmas, so we do all we can to make it a fun, happy place, and the families responded fantastically by making it great for us holiday workers, too. Mayo provided us with a giant meal, and Bob came over to eat lunch with me. The Blanshans also had their own celebration on Christmas night, and I had my own stocking.

More celebrating occurred with the Dale/Linda Blanshan family limb on New Year's Eve and Day. My mini-slinky gift was a big hit with the soon-to-be nephew (that's a strange thought-I'm going to be an aunt! How fun!), as were someone's gruesome teeth.

First Day of School-Spring '09

Newsy Update

Yeah, so I've been a little spastic with my blog background lately. It is one of my favorite things to do on a slow night shift at work--surf through blog backgrounds. I like this one except the little "attitude of gratitude" logo on the left; it's a little (ok, a lot) cheesy. We'll see how long it lasts {edit--it lasted about 3 hours}. I really have better things to do right now, but sometimes you just get tired of doing productive things in the middle of the night.

I am in full wedding planning mode. I am trying to get as much done as possible before this Wednesday when I start school again. Yes, I am going to die. 9 hours of grad credits, working 30+ hours a week, fixing up an old house, and planning a wedding. Lord, help me.

Or, Lord, use the Blanshan family to help me.

I am immeasurably grateful to the Blanshan clan for all they have done so far. It seems like these people do weddings for a hobby. They have offered far beyond what they need to to make this wedding happen how I want it to be. It's going to be awesome.

Plans are coming together. I now have a place, a caterer, a menu, a photographer, rental equipment reserved, a dress, bridesmaid dresses, prelim decorating plans, hotel rooms blocked (almost), a minister, and flower choices. And best of all, everything (except the minister coming from TN) is panning out to be incredibly cheap. I feel SO much better than a week or so ago when I didn't even know where I was getting married, which led to a small grade breakdown on my part, which led to my fiance getting 10 gold stars for being incredibly supportive, understanding, and sweet.

I love that boy. :-)

In other news, I ordered cabinets for the kitchen last week, making room for a dishwasher. My college roommate and bestest friend ever, Jennifer Allen, came to visit this week. I felt like she came and then left, even though we had 4 full days together. Also this week I contracted strep throat for the first time since I was a kid, necessitating a trip to the clinic and missing one day of work. I was down for the count yesterday, which led to another opportunity for gold stars for the fiance. I feel a million times better today.

That's the news, folks.

Slightly funny joke

Blessed Minnesota

On the sixth day God turned to the Archangel Gabriel and said, "Today, I am going to create a land called Minnesota."

"It will be a land of outstanding natural beauty; a land of 10,000 beautiful lakes, each one full of fish."

"It shall have tall majestic pines, peacefully flowing rivers, landscapes full of trees, tall grass, and eagles, beautiful blue skies, forests full of bear, deer and moose, rich farmland and fair skinned people."

God continued, "I shall make the land rich in resources so as to make the inhabitants prosper and they shall be known as a most friendly people, people who practice being Minnesota-Nice every day."

"But, Lord," asked Gabriel, "Don't you think you are being too generous to these Minnesotans?"

"Not really," replied God, "Just wait and see the winters I am going to give them."