Non-Stop November

I apologize for not updating since last month. November has been a very busy month for us. Many exciting weekends and life changes have occurred. The Peter Anderson Festival is held in Ocean Springs, MS the first weekend of November every year and is my favorite event. This was also a great weekend because I was able to hang out with a few good friends that I haven't seen in awhile. Kati also opened her new store this weekend to drive in some early sales.

As always, I wake up earlier than the festival starts so that I can grab a good parking spot and find the best artwork first. I went straight to Kati's shop to see if she needed any last minute help and then started the walk. No more than 2 minutes after leaving, I had already made a purchase (a beautiful piece of pottery). I had a small amount of cash and reached my budget rather quickly unfortunately (within a few hours). But, I found a Christmas present too so that made it seem better... well, at least in my eyes. After the money disappeared, I headed to a friend's house for mimosas. It was great seeing these old friends. I decided to walk around the festival with them and proceeded to drink from the Blue Moon beer stands that decorated the sides of the streets. This is the first time I have ever drank because usually I have a much larger budget and shopping list. I had a GREAT time. This will definitely be something I will do in the future. During the next week, we were able to get our portraits done for our Christmas cards. They turned out great! Here is a preview.

The next weekend was eventful as well. We were not able to go to Gatlinburg as we previously had planned because Craig was not granted time off. We will try again to go up, hopefully in the beginning of the year. I am happy that it worked out that way because I was able to witness the beautiful baptism of Tristan. Tina had planned this event after our planned vacation but God had another idea I do believe. I was able to attend my cousin's birthday party before the baptism as well.

Josh's Birthday Bash

Tina did a wonderful job planning the event. I rode into town early to try to help her finish up some last minute projects and get the food together. When I arrived, Tina was grocery shopping, so Drew and I decided to go eat at the local Chinese buffet. It was so funny because the wait staff kept asking Drew about Tristan and where his wife was. I swear I got the death glance a couple of times while I was there. This also reminded me of when I went to the hospital with Drew and Tina for Tristan's birth. The sweet nurses in the hospital were somewhat confused and asked if Tina and I were the parents. Bless their hearts. Anyways, Tristan was so well behaved during the whole ceremony. There was another baby there as well, and I have to say, Tristan was better. Even his name was better. This poor child's name was "Massimo." C'mon, I mean really... Those parents are just cruel. Tina invited everyone over after the ceremony for a reception. The food was great and the decorations were beautiful. Luckily, Tina was able to receive and print his newborn pictures just in time. Kati brought the cake over from one of her client's bakeries. Check them out here. I love that I was able to be a part of such a special event. And Tristan, I have to say, loves his Auntie Tara. I also got to witness him holding his bottle by himself at 3 and a half weeks! Can you believe that!?

 



 

I returned late on Monday after Tina bribed me to stay for a trip to the fabric factory where you can buy high end fabrics for dirt cheap. I got several "scraps" for a $1 each that I intend to make pillows with but we'll see if that happens anytime soon. The reason why is because, on my way home that evening, I received a phone call asking if I was interested in a position for a full time associate veterinarian. Absolutely! I set up an interview for that Thursday, was offered the position on Friday, accepted it on Saturday, and started on Tuesday. I met the practice owner randomly at a Continuing Education seminar on a Sunday last month. Apparently, I made a good impression. But, what is really strange is what my fortune revealed when I ate the buffet, "A chance meeting opens new doors to success and friendship." Crazy, I know!

I accepted the position while I was in New Orleans. I traveled there for a wedding of a long time friend. I suggested that several of us get together for some much needed girl time and everyone agreed. I checked in at our very nice and very large room at the Hampton Inn downtown and headed to the wedding. The ceremony was beautiful! It was set up on top of the Jax Brewery and occurred as the sun set in the background. A bit of a chill drew the crowd into the reception directly after the bridal party departed. Guess where I went. Yeah. I went to the bar. As a matter of fact, I went to the bar one to many times that night. I had great conversations up until we left at shut down time. The rest of the night was a blur, or perhaps, non-existent. I recall meeting a dude from the real world, drinking a hurricane at the swamp, and that's. about. it... My babysitters say that I was a blast in a glass. I hope they got some good memories out of me because I have none. All I know is that, I woke up the next morning with a buzz, a right leg lameness, and a pain in my ass. Literally. I had a massive bruise on my left butt cheek that is still present.

 

 I had to wake up early that morning to attend a family Christmas party. Epic fail. Not the waking up part, no I was good on that. I left the hotel and headed to the parking garage only to find that my driver's side front tire was completely flat. No biggie, right? Oh so totally, WRONG! A nice gentleman that worked at the garage helped me change to my spare tire. It looked a bit flat, but I was assured that it just needed some air. OK. I hooked up my portable air compressor and it was broken. OK. Let's just try to find the nearest gas station to put some air in it. NOPE! As I backed out of the parking spot, Tina shakes her head. Dammit. The spare was now completely flat. It was decided that I just needed to go and get some lunch and chill. I didn't have much of an appetite after this debacle and the liquor was still swimming in my stomach, but I managed to choke down a roll. I learned some baby stuff from the mommies at the table too. Interesting, and we'll leave it at that. Tina drove me back to Ocean Springs with my flat tire in tow and my car left behind in NOLA. It was Sunday, so I would just have to wait to get a new one on Monday. Finally, I was able to get it repaired. I hitched a ride with my sister and bro-in-law who had flown in on Saturday and replaced the flat spare. Needless to say, I now know how to change a flat tire.

The next week was spent hanging out with the family and getting fatter. Our family really pulled together to make this Thanksgiving memorable and delicious. Mimi is still unable to walk, so it was important to all of us to keep it just like every other past Thanksgiving. She is the leader of all of our great meals and is in charge. With Mimi's guidance, the food turned out just right. Everyone enjoyed it, and I think Mimi felt better after it put people in their normal food-induced comas.

My first day on the new job was somewhat busy. I performed six elective surgeries and saw a few rooms. I am hoping that this position will provide me with what I was seeking at my previous employer. I will have emergency call for the first time and that makes me somewhat nervous. Over this past week, I am learning how to be a veterinarian at a new practice with new protocols, new meds, and new rules. This is typically a slower time of year, so I don't have to learn by leaping. It is very different from what I am used to, but I have managed to adjust so far. All of the staff is very nice, and I feel comfortable with them so this helps. I am hopeful and optimistic that this will be a good fit.

So, as you can see, my November was very busy. Tina, Drew and Tristan are coming over tomorrow night, and we are all going to go to Bellingrath Gardens to view the Christmas lights. I am excited to see how Tristan will react. We have mailed out our Christmas cards and will be putting up our Christmas decorations this weekend also. Time to get in the Christmas spirit! I hope I will be able to post next month and keep up with this blog now that I have less free time. See you soon (hopefully)!

Cheers!
Tara