I-L-L-I-N-I!

I guess I’ll be switching to Thursday and Sunday updates.  Yay school for crapping on my life.  At least on Thursdays I’m at placement.  Unfortunately it’s been really slow with doctors out and some of the Audiologists as well.  There is also a student from another local-ish school so we spend a lot of time fighting over patients and getting hours.  Needless to say, it’s been interesting.  She’s a 3^rd year so she’s seen pretty much everything so I get the leftovers during the day.  It’s been a slow few weeks, but I’m learning a lot and seeing a lot of different things.  At least I’m using the extra time to get going on homework and get caught up on reading.  I’m going to start bringing my computer so I don’t have to fight the hospital firewall all the time. 

I’ve delayed on posting because a certain boyfriend was being a fun distraction early this week.  He was in town for about 5 days and we had a blast being together.  I think he was tired of spending time with his parents after a week and a half.  While he was home he did get his fancy new truck and some kitchen stuff, you know- those adult things haha.  He was also a nice subject for some cerumen management and enjoyed watching me geek out when we ran him as a subject in our evoked potentials lab.  He survived the mild abrasions (skin scraping with very fine sandpaper to get rid of dead skin) we had to do for the electrode placement- and still had some hair left, ha!

While he was in town we did dinner and a movie night out, went to a football game and walked around campus quite a bit.  We also tailgated before the game at a local bar and had a really good time with my classmates.  It was loads of fun and I had entirely too much to drink.  But, fun fact… my friends think boyfriend is a keeper.  Gee, so do I! We also had dinner with my cousin one day when she was driving through town on her way home.  It was good to catch up with her after staying with her all summer.  I also got to take a ride in her fancy new car.  There must be something in the water with all these new car purchases going on! Better than babies, haha.

But here are some photos to check out- Go Illini!! We won and beat a ranked team! I guess this is the first time in 10 years that U of I has started out 3-0 on the season.  Let’s hope they can keep this up when the start playing other Big 10 teams, that’ll be the big test.   My Dad actually called tonight and managed to score seats for this weekend's game as well!  Guess I'm going to yet another game! 

Oh hey Memorial Stadium! 3rd row end zone seats :)

Once a band nerd, always a band nerd.

Football under the lights!

Block I!

Halftime show.

Taken via the monitor.

Huddled up.

Final knee before the clock ran out.

Illini win!

Sometimes he's super adorable.

Holy cow it's September!

Oh my goodness have I been a bad blogger!  There is no excuse really, I’ve just been busy chasing around a soldier and starting up another semester. 

Labor Day weekend I went with boyfriend and his family and made the 8 hour trek from home sweet home to their family farm in Nebraska.  This was going to be the first time for me to meet the entire extended family.  We got to Iowa, picked up boyfriend’s little brother and drove on out.  Saturday night we spent with his grandparents and one aunt/uncle before they left for Las Vegas.  It was really a shame they booked the trip during the weekend, but oh well we made the most of it. 

The first night we got to see the farm and got to go for a ride in his grandparent’s restored 1938 Ford.  It was the car his grandfather and grandmother took out to Colorado for their honeymoon.  Needless to say, we got a lot of flak while riding in the car.  It was romantic though, and I loved going on a sunset drive around the farm and near the lake.  

1938 Ford his grandparents drove to CO on their honeymoon.  They had it restored for their 60th wedding anniversary.

Waving and driving up the lane.

Boyfriend's family plus me.

Sun setting on the lake on the farm

Backseat with the windows down

The next day I got shown around boyfriend’s mothers’ hometown.  I saw the church his parents were married at and had some of the local cuisine.  Shortly after that we went to his other aunt and uncle’s house for a full family picnic to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary and boyfriend being home.  I had such a blast and although it was overwhelming to meet practically everyone in one go, at least there was plenty of beer and Yakima to keep it light hearted.  Later that night we all sat around the campfire and talking and I really got to know his cousins.  I had such an amazing time, and was told I got the “2 thumbs up” approval and the official welcome to the family. Gee, its not like boyfriend gets the say in this or anything ;)

I’ve just been getting settled into the new semester and re-adjusting to classes and working, hence the long absence.  I think things should get better this week, I finally have a handle on juggling my workload.  But here are some more photos from the trip- enjoy!  

Old rusted farm truck, looked like a postcard.

Playing with the player piano.

Only photo from the BBQ, and for good reason haha! The wine was flowing pretty heavy at this point :)

Reintegrating.

Hello long lost bloggy world.  I promise I’m around, I’ve just been really distracted by a certain boy that is finally home :)

This past week I was told by my professor an exam I thought I would have was moved to after Labor Day weekend, thus giving me a 4 day weekend with little to no homework.  Boyfriend notified me he found a new house to rent and was going to be moving this weekend.  I decided on Tuesday that I’d pop on down and give him another set of hands. 

I drove down and arrived Thursday just in time to go out to dinner and have a real date night together.  We ran into a few guys from his platoon leader days so I got to meet some of the guys and their wives/girlfriends/fiancés for the first time. They were nice, and enjoyed giving me and boyfriend a hard time about being together so long and still not married *rolls eyes* like we haven’t heard that one before! But it was nice to joke around and dish it right back over a few beers.

The following day was filled with reintegration training for him in the morning and packing and moving the rest of the day.  On Friday we managed to move completely from his house he shared with roommates to his new place starting at 11am and completely moved all boxes into the new place by 4:15.  There wasn’t much furniture to move so that made things go much faster.  I no longer have any desire to move a washer or dryer ever again.  Ugh, thankfully a long hot shower and chocolate cures most moving related aches and pains. 

Saturday was spent shopping for furniture, unpacking, putting together the new furniture, and decorating the new place.  It was fun “playing house” and putting together a household.  Saturday over dinner we had some very frank conversations about the whole LDR situation and his thoughts on where his career is going with the Army.  He mentioned the Special Forces, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly terrified.  I know he’s just putting in a packet and seeing where things go, and he’ll regret it if he doesn’t try.  Again, with the wait and see game. 

We discussed how we are both so ready to live near each other and experience living together rather than being apart all the time.  It’s unavoidable and necessary right now while I finish my education, but in a perfect world we’d be able to relocate by now.  We seemed to step right back into where we were before deployment with only a few hiccups.  I thought we were crazy about each other before he deployed, but like the Brad Paisley song, "I thought I loved you then".  To keep from going too nuts I think I'll just have to keep repeating my mantra of “delayed gratification”.

Just a few more days and I’ll be off to his grandparent’s house to meet the entire extended family for the first time… eeep!! Let the awkward conversations with people I’m meeting for the first time begin.  I’ll have my new camera by then, so I’ll be sure to share photos.