these days

sunday afternoon… i remember how my parents used to make it naptime for the whole family. and now i finally understand just how smart they were. thanks, mom and dad.

life is [possibly] the busiest it has yet been since we got married 16 months ago. between aaron’s lesson plans and grading papers, my surgery team rounding at 5:30am (which means seeing my patients at 4:15), the hillcrest high school volleyball team going to playoffs, a few late night surgeries, busy mondays at dts and young life, etc, we’re a little weary. in a couple of recent conversations with friends i’ve realized that i’m really lucky — not only does my husband take great care of me in busy times like these, but he, like me, really values our time together and makes it happen. sure, it often means sitting next to each other working on school stuff… but any time spent together is just what i need to restore my spirit after one long day and before the next.

i’m done with three of eight weeks in surgery, about to do my last week in general surgery, then on to trauma and emergency general surgery. it has been a most interesting three weeks so far, but not for the reason you might think. while surgery is definitely fascinating, i have actually discovered something life-changing: i don’t want to be a surgeon! i won’t go into the details here, but the bottom line is this: i find myself wishing that, instead of working away in the body of a sleeping patient, i were back in children’s medical center, taking care of kids with medical problems. it’s thrilling, actually! it’s a great feeling to have something i truly enjoy doing, so much that nothing else can compare.

the hillcrest girls’ volleyball team made it to playoffs last week. they played an excellent first game, and moved on to the next. unfortunately, the second playoff game was hillcrest vs. highland park… let’s just say that i’m pretty sure highland park’s team is completely made up of girls who play club volleyball year-round (and probably have been since they were little youngins). all-in-all, their season was a job well done, thanks to their hard work, their dedicated coach, and their young handsome assistant coach.

in other news, a couple weeks ago, our church had a baptism service at the lake for brianna, our pastors’ awesome ten-year-old daughter who decided it was her time to get baptized, to express her trust in our Lord Jesus. it was a beautiful day outside, which rightly reflected the beauty of the act of baptism. unfortunately, i somehow managed to get pictures of everyone but brianna. oops. anyways, here are a few favorites…

asa. [miller #1]

kiara. [miller #2]

mikah. [miller #3]

sacha. [not a miller, but another of our many cuties at lgbc]

gary and aaron leading us in worship.

at the picnic afterwards.

despite the busyness of the season, i’ve found myself running and cooking a lot lately. the weather is perfect for running these days, and although i’m not in the best shape, an afternoon run beneath the rustling trees of fall is just what i need to rejuvenate my spirit.

even more than running, though, cooking has become a frequent activity for me lately. partly because we’re part of a produce co-op that brings us delicious, unique produce twice a month, and partly because i just can’t get enough. it’s so cathartic. in the past month or so, i’ve made all kinds of fun stuff: sweet potato chili, west african ground nut soup, penne with roasted butternut squash, pan-toasted tofu, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, blondies, marble chocolate banana bread… and yesterday i made apple-carrot-walnut flax seed muffins. next on my list: fuyu persimmon bread pudding.