New Orleans

Last weekend I had a great trip to New Orleans to celebrate Leah's 21st birthday with Brandon's side of the family. Considering it is July (normally scorching hot temperatures) and the forecast was rain the whole weekend, we had great weather. I had not been to New Orleans since I was twelve, so it was neat to go back. Here are a few pictures from the trip.
We all rode the mechanical bull around 6PM when the bar was empty so none of us would embarrass ourselves. [Note: The following picture was taken when the bull was NOT in motion . . . after the first tilt Lynn was gone]
At dinner on Bourbon St.
We had breakfast at Brennan's, which was fantastic.
Our charming waiter making bananas foster in front of our table
Saturday night on Bourbon St.

I think my little camera did a decent job, despite having been dropped in the lake at Brandon's bachelor party in October. Brandon is continuing to enjoy his job and is excited about having a guys weekend at the lake in a few weeks. Brutus has added low calorie salmon omega-3 treats to his list of dietary restrictions after I spent yesterday morning cleaning vomit off of my rug and sheets. As for me, I am about to enjoy one last getaway (to the beach with Brandon and my family) before I start my psychiatry rotation on Monday. I even got assigned to be on-call the first day of my very first rotation!

Brutus Graduates

After a less than stellar performance in his test, Brutus "passed" obedience training. I think in the older, tougher world of dog training (when Susie and Dolly were going), he would have been coming home with a certificate of participation. But we are proud of him anyway. Catherine and Brandon both joined me last night for the test and graduation.
This is our class . . . a wide variety of dogs and individuals
Brutus with his graduation cap
Brutus with his reward
He wrapped up the evening by having his first accident at home in months! Oh well. I guess he was exhausted and the thought of going down the elevator and out to poop island was too much to bear . . .

Swim Meet in Charlottesville

My mom, Catherine, and I are in Virginia visiting family. Last night we got to go to a swim meet and see Michael, Rachael, and Clare swim. They all did great! I was very impressed that they use a long-course pool for summer league swimming.
Here's Michael getting ready to swim the breastroke leg of the medley relay.
Rachael on the side of the pool watching relays (it was so nice not to be roped off from the side of the pool like I am used to)
Clare getting ready for the 25 free
Clare looking happy after her swim
Michael diving in, second from the left
Rachael swimming butterfly (for the 25's, the kids swam to a rope in the middle of the pool)
Michael swimming butterfly
Rachael looking cuteMichael and Pearse
The thing that struck me the most was how laid back and happy all the kids were. It was a far cry from the meets I am used to going to. It was what summer swimming should be . . . fun.

Fun Day at the Lake

This past Sunday we went out to the lake to see Brandon's family. His Aunt Lynn, Uncle Larry, and cousins, Anastasia and Daria, were in town from Ohio. We had a great day and enjoyed seeing family we do not get to see very often. We went swimming, kayaking, and tubing (even Brutus - minus the tubing). The day was even capped off by a covert fishing operation (too long a story to explain here, but Brandon made the easiest catfish catch of his life). Enjoy these pictures!

Brutus Goes to the Vet

Brutus went to the vet this past Thursday for his annual visit. Let's just say it was way more involved than anything I have ever had done to me for a routine exam. He even had an EKG and measurements of his intraocular pressures! In addition, he is joining the millions of Americans who are overweight. I was instructed to start measuring his food and to prevent him from snatching food off of the coffee table at all costs (those of you who have watched him in action know how difficult this will be). We also left with a tube of probiotic paste and capsules to help with his irritable bowel. I am to tell Brandon that feeding Brutus scraps of the Bacon Explosion are not on his irritable bowel diet (or his weight loss diet, for that matter). The bill was slightly outragious (I am thinking I may have missed my calling in veterinary medicine), but little Brutus is worth it.

Summer Update

BRANDON STARTS WORK!
Brandon started his job this past Monday. He is in orientation all of this week, and he will start working on his unit next week. He has already met a guy in orientation who will be starting on the same unit. Both of their names are Brandon, they are both die-hard Alabama football fans, and they love the same Xbox game. [On a side note, I am beginning to think that guys of Brandon's generation are not going to "outgrow" their video games.]
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GETTING BRUTUS!
I cannot believe it has been one year this week since we picked up Brutus from the airport in Atlanta. He may have been an impulsive decision (at least my mom thinks so), but it has been one of the greatest decisions we have ever made. I am happy to report that he is sleeping through the night on a consistent basis (for those of you who were unaware, he enjoyed waking Brandon up to take him out at 2AM several times a week . . . not so convenient on the 4th floor of a condo building).
Brutus enjoys ripping all our our toilet paper off of its hanger.

We also find him in our laundry basket, not infrequently, hiding his bones.
A friend of ours recently got a dog, and Brutus and I are doing obedience school with them. He is doing better than I would have thought. Although he is terrified every time we arrive at class, his inhibitions disappear once the treats come out . . . he will fight the St. Bernard for the ones that fall on the floor. I will be sure to post pictures of his graduation later this summer :)
As for me, summer has been pretty slow. I am on a research rotation which has left me with quite a bit of free time. Although my project is interesting and hopefully I will have some significant findings, I have A LOT of time off. That being said, I might be able to go to Charlottesville and D.C. with my mom and Catherine at the end of June. We will see what the ticket prices do. But for now, I spend my days running errands, doing laundry and dishes, entertaining Brutus, and watching junk TV (and more than my fair share of movies and shows on Netflix). Life could be worse :)