30 is the new 20 (at least that's what they say)

Well friends, the day has come....I turned 30 on Friday.  It was actually a wonderful birthday and I didn't freak out like I expected to (yet).  Before I get into the details of the birthday, I thought I would give you the update on the 29 at 29 list I made last year.

1.   get in great shape before I turn 30  this one didn't exactly happen the way I had hoped but I am getting back to being more consistent with working out so that is a plus
2. be a better wife and show more unconditional respect for my husband I hope I've done this but I realize I'm never going to be perfect so I'll keep striving for this one
3. finish the Warrior Dash without keeling over  check 
4. go on vacation somewhere besides Jamaica (although I love Jamaica) well this one didn't happen unless you count our massive road trip around the east coast of the U.S.  -- but we do have a trip planned for Peru in May...can't wait!
5. grow out my hair (at least for a while) definitely did this one...my hair is the longest it's been since 10th grade!
6. be more grateful for all I've been blessed with hopefully I've done this although I can always grow in this area
7. get professional pics taken with my hubby that aren't wedding pics (especially since we never had engagement pictures taken) did not happen....maybe one day...a girl can dream ;)
8. be a more consistent journaler (especially since I got 6 journals for my birthday), and hopefully blogger ;) well, I definitely haven't been a consistent blogger but I have been journaling with some frequency
9. cultivate a passion for God's Word that I have been lacking lately and be more consistent in reading and studying the Bible  I have had ups and downs with this one (currently in a down) - gotta get better at this
10. make an effort to build transparent, authentic community and relationships  this was definitely happening when we were in Morgantown, but since we've moved we haven't really gotten connected yet....hopefully that will happen soon
11. get back to my crafty roots and spend more time doing creative things  this may have been the theme of my year actually.  I have been doing tons more crafting (which I love!) and in the last year I have learned to knit and crochet :)
12. get better at using my camera and the external flash Jamie bought me check
13. become more financially responsible  still working on this one unfortunately
14. attempt to actually enjoy cooking (aside from making desserts) and learn more healthy recipes  I've been so so on this one especially with the busyness of intern year
15. get a Mac (so ready to get rid of my crappy laptop)  check
16. get some cute winter clothes (my winter wardrobe has been lacking since my Houston days) this one was accomplished....too bad I don't really need those clothes now that we live in the South
17. drink more water (and less diet soda) nope...didn't happen
18. read more books for fun  check
19. go to the shooting range again  didn't happen
20. go skiing  check
21. go camping with my hubby  didn't happen :(
22. start a photo journal  I picked out a bunch of photos if that counts...
23. eat healthier sometimes accomplished this, sometimes didn't
24. be more intentional about making sure people in my life know that I love them  I think I've done this...hopefully :)
25. complain less, encourage more I'm sure I've been hit or miss on this one but hopefully I've been more positive than negative
26. run a half-marathon  definitely didn't happen...I'm just now getting back into running due to a foot injury but thinking about running a half in January with my hubby....that is, if intern year allows for training
27. get my house more organized and less cluttered well, considering that we moved and got rid of tons of stuff I think this happened, although I'm constantly trying to keep our new place organized
28. live generously, in the knowledge that everything I have is God's anyway  I hope that I do this and continue to grow in this area
29. finish (or at least start...ha) making my t-shirt quilt that i cut the pieces out for probably at least 5-6 years ago  I got out the materials and looked at them for a while if that counts ;)

As you can see, some of the 29 at 29 happened and some didn't, but all in all I had a great year.  And my 30th birthday was even better!  Jamie organized a HUGE surprise and a bunch of our friends came in for my birthday.  It was amazing seeing everyone and getting to spend the weekend with them.  I really miss the community we had in Morgantown and I'm so thankful that they went out of their way to come celebrate my birthday with me.  Here are a couple of pics from the weekend:

the whole group (minus kent who was taking the picture)

blowing out candles on top of the delicious Coca-Cola cake

funny pic :)

 

1/3 life crisis

This morning I found myself in the midst of a full blown "1/3 life crisis" (that's what I'm calling the meltdown that happens between a quarter life crisis and a mid-life crisis).  I won't go into all the details, but the question it left me with was this: As Christians, how much grace do we have for lifestyles that don't look like our own?

Now I'm not talking about people living sinful lifestyles - grace vs. accountability in that situation is another topic for another day.  My question is how we look at and treat other Christians whose choices don't line up with our own decisions or expectations.  Choices like singleness vs. marriage, whether to have kids and how many to have, women working or staying at home, homeschooling vs. public school, etc (the list could go on and on).  Often we turn our own ideas of what life should be into a mandate for others.  We turn into the Pharisees.  We make up our own additions to God's commands and require that others live up to them.  We may not blatantly judge and disgrace others like the Pharisees did but in our own way we treat them differently enough to know they don't fit in with the "Christian expectation."

One of the most beautiful things about our Savior is how He could relate to people in every stage of life and make them feel special and loved.  I pray that I have the same grace for others, although I know that I am by no means perfect.   I just hope I'm never the impetus for someone else's "1/3 life crisis."

house tour

I've been promising this for a while, so here it is.....a tour of our new home in Charleston via pictures.  We are renting this house and were so blessed to find a place we like so much with a great family as landlords.  Hold tight, this is going to involve a lot of pictures and probably not that many words, but hope you enjoy the "tour."

This is probably my favorite wall of the house, so we'll start here.  This is our photo wall which is part of a room that serves as the dining room (see below)/this area.

Dining room with part of the kitchen to the left.  Please excuse the pile of stuff under the window.  That is our "get rid of" pile.

Another view of the dining room table.  Still trying to figure out what to do with this wall if anyone has any suggestions ;)

Our kitchen.  Much smaller than our kitchen in Morgantown so we're trying to find some creative storage options.  This area is definitely still a work in progress.

This is what I like to call our "multipurpose room."  It currently serves as a workout room/office/hangout area with fireplace and couches.  Eventually going to try to figure out a way to make this room flow/work better but it is what it is for now.

Another view of our "multipurpose room" looking toward the fireplace and back door.  Schroder couldn't help but get in this one.

View of our front door and entry area.

Living room

Another view of the living room, looking into the "multipurpose room"

One last view of the living room.

Guest room #1, which Schroder has apparently claimed as "his" room.

Guest room #2.  Please excuse Jamie's surf board and surf gear on the bed.

Our room

My shoe/clothes/jewelry storage area.  Trying to adjust to a smaller closet by using some different storage ideas.  Any other suggestions are welcome and appreciated.  We hope to get a chest of drawers to replace this plastic drawer situation when we find one cheap and have some extra money.

View of our room, looking into our bathroom.

Our screened in back porch.  Such a fun place to hang out, especially when we turn on those string lights overhead.

Our HUGE fenced in backyard (yep, it goes all the way back to that tree line).  This is definitely the dogs' favorite part of this house and we are enjoying it as well (minus the mosquitoes).

The house is definitely still a work in progress, especially when it comes to decorating, but hope you enjoyed the pictorial tour!  We love having visitors (hint, hint) ;)

welcome my hubby to the blogging world

I promise when life slows down I will post some pictures of our new house and somewhat of an update.  Until then, Jamie has started a blog where you can read about what's been going on with us.  Enjoy!

jamaica me crazy

While most people spend Memorial Day at cookouts and other similar get-togethers, we spent ours in airports and on airplanes -- making our way to Jamaica for vacation :).  Other than the delays we experienced trying to get there, the rest of the trip was wonderful.  The weather was somewhat overcast and rainy at times but it was still nice to get away and relax at the beach. 

Unlike our three previous trips to Jamaica, we brought some friends along this time.  I wasn't sure how vacationing with another couple was going to be since Jamie and I had only been on vacation alone in the past, but we had a blast! It was a blessing to get to spend that time with Kent and Sarah right before our move.  Here are some pics from the trip:

God was so good to us and we got a HUGE blessing in the fact that somehow we got a room upgrade.  This is a picture of our room with our private pool and hot tub. 

Jamie & I at dinner at Gordon's on the Pier

Kent & Sarah at Gordon's

This is what happens when you leave your camera at the table when you go to the bathroom

Amazing rainbow after a day of thunderstorms

All four of us before dinner one night

Amazing sunset

Me with my co-winner of the Michael Jackson dance contest!

I'm thankful that we were able to take some vacation time before the craziness of intern year starts!

we're not in kansas anymore

Well, we never were in Kansas, but we're not in West Virginia anymore.  We have officially moved to Charleston, SC.  We have been here for about a week now and we are slowly settling in.  Most of our unpacking is done, but we definitely still have some organizing and decorating to do.  I will post pictures when the house is a little more put together. 

We have been enjoying our fenced in back yard (and so have the dogs), as well as exploring the surrounding area.  There is a park really close to our house that we have been running, biking and walking the dogs in.  We haven't made it to the beach or downtown yet, but I'm sure we will in the near future. 

More updates coming soon including a recap of our Jamaica trip :)

it's official

I am officially Tara Rickard, M.D., Pharm.D.!!!  It still doesn't feel real yet, although I'm sure reality will hit quickly when July rolls around. 

Graduation weekend was wonderful.  I am so blessed to have wonderful family and friends and was so thankful that they took the time to celebrate with me.  Several friends even came in from out of town to surprise me!  God has put some amazing people in my life and I know that medical school wouldn't have been possible without them and without Him. 

Hope you enjoy the pictorial summary below :)

Me being hooded

 

 The whole family together

My hubby wearing my ridiculous graduation hat

 

 The Browns! They came in from Georgia to surprise me :)

Beautiful Lisa who started driving at 3:30am from D.C. to surprise me

 

 Kyle, another surprise visitor from D.C.

 Group pic :)

My wonderful husband.  Definitely couldn't have done med school without him

 

Mary losing miserably at Quelf

Quelf is a hilarious game. That's all I have to say :)

 

 

 

 

 And a few pictures from the Dance Central battle...so much fun!

Yes, I'm doing the cabbage patch ;)