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 ;)

these are a few of my favorite things...

I should add a disclaimer to that title.  These are a few of my favorite things...lately.  Just thought I would share!

• Cee Lo Green's song,  Forget You -- I just cannot get this song out of my head lately! It's so catchy.  Although I will say that I was appalled when I found out what the unedited version of the song was called.  But the edited version is a fun workout or drive with the windows down song for summer.  The link above is my friend Chris Cendana's cover of the song (edited version for the record).  He's a great artist as well so enjoy!

• Speaking of Cee Lo Green, I am so far really loving the show The Voice.  I'm not an American Idol fan, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about another singing contest show but I was intrigued by the fact that they wouldn't be able to see the contestants while they sang, so I watched the first episode.  I like that people who don't look like your typical pop stars or American Idol contestants have a chance on the show simply based on their talent (don't get me wrong though, there are a lot of attractive contestants as well).  Guess I'll keep tuning in after one of my other fav shows, The Biggest Loser, to see if the goodness continues. 

• This shirt! I got it when we were in Charleston at the Gap Outlet and I love it.  I am a huge Saved by the Bell fan so when I saw it I had to get it.  They also had a New Kids on the Block and  a Michael Jackson Thriller shirt and I wanted them all, but I restrained myself.

                  

•  Reading for fun! I've been fortunate to have some extra time now that I am done with school to read some books I enjoy. 

I just finished this book. I got it #1 because it was about knitting and #2 because it was on sale at Barnes and Noble.  It was really good although surprisingly not as lighthearted as I had imagined.

I also recently read this book and can't wait to see the movie! I hope it does the book justice.  Of course, Reece Witherspoon is always one of my favorite things so I don't think it can be bad.

•     Bird designs.  I don't know why, but lately I have gotten into the bird craze.  One of my friends got me a bird necklace for my birthday (see the pic at left) and I loved it.  Since then I have found myself collecting other bird items, like this throw pillow:  

 

 

 

Okay, enough of my favorite things for now.  Hope you get a chance to enjoy some of your favorite things this week!

getting crafty

Things have been tight for us financially lately, mostly due to some unexpected expenses that all hit us at once as well as the expense of selling our house and moving.  So when gift giving (and usually money spending) occasions come up, my new motto is "when money gets tight, I get crafty." ;)  I actually love making gifts for other people.  I think it adds a personal touch and it's lots of fun.  Hopefully, people enjoy receiving my handmade gifts as much as I enjoy making them.  Last night, I made this purse for a friend's birthday: 

You can find the pattern here if you are interested in making your own.  I made a few modifications to the original pattern, including making it bigger.  I'm the type of person who carries pretty much everything in my purse so tiny purses just don't work for me, but the original pattern size does make a cute clutch. 

Does anyone else out there like to make gifts? If so, what are your favorite handmade gift ideas?

Happy crafting!

Update on some of the 29 at 29

Just a brief update on a few of the 29 @ 29 (I won't bore you with the whole list again until the big 3-0).

#5 - grow out my hair
Totally loving this one! My hair is probably the longest it's been since my freshman year of high school.  My favorite part has been playing with styling my hair and finding that it will do things I thought it would never do (think it was mostly styling error on my part in the past).  I even figured out how to "curl" my hair with a straightener so that it looks more wavy and less fro-like than my previous curling attempts (see pic below).

#11 - get back to my crafty roots and spend more time doing creative things
My latest crafting hobby/obsession has been knitting.  My first knitting project kind of turned into a disaster which I ended up unraveling most of, but now I am back on the knitting train and working on a scarf.  You can see my tiny bit of progress below.

#15 - get a Mac
If you can't tell the above picture was taken with photo booth on my brand new Macbook Pro! My parents bought it for me as a graduation gift and I absolutely LOVE it.  I'm so thankful for my parents' generosity and the blessing of having a functional (and awesome) computer.

Last one friends, I promise....
#20- go skiing
I did it! This winter I went skiing for the first time in 10+ years and it was a blast! I went with Jamie and our friends Kent and Sarah.  We had a great time.  Definitely thankful that I got to take advantage of the opportunity this winter since we won't be living nearly as close to snow in the next three years.

Happy Easter

So I'm going to just ignore the fact that I have been a blogging slacker for the past 4-ish months and pick up like I never left off.  I apologize for my long absence...

I will start by saying Happy Easter everyone (and by everyone I mean the probably one person that still might read this).  I have to admit that Easter kind of snuck up on me this year.  Between finishing up school, trying to sell our house and finding a place to live in Charleston (SC for those of you who don't know that I will be doing my residency there), I haven't spend as much time as I would have liked reflecting on Easter and all that we have to celebrate.

But I have to say that it was so refreshing and renewing to my soul just to spend Easter morning worshipping and fellowshipping with our church family.  I am truly thankful for the Christian community that God has allowed us to be a part of in Morgantown.  I couldn't help but think this morning how much I am going to miss it.  I certainly haven't gotten to know everyone in our church as well as I would have liked but I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a group of Christians who show such genuine care and love.  It's amazing how having Jesus in common can bridge so many other differences.

I hope your Easter was blessed and that you were able to spend time reflecting on and rejoicing in our risen Savior!

Happy New Year!

I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions but I thought it would be good to give an update on my 29 @ 29 goals so here goes:

1. get in great shape before I turn 30 -- Still working on this one.  We did get a Kinect and I've been doing the Biggest Loser workouts on it which I think will help.  
2. be a better wife and show more unconditional respect for my husband -- Talk about a lifelong process ;), but again I'm working on it.  
3. finish the Warrior Dash without keeling over -- Done :)
4. go on vacation somewhere besides Jamaica (although I love Jamaica) -- This is actually pretty hilarious considering we just booked a vacation for after I graduate to none other than Jamaica.  It was the cheapest option and I do love it there.  We'll see if I end up going anywhere else before the big 3-0.  I am planning on going to Honduras for school but I'm not sure that counts as a vacation ;)
5. grow out my hair (at least for a while) -- I'm accomplishing this one.  I even recently discovered that I can curl my hair now as long as I have a curling iron that heats up to ridiculous temperatures.  
6. be more grateful for all I've been blessed with -- I'm definitely a work in progress on this one
7. get professional pics taken with my hubby that aren't wedding pics (especially since we never had engagement pictures taken) -- This one hasn't happened yet but hopefully it will
8. be a more consistent journaler (especially since I got 6 journals for my birthday), and hopefully blogger ;) -- I am an epic fail on this one (as you may have noticed).  I'll try to do better.
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'm improving but not where I want to be yet.  I did just finish reading Romans with my sister and then found out that we will be starting a series on Romans at church so I'm pumped about that.  
10. make an effort to build transparent, authentic community and relationships -- Still not the greatest at this one. There are going to be some changes coming up in our community group that  I hope will help push me outside of my comfort zone and into a more authentic place.  
11. get back to my crafty roots and spend more time doing creative things -- I've definitely achieved this one! It was so nice to be able to make a lot of my Christmas gifts (both for me and my wallet).  I have been sewing again, making photo journals and just recently re-learned how to knit and I love it!
12. get better at using my camera and the external flash Jamie bought me -- Funny story, the external flash actually malfunctioned and we had to send it back to get it repaired but I'll keep working on this one once I get it back.
13. become more financially responsible -- Absolutely still a work in progress.  Jamie resigned from his job so we are learning to budget the money he got for his retirement until he finds a part time job to supplement that.  I am also hoping that in the upcoming months I will be able to work some more to help us out financially and hopefully start paying off some of our debt.  
14. attempt to actually enjoy cooking (aside from making desserts) and learn more healthy recipes -- Can't say I've done too well on this one, especially with all the traveling we've been doing for my residency interviews.  But, thanks to Ashley, I'll be getting a subscription to Cooking Light which I think will definitely help once we get back from these last two weeks of interviews.  
15. get a Mac (so ready to get rid of my crappy laptop) -- This one is definitely not going to happen until graduation money/gifts come around, but I am blessed that my sister and brother-in-law gave me a working laptop that actually doesn't have to be plugged in all the time.  They rock!
16. get some cute winter clothes (my winter wardrobe has been lacking since my Houston days) -- Done and done!  I got a TON of cute winter stuff for Christmas, thanks to a pre-Christmas shopping trip with my mom....sweaters and cardigans and boots, oh my :)
17. drink more water (and less diet soda) -- I'm surprisingly doing pretty well on this one, especially as a result of working out more....working out always makes me crave water.  
18. read more books for fun -- I've been doing okay on this one.  I have to admit I'm moving pretty slowly through "Eat, Pray, Love" but I do have several books waiting in the wings once I'm done.
19. go to the shooting range again -- Hasn't happened yet
20. go skiing -- Hasn't happened yet although we're hoping to go sometime around Jamie's birthday
21. go camping with my hubby -- This one is not happening until the weather gets warmer...you can call me a wimp if you want ;)
22. start a photo journal -- I've picked out a bunch of photos just haven't printed them or put them in a journal yet
23. eat healthier -- I'm so so on this one. I ate really crappy when we were on the road and have been doing somewhat better since we got home. I'm going to try to make some better choices during this next round of traveling and then when we get back, let the healthy cooking begin!
24. be more intentional about making sure people in my life know that I love them -- I hope I'm doing okay on this one.  Guess I might have to take a poll to find out.  
25. complain less, encourage more -- I'm a work in progress on this one, so give me a little grace :)
26. run a half-marathon -- Not even close yet.  Hoping to do this in the summer sometime.
27. get my house more organized and less cluttered -- Overall, I think this one is going okay.  Jamie has been a HUGE help around the house now that he isn't working but we still need to tackle our "storage area"/mess in the basement. 
28. live generously, in the knowledge that everything I have is God's anyway -- Working on this one and on being more consistent in tithing/giving.  
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 -- Haven't even thought about starting yet...good thing I have 9 more months :)

Sorry this post has been a little wordy.  Guess that's what happens when I take a month long blogging hiatus.  So since you've endured all the words, here's a little something for you to watch....a slideshow I made of 2010.  I wasn't planning on making one this year but then I watched the ones from 2008 and 2009, which made me laugh, cry and decide it was worth it to capture the memories.

Merry Christmas

So maybe I'm a little behind at blogging about Christmas but the last month or so has been a blur of traveling so cut me a little slack.  Christmas was no exception in the traveling blur but it was truly a great holiday for us.  Jamie and I were blessed to be able to spend time with both of our families -- we celebrated with his family on Christmas Eve and my family on Christmas Day.  Here are a few pictures from the festivities:

Jamie and I exchange ornaments every year and these are ours from this year

Jamie opening his WVU throw from his mom

The kids opening gifts at Jamie's mom's house -- the one facing the camera is our super cute nephew, Dylan

Jamie helping my (also super cute) grandpa open his gifts

Jamie modeling his new coat from my parents (technically an early birthday gift)

Jamie modeling the scarf Tiff made him

Me opening my Wonder Woman shirt from my parents...in case you didn't know, Wonder Woman has been one of my favorites since I was a kid...I used to wear my mom's bracelets around and pretend to be her.

Jamie opening his Keurig...he was so excited!

Jamie with the new coat hanger/picture frame that my parents got us...can't wait to hang it!

Even though the gifts aren't the point of Christmas, I am thankful for all the wonderful things we received and the generosity of both of our families.  I also love the tradition that we have with my sisters and brother-in-law  to get each other gifts that don't cost anything.  It's always fun to see what creative things they come up with and I got lots of fun handmade gifts out of the process.  And even though Jamie and I aren't supposed to get each other gifts (other than ornaments), Jamie got me a new phone for Christmas.  I am now the proud owner of an HTC Evo and I love it!

I hope your Christmas was as good as ours and that in the midst of all the chaos you were able to reflect on and celebrate our Savior, the real reason for the holiday.