Hurricanes, Ferries, Friends, BBQin' and shopping. Our weekend in a nutshell!

We had so much fun last weekend! With me having to work every other weekend we really try to take advantage of our weekends off and last weekend was no exception. Saturday afternoon after deciding that hurricane Earl really wasn't a threat (the weather was perfect! and besides the 2.3 seconds when i thought the ferry might actually capsize, it was a lovely ride) we met our friends Mike and Melissa and their two tinies at the dock in Danbury where we proceeded to get on a ferry and take a ride/tour of the Thimble Islands. So cool! These Islands are very small most of them and are mainly granite rock, they are all privately owned and let me tell you these people have got the right idea! The houses were amazing and the location.. perfect! I don't think I would mind a house surrounded on all sides by water with no electronics (some of the houses got electricity for the first time last year) for a week.. or two.. heck I might never get off the island ;) Heres some pics cause I can't do it justice.




this house was incredible!


my new BF Hallie. Isn't she the cutest??? she sure makes it easier to be away from all our missed tinies back home!

s
must be tough! I wonder if my tennis skills would be any better if I played on a private island? haha

they told us this house has withstood winds of up to 120 mph. Umm... no thanks. I'll take the big house!

this looks like the party house/island to me


After sitting by the water for a bit we hit the road and headed a few more exits north to the outlet mall. Neither of us were really in the shopping mood but it was fun and mostly outside so we enjoyed the nice day and even better company of each other. Jeff did score a really good looking pair or courduroy pants from the gap for $10 holla!

We were planning to head to Sleeping Giant park for a little BBQ with ourselves but due to bad preparation, not having a grill, late timing, etc etc. We ended up at Wal mart with a $6 one time use (we think) or so it became charcoal grill. We took it home and set it all up, I was chopping vegetables and putting them on skewers when Jeff asked me to come out and watch him light it. I immediately turned around and walked right back in the door when the 3 foot flames got much too close for my comfort to our wooden stairs/banister! It was a real bust though cause the grill pretty much sucked so we settled for our george foreman to cook our skewers which were no longer skewers but just small random pieces of meat and veggies and then once again headed outside where the coals were just hot enough to cook us some smores! Yum!

sorry for the awful pics. I'm really only good for "point and shoot"

we were a little more than embarrassed at the sad sight we were. $6 grill=FAIL

I did the mallow roasting because it literally took so long Jeff's knees couldn't handle it

worth every minute!

Jeffrey David Seare PAC in training

(This post is for everyone who is interested in a readers digest version of Jeff's clinical experience thus far.. it is all told from my perspective and opinion and is for journaling purposes. Jeff can if he chooses blog his own thoughts on the matter later.)
I realized that I post a lot about the fun things we are doing and the experiences we are having out here in the East but have I already forgotten the whole reason we are here? No. Of course not, I wanted to give a little update on Jeff and his schooling.
First of all let me just say that I am so proud of my husband and for the drive he has, he amazes me everyday and I love watching him be. I love watching him study and learn, I love when dinner conversation turns into a full blown lecture (most of the time ;)) I love seeing the joy he has when he has mastered something new or is given an opportunity to show what he can do. I love the hard work he puts in day in and out and although I know the long hours of work on top of the long hours of study are hard on him he always has time for play and to be with me.
Jeff started his clinical year at St. Raphael's hospital in the Emergency Department. Yes, this is the same ED we spent half the night in back in March when I took Jeff in with appyndecitous? He really got to know the staff and did a lot of suturing which was the highlight I'm sure. He saw some really sad and crazy things, informed too many girls my age and younger that they were pregnant and of course dealt with plenty of the not so emergent things that somehow people find they must go to the ED for.. .
His second rotation was general surgery up at the Central Hospital of CT in New Britain. It was kind of a jog so in order for him to be there @ 6 and ready to round he got up every morning at 0430 and was out the door by 0500. (We did a lot of napping during those six weeks ha) He really enjoyed the surgeries and from what I heard and was diagrammed for me during dinner, general surgery is generally pretty gnarly and disgusting. Two words. Necrotizing Fasciaitous? Look it up. He also got to do a lot of suturing during this rotation and I loved when he would practice his knot tying at home in the evenings. So cute.
Jeff is currently in his third rotation, primary care in a small clinic located on the coast guard base near New London, CT. This is his second week and besides the two-hour round trip commute he has to endure on the 95 everyday I think he is enjoying it. He works with a doctor and 2 or 3 PAs and the nurses or medical assistants are trained coast guard cadets. I have been especially curious about the base and the training and all that that goes on and quizzed him everyday what he saw today, what was going on on base, etc. etc. I think he knew what I was picturing and finally after answering a few of my questions he looked at me and said, "It's not like the Guardian! There is no ashton kutcher jumping out of helicopters or anything like that. It's a university." I laughed right out loud. And that was pretty much the end of all my curious questions. haha
So far Jeff is really enjoying his clinical experience this year. With each new rotation comes a new schedule and every first day feels like the first day of a new job, new co-workers, new surroundings, new computer system to learn! but Jeff is doing it all with ease and I am so impressed with how naturally he makes each transition not only for himself but for me as well. Every six weeks brings new challenges and studies for Jeff but he is staying on top of all of it and manages his time very well between study, work, church callings and play and I might as well be graduating too next August for how much I am learning just from him. We are loving visiting his different rotation sites as well as other attractions here in CT. We also love to venture even further when time permits to NY and Boston for the weekend to play and site see. Our life right now is one big adventure and we are loving every minute of it. I can't say that it has been easy for either of us to be away from our families but we are very thankful and aware of all our blessings as we have become our own little family. We have so much to give and learn from one another as well as from life experience and I wouldn't have anyone else by my side to experience it all with. I am so proud of my hubby and can't wait for each adventure/opportunity that comes our way in the future!

here's my own McSteamy Dreamy.


Doesn't he look sexy in glasses??

"I be up in the gym just a workin' on my fitness"

Holla for really cheap annual gym passes! :)

Who's your daddy???

This past week Jeff and I have been over to our friends from our ward Mike and Melissa's to help them move and clean. Monday night after we had loaded up the uhaul truck the men drove it to their new house to unload and Melissa and I stayed at their apartment with their two tinies to play and pack up all their food. Melissa and I were packing and talking when their little Hallie came running into the room and asked me, "Where's your daddy?" "My daddy? Oh he's in Utah." to which she replied, "No he's not! He's at our new house!" haha Melissa and I had a good laugh at that. I don't think Jeff minded too much when we told him about it later. Big daddy. Haha!

Not quite how I imagined it

The inevitable happened. I was asked to speak in church. Haha I have been waiting for the phone call since we moved here and I started attending our new ward (the ward jeff has been going to since Aug of last year) but I didn't think I would be doing it alone. Yep. Alone. Somehow Jeff did not get asked. Uh what? So I braved the stand on my own last sunday and gave a mediocre talk on the sacrament while my husband relaxed in the audience. I really don't mind speaking in church but next time I would like to sit next to my hot man instead of the young man who seemed more than uncomfortable when I sat down in the chair next to him. ha


After Sacrament meeting Jeff came into nursery with me and subbed so I wouldn't be alone and outnumbered! He was so cute! He read them stories and taught them how to play "I spy", sang with us during singing time and helped me by taking them out and walking with them when we were on the verge of having a runaway! We had gotten all the toys cleaned up and set them in their chairs around the table for a snack and then Jeff said to one of the little boys in my class, "I think cassie forgot to get me my snack!" So I poured him a dixie cup of water and laid out his napkin with animal crackers and french fries (veggie straws) and he ate his snack like a good little boy. He's so sweet! I am so thankful for his optimistic and fun approach to all things in life. Although we won't be having our own babies for a few years I know he is going to make such an amazing father! Thanks for your help babe! xo

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and spice and everything nice...

that's what little girls are made of. Miss Chloe. Born August 27

Congratulations to our sister Jill and Brother Ryan on their new little bundle! We can't wait to meet her!

Boston or Bust!

After working the last 4 weekends in a row and on the opposite schedule of Jeff I had about had it so friday night as we were leaving BNB I called the hospital and politely told them I was not coming in in the morning. We got up early saturday morning and headed to Boston! We stopped at the temple first and did some temple work, the boston temple is so beautiful and it was so nice to be able to go back together. It is a little strange not being able to have a handful of temples within an hours time of each other and I am beginning to really appreciate the members who do not live in Utah or the US for that matter and have to plan a day, week or whatever to be able to go to the temple rather than just taking a few hours out of their morning, afternoon or evening. I am so thankful to be worthy of going inside the temple and more importantly to have a loving and devoted priesthood holder to take me there. Not being able to go to the temple anytime I want has really made me appreciate more the importance and blessings of the temple. We are very lucky to be able to have the Boston temple just 2 hours north and the Manhattan temple about 1 1/2 hours south and I am looking forward to attending both of them as regularly as is possible for Jeff and I.



After leaving the temple we headed for the city. Boston is such a unique, charming little (BIG) place and I was instantly in-love. I was taken by the seaport atmosphere mixed with all of the history and awesome old buildings and cemetaries. Jeff and I had such a fun time walking the "Freedom Trail" hand in hand and stopping to read, discuss and take pictures of all the historical sites. Of course the first 5 minutes from the car my flip flop decided to split down the middle and Jeff was too embarrassed to walk with me any further walking like I had on flippers so we headed across the street and I got these $10 beauties thanks to CVS pharmacy.



After that we may have caught a shopping bug and when we spotted an H&M we might have got off course and shopped a bit. Boston was surprisingly chilly despite the reported 80 degree weather they were supposed to be having so we may or may not have bought matching zip up hoodies. Cause were cute like that. And because we were in Boston on the warf we had to have some seafood. We decided a lobster roll and lobster bisque soup would do the job and it was so good! The soup anyway, I don't think I have made my mind up about the lobster roll yet, Jeffrey quite liked it but we both agreed the bisque was to die for. We had the perfect day and may have already started planning for another weekend trip soon, next time we'll stay a night or two there is so much we want to do still.






street dancers we stopped to watch










Jeffrey eating his first lobster roll