Matt is my favorite!

This year Matt and I will celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary. I can't believe that time has gone by so quickly. I have enjoyed all of our time together. I always want to be near Matt, he makes me laugh and I am always just so comfortable to sit and hold him, or...have him hold me. We are honest with each other and are willing to make sacrifices for each other.
Now, I have noticed my flaws as a wife a lot lately. I don't think I give Matt all the respect that he deserves. I think that there are times when I am selfish and/or ungrateful. Matt will bend over backwards and do a handstand while still trying to tap dance on the ceiling to make me happy, and there are times where my stubborness just gets in the way. I support Matt always in my heart, but perhaps I do not vocalize this enough to him. Matt NEVER complains, he NEVER yells, and he ALWAYS puts me first! Quite frankly, I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful, caring, giving, silly, and selfless husband.
Lately, Matt and I have been thinking about the future of our family... I will let you read into that if you must, I have no announcement to make. So I have been evaluating myself as a wife. This is what has spawned this post. I want Matt to know that I love him madly! I think of him all the time I am not with him, and sometimes being with him in the same room doesn't satisfy my need to just have him hold me in his arms. He makes me happy every day, especially when he tries so hard to cheer me up. I love his sense of humor. I love that he prides himself as the man of the family and he does all that he can to support me. I love that he wants me to finish school, and he has not complained once about me not being able to work. I love that he loves me! I tell him that he is my "favorite," meaning my favorite everything! He is at the top of my list when it comes to anything I love dearly. I plan on telling him all of this in person, but why not share with the blogging world? I love ya baby!

Tanner lost his first tooth!

My nephew came in and had his teeth cleaned by me a few months ago. We noticed at that time that his tooth was loose, so we took an x-ray to see why. Turns out he already had a tooth coming in. So, at 4 years old he lost his first tooth (normal age is about 5-6 years). He was kind of scared at first at the idea. He doesn't like blood. So we had to take some time to prepare him for what was going to happen, but once he understood he was ok with the idea. In fact, the day the tooth came out he was very brave! So the Tooth Fairy rewarded him accordingly to the special circumstances and his bravery! I was just so excited that his first tooth was a good experience, especially at such a young age. So I took a few pictures of him. He is so cute!

Say cheese! Isn't he handsome!!!

Tanner figured out you can stick your tongue through the space, later that day he stuck a straw through there too.

Valerie's new sweet pimpin' ride!

Giving Valerie the keys

Valerie getting into her "new" car

Minus a little bend in the hood, it is a VERY nice car.
1992 Toyota Camry LE

Ok, so it is just a car, but I am pretty excited about it! My mom and sister moved to Utah a few months ago and my poor little sister didn't get to take the car that she was driving (a '65 Mustang), quite frankly it never would have made it, not to mention it belongs to my dad. So, since we just got our new van, we had an extra car, so we decided that Valerie could really use it. Between Matt and I and by a huge portion, my dad, we got the car fixed up and ready for her. She came down on her spring break and we were able to give her the car. Which means she had to take the 12 hour drive to Utah, luckily she was riding behind my dad. It is a great car, I will miss it, but I am sure Valerie will take good care of it.

Happy 75th Birthday Grandma Terri!

Matt's grandmother Terri Giardino (His mom's mom) turned 75 this month. Today we had a surprise birthday party for her. She has a huge family, right down to the many great-grandchildren. Needless to say there were a lot of people there, and boy was she surprised! She is Italian so we had some Italian food, music, and even mob boss style hats for everyone to wear!

Matt and his Grandma

Lauren is showing off her mobster-side

Matt recorded her entrance into the party

The Italian food was marvelous! They even had take-out cartons for everyone.

Cadaver Lab

For hygiene school I am taking Head & Neck anatomy. Unfortunately we are being taught everything in 1 semester, with not much of a budget. Therefore, we speed through the information and our only visuals are pictures. For anyone who has studied anatomy you know that this is really not adequate! So, my professor took us on a field trip to an actual cadaver lab at Orange Coast College. It was amazing. I realize not everyone is fascinated by cadavers, so I will spare the gory details. I, on the other hand, felt like a kid a candy store! In fact, it was a privelage that she allowed us to put on gloves and to touch the cadaver. What a learning experience! The human body is a remarkable thing and you can't appreciate it fully unless you see it for yourself!

In addition to the cadaver we also got to see specimens that were "plastinated" (the process which the Body Worlds exhibit was done). Basically they are actual specimens but they have been turned into plastic. It is a pretty amazing thing. They are preserved and it is another great way to learn.

Basically the trip was to learn more about the head and neck. So we also focused on skulls and models with blood vessels and nerves. It is pretty complicated, but we need to know it all for our work. Next semester we begin giving anesthetic so it is very important that we know the anatomy inside and out!

Future Registered Dental Hygienists!

Katie looking at "specimens"

Our instructor of the day, with a few different skulls and models.

French fries and soda

I have always heard that when you turn 25 your body changes. Suddenly you can't eat anything you want, and so on. Well, that was obviously bad news for me because I LOVE to eat! Now, I am not sure if there is any validity to that statement, but I thought to myself what is the harm in cutting back a little.

So, Matt and I are cutting down. I didn't want to go nuts at the beginning so that I run out of steam early on, so all I am doing is cutting out French Fries and Soda for an entire month. Also, to replace the beverage, I want to drink more water! Just to clarify I don't think that fried zuccini is any better than french fries for this little "diet." I am excited to see how we do. I will keep you posted!

i HATE shopping

Ok, so normally IF I actually convince myself that I need to go shopping for new clothes this is usually how it goes:
1. I get to the store/mall
2. Freak out because of the crowd
3. Get lost in the racks and racks of clothes...therefore I am constantly worried that I might have missed "the" thing I am looking for
4. By the time I try everything on and get to the cash register I have convinced myself that I either can't afford/shouldn't get/don't need the things that I picked up
5. Leave the store empty-handed and a little sad.

I never really go shopping for this reason. I don't even like window shopping or browsing. On the other hand, I can be FORCED to buy myself something, but usually I have about a 30 minute breakdown before I can relax enough.

Well, for my birthday Matt took me shopping. He knows of my hatred for shopping, but he also knows that I can usually be talked into something if he tries hard enough. So I will put up a few pictures of some of the things that we got. I must say that I am pretty pleased with myself, and at the same time...a little ashamed that I let my consumer-part of me get the best of my senses! :) I have only Matt to thank!

SPRING BREAK!!!!

This past week has been my spring break! I am so relieved to have some time off from school. I didn't get to go anywhere, in fact I ended up working a few days. But, either way, who can complain about not having to sit in a classroom for hours at a time taking notes until you can't hold your pen anymore! I think the best part of spring break is sleeping in! I also got a chance to go see my best friend's baby. She is beautiful! Anywhooo... nothing to report, I think spring break makes my brain stop!