Dear Tessa

Dear Tessa,

Glad as I am that you had the chance to go to China and see lots of new places and meet lots of new people, I am even more glad that you are coming home. I have missed you! That is all.

Love,

Shannon

Turkey Trot

I finally got my pictures from the turkey trot this year. It was my 2nd year running it and I beat my time from last year by over 3 minutes. That may not seem like a lot but for me it is, especially for a morning run. Zach and Squareknot ran it with me. They did awesome. Squareknot even finished 4th in his age category

Before the race with Craig, Bart, me and Zach

Me finishing the race. Don't I look like I'm running so fast.

Look, I'm still smiling.

Me and Squareknot.

I can't wait to beat my time again next year.

Christmas Trees

This years Christmas tree hunt was as fun as the last few have been but maybe less cold. Zach came with us this year. It was very fun to have him. We started early in the morning, ate a great breakfast of biscuits and gravy at a little diner in Payson and then off to the woods...

After hours of searching we finally found our trees.

Zach had to haul it all the way down the road.

It's always fun figuring out how to tie 3 trees to the top of the car.

Meet Kevin. He isn't perfect and he's a little smaller than usual but I love him.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Birthday Preston!

Preston turned 30 on November 25th. To celebrate we had a huge turkey dinner with stuffing and mashed potatoes and the whole works.

We played Prestardy (Preston Jeopardy).

Preston with all of his presents.

Such a cute family.

The boys went for a bike ride. I really have no words to describe this one.

Happy birthday Preston. You're a ninja big brother!

Crack Friday

Thanksgiving this year was awesome! There was lots of food, fun and family. More to come on all of that later. The day after Thanksgiving we had a craft day. Seeing as how it was also black Friday, we named the day crack Friday. We black Fridayed it in the morning and then got straight into the crafties. I think it was a very successful and enjoyable day.

This is about what the dining room looked like all day long. Needless to day there was no family dinner at the table.

And here are our spoils:

Fencepost Snowmen. Zach says the middle one looks like a gangster.

Wood Pumpkins. These were sooo easy. I stole the idea from a blog but I can't remember which one.

And these little Santa paintbrush ornaments. We found this and many other ideas on a wonderful blog called Craft Goodies.

Hard Things

I just finished one of the top 5 hardest weeks of my life. Finals week is very difficult to describe. You know how in college, you study hard for finals and then when they are done you feel so releived and full of energy because you are done. My finals are not like that. By the time I was done, this morning at 8:30 AM, I was exhausted. There wasn't even enough energy left to be excited. All is well though. I passed and actually did pretty well. My family is also down and they helped cheer me up with a great day of shopping, hanging with Jude and Joe's BBQ. You can't get much better than that. Now for a week off filled with Christmas tree hunting, Thanksgiving, craft day and hopefully some period films and relaxation.

This is a picture of my pharmacology professors trying to get us to lighten up. I applaud the effort but by this time we were such zombies that I think it was lost on us all. It's much funnier now, 3 days later.

Smiles

Anytime I feel a little glum I look at this and smile. I thought I'd share my smile inspiration so you could smile too!

Supermen

Last weekend Zach and Squareknot did a triathlon at Lake Powell. It was awesome! They both did such a great job and didn't even finish last. Mom and I were there the whole time watching, running back and forth from the swimming station to the biking station to the running station. Then there was a lot of standing around which would have been wonderful...except that it was pouring rain almost the entire time we were out there. I think I shivered so much that I burned as many calories as the men did throughout the triathlon.

Mom and I had planned on casually watching as we sipped our hot chocolate by the fire but that was not going to happen. Who knew triathlon spectating was such hard work!

Zach and Squareknot before the race.

Squareknot as he finished the swim. He wasn't last! He was only 4th to last.

Zach sticking out his tongue at the end of the bike. You may think he's doing that because he's tired but really he's drinking the rain water that is coming down. He doesn't want to have to stop to hydrate!

Squareknot racing to the finish!

Really, it was an awesome trip and I'm so proud of these Supermen for doing so well in really awful conditions! They've inspired me to do another one!

The National

Concerts in our family are kind of a tradition, except not. I guess you could just say that we really like them. I'm sure my brother, Preston, lost count of how many he's been to long ago. I love them because there's just nothing like hearing an artist perform live. There really isn't. There is so much energy and excitement and it's makes you have to move and dance (even if you don't know how to, like me).

Anyway, last night Zach and I went with some good friends (John, Stephanie and Travis Nunley) to see The National. It was a great show! I learned long ago that if you try to hard to take pictures and video, you miss the songs. I did, however, manage to snap a few for Tessa's sake.

This is Zach, Travis and John. It was Travis's first concert!

A small portion of my favorite song that they played, Fake Empire.

Crafties

This was my craft project over the weekend. It was lots of fun and I think they turned out great. I love to use lots of bright colors and these blocks have lots of pretty bright colored paper. I hope Stephanie likes them!

Midterms and Mi Comida

I had midterms this week. Six of them. Let's just say that whoever came up with the idea that graduate programs, especially medical ones, should have one week where every class has a test, is an idiot. Why we can't spread this out a little more, I'll never know. Anyway, with that little thought I'll just tell you that is was a difficult week. But, I got through it and did pretty well.

My reward was a sweet little Ecuadorean/Peruvian restaurant in Phoenix. A few weeks ago, Zach came home telling me about this restaurant he had found. The article said they cooked authentic Ecuadorean and Peruvian food. What could be better? (For those of you who may not know, Zach served his mission in Peru and I served in Ecuador.) So Friday after Zach got off work we headed out.

This place was amazing! It was a little hole in the wall with Ecuadorean banners etc all over. The family is from Ecuador and grandma is the cook. She prepares the food when you order it and it is very authentic!

Inka Cola! (Zach's favorite South American drink.)

Yes. Those are giant patacones! (One of my very favorite Ecuadorean foods.)

Zach had lomo saltado, which is his favorite Peruvian dish.

I had seco de pollo, which is very, very common in Ecuador. It was just as good as if my Ecuadorean mamita had made it, only better because the chicken didn't have any bones! (And yes, that is fried maduro on the side.)

It was a wonderful reward. Dessert was Cold Stone ice cream and then we went and visited Mindi and Preston and Jude until about 2:00 am. It's been so long since I've been able to sit and chat and not feel bad that I wasn't studying. I loved it!

My Kitchen Table

Ladies and gentlemen, meet my kitchen table. I've been trying to find a way to convey what I've been up to lately and I think the chaos that is my table does a pretty good job. This is PA grad school in a nutshell. The majority of the table is covered in notes, books, diagrams, computer, highlighters, 3 hold puncher, backpack etc. That is symbolizing how the majority of my life is taken up by studying, learning, and other such activities. You'll notice, however, that there is a small corner taken up by Zach. He and the rest of my family pretty much take up the rest of my life. For the next 2 years at least.

Some interesting things about being in PA school:

I remember every disorder or disease by tagging them to someone I know who has it.

I found myself describing the crap you sometimes have in your eye when you wake up as mucopurulent discharge and I actually know what that means.

I have to look into noses and ears and I like it.

Last Tuesday my day consisted of a lecture on suicide and another one on cancer and I wasn't that depressed about it. This Tuesday it consisted of a lecture on death and dying and another one on cancer and I still wasn't that depressed.

To put it simply, life in the Brown house is a little bit different and a lot more stressful but despite all that, I love what I'm learning. There isn't much else I'd rather be doing...except maybe traveling the world but that will come later and by then I'll be able to save your life if you happen to go into shock while traveling with me!

Reminiscing

I have been reminiscing about my mission quite a bit lately. First, I've been craving Ecuadorian food. Second, my mission is having a reunion this coming conference weekend, up in Utah. Third, the sisters who served with me recently got together, also up in Utah. (It's around this time of year that I wish I lived there.) Fourth, my trainer, who is now a mother of 2 and has a great blog for you mothers, also just posted about missions. Perhaps you can see why it's been on my mind.

I wish I could explain or describe the greatness that is being a missionary. I'm not a mom/dad so I don't know how it compares to that but I have never experienced a better feeling. Even after being home almost 5 years that feeling hasn't gone away. I still think, talk or dream about my mission every day. I'm not some incredible member missionary or anything like that; that isn't what I'm saying. I guess I'm just trying to say that there is no other way to have that kind of experience. And it's the kind of experience that sticks with you and changes your life.

Anyway, enough reminiscing for me. Here are a few pics for you to enjoy and perhaps laugh at!

Me in my 2nd area, Duran. There were a lot of mosquitoes here...and dirt roads.

An afternoon of service. Isn't this the quintessential picture of missionaries doing service in South America, complete with cane huts, machetes and dirt!

Me with my first mamita, Hermama Victoria and my first baptism, Leyla. This was about 2 weeks before I went home. I was lucky enough to take Leyla through the temple.

Me with my last companion, Hna Ruiz in my last area, Manta. She had never ever been away from home before she left on her mission and I was lucky enough to be her first companion. This pic happens to be on Thanksgiving Day.

Triathlon

This last weekend Zach and I swam/biked/ran our first triathlon. It was a small even in the valley and we had a blast. We swam 600 meters, biked 15 miles and ran a 5 K. Below is evidence that we actually participated. Thanks to my mother for sticking with us the whole time so we could have some pictures!

This is us before the swim.

Zach swimming. He was easy to pick out because he was the really white one.

Zach in his first transition. Squareknot even let him use his bike. Ooooooo.

This is me swimming.

Me about half way through the bike. Check out all the cool gear: gloves, helmet, sunglasses, camelback, ipod. I was so cool. Zach finished before I even started so Squareknot was nice enough to bike and run with me.

Me finishing my run.

Me after the run. I'm still standing and I actually felt great!

Both of us at the end. Zach has been done for a good 3 hours but I had just finished.

Zach ended up getting 22 overall for the boys. I don't know what I got. I was just pretty proud that I finished and that I wasn't exhausted or dead afterwards. I'd love to do another one and set some sort of goal. I took this one pretty easy because I wanted to make sure I could actually do it without dying. Life goal accomplished!