Bon Fire

Last weekend Roy and I were able to get up with some of our nearest and dearest in Louisville!! We had a blast at Jakes family farm over tortilla soup and smores! Here are a few pics from the event . . thank you Megan and Jake for having us!! 

Congrats Porter and Eamon!

We were so excited to share in our friend, Porter's, wedding on Saturday!! It was a beautiful day and an even more beautiful bride!! Congrats, you two!!! They are headed back to their home in Chilly Chicago after their honeymoon in Bora Bora!

The Boys Have Names

Amey (Roy's very pregnant sister), has finally chosen names for the two little boys growing very quickly in her tummy! Amey has had quite a time trying to figure out names for these little fellas but consider it done!! See photo :-)

Where were you???

Last night after the polls all came in everyone was already saying, "You will always remember where you were when America elected its first African American President?". Well my story is not that impressive - I was laying in bed falling asleep from a long day of dealng with crazy patients, after finding the sweet relief of passing my COMLEX Step I board exam!

I'm sad to admit that yesterday was the first time I voted for a US President (I know! The shame!). But Roy and I documented the big day (see photo) and sang Proud to be an American as we walked out of the polls. None of my candidates won, but at least my voice was heard :-).

I am not a democrat and I did obviously not vote for Obama, but I do pray for our country and our future. More than I believe in the Democratic or Republican party, I believe in the way that the majority (and power) waxes and wanes over time. The worst thing that could happen now would be for some radical redneck to do something to our future first family - if we attack our own leaders then we will be no better off than Pakistan. Obama does do an amazing job at motivating people and if he can motivate my lazy patients to get their booties off Medicaid then I approve (as long as medicine isn't socialized and I don't have to spend my life paying off loans). We'll see, January 20th is going to be the start of a wild ride.

PS This picture of me is holding my sample ballot!! Ha! I was studying it :-).

Top Ten List

For those of you who will find this gag-worthy you get a free pass to skip this post :-).

Roy and I have had a great weekend!! We finally were not running around the entire weekend and so exhausted on Sunday that we couldn't really spend any QT together! (Our free weekend before the holidays kick in). Anyway, last night after our trip to the gym Roy took me to a neighborhood near the airport that has beautiful, extremely impressive homes. On the way back I looked at Roy and told him about a top ten list I'd been thinking about for a few days. Its (gags begin) the top ten things I love about Roy. :-)

1. I love that Roy follows Newtons first law. "An object in motion stays in motion unless an equal and opposite force acts upon it." Roy is constantly moving, he never stops finding something else to do, UNTIL he hits a hard surface. It could be the middle of the day, middle of the night, or an hour after breakfast . . . if Roy lays his head on a pillow for more than five minutes- he is done!
2. That we both use the word "waller" and know exactly what it means.
3. I love that Roy acts like a little boy - he throws fits and stomps and kicks, and when he sleeps, everything else in bed is a rag toy :-).
4. I love that Roy always worries about me - it used to make me really mad; I honestly thought Roy thought I was stupid! He was always telling me the right way to do things so I didn't get hurt, run out of gas, trip on the steps, etc.
5. I love how much Roy loves Oliver - you would have no idea he's a first time dog owner!! He absolutley loves him!
6. I love how much Roy obsesses over our house - he's always finding something he doesn't like and fixes it (even when it does bother me).
7. I love how much Roy loves his family (and mine). He never stops considering them (occasionally to the point of driving me nuts) :-).
8. I love that Roy thinks I am an amazing cook (glad I have him fooled)!
9. I love that Roy always tries to give me everything I want (hey what girl doesn't like that?). But seriously, even though we are living on a tight budget - Roy tries to find a way to get me something I like (and I politely decline). It at least gives me the opportunity to say no :-).
10. I love how happy Roy is - he is constantly telling a joke, playing a trick (sometimes not so funny), and trying to live life to the fullest!! He adds so much to my life!! If it weren't for him I'd study all the time!

Thanks for everything you bring to my life Roy.

Gagging may cease . . .

Our First "Married" Halloween!!!

So I will tell you the story first . . . Roy was in Minneapolis all week. I had decided early on to make our costumes (because making them is half the fun, right?). Well, after one very frustrating evening of sewing Fred Flintstone I never got around to doing mine (Wilma, obviously). So when I got off work Friday I had to throw a stitch in Roy's costume once he tried it on, spray paint one of my dresses white, make my necklace and bracelet, and dye my hair red!! AHHH!! So I get my dress done and on and have Roy spray my hair - BAD IDEA!! My white dress went immediately to red!!! I went from calmly stressed to a major freak out! In the end I had to go as Evil Wilma (in black) but it all worked out!!

Brooke and Jason had amazing costumes (Ms. America and first Runner up), Rebecca and Adam were Frankenstein and Bride (fantastic), and John was Teen Wolf (hysterical). We had such a great time in Adam in Rebeccas new home and had wonderful company!! Lots of Roy's fraternity brothers, some of my "old school" KD's (aka the year above me :-), and some new friends!!! Thanks for an awesome party Speaks'!!

A girl and her dog

This week Roy was out of town, so I was Oliver's sole provider (keep in mind that he is most certainly "Roy's dog"). He and I braved the cold early in the morning and late at night, ate at the weird hours I was coming and going, and attempted to balance work and sleep. Well about Wednesday I thought Oliver needed a bath - he apparently thought otherwise. He usually loves water - but I guess without "dad" there to help he kept jumping out of the tub!! (UGH!!)

Then I suppose I had a moment where I wanted Oliver to be a fluffy "girl" dog - I cut his nails (and seriously thought about painting them), cleaned his ears and tail, brushed him (a lot), and tried to teach him to cuddle!! On a positive note, aside from my torture I think Oliver finally mastered the "sit" and for the first time was a defensive barker. He NEVER barks (at anything except his cage and our grill tools, anyway) but when he heard our neighbor moving around outside he was defensive of his mom!! Perhaps my pamper session made him love me more :-) For the first time, on our own, Oliver was just my dog!!

Speaking of the babies . .

I just happened to check my email and SIL (sister in law) Amey has nearly finished the nursery!! This is just a glimpse but the walls of the nursery are done in a mural starting with this tree house in one corner, progressing to the sky full of hot air balloons and planes, then to outer space with planets and spaceships!! It's absolutely darling!!

"A lot of love in this house"

Each day Roy and I are so thankful for the way things have worked out for us over the past year. It was such good fortune that I got accepted to a medical school that allowed satellite programs in 3rd/4th year, that the real estate market was down so we could make a good investment, that my dean (on his way out the door) called in a favor so I could live in Lexington, and that Roy loves his job!! If any one of these things had gone another way our lives could be dramatically different (for those of you who remember we are supposed to be in Ann Arbor this year).

Each day we catch ourselves blurting out some little phrase expressing our happiness with these endeavors. Roy, nearly every day, says "i love this little thing called life". Usually on his way out the door, lunch in hand, with Oliver trotting after him (for those of you who appreciate visual images). Its one of my favorite things about being married to Roy. . . he constantly expresses happiness. (Yesterday Ed and I heard him say at least 100 times "this is such a beautiful day").

On Sunday we were goofing off in our guest bedroom, dancing, wrestling, and laughing when Roy popped out a new one, "there is so much love in this house". This little expression is my favorite thus far!!! Roy and I may disagree on the temperature of the house, how much food Oliver should get a day, and the precise location of the dirty laundry hamper; but through it all there are way more laughs than arguments and much more love than frustration :-).

Yay for Twins!!!

This is my sister in law, Amey Severson, (affectionately known as Dr. Amey by her pediatric patients) who is 27 weeks along with twin boys!!! I was unable to attend her shower last week (she lives in Minneapolis, MN) but here is a picture her sister-in-law sent us!! The boys are due in January but may come as early as Christmas (twins usually come earlier because they get so cramped :-). We are so excited for the first Lowdenback grandchildren!!

Pumpkin Picking

I LOVE FALL!! Roy and I woke up on Sunday and realized we had yet to make it to the pumpkin patch!!! So around 2, we headed out to pick the Great Pumpkin. We picked 5 pumpkins and had a carving contest with Roy's parents and Aunt Mari. The top picture is my pumpkin (the winner) and Ed's pumpkin (old school carving). We had such a great time!! Mari's pumpkin was actually the best (it was a free carving of Oliver's face) but the detail didn't shine through so I won by default :-). Happy Fall!!!

Welcome to the world Collin Wilson Moore

Look at this handsome thing!!! My childhood BF Sarah Elizabeth Roberts Moore has given birth to her second happy, healthy boy!! Collin was born on October 3rd, 2008 (I was chatting with Sarah while she was going into labor while getting my nails done for Megan's wedding :-). We're letting Momma Sarah get settled but I cannot wait to hear all about this handsome thing! Big bro Christian is no doubt going to be missing all of momma's attention! Sarah is a miracle - she now as two children under 2! Whew!

It's all about the HDL

Working in FP I pretty much see hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and geriatrics. In each of our patients we do a cardiac risk assessment (based on the Framingham studies www.framingham.org), and talk a lot about "good" cholesterol vs. "bad" cholesterol. Surprisingly, many of our patients have okay bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, but instead have not enough of the good (HDL) cholesterol. LDL is slightly more easily treated because of statin drugs and diet control. HDL, however, does not have a magic pill. Yes there are medicinal treatments, niacin being the most studied, but they are not as easily tolerated. On my search for ways to raise HDL levels for my sensitive patients who were not interested niacin (which causes an allergic type reaction with flushing and itching when taken) - I found an old article in Men's Health. Although I don't know the science behind their suggestions I figured most of them were reasonable and decided to include the list here:

• Weight loss - for every one pound lost you can raise your HDL by 1%
• Exercise - especially before a meal. Exercising before a meal will hike your HDL levels better than after. MH recommeds at least 4 thirty minute sessions weekly.
• Eat the "right" fats - Monosaturated fats are key (olive oil, nuts, cold water fish). Avoid meats, dairy, margarine, crackers, and snack foods with trans-fatty acids. There is a new prescription called Lovasa that is concentrated fish oil. If you are going to go to the trouble of taking fish oil you should get this Rx because you have to take between 30-40 OTC fish oil supplements to equal the amount of active ingredient in one Lovasa tab. Seriously? Yep, concentrate your cash.
• Cut down on simple carbs and focus on your complex carbs. Complex carbs are slower burning (increase saiety and prevent blood sugar spikes).
• OJ and tangerines. Drinking 3-4 glasses of OJ a day for four weeks raised one groups HDL by 21% (flavonoid hesperidin gets the credit for this). The catch to this is that fruit juices have insane amounts of added sugar. My advice: go for the plain fruit and eat it like dessert (to prevent blood sugar spikes. For more on which foods cause blood sugar spikes read up on the glycemic index).
• Dietary Fiber - whole grains (not wheat bread- this is an important difference), bran, fruits, veggies all raise HDL.
• Red wine and dark beer - Any alcohol should work but these two also have the most antioxidants (cancer fighting).
• Large doses of Vitamin B or Niacin (hence prescription strength medications enhancing the same).
• Stop smoking (no explanation necessary). If you are worried about the weight gain then stop smoking first (take Chantix, Wellbutrin or both if needed); then if you cannot lose the weight on your own you can get prescription diet pills. I am not a huge fan of these because I'd rather have patients that are gym rats than pill dependent. But I think there is a specific place for them in medicine.

I forgot to mention my specific interest in this topic . . . my father-in-law showed me his lab work on Sunday and he has an HDL of 29 (yikes!). This guy better be around when we have grandchildren so I have been on his back :-). Normal HDL levels should be above 40 and if they are above 60 your doc will be thrilled! There is a direct link to high HDL and increased longevity. In fact, one doctor has called an HDL of over 100 "Methuselah syndrome" (Methuselah is the oldest person mentioned in the Bible; he lived to be 969 Genesis 5:7).

So friends, please keep your LDL below 100 and your HDL above 50. I like you all, I want you to live for a very long time :-)

SIX YEARS!!!

The other day I was working at the Family Practice Clinic listening a patient drone on and on about their allergies. (I do sympathize - its just the season). As I was writing out my preceptors favorite allergy cocktail on the prescription pad (5 days of Allegra D, followed by 21 days of Allegra, and an abx to hold if interested), I wrote 10/22/08 at the top of the pad and had a moment. Six years ago between the Lamb and Kappa Delta houses Roy asked me to "be his girlfriend".

Looking back over the past years we have had SO many funny times (some we laughed at then, others we can only laugh at now). Thank you to all of our family and friends for being a part of our journey - its been a wild ride! I've never been more honored to be Roy's wife than now. :-)

Our Little Man . . .

For those of you who have yet to met our little man - please meet Oliver! (Sir Oliver XVIII according to the AKC). I have always grown up with pets (Great Danes, Cocker Spaniels, American Saddlebreds, cats, hamsters, etc. etc. etc.). Roy, on the other hand, grew up with turtles; he'd never had an animal that was 100% dependent on him!! So we entered into puppyhood with significant hesitation. We tried be well researched (hours were spent on the AKC website, wandering around PetSmart interviewing people with their pups, and chatting it up with anyone in our active neighborhood with an animal over 5 pounds). Then it came to me - a quiz! There had to be a quiz on the internet that could tell you what kind of dog to purchase!! So we found a survey and decided to rig the answers to give us the lowest maintenance pup . . . thus came our English Bulldog!

With MORE research we found a reputable breeder in Southern Kentucky and decided to spend one pretty Saturday driving down to check out her facility. We walked in and found a 4 day old puppy that resembled a rat and fell in love. Now nearly 5 months later we couldn't imagine one day without our little guy!! Please check out pottersbulldogs.net if you are interested in a little love of your own!! We highly recommend them!!

Here we go . . .

So, Roy and I decided that we would start a blog in order to share our life in hopes we can share more in our friends lives in return! Easier said than done my friends - over the past 24 hours I have googled "blog", "personal websites", and a variety of other search terms that yielded some interesting results (note: don't ever type "personal" on a search bar). A plethora of results returned and I, wanting to make "a good blogging decision" have spent time exploring all of them!! Now, after many hours of search - have decided that this blog is the easiest to use (and FREE!). So, without much more ado, lets get started!!