A trip to Utah

Literally, within hours of me finishing my Step 2 board exam, Sydney and I (and Fiz) headed across the country in our Honda Civic.  

This was our setup.  Fiz was so upset to be in the back seat and insisted on being as close to the passenger as possible.  

 Last meal at "The Black Sheep" before Syd fares Richmond farewell.

Yum!

You're home now, so we can play...right?

Leaving Richmond into a fireball.

 We made record time (30.5 hours) and got our vacation started right by heading up to Bear Lake.  It was so nice to be back in Utah during the summer for the first time in 3 years.  We loved it!  

This picture is probably my favorite.

 Back-to-back, only person who stayed on!

Obviously there was a lot of riding the "banana sled" (referred to as the Water Weenie in my family).  I could play on that thing all day for weeks.  So much fun!  

There was also golfing and eating and raspberry shaking.  It was pretty much one of the most fun vacations Sydney and I have been on in awhile.  We also went hiking at the Ice Caves which was awesome!  There was also golfing, which is always great.  I can't say enough about how stinking fun this was.  

Random Fiz picture to end this post.

The Wild Ponies of Chincoteague/Assateague

While I was studying for my board exam a month ago, we made a last minute decision that Sydney was going to move to Utah and start looking for a job before I come out there for away rotations in October.  We had planned a vacation to Utah already, but Sydney was just going to stay in Utah instead of flying back to VA with me.  So, naturally, we had to do all the fun things that Syd had been wanting to do in VA in a very short amount of time.  One such thing was to visit Chincoteague/Assateague Islands to see the wild ponies.  (Cue nostalgic music)  I couldn't care less about wild ponies, but Sydney read this book as a child and always dreamed of visiting.  

So, we went and it was a blast!  We didn't really see the ponies, (only from very far away) but it was a great break from studying and I got to spend time with my wife!

 We went on an awesome kayaking tour.  

 The ponies are there.  Trust me.

We got out at a beach and went swimming, only to be stung by jellyfish.  Those little suckers freaking hurt!  Syd got stung a few times just before I got stung on the leg.  OUCH!!!!  

Overall, an awesome time and a childhood dream fulfilled!  We actually saw a pony while we were driving around the island that we later learned was a living relative of Misty. 

Segs in the City

So, finally a blog post.  We've been terrible...well, mostly just me, since Sydney has always been a such a dedicated blogger.

A few weeks ago Sydney and I went on a Segway tour of Richmond, specifically Church Hill.  It was a lot of fun.  We were originally going to do the tour because Sydney's parents were visiting, but sadly Sydney's grandpa passed away and their trip was cut short.  So, before we made out trip out to Utah, we went and did a Segway tour.  It was a lot of fun.  As "special" as people look when they're riding Segways, they are an absolute blast.

Learning the hill.

I've got skills!

Just a few seconds after we hopped on, we were already professional.

The view of downtown from Church Hill.  Most, if not all of the buildings on the right are VCU..  

What a hottie!

Driving as fast as we can around Chimborazo Park.  

It was a great way to see Richmond from another perspective and learn some history too.  Too bad the Hamiltons couldn't join us.  I'm sure they would have loved it.

It is finished...

From this, a 1969 Honda CB350:

To this, a 1969 Honda CB350 with improvements:

I had hoped to make a better video, but it was sooooooooooo hot today, and I forgot to film something when we were taking the pictures.  So, another day.  

It's been a long time coming, but finally the bike is done.  Took just a little over a year, which I think is pretty good, considering that year was the 3rd year of medical school for me.  Proof that you can always find time for the things you want.  (Yes, I spent time with Sydney as well, although I'm sure she's glad the building is over.)  

It's way faster than I expected.  The riding stance is very comfortable.  And I'm more than pleased with the seat that I made and covered.  It's more comfortable than I thought it would be.  

I plan to get bar-end mirrors for it, but couldn't wait and just threw a mirror on that I had.  

So, yeah.  There she is.    

Sydney's Birthday!!

This post is late.  It was Sydney's birthday a few weeks ago.  We had some fun.  She opened some presents.  I took pictures so those who sent the presents to her could enjoy her reaction as she opened them.  Enjoy!

 Our camer lens was dirty.  Didn't notice that till now.  Oops.

A blender!!!!!

As for medical school and more recent updates, I've now finished my psychiatry rotation and begun the last rotation of 3rd year for me.  Internal Medicine.  It's 3 months long.  I'm starting my first month on inpatient wards at the Veterans Hospital.  It's been pretty fun so far.  Long hours and 6 days a week.  :(  

Sydney also redecorated our room back in January.  She's such a interior design fashionista!

Before

After

I've made some serious progress on the bike that I'm building.  For those of you who aren't familiar.  It's a 1969 Honda CB350 that I started working on last summer.  It's been slow, but I'm finally making progress.  

I'll get some better pictures taken.  Psych was a great rotation to get a lot of work done.  :)