Jacaranda Trees

I never paid much attention to trees until I went to Utah on my mission and there was a severe lack of trees compared to North Carolina. I was not used to the open spaces. I used to tell people that in North Carolina you could see until the trees started. Anyway, now I always pay attention to the trees around me. I am in California so I mostly see Palm trees which have to be one of the ugliest trees on earth! They look like toilet bowl brushes!! Also in California are the trees like the picture above. This is the Jacaranda tree and it is now one of my favorite trees.

The few streets I take to work and around town are all dirty and have trash on them. There is graffiti but not much natural color. During my drive I see these Jacaranda trees and they totally brighten my day! Remember the black and white movie Pleasantville? Things started turning colors so they really stood out. That is how these trees are for me. It's flowers are bluish purple and look like little bells. I love that when I come out of work the entryway has these bells scattered all over it. I love that they are all over the ground around the trees. They stand out as if everything else was black and white. They make me happy and make me think of silly fairy tale things and happily ever afters.

Music

I am not too much of a music person. Erica sends me CDs which she titles, "Keeping you in the know." They are all great and some of them I end up only hearing on the radio years after Erica has already introduced it to me. I pretty much consider her an authority on good music. I make sure I program any country station I can find so I won't forget my roots. I sent Erica the country version of "Keeping you in the know." Anyways, I am not in anyway an expert. There are people in this world who are and they find the perfect songs to put behind an emotional scene. They can make a love scene more romantic and an action scene more...action-y. lol Of course they can make a sad scene rip your insides out. This song is currently breaking my heart.

In the Deep by Bird York
Thought you had
all the answers
to rest your heart upon.
But something happens,
don't see it coming, now
you can't stop yourself.
Now you're out there swimming...
In the deep.
In the deep.

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles
till you... Let go.
Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,
and you throw yourself off.
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

And now you're out there spinning...
And now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

In the silence,
all your secrets, will
raise their worried heads.
Well, you can pin yourself back together,
to who you thought you were.
Now you're out there livin'...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

In the deep...

Now you're out there spinning...
Now you're out there swimming...
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep...

One down!

I love how 90% of our pictures look exactly the same! LOL Our first anniversary came at a really hectic time. Sam was graduating and Nano was going into the MTC. It was fun though and we got to spend about a week and a half with our family. Erica, my Mom, and Ray came to California for Sam's graduation which was fun. My Mom got Sam some Lakers gear and me some more maturnity clothes. At least Erica was with her this time so they weren't all horrendous. :) We had fun with Erica here and then we took a road tip to Utah.

Taking Nano to the MTC was weird. I remembered how I felt with my dear friends standing in as my family. While I was there I was so determined to be the perfect missionary. Looking back on my mission that is why I told Nano, "The tag doesn't make you perfect." In the end it was one of the hardest and best things I have ever done. Other than the MTC we got to hang out with Erica more and visit with our new neice, Samantha. She was so sweet and it made me ready for these months to start flying. I know they won't though. It was fun being around a nephew and nieces, it made me really excited.

When we came home we had plans for a big date to celebrate our anniversary, the first one is pretty important! Unfortunately Sam got very sick and we decided to just hang out at our house and watch movies which was so much fun. Sunday we went to over to visit with Sam's family and eat our year old cake. I thought it tasted really good for being a year old. This first year went by really fast and life doesn't seem to have any signs of slowing. I guess I would have to sum it up as hard but wonderful! It is hard adjusting to living with someone new, learning to pay bills (first time for me), compromising and not always getting my way. It was so hard but it was wonderful doing all those things with Sam. He is perfect for me and I can't imagine my life without him. I look back on other guys I dated or ones I prayed I would end up with. Wow! Thank the good Lord for ignoring me!

Most of the time we are together it is like two little kids who are the best of friends. We play, laugh, tease, tickle, and cuddle. I will end with my favorite Sam quote. We went to the park in Orem one time and he said, "Let's go sit on that bench over there and be mushy." LOL I love him!

Silly Super Sam is a doctor?!?!

This weekend was Sam's big day! The day he's been waiting for as long as he can remember. He has been in school for 25 years and he is finally finished. Friday he graduated as a doctor of veterinarian medicine. It was a very emotional day for me. He has sacrificed so much to get himself to this point and I am so very proud of him. The ceremony was so beautiful! They told the history of the school and what it stands for. "The discipline of learning. The art of caring." The speakers were all very moving and I was amazed that I didn't burst into tears. They talked about the humane treatment of animals and the affect animal life has on the world. Sometimes I would think to myself that Sam was too humane! :) The way he lets our bird fly around the house so she can get exercise or the time he told me he prayed for the health of his fish. I used to think it was silly but when I see Sam study or interact with animals I know I have never met anyone with such compassion.

We talk a lot about the differences between animal and human medicine. He once joked that he would love to have a patient that could tell him where it hurts. I can't imagine having to know how to fix even one species of animal let alone the number that he has learned about. The alumni speaker talked about a few of the things that happened her first day including two patients that were hit by cars and a three pound Chihuahua needing a c-section. The school is set up so that the students spend their last two years working in different labs, clinics, and hospitals working side by side with doctors. Sam had a few experiences where he knew something that some of the young doctors he worked with didn't. They are prepared but I am sure it is still very scary.

Anyway, the time arrived and I heard them say his name, "Doctor Samuel Rivera." I was trying to hold back tears, cheer, and take pictures. I watched him kneel so his parents could put his hood on. He was smiling so big and I just wanted to hug him! Here he is, a doctor! The boy who dances around my house when the Lakers win. The guy who makes up songs and watches The Simpsons everyday. Silly Super Sam is a doctor!