An Arizona Thanksgiving

One week ago we were in warm Mesa, Arizona spending Thanksgiving with the Stokers. It is a little different from this past week in Columbus, where the highest temputure was 42 degrees. We didn't mind one bit being able to wear our summer clothes one last time in 2008. We had a great time while we were there, and were able to see a lot of family. My Grandpa Stoker came in from Texas to celebrate, and Grandpa and Grandma Stock that spend half the year in Arizona joined us for the festivities as well. Ashley made the trip down from Utah (Caitlin we missed you) and my brother Brandon, his wife Jess and their new son Jackson were as well. It was our first time meeting Jackson, which was fantastic. He is so cute (and drooly)! It was a full house and we had a ton of fun. Here are some of the highlights.

We went on bike rides and here are some of our tricks.

We also played miniture golf, along with disk golf, soccer, football and a rousing game of wiffle ball. My Dad blew away the competition in mini golf... we'll beat him next year!

Later on in the week we visited the Casa Grande ruins. It was built by the Hohokum Indians between 1200- 1400 AD. It is four stories high and historians know little about it's purpose. It was the first ancient stucture protected by the government in the United States.

They had a great drinking fountain at the visitor's center. Look at my amazing balancing. No hands!

We also had a great cook-out. What is more Thanksgiving-esque then roasting marshmallows? Jackson loved the fire. He will make a great boy scout.

And then of course the feast.

We wish Thanksgiving came more than once a year!

Columbus in the Fall

One of this things I like most about Ohio is the fall. There are so many trees that when they start turning color the entire city changes with them. This is the tree in front of our apartment. It is my favorite tree and I am lucky enough to see it everyday.

In honor of Fall and Lance coming to visit, we took a road trip to Amish country. A little know fact, the largest population of Amish live in Ohio. There is a large settlement just east of Columbus, about 2 hours away. So we decided to take a drive, and what a beautiful drive it was.

We got to see Ohio's longest covered bridge.

It was long... :)

We visited Heini's Cheese factory, with a factory tour and lots of free samples of cheese! We tried almost every one.

We also saw lots of horses and buggies, even at Wal-Mart! Justin wanted to take one for a test drive.

The countryside was amazing with all the colors and variation. We drove through a few small towns before we got to Amish country. We saw this sign in one of the towns. ( This one is for Alyson...haha)

It would be a beautiful place to live but I don't think I could ever keep up with the Amish.

Buckeye Fever

The insanity that is Ohio State football has descended upon Columbus, and we've joined in the madness. We went to the OSU vs Minnesota game on Saturday, as you can see above.

This was the first game of our season tickets and we are stoked to be part of the excitement. OSU won, and watching the marching band doing "Script Ohio" proved they really are TBDBITL (google it...). Go Bucks!

My name is Brianna, and I take pictures of food

It's funny how digital cameras have changed what I take pictures of. I used to take meaningful pictures of close friends, beautiful landscapes, or funny street signs. Now Justin and I take pictures of food. :) Since I have collected so many shots of random food items, I decided to share one. I made these raspberry tarts and they were so cute I had to snap a pic. Anyone else take pictures of their meals? Does this count as playing with my food?

Back to School

The official end of summer, as designated by the Red Cross calendar hanging in our kitchen, is September 22nd. However, every student knows that the REAL end of summer comes with the first day of school. Therefore, summer was officially over in the Wheeler household as of last Monday. It's back to school time at OSU College of Medicine. The second year of medical school is the one I have been the most nervous about. Courses are progressively more difficult, and at the end of the school year... boards (Cue intense music in the background).

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I'm not overly excited to hit the books again, maybe because I know how rough this year could potentially be. I feel more prepared than I was last year for the onslaught of new material that will be coming my way, but it doesn't make the idea of going back to the grind stone any more appealing. On the bright side, 10 months from now I will have the didactics of medical school behind me, I will be working with real patients, and I will officially be Justin C. Wheeler, 1/2 MD.

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Fair Season

Ahhh.... August. The time of year when the crash of demolition derbies, the bleat of 4H sheep destined for mutton-lettuce-tomato sandwiches, and the aroma of fried food fills the Ohio air, sparking images of ferris wheels and food borne illnesses in the minds of young and old alike. I hope you all had a chance to frequent your local county fairs. If not, stop reading this mediocre blog entry and go enjoy some of the finer things of rural life that your local fair has to offer!

Like an eight legged woman.

Oh, and does Salt Lake know about corporate sponsorship?

Feeling crabby? Try a visit to DC!

Nothing gets the patriotic juices flowing like a trip to the Washington D.C. area. Brianna and I spent last weekend with Mom and Dad Wheeler seeing the sites and sounds of Chesapeake Bay, Delaware (The First State), Washington D.C., the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Gettysburg. The foray into western Delaware was motivated mostly by wanting to click the map on Facebook saying we'd been there. We still aren't convinced it was worth the gas money. :) There wasn't much to see except fields, trees, and a surprisingly large number of watermelon stands.

While on the Chesapeake peninsula, we went to lunch at a seafood joint on the bay. Historically I've nurtured a strong aversion to seafood. However, seeing as we were in the self-proclaimed crab capital of the world, I decided to try some crustacean fare. I regrettably have to report that soft shell crab sandwiches are not my favorite thing in the world. I don't know if it was the flavor or the somewhat disturbing sight of legs dangling out of the bun... Luckily, the fries were good.

Also of note on our trip was a stop at the Washington D.C. LDS temple (which was beautiful), a visit to the National Museum of Art and the rest of the Mall in D.C., motoring along the famed Skyline Drive through Shenandoah State Park, and my personal favorite, a day in Gettysburg.

My AP History teacher (who coached baseball and looked strangely like Top Gun-era Tom Cruise) had an unhealthy fascination with the Civil War. He spent a week going over the nitty-gritty details of America's iconic battle. His diligence paid off I suppose, because the stories started coming back as we visited the various battle spots. Knowing that so many people died fighting there for a just cause gave us the feeling that we were standing on hallowed ground. I highly recommend a visit if you ever get the chance. Check out the movie Gettysburg before you go. And stay away from the crab sandwiches.

The Stokers do Columbus

We had the Stoker clan pay us a visit this last week. Not having any family in the immediate area makes visits from relatives somewhat rare and extra exciting. We had a blast showing them around Columbus (e.g. Goodale park pictured above), watching the fireworks in Upper Arlington on the 4th, visiting German Village for some excellent grub, swimming at the water park, going by the temple, daring each other to eat White Castle sliders, a night out with Wall-E (two thumbs up), and an especially memorable and bloody game of spoons. Watch out for Mama Stoker... (see the bloody finger pic below for proof). Thanks for the great weekend, Stokers!

GOOOOOAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!

The Columbus Crew MLS team is one of 2.5 professional sports teams in Columbus (we also have the dismal Columbus Blue Jackets of NHL expansion team fame and the Columbus Destroyers of the "up-and-coming" Arena Football League...hence the 0.5). We decided to support the local sports scene and go to a soccer game last Saturday. It was awesome. We were in the rowdy section where all the true Crew fans sit, which provided for never ending excitement. Besides getting to watch all the hard core fanatics throw streamers and smoke bombs onto the field when the opposing team tried a corner kick, we also were able to witness some poor college kid regurgitate the 8+ beers he had swilled onto the benches a few rows in front of us. We got a good laugh out of it and promptly switched seats. The Crew beat Colorado 2-1, and Brianna got to eat a helping of those elusive but tasty Dip-n'-Dots, so life was good for everyone. I highly recommend MLS games for anyone living close enough to go. It's cheap clean fun. Just keep your eyes peeled for puking frat boys.

Why we hate paint

Deciding to paint two small walls in our dining room seemed like such a good idea to begin with. How hard could it be to add a bit of color to our dining experience? Brianna envisioned a "non-intrusive-not-too-dark-olive green" as the color of choice. Two shades of paint later, we are perplexed, chagrined, and definitely not satisfied with the final outcome.

Lessons learned: 1) The end result won't look anything like what you have extrapolated in your minds eye from the 2" X 3" square sample. 2) Paint can radically change color depending on the lighting, time of day, and the current market value of pinto beans. And probably 37 (at least) other random variables. 3) Not only is Shagreen much too minty and pastel-y, its also a nasty eye disease AND a kind of rough leather.

So we're still searching for that elusive "non-intrusive-not-too-dark-olive green". We're hoping third times a charm. Any suggestions on finding the right color from you painting experts out there?

Justin C. Wheeler, 1/4 MD

After 10 intense months of classes, more late nights than I want to remember, and a wonderfully patient and supportive wife who made sure I always had fruit snacks to keep me awake during lecture, I am officially done with my first year of medical school! (pause for raucous celebration). I can now tell you the names of most bones in your body, possibly explain the mechanism of pyrimidine synthesis (with a little review), and offer proof that Sonic Hedgehog is more than just a spiky blue Mario-wannabe.

Unfortunately, pretty much any experienced mother is more proficient than I currently am at diagnosing and treating the majority of common illnesses. So if you have any medical questions, I will quickly and firmly refer you to your local family doc. For now I'll stick with learning the science minutia and wait for the big day in a few years when I can confidently tell someone to open up and say "Ahhhh....".

Yeah, We Garden...

We are kind of a big deal these days because, yeah, we garden.

Gardening is the new black among young couples here in C-bus. We jumped on the band wagon, and planted a few veggies this year on our back patio. It is kind of fun seeing seeds sprout. Kind of like that third grade lima bean and plastic bag project, but better. It should be even more fun once we start getting produce. We planted garlic (which grows amazingly fast), radishes, lettuce, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, some flowers, and have plans to get some herbs over the next few days. Anyone else out there gardeners? What are your bumper crops of choice? Any advice for us new green thumbers, especially in regards to squirrel repelling?

Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure

The Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure 5K race took place last Saturday in downtown Columbus. Despite discovering that I am out of prime racing shape, I still enjoyed the run. A great way to celebrate the end of Neuroanatomy 2. There were 40,000 participants, a lot of pink, and a giant Energizer Bunny to spice things up. It was refreshing to see so many people rally around a cause, especially when there are so many other things in life to worry about (like paying $52.13 for 14 gallons of refined hydrocarbon). I think everyone should get involved in some type of charitable cause. It seems to me that living outside of ones self just makes life a little bit richer. And possibly a little bit pinker.

The Zoo and Hocking Hills

My family came to town this weekend. We decided to take them to the Columbus Zoo. My nieces loved watching the animals, and I loved watching the crowds. The strange, bizarre, and down-right unique hairstyles people sport here in the Midwest never cease to amaze me. Just in case anyone was wondering, Mulletus longus is alive and well in Ohio. The Overgrown rat-tail is also far from extinct. In addition to unusual hair, Brianna liked the penguins and I liked the orangutans. They seemed to be so smug, wise and knowing, minus the fact they were chewing on grass and eating bugs off of each other.

We also traveled down to the Hocking Hills region, about an hour southeast of Columbus. This is the closest thing to mountains we have in Ohio. Out west they would probably only qualify as speed bumps, but we will take what we can get. We had a great time hiking down a river gorge and enjoying the waterfalls, sunshine and greenery. Our nieces were stinking cute and hanging with Mom and my brother's family was a blast. We officially love summer.