Indecision

I am rapidly becoming the most indecisive person to walk the earth. Not only am I indecisive, but I am an indecisive perfectionist, which is a terrible combination for the following reasons:

1. I can't make simple decisions.

Example: Today I took some towels to be monogrammed, and I literally stood there for 10 minutes trying to pick out which font I wanted to use. Diamond, or Fancy? I would decide on one, tell the clerk, wait until she was in the middle of asking me another question, and then blurt out "Wait! No! I want to change it to Fancy Upright!" I did that 3 times.

2. It's hard for me to buy things without a second opinion.

Example: I have been known to spend 45 minutes in the dressing room debating whether or not I really want the shirt I'm trying on. The whole time I'm staring at myself in the mirror I'm wishing my mom or sister, or heck, even Matt, were there to provide a little feedback. Inevitably, I'll buy it, only to get it home and decide a week later that I'm not that crazy about it, and take it back.

3. Since I'm a perfectionist, I'm always on the lookout for that perfect thing. This usually results in multiple purchases, numerous trips to the same store, and considerable angst.

Example: In my quest to find the perfect shower curtain for our guest bath, I have ordered 2 online (only to return them as soon as I got them), purchased 1 from Walmart (returned), and 3 from Target (2 of which I am returning). Each of these purchases was made on a separate occasion. I've also spent about 3 hours online searching for that elusive perfect shower curtain. **Note: I'd like to mention that this decision wouldn't be so difficult if the bathroom in our rental was not the color of putty.

4. I'm always on the lookout for something better.

Example: I went to about 10 stores looking for the perfect journal. I finally bought one, but now every time I enter Target or World Market, I come across a journal that is so much better than the one I currently have. Usually I can refrain from buying said replacement item, but that is not always the case. That's why I currently have 2 wallets and 3 address books. (I keep the others waiting in the wings so I can switch back when I change my mind again.)

What's in a name?

All the good baby names are getting snatched up. This is because EVERYONE and their brother (well - sister) is currently pregnant, or have had a baby within the last year. Really. Truly. This makes me a little anxious, but not to the point where I am quite ready to jump on the baby train.

Growing up with a rather unusual name (do you know any other girls named Allyn?) was difficult at times (Are you a boy? Named after your Dad? Grandfather? Your parents must have really wanted a boy! All.....what? I've never heard of that before!), but it made me realize that I want my kids to have names that aren't completely mainstream. Something a little unique. Don't worry, I'm not talking about Apple or Pilot Inspectkor, or any of the other weird celebrity baby names.

Elliott is a name Matt and I love for a girl. Taken. Other great names that we now can't use (unless we have a falling out with their parents):

Ellison

Emerson

Everett

Harrison

Noah

It's currently the trend to give your baby a less mainstream name, and that makes it hard to find something unique. Because now unique IS mainstream. Or it's getting there anyways. So maybe Jane and Mary will be really unique names in about 20 years. Or I could always consult this book:

Then there are the names that are spelled differently to make them more unique - like Karsyn, Kamryn, Ashli, etc. Allyn. Yeah. The pressure is building...soon there won't be any names left! And then we'll have to resort to Sage Moodblood. Whoops - already taken by Sylvester Stallone.

Graduation

Well, we made it! After 4 years, Matt graduated on Friday from Medical School! He matched into the Anesthesia Residency Program at MUSC, which was our first choice. We are thrilled to be staying here for the next 4+ years. Charleston is such a great city!

The past 2 weeks have been absolutely crazy with moving and graduation activities. On the Wednesday before graduation we attended the Senior Ball which was held at the Aquarium. It was a fun excuse to get all dressed up.

Matt and I with Young and Angela Choi. Young will be in Matt's residency class, and Angela will be doing ObGyn at MUSC. We are so happy they will be staying here in Charleston!

Matt and Ben

Trouble.

Matt with his Amazon woman.

Thursday night was the Oath Ceremony, where the graduates were hooded and recited the Hippocratic Oath. It was held at Summerall Chapel at the Citadel, which was beautiful.

After being hooded.

Summerall Chapel

Matt with his parents.

Friday morning was graduation, and it was a gorgeous day. Stephen Colbert was the commencement speaker, and he was great. He was given an honorary degree in Humane Arts, and promptly asked if he could have an honorary prescription pad instead.

In line to receive his diploma.

Stephen Colbert! I think at this point in his talk he was telling the new dentists that he wanted his teeth to be so white they would be visible from space.

Matt and I with our friend Xander.

What a wonderful week! I'm so proud of my husband, Dr. Matt Crumpler!

Developmental milestones

In the process of moving over the past week and a half (aka HELL)- I came across my old medical records. I started reading through them and found them to be pretty interesting. Here's one of my favorite notes:

"Allyn is in for a 3 year checkup. She is doing quite well. She can ride a bigwheel. She is using crayons. She has a good vocabulary. She likes to read books with her parents. She is growing steadily. She is a fairly tall child."

Well thank goodness I knew how to ride a bigwheel!

Butterscotch candies

I love how the most random things can elicit very specific memories. I got my hair cut the other day, and as I was paying I glanced over at the candy bowl to see one of these little guys:
Butterscotch candies will forever remind me of being a little girl and visiting my dad at his office. When he worked for the Florida Department of Natural Resources, he had a secretary that always had a little glass bowl full of these sitting on her desk. I would eat about 27 of them every time I visited.

That memory is followed closely by the one of his weird co-worker who kept jars of dead animals he found lined up on the window sill behind his desk.

Can I get a witness?

Last night in bible study we talked about witnessing. This is something I'm terrible at - and I honestly can't remember the last time I tried to share the Gospel with someone. That's pretty bad. Very bad, actually. It's scary to broach the topic of religion with someone. You worry what they will think of you, how you will be perceived, if they will still think you're cool afterwards (assuming they ever did to begin with). Our friend Ben made a great point. If the thought of witnessing is met with fear and anxiety - then that is a sign that my identity is rooted in something other than Christ. For me that is usually being a people pleaser. If I am trying to please everyone all the time, then I have lost my purpose for being here - which is to be Christ in the world. If my goal is to please Christ, then I should be yearning to spread the good news of the Gospel. I would like to say that it is Christ who defines me, but it is a daily struggle to lay down the ways that I often define myself (i.e. having the acceptance and approval of my peers, family, co-workers, etc.) and establish my identity in Christ. (Using the term "daily struggle" would imply that this is something I'm conscious of on a daily basis- which I definitely am not).

Smitten

Matt and I both grew up with dogs, and we loved them. But there is just something different about having a dog together - Luna has really become our baby! It's pathetic really.

We were a little nervous about getting a rescue dog. What if she turned out to be an absolute terror? But we couldn't afford anything else, and at least with a rescue dog you know what you're getting up front. These people are all about full disclosure. So we took a chance on her. And we lucked out. Big time. Luna is the sweetest dog in the world! I may be slightly biased, but everyone who meets her agrees that she has a really sweet demeanor. She is pretty submissive, but getting better. I'm not sure how much of that has to do with her background - (she was found on the side of the road in Manning, SC, and taken to a shelter for a few weeks until someone called Lowcountry Golden Retriever Rescue: http://lcgrr.org/. Once they picked her up she lived with a foster family for a couple of weeks until Matt and I adopted her) - and how much is simply her personality. Obviously her background has shaped her personality somewhat. Ok. Anyways - she is submissive, so totally non-threatening and sweet around other dogs and people.

Last weekend we took her up to Lake Keowee. Matt's family has a house there, and we all decided to go up for a long weekend. Luna had a great time. She got to ride on the boat, play in the water, go on hikes, and meet Tucker and Chloe (Ben and Marie's dogs). It was dog paradise up there. Over the weekend I realized just how much we are obsessed with our dog. I took about 50 pictures, none of which were of people. They were all Luna shots. Luna sitting on the boat. Oh - she moved - cute shot! Now she's looking to the left - another cute shot! Etc. As I was furiously snapping away, I was also keeping a running commentary for the benefit of all the other shipmates: "Hey! Look at Luna! Isn't that cute? Look now! She's sitting by the life jackets! Hey, look! She's sniffing Tucker's butt! Look, look! She's getting her sea legs!" I am officially an annoying dog owner. I can only imagine what I'll be like when we actually have kids. Please continue to be my friend.