Aaron's first post

Hey Everyone! This is Aaron and this is my first attempt at creating a posting on our blog...so bare with me ;-)

I wanted to plop some info. on our blog to talk about some recent achievements Courtney has accomplished and also discuss a few other events that have been taking place. First of all, Courtney recently received news that she passed her written Oral Surgery Board Exam. This is an outstanding achievement and well deserved, because Courtney worked extremely hard for many months leading up to this exam. We celebrated this milestone with a bottle of champagne and a dinner out at a nice restaurant called the Tuddenham Mill.



Yet another achievement Courtney was also recently recognized for was being selected as both the "Company Grade Officer of the Quarter" for her Dental Squadron and also for the much larger 48th Medical Group here at Royal Air Force Lakenheath. This is quite an achievement! Courtney was selected over many other medical professionals who do some amazing work on a daily basis for our military troops stationed throughout England at various bases. She was recognized in front of her colleagues and received a nifty crystal award for her achievement.

One last thing I thought I would mention while doing this blog posting was our interesting weather we had over Easter Weekend here in East Anglia, England. It really doesn't snow too often in this part of England, but we were lucky enough to have a brief snow storm roll through on March 23rd. It was a really nice snowfall...big, slow falling flakes with no wind and nice temps that allowed me to take a leisurely stroll through Mildenhall village. I snapped a few photos of our village along my walk and thought a few were worth posting:

The old village church in Mildenhall

Spring flowers being caught off guard by the late season snowfall

Our house and vehicles with a few inches of snow all over

Ok, thats about all from our corner of the world for now. Take care everyone!

Switzerland Pics Part II

Okay, let's try this again....Here is one of the few pics Aaron and I have together--mostly due to the fact that the only times we were not around people that spoke English, happened to be when we wanted to take a picture.

After our day of skiing, we were ready to head out for our romantic fondue dinner. Our hotel concierge was great in making suggestions and reservations...Hotel Bristol is highly recommended!!!

There is a stream running through town. This photo was taken outside of our hotel with the Matterhorn in the background

Here is one of Aaron with the Matterhorn in the background. This was taken from the Gornergraut summit.

Love is in the air (at least what was up there...leaving us a bit winded)

So, that sums up our amazing trip to Switzerland! We are going back again next year if anyone is interested!

Today we had our first Bible study with some of the couples we met at our marriage retreat. It was so nice to be in fellowship with other Christian couples. There were three other couples and for two hours we talked about God's covenant of marriage with special emphasis on the unique challenges we have all faced being in the military. And, of the benefits. Aaron and I are grateful for this biweekly committment we have made and hope it will keep our marriage aligned with values that are important in a marriage. It has become very clear to me, how too often people (including myself) are so busy trying to live out their individual plans for their lives and not being receptive to God's plan. Our marriage is God's plan and, although it may not be perfect all the time in our eyes, it is an expression of our Lord and is God's gift to us. Rather than focusing on what we want our spouse to do and what we think should happen on this earth, we need to receive God and understand that through our spouse God is reaching out to teach us about our own sins and unraveling his plan for this life. Our friend Jim stated it best....a Husband and Wife are two sinners kneeling side by side at the foot of the cross and that rather than focus on what sins/flaws our spouse presents, we need to realize that we too are sinners. A very profound two hours!
We got on the discussion of when we miscarried, and that, although it was a devastating time in our lives, made us realize that our plan is not always in align with God's plan... I would have been 30 weeks this week. I sometimes catch myself thinking of what my belly would look like, what the gift would feel like, how our lives would be changing in 10 more weeks.... When I start to get sad about this, I pray. And, then thank God for the blessings he has already bestowed upon me.

Photos from Switzerland

Here is a pic of Aaron and I in the city of Montreaux with Lake Geneva in the background.

Here is a pic of me in the village of Gstaad. You can get an idea of the neat architecture of the homes/buildings. This area had more of a German influence.

Here is a pic of Aaron with a view of a valley/Alps in the background

Me skiing in Col Des Mosses. This is a smaller ski hill with tow-bars rather than lifts.
Here is a pic of me at Zermatt.

Aaron in Zermatt X 2


I think this pic is really cool. You can see Zermatt in the background. This was not even the highest point we skied and you can tell by the photo that we were way up there!!!


Well, blogger stalled during the installment of my remaining photos. I will post part 2 later....

Oh, and one more thing

Click on the link to Brandt and Mindy's blog on the right. They are both dentists in the Navy, stationed in Japan. I was fortunate to be in the same flight as Mindy during a Combat Casualty Care Course in San Antonio--an 8 day field combat training were we spent three days in the Texas jungle without showers....YUCK. She provided a lot of entertainment during the 8 day grueling course. ELEPHANTE!!!! Brandt was also there, but in a separate flight. What a fun couple!!

Switzerland, Etc

It has been a whirlwind week. But, before I begin....Two things. First, my sister Hilary had her baby, Garrett, while we were away. I am still waiting on pictures! Hint Hint. But, hopefully you can check her blog on the right for updates and photos. Second, I passed boards!!!! I am elated. Now, I am qualified to take the Oral board exam in Dallas next February. We will be celebrating with a bottle of 1997 vintage champaigne, that Aaron surprised me with, here shortly! Then, we are going out to dinner at a nice restaurant that he is keeping a secret.....

Now, on to the past week. I will post pictures later because Blogger is not letting me upload pics.... Switzerland is the most amazing country. The people were so incredibly articulate, friendly, and the country amazingly clean and beautiful. It was interesting to see that depending on which area of Switzerland you were in, the language would vary between French, German, and Italian. Most people were quad lingual in that they spoke English as well. So, it was pretty easy to communicate during our stay. We enjoyed it so much that Aaron wants me to apply for Swiss citizenship based on having a high-demand career.

DAY 1...We flew into Geneva were we rented a car. Aaron was stuck driving all week because it was a manual transmission. He did a great job considering the winding switchbacks throughout the alps! We drove to the village of Col Des Mosses, where my partner has a condo. We explored the local area and were a bit concerned about the little amount of snow they had. Apparently, it was a dry year. The local ski hill across the street from the condo had quite a bit of bare spots.

The second day we drove to Interlaken which was a 2 hour drive. The city is situated on an isthmus between two lakes and was beautiful. Luckily it snowed about 4 inches that night and we went skiing on the local ski hill to "warm-up" before going to Zermatt. It was so much fun...except they did not have lifts, but tow bars. Needless to say, our thighs were extremely sore at the end of the day.

Day 4....we headed to Zermatt. It was the most incredible place Aaron and I have ever seen. You can not drive a car to Zermatt. We parked our car in Tasch and then took a train to Zermatt (only a 20 minute ride). We stayed at Hotel Bristol and were amazed at the wonderful hospitality. We arrived at 10 and by noon we were on the Gondola traveling to the summit. I stayed in the middle of the Gondola because I am afraid of heights and it was a long way down as we traversed across a valley of glaciers! Unfortunately, it was cloudy and we could not see the Matterhorn peak...Not to mention very windy on the summit. But, we were in awe of the scenery! Our legs were so sore afterwards because there was not a lot of powder...mostly ice that was difficult to ski.
Then, for the fourth night in a row, we enjoyed fondue. This time, it was at a quaint restaurant in the "basement" which was like a wine cellar. It was an extremely romantic setting, with delicious food.

Day 5...was a beautiful, clear day with no clouds in the sky. The Matterhorn was stunning to say the least. So, since we did not get the view the previous day, we took a train from Zermatt village to Gornergrat (The Gornergrat Brahn) and we were able to soak in the view of 29 peaks that were over 4000 meters in height. Absolutely beautiful!!! We decided to treat ourselves to Swiss watches. I got a Longines and he a Raymond Weil....a great souvenier of a trip to remember.

Day 6...we flew back to England. But, our trip was not over. We went to a marriage retreat through our Church in Cambridge. It was absolutely eye opening and made me realize a lot about myself as a Christian and our marriage. We met three other couples who live in our village who we are starting a Bible study with. I volunteered to host the first one this Saturday. I have felt that the past 6 months have been a struggle for Aaron and I, since for all of our marriage, I have been in school or residency and feel that now that this is over, I have gone through an identity crisis. But, we have realized how strong our faith in God is and feel more connected and committed now than ever. A great end to our romantic week in Switzerland. We have already committed a trip back to Zermatt next year. Any takers???? Now, we are gearing up for our next trip with our friends, Chris and Marissa....a 12 day Greek Isle Cruise.

Sorry so fragmented, but Aaron has made reservations at a restaurant in 20 minutes. Hope all is well.

"quick" update

We leave tomorrow for Switzerland and I have been told by many to update, so here it goes.
Our trip to MN was fun. I still am awaiting board results...I think in about three more weeks, I should hear if I passed or not.
It was fun to catch up with family and friends, see my niece and nephews, and freeze my ass off (It was a bit of a shock to my TX body to be exposed to 45 below zero windchills!!!).
Here are some pics from home. Here is a pic of the girls night out after my boards.
One of Aaron and I--men were allowed only in the beginning of the evening!

Then, some of my in-laws (me, Jess, Peggy, Andi)

And, some of my ice fishing adventure. I caught 8-10 croppies, but wouldn't touch the fish or bait. Everyone was getting a kick out of the fact that I am a surgeon but was afraid to touch the fish. Um Daaa! I operate with gloves on. Give me a glove and I will gladly touch the fish. Geez!




I was able to spend an evening with my aunt Nancy and Uncle Dave and god-daughter Claire (who was very entertaining in her imitation of Taylor Swift)

Then, we headed to Sioux Falls to see Aaron's cousins, a friend from dental school, and our friends Mark and Melanie, who we met during our tour in Colorado, drove up from Omaha for the night.
Here is a pic of my good friend Laura from dental school and her son Tanner. She is a pediatric dentist in Sioux Falls.

Here is one of Melanie and I

And, one of our last nights in Minneapolis at a bar in Waconia. Aaron was our sober cab--Thanks hun!

Then, I flew back and Aaron vacationed a few more weeks.
I kept busy with my girlfriends. My friend Jess stayed over a few nights and kept me company. It was just like back in college, living with the girls!
Two weekends ago, I went with the swim team to the European Championships where our swimmers finished 2nd--quite a feat since we are one of the smaller teams. One of the kids I coach a lot took first in all six of his events and broke two records. I was so proud of him. He is also the one that I posted about earlier who said "Coach Courtney, I wish I was a bit older so I could be your boyfriend".
And, here is one of Karen (one of the parents and president of the swim team), me, and Helen (head coach) holding our 2nd place trophy!!!

They even had a coaches relay at the end. I had to swim in front of 2000 people!!! I found out about 5 days before and wished I would have gone to a tanning bed before! The kids got a kick out of it and we finished third. It was interesting chaperoning 25 kids...some of them teenage girls who were going gaga for some of the boy swimmers from other teams...It was very entertaining.
Last weekend, we went out in Cambridge for Sushi to say good bye to our friend, Neil, who is getting deployed.
Here is a photo of some of the girlfriends I have made over here. All are general dentists in the clinic on base. Amy, Jess, Heather (who just got engaged), and me.

Okay, I was trying to load more photos, but the circa 1980 technology here in Britain....It is taking way too long and
well, we leave for the airport in 6 hours and I still have to pack.

FINALLY home

When I say finally home....I mean finally. It took me 30 hours of sitting at airports or on an airplane to make it home. I was supposed to get back Tuesday, but did not get back until Wednesday. Let me share my sob story--I promise it will be entertaining!!!
It all started Monday. The parents drove up to meet Aaron and I at Perkins before I flew out. It was lightly snowing at this point. Got to the airport a bit after 11:00 to check in and find out my flight was canceled (Chicago was having a bit more snow). No problem, they booked me on a different flight to Chicago and a different one to London. But, I was excited because I upgraded to first class/business class for 25,000 miles and $300.00 (which ended up being worth every penny!!). Well, that flight got canceled. So, I went back to the ticket counter to see if they could divert me through dallas and then to gatwick. So, I was put on that itinerary. Then, the Dallas flight was delayed 45 minutes (the exact time of my layover....) so they put me back on a flight to chicago and then to London Heathrow. The flight did not leave for a couple of more hours (at 4:15). So, I went and hung out in the Armed Forces Lounge. They provide complimentary food, beverages, internet and huge comfy leather recliners. And, there were these two cute old ladies that volunteer so I got to talk to them for an hour or so. I looked at the time... and decided to head to the gate...just to see that flight was delayed until 6:15. ARRRGGHHH! But, then I got excited when I remembered there was a Chili's (craving Chili's since we arrived in England....). So, I sat at the bar and ordered food and a glass of wine. Got to sit next to this really nice couple from Steamboat Springs and our bartender was really entertaining. Again, I have the Feder gift of gab so found it easy to pass the time.

So, I boarded the plane....in first class :) Sat next to this really nice guy Mike who owns a company that makes Flame retardant clothing... And, we were finally off! So, I got my free cocktails in first class and was loving life...until we tried to Land. Visibility was 1/16 of a mile and at that the planes are required by FAA regulation to use auto-pilot to land. So, we are approaching and I could see the runway lights and waiting for the feeling of touch down, when all of a sudden we accelerated back into the air. This temporarily freaked everyone out until the pilot stated that the auto-pilot was not letting them land and that we were going to circle around and land from the other direction.... Same thing...almost ready to touch down and we were back in the air. So, he flew us to St. Louis.

In St. Louis we got off the plane, walked to the next gate and waited for about 45 minutes just to board a different plane (luckily still got first class) and fly back to Chicago. I tried to find out additional flight information, but the dudes at the American Airlines Ticket counter politely stated that they would help me with that in Chicago. So, we get to Chicago and since I was in first class, I was one of the first ones out. Mike, my seat partner was lucky in being from Chicago.... I was second in line at the counter. Trying to patiently wait as the agent helped this couple get a hotel voucher (apparently, they were going to pay for our hotel since it was mechanically related). So, after about what seemed like 40 minutes...it was my turn. I explained how I missed my international flight.... "oh, you have to go down the terminal to rebooking assisstance..." Give me a break!!!!! She would not even tell me if they put me on a different flight. Up to this point I was just going with the flow, having a some-what good time meeting people....but now I was getting pissed! It was 11pm at this point--12 hours after my fun began. I could have driven to Chicago and then some by then.

So, I walked down the terminal to rebooking assistance...which was a desk with 5 red phones...No one to personally help us 15 people that were in similar situations. I picked up the phone and a lady politely informed me that I was put on the 9:30 am flight to Heathrow (getting in at 10:30pm). She asked if I would want a Hotel--um DA! I politely said yes and she transferred me to Hotels.com who then pissed me off even further and said it was past some deadline to book for the night. Come on! So, I attempted to go back to the gate we flew into to see if the lady would help me with a voucher...no luck. Not there. I remembered how nice the USO (armed forces lounge) was in Minneapolis and decided to go there. I needed to email some people to see if someone could come pick me up at that hour (we live 2.5 hours north of London) since the military shuttle only operates in the am. Navigated myself through the airport for what seemed like the City of CHicago because it was on the opposite end of the frickin' airport. Oh, yeah and all I had was my purse. I thought I was playing it smart not having a lot of luggage to drag through airports--so I checked both bags. STUPID!! No change of underwear, no clean clothes; luckily I had deodorant and a toothbrush/toothpaste. But, I remembered the minneapolis USO...they had towels, showers, toiletries...I was getting all excited about curling up in a leather recliner. And then the nightmare continued.....

The most ghetto looking lounge! About 20 waiting-room style chairs. To use a shower, you had to go to the airport Hilton athletic club which did not open until 5 am. I just started to Laugh and think "bring it on"!. So, I emailed people and called one of the senior enlisted in my clinic to arrange transportation. Luckily, since I was on official business, they said they would pay for a hotel at the airport in London since I was getting in so late. At this point, I would have paid for it myself because the last thing I wanted was to arrive and get by myself in a cab at midnight and travel 2.5 hours by cab.... did not exactly make me feel safe. So, I spent a little time trying to find a hotel by the airport. Now it is 2am...So, I found a "chair" and attempted to get comfortable...maybe got 20 minutes of sleep.

At 4 am after being frustrated, I decided to contact AA to find out about my luggage (temporarily forgot about it during my rebooking fiasco...) The lady on the phone said that normally you have to reclaim your luggage and then check it in when you arrive at the airport (interesting...never left....sarcasm duly noted). So, I had to walk outside and over to terminal 2 because the security checkpoints between the terminals were closed until 5am... Find the baggage claim area just to read a sign that the luggage is not available and would be on the next flight to London, which thankfully was my flight.
So, I go and check in and luckily that flight left on time.

Business class was so worth it!!!! Worth every penny!!! Tons of leg room with reclining chairs and foot rests. We were given a shower kit with face wipes, slippers, etc....and, a menu of our breakfast, snack, and dinner options. I enjoyed too many mimosas, seafood couscous, excellent cheese and crackers....and everytime my wine glass was getting empty, the flight attendant came by to top it off. I was spoiled to the point that I think I will be disappointed flying coach :)
And, when I arrived to the Sheraton I enjoyed the most incredible shower and the most comfortable bed with a down featherbed and huge comfy pillows....slept like a baby!

For the next year, everyone is coming to visit us! I will not fly transatlantic for a VERY, VERY long time :)
Hope you enjoyed the story. I will post pics of my trip to MN later.