Jimmy, Kelli, and Claire

6 months!?? 1/2 birthday?!!!

2011-12-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

I seriously can't believe that my baby girl is 6 months old. Where has the time gone? It has been so amazing to watch her grow and develop. She is always learning new things.

All about Claire:

She sleeps 10-11 hours a night (soundly)

and takes about 2 naps a day that are around 2-3 hours each

She is a happy and very content little girl

She eats solids twice a day- Rice cereal is by far her fav

She can roll over and all around

She just found her feet and is always reaching for them

She can see where her toys are and grab them

Her rattle is her favorite toy

She loves music and when I sing songs to her

She can fall asleep in her crib all by herself

She loves her binkie

She still loves her swing and her car seat

She likes to put her blanket over her face- not my favorite

She is a talker

She loves other kids and they make her laugh the hardest

She is getting so big and chubby- although she is only 14 pounds

I love her big blue eyes

We cant wait to have our first christmas as a family

She cant wait to open her presents! Hopefully she will play with the toys we got her and not the wrapping paper

We love our Claire Bear!

On a side note- Jimmy and I are sad we are not in AZ with our families this year but we will be home for a bit in February!

3 Years of Bliss

2011-12-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

On December 20th we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. Jimmy had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to me! We went out to a very nice french restaurant downtown- baby free! It was a nice evening just the two of us. We are so blessed to have such a happy life together. I am so lucky to have married such an amazing husband and father.

Family Pictures

2011-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

This past month we went to a portrait studio to take some long overdue family pictures. It was a groupon and we got everything for 40$- so well worth it and I was pleased with how they turned out!

This one is my favorite!

Big smiles!

5 months and Food

2011-11-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

I love the fact that I get to stay home everyday and just be her mom. She is just a sweet little girl and even though I am with her everyday- I still cant get enough of her! (except maybe at 3am) She is growing and learning new things everyday.

She laughs and smiles all the time now. My favorite is when I go in to get her up from her naps and her little face just lights up when she sees me- it melts my heart every time.

Things she likes: when you sing songs to her, talking to her, eating and eating some more, her car seat, being held (of course) and rolling around on the floor with her toys. She now knows how to roll over-both ways! She can grip toys with her hands and immediately it goes to her mouth. She loves her binkie and is constantly playing with it.

We started some solid foods- just rice cereal so far- and she loves it. She gobbles it all down. This was her first day trying it- a little confused at what was going on!

I apparently took too long to take pictures and she had enough!

As for Jimmy and I- we are both doing great and we are really looking forward to the holidays- we will not be heading home to phoenix until February so our Thanksgiving and Christmas will be pretty low key- just the 3 of us!

4 Months and Halloween

2011-10-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

My sweet Claire Bear at 4 months!

Stats:

12.7 pounds- 23rd percentile

24 1/4 inches- 49th percentile

She is just a little thing!

She has become quite the talker- she loves to make new sounds and is starting to giggle and laugh. She loves to play on the floor with her toys. She is very aware of where I am at all times and usually cries when she cant see me. She still does pretty good sleeping through the night but lately I have to get up a few times to pop her binkie back in and then she will go right back to sleep. We have not started solid foods but I will give it a shot in the next few weeks.

This year we dressed up for Halloween and the ward trunk-or-treat. Claire was a cute little pumpkin. She did great through the whole activity- I think she loved watching what was going on.

Jimmy was uncle Sam and I was the Statue of Liberty. We have been this before but I decided I didn't want to buy new costumes so I just amped Jimmy's up. I found the blazer and red pants at the Salvation army for a whopping 5 $. I made his bow tie, stars, and belt. Hey- we even won a prize for the best costumes- something we were not expecting!

We had a great time!

3 months and fall fun

2011-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

I cant believe how fast the time has gone! I am a little late on posting her 3 month picture- she will actually be four months on Saturday! She is such a sweet, darling baby- I simply cant get enough of her.

I finally caught a smile on camera! She smiles and laughs all the time- but the second she sees the camera she stops and is too busy staring at it!

We took a trip to the local apple orchard to pick our pumpkins-its kind of a tradition of ours and we were excited to take Claire.

It was a little cold and windy that day- she we made it a quick visit.

The pumpkin patch was huge! there were so many interesting things growing- we had fun just walking around. PS- Jimmy loves wearing the baby bjorn!

She was asleep by the time we were done- all snug on dad's chest!

My Mini Me?

2011-09-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

My mother sent this baby picture of me- until now I wasn't quite sure how much she looked like me- but now I can say there is a resemblance!

Claire's Blessing

2011-09-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

We were so fortunate to have Jimmy bless our sweet baby girl this past sunday. He gave a beautiful blessing and we had a wonderful day spending time with our parents. Both my parents and Jimmy's made the trek from AZ to Iowa to spend time with us and Claire. We had so much fun having them in town.

Claire looked so beautiful in her dress. She did so well during the blessing- did not make a peep! She was also a good sport for the billion pictures we took!

Our happy little family

Outside our building with the family

She was so content in her daddy's arms

We just love her to pieces!

A lady in my ward made this blanket for her- I was lucky to get a shot with her name on the blanket and Claire looking at the same time!

"Really mom, are you done taking pictures yet?!"

I love her face! I can't give her enough kisses!

2 Months

2011-08-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

2 month stats:

10 pounds 2 ounces

22 1/4 inches long

Things about Claire:

-just started sleeping through the night- about 7-8 hour stretches, yes!

-very content and calm

-loves getting bathed

-LOVES her swing and staring at herself in the mirror on the mobile

-loves music

-is a good eater

-has some reflux and usually smells like baby puke

-has to sleep swaddled

-likes being wrapped in her soft blankie

-hates tummy time

-loves to look around and is very alert

-is a binkie baby- loves her binkie

-nicknames- love bug, Claire bear, and princess

The best day ever...

2011-08-22T15:12:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of pictures that I never posted and know that my baby is 2 months old- I cant believe how much she has changed!

A very proud Dad

Grandma's girl

Our first family photo

Our little 7.4 pound baby girl!

My little Claire

2011-08-13T12:29:00.001-07:00

Oh how we love her! I just cant get enough of her sweet face.

It took a little while but she LOVES her bath time now!

and sitting in her boppy...

and daddy time...

and sleeping!

Birth Announcement

2011-07-25T17:56:00.001-07:00

I am very pleased with how it turned out! I knew I would regret not doing a birth announcement one day!

1 month old

2011-07-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how fast time has flown! My sweet baby girl is already 1 month!

I hope to take this same shot every month to put a collage together of how she grows each month! lets hope I stick to it!

Claire facts:

She is still a tiny thing- not quite 8 lbs yet!

She LOVES her swing- only place she likes to fall asleep

She has a very strong neck/head and loves to look around

She can already roll onto her side

She sleeps pretty well at night (if we can get her to fall asleep in her crib)

Sleep training is hard and she sometimes doesn't stop crying until we put her in her swing

She is a very good baby and is easily consoled when upset

We love her to death!

A few teasers....

2011-07-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

My awesome friend Shanna came over and took some pictures of my sweet Claire! We have not really edited them all but here are just a few I played around with.

Hopefully I will be sending out her birth announcement soon!

Thanks Shanna for taking the time to do this! I think they turned out great!

My sweet baby!

Introducing Claire Ann

2011-06-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little girl arrived on June 22 at 1:22 p.m., weighing in at 7 lbs. 4 oz., 21 in. long, and 12 days early!

Here is the story.... So Sunday evening the 19th- I started having contractions. They came early in the morning and progressed throughout the day. By the afternoon we decided to go in and get checked out. I was only 1 cm and they watched for a few hours but I was not progressing so they sent me home. My contractions continued for the next few days but more off and on. I didn't get much sleep the next few days and by tuesday night my contractions were getting stronger and stronger! Finally at about 2a.m. we decided these contractions were the real thing. I was hating life at this point and could no longer walk through them. We drove to the hospital and I got into a room and the contractions were just minutes apart by now.

Once the nurse checked my I was almost a 5 and I got admitted. I was also VERY ready for an epidural after having had contractions for almost three days. My epidural was wonderful but very strong- I couldn't really move my legs but it was a small price to pay for the comfort. I was able to get some rest-but with nurses constantly checking and fiddling with you, I didn't get much. At about 11:30 a.m.- it was time to push! It was funny because my epidural was so good- I didn't know how hard I was pushing! They turned my epidural down so I could feel the contractions more-not pleasant- but at least I could push more effectively.

After 2 1/2 hours of pushing I was exhausted and the doctor said the baby wasn't down far enough. Her head was turned funny and she wasn't able to come out quite right. The doctor said I was going to have to have a C-section. I lost it! I was so tired and it was the last thing I wanted. I couldn't stop crying. Luckily I had an amazing nurse who convinced the doctor to let me try just a 1/2 hour longer and use a few different positions to help move the baby. The doc was skeptical but said ok.

Well, a 1/2 hour later and a few of the most horrific positions you could imagine, the doctor checked me and said she had moved just enough to be able to try the vacuum! She said she would give it one try and if the vacuum popped off- it was c-section time. Well, Claire must have been ready because one pull with the vacuum and out she came! They put her right on my chest and I have never had a more joyous moment in my life.

Jimmy was so supportive and was with me every step of the way and we felt so blessed that I was able to deliver her. It was neat because she never had to leave the room and they kept her right with me the whole time. She is our perfect little angel and we love her so much. Jimmy is one proud daddy and kept showing her off to all the nurses and his fellow residents (I delivered at the hospital he works at). We felt so loved as visitors and well wishes came to congratulate us.

These are just some pics we took at the hospital- she has changed so much since! Hopefully I will have some newer ones soon!

Eviction Notice

2011-06-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

With just over 2 weeks to go- I am officially wanting this baby OUT!

Its been a long 9 months of unpleasantries and its time for this baby girl and me to meet face to face. It is funny how a few months ago two weeks was no big deal- but now every single day feels like a week! I did dilate to 1 cm this past week and I have been thinning as well- so I guess that is better than nothing although it does not mean she will be here any sooner.

Predictions??? Jimmy thinks sometime next week- I sure hope he is right!

P.S.- Baby girl's name is Claire

Nursery Part II

2011-04-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

We have been hard at work on the nursery! It is about 95% complete! I just have to pull the trigger on baby girl's name and hang it above the crib! I still don't have a lot of the items to actually take care of a baby-like clothes, blankets, diapers etc. but I still have a shower and 9 more weeks- so I think I am doing ok.

Every time I walk by the nursery now- I can't help but pause and just stare at it. I am still trying to wrap my head around how much everything is going to change in 2 months time!

Jimmy performing his first-time fatherly duty of putting the crib together

Being a good boy and reading the instructions!

Baby girls sweet lil' nursery

The got the matching dresser/changing table- mainly because we don't always have to use it as a changing table but can use it as a normal dresser

A view from the corner

Her crib- its so pretty and really solid and sturdy

Still in love with the bedding! so so cute!

I painted the shelf white and I love the detail on it

I slipcovered the glider and finally finished sewing the curtains

I got this cute little branch with birds online-they fit in perfectly with the bedding theme

I am so happy with the outcome- just a few finishing touches and it will be complete!

The Final Countdown

2011-04-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

I feel like my pregnancy has gone really SLOW but somehow fast. I am really glad to be in my third trimester but I am not sure if I am ready for it. The baby room is far from finished and we have not bought a single baby item. I have looked at lots of stuff- strollers, clothes, binkies, blankets etc. but I keep thinking- I can wait. But now baby girl will be here before we know it.

A lot of people have been telling me to write down things about my pregnancy and to take belly pics- Truth be told, I have not wanted to do either- I have not felt "pregnant cute" and most of the things about my pregnancy are not fun. But here I go anyway:

*I was incredibly sick for the first 18 weeks- nausea and vomiting all day long- miserable

*If I could keep crackers down during that time it would be a success

*I had to take an anti-nausea medication- which did not help

* We found out we were having a baby girl at 18 weeks

* I first knew I was feeling her move around 21 weeks- at least that was when I was sure I could feel her flutters and kicks- was not quite sure before then

*At 27 weeks- she moves like crazy and sometimes makes me jump- especially when Im trying to sleep

*I have horrible acid reflux- its much worse at night. I eat TUMS like candy.

*My hands get swollen which makes wearing my wedding ring uncomfortable

*My feet hurt by the end of the day

*I get hot flashes and its still cold here

*I have not had many cravings but things I have enjoy to eat are: cottage cheese, applesauce, cheese on ritz crackers, and McDonald's vanilla ice cream cones

* I go to the bathroom at least twice in the middle of the night

*I cant turn over in bed without moaning and groaning

BUT...despite the woes pregnancy brings- I am overwhelmingly excited to meet my baby girl

And for good measure- a few belly shots...

Around 23 weeks

27 weeks...and getting bigger

Busy Bees for Baby

2011-03-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

We have been hard at work on baby girl's nursery! Jimmy finally had a few days off this week and we decided to use the time while we had it. I wanted to get the painting done while I am not too huge. One of our upstairs bedrooms has been empty since we moved in- knowing that it would one day be our nursery. The only problem- the room was BRIGHT TURQUOISE! It was such a pain to paint over-Im so glad its done and out of the way and I can start decorating and buying furniture.

Here is the process: stage 1

I wish I had a pic of the room before we painted

Ready to pull the tape

Our gorgeous stripes- I am so happy with the way they turned out!

I thought doing the whole room with stripes would be a little much so I opted for an accent wall

Jimmy was the master of creating the perfect lines

Bring on the decorating! The crib will go against the striped wall.

Our first furniture purchase- storage cubes!

My first attempt at sewing curtains- I still have to put buttons on and oh- sew the other one!

But I am happy with the result!

The nursery will have a bird theme to match her bedding- I have this gorgeous branch with birds adhesive to put on the wall

I still have a LONG way to go but I can slowly but surely get everything done!

It's a ...... GIRL!!!!

2011-02-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to be adding a little girl to our family. Both the Gunn and Ginos families have an excess of boys. I have already run out and bought her first dress and I am now thinking everything pink- from shoes, to bows, to her nursery.

The ultrasound went great and the doctor said everything looked healthy and perfect!

She was moving all around and kept waving her hands- it was so cute

My mother was convinced we were having a girl before I even told her we were pregnant- much to her delight- she was right!

My favorite picture- her two little feet and her little toes

Holiday baking!

2010-12-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year and I particularly enjoy cooking all the yummy meals and goodies.

This year I tackled a turkey! My first ever. I had to cook one last minute for our ward Christmas party because someone was unable to. So, it was the night before the party and I had a frozen turkey on my counter- I panicked a little. Luckily my mother in law came to the rescue and walked me through it- it turned out perfect!

The Turkey

I did the "turkey in a bag method"- way easy. I brushed it with butter, rubbed a mixture of rosemary, thyme, and salt n pepper, and laid it on a bed of onions and celery. I finished it off by sprinkling it with paprika for even browning. It was so yummy!

The Red Velvet Trifle

This is my latest creation. I kinda made it up as I went but its going to be so good.

Recipe:

1 Red Velvet Cake- I cheated and just did a box mix

Bake and cut cake into 3 layers

Middle layers:

1 box of Cheesecake pudding

2 c. milk

8 oz. cream cheese

1-2 c. whipped cream

Top layer:

8 oz. cream cheese

2-3 c. whipped cream

3/4 c. powdered sugar.

Top with fresh raspberries and white chocolate chips

(I also did this in the middle too)

2 year anniversary

2010-12-20T10:35:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that we are already celebrating our 2nd anniversary. What a crazy two years it's been. We have gone through 4 moves, several apartments, 3 states, new jobs, a new house, and are now expecting our first baby. We are so happy and feel extremely blessed for all that we have!

Little Gunner

2010-12-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

I know it is kinda hard to see but.... you can make out baby's head (at the top) and side profile of the face with its' little body and the umbilical cord (on the bottom)! You can kinda even see the little face!

I had my first OB appointment this morning and I was very excited to finally hear the heartbeat. I am only 10 weeks and the doctor couldn't get the heartbeat on the doppler- sometimes they are just to little to pickup. I was pretty bummed. My doctor only does one ultrasound at 20 weeks- which is when you find out the sex and most insurance companies only pay for 1 ultrasound. Lucky for me- my husband happens to be a doctor. He knew I was bumming so he asked he attending (the doctor he reports to) if I could come down the the clinic that day and get an ultrasound since he was there anyway. His attending didn't mind a bit and I got to go right in and have Jimmy give the ultrasound. It was neat for it to just be Jimmy and I in the room looking at our tiny babe on the screen. We took a few pics and then I was on my way! It was just a relief to see the baby and to know that yep- there is really one in there!

Christmas Joy!

2010-12-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to decorate for Christmas this year...

and to start all the yummy holiday baking!

Too bad I will probably just throw it up

5K Run!

2010-10-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Race for the Cure!

This past weekend a few of my fellow Young Women leaders and I signed up for a 5k run to benefit breast cancer. A few of the Laurel girls joined us as well. We had a blast! It was great weather and thousands of people turned out for the event.

Brione, myself, and Laura were troopers and they helped keep me motivated!

We were a a little pooped out afterwards!

We had such a fun group- and are totally planning on doing it again next year!

The Amana Colonies

2010-09-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to take a nice little trip to the Amana Colonies. It is an old German settlement established by Lutherans wanting a better life and created a profit sharing society. Oh and did I mention that this is Amana- as in Amana appliances...? Crazy. However, it is about an hour or so outside of Des Moines and it is a cute old town with shops and bakeries. We had a lot of fun going to antique stores, bakeries, and woodshops.

The colonies are picturesque!

We ate at the Ronneburg- Jimmy had some time of wienerschnitzel and of course- sourkraut- his favorite

We also went to the bakery and Chocolate Haus- and got some yummies- Apple butter and Raspberry jam

At the general store we got some awesome german rootbeer- it had a unique flavor but really good

The Amana colonies are famous for their woodwork and furniture. I got an awesome wood cutting board- it was also the only thing we could afford- everything was so expensive!!

It was a fun relaxing day!

My own HGTV

2010-08-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

HGTV is my favorite thing to watch... all the time. I try and get ideas and dream of grand home decor. Whenever I say.."I could totally do that" in relation to home decor, my husband thinks I am crazy. But regardless I am having a blast trying to decorate my home on a very tight budget and trying to repurpose the stuff we already have!

Before: Ugly paint color, old furniture

After:

I painted the entire room by myself- a task harder than I anticipated, our new sofas, and a few new items for the walls. I still have this amazing rug I want to buy but its $$$ so it will have to wait.

It has come a long way!

I looove my new sofas

Our little dining room- I painted in the chair rail

My little reading corner!

My project: I found a bunch of old frames at Goodwill or garage sales and painted them all.

The whole room will have a shabby chic feel- but I am not done with it yet- my vision is still coming together. More pics when its finished!

Iowa State Fair

2010-08-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my parents came for a visit! It was their first time to Iowa and we were excited to show them around. One of our activities was the famous Iowa State Fair. For all you non-iowans- its kind of a big deal around here. Everyone looks forward to it all year. So we went and actually had a really fun time.

!Yep- That is the world's biggest boar- 1200 lbs

The famous "butter cow"- made entirely of butter

I made Jimmy take this picture- he hates taking pictures

My parents enjoying the fair

We all had to eat food "on a stick"- my teriyaki meat was surprisingly good!

July wrap up

2010-07-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

So-it has been a while and I thought I would just do a quick post to say what we have been up to!

Jimmy has just about completed his first month as a resident! Its been a long one! I basically never see him- he leaves at 7 am and gets home at 7 pm and is on call every fourth night. But I am very proud of him!

I made him take this picture on his first day- he puts up with me though

As for me...I keep very busy somehow. With Jimmy working so hard I take care of everything else- moving to a new state and getting all of our bills, registration, licenses, unpacking, running errands, and putting the house together has taken up my days. There always seems like there is so much to do. I also was asked to be a chaperone at girls camp this year. I am new to the ward so it was good to be able to get to know the girls and women of the stake!

Now as August is approaching I am starting to focus on finding a job- trying to certify for teaching in three states in the past three years has been difficult and frustrating for me but I am just hoping something will work out. I also look forward to my parents visiting in a f

ew weeks! I am taking them to the IowaState Fair- should be an experience.

On a less serious note...we got a new computer and we goofed around with photo booth

In LOVE with our House!

2010-06-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

It was a very stressful few weeks while we packed up in NY and moved to Iowa. I will try and make a long story short (few people ever read everything you write anyway-especially if its really long)

June 5-9 - packed up our tiny apartment

June 10- hit the road and said good bye to NY! will we miss it? most things-no; the people and the adventure-yes

June 11-12- drove to Des Moines- I drove our car and Jimmy drove the moving truck- 2 days by myself in the car- not very fun

June 12- We arrive at our beautiful house waiting for us!

June 13- We unpack like crazy

June 14- We go to our new ward and then I fly ba

ck to NY to finish school. I did not want to leave

June 14 (later)- flight gets cancelled and I am stuck in Chicago without clothes or a toothbrush.

June 15-18- Finish teaching at New Rochelle High School

June 18- Get stuck in Chicago AGAIN trying to get home-without clothes or a toothbrush

June 19- Jimmy drives to Chicago to get me and we drive home- I was done with airplanes

We are finally here and we are all settled in! We love our home.

Here are a few pics- its not decorated yet and our new couch is on order but its coming along.

We LOVE it!

I am trying to do a picture tour .....
Our living room window over looking the front lawn

The entry way- I love my wood floors

Our bookcases are the only furniture in the living room- our old couch will move in here when our new family room one come

The living room connects to the formal dining room
The hallway off of the front entry way leading into the kitchen
Powder room
Family room- I am painting next week!

Kitchen- so big and spacious!
I love looking out of my kitchen window!

We have a nice deck- and yes that is a corn field!
Off of the family room a door leads to our basement
We turned the bedroom into our dual office
Our basement is huge and we have absolutely nothing to really put in it yet
My little workout area- its a little sad at the moment- Jimmy has a weight bench we want to get from AZ

I am going to try and do a before and after when I have painted and actually hung stuff on the walls. So far we really like Des Moines, our ward, and Jimmy's program.

A little of this and that....

2010-05-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

With Jimmy's parents in town and Jimmy now done wi

th school- we were able to do some fun stuff. We saw 3 broadway shows- yes 3- God of Carnage, Memphis, and Wicked. I enjoyed all of them- they were so good. We did a little sightseeing around the NY area and we also took a trip to Philly and Boston. We had a really good time seeing the historic sights and going on the tours. We drank a lot of egg creams and ate a lot of black and white cookies (purely NY creations)! Aleta went home with specialty syrup to make the Egg Creams which you can only find in NY. I did not take many pictures- mainly because Jimmy HATES taking pictures but I did manage to squeeze a few in.

The Freedom Trail

The Boston Harbor

Enjoying the Harbor Cruise

Independence Hall

The Liberty Bell- which has several spelling errors including Philadelphia

Hello Dr. Gunn!

2010-05-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Jimmy graduated from New York Medical College with his M.D.! I am so so proud of him and glad that I am officially a doctor's wife! It has been a long, long, long, road for Jimmy and I am so glad for him and all of his comrades and their accomplishment. Here are a few pics of that beautiful day!

The ceremony was short and sweet with a great lunch afterwards!

Jimmy and his fellow graduates

We were really thankful for Tom and Aleta (Jimmy's parents) who came all the way from AZ

Its official! He has the document to prove it!

Our first home!

2010-04-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we flew to Des Moines and went house hunting. We had about 1.5 days to look at homes, pick one, and put in an offer. It was a whirlwind weekend but it was a complete success! We knew several areas of town we wanted to look in and we had a great realtor to help us. We saw a lot of homes that were just OK. We were so lucky to find a house that had everything we wanted and was extremely well maintained. We LOVE it!

Here is our new home...

basic stats- 4 bedrooms, 2700 square feet (which includes a finished basement) and 2 1/2 baths.

Before we left town, we drove by one last time and I was so excited to see the SOLD sign!

Now we just have to wait two months before we move in! We can't wait. We love our house!

Celebrations and Vacations

2010-03-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy couple of weeks. In addition to preparing to move, we spent a night in the city celebrating with a bunch of friends. It was fun to hear about where everyone is going for residency and to see everyone. The next day was my birthday! Yes, I am now 26! It was a gorgeous day so we went to one of our favorite parks on Long Island sound.

On the way to the park, Jimmy spotted a lemonade stand run by some little boys. Jimmy has a rule that whenever he sees little kids selling lemonade he has to stop and buy some. So two glasses of lemonade and two cookies later, we enjoyed some time at the park.After enjoying our lemonade, we went out to dinner in White Plains. Jimmy took me to this little Thai food place. They had the best soup-coconut curry mmm.
We just got back from a vacation weekend in Washington D.C.! I had never been there, so I was excited to go and see the sites! Here are some highlights from our trip. We took one of those double-decker bus tours. I know its pretty touristy, but it was the best way to get around and see everything! Beware for picture overload.

IOWA or BUST!

2010-03-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Prior to the Match this week- where we find out where we could go for residency- I told my husband- "Honey- I will go anywhere we get a spot...hopefully it's just not Iowa or something" Well, guess what- we are moving to Des Moines Iowa! I am eating my words.

Truth be told- we are so grateful to have a spot in a wonderful Family Medicine program. It has great benefits, its a solid program, and from what Wikipedia says- its one of the top 5 places in the US to live and raise a family. We are so there!

Earthquake Relief

2010-03-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

So I spent last week in Haiti with a group of doctors and surgeons as a member of an earthquake relief team. It was one of the most humbling experiences I've ever had. The destruction I saw was worse than any Hollywood produced natural disaster movie. People were homeless, living in shanty towns and tent cities all across the city.
As a member of the team, I worked with ER docs and family practice docs in local medical clinics. We had a few groups of surgeons operating at mobile hospital units. I spent most of my time in Leogane, a town about 20 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Leogane was actually hit harder than the capital city and I figure about 80% of the town is in rubble. I traveled up the mountain side and down the coast to smaller villages treating the locals at clinics we set up. The team probably saw 1200 patients in the week we were there and I probably saw about 250 of them by myself. The surgeons operated on about 75 people as well in the hospitals.
I learned so much and grew to love the Hatian people. The video posted shows some of my trip through Port-au-Prince. The Hatian people were very shy of the cameras, so I tried to take my video discretely. It's choppy, but you will see the devistation well enough.

Jimmy and Haiti

2010-02-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

So for the past few weeks, Jimmy's dad, Tom, has been wanting to travel to Haiti with a group of doctors to give much needed medical service. Tom, an anesthesiologist, got on board with a group traveling down in just a few weeks. He called Jimmy and told him there would be a spot on the plane for him if A- he got permission from me and B-he got clearance from NYMC. Well- after a few days and several discussions, Jimmy will be going to Haiti with his dad for 8 days. At first- I was really for him going- it will be a great experience and will be an important part in his medical training. He also knew it might be the only time he can go and practice medicine together with his father. But, when I started thinking about it more and more- the doubts and fears crept in and now I am going to admit I am a little weary about the safety and conditions for him in Haiti. Although I know he really wants to go and do this- I am going to be home biting my nails and hoping for their safe return home.

A peek into the future...

2010-02-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we babysat a family in our ward. The couple went on a much deserved weekend away and they asked Jimmy and I to watch their 5 children. We were glad we could help out. They have 5 very good, smart, and well behaved kids. However, never in my life did I appreciate mothers more than this weekend. I know kids are a lot of work-but when its 5 kids of various ages and schedules- I was suprised at how exhausted this experience made me! I fell into bed so tired each night. It was a constant around the clock job for 3 days. Starting at 7am to 10pm I - cooked, cleaned, played, washed, comforted, bathed, dressed etc. Jimmy was called into work for a good part of saturday and I was left by myself. We had a good laugh that even though we stayed in the same house- I felt like I didnt really see or talk to him all weekend. So we felt like we had a look into the future on what our life will be like with several kiddos running around! Overall- we had a good time with the kids-but I think they were glad when their parents came home:)

On the Wings of Love?....

2010-01-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

The Bachelor:

Ok, I admit- it's my guilty pleasure. Yes, I know the scenes are staged and its obvious the lines are scripted but I still seem to watch it every week. I actually prefer the Bachelorette because, lets be honest, watching 25 women fight over a guy who can't keep his shirt on can be painful. This time is no exception. I watch painfully as these women succomb to every bad stereotype there is about women- catty, irrational, emotional, gossiping, jealous, desperate...and the list goes on. These women give the rest of us a bad name.

By the way- has anyone noticed that Jake seems to have a certain type?... meaning women with big, fake boobs that are either models or dont seem to have a real job? Just wanted to point that out.

And- this whole "on the wings of love" thing makes me gag. He is a pilot- we get it

Im done ranting now.

Christmas/Anniversary/Interviews...and more

2009-12-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy lately! We started by traveling to South Bend, Indiana where Jimmy had an interview. It was really nice- he liked the program and I even got to go to all of his interviews with him! We saw the town and looked at homes. Its a nice little college town (Notre Dame) and we think we would like it there-although my family would probably cry if we didnt move back to AZ.

This is the B&B the Program paid for us to stay at- the Oliver Inn- it was Beautiful!

Next, we drove to the Hamptons for our 1 year anniversary. Jimmy surprised me with a little B&B for the night. It was so pretty. We even drove all the way out to Montauk to this really cool lighthouse. The town was super cute and it even snowed! In fact it snowed all night and all the highways were closed in the mornings! It took Jimmy and the other guests hours to get the cars out. We had so much fun!

The Montuak Lighthouse-Hamptons

The little B&B in South Hampton- Breakfast was sooo good!

Then, we flew home to Phoenix for another interview and Christmas. We had dinner with the residents from Phoenix Baptist and then Jimmy interviewed the next day. However, I ate some bad food at dinner and was stuck lying on the floor of the bathroom with food poisoning! It was the worst! I wanted to die. Luckily I was staying with Jimmy's family and Doctor Gunn Sr. brought home some good drugs for me- he even hooked me up to an IV- I felt so much better after that. I barely ate anything for the next couple of days because my stomach was still sensitive. I actually LOST WEIGHT over Christmas- something I never thought possible. We had a wonderful holiday with the family-I got a new Fip-video camera- so now I can post video on my blog. Here is a short one from Christmas morning at my parents.

One Year....

2009-12-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

We are in love. We are happy. We have a wonderful life together.

Madison Square Garden

2009-11-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night, we went to Madison Square Garden to watch the ASU Sun Devils take on the Duke Blue Devils. Jimmy, being ASU alumni and both of us growing up in the valley, we decided it was a rare opportunity to see them play out here in NY. We had been wanting to go to an event at MSG for some time but tickets were pricey. When I found out that ASU would be in town for a tournament, we had to go. We had a really good time. It wasnt very crowded and it was fun to be some of the only ASU fans in a crowd of blue. Although we knew Duke was probaby going to stomp us- we were proud of our Sun Devils. The game was neck and neck for the most part until Duke pulled away the last few minutes.

Fork em' Devils
We got in our ASU gear- we stuck out in the sea of Duke fans wearing blue! The place where we sat smelled of stale beer- Im betting the entire arena does-nasty Jimmy even got on the JUMBO TRON! It was the highlight of his night.

Family Fun

2009-11-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my sister Tricia and her husband Kenny came to visit. They left the two older kiddos at home and just brought baby Landon. It was such a treat to have them here and for them to see the sights in the city. They had a blast and took a three day tour extravaganza and saw just about everything. Jimmy and I went into the city with them one day and did the Top of the Roc. It was such a gorgeous, clear day- which can sometimes be a rare thing in New York. We had a fun time with the Mayers. The gorgeous view from the Top of the Roc

Overlooking Central Park
Tricia and I- the sun was right in our faces

We love the show 30 Rock- Jimmy kept humming the theme song

Jimmy carried Lando around all day- He actually liked it- It was good practice for the future...someday:)

Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

Last night Jimmy and I had a few friends over for a little Halloween party. I know we are a little old to still be dressing up but its just so fun I cant help myself. We all went out to dinner (yes, in our costumes) and then came back to our apartment for some games and dessert. We had a pretty good time!

We went patriotic this year

"I want YOU!"The Briggs were a pumpkin patch- this pictures doesnt do it justice- it was really cuteMichael won best costume- he is convinced the red pants is what sealed it.

I'm feeling like Martha...

2009-10-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been on a big craft, cooking, homemaking kick. I dont really know why but I constantly want to use my creative energy to try new recipes and decorate my little apartment-I think I have been channeling Martha. It was fate when my friend Afton told me she and some friends had an extra ticket to the Martha Stewart show. We had a really good time at the taping. Martha and her pals taught us a new porkloin recipe, how to make fun homemade Halloweeen costumes, and how to appreciate creepy, crawling pets and insects.
We got to sit in the front row! She was pretty close to us.
I have not seen Afton in a long time and it was fun to finally meet up in the city.We will totally be on TV October 28th!Martha's set was really nice. It has a kitchen, craft area, and garden.These are a few of my latest craft creations- thanks to Jen FeldmanI cant wait for Christmas to come and to hang this up! I also made homemade apple cider the other day-it made the house smell so good- I also still have a ton of apples left from the orchard and I have already made like 3 huge pies. My next apple recipe is going to be apple sauce and making some potpourri!

Apple Picking

2009-10-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

We have come to find that a common fall activity in the northeast is apple picking. We have had some friends tell us about it and I was dying to go. I finally convinced Jimmy it would be fun. We drove about an hour north through the beautiful countryside. All the leaves are fantastic shades of orange, red, and yellow. I forgot how wonderful the changes of seasons can be. We pulled up to Barton Orchards and there must have been 200 cars on the lot. It was packed with families. The orchard not only had apples but pumpkins, fruits, veggies, shops, and kiddie games and rides. It was quite a cool place. It was a perfect fall day and in the end we had a lot of fun.

On the hay ride taking us to the apple orchard

Jimmy searching for the perfect apple

Trying to reach those high branches

Climbing the trees is a big no no but Jimmy is such a rebel

(I had to keep a lookout)

Up and down the rows and rows of trees full of all different types of apples

I felt sad for all of the bad apples

Our 1/2 bushel of hand picked apples!

Jimmy's perfect apple

MMM! (ok so I only faked taking a bite)

I picked, I peeled, I sliced, I latticed, I baked, I conqured making an apple pie

completely from scratch.

Our Humble Abode

2009-10-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our apartment in NY we quickly realized how spoiled we were out west where everything is new and spacious. Well our apartment is over 50 years old (which is considered quite new) and lets just say not everything in it is convienent. Having no laundry, garbage disposal, or dishwasher is the norm for a NY apartment. Our kitchen and bathrooms are only as big as the swinging door with allow and the outside hallway always smells like Indian food- but hey we have learned to love living here.

Here is a tour of our home-dont worry- its very short

Welcome!

Our little dining room just opposite the door.

My next goal is to add cute curtains

The itty bitty kitchen just off the dining room

Basically only a one person wide kitchen- fitting two is difficult

The family room a little down the hall- luckily this room is nice and big

Between a history teacher and a doctor- we have a lot of books- this isnt even all of them

"Jimmy's bathroom"- different bathrooms is a key in a our marriage

Our bedroom My bathroom- beware objects in the picture are even smaller than they appear

The spare room- basically our room where we put the rest of our junk- I am hoping to buy a futon and make it more of a guest room/office- it has a long way to go!

The Good and the Bad

2009-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Good
These past few months Jimmy has been studying for his medical board exam- he has one week before his test and he is starting to feel the pressure. Last night Jimmy got GREAT news...Phoenix Baptist Hosptial offered him an interview for a residency program! He is also hoping for some anethesia interviews as well, but family medicine would be great too and we could move back home! Hopefully he will score a few more interviews in the next few weeks. He is so excited.

The Bad
We bought a Nissan Murano a few months ago and its been a great car. The oil change notification came on and I finally got around to taking it in. I just picked a Valvoline express oil change place near our house. I figured that it would be fine, an oil change is pretty routine right? WRONG! I got it changed and then drove home. A few hours later I hopped back in the car to pick up my friend for a movie. I got a little ways down the street and it starts sputtering and then stalls in the middle of the road with people honking and I start making traffic back up! I was so scared. I started the car again and barely got it moving and was able to pull it to the side of the road. I called Jimmy and since I wasnt far from our apartment he ran to meet me. He barely got the car going again and it limped home. I was so mad- I knew it couldnt be a coincidence that this happened right after my oil change. We called a mechanic that a friend suggested and he knew what had happened before even seeing our car. He drove over (his shop wasnt far) and reattached the air hose in about 2 minutes( the stupid guys at valvoline didnt reconnect it). It was such a relief it wasnt something major. Last time I get my oil changed there!

Central Park Gem

2009-09-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Jimmy and I finally returned to our home in New York after our long absence from eachother. To celebrate we decided to have a fun, relaxing day in Central Park. We took the train in to Grand Central and then caught the subway up to Central Parks Conservatory Garden. Its in the northern part of the park and not too many people even realize its there nor do they travel that far. The Garden was beautiful! So relaxing and not crowded. Its called the Conservatory garden because in the early 1920's an old glass conservatory used to sit there- in 1937 it fell into disrepair and they built a gorgeous garden. After we toured the grounds we headed south to the boathouse and I made Jimmy rent one of the rowboats so we could tour the lake around the park. In the end he had way more fun then he thought he would! Here are some pictures from our day.

Catching the train from New Rochelle to New York

Our second stop- Grand Central catching the subway

Walking through Central Park

I really love the park and all the neat bridges

The entrance to the Conservatory Garden and the gorgeous water fountain

My sweet husband putting up with my constant picture taking

In the garden there was this pond with all the lilly pads and birds playing in the fountain

A nice lady took a picture of us

Jimmy took this picture- I was impressed

Again- the fountain. He was a good sport

We then headed to the boathouse and rented a little row boat on the lake. It was a beautiful day. About 70 degrees with a nice breeze. We balanced in the boat long enough to take this picture.

Jimmy was very proud of the fact he is an eagle scout with a rowing merit badge thats right a rowing badge. He kept saying how he was the fastest rower on the lake.

We explored the entire lake- Jimmy had a nice blister when he was finished!

I got to sit and enjoy the scenery while Jimmy did all the work!

We had such a fun day!

Home Sweet Home

2009-09-04T20:11:00.001-07:00

I have been able to spend some time at home with my parents these past few weeks and its been so relaxing! Jimmy is about to take Step 2 of his medical boards and New York Medical College provides a 5 week review. The only thing is its a complete immersion type of review in Pittsburgh. They stay at a hotel and have class everyday from 8-4 and then study on their own every night for 5 weeks. Fun huh? Well, I didnt want to stay home alone in New York for all that time and I couldnt really go with him- so I came home! I will be subsituting once school starts in NY but that doesnt happen till after Labor Day. Luckily, I have been able to visit my sister and her new baby and get to be home for the blessing and to help her out with the kids. I workout, lay by the pool, and watch movies at night- not too bad huh? The only thing is- I miss Jimmy!

Update! Finally!

2009-08-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

I created this blog over a year ago when Jimmy and I got engaged. I am pretty sure I have not touched it since. So I decided it was time to update it. So what is going on in the life of Jimmy and Kelli Gunn? Well, in the short 8 months since we have been married there have been a few changes! Let me give a brief breakdown: We moved into our first apartment, Jimmy graduated from medical school, I finished teaching at Higley High School, we packed up and moved out of our apartment, drove across country and moved to NYC! Jimmy started his internship and I am going to start subsititute teaching for our duration in NY. I posted a few pictures to highlight our latest adventures!

We went on a cruise for our honeymoon to Belize, Mexico, and the Bahamas! So much fun. Gotta love the towel animals!

We also saw the ancient ruins of Tulum. We also traveled to Mexico while Jimmy finished up school. There was the beautiful square with this really old church and fountain.

Fortunate for me Jimmy drove most of the way to New York...but you can see it took a toll on him! We got to see a lot of the country and some cool sites including the St. Louis arch and the Mississippi river.

We were also able to travel to Dallas for one of Jimmy's buddies wedddings. We had such a good time! We are loving New York so far. We have gone around town to a few museums and sites. We have even gone to the Manhattan temple!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Wedding plans are well underway and it feels like we can never get enough accomplished. Jimmy leaves to go back to school for a month and its going to be hard not only because I cant see him but because its so close to the wedding! But we are still very excited and wish it was december already!

We're Engaged!!!

2008-08-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

We are excited to share the news that we are getting married. The big day is December 20th!
Some of you might be wondering... how? when?
We met at a birthday party in June and a friend of ours, Tyler Mecham, introduced us. Jimmy had been home from medical school only about three days and Tyler convinced him to just stop by this party. I was sitting on a couch and I looked up and saw Tyler pointing at me and and talking to Jimmy (whom I didnt know of course) then they made their way over and Tyler talked us up to one another about how cool we were and even made sure we exchanged phone numbers. Pretty cliche, but hey we are still thanking Tyler for that one. We went to the lake the following week with some of our friends and from then on we were hooked.

Who is Jimmy Gunn?

2008-08-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here comes the Jimmy Gunn story. I was born in Phoenix but my family moved to Mesa when I was about 7 years old. I was lucky to be born into a wonderful family with 5 brothers and sisters and awesome parents. I attended Mountain View High School and graduated in 1997. I enjoy all types of sports and outdoor activities. After high school I served a mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina and loved every second of my time with the Argentine people. I began school at ASU studying Biology and Spanish. While attending ASU I was offered a teaching job at Heritage Academy teaching 7th and 8th grade Spanish. I taught full time for 3 years and retired from teaching to finish my degree at ASU. After graduating in December of 2004, I applied to medical school and started down in Guadalajara, Mexico in August of 2005. I'm currently in my 4th year and luckily this semester I've been able to have some of my rotations here in the Valley. It has been wonderful because I was able to meet Kelli and my life has been absolutely perfect ever since.

A little about Kelli...

2008-08-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are reading our page and wondering who I am, let me tell you a little about myself.
I was born and raised in North Phoenix and I attended Thunderbird High School. Upon graduating, my family moved to Mesa and I moved to Provo to attend BYU. I loved my years at the Y and I graduated with a degree in History and secondary education. I debated whether to stay in Utah or move back down to Mesa. I decided I wanted to be close to my family and was lucky enough to get a job teaching. I was hired at Higley High School and I currently teach World Studies and American Government. This is my third year at Higley and I have really enjoyed my students. Whenever anyone learns I am a high school teacher, they think I am crazy but it has to be one of the funnest most rewarding jobs. Besides, there are three main reasons I became a teacher...June, July and August! In my time off I love to travel, read, and be in the outdoors-camping, fishing, riding quads. This past summer however was the best yet..I was lucky enough to find Jimmy and I am so excited to spend forever with him.

My Ring-I love it!