Settling in

We've had a great week. Ben started school on Monday. The whole week was orientation and he had some really fun things to do. I think the part he liked most was a lecture they gave the students about personality types. Ben came home talking about it and he said he wished I had been there. He said it would have helped me to understand him better which I often could use some help with :P Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday I got to go shopping!! I used the gift cards we received for our wedding. I visited Target and Bed Bath so much and for many hours each visit that I started recognizing the workers there and wanted to duck so that they didn't see me in the store again! Seriously I think I went to Bed Bath 3 times one of the days...I realized that if they caught me ducking I would look more foolish than if I just let them see me so I decided against it. I finally feel like the apartment is how I want it and there will probably only be one or two more trips back to the store.

Ben's parents came for a visit starting Wednesday evening and lasted until this morning. While they were here we went to see many sites in and around the Richmond area. Some of the things we did included the Hollywood Cemetery, The Civil War Visitor Center at Tredagar Iron Works, a canal ride, a walk to Belle Isle, and eating out at lots of delicious restaurants. In between those things Ben's parents helped us settle into our apartment. Anything they saw we needed they helped us with. They even bought us a fly swatter. You will see why that is relevant down below. The most important thing we did while Harold and Lori were here was to attend Ben's White Coat Ceremony. In the med program here Ben will be working with patients in the next few months so the school presents the students with their white coats and has them take the Hippocratic Oath. It was a very good ceremony and the thing I was most impressed with is how much the school cares about their students. We are so excited to be here and to be a part of the Medical College of Virginia.

We started a puzzle while Brandon was here. Brandon and Ben worked on it a ton. I got bored quickly and took A LOT of breaks. We didn't touch it after Brandon left and I think he knew that would happen so he gave his mom the assignment to make sure it got done while she was here. We, yes I do mean we Brandon, finished it at 1 am Thursday night. Here is the before and after...

This was halfway through our walk to Belle Isle. Ben was kind of done

with pictures for the day after this.

Our apartment has these absolutely horrifying bugs that I still have not been able to get used to. I did some research and I think they are called camel crickets. They are known around here as spider crickets. They are big, look like spiders, and they JUMP! Seriously, I am too afraid to get close to them to kill them because they will attack me!!!! (Please note the extra exclamations. I am not joking. They jump right at you and they are pretty accurate and good at landing on you.) Lori knew to come running with a shoe and tissue when she heard me scream so before Harold and Lori left they made sure I had a box of tissues and a fly swatter :)