Another 50 things

I did a post a long time ago about 50 things most people don't know about me. It was supposed to be 100, but I was too lazy or busy with school to attempt such a feat. But now, since I'm jobless, schooless, and BORED, I figured I could give it a shot... It's not like I have the NCLEX coming up that I should be studying for.

51. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I didn't know until I was 22 that GOP stands for "Grand Ole Party". I'm actually a registered Republican... how did this bit of info escape me? When I asked Matthew, he looked at me speechless.... No wonder that I pursued a career in the Health related sciences.. not political science.

52. When Matthew and I first started dating, I asked him why there were so many sheriff's in Birmingham. He asked, "Why do you say that." My response, "Because every police car I see here says "Sheriff". Who knew that it meant that they worked in the sheriff's department! Not this girl.

53. I could eat Mexican food about every day of the week and not get sick of it.

54. Ashley and I spent most of our childhood summers watching shows like Matlock, Perry Mason, Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, Walker Texas Ranger... I think you can see the trend. Ashley had a written schedule of what time everything came on, what time we would eat lunch, etc... Disturbing, really.

55. The first big concert I ever went to, other than random Christian groups, was Backstreet Boys in the 8th grade. I still stand by the fact that it was one of the greatest concerts EVER (The Killers are #1 now). And no, I didn't cry.

56. I thought it was the coolest thing my freshman year of college that you could just go back to your room and nap at random points during the day. Maybe if I had exercised instead, those pounds wouldn't have crept on so easily... or I could have just refrained from the soft chocolate chip cookies in the dining hall.

57. Also during freshman year, my friends and I thought it was a good idea to order various take out foods at all hours of the night. How could you not want Chinese food at 2 in the morning, or pizza at 3? Makes me cringe just thinking about it.

58. When I was in elementary school, I was in a local kids drama club one summer. One of our assignments was to stand up and recite a poem in front of the crowd before one of our plays. Mine was "Homework oh homework, I hate you, you stink". Halfway through, I lost the words, tried repeating the line beforehand multiple times hoping it would come to me... It didn't, so I turned around and walked off the stage. Embarrassing.

59. I sucked my fingers until at least 7 or 8.. Not so cute at that age.

60. I always said I would never marry someone with brown eyes... Whoops :)

61. Matthew and I have already picked out some names for our future children. One problem.. we can't really agree on any boy's names... Guess we should just plan on 3 girls!

62. A lot of people say they would go back and change various things about their wedding day... I wouldn't change a thing. Best day of my life... It's a shame how much you forget about it though.

63. I wish I knew how to smock, or sew clothes/curtains... Heck, I wish I knew how to sew on a button.

64. I briefly picked up knitting fall of my freshman year. I made about 3 scarves, and then my interest dwindled.

65. I really appreciate creative people, I wish I was one... I'm just not.

66. I'm allergic to real vanilla.. Or at least Mexican vanilla. Uncle Grady and Aunt Jeannie brought some back from a vacation and my mom made chocolate chip cookies with them. I woke up the next morning with a swollen tongue... Like anaphylaxis, swollen. Needless to say, it sort of freaked me out. Nothing a little benadryl and shot of steroids won't cure.

67. Almost every friday afternoon in high school, my good friend Leigh Ellen and I would swing by Puffy Muffin for a mid-afternoon snack before the football game... Miss those days. Oh to have the metabolism of my high school self.

68. My first job was working at Limited Too my senior year of high school. Retail is NOT my thing.

69. I've slowly turned my husband into a neat freak. He said the other day, "I don't want to go out of town until I know the house is clean". Music to my ears.

70. On a trip to Gatlinburg for Winterfest sophomore year, my friends and I decided that we would use fake names the entire weekend. Mine was Anne Tyler. Heather's was Riley. Whitney's was Madison. And Mary Katherine's was Ryan.

71. It's scary how much I am like my mother.

72. If I could hire a decorator to do every room in my house, I would. It stresses me out trying to do it myself. That's why I will get Julie to help me :)

73. It took me MONTHS to decide what kind of everyday china I wanted to register for... I mean really, they're plates! Thankfully, I'm still happy with my choice.

74. The first time Matthew paid for my meal was at Olive Garden the summer of '06. We went with Heather and Russ.. I ordered Chicken Parmesan.

75. I could go the rest of my life without eating at a chain restaurant, excluding Sonic, Milo's, J. Alexanders (Which really doesn't count, cause they're only in Nash and Bham), PF Changs, and possibly Bonefish.

76. If I had to buy all my clothes at one store for the rest of my life, it would definitely be JCrew. Except for shoes... they're so uncomfortable.

77. Thankfully, I think I'm going to really like being a nurse.

78. Somedays, I wish I had gone to medical school instead.

79. Matthew and I have already decided that our next dog will be a Golden Doodle named Milo. Once we have a yard.

80. Matthew and I don't go to the movie theater often, unless we really want to see something. We refuse to pay $10 to sit for two hours. That's why we got Netflix!

81. I'm so ready to be off our "cruise diet". AKA... cereal for dinner, almost every night.

82. Matthew and I conveniently dislike the same foods... pickles and green beans mainly. Could he be any more perfect?

83. This past semester, I had a physician call me a baby nurse (the ugly white scrubs gave it away). I came up with a clever retort, but decided it was probably best to keep my mouth shut... My husband would have been proud.

84. I could eat my weight with vanilla wafers dipped in peanut butter.. really anything dipped with peanut butter.. .I have nightmares about developing a peanut allergy.

85. I've tried at least 5 times to stop drinking diet coke...unsuccessfully.

86. I can't wait for Matthew to take me to New York so we can eat at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill and Bar Americain.

87. The year the Titans went to the Super Bowl.. I was their BIGGEST Fan. I was so obsessed, I kept a notebook of all the newspaper stories about them. After Kevin Dyson was tackled one yard short of winning the Super Bowl, I was depressed for weeks.

88. My first day of 3rd grade at my new school in Texas, I threw up all over the classroom floor as we were lining up to go to lunch because I was so nervous... right in front of my crush.. In my defense, I had been telling the teacher for 5 minutes that it was coming.

89. Ironically, the best teacher I ever had was my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Anthony. She was AWESOME.

90. I drove a 97 Mercury Villager (minivan) to high school my junior year. Needless to say, on Friday morning tailgates, we had plenty of room to put the food!

91. One of the first movies I remember going to see in the theater was the Care Bears Movie. Mom says when the theme song came on, I got up and started dancing down the aisles. "Care a lot, we care a lot!"

92. I sliced my hand on my microwave freshman year, and had to get my good friend Amy to bandage me because I couldn't look at my own blood without feeling queasy... good thing other people's blood doesn't bother me!

93. Every Saturday night growing up, Ashley and I would sit and watch TV while mom would roll our hair in those infamous pink rollers...

94. I've told myself many times that I HAVE to learn to french braid before we have kids(girls). Why it's so hard for me to learn.. I have no idea.

95. I wish I could be a nurse with the schedule like a teacher. I think everyone should get a summer vacation!

96. I refuse to watch end of the world movies, or previews for end of the world movies... They scare me.

97. Once Matthew and I can afford it, I want to start taking piano lessons again. Or possibly the violin.

98. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 17. Afterwards, I cried, because I thought it made my ears ugly.

99. I still couldn't tell you exactly what Matthew's research is about. All I can muster is lung immunology, something about an enzyme called PE (which stands for something longer) that causes inflammation, and may be an indicator as to why lung transplants are the most commonly rejected organ post transplantation... My summary barely scratches the surface.

100. This isn't about me... But Matthew is one of a couple of authors on a paper that just got accepted into Science, the big daddy of Scientific journals.. to quote an article I recently read, "Most scientists go their whole career without publishing in Science." Publish Or Perish! I'm a super proud wife!

I will post pictures from graduation and everything else when we get back from our cruise. Hasta Luego!

"It's a Family Tradition"

Hi, I'm Andrea, and I don't like change. In fact, change makes me anxious, palms sweaty, feel like I want to throw up nervous... I HATE it. It's a wonder that I ever decided that getting married, moving to a new city, and starting a new school was EVER a good idea...

Because of my abhorrence of change, family traditions are important to me, and they should NEVER stop :)

One Smith family tradition is going to PCB with the Cinci Smiths every summer. We have been doing this for about as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, because of some kids growing up and getting adult jobs (Ashley, Andrew, and Kath) ... obviously this does not apply to me, our number has dwindled over the past couple of years.. which is frankly, unacceptable. There is this thing called vacation time!

Either way, I was glad I was able to steal away for 4 1/2 days and mooch off my parents for some much needed relaxation. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Buddy and his friend Grayson



Uncle Grady and Aunt Jeannie.. I was their kid for the week

Beautiful weather! And no oil!


RIP Smith kids at the beach... This was most likely 2006. Sad.

Look forward to posts on upcoming events: graduation!, M's birthday, little Matthew's visit, and nbd (no big deal)... the CRUISE!

Saturday Night=Date Night

It's the little things in life that make you feel so extremely blessed. My blessed moments today consisted of waking up late next to my wonderful husband, taking a trip to the local farmer's market, spending time holding my sweet nephew, and finally getting a much needed date night out with M.

As I sit here listening to James Taylor/Carole King sing me into a relaxed bliss, I thank God for the little things in life. Nothing better than curling up on the couch, listening to a little James, and oh yeah... waiting on a blackberry and peach cobbler to get out of the oven.


I dare you to convince me that you spent a better Saturday :)

Oh yeah... I passed my exit exam. Time to graduate!

4th of July FUN!

Heather and Russ came to spend the weekend with us to celebrate the 4th! This holiday is really starting to grow on me, and it's slowly becoming my favorite "minor" holiday, no offense America, but you have to be more than one day to be considered "major", like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Combine great food, swimming, fireworks, desserts galore and fellowship with friends and you've got one awesome celebration.... It's always about the food though isn't it?


Heather and Russ got into town early Friday afternoon right after I took one last swipe with my wonderful Swiffer Sweeper... I barely got it done in time. M and I cooked a spread of steaks, twice baked potatoes, strawberry pretzel salad, and rolls for our guests... and if I do say so myself, it was pretty awesome. The rest of the evening was filled with inside jokes and talk of Lipscomb fun, sorry Geoff if you feel left out :)


Saturday, M and I got up and cooked pancakes for breakfast. Geoff came back for that as well...if there's food, he's here. Saturday afternoon, we took Heath and Russ downtown to check out Matthew's lab. Heather was absolutely horrified at the thought that M has to kill mice for experiments. Don't call PETA! ;) They enjoyed getting to see where all the nerds hang out.

Mom.. I promise we were at a stop sign when this was taken.

This was while Matthew was explaining to Heather just exactly how he kills the mice.

Just taken in some Ethanol.

Everyone felt compelled to put on a white coat... They were all Amit's except the one M is wearing, obviously that is his own.

Saturday night we took them to one of our favorite restaurants downtown in Southside, called the J. Clyde. M and I personally think they have the best burger the Magic City has to offer, along with the MOST incredible hummus EVER... honestly. After dinner, we called Shawn to see if we could come over for an impromptu swim. Who doesn't love night swimming?! It reminded me of being a counselor at church camp.

Sunday, after church, we took them to Milos (future dog name here). And then we all got ready for the BIG event at the Blalock estate Sunday evening. As you have seen on my blog previously, Matthew's boss has a HUGE party on the 4th every year. It's the highlight of our summer, and ever since last September when Heather and Russ were here, Ed and Shawn have insisted that they come to the party as well. Aimee was on her way back from the beach with her parents, so she stopped by and came to the party as well! The more the merrier! Thanks to the 150% humidity here, I had sweat through my dress within minutes of arriving, so I was extremely grateful for the pool. Lexi has really awesome parents who decided it would be hilarious to throw her in... she was not thrilled. Overall, We had a great time! We're so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Here's to possibly one more summer in the 'ham! Heath and Russ... Residency HERE!

I mean, how adorable is my husband. He made a red velvet trifle for the party. No help! All I did was bake the cake... the design is all M's creativity ;)

Good friends.

THE Ed... or the Boss man.

You'll be seeing the 6 of us cruisin' the Carribean on August 15th... Well you won't actually see us, but there will be numerous pics courtesy of Aimee and my husband's tripod. ;)

Hope everyone had a great 4th! Happy 234th Bday America!

Little Matthew and my dad are at Harpeth Hills junior camp this week. I'm insanely jealous that they are at Hy-Lake while I'm here studying/slaving away... :) Stinks to be old.

New Addition

Matthew, Lexi and I have a new family member. Don't worry, he's not nearly as cute as Sam, nor does he share any genetic characteristics with humans, or mammals for that matter....


Meet Tayshaun... our new fish! He's named after one of our favorite former UK basketball players... Tayshaun Durell Prince (currently of the Detroit Pistons). I'm sure our Tayshaun appreciates the fact that we've chosen to name him after this former Wildcat. Hopefully he will live up to his name, and be the baddest Beta fish this side of the shelf he sits on. I think quite possibly he's a lefty just like his predecessor. I'm pretty sure I saw him swimming a little harder with his left fin.

I know you must be thinking what I'm thinking. Twins, Right!?

We picked the bluest Beta we could find. It wouldn't be right to have a light blue Beta named Tayshaun.... especially anything that even remotely resembled North Carolina blue. Gross.


Have a Happy 4th! Russ and Heather will be here in a couple of hours for the weekend!

And for those of you who are like me, and can't seem to get enough of Sam. Here he is.... So glad to be home from the hospital :)

SAM! We're so glad you're here!

I am more than proud to announce that Matthew and I officially became an aunt and uncle this past Wednesday! Samuel David Hardison finally made his grand appearance into the world at 9:23 PM, June 23rd, Central Standard Time :). J and K are officially parents! And not to anyone's surprise, they are already pros at it... seriously.

But, let's talk about Sam. Because, let's be honest, he's pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen, not that I am biased at all. I could sit and cuddle with him all day long, and I just can't seem to get over how sweet his little face is. Like K said, he actually gets cuter by the hour. The little guy has already got us wrapped around his little tiny fingers, and I'm already brainstorming all the ways I can spoil him rotten. I'm envisioning numerous trips to McDonalds and Yogurt Lab :)

Enjoy the montage of pictures of the cutest little guy you will ever set your eyes on. He's definitely a keeper!

The night before Sam's arrival we visited J and K at the hospital.

Right after the C-section, J was able to bring Sam over to the window so we could get a good look at him! All 9 pounds of him!

Proud Daddy :)

Matthew opted to sit down for the first "Sam Holding" experience

Day 2... cuter than Day 1!

At least he's got his priorities straight...

Matthew manned up and held Sam standing up this time... baby steps people!

In all seriousness, I am so incredibly thankful for J and K. I could not have asked for anything better when it comes to having a brother and sister-in-law. It's one thing to be family, but it's even better to be great friends as well. We are so excited for the three of you, and will continue to pray for you daily. We love you!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Today is little Matthew's 13th birthday! I cannot believe he is now hitting his teenage years. Soon, he will no longer be our little buddy :(

I experienced first-hand on Sunday a budding "teenage attitude". As we were walking into our pew at church (we were home this past weekend), I thought Matthew had said something to me, so I turned to look at him and said, "huh?". His response, with a slightly agitated tone, "I wasn't talking to you". About this time, I see a pretty girl turning the corner coming over to speak to him... I guess I know where I stand!

With that being said, I have the best little brother in the world. What other 13 year old boy would tell you that you look pretty on a Sunday morning? Now, I know that I wasn't completely overjoyed at the thought of you being around 13 years ago, but I will say that you've been totally worth it..even if I did have to give up my seat in the family van for your car seat ;)

So happy birthday Matthew! I love you!

Gotta love the missing tooth

I wish this seersucker suit still fit!

And now... Stop getting old!

On another note. I wanted to wish a Happy Anniversary to our good friends Heath and Russ , 3 years today! You're basically an old married couple now :)