8.22.2008

Leaving Memphis

Well...it was a sad, sad day. On August 3, the Dress family officially said goodbye to Southern living and left Memphis, TN and headed to Rochester, NY (the pics are from the 3 day festivities the led up to our moving day - we have great friends!!). The reason...well its not the weather! Matt was offered (and accepted) a fellowship in Hematapathology at Strong Memorial Hospital. Thankfully we'll only have to endure one upstate NY winter, and next June we'll come back down the land of everything fried, southern drawls, crawfish, college football, and sweet tea. In the meantime, Jackson has started daycare and really loves his teachers and classmates. I've also started back to work; in Memphis I worked at the Mid South Tissue Bank, and found what I did very challenging and rewarding, so I joined the team at the Rochester Eye and Tissue Bank. Today was my first day, nothing more than orientation and getting a pager (I didn't miss the pager). The people I've met so far have been great...I look forward to meeting the rest very soon.
Matt is really enjoying his time at Strong. He's meeting brilliant people and receiving great training. I think he's settled in nicely. I'm still feeling pretty homesick, especially since its such a different way of life up here. I think my starting work will help ease the discomfort of missing home by getting to meet new people. I have already planned a trip back to Memphis though (sept 24-28). A few items were left behind in the move and they are currently taking up space in our friends Dennis's upstairs. My "reason" for the trip is to get them shipped to us up here...ok, more of an excuse than a reason :). I can't wait to see everyone, ride a golfcart, and enjoy some college football on the porch. Till then...

Birthday Boy


On August 16, we celebrated Jackson's first birthday. Since we're new to this area, we kept it small (just the 3 of us). We went out to dinner, opened presents, and ate chocolate cake. Jack wasn't too sure what to do with his very own piece of cake, but after that first taste of chocolate, there was no going back. He even practiced his finger painting with the icing. All in all...it was a great family day.

About Me

WELCOME! Our little family includes me, my hubby Matt, our son Jackson, and the pups Athena and Mojito. Day in and day out, we live a pretty normal life. This year we just happend to be living it in sub-zero temps in upstate NY, but that's changing in a few short months and we're heading back home to Memphis :). A few basic, but nontheless pertinent facts about me that you should know...I find cheese and crackers to be a perfectly acceptable dinner when I'm by myself, ice cream can be eaten any time of the day, cold weather is only good for skiing, animals have souls, flip flops are my favorite shoe, Jackson's laugh can make my day all better no matter what, fried okra is my favorite, someday I want to be permanently settled on a body of water, scuba diving is my favorite outdoor activity, 80's movies are awesome, I have the best friends and most wonderful family, if our next baby is a girl we're done, I want a Mac laptop, I get my love of cooking from my Grandad, and I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up...all in all, pretty basic stuff. Thanks for stopping by