Pumpkin Carving Contest

The last three years since we've been married we haven't ever carved pumpkins together. It has been a combination of laziness, Niel's lack of desire, and busy schedules. Since our schedule has slowed down lately I really wanted to do it this year. The trick was convincing Niel. So...we were in Walmart getting a few things but I had a hidden agenda of getting pumpkins to carve. Here is how it went down...

Darci: "Do you want to carve pumpkins this year?" (already knowing what the answer would be)Niel: "No"

Darci: "Why not?"
Niel: "Because then you have to pull out all the stuff inside the pumpkin"
Darci: "I've got an idea! Why don't we have a pumpkin carving competition?! How about I will take pictures of our pumpkins and put them on our blog...then people can vote who has the coolest pumpkin!"
Niel: "Alright...It's on!"

Then we preceded to pick out our pumpkins. We even splurged and got one of those pumpkin carving kits with the special tools. Niel was even looking forward to carving our pumpkins and asked, "When are we going to carve them?"

I am beginning to learn something about Niel. He is pretty competitive...so turning things into a competition can work to my favor. I guess that is my marriage tip of the day. I'm sure it works with kids too:)

"The black Cat" OR "Skully"

Now...this is when you come into play. We need YOU to vote on your favorite pumpkin. You can do this by voting on the poll in the top right hand corner of my blog. This is a serious competition in the Schurig home and we need everyone to vote because the winner gets a cool prize and most importantly bragging rights. I won't say who carved which pumpkin until the contest is over. You have until Midnight on Halloween to vote.

Which pumpkin is your favorite? Let us know by voting and leaving a comment!

Settlers

Friday night our friends Marleen and Spencer invited us over to play Settlers of catan. It was our first time playing this game and we really liked it. We met Spencer and Marleen at church and they invited us over for dinner a couple weeks ago. They are both hilarious and we have a really good time hanging out with them. It was a long game and we didn't finish playing until 1 a.m. I should have taken the picture at the beginning of the game before everyone looked phased. That is the latest we have stayed up in a long time. Usually we peter out at around 11 p.m. or earlier sometimes. Yeah, you could say we might be turning into an old married couple.

Magenta

On surgery days, Niel has to wear scrubs to work. Not just any scrubs though. DOC has this crazy dress code where the nurses and doctors wear the same color of scrubs. Wednesdays they wear these lovely pink scrubs. I find it really amusing and I get a good laugh every time I see him wearing them. Poor Niel...he has to withstand my persecution. I've debated if they are fuchsia or magenta...what do you think? Fuchsia or magenta?

Cougars & Casinos

This past weekend we ventured to the strip for the first time since we moved here. Adam and Brittany came to town for the weekend with some of their friends so we met up with them Saturday morning. First we went to breakfast at the Paris hotel buffet. Then we went shopping at the Miracle Mile Shops while the guys went to the ESPN center.
Me and Brittany. Right after we took this picture we saw Jerry Springer behind us. We weren't impressed. The Wynn is one of my favorite hotels on the strip. The interior is beautiful.
We went to In-n-Out for dinner and then to the UNLV vs. BYU football game. It was so fun to be there! There were tons of cougar fans.

In case you didn't hear, BYU dominated 59-21! It was a great game:)

Fine...we'll subscribe.

We finally caved in and purchased Netflix and cable. So far, Netflix is great. I'm not sure why we hassled with the movie stores and Redbox in the past. Now we don't have to worry about late fees, driving back and forth to the movie store, and movies not being available once we drive to the movie store. Plus, Netflix has every movie...even old films and church movies.

Up next in our que: Seinfeld season 9 followed by The Notebook. I secretly switched Ironman from #3 to #9 on our que...and I might have snuck in a few other chick flicks. Don't tell Niel:)

Buca di Beppo

We tried out the restaurant Buca di Beppo for our first time a couple weeks ago. Several people in California recommended it while we lived there and said it was amazing Italian food. We never ended up going because it was 40 minutes or so from our place. Now it is only five or ten minutes from our house so we went! I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. Lots of lights, paintings, pictures, and an overall unique Italian atmosphere. I especially liked this little statue guy wearing a flower.

Perks

Contrary to popular belief there are some perks to living in sin city...one of them is that residents can get great deals on shows. A lot of shows have 'buy one get one free' deals for tickets. Let us know if you'd like to go to a show with us because we could get you good deals on tickets also. There are two performances on our 'must see' list right now:

1. Cirque du Soleil

2. Phantom of the Opera It just so happens that my birthday is coming up next month so we are hoping to go see Cirque du Soleil. If you aren't familiar with their performances they are a combination of acrobatic circus acts, dancing, water, fire, and special effects. Now we just have to decide which of the Cirque du Soleil shows to go to. We are thinking either La Reve or O. Has anyone seen any of their shows? I'd like to hear any suggestions you might have.

House wife

I've had several people ask me what I'm doing now that we are in Vegas. Well, besides blogging up a storm with my extra time I'm not doing a whole lot. Just kidding that isn't entirely true. The first week we moved here I kept myself busy unpacking, changing addresses, registering our cars, etc. On Friday, I starting my job search. It has only been a few days and I am already slightly discouraged for a few reasons: 1) The unemployment rate is really high in Las Vegas 2) Pay is substantially lower here than it is in CA 3) Most jobs that I am interested in require 3-5 years experience 5) Of the slim selection of job openings, a majority of them request bilingual applicants only

It is frustrating knowing that I have a business degree from an accredited business school and yet someone who speaks spanish or someone who doesn't have a degree but 3-5 yrs. of work experience would be selected instead of me.

Anyways, I am tempted to just go get a fun job somewhere like Bath & Body Works. But at the same time I would really like to be making just as much or more money than what I made in California. I especially feel discouraged when I hear these stories, "It took me a year to find a job here"...."I was a top executive making 60K and after six months of unemployment I took a job for 30K gladly"

Bath and Body Works is starting to sound really good... OR maybe I should brush up on my dancing skills and head down to the strip? I mean, I do have 15 years of dancing experience. That might be my best bet...{just kidding, Mom}

One handsome duo

Last week was Niel's first work week with Desert Orthopaedic Group. His first day of work he and Dr. Tingey saw 37 patients. Apparently Dr. Tingey is very busy because his previous partner retired. Niel isn't able to help out with too much until he gets licensed and credentialed through the state of Nevada. Until then he is training and helping with pre-op physicals, post operation orders, injections, and paperwork. Monday, Thursday and Friday are clinic days. They see 35-40 patients/day with a wide variety of musculoskeletal complaints. Tuesday and Wednesday are surgery days. Most orthopaedic surgeons have one or two sub specialties. Dr Tingey does a lot of sports medicine, but he also does general orthopedics, so there is a lot of variety. Niel was a little overwhelmed with everything he has to learn, but he really likes ortho so he doesn't mind putting in the extra study time.

Overall his first week went really well as Niel really enjoys working with Dr. Tingey. Dr. Tingey is a really young looking guy. They've already been asked several times a day if they are brothers or if they are related. A pair of elderly women told them they made, "One handsome duo."

Friday night around 9:30 or so I noticed Niel was being really quiet. I went into the other room and found him passed out in this awkward position on the couch. He looked so funny so I hurried to grab the camera...he wasn't too happy when he woke up to my flash. I guess it was a long first week:)

What?!?!

OK. Forget about all that destiny and Vegas stuff from the last post. You aren't going to believe what happened...

Niel received an email from a doctor in Richland, WA from Northwest Orthopaedics asking if he was still looking for a job because he would like to hire a PA. Niel sent his resume to this practice about a month and a half ago...why now?!?! Couldn't the doctor emailed us at least two weeks earlier before we moved to Vegas and Niel started this job?

Richland, WA or Seattle, WA were our two ideal places to get a job since they are back in the northwest AND close to my family. Seriously. I could have been next door neighbors to my sister Lori, who lives there. Only an hour and a half drive from my parents instead of 16!!!

It is hard to know for sure without knowing all the details of the job in Richland. I mean, Niel is already really enjoying working with Dr. Tingey here in Vegas. But it's hard thinking about the possibility that Niel could have been just as happy or happier at a great practice in WA close to my family and friends. I really hope Vegas is where we are supposed to be...

Destiny

We may have been destined to live in Vegas because all of our favorite favorite restaurants are here (except Goodwood).

1) In-N-Out 2) BJ's 3) Cheesecake Factory 4)Chili's

and most importantly...

Did you know that Vegas has Cafe Rio? I didn't know that until a couple of weeks ago. The past two precious years of our life we've missed out on the one and only sweet pork burrito that Cafe Rio offers. Nothing else compares or comes close (except Costa Vida).

Last week, we partook of the amazing-ness of the pork burrito. It was delicious as always. Don't worry, Niel has already had it twice.

Welcome to Las Vegas

We officially live in Las Vegas...and so far we like it here. This is our new apartment in Northwest Las Vegas. It is a really nice area on the outskirts of Las Vegas about 25 minutes from the strip. Besides a few minor things including the washer not working and several sightings of waterbugs {shudder} we really like our cozy, one bedroom apartment. The apartment has a free tanning bed, pools, 24 hour gym, wi-fi lounge, and free Starbucks hot cocoa daily.

Allow me to give you a short tour. Here is our kitchen. Not pictured: pantry, washer/dryer room, and computer nook (our favorite).

This is our dining room. The sliding glass door is behind the blinds with a little patio. Living room

Anyways, we made it. We've been here a little over a week now. Moving is such a pain and is very stressful. Niel loaded the U-haul mostly by himself except for our big furniture. It isn't that easy when you live in an upstairs apartment. Luckily, Gayle came to help me clean because we were already running behind schedule on Thursday morning. We got to Vegas after the leasing office closed so we were worried that we weren't going to be able to move in until the following day. Luckily, someone stayed overtime and waited for us to arrive. Since we arrived late, we had to reschedule with the people who volunteered to help us unload the moving truck. In the mean time, we had to drive all the way across Vegas to drop off the dolly on the back of the moving truck that held the civic since the closer location was closed already. By the time we got back, it was 8:00 p.m. and we were starving since we hadn't had anything to eat since noon. Went to Subway...their credit card machine was not working and we didn't have any cash. I mean who carries cash these days? Of course when you are starving you can't find anywhere to eat. Seriously. There wasn't another food location for at least another mile. At this point we were hungry, tired, stressed, and quarreling with one another. Weird huh? Who does that?

Once we ate and got back to the apartment it was 9:30 p.m. Two men from our new ward were so nice to come help us unload our moving truck at such late notice. By 11:00 p.m. we had everything packed in our apartment and left for my aunt Marilyn and Uncle Carl's house (we were house sitting for them over the weekend).

Loading up a moving truck, cleaning the whole apartment, driving to another state, and unloading the moving truck should not be done in one day. Just a suggestion. Phew. Glad it's over!

Our big decision

I am finally posting the continuation post of our Oregon trip. Niel was offered a job interview with Hope Orthopaedics in Salem, Oregon. They offered to fly both Niel and I to the area for three days and pay for all expenses including hotel, rental car, and meals. Even though the interview was only a week before our scheduled move-in date in Vegas, we decided we didn't want to pass up a potentially great opportunity. The idea of moving back to the Northwest was very appealing to both of us...especially to me since my parents are five hours from Salem as opposed to 16 hours from Vegas.

While in Oregon, we stayed at a gorgeous hotel downtown Salem called the Grand Phoenix. Wednesday night, we walked around downtown Salem and went to the Salem shopping center. Thursday morning, we went to breakfast with the CEO of Hope Orthopaedics. Niel spent the remainder of the day touring the facilities, meeting the doctors, and observing a surgery. That night we went to dinner with four of the doctors at Bentley's Grill.

Friday morning, we had a scheduled tour with a realtor. We loved the style of homes and the neighborhoods. She showed us some neighborhoods that were backed by forests of huge evergreen trees and next to beautiful golf courses. Everything there was so green and pretty.

Following our tour of Salem, we went to Portland and walked down 23rd street. The street had tons of quaint boutiques, restaurants, and specialty shops. We took our friend Annie's advice and stopped at Moonstruck Chocolate cafe. They had unique and delicious chocolates which we thoroughly enjoyed. After meandering around 23rd street we caught our plane back to California.

The next several days following our trip were a little stressful. We had five days until we were supposed to be moving to Las Vegas and yet we weren't sure whether or not Niel was still going to take the Vegas job. We also didn't know if Hope Orthopaedics was going to extend a job offer for sure. The whole time we were both leaning towards the Vegas job but there were so many great things we loved about the the thought of moving to Oregon and back to the northwest. The things we liked about Salem: milder climate, hour from the beach, hour from a ski resort, nice parks, new practice, closer to my family in WA, and a nice place to raise a family.

Wednesday morning (the day before our scheduled move to Vegas), we received an email from the CEO offering Niel a job with Hope Orthopaedics. Hope Orthopaedics didn't know yet which doctor Niel was going to be working with and in what specialty. They also wouldn't be able to start him until December 1st. While speaking with some of the other PAs, it seemed that they work A LOT.

We had a really hard time coming to a decision. Both of us went back and forth on our decision since both locations had pros and cons. As far as location, climate, and a place to raise a family, we would have preferred Salem. The two locations as far as lifestyle and climate were completely opposite and our lives would be very different based on the job we decided to take. It is crazy when you can see yourself being happy in two completely different areas. Wednesday morning, we finally came to the decision that Las Vegas was where we were supposed to go. Overall the job opportunity in Vegas seemed like a better fit. Here are a few of the reasons why we decided to go with the Vegas job:

• Dr. Tingey and Niel get along really well. This was one of the most influential factors in making our decision. Everyone at the practice said he is the nicest guy to work with.
• Niel will be trained in a broad spectrum of orthopaedic surgery rather than one specialty.
• He will be working in sports medicine
• Desert Orthopaedic Center is the biggest and most reputable orthopaedic group in Las Vegas
• Homes are very cheap in Vegas

{This list is mostly for myself. I will refer to it when it is 115 degrees in July next summer to remind myself why we chose to move to Vegas}

With that, we finished packing our apartment and loaded up the U-haul.

My Peeps

I said my last good byes to the young women from church on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, not all of the girls were there but I did get to say goodbye to quite a few of them. I stayed pretty busy working in the Young Women's presidency but it was a fun and good experience working with these girls. I have grown to care about them a lot and truly hope the best for them in their future.


Miranda, Michelle, Julianne, Asia, and Tishnae. Asia was so sweet and even brought me a going away gift! I was able to give her a ride home that night and have a good chat with her.
Me and Tishnae

Here I am with Gayle Land (President-on the left) and Judy Conners (2nd counselor-on the right). It was so much fun working with these two. Gayle Land is hilarious and even though there is a significant age gap between the two of us, it never seemed that way at all. I learned a lot about serving and being a good leader from her. Oh, and I also learned many good girls camp pranks from her (because she pranked me).

I will miss you girls!

One last beach trip

In the midst of packing and getting ready to move, I convinced Niel that one more beach trip before we moved from California was a necessity. We got most of our things packed up on Monday as an incentive to go to Newport beach on Tuesday (we were getting the moving truck on Wednesday).

Ever since I experienced the warm ocean water of Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, I don't find it very enticing to get in the cold, brown, ocean water of CA beaches. I prefer to relax on my beach towel, soak up the sun, and enjoy the sound of the ocean. When I do get in the water, I usually just get my legs wet. Somehow, I ended up all the way in the ocean this time. I started out just getting my legs wet but before I knew it, I was being swept up by big ocean waves. It ended up being a lot of fun playing in the ocean together. We topped off our beach trip by stopping at Cold stone on our way home.