Fourth of July Festivities

We had such a busy and fun fourth of July! Bryce spent most of the day working in the yard (mowing the lawn, trimming the unruly bushes we have, chattin' it up with the neighbors) AND building a hutch for the top of his desk. Isaac "helped" his dad. I busied myself trying to clean & organize, and YES, I am STILL trying to unpack! In the evening we got together for a BBQ with several friends from our ward who live in the same neighborhood as us. Good food...good folks...good fun...what more could you ask for on the 4th of July? Oh yes, and we did have a fine little fireworks show, crafted by our friend Paul.

ONE OF US ISN'T VERY PATRIOTIC:)

BBQ on the McBride's Porch (picture taken from our porch)

I like to call this next series of photos:

"Isaac's Acclimation to Noisy, Scary Fireworks"

Exhibit #1 Uncertainty

Exhibit #2 Fear

Exhibit #3 Wow!
In the above picture he's actually in the middle of saying "KABOOM." A word he kept repeating more and more zealously with each new firework that was lit.

Exhibit #4: BLINDED BY OVEREXPOSURE TO PURE AWESOMENESS!!!!

Four Years of Bliss

Three Fathers Extraordinaire

I've always known, ever since Bryce and I began dating, that he would be an amazing father and I haven't been disappointed! He's a busy man but always makes time to be with his son... AND those two have LOTS OF FUN! Bryce isn't afraid to let his silly side out and it earns lots of laughs from his adoring boy (& his wifey too!). He's a very sweet father to Isaac and helps me all the time with him! Thanks lovey and HAPPY PAPPY DAY!



I want to honor my own father as well on this day of dads. My dad has been an amazing father and I grow more in awe of him the older I get, as I've begun to recognize all that he has done for me and my siblings. My dad has taught me to work hard and to do a good/thorough job with whatever I am doing. He's taught me to love the Lord and the gospel He's taught me to think of others and to be considerate of feelings. He's engendered in me a love for music, history, travel, reading, and the great outdoors. He's taught and led by example and I hope to become like him someday. I love you dad!

Finally, lets not forget my spectacular father-in-law! I couldn't ask for a better "second dad" than Calvin. He's been so good to our little family. I admire the love and devotion he has for his children. He cares about each of them and desires to be involved and a part of their lives. Bryce has all kinds of great stories about goofy things his dad would do to entertain his kids (no wonder Bryce is such a fun dad!). I also see Calvin's good influence in Bryce's love for the gospel, his concern for being involved with and serving those around him, and his desire to be self-reliant and honest. Anyway, we love you Calvin--have a wonderful father's day!

We are Pittsburghians, Pittsburghites, Pittsburghers

We live in Pittsburgh now and, man oh man, has this last week and a half been busy! Cleaning...unpacking...cleaning...unpacking...cleaning...still unpacking, oh yeah, and STILL cleaning. Phew! It's been an adventure to say the least and we've found many forgotten treasures (a "Wonder Woman" magnet being our favorite discovery yet). I can't say it's been all work and no play though. Maybe that is why we are still cleaning and unpacking. On the other hand, I think that is also why we have kept our sanity and are lovin' the 'burgh!!!

So here are our first impressions of Pittsburgh:

- STEELERS STEELERS STEELERS (we are on Steeler Sensory Overload! This is a town that LOVES their sports teams...and "LOVES" is a royal understatement.)

- Oh, and GO PENS GO! Whoever they are (I'll ask Bryce what that means later :))

- I've never seen such friendly neighbors in my life. Sitting on the front porch and chattin' it up is a way of life here and EVERYONE has a front porch.

- Ummm...but whatever happened to customer service?! Apparently, "service with a smile" is lost on inner city folk.

- FAMILY ACTIVITIES GALORE GALORE GALORE! WeeeHAAW!...awesome zoo/aquarium, children's museum, parks, festivals, etc. and all so close to where we live. I am in mommy heaven.

- Crazy quick centipedes...are they poisonous?

- Spooky basements that play host to the infamous "Pittsburgh Toilets" (for those of you with limited knowledge of Pittsburghian culture, the "Pittsburgh Toilet" is a small toilet/wash area that the steel workers would use to clean up before heading upstairs to the rest of the house. Now you know.)

- We LOVE the ward.

- You cannot get around without a GPS. Thank you Gwen!

I think that's a pretty good list for now. We'll share more later and leave you with a few fun pictures from the zoo!

Oh! And one more shout out to Bryce's brother, Jordan! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR HELPING US!!! We couldn't have moved out here without you. It was also so much fun to have you around!

Last Minute Beach Days

We've been trying to take full advantage of the beach during our last days in California.  We spent two days at the beaches in Dana Point while Bryce's family was here enjoying a barbeque, toasting s'mores over an open fire, paddle ball, the water, and each other's company.  

  

It was difficult to keep Isaac out of the water.  Everyone took turns playing with him at the shoreline.  Here he is taking a first dip with Grandma.

Survivors of JET BLUE flight 182

The Callisters

Isaac & Grandpa 

Isaac is soaked from getting washed away by the waves---and he LOVED every minute of it.
Beachcomber

Having a good time--Brad, what is up with the pants?!  Classic.

ConGRADuations!!!

We have a med school graduate in the family and it's not Isaac. After four grueling years...HE DID IT...HE DID IT...HE DID IT...



We were so glad all of Bryce's family were able to make it out to celebrate his awesome achievement with us!

We Matched!

It looks like after months of agonizing waiting we, at long last, know where we will be spending the next 5 years of our lives. The 'Burgh! Yes indeed. This was our first choice of programs for a combined family medicine/psychiatry residency, so we are quite excited... well, not excited about the cold, but still very excited. So we have been told that we will quickly become "stillers" fans and Pitt should make a good run at the national championship this year. Not a bad start to our new adventure.