I have been on a mission to force myself to like coffee.. the first few times i tried it i'm pretty sure my face looked like i had just tasted the nastiest thing on planet earth. it is just so bitter and is pretty gross. i'm just tired of not liking coffee. and since i've tried to give up (or as luke would tell you, just decrease consumption of) cokes i need a new source of caffeine.
SO--as of now i like coffee in 3 ways, 2 of which "coffee drinkers" might not count. Maybe even all 3 don't count. but its closer than i was.
#1. Maxwell House Cafe Francais-
i tried this instant coffee mix because my mom is absolutely addicted and it was all that was available at the time. at first i just tolerated it and forced myself to drink it but now i sort of like it.
#2. Maxwell House Vanilla Caramel Latte
again, instant coffee mix. i'm pretty sure i've heard 9 "coffee drinkers" say that this doesn't count as coffee. well you know what? it has coffee in it. and i'm making progress. and this is delicious, probably because it doesn't taste a thing like coffee. very foamy & caramel-y. i like this the best but since i am really trying to actually like coffee, i make myself drink this only every other morning
#3. Plain coffee out of the coffee pot with a little milk and a little sugar. i mean...i can force myself to down a cup of this stuff but it absolutely not enjoyable to me. it is bitter and really bad tasting. and burns my throat since i basically chug it to get it over with.
I am not really sure why i am on this make myself like coffee kick. i have seen first hand how much it stains teeth and makes people's tongues yellow. i mean--disgusting. on the other hand, i want to like coffee and i need my caffeine in one way or another. and it is good for runners...

people suggest creamers and things but i dont know which direction to go with that.
oh, and tomorrow is vanilla caramel latte day which makes me smile.

My boss had her baby on Friday so things have been slow @ work this week. We have a dentist filling in from Memphis but he can't work on Wednesdays so I am the only one seeing patients today and I just had 2 patients cancel so that equals lotsa free time!

Well, I have registered for a half marathon! It was sort of a New Year's Resolution for AB & I. It's always been a goal of mine and since Luke got me a really nice Garmin running watch for Christmas, I figured it'd be the perfect time! The race is April 24 in Nashville. 4 days before i turn 25 (which i cannot believe is true. i cannot be that old..) Training doesn't officially start until January 31 but I have been running 3-4 days a week to kind of build a base. I found a really good, hilly 3 mile route from my parent's house that I ran last night with my friend Allison. I will have to find more routes like that because running the same way every single time is annoying and having something new makes it more fun. As for the half, 13.1 miles....long way to run! It seems so far from what I can do right now..and it is. But if i stay consistent with training, there's no reason I can't do it.

Ive been reading John Bunyan's Grace Abounding. I'm only on chapter 4 but its really good. I identify a lot with the things he's saying. Our church is also reading through the Bible in a year and I am also starting a new Bible study on Ruth tomorrow---so LOTS of Bible reading but I am not complaining at all. I am excited. Reading through the Bible so far has shown me a lot of things I never caught onto before by just reading certain passages or doing Bible studies that focus specifically on several different verses in different books. I'm only in Exodus...so I have a long way to go but I look forward to the chances I get to read.

Earlier this week I was having a bad day and feeling sorry for myself and really just stressing out in general. I realized I've got to snap out of that. I am blessed and have such a great family, extended family, amazing friends and one incredible boyfriend. I have so many things to be thankful for...stressful days shouldn't make me miserable.

That said..I've noticed lately how annoying patients can be. For example...Maybe its because i see about 8 patients a day 4 days a week so i use the suction really often...but people!! its not that hard to just close your lips around the suction. People push the suction out with their tongue or close their lips repeatedly around the suction and it squirts water all over their faces and then they look at me like i'm the one who squirted them. I have to wipe it off their face and pretend like i'm not annoyed that they can't figure out how to not act like an idiot...Or when i floss their teeth. They try to help me get the floss out with their tongue. Ok, I really can do it myself and don't need your tongues help. Or when throughout their appointment they point out several times how much they hate the dentist. Like that is a unique quality.

I have really weird dreams. I had a dream the other night that a giraffe was crossing the street i lived on in little rock and he was carrying a grocery bag in his mouth. really random...

I was bored and looking around on Amazon the other day and ended up ordering 4 CD's. I am excited though because I have been wanting them for a while and got good deals on them. Kristen and I are having a CD party sometime soon. Putting eachother's CD's on our iPods. That'll save lots of money because we seem to have similar music tastes...