Aaron & Tammy Powell

2011: Looking Backward, Looking Forward

2011-12-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

From long nights at the hospital to quiet hours at home, 2011 was about finding balance. The first half of the year was marked by long work hours, repetitive tasks, fatigue, and power naps. In the second half of the year we found more time for rest and recreation.

In 2012 we will continue to pursue a balance between industriousness and restfulness. We are utilizing Michael Hyatt's "Creating Your Life Plan" as a guide for prioritizing activities, setting goals, and creating action plans. We are also scheduling weekly and quarterly time for reflection and relaxation. We hope that 2012 will be a year in which we grow in discipline, maturity, and graciousness.

As we look forward to 2012, here is a look back at our favorite memories from 2011.

1. We celebrated our second anniversary with a road trip down California's coast and a visit to Hearst Castle.

2. Aaron completed his internship and entered his second of four years of residency. He also passed his third and final medical licensing exam and filed for his California medial license. Despite these achievements, the highlight of Aaron's professional year was participating in Novembeard with his co-resident, Nate.

3. Tammy advanced to doctoral candidate and started working on her dissertation. She also taught an upper division communications course -- Communication and American Culture -- during the fall semester at California State University, Sacramento.

4. We vacationed in southern California in April and spent time in Palm Springs with the Powells/Polleys and in Big Bear with the Jacksons.

5. We went white water rafting on the American River, bowling in Elk Grove, and ran the Sacramento Run to Feed the Hungry with friends from Aaron's work.

6. Tammy witnessed our nephew Hayden's first communion. She was a very proud godmother that day.

7. Our road bikes were stolen from our garage, which was a bummer; however, we were able to buy new and improved bikes with insurance money!

8. Family and friends from southern California came to visit, including: our moms and dads, Rachell Buell, Leith and Pati States, Kurt and Katie Duggleby, Cindy Barbee, and Jenny Ryan. We don't have pictures from each visit, but here is Aaron and his best bud from medical school, Leith.

9. We went skiing together for the first time, joined by our brother, Charlie, and our nephews, Hayden and Preston.

10. We attended three weddings -- Devin and Michelle Quirk, Aaron and Stephanie Sramek and Vikram and Michelle Jadhav.

11. We developed deeper relationships with our Sacramento friends. We are blessed to have great community here.

It was a great year and we're looking forward to making more memories in 2012. Cheers to the New Year, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and our very best to you this season!

Turkey Trots

2011-11-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving morning Aaron and I joined some of Aaron's coworkers from the UC Davis Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department to run the 18th annual Run to Feed the Hungry, which benefited the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. There were over 27,000 participants bundled up in headbands and water-proof jackets, ready to run in the rain to earn their calorie-rich Thanksgiving feast! Here are a few pictures from the day:

Aaron & me in the team tent before the race.

Aaron and the other second-year residents, Vanessa and Nate. They're the three best work friends that anyone could have.

The Kilmer Crew: PM&R employees and their family members who ran in memory of the former department chair, the late David Kilmer. Though Aaron and I never had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Kilmer, we are thankful for the mark he left on the department.

The weekend before Thanksgiving I ran the Davis Turkey Trot with my running buddies -- Lesley, Sharon, Anna, and a new pal, Alice. After the race we ate brunch at Cafe Bernardo in downtown Davis and we were joined by Nate's wife, Kira. We had a great time!

Some Fall Highlights:

2011-11-26T10:28:00.001-08:00

Bike rides in the rain. This one was accompanied by a full rainbow!

Trick-or-treating with our nephews, Hayden, Preston, and Landon. (Aaron couldn't make it, but when he saw this picture he asked, "Is Landon the San Diego chicken?" He wasn't familiar with Pablo the Penguin from Backyardigans. I thought his theory was pretty clever considering the other boys were dressed as athletes from San Diego sports teams.)

Neighbor girls raking our leaves, for free! They finished off their gardening job by sprinkling camellia pedals on our door step. A little odd, but really cute.

Incredible leaves, everywhere! This is one of my favorite views, but there are so many beautiful spots this time of year.

Cousin time with Kai and Kenai Mauga. I let their dog, Harley, out of the house on accident and Kai, Jason, and I had to chase him around the neighborhood for a good 20 minutes. Oops.

Napa mini-vacation at the Bear Flag Inn and dinner at Tra Vigne.

Whitewater Rafting!

2011-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Aaron's department organized a whitewater rafting trip this past weekend through UC Davis Outdoor Adventures.

We met at Camp Lotus at 10am on Saturday morning and rafted down the American River to the Folsom Lake inlet. We shared a raft with Aaron's fellow-resident and good buddy, Vanessa; her boyfriend Chad; and Peter, an attending in the PM&R Department.

Getting the raft ready for launch

Heading out on the river

In an eddy waiting for another raft

Stuck on a rock. It took a good minute or two to get off

Splash war with the other PM&R raft

Loading the retro bus for a shuttle ride back to Camp Lotus

2nd Anniversary Road Trip

2011-08-09T23:48:00.001-07:00

Our 2nd anniversary was June 27th, but I've been slammed with work so I haven't had a chance to post anything about how we celebrated.

On June 25th we embarked on a road trip down California's central coast. Here's our anniversary trip in pictures:

We left Sacramento on a Sunday morning, drove west until we reached the coast in Monterey, and the headed south. The view from our car just south of Carmel.

A bunch of old woodies gathered outside a restaurant on highway 1.

We reached our campsite for the first night -- Kirk Creek Campground. Best camping ever. Really though. It's the only campground west of the 1 on the central coast and ever campsite has a panoramic ocean view! Here's Aaron at the beginning of a short trail from the campground to the ocean, wearing his new shirt from my brother, Charlie.

The view from the top of the trail.

Walking through wildflowers to get to the ocean.

I made Aaron sit for a portrait :)

We made it. Beautiful.

Aaron :)

Me.

Us.

The sunset.

Our campsite in the morning. If you look closely you can see all the tents in the background. After taking this photo and exploring another trail that didn't lead to the ocean, we headed out for Hearst Castle.

We stopped to see the sea lions in San Simeon. This lady knew everything about these creatures!

We made it to Hearst Castle. Here's me at the pool.

One of many beautiful outdoor fountains and staircases.

The view from the veranda.

After spending the night at Hearst Castle, we drove to Santa Barbara and spend a night at the Oceana -- a cute, cozy hotel within walking distance of the marina. Some highlights included: playing three games of short-court 1 on 1 volleyball (Aaron won, darn) on the beach just outside our hotel; renting beach cruisers and biking along the coast; dinner at a casual restaurant the marina. We had a great time :)

San Diego

2011-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

In April Aaron and I enjoyed some vacation time in San Diego. Here are some pictures of places we visited that are special to us:

Our first home together, back before we were dating and we were roommates at 603 Arenas in La Jolla. We loved this little house.

Arenas Street with the ocean in view. Sigh. Favorite memories include: Running to the corner to catch the bus to school with Aaron, Christmas caroling with the girls from Bible Study, riding my bike to the gym a few blocks away to go to spin class with Rachell, walking to the La Jolla Farmer's Market.

Wind 'n Sea Beach, where Aaron and I used to picnic.

Balboa Park Coy Pond, which we visited at night after one of our first dates to the Shakespeare Festival.

Balboa Park Arboretum. It's just pretty.

Balboa Park Flower Garden. Also just pretty.

Coronado Bay, which we visited while we were living in Imperial Beach, right before moving to Sacramento.

Coronado Bay

Oh San Diego, we love you. We can't wait to visit again!

STEP 3 Exam

2011-06-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

Aaron takes his STEP 3 Licensing Exam tomorrow and Wednesday. If you think of him, send a prayer up on his behalf :)

Visiting the Powell Family

2011-05-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Our visit with the Powell family in April was very memorable.

Aaron's mother's side of the family got together for our annual Polley Family Palm Springs Vacation. We kept busy playing bocce ball, basketball, ultimate frisbee, water volleyball, and more! No water aerobics or Wii sports like last year, but we were happy with the activities we selected this time around.

The Polley/Powell/Burmeister/Zents families

To celebrate Easter we spent the day at Mom and Dad Jackson's condo in Imperial Beach. Mom and Dad Jackson were going to come with us, but Dad wasn't feeling well the night before and didn't want to get anyone else sick. They were missed :(

We hid eggs for Abbie, flew a kite on the beach, and walked down to the peer. Mom Powell and I wore big hats and sunscreen, of course.

The guys enjoyed beer from the Myers family. Thanks Myers!

Our friends Lesley and Jon recently stayed at at the IB condo and Lesley has a similar balcony picture up on her blog. Is there anything more enjoyable than spending time with family at the beach? I think not!

Hayden's First Communion

2011-05-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

My eldest nephew, Hayden, received his first communion on Saturday, May 14th. As his doting Godmother, I couldn't miss the special day, so I flew down for the mass and celebration. Aaron couldn't make it because he had to work, but I sent him pictures from my phone :)

Party people: My mom and dad, Charlie and Hallie; my nephews Hayden, Preston, and Landon; my brother and sister, Charlie and Michelle; Michelle's step-dad, Albert, sister, Christina, and mom, Margaret; Hayden's Godfather, Steve; and me.

Proud Godparents -- me and my brother's best friend, Steve -- with our communicant.

After mass, I went with my brother and Albert to Hayden and Preston's baseball games. I think I had more sunscreen on than most of the kids -- it's fine. It was fun to see Hayden and Preston play with their friends and enjoy their post-game snacks (no orange slices though, bummer).

When the games finished we came back to Charlie and Michelle's for a party in Hayden's honor. Michelle prepared a delicious spread and everyone ate their fill. A few of Hayden's buddies came over to ride bikes and scooters in the cul-de-sac. It was a great day.

Visiting the Jackson Fam

2011-05-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

After 10 months without a vacation day, holiday, sick day, and only a handful of 2 day weekends, Aaron and I finally got away in April for some quality time together and with family. Here are some pictures from our time with the Jackson side of our family. I'll follow up with pictures from Powell time.

Family Photo

One of the highlights of our trip was taking a family photo at Old Poway Park. Amber, Aaron's sister, is a photographer and she graciously offered to take a portrait while Aaron and I were in town, knowing that my parents might like to hang it over the fireplace in their new house! Here are a few of our favorite pictures. The top picture is the one my parents chose.

Skiing at Big Bear Mountain

Another favorite memory from our time with the Jackson fam was spending the weekend in Lake Arrowhead and skiing at Big Bear Mountain. Aaron and I hadn't skied in years and were glad we remembered how, haha!

Skiing with our nephews, Hayden and Preston!

My dad got back on the slopes for the first time in 5 years!

The weather was beautiful when we started, but by 2pm a snow storm blew through and people began to go home because of the whiteout. We did two more runs and then decided to head out.

Poway Volleyball Game

My brother is a high school volleyball coach, so we had to catch a game while we were in town! Go Poway!

We took two of our nephews with us to the match, which was a ton of fun. Hayden, the oldest of our nephews, is really into music all of a sudden and he was signing along with every song that came on the radio during the drive to the gym.

At the game, Landon, the youngest, cheered, "Go Poway! Go Poway! Go Poway!" as loud as his 2-year-old lungs would allow. He also enjoyed walking up and down the bleachers, picking up empty water bottles and trash, and sitting on Aaron's lap.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to our darling Moms!

Ehem, Aaron...
That's better :)

Love you mommas!

A visit from the States

2011-03-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Aaron's best buddy from medical school, Leith, his wife, Pati, and baby, Isaiah, came to visit! The States were invited to a wedding in Lodi, about 40 minutes south of Sacramento, so they decided to make a weekend out of their trip and stayed with us for three nights. Isaiah flew on a plane for the very first time in order to come to SacTown!

Aaron dancing with Isaiah after the States arrived.

The weather was horrible (!) so we were pretty limited for activities. We managed to make it out to brunch twice and took few short walks in between rain storms. Other than that, we stayed in watching movies and chatting :) Aaron had to work during the weekend, but he enjoyed coming home to have dinner with the States.

The States at breakfast at The Orhpan. Terrible name for a restaurant, but the food was good.

Aaron and Leith decided to brave the storm for a quick run around the park. They came back soaked!

Isaiah and me!

Isaiah's bath-time.

Isaiah had grown so much and it seemed like only yesterday we were visiting him at the hospital. He's crawling and talking now! Slow down kiddo!

Thanks for coming to visit, States! We hope you'll come back again soon :)

Aaron's 28th Birthday!

2011-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Hip, hip hooray! Today is Aaron's birthday!

Aaron may be a little older now than he was in this picture, but he still loves to eat sweets on his big day! Yesterday he received a package in the mail from his parents filled with cookies and boy was he excited! :) The perfect birthday surprise!

He also received a package and some cards from other family members :)

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to make Aaron a cake. We'll see how it goes! Here are a few awesome cakes from birthdays past.

Along with cake, Aaron likes to celebrate his birthday by dressing smart.

Birthday party at the Powell's circa 1999 (?)

Aaron's 16th birthday at Poway High School!

His best birthday get up of all time was, of course, last year's HeMan costume! For Aaron's 27th birthday I threw a superhero themed party at my parents' house. There were some pretty good costumes, including the Incredible Hulk, Carmen San Diego, Mike Tyson, a European Fútball player, SuperCute (little Abbey's princess version of a super hero), and a Giant Slug (?? it was a great costume though).

Despite the competition, our He-Man and She-Ra costumes were undeniably superior (and also borrowed, so we can't really take any credit for them, but thanks Amber and Aaron!). I think the furry short-shorts were the key.

By the power of Greyskull!

This year Aaron is dressing up as another kind of superhero for his birthday: Super Intern! He will be working a 30hr shift, saving lives to celebrate his. Kinda cool. Also very tiring. Wish him luck, and a happy day!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Polley!

2011-02-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Grandpa Polley! We love you! We wish we could celebrate with you -- maybe next year. We send our love from Sacramento!

Use the force!

2011-01-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

I found this awesome picture from our wedding today! I had never seen it before -- ? Amber took a few pictures on her camera at the end of the night, and this was one of them. Hilarious!

If you're unsure what is going on in this picture, our brothers and nephew are "using the force" to control the gold ball that magically appeared during our wedding ceremony ... containing our wedding rings! This nerdy twist on the classic wedding ring prank definitely made the list of the top ten funniest moments from our wedding!

Loving it.

Bachelor Party

2011-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

We never posted pictures from Aaron's bachelor party, so here are a few:

Aaron's brothers-in-law, Charlie and Aaron, organized an evening of dodgeball for the dudes the night before our wedding. The party began when the bachelor crew came running into the rehearsal dinner wearing mustaches and headbands. They threw a t-shirt that read "Husband inTraining" on Aaron, hoisted him up on their shoulders, and carried him away!

The dodgeball tournament went late into the night and the competition was fierce! Luckily, there were no injuries, but a few guys admitted they felt sore when dancing at the wedding the next day!

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Though we weren't be able to join this rowdy bunch for the count down to 2011, we enjoyed a quiet evening in, celebrating another great year together :)

Best wishes for rest, renewal, growth, and peace in the new year!

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1850

Gooooooal!

2010-12-28T12:34:00.001-08:00

Ah, soccer! America's 5th favorite past time. Who doesn't love the smell of freshly cut grass and sweat-drenched cotton and on a Saturday afternoon?

Hundreds of thousands of American children are raised on juice boxes and sliced oranges, and the Powell and Jackson children are no exception. Dad Jackson played soccer throughout his youth and was the first freshman to make the varsity team at UCLA. My brother and Aaron's sister started playing when they were 4-5ish and stuck with it until their teen years. Aaron also started young and played high school and club soccer until 9th grade, when he injured his back and the doctor advised him to avoid sports that require twisting (which turned out well since he went on to run track in college). I also played a little fútball in my day; I was a defender for the Tiger Sharks and Pink Flamingos, 1992-1993. Grr.

Me with my first soccer ball, circa 1986.

Aaron ready for a big game of indoor soccer, circa 1989.

Aaron in his Storm uniform, 1993.

Two of our nephews, Hayden and Preston, are now playing soccer and really enjoying the sport. Here is a fun video of Hayden (#7) scoring a goal! Go Hayden!

Pictures of Christmases Past

2010-12-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! And even though we won't be in San Diego for Christmas, we're still excited for the season. To prove just how jolly we are, we've put together some of our favorite pictures from past holidays :)

Aaron was on to Santa from the start. Here he is examining the Jolly Man's mustache with Amber in 1985.

Christmas 2008 (days after we got engaged) at our Ugly Sweater party at 603 Arenas.

The Jackson family with Grandma Mary (Herndon) and Grandpa Charles and Eva (Jackson).

Aaron and his best buddy from track, Devin, on their way out for a winter run on a "cold" southern California afternoon in 1999.

In Christmas pajamas with Char, Hayden, and Preston on Preston's first Christmas, 2005.

What a nut. Some things never change. Christmas 1993ish.

Best Santa present, Christmas 1987 -- my Popples tricylce!

The Powell's pre-Tammy, Christmas 2007.

Sharing a family meal with Uncle Stelio, Uncle Thomas, Eva, Uncle Rick, Aunt Jackie, Grandpa, Char, and my Dad circa 1987.

Santa's elf! Or, Aaron, 1985ish.

In Nebraska just days before Christmas 2003 for the NCAA playoffs. I'm with my college roommate, Morgan, and we're wearing our oh-so-fashionable traveling uniforms (aka Smurf Suits).

Teenage Aaron, Christmas 1997.

VadorToss -- the best homemade Christmas present ever! We like to say that we made it, but we couldn't have done it without Mom and Dad Powell, who cut the wood for us. The following year we made a felt slip-cover with a drawing of the Death Star on it for the boys to shoot their velcro darts at.

Aaron and Amber's Christmas portrait circa 1985. Aaron doesn't seem to be in the Christmas spirit, but he is!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Polley's, 2008.

Santa and me after I whispered to him, "All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth." I think it was Christmas 1990.

Well, that's it. Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

This is us, Thanksgiving 2008 -- the night we got engaged.

So very thankful.

Weekend Warrior Tournament Series

2010-11-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we kicked-off our Weekend Warrior Tournament Series, a round of random sports and games that we're organizing with some of our new Sacramento friends. We started the series with a soccer match and plan to play volleyball, kick-ball, ultimate frizbee, and muggle quidditch in the future.

Our new house is about 50 yards from Tahoe Park, so we invited the crew to meet at our place for some snacks and then we walked over to the park together. When we got to the park, we divided up the teams playground style and played a fierce game of 5-on-5 soccer. The guys played pretty hard, as did the girls. We had a few minor injuries (one dead leg and one finger jam), but for the most part everyone survived the Weekend Warrior battle. After the game we came back to our place for corndogs, fruit roll-ups, CapriSun, and push-pops -- a nod to youth-league lunchtimes of yore. I wish we could have served snow cones. Grape or cherry, both favorites.

I forgot to take pictures during our soccer game, but here are a few post-contest shots.

Dudes enjoying corndogs in the backyard during a bocce ball break.

Lesley, Christine, Kelly, Bethie, and MVP Karis "the Carrot" Boekestein

We can't wait for the next Weekend Warrior event!

Luncheon Shower

2010-11-19T19:04:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some pictures from the the Jackson shower, which was hosted by my sister-in-law Michelle, Mom Jackson, and Darlene (my mother's sorority sister and life-long friend) at the charming House on the Hill Restaurant. It was a beautiful, warm spring day and the party was on the patio, looking west over Poway. The party planners did a great job of creating an easy yet elegant atmosphere.

Mom and daughter with the afghan that Aunt Bonnie made for Aaron and I

Mom Powell; sister-in-law's sister, Renee; sister-in-law Michelle

Jackson Story 1 women: Cousin Jolene, Aunt Jackie, Aunt Bonnie, Cousin Melissa

Beautiful rose center pieces

Cousin Bernie, Me, Aunt Diane (I was the flower girl for Aunt Diane's wedding)

Cousin Bernie, Joy, Aunt Marilyn, and Tana

Darlene, Pam, and Kimmy

Two Bacon girls, Lauren and Lindsay, with Monica, Darlene's daughter. Lindsay, Monica, and I were born just months apart and grew up doing everything together -- Girl Scouts, camping, slumber parties, you name it! Lauren was the cool older sister. We used to sneak into Lauren's closet and try on her hip, one-shoulder sweaters, pretending that we were big middle school kids!

My first piano teacher, Miss Mary, with neighbor Linda and Nadene

Opening gifts with Michelle, Kim, and Mom's help

Though it's been sometime since this special day, I want to express my gratitude once again to the hostesses for putting together such a lovely afternoon. And a big thanks to all of the guests for "showering" Aaron and I with gifts for our home. The blankets, saucepans, kitchen utensils, and more that we received this day keep us well fed and warm! Thank you!

Bunko Shower

2010-11-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

A year and a half has passed since these pictures were taken, but I wanted to share them now anyway. The Powell/Polley women hosted a Bunko-themed bridal shower for me in April of 2009. It was such a unique and lighthearted shower. Aaron and I both have big families, so each side hosted a separate shower so that it wouldn't be impossible to get everyone together in one room. These pictures are from the Powell/Polley & Co. shower. I'll post the Jackson/Herndon shower soon.

The Powell/Polley party was at Mom Powell's friend Nancy's house, which was decorated with charming vintage dessert trays and floral-patterned linens. My mothers' and grandmother's wedding dresses were displayed on manniquins, bringing back sweet memories for many in attendance. Everyone wore their finest 50s dresses and costume jewelry. Grandma Powell gave me one of her favorite mid-century dresses to wear and Mom Powell made aprons to compliment our attire.

Grandmas, moms, and daughter

Cousin Michelle and Aunt Laurie (Polley women)

Grandma Powell and her hand-made gown, sewn from the only wedding-dress fabric available in her town after WWII

Mom Jackson with her cathedral-length veil and lace-embellished empire dress

Mom Powell with her hand-made, cap-sleeve A-line (which she wore with a darling sun hat!)

Mom Powell, Barb, and Aunt Lindy

Grandma Powell making my practice bouquet

Mom Jackson, Aunt Jackie, Barb, Aunt Lindy, and Grandma Polley

Sweet new sister, Amber!

Playing Bunko

The winner's table!

"You are special today" plate from the Vogel women. We've used this plate for every birthday since!

Mommies :)

Cousin Michelle, Grandma Polley, Aunt Laurie

Aunt Lindy, Cousin Jackie, Grandma Powell

The youngest of the Polley (rather, Powell/Gentle) women

All the "Polley" women

The Powell women in attendance

All of the Bunko Babes

It was a day to remember! Thanks for these beautiful pictures, Amber :) Love to all of you!

San Diego

2010-11-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

I went to San Diego this week to take care of some stuff for school on campus at UCSD. While I was in town, I was also able to spend some time with my nephews and niece. They grow so much in a few months, especially the youngest ones! Some highlights with the kids were:

playing bean bag toss with Preston (we caught 200 tosses in a row, I can't believe how coordinated he is!)
dropping Hayden and Preston off at school in the morning and watching Hayden walk Preston to his classroom as Michelle and I drove away
seeing how many teeth Hayden has lost and hearing about all the money he has received from the Tooth Fairy
asking 1.5-year-old Landon, "where's Daddy?" and hearing him respond with "Daddy wuuhk" (that is, Daddy's at work)
holding Asher after his nap
asking Abbey how she was able to eat her food so fast, to which she responded "God told me how!"

I also loved spending time with my brother, sisters-in-law, and Mom and Dad Powell. My brother Charlie and his wife Michelle are in a very busy season, as Char is working on his Master's in Education while also teaching math full-time and Michelle has her hands full with three kids. It was great to have some quiet time with them in the evening and to talk with my brother about graduate school and the future.

My sister-in-law on the Powell side, Amber, gave me a DVD of pictures from the past two years, one of which you can see above. This picture was taken by Amber in the Winter of 2008. Aaron and I were recently engaged and Amber was in La Jolla for a photo shoot with some clients. I played with Abbey on the beach while Amber took photos. Now that I have oodles of old pictures to go through, I'll be posting some of them here retrospectively.

Mom and Dad Powell fed me pea soup (my favorite) and updated me on San Diego and family happenings. I missed seeing my parents because I scheduled my trip during their vacation to the Caribbean on accident. Hope you guys had a great time snorkeling!!! Sorry again for my poor planning.

Happy Friday friends and family :) Love to you today

West Sacramento Riverwalk

2010-11-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

On Aaron's day off a couple weeks ago we decided to go explore a part of Sacramento that we hadn't been to yet: West Sacramento Riverwalk. The American and Sacramento Rivers meet in Sacramento, and both of these rivers have trials that line them. We biked the American River Trail during the summer, but we had yet to see the Sacramento River.

We decided to park at the Rivercat's Stadium so that we could check out Sacramento's minor league venue (which is pretty nice!). We ended up parking by some buildings a little north of the ball field, closer to the start of the "trail." I put trail in quotes because the West Sacramento Riverwalk is more like a 100 yards of gravel that meets a government building's grass landscaping. We still are not sure if we found the real trail, but we ended here:

So, I think we found the "trail," it just wasn't very long or clearly marked.

While we were looking for the trail we crossed the path of California's first railway -- the Sacramento Valley Rail Road, built in 1856. The tracks have been updated, but the route into the downtown station remains the same.

Here are a few more pictures we took while exploring the terrain around the short trail:

All in all, the Riverwalk is not that hot. I don't think I'd recommend visiting it if you're actually wanting to go for a walk, but it has a nice view of Old Town Sacramento and a boat launch -- who knew?

Halloween at the Hospital

2010-11-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Aaron is working in the burn surgery unit at Shriner's Hospital for Children this month and Shriner's holds an annual Halloween costume contest, which Aaron found out about the day before the contest. I learned he needed a costume when he woke up in the middle of his post-call nap (the deep day-time sleep that comes after Aaron works a 30 hour shift!) to tell me, "I need to be Mickey! Help." I was very confused by his statement and thought that he was talking about a dream, so I sent him back to bed. When he woke up again, he explained that Shriner's was having a team costume contest and that his higher-up was set on victory! "Our team theme is Disney characters," he said with disappointment. "Mickey would be the easiest, right?"

So we went to work finding whatever we could around the house -- white glove liners, a black long sleeve shirt, and an old pair of red running shorts. Then we cut ears out of cardboard, colored them black, and stapled them onto one of my headbands. We finished the outfit by putting white dots on the red shorts! Ta-da!

When I asked Aaron to pose for a picture, he stood up on a chair and did this -- ??? I love him!

Aaron's team won "honorable mention" and he narrowly escaped the "lamest costume" award, which went to his teammate who dressed as Eeyore by wearing his wife's gray sweat suit. But come on, what do they expect from residents with no time? I think both of them did a good job with what they had!

Lora & Brett's Wedding

2010-11-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

On October 16th, two of my dearest college classmates, Lora and Brett, were married. It was wonderful to witness their vows and to reunite with old friends.

The bride and a few friends at lunch at Matt's in the Market, a tasty burger and sandwich joint above Pike's Place, the day before the wedding.

Lora's family is Croatian, and so they hired a Croatian band as well as a DJ to play at the reception.

The DJ was pretty good but the live musicians ended up the heroes of the evening. When a small kitchen fire set the fire alarm off, causing the whole hotel to be evacuated (!), the band played lively tunes in the parking garage so that the dancing could continue. I don't think many wedding celebrations would have survived such an abrupt stop and restart, but the band kept the party going.

The fire department came to the hotel, cleared the fire quickly, and everyone was invited back inside the banquet hall within 45 minutes. When guests returned to the dance floor, they danced even more enthusiastically than before the fire, glad to back inside! Here's a picture of the bride dancing on a speaker, with her new husband looking on affectionately from below.

Lora was such a big help when Aaron and I were preparing for our wedding (she was the friend that helped with all the little things that no one thinks of until the day of the wedding, amazing!) and it was an honor to be there with her the weekend of her marriage.

Blessings and best wishes to the bride and groom, Mr. & Mrs. Brett & Lora McMillan!

New Place

2010-11-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

The move is over! Hooray! We had a lot of help this time. Mom Jackson and Mom Powell came up to help for two days, and six of our new Sacramento friends -- Jonathan, Lesley, Sam, Brandon, Kelly, and Erica -- helped move furniture and boxes! Thanks everyone!

Here are some pictures of our new place (as promised, Aunt Renie!):

Our new address is:

5814 11th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95820

Come and visit us anytime :)

Kenai's 1st Birthday

2010-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, the Jackson side of our family is very big. My grandfather married three times (his first two wives both died very young of cancer), and so we say that there are three "Jackson Stories," each producing oodles of offspring. My father is part of the Second Jackson Story, but our family considers all half-siblings, half-cousins, etc to be part of one big family!

Jason, my first cousin once removed -- that is my uncle David's daughter Shari's son Jason -- lives with his wife and three kids in Roseville, which is about 20 minutes from us. Jason's wife, Julie, is a hoot and very hospitable. Their twins, Kai and Kili, are in 7th grade and love to play sports. Jason and Julie's youngest son, Kenai, is a smiley rug rat who had his first birthday yesterday! The Mauga's hosted a big gathering at their house in his honor.

Jason helping Kenai open a present

Kili, Julie, and extended family watch and document the gift opening

Kili and me

Aaron had to work the day of the party, but here is a picture of him looking really cute that morning on his way out to the hospital!

Love you Maugas! Thanks for taking such good care of us during our move(s)!

We're moving, again!

2010-09-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking: "Can't be!" "But you just moved!" "Why would you do that?"

Our reply is: "Believe it!" "Yes, we did just move! Arg!" and "We're moving because our house smells like rat urine!"

Let me backup...

Our moving mayhem began shortly after match day in the middle of March, when Aaron found out that he would be at UC Davis for residency and we started making arrangements to move to Sacramento. Aaron finished med school a quarter early, and I took a leave from school for the Spring so that we could enjoy a few weeks of vacation (yay for our trip to Maui and the Jackson Family Cruise!) and prepare for the coming year. We moved out of our apartment in graduate student housing in late March and moved our stuff into a spare room at Mom and Dad Jackson's. From early April to late June we bounced between our parent's houses, vacation spots, and Sacramento hotels -- a simple and sweet time for us when we lived out of a suitcase.

On July 1st the rental house we found in Sacramento became available. Mom Powell helped us drive a Penske truck up to Sacramento and Mom Jackson came up a few days after to help with unpacking.

Mom Powell and Mom Jackson both worked really hard to help us clean our new place in Sacramento (which was clearly not cleaned before we moved in, bummer). We were a bit discouraged by this, but found we had much bigger problems when Mom Powell went to clean the laundry room and found...rat droppings! Oh yes! And not just a poop or two, we're talking handfuls people! That night we were serenaded to sleep by a rat melee in the wall across from our bed, which was symbolic of the upcoming battle we were about to engage in to eradicate the rodents.

Audible activity continued for weeks as we petitioned the owner to hire an exterminator to eliminate the infestation, which proved very challenging and complicated. Eventually an exterminator was hired, and the in-wall brawls ceased.

Even though we were able to get rid of the rats, lingering damage (including an intense urine smell that wafts through the office vent whenever the A/C is on) convinced us that we should move out.

A month or so passed before we were able to find a new place, but we finally found a great place and signed a lease this week for a charming house in the neighborhood over from our current residence. We're praying that God might see it fit to let us stay in one place for a little while :)

We recognize that it is only from a place of privilege that we can be so intolerant of household pests, and we are grateful to those who gave us council about renter's rights, etc. Sorry we didn't share this with you all earlier, we were just a little embarrassed by the rat smell and didn't want our new friends to think we might be infected with the plague (which, according to Dr. Aaron Powell, you can still get from household rats, yikes!).

So, with all that said, please update our address in your address book one more time:

Aaron & Tammy Powell
5814 11th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95820

Las Vegas with UCLA friends

2010-09-09T12:30:00.001-07:00

In August I traveled to Las Vegas for a night for my dear friend Lora's Bachelorette Party.

The morning I arrived we went to breakfast at the Peppermill Restaurant. Wow, was I impressed with this place! Not only were the portions outrageous but the decor was beyond gaudy! The fake bougainvilleas and neon lights in the background of this picture should give you an idea of the ambiance at this Old Vegas gem!

After breakfast we went to the Liquid Pool Lounge, a posh mid-day watering hole at our hotel. I'm pretty sure I was the most fashionable person there in my wide-brimmed floppy hat, a towel draped over my shoulders to protect my pale NorCal skin from the harsh dessert sun. Then again, maybe not. A middle-aged man celebrating his son's 21st birthday did make it rain with $1 bills over a group of Snookie look-alikes while pouring a Bud Light over his head. Epic win!

Despite the craziness, pool time turned out to be a real treat because I got to catch up with my old college roommate, Morgan, and the bride-to-be.

In the evening we went out for tapas and then headed to the Wynn Hotel, where we ran into two old teammates of mine, Brittany and Heather! We decided a UCLA girls picture was in order.

When I returned from Vegas, several people asked me a natural question: "Did you win anything?" The answer is no, but that is because I never gamble in Vegas unless I am with my mother, who is lady luck herself! She once won two quarter-slot jackpots on the same day in Vegas!

She happened to go to Vegas for her birthday just two days after I was there, and of course, she came back on top! She always does. Go Mom!

South Lake Tahoe

2010-08-22T22:21:00.001-07:00

This past Wednesday, to celebrate a rare two-day break in Aaron's schedule, we headed east to South Lake Tahoe for a quick camping trip and mini-adventure.

We camped at Fallen Leaf Lake Campground, which was less than a mile from both its name-sake lake and Lake Tahoe.

We stayed in our two-person tent that Shawn and Jen Tydlaska gave us for our wedding, with our sleeping bags from the Bacons and Hunters. We also borrowed some gear from our new buddies in Sacramento, the Millers. Thanks for outfitting us friends! We enjoyed sleeping under the stars!

Aaron showing off our tent!

TAMummy bag!

The next morning we drove around to the south side of Fallen Leaf Lake. From there, we set out for a short hike past Lily Lake and into the beginning of the Glen Alpine Springs Trail, one of the trailheads to Desolation Wilderness (great name!). Desolation Wilderness is a popular backpacking site, and though we didn't get far into the a 63,690 acres of federally protected wilderness area, we were still able to enjoy a little of its serenity.

When we returned from our hike we went for a swim in Fallen Leaf Lake, where we found a floating dock to rest on and soak up the sun (with SPF 30 lathered all over us, of course). From there we enjoyed watching a group of preschoolers trying to build a sand castle from the pebbles of the lake's shoreline. It was a good effort.

After our hike and swim, we took a nice nap in our tent and then packed up our campsite to return home. Before heading down the mountain, we grabbed food in town and stopped by a local hot spot, Ernie's Coffee Shop, which is owned by the family of another PM&R resident who works with Aaron. Ernie's was closed, so we didn't get to eat there; fortunately, there is another Ernie's location in Folsom, so we will be able to dine there sometime soon.

And that was our trip. Hooray!

Bicycle!

2010-08-16T09:14:00.001-07:00

Last Friday Aaron had the day off and we decided to make the best of it with a bicycle ride. Sacramento is a very bike-friendly city (compared to San Diego at least) and we are really enjoying living close to the American River Parkway, a 30-mile bike trail that runs parallel to the waterway.

While we were riding I kept singing the Queen song "Bicycle Race" in my head and pretending that I was a sassy cyclist like Freddy.

I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like!

Aaron outside our place just after our ride.

Our route.

And of course, a good ride ends with bike maintenance! Here I am cleaning the chain and gears.

One Year Anniversary!

2010-08-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that a year (+ some) has already passed since our wedding day! We celebrated our 1st Anniversary earlier this year in Maui, but we also enjoyed a dinner together in Sacramento to commemorate the day.

Though I could take this time to recount for you the beauty and bliss of June 27th, 2009, I've chosen instead to share our memories of the sillier side of the day.

So here they are, in no particular order: our top 10 funniest moments from our wedding!

#10 - You Can Dance If You Want To

Our Family Guy inspired group dance to "Safety Dance," choreographed by our lovely cousin, Michelle Gentle, was ridiculously fun! See if you can find our niece Abbey crying at the edge of the dance floor in the video because she wasn't invited to do the dance.

Safety Dance - 06/27/09 from Tamara Powell on Vimeo.

#9 - Use the Force!

Our oldest nephew and ring bearer, Hayden, is a huge Star Wars fan (his father's influence?). Right before the ceremony Hayden was instructed by our brothers and co-bestmen Charlie and Aaron B. to tell Pastor Tim to "use the force" to make our wedding rings appear. Little did Hayden know that Aaron B., who is a robotics engineer, had made a golden styrofoam ball/ring container to shoot up out of the bushes when Hayden said the magic words.

Everything went according to the brothers' plan, until a huge gust of wind blew the styrofoam ball out of position, causing it to fall to the ground instead of hovering in the air for Aaron B. to grab. Things happened so quickly that most of the wedding attendees never saw the styrofoam ball, missing the action and the joke, however, the malfunction made it even more funny for us up at the front. Here is Aaron B. with his invention after the ceremony:

#8 - Jackson Family Photo

My father's side of the family is big. I mean really big. And somehow every Jackson in attendance managed to all fit into one photo! It's pretty funny comparing the width of this photo to the other three side's family pictures (even though the Powell side is huge too!).

#7 - Sibling Speeches

Our sibling's speeches were hysterical. Charlie's had everyone laughing and crying, as he mastered the perfect funny-yet-sentimental-memories speech. He found a way to work in insider jokes for many of the different groups of people in attendance, and he even called out the med students who were clearly partying as though they may never have another opportunity.

Amber talked about the many ways she tried to influence Aaron as a child, especially when it came to his odd fashion sense, which she illustrated with a slide show of pictures (including a great shot of Aaron as a teenager in spandex pants).

#6 - My Little Buttercup

Our first dance as husband and wife was to "My Little Buttercup" from The Three Amigos, which we finished choreographing while taking our wedding portraits before the reception, yikes! Good thing we remembered it! Who knows how entertaining this was to everyone else, but atleast Grandma Polley said she thought it was "unique."

My Little Buttercup from Tamara Powell on Vimeo.

#5 - The Garter Toss

This tradition took an unorthodox turn at our wedding when Aaron "found" a pair of granny panties in my dress before finding the garter. Was it already up his sleeve? Maybe.

There was a pretty good battle for the garter at our wedding, to which the MC responded: "Huh, that's funny. Usually the guys try to avoid catching it."

Many of the guys actually looked disappointed that they didn't get the garter, but one recently engaged Craig Buell was pumped to celebrate with his garter-catching Bible Study brother, Dean!

# 4 - Cake Cutting

I don't know why it was so hard for us, but we really struggled with the cake ceremony. We think it was because our cake was covered with fondant, a cream confection that is very doughy and almost rubbery in consistency. Our first attempt to puncture the decorative covering was unsuccessful, and our second attempt felt more like a violent stab than a graceful slice (which you may be able to see in my face in this picture).

Only moments prior to the cake ceremony, the DJ gave the mic to Aaron asking for an impromptu speech, which was even more awkward since we had Abbey with us and she was crying because we wouldn't let her hold the mic.

#3 - Silly Kids

That last picture is evidence that babies and kids have a way of making any event more interesting. Here are some of our favorite kiddo pics from the day:

#2 - Dancing Machines

The best part about ANY wedding reception is the dancing! We had some superstar dancers at our wedding, and they were not afraid to shake their tail feathers. Here are some of the all-stars:

Grandma Polley

The Salisburys

The Schwartzs

Volleyball girls, Blair and Brynn

Kim and Dean

Cousin Nathan

#1 - Photo Booth

The portraits from the photo booth were all worthy of this post, but here are a few of our top picks:

Wow, what a night! And what a year! If you haven't seen our wedding video, you can check it out here :) Thanks for all the memories!

Nephews!

2010-08-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my brother Charlie gave us a call because his sons wanted to talk to us and say that they miss us :( It just melted our hearts. The boys were especially eager to talk to Uncle Aaron since he's "so silly."

Our nephews were really excited to tell us about their recent vacation at Bruin Woods, a UCLA alumni family camp in Lake Arrowhead that my family goes to every July. We asked Hayden what award he got at the end of the week (each kid gets a certificate with a nickname he or she earned during the week) and Hayden told us that he got the Eenie Meenie Miny Mo award because he was hanging out with a new girl every day. And Preston's award? He was named the Cub Cutie (his group was called the Cubs) because he was also very popular with the ladies! Oh yeah!

Preston also told us that he went to the doctor that week for an ear infection. His story went something like this:

"I went to the doctor because I had to get my ear fixed up. I went and I saw the lady and I said "Can I have an Aaron for my doctor?" but she didn't listen."

So cute! Love those little guys. Here is a picture of our Cub Cutie at camp:

Volleyball with the Jacksons

2010-07-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

To say goodbye to our Jackson side of the family before our move, we got together with my parents and brother's family for a little volleyball match and grilling. The evening started out with a couple games of 2 vs. 2 -- my brother and his wife against Aaron and I. Michelle, my brother's wife, just had her third child a little over a year ago and is in insane shape (go Michelle!), so I was a little afraid that they were going to school us. Somehow or other we hung with them, probably because Aaron had several amazing digs. He's really good at defense since he's so incredibly fast. Reflexes like a cat! My dad and mom helped watch the boys while we played, but dad still managed to throw in a few coaching tips from the sidelines. He was definitely rooting for Aaron and Michelle, not Charlie and I. What the heck? Reverse nepotism?

After playing against Charlie and Michelle for a while, Hayden and Preston (the eldest of our nephews) started creeping onto the court trying to dig balls. We would ask Preston to promise to just be the ball boy so he wouldn't get hurt, but he just loves volley and couldn't stay away! After we finished our game we brought the boys in so they could try to play and they did great! Here is a picture of Hayden (who is a few months short of eight years old) spiking.

Michelle is a trained chef (yum!) and she made a tasty summer dinner for us all while the boys played. Here is a picture of her youngest son, Landon, trying to eat corn on the cob.

What a fun day! Thanks Charlie and Michelle for the volley and thanks Mom and Dad for making the day possible!

Aaron's Medical School Graduation

2010-07-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

June 6th, 2010 marked the day of Aaron's graduation from the UCSD School of Medicine -- the day Aaron became a doctor. This transformation from student to practitioner was demonstrated through various time-honored rituals at the ceremony, such as the donning of academic regalia, the receipt of a diploma, and the recitation of the Hippocratic Oath.

Aaron receiving his hood. All doctors of medicine conferred in the United States receive a green hood with the university's colors on the reverse side.

This special day was filled with all the pomp and circumstance one might expect from such an occasion, but what struck me as truly spectacular was very simple, very subtle. It was the careful enthusiasm in Aaron's step as he exited the ceremony, not long after he had been referred to as Dr. Aaron Powell (legitimately) for the first time. What would he do with such a title -- with the trust that people unthinkingly give to those who bear it? He could only hope to heal many and unintentionally hurt few; the rest he'd have to leave up to the Great Physician :)

Dr. States and Dr. Powell with wives.

Visiting Baby Isaiah

2010-07-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

In our last post from Memorial Day, you met our friends Leith and Pati, who were due to have their first child any day. Well, Isaiah Shaun States came into the world on June 14th and we hurried to the hospital the day after he was born to visit our new little buddy!

Uncle Aaron with Isaiah's proud father.

Check out that full head of hair!

The new and improved States Family.

Welcome Isaiah! You are very loved.

Memorial Day

2010-07-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest parts about leaving San Diego was saying goodbye to our Bible Study friends. Many of these friendships go back to middle school, high school, and college, and we are going to miss this crew so very much.

We were fortunate enough to live at my parent's condo in Imperial Beach for about two months before our move, and so we invited our Bible study friends and some others that we enjoy fellowship with to the condo for a Memorial Day BBQ and beach day.

The beautiful view from the Jackson condo.

We played several games of Bocce ball and enjoyed laying in the sun.

We also won three very intense matches of 6 on 6 beach volleyball against some local jungle ball enthusiasts. We had 5 ex-collegiate volleyball players, 2 high school volleyballers, and 2 ex-collegiate track athletes, yet we BARELY won! It was close, but we somehow evaded a loss.

Aaron warming up with Rachell

After a full day of play at the beach, we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs while Aaron played waiter.

Jeff -- Aaron's roommate and from U of A -- was unable to make it to our wedding and we had been having trouble connecting with him all year. Fortuitously, we got in touch with Jeff a couple days before our shin-dig and told him to stop by if he could. Jeff not only came, he ended up grilling burgers for everyone and staying to the bitter end to help clean and chat it up. It was a real pleasure spending time with him. Here are the roomies on the patio...

We not only had Aaron's best bud from undergrad in attendance, we also had his best friend from med school, Leith. Leith decided to wear his "Gilligan hat" for this special day.

We're definitely going to miss Leith and his wife, Pati. They have been so good to both of us throughout the med school years. Pati was due to have their first child, Isaiah, two weeks after our party, but they came anyway!

Thanks for all the memories friends. We will miss you all tremendously.

Men's Fishing Trip

2010-07-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

The men on Aaron's mother's side of the family take an annual fishing and camping trip and this year they decided to go to Hemet Lake. They did a lot of fishing this year, but not a lot of catching. Nevertheless, they enjoyed some excellent manly bonding time and came back with some pretty good pictures.

Aaron, our brother-in-law (Aaron B.), and Aaron's dad (Steve) loading up the truck.

Abbey decided that she didn't want to stay with the girls and wanted to tag along with the guys instead. Here's a picture of Aaron copying her grumpy expressions as she made a case for why she should get to go too.

Dinner time.

Hemet Lake was very windy the first night they stayed there. Steve set up a wind shield for their site, but the ranger made him take it down not long after he got it up.

Campsite and fire.

Water fight?

Aaron's sister, Amber, is a photographer, so her husband and brother teamed up to take this picture to impress her with when they got back.

Unfortunately, the guys did not get to bring any fish back. They caught a few, but they were too small to keep. Despite coming home empty handed, they had an enjoyable and relaxing time...

We've Moved!

2010-07-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

We have moved to Sacramento! It wasn't easy to say goodbye to San Diego, but we have officially transitioned our lives to a new locale.

Aaron started his first day of work at the University of California, Davis Medical Center on June 25th, with several days of orientation in the two weeks prior. We traveled back and forth between San Diego and Sacramento during those last weeks of June to pack and prepare our stuff. We moved into the house that we are renting on July 1st and have been unpacking since.

Boxes!

Where will we put all this stuff?

It's been two weeks since Aaron first started residency and he is already feeling more efficient and proficient. The hours are long and the work is challenging, but he is doing a fine job of handling the new responsibilities that come with the "MD." For those of you who haven't had a chance to talk with Aaron about what his residency will be like, let me give you an idea:

First Year (also known as "intern year"): This year is generally considered to be the most difficult year for all residents. The specialty that Aaron is going into -- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) -- requires newcomers to complete their first year of training in a field other than but complementary to PM&R. Because of this, Aaron chose to do his intern year as a preliminary year in Internal Medicine. His schedule is very close to that of a first year Internal Medicine resident, with a few small differences. He will spend about six months of this year in internal medicine wards, three months in surgery, and one month in emergency medicine, neurology, and PM&R. During this year Aaron has to take "call" every 4-5 days, which means he has stay in the hospital from one morning to the next in order to monitor his patients through the day and through the night. Aaron is now able to prescribe medications and has said that learning how to order the correct dosing of prescriptions from the pharmacy for his patients staying in the hospital has been very tough. Such a task requires a certain intellectual and institutional savvy.

Second Year: In his second year of residency Aaron will no longer be grouped with the internal medicine residents and will only be assigned to PM&R services. He will spend most of his time (from what I hear from current second years) in clinics that address musculo-skeletal diseases (cool!). He will begin to learn how to utilize some of the different interventional tools available to PM&R physicians, such as steroidal injections, electromyography testing (nerve conduction study), gait analysis, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Third Year: Aaron will continue to rotate through PM&R clinics (which are out-patient) and wards (which are in-patient). He will not have to take a lot of call because he will not be on in-patient services very frequently. Some of the services he might be on are: traumatic brain injury, burn unit, pediatric rehabilitation, sports medicine, spinal chord injury, pain medicine, and more.

Fourth Year: For his final year, Aaron will serve as one of three "chief residents" for PM&R and he will be in charge of overseeing all the second- and third-year residents in his department. He will make their schedules and check their work, etc, as well as see his own patients.

Optional Fifth Year: If Aaron continues to want to pursue a career in sports medicine he will complete a fifth year fellowship in this sub-specialty -- possibly at UC Davis, possibly at another school. A fellowship year provides more specialized training and would allow Aaron to learn skills that are particularly relevant for a practice in sports medicine rehabilitation.

So that's the gist. As for now, we're just getting used to the fact that he's getting paid rather than paying to learn (oh med school!). Pretty cool.

Bringin' home the bacon! Aaron's first pay check as a doctor :)

More to come soon about our move, adventures in Sacramento, and even some retrospective posts on our final months in southern California.

And, if you'd like to write to us, our new address is:

2231 36th Street

Sacramento, CA 95817-1131

Andy Banachowski Retirement Party

2010-06-09T17:02:00.001-07:00

Andy Banachowski was the head coach for the UCLA Women's Volleyball Team for 43 years, and on May 28th, 2010 over 250 former athletes, coaches, and colleagues gathered on the floor of Pauley Pavilion (and the now-even-more-famous John and Nel Wooden Court) to celebrate Andy's recent retirement. I played for Coach Banachowski (or B-Diddy as he was known in my day) for four years from 2002-2005 and it was so much fun to reconnect with old teammates and coaches at the event. Below is a picture of all the past and present UCLA Women's Volleyball players that were at the even:

The event was planned by alumnus Brenn Ferguson, who is now an event planner with Sony. She added fun little display stations of old team pictures, jerseys, etc:

Many of my old teammates had never met Aaron (or if they had it was for 2 seconds at our wedding) so I enjoyed getting to introduce him to everyone.

Mom and Dad Jackson drove up with us to LA and attended the event as well. My brother, Charlie, also played volleyball at UCLA, and they were happy to chat with Charlie's old coach, Al Scates, and other alumni too.

To watch the tribute video to Andy that was shown at the reception, click here.

Maui

2010-05-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Aaron's upcoming graduation from medical school, we set out on an adventure to Maui! We had been trying to plan a trip for a while, but couldn't deciding where we wanted to go (such a tough problem to have, we know). We picked Maui on a Sunday, booked tickets and hotels on a Monday, and were on a plane by Wednesday! Crazy? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely.

We spent our first night in a hotel near the airport, which is on the central north coast. In the morning we set out toward Hana, a very, very small town on the east coast. The road to Hana takes 3 hours if you're in a hurry and a day if you're not. We stopped at many beautiful sights along the way. When we came to our first waterfall we were so excited, but by the time we had finished our drive it seemed pretty small.

Next, a muddy hike up a slippery hill

and along aqueducts

to a remote waterfall and pool.

After that unexpected find, we stopped at a state-maintained arboretum where we learned the names of some of the amazing plants we saw along the highway (such as this rainbow eucalyptus).

We stopped frequently to take pictures of dramatic views like the one below.

One of our favorite stops was Wai'anapanapa State Park, which featured a blow hole,

powerful waves crashing into jagged cliffs,

a volcanic rock arch that Aaron climbed across (you can see his white t-shirt above the greenery, contrasted by the black rock),

a black-sand beach that looked like Oreo crumbs in your hands,

and coastal caverns.

We arrived in Hana in the evening, where we stayed for one night at Joe's Place (yes, it was all that we hoped for and more). We set out early in the morning for one of Maui's most famous hikes, The Seven Sacred Pools.

This picture is of the second major fall on the hike. At the top of the fall is a pool know as the "Infinity Pool." The pool looked out through a large canyon all the way to the ocean. Unfortunately, the pools were closed for swimming on the day we went :(

Aaron and I had never seen a banyan tree before we saw the one below while climbing up to the fourth pool. Banyan trees grow up and then the branches grow back down into the ground to create root systems to support the large branches. Insane!

The grand finale of the hike was a .5 mile-long stroll through a dense bamboo forest. Very zen.

The trek ended with a breath-taking view of a 400ft waterfall down a semi-circular rock wall that was covered in green moss and small plants. It was a breath taking and awe inspiring sight!

After completing the Seven Sacred Pools hike we drove west to Napili Beach, where we stayed for the next 5 nights. Our hotel -- the Outrigger Napili Shores -- was even more beautiful than we had hoped. Here is the picturesque view from the pool and grass area.

Napili Beach had a steep shore break, which made our casual walks on the beach into breathy hikes. However, the snorkling at Napili was fantastic, as there were rock reefs on the left and right sides of its cresent-moon coast.

We celebrated our 10th monthiversary of marriage in Maui by attending a luau in Ka'anapali. At the luau we noticed a tiny pineapple plant growing outside the area where the performance was taking place.

Since we were staying on the north west-side of Maui we decided to take a day trip to explore jagged coastal trails and pools just miles from our hotel. We couldn't determine if we were scaling Martian terrain or an island paradise.

A heart-shaped hole in lava rock that we discovered on our hike.

Our final destination for the day was the Olivine Pools -- lava basins just 10 ft. or so above the ocean level. It was one of our favorite stops during our vacation.

The very last stop we made before heading to the airport was to see the Olowalu petroglyphs. The picture below is of the Polynesian demi-god, Maui, who is said to have fished the Hawaiian islands out of the sea and restrained the sun so that it would move more slowly across the Hawaiian sky.

What a trip!

Asher Jude Burmeister!

2010-05-25T21:50:00.001-07:00

We'd like to introduce our newest nephew, Asher Jude Burmeister, born 5/10/10.

Abbey loves Asher and is proud to be a "big seester," but if you say that he is "cute" around her she will automatically assume that you are using the word to describe her.

We love these little ones!

Family Time

2010-05-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

The last couple months we've been fortunate enough to get to visit with a lot of our family members. Below are some of the fun things we've been able to do with family lately...

POWELL FAMILY GET-TOGETHER

Uncle Curt and Aunt Jill invited the extended Powell family over to their house in April to visit with cousins Nathan and Erin who were visiting from Japan (where they are stationed with the Air Force). Ten of the twelve Powell cousins were in attendance, accompanied by spouses and kids. It was a blast!

The Powell cousins and families.

EASTER

Powells and Burmeisters on Easter Day

PALM SPRINGS

A couple of weeks ago we joined our Grandma and Grandpa Polley, as well as our Aunt Laurie and Uncle Paul, in Palm Springs for two days and two nights. We enjoyed lounging by the pool, playing volleyball with Grandpa, Laurie, and some other guests that were way to competitive, winning free ice cream at the family Wii competition, playing cards, losing the big splash contest at the pool, and cooking meals together.

Group shot before leaving.

Laurie winning at Wii Fencing.

CINCO DE PRESTO

Later that week we celebrated Cinco de Presto -- the birthday of our nephew Preston who was born on 05/05/05. For Preston's birthday we let him pick which amusement park in San Diego he wanted to visit, and he chose Lego Land. Now, Preston has been to Lego Land many, many times (because his family members have ambassador passes), however he was set on showing us the little volleyball court in the lego model of Mission Beach at "TinyLand."

Preston and Tammy with a Lego statue.

Aaron and Preston wearing each others hats. Oh Preston, so silly!

Carnival Cruise

2010-04-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

In April we went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas with the Jackson's for Spring Break. Some of the highlights included: snorkeling with Mom, Dad, and our brother Charlie; tea time on the Lido Deck; watching other people embarrass themselves at karaoke with Charlie and our sister-in-law Michelle; running on a treadmill that moved with the boat (yikes) and doing ab exercises with Dad and Michelle; delicious food for every meal; playing mini-golf with our nephews; and reading the final Harry Potter book. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from our very memorable family vacation!

Formal dinner night. Us with our nephews, Charlie and Michelle, and Michelle's mom. How cute are our nephew's sweaters and hats?

On our way to go snorkeling!

Gearing up!

One of the many animal towel folds that were left on our bed every night by Alwin, our very friendly and talented room attendant.

Thanks Jackson's for an amazing and fun-filled vacation!

March Fun

2010-04-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

March was a big month for us. We found our where Aaron matched, moved out of our apartment in graduate housing and into our parents on the Jackson side's condo (until June), and spent some QT with family and friends. Here are some pictures of the fun things we did in March:

Duff/Knox Wedding

The Jacksons have been friends with the Knox family for a long long time (Daddy-o Jackson and Jim Knox met when they were four) and this weekend the eldest Knox son, Kyle, was married to an awesome gal named Andrea. The wedding was a lot of fun and we enjoyed dancing to "Shout" with Mom and Dad Jackson.

Tainted Love Concert

Most of our friends went for the neon-and-geometric-prints look, but we decided to emulate the Manhattan-chic style of Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) and Darien Taylor (Daryl Hannah) from the 1987 movie "Wall Street."

We knew we had nailed the look when strangers that we met at the concert ask us if Aaron was Gekko and then proceeded to give us high fives. Score.

Babysitting our Niece Abbey

Aaron's sister, Amber, is a photographer and is editing our wedding album for us. Aaron's mom has been very kind to donate a lot of time to watch Amber's daughter Abbey while she edits, so we decided to try to help out a little too now that we have some free time. We took Abbey on a walk to see some horse stables nearby the Powell's house and to feed the ducks at Poway Lake. She's a hoot.

More to come...

Crew Classic

2010-04-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

Crew Classic

Daddy-o Jackson used to row when he was in college and has been a long time supporter of an annual San Diego Regatta -- The Crew Classic. We spent a beautiful Sunday morning on the bay with some friends and family watching the races and enjoying a yummy brunch. After we finished our food Pops showed everyone the inside of a shell and explained proper rowing technique.

Match Day

2010-04-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

March 18th was Match Day, the day when medical students across the nation find out their residency assignments. All of the UCSD fourth year medical students met on campus to open their letters together and learn where they had matched.

We are happy to report that Aaron received his first choice -- UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. Aaron will start his four-year residency program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation this June :)

Below is a picture of Aaron tacking a pin on a map of the U.S. to designate where he will complete his residency. All of the UCSD students received a pin and a visual representation of the distribution of the students was made.

Over 70% of the students in Aaron class are staying in California, which reflects well on his class since California is one of the hardest states to match in across specialties.

Aaron opened a letter that informed him where he had matched. Every student in attendance opened their letter at roughly the same time. It was a very exhilarating moment for everyone in the room.

If anyone has any advice for us on moving to Nor Cal, please send your wisdom our way :)

President's Day Weekend

2010-02-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

What a great President's weekend we had this year!

On Saturday we celebrated Valentine's Day in Julian over tea at Julian Tea and Cottage Arts. Aaron told me we were going to east county to pick up a cement additive for our brother-in-law's home improvement project. We made it all the way to Julian before I started to think something was up. Our afternoon tea was delightful, complete with chicken curry sandwiches and vegetable soup. Yum! Our favorite tea was the chocolate infused English Breakfast :)

We passed beautiful Lake Cuyamaca on our drive to Julian

Valentine's Tea

A tiny Shetlan pony drawing a cart that carried a family of 5 down Main Street! Wow pony!

On Sunday we went out to Poway for a Costco trip with Mom and Dad Powell and our buddy Leith. After Costco, we took Mom and Dad Jackson's 76 Camaro for a joy ride.

Poway Lake

Lookin' tough at the gas station

Hope you had a restful weekend!

Residency Interviews

2010-02-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Aaron concluded his interviews for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency programs last week. We really enjoyed traveling to different schools and cities to check out where we might be for the next couple of years. Here are a few pictures from our travels:

University of California, Davis

Sunset from CalExpo

University of Colorado

Tammy bundled up just after our arrival in Denver

Stanford

Bay Bridge, San Francisco (quite possibly the sweetest iPhone picture ever)

Market Street, San Francisco, as seen from Twin Peaks

University of Arizona

Heritage Hall, Tucson

University of Washington

Queen Ann, Seattle

Match Day is on March 18th, which means we will find out what residency program Aaron will be joining on that day :) We'll keep you posted!

Silver Strand

2010-01-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

For our 6th monthiversary celebration we decided to ride our bikes on the Silver Strand and spend the night in Imperial Beach.

Aerial view of the Silver Strand.

Before we could set out for our ride we had to get our bike rack all set up (best wedding gift ever -- thanks Uncle Jim for the rack and Stephie and Johnny G for the components!) and then tune up our gears.

Aaron assembling the bike rack.

Aaron greasing the chain.

The Silver Strand is a very fun and safe ride. The bike path is clearly marked by stencils of bikers wearing very large helmets!

We had a great time and would encourage anyone who can to get out and bike the Strand! Enjoy!

Holiday Bowl

2010-01-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

For a Christmas present, Mom and Dad Jackson got us tickets to the Holiday bowl. After we got the tickets we realized that Aaron had to work that day and that we would have to come a little late. After trying our best to coordinate everything with our other family members that would be joining us -- Dad Powell, brother Aaron B, Mom and Dad Jackson, and Buddy Leith -- Aaron P said: "I just hope it isn't a shut out after all this effort!"

Well...it was. It was the first shut out in Holiday Bowl history, and our Wildcats got spanked 0-33 by Nebraska. Arizona did make it to about the 5 yard line in the 4th quarter, only to have a 4th down pass spiked to the ground by a Cornhusker. It was a very unfortunate game. And it rained the whole time we were there. And we had to wait an hour and a half for the trolley afterward. Despite all this, the seven of us managed to have a good time and were pleased we went.

Us, bundled.

Leith and Aaron were really into the game.

Half time show.

More to come about Christmas and New Years when I get some pictures uploaded.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

What a weekend! Whew! We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Powell's; had our nephews over for a tent sleep-over; witnessed our youngest nephew Landon's Baptism; prepared for Aaron's residency interviews; and made multiple trips to Costco!

Here is a picture of the Powell, Polley, Zents, Deliman, Burmeister, and Jackson women after a successful day of cooking and preparation for Thanksgiving dinner.

Aaron and Steve doing dishes. Yay dudes!

Abbey laying down on the couch after her mini-feast.

After two nights at the Powell's, we picked up Hayden and Preston and brought them back to our apartment for a sleep-over. We may have "lost" the Nerf War, but Aaron definitely won the Cool Uncle award!

Target practice before our game of Buzz Lightyear vs. Zorg

The boys fort.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did :)

Wedding Film

2009-11-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

The very talented Tom O'Hara, from Aqua Vivus Productions, just informed us that he posted our wedding film up on his blog so that we can share it with friends and family :) If you'd like to view the film, please click here.

For best viewing results, press play and immediately press pause to let it load completely. Once you see the gray progress bar near the end, press play again and enjoy.

Thanks Tom, and thanks again to those who helped us celebrate our marriage :)

Rachell & Craig's Wedding

2009-11-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

Our good friends Rachell and Craig were married on October 2nd at the La Jolla Hyatt. It was a fun filled day and we were so glad to be a part of it. Here are some pictures from the joyous occasion.

The ceremony site.

The bride and matron-of-honor.

Isn't Aaron's tie amazing? We have Aaron's dad Steve to thank for his tubular fashion sense in the early 90s! Super sweet!

Tammy's parents with some of the other UCLA volleyball girls and Katie's new husband, Hector.

Things got a little crazy during Tammy's speech...

Volley giels :)

If you'd like to see more pictures of Rachell and Craig's wedding please go here. Thanks again Rachell and Craig for a great day!

Poway Powells (and Burmeister) Family

2009-11-02T20:44:00.001-08:00

Last fall, Amber's fellow-photographer friend took some family photos for us at old Poway Park. We thought now might be a nice time to post these since the trees are beginning to turn again and autumn has officially arrived. Our seasons are a little behind here in Southern California...but we don't mind :)

Happy Fall!

Halloween

2009-10-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

Arr, Matey! We're going to be in Sacramento for Halloween this year with our Mauga Family cousins! We're planning to wear our awesome pirate costumes that Aaron's mom Debbie helped us to make last year.

Here's a picture of us in our pirate garb with our sister Amber and our niece Abbey at Amber's Halloween Party last fall.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Aaron in Sacramento

2009-10-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Aaron has been carried off to Sacramento (hehe) for an away rotation at the UC Davis Medical Center. Please pray for him and his time there!

wedding pictures

2009-09-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

We recently got our wedding pictures back from our photographers -- Nate and Jaclyn of The Image is Found. We'll post more later, but here are two of our favorites for now :)

If you took pictures on your digital camera at our wedding, we'd love it if you'd share your pictures with us. If it isn't too much trouble, we would greatly appreciate it if you would mail us a burned CD or DVD copy of your photos to:

Aaron and Tamara Powell
12674 Acacia Terrace
Poway, CA 92064

If you have time, we'd also like to ask that you upload your pictures to a Picasa page that we set up so that everyone can view your snapshots. To upload pictures, go to the Picasa sign-in page and enter:

email: aj.tj.powell
password: weddingpics
(You will see an upload symbol at the top and center of the window.)

If you did not take pictures, but want to view what others post, please click here.

Post-Weddig What not

2009-08-19T23:16:00.001-07:00

For the last few weeks we have been working of tying up loose ends from the wedding, changing our marital status (and name for Tammy!) with important institutions (arg), as well as getting back into the swing of things with work and school.

One of the first things we did when we got back was open our wedding gifts, which was CRAZINESS. We certainly have very generous family and friends! Here is a funny picture of all the boxes and shipping materials from gifts we received in the mail -- dang!

We still haven't finished writing thank you cards yet, but we're working on it!

Next on our list of things to do as a married couple was to get a membership to Costco. Every newly married couple gets gas at Costco, right? I mean, what a deal!

That's all for now :) Check ya later.

Back from our Honeymoon

2009-07-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

We are back in San Diego after enjoying a wonderful ten-day honeymooning in Colorado.

We stayed in a hotel in Breckenridge for five nights where we enjoyed a hot air balloon ride, a couples massage, a Burn Notice Marathon (!), and hiking. From Breckenridge we drove to Aaron's cousin's (Dusty and Sarah) home in Bailey and then to his Aunt Lindy and Uncle Daves's in Monument. Unfortunately, Dave and Lindy were out of town, but their son Dusty and daughter-in-law Sarah hosted us and took us rock climbing, fishing, mountain biking, and out to a fancy dinner. Before heading out, we stayed one last night in Denver, where we visited the Molly Brown House and tried to catch up on sleep.

Below are some of our favorite pictures from our trip. If you'd like to see more, click here.

Just outside our hotel at Maggie Pond with dry ski slopes in the background.

Getting the hot air balloon ready.

Lift off!

1,000 ft. in the air!

Aaron inside the balloon while it was deflating.

Hiking outside Breckenridge.

There are dinosaur statues everywhere in Colorado. Aaron likes to ride them.

And again...

Biking along the Santa Fe trail, which used to be the Santa Fe Railroad line.

In a field. Awesome.

Mountains behind the Air Force Academy.

With our hosts, Sarah and Dusty Powell.

Rock climbing in Platte Springs, Pike National Forest.

Engagement Photos

2009-06-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Aaron's sister, Amber Burmeister, is a very talented photographer. She just posted some of the engagement photos that she took of us up in Ramona (which is in the hills above our home town, Poway) on her blog for Amber Dawn Photography.

Hope you enjoy :)

Thanks again Amber!

Baby Landon

2009-04-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

On March 6th the newest edition to the Jackson family, Landon Joseph, was born at Kaiser Zion. Here are some pictures from the special day.

Tammy and Charlie chatting after check-in.

The Fam

Holiday Break!

2009-01-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

We just finished a two week break from school. We enjoyed lots of QT with family and friends. Here are some of the highlights from our break...

Christmas (Ugly) Sweater Party at Tammy and Rachell's. Rachell and her fiance, Craig, made eggnog from scratch!

Registered! We're gonna need a serving fork for dishin' up some tenderloin, duh!

VADER-TOSS! The Powell's helped Aaron and I make a bean bag toss in the shape of Vader's helmet for Hayden and Preston. They loved it!

Snapped some photos with Aaron's parents and sister's family at Old Poway Park.

We got engaged!

2008-11-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Best Thanksgiving ever! Thanks to all our family members that helped make it happen :)

Best of 2008: Friends and Family

2008-11-26T08:42:00.007-08:00

Here are some of our favorite pics from this year....

Aaron and his niece, Abbey.

Aaron & Tammy with their friends Stephanie and David at the Vogel's annual 4th of July 5k!

Tammy and her nephews, Preston and Hayden, at Seaworld.

May the Force be with you! Tammy's brother's family, Halloween 2008.

Bye!

2008-11-26T08:40:00.001-08:00

love, tammy & aaron