I'm on call at the hospital. It's still early yet, but the hospital is already buzzing. Kayla is bringing over an Uno's pizza, so that should be a nice pause in all the action. Four nurses have already paged me over the same thing, which isn't a good omen for the rest of the night. We'll just have to wait and see.

I have some pictures from vacation to Ocean Reef. They are mostly of golfing, eating, and somesuch. It was great to have Brian and Madelyn join us for vacation. We were quite lucky they happened to be in the Miami area that week.

Of note, I included some pictures of Card Sound Golf Club. It's a private club within the private club of Ocean Reef. We happened to see the crocodile on the course, which is always terrifying. He didn't eat us this time , so thank you for that Mr. Croc. He and his friends seem to visit the course every year. They come in from Card Sound and live in the lakes and ponds around the course. No one bothers them and they seem not to bother us. It's good that way. A private jet happened to be landing on the strip right as we teed off on hole number 7. That was cool. Them jets sure are loud. I also included Kayla and my engagement picture. I think we're headed towards a March wedding, 2007. Looks like it will be in Houston, but the jury is still out.

It was great to see my grandmother as usual. She is having foot pain, and it's tough to keep under control. She has good days and bad days, and it's certainly nicer when she has good days. She is painting more than ever. She has some incredible watercolors of birds, vegetables, flowers, and whatever else she can find. Kayla and I are receiving two more Betty Richardson originals, which will bring our collection to four. (with the Nathan Beach collection a close second with three works) She is so very talented, and her paintings keep getting better. It's amazing to see these things she makes. I hope she continues to create such beautiful images.

Much more to come, but I'll stop here for now. Jim, Brian, and Phil are now here. Brian is getting lots of consults. This could get ugly.

>>View the PICTURES<<

Dr. O. has informed me that I don't update this enough. In fact, it seems most of my recent blogs say exactly that. Well, I don't see any change in that abysmal schedule in the foreseeable future, but I would like to include my NYC weekend pictures from March and my vacation pics. So hopefully I can add those things in the near future. The last two weeks were good: vacation was fantastic for obvious reasons (read below), after that I got to spend a few days with Mom working on the house, and I feel rested. Unfortunately the "feel rested" thing will probably last another 12 hours and be gone. It's ok though, I'll manage.

Until we meet again, it's my first day back at work, I'm on call, and I'm on transplant surgery. Viva l'hospital!

Howdy, I thought I might recap the events of today, which are probably rank up there as "most important moments" in my life thus far.

The day began quite early...3:45 AM to be exact. Kayla and I arrived home at 1 AM that morning after attending the most excellent Coldplay concert (Twisted Logic Tour) in Manchester, New Hampshire. The venue, Verizon Wireless Arena, is quite intimate, and the band was incredible. I was struck by how charismatic Chris Martin is with the crowd. He had lively banter with the crowd in addition to the superb music. I was thoroughly impressed with the entire presentation and loved every minute. Then we drove the 2 hours back to Springfield. All told we drove 4 hours for 2 hours of performance. However, I'd do it again if presented another chance.

So we slept quickly then got up to fly to Key Largo and visit my grandmother. Brian and Madelyn happened to be visiting friends in Miami, so we were able to meet up with them and say hello. Anyway, we picked up the rental and were at Ocean Reef by 12 noon. The first half of the day was spent taking Kayla around the Reef showing her all there is to do. We saw Buccaneer Island (and had grilled dolphin on a nice salad and pina collada of course), The Marina, shopping venues, the golf courses, and all the other stuff. Then it was time for the pool.

That night it was the weekly "cookout" at the Angler's Club of Key Largo. We sat down to have a cocktail before dinner and enjoyed the sunset over Card Sound which is all continuous with the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Then I took Kayla out to the docks overlooking the water and asked her to marry me. I think she was able to mutter a "yes" thorough all of her sobbing and hugging...and only after I had to ask her a second time. It was a beautiful scene with the sunset and brilliant colors in the background. It was almost fairytale-like with the ocean, yachts, and scenery. Then we proceeded inside for dinner, drinks, and great conversation. There was a nice bottle of champagne sitting there when we arrived. I think we still have the bottle somewhere. There was a huge appetizer buffet spread out for all to enjoy. They have every fruit imaginable, salmon, salads, breads, pastries filled with stuff, and a billion other things. Dinner was spectacular (as usual), then we managed to fit in some dessert buffet and coffee. I couldn't have planned a better evening, and it was an excellent start to the vacation. Speaking of planning...

Months of work went into the preparation for this evening. It started in January when while sitting in the Porter Building at the hospital, Jim Smith declared I needed to get off my ass and get this proposal thing taken care of. So Jim, Brian, and myself got to planning. We decided I needed to get to Dallas ASAP to buy the ring. So I bought a ticket and made up a story to Kayla that I was visiting my mom on her birthday (which is also true). It was "too expensive" for Kayla to go, so I went alone and arranged to meet with 3 different diamond dealers in Dallas to pick the thing out. My folks picked me up, at the airport and we went straight to the World Trade Center in downtown Dallas to begin the search. I was already somewhat educated in what to look for in a diamond, but the gentlemen who helped us out was incredible. We talked about stones, the different certifying agencies, settings, all the "C's", and everything else. I think we looked at 10 or so loose stones for around 2 hours. The next day I met with my buddy from high school Anthony Pampillonia, whose family owns a jewelry store in Richardson. Carolyn came along, and we looked at several settings (which the Pampillonias design and construct) and a few stones. We had a lot of fun, and even took a tour of the back area where all the rings are constructed. Then we looked at the diamond I liked the most under the microscope. I was utterly impressed with the beauty of the thing and never really looked back. I ended up meeting with a few other diamond people, but nothing impressed me as much as Anthony's, so in the end I chose his. It was one of the more enjoyable weekends I've had in Dallas.

My relationship with Kayla truly began for me in Key Largo the end of December 2005. We had been talking a lot on the phone and really got to know one another before the actual dating began. I was very pleased at the symbolism of choosing Ocean Reef as a proposal site not only because we started our relationship but because my personal past is so closely linked to this beautiful place. My grandmother was able to be present, which I really liked, and I was able to propose in a beautiful, familiar place. Year 29 of my visits to The Reef will be the most incredible yet.

So that was day 1 of my spring break. I'm sure there will be more good things to come.

P.S. It's my dad's birthday, so happy birthday Dad!