Ladies' Brunch

Since being in NC, I have greatly missed hosting and cooking for groups of people. So, I made a plan. I invited all the women I knew in NC (around 15) to come over for Brunch today. We had a nice turn out of 7 and got to enjoy yummy food. I had lots of fun making my famous cinnamon rolls, sausage balls, broccoli quiche, and cranberry coffee cake. It was fun having some of my fellow OTs from work over too. Thanks Courtney, Allison, and Alicia for coming! Of course, what would be an event without my faithful friend Kristen....she's always willing to help out and taste test some food for me! Ashley Bundy and Steph Murray joined us as well and we all had a nice time chatting once others have left. It's great to see my community slowly growing! I am so GRATEFUL to have some friends here! PRAISE the LORD!

While the ladies and I were feasting, Adam kindly left us alone and went rollerblading. There is this awesome trail in Durham called the American Tobacco Trail. We have rollerbladed there several times because the trails are relatively flat and the scenery is quite enjoyable. The trail used to be railroads that connected the major cities, but now it is used for leisure. With the weather cooling off here now, I think I'm about ready to lace of my rollerblades and visit the trail again too.

Random Fact from Adam: "The bundt pan comes from the German word 'bund' which means a gathering of people."

The First Year in Pediatrics

As I continue my first year in a pediatrics, one thing is certain.....my immune system is still adjusting. I am currently recovering from a nice case of strep throat that caused a fever for three days and a pretty achy body. Needless to say, I did not work on Monday or Tuesday, but I will face it all again tomorrow. Fortunately, I have gotten plenty of time to rest, relax, and do nothing. And for Beth out there with the flu, pray for her to get better quickly too! Being around children consistently can take a toll it seems! The children I see in my clinic range from age 2 - 12. I have more younger/preschool children which I greatly enjoy, but these little guys have yet to learn how to use a Kleenex appropriately. Hopefully, my immune system will only grow stronger and these little ailments won't come around as often anymore! I do wish you all a great week and a healthy one too!!

Random Fact from Adam: "Both Tim McGraw and Faith Hill sing the same line in the chorus of 'I Need You': 'Like my Uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs a rain.'" Maybe it's just me, but I think it's either (1) an amazing coincidence that they both have an Uncle Joe in Oklahoma, or (2) it's creepy that they have the same Uncle Joe and they're singing about how they need each other.

Home from California

We left for California the Friday before Labor Day and returned 10 days later on the red-eye flight from L.A.. Needless to say, it's been an adjustment back at home with the time change difference. (We couldn't go to sleep on Sunday night and ended up cooking up a midnight snack of cheese quesadillas!) It was an absolutely fantastic of seeing friends and family and celebrating the joyous occasion of Brandon and Melissa getting married! On our first day in L.A., we had two celebrity sightings. The first was Kristin Davis (a.k.a. Charlotte York from Sex in the City) who kindly asked us which table we were waiting for at this cute breakfast place. The second was Alec Baldwin at an Italtian restaurant in Malibu.

We headed from the L.A. area to Dana Point where we met Sara and Sully (Sara went to grad school with Steph) for dinner. We also got to spend time with Adam's aunt and parents in Orange County doing some shopping and trying to stay cool from the scorching sun. (Seriously, it was over 100 degrees the first few days in Cali.)

After getting back to the L.A. area, we got the grand tour of the Art Institute of California's Culinary school thanks to Steph's brother, Josh. We enjoyed fine dining at the Culinary school's restaurant and even got to taste some delicious food from students once their class was ending.

In our last part of the trip, we stayed in the Westwood Village area which had plenty of shops and restaurants in walking distance. During that time we got to see one of Adam's former co-workers, Rachel, and her adorable daughter Riley. A college friend of Steph's, Shannon, came for a visit as we got to eat homemade ice cream sandwhiches for $1.25!

The Rehearsal Dinner was at the Napa Valley Grille in the Westwood Village area and the Wedding on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. It was all followed by a fantastic reception at the Ebell Theatre where we all enjoyed celebrating together. The trip sadly ended on Saturday evening when we had to fly back to North Carolina. Fortunately, we were in First Class (Steph's first time and boy, did she love it) and had plenty of room to stretch out and be comfy. Delta messed up on our tickets awhile back, so we got First Class seats as compensation....not too bad of a deal if you ask me. We had some amazing food while in California including: Pinkberry frozen yogurt and Sakura for GREAT sushi. Anyhow, here are some pictures from the trip:

Riley and Rachel

Shannon and Steph

The Bride and Groom at the Rehearsal Dinner

Adam's parents and us at the Rehearsal Dinner

The Best Man and the Violinist at the Wedding

Melissa and Brandon

At the reception with Hosea and April

And.....the Random Fact from Adam: "Newborn giraffe calves fall 6 feet to the ground." Bonus points for the best umbilical cord joke.