Adios November!

It was another crazy month, but with graduation so close these busy weeks have made the time fly!

19 days until graduation!!

MANGIAMO!!!

While a good chunk of the American population was out scoring some of the latest and greatest sales, Scott and I hit the town for a different kind of shopping - breakfast at the local food co-op and then around town to pick up all the ingredients for pasta, sauce and meatballs.

After the meatballs were done, Scott got to work on the pasta.  Half way through we discovered there were not enough eggs so the peanut gallery was sent to pick some up.  It would not be a family meal if someone was not sent to the store to pick up some key ingredient mid cooking job.

After everything was rolled out, lacrosse sticks and brooms were set up as we were running out of counter space.  My dad pipped up that he wanted a selfie with the pasta so we compromised on this gem instead.

With everything cut we just had to wait for the water to boil and then it could be time to mangiamo! 

The next major task was pouring all the sauce, meatballs and sausage from the "two small" pots into the one larger one (we needed somewhere to cook the pasta).  I was in charge of scooping into the ladle.  While there were no major spillage issues, the running commentary would have been good to get on video.

A few hours later lunch was on!  You would think from this picture we did pretty well, but there is still another pot of pasta which was barely touched.  

There are going to be leftovers for days and days and days (being down 8 family members does that to the numbers).  No complaints here as I will get to take some home with me!

Bring on the Turkey!!

MY MOST FAVORITE HOLIDAY HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!

The men headed outside to take care of all things turkey.  It was probably the safest crew around to make sure the house did not catch on fire - a firefighter (papa-dukes), a head of safety guy and my uncle.  The lady folk stayed inside to make everything which went with the turkeys including the most amazing sweet potato rolls.

Turkey success (1 of 2)!

A table for 15 was quickly fashioned with some styrofoam padding and two large boards of wood.

Dinner was fantastic with lots of good stories and reminiscing.  The only thing missing was a screening of It's a Wonderful Life which did make my bag, but never got popped into the DVD player.  Instead the afternoon was filled with more stories and for some, a nap.    

The food tradition continues tomorrow and will be filled with homemade pasta and meatballs.  

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving from me and mine!

May your plates be filled with turkey and simple carbohydrates with a side of heavy power napping.  But more importantly, may it be a day with the ones you love!

(or at least can tolerate with a bottle(s) of wine)

Arrived In Tar Heel Country

With no work for the next few days, it is back in the car for another adventure.  This time it is just a cool two states south to meet up with the family for Thanksgiving in Chapel Hill.  I was determined to beat the traffic and left the Charmed City promptly at 1100.  It was smooth sailing to Alexandria and then we were stop and go thanks to bad weather and a couple of accidents.  It took four hours to go 84 miles ... you do the math.

Never fear.  The one good thing about heading through VA ... WAWA's everywhere!!  There is nothing better than seeing this glorious sign on a road trip (lots of good times and bagel sandwiches).

8 hours later, I finally arrived and was promptly whisked away for some Mexican food!

Monday Gosling Meme

Friendsgiving!

My most favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving, is coming up.  Maybe it is spending time with the family (and the annual fight over how stuffing is made with the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the background) or the amazing food.  What better way to prep for the big day than to have friends over for a Friendsgiving celebration.  Today was the fall version of the immensely successful Summer BBQ.

There was no sleep for the weary as things got going early.  First up - throw in the sweet potatoes and head off to the garden to gather up the last of the fall harvest.  Here Frank keeps a watchful eye over the last of the kale, swiss chard, and mixed lettuces.

Then back to the kitchen to get a jump start on all things Thanksgiving before the rest of the DC crew arrived.  All would have been a complete cluster-eff had Dan not been there to serve as an extra set of hands and taste tester.  Now here is where any good food blogger would post pictures of food prep, what the turkey looked like pre and post cooking, the final table scape, but I COMPLETELY FAILED ON THAT ACCOUNT.  (This is also not a food blog so I consider myself safe)  So instead I give you this picture (found on a google search), which is as close to what ours looked like as possible.

Mer, our token midwesterner, made some amazing pies!  

This one was complete with a turkey design.  

My stomach, and fridge, are now full with the deliciousness of all things fall and Thanksgiving.  

Only five days until the real thing!

Got a Turkey

Q:  Why did the police arrest the turkey?
A:  They suspected it of fowl play!

(oh how I love bad, bad jokes)

This morning I headed out to the country to Maple Lawn Farm to pick up a turkey for Saturday's Friendsgiving festivities.  The turkey is a bit larger than I wanted, but with 20 people coming to dinner better safe than sorry!

With a car filled with groceries I headed home to get a jump start on some cooking!  

I think I used every pot and pan in my kitchen.  

Three days until Friendsgiving 2013!!

Monday Gosling Meme

Half Way

When we were biking across the US, one of the frequent questions asked would be "when is lunch?"  The leaders, not able to give us a specific mile marker, would instead use the blanket answer of HALF WAY.  With this phrase in mind, I can say that I am a little more than half way through transitions.

Things I have learned thus far:

• We have all come a long way since seeing our first patients in Level 1 when we were only able to change sheets and take blood pressures
• It is strange to have other students report to you on cares done as a few months ago I was in their shoes Danskos 
• I can swaddle a NAS baby like nobody's business
• Working evening Saturday and Sunday shifts not only save you tons of money, but also introduce you to shows like Jerry Springer's Baggage 

6 shifts to go!!  32 days until graduation!!

Why 20 is the Not the New 30

While I was driving hundreds of miles around the midwest, I killed a lot of time with TED Talks.  These podcasts, or webvideos depending on how you listen, bring some of the most inventive thinkers of our time together on issues of technology, entertainment, and design.

Since I have turned 20 all I hear is that 20 is the new 30.  People in their 20s are delaying marriage and having kids.  People in their 20s are still living at home because they are trying to save money so they can pay off student loans.  People in their 20s are pushing off "the real world" by traveling and volunteering and trying out jobs which will probably lead no where just because they sound like fun.  The list could go on and on and I am definitely guilty of many of these things (I mean I am 26 and never had a real person job between being in my third degree program and taking a year off to volunteer and bike across the country).

Meg Jay, in her TED talk, shows us how a person's 20s are possibly the most important years as they help to shape and mold a person into who they will become for the rest of their adult life.  Take the fifteen minutes out of your schedule, or listen while you go for walk/drive/cook dinner, and hear what she has to say on the subject.  It will definitely give you something to think about.

Bike and Build Applications Open TODAY!!

TODAY IS THE DAY FOLKS! 

After last summer, all I could talk about was biking and building.  Now is your chance to get in on the action as Bike and Build applications for riders go live today. Don't waste a minute!! Get yourself over to their site and join the ranks of hundreds of alumni who have served as affordable housing advocates, while touring the country at 16 mph.  

Monday Gosling Meme

Bikes, Beers and (foot) Ball

With nothing better to do on this beautiful and sunny fall day, I decided to head down to DC to do some riding with Steph and Alex.  While waiting outside the coffee shop we saw one other B&B'er bike by and met a second one coming out of said coffee shot.  After swapping war stories, and Alex bailing on us, Steph and I decided to head out to National Harbor.

We made it there in no time flat and first headed to the Peeps shop.  

Had we stayed any longer, we probably would have gotten the diabetes aka the sugars

Then off to the Great Awakening statue 

Steph showed up all the kids and made it to the top of the leg

On the way back through the District, we came across a bunch of hash tags and notes reminding cyclists to obey the rules of the road.

Final stop of the day ... beers and football at the usual Football Sunday bar!

The Vegetable Song

Do you have enough sassy vegetables in your life?  If not, check out The Vegetable Song sent to me a while ago (and recently re-discovered) by the lovely Kelsey!

Monday Gosling Meme

Duckpin Bowling

Duckpin bowling, much like regular bowling, is a favorite Baltimore past time.  The same 10 pin rule applies, but they are much shorter and wider.  Instead of a 10 pound ball you are given something a bit bigger and heavier than a bocci ball.  One of the craziest things about the game is you are given three turns per frame instead of two. Thankfully the lanes were equipped with an electronic score keeping system because would have been LOST.

Here is an artsy picture stollen from the internet.

Another thing crossed off the list!!