April Fool's Anniversary

Nine years ago today we were married. I married my best friend and it's been an awesome nine years.

Where we've been.....

Cruising the Carribbean for a week.

There are so many pictures and so much to write about that I thought I'd break it up into different posts so it's not such a huge post at once. But I have to tell you, a part of me thought that I would absolutely HATE being on a ship, stranded, with so many people. But this was absolutely fantastic! It was a luxury cruise liner that is less than a year old. Apparently it's the nicest ship that any of the other seasoned cruisers have been on too. There were few children on board and a lot of older people. The food was fantastic, it was beautiful, clean and luxurious. I can't praise it enough. Mark and I were both very sad when it ended. Yes, you heard me right. We could have gone for another week. We enjoyed it THAT much.

It was a continuing medical education conference for me, which was the whole reason that we went. In addition to our 9th wedding anniversary coming up April 1st. Mark got to relax the mornings that I was in class, which fortunately were just the mornings we were at sea. Remember the Terri Schivo case that was all over television? Well, one of the speakers or "teachers" of my course was her end of life doctor. Nice and funny guy.

Our ports of call were San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bassettere, St.Kitts; and St. Maarten.

I plan to write a separate post with photos on each of our ports of call.

Bear with me.....

I won't be posting for a few days and I will tell you why, but later. I haven't abandoned the blog, I promise. I have TONS of stuff to update you all on including renovations with pics!!

Game Night

Weekend before last we had a "game night" with some of my coworkers and their spouses. We played Trivial Pursuit and well, I certainly stunk at it. Especially since it was the 1979 version and some of the answers have changed since then like who has won the most medals in xyz competition, etc. We had a lot of finger foods and enjoyed getting to know one another a little better.

Happy 33rd Birthday, Mark!

Saturday was Mark's birthday. He got a DeWalt compound miter saw. So he can now make lots of crown moulding for the house now. Yay! Also, he got a caramel turtle pie instead of a cake, because he likes it so much. We did lots of yard work Saturday afternoon, then went out for dinner and then came home and watched a movie we had gotten. And of course, enjoyed some of that turtle pie.

Please ignore the ongoing kitchen renovation in the background. I'm beginning to think it will never get done.

In a Rut

I've been kind of in a rut lately. Haven't done much posting because, well, I haven't really done anything! The state of our economy has been a little depressing as I hear about more and more people losing their jobs. We are very fortunate to be gainfully employed during these times. But I can't help but think about these people especially when they're continually coming into the clinic and saying that they don't have any insurance anymore and they lost their job and they've been sick for many many days but just couldn't hold off anymore. It just breaks my heart.

On a different note, I've at least gotten a little more productive around the house. I painted the second of three sections of cabinets in the kitchen. As soon as I'm finished with the kitchen I'll post before and after pictures. There's more we want to do in there including window treatments, crown moulding, fixture, painting the walls, moulding on top of the cabinets, new stove, and new flooring. Okay, it might take a little while.

As you can see in the photo above, my cat has a weight problem. I've tried to restrict her intake somewhat, but it's hard when you're trying to get the other cat in the family to GAIN weight.

My Top Ten

A while back, Maria posted on her blog her "Top Ten" favorite things around the house. I thought it was neat, so I'd participate too! (people and pets excluded). So, here goes:

We'll start with the dishwasher. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a fanatic about having a really good dishwasher. It was the first appliance replaced when we bought the house.
Next, are the front load washer and dryer. I will admit that I really didn't have any huge desire to switch to front load. But now? I seriously LOVE these things. They are so incredibly quiet and use tiny amounts of water. I really think they'll pay themselves back! The candlesticks are a sentimental gift....and one of my favorite gifts ever. My mom gave them to me on my 30th birthday passed down from my great-great-grandmother.

A new "love" in the department of candles. Gold Canyon candles are even better than Yankee candles. Light one candle and the smell infuses thoughout your entire house! (I know someone who sells them, so if you want to order let me know.)

My favorite piece of furniture happens to be a rather simple one: the bachelor's chests in our bedroom. We found a pair of them in an antique store in Maryland back last summer. They're much bigger than regular nightstands and can hold more stuff too!

My down comforter. Something so light and so warm.
My reusable grocery bag. It holds more than regular bags, is more comfortable to carry, and is good for the environment!

The French Press......It is the best invention ever. It makes the coffee stronger than a regular drip coffeemaker.

A gift from my parents, this soap, shampoo, conditioner dispenser is awesome! It makes things neater in the shower and seriously, I use less of each now!

Henckles paring knife. It's been my favorite knife since we got married. I hate to cut veggies with anything else.

Random Bullets

-I have already broken one of my resolutions to post at least twice weekly.
-My neighbors, Mitch and Katie, had a baby boy last night at 11:44 p.m. Congratulations to them. I plan to make them dinner so they won't have to worry with it on their first night back home.
-I got another crown yesterday at the dentist. I don't even want to know how much money has been sunk into my dental work. But it's definitely necessary.
-It's raining today and I need to go to the grocery store. I just hate getting out in the rain.
-I decided that I no longer liked the new silk drapes in our bedroom so I'm moving them upstairs to two of the bedrooms there. I bought new silk drapes, a more neutral color, and a new duvet, shams, bedskirt, and down comforter for our bed. The bedroom is coming together nicely. I just need a coverlet, headboard, mirror for the dresser, and chandelier and it will be done!
-We've decided to remodel our master bath. No idea when this will take place. We are truly taking everything very slowly!
-The hours of where I work have now changed to ten hour days plus an hour for lunch so that's a total of 11 hours per day. 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
-The cats are getting along very well. Sprinkles is doing well on his medication, thankfully. He is more energetic than he has been in a very long time.

Banana Nut Bread

This was an easy and very delicious recipe for banana nut bread that uses Splenda. Thought I would post it for anyone who wanted to give it a try.1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp light spread (like Promise Buttery Spread Light or Smart Balance Light)
2/3 cup Splenda
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 medium bananas
3 large egg whites
2 cups all purpose white flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup pecans (coarsely chopped)
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp light brown sugar

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes

Painting

We got a new painting to go above the fireplace in the living room. I really like it. It's an oil on canvas with a museum frame. I also bought some buffet lamps (as I am using the previous ones in my master bedroom because they look so great in there!). My picture of the buffet lamps didn't turn out well, so I'll shoot it again later.

Super Bowl

Of course, tonight we're watching Super Bowl 43 (no idea how to write that in Roman Numerals). We're pulling for the Cardinals. Why? Only because we like Kurt Warner. But mainly, I am just watching tv for the commercials like a lot of other people.

Well, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We've just been working a whole lot lately. And I've felt like there really hasn't been anything worthy of posting that wouldn't bore you all to death.

Let's see, I found a new dentist. And he doesn't seem like a money sucking unethical person like the one I had in D.C. This dentist gave me a sheet up front of everything that needed to be done and the cost of it. Wow. That's being very up front. I never got that with the other dentist.

Oh, I also got to meet my neighbor whom I have been meaning to meet for sometime now. We went out for brunch on Friday and then some shopping. I really like her and we have a lot in common in the way we view things. She's a year younger than me, a stay at home mom with two kids, and an animal advocate too. Apparently we're both feeding the couple of stray cats from down the street that their owners don't want anymore so they just let them fend for themselves. Very sad.

Harris Teeter, our grocery store, was a mad house today. It was quite funny as we bought some shake n bake and paid for it, but after we put all of the groceries up we couldn't find it ANYWHERE. Well, finally after tearing the place apart, we found it. In the freezer. Ha! Ever done that?

It was amazingly warm outside today. mark and I took a walk without our jackets down the street and found a paint job we quite like. Our house is due to be painted this year sometime. I think we're gonna go with a taupe color that will really stand out with the white trim. I also want to paint the shutters and doors black. The house down the street looks great. I'll have to figure out how to go through the HOA for approval.

Well, it's almost halftime. The Cardinals are gonna have to turn it up a notch.

SNOW DAY!

We got a real chunk of snow last night/early this morning. I got a call at 5:04 a.m. from my dentist's office saying that they were not going to be able to open and that I'd have to reschedule. Here's a pic of the house and front yard covered in snow. Oh, and Mark is the man in the picture too. He stayed home from work today and I had the day off anyway. This is how deep it was. Our patio table looked like this:And Mark shows you from a different angle how much snow we got.And of course, would the day be complete without some home baked cookies? Of course not.
Last night we went over to our neighbors' house for dinner (Mitch and Katie). Dinner was awesome! We had fillet mignon, sweet potatoes, salad with strawberries and pine nuts, homemade bread, and then chocolate lava cakes hot out of the ramekins for dessert! Yum, yum! We left at nearly 10 p.m. after viewing a slide show of their recent 3 week trip to New Zealand. It was amazing. They're having a baby that is due in about 3 weeks. It's a little boy. We wish them the best!

mam, your passport has expired.

Ever since I got married I have been meaning to update my passport with my married name. But I just never seemed to get around to doing it. So, I'd drag along my birth certificate in case they needed proof of the difference in name.

Well, I got a little push to change it now. Mark and I booked a trip to the southern Carribbean for March. And they recently changed the "rules" that now you must have a passport for the Carribbean, whereas previously it was unnecessary. Paid all of my fees, airfare, etc. And then thought, "ya know, I think I booked all of that in my MARRIED name and my passport is in my MAIDEN name." Well, I got my passport out and it doesn't matter anyway because it has EXPIRED. Awesome. Now I have to fill out a form and get it expedited to make sure that it's here before we leave.

Never put off today, what you can do tomorrow. My reversed motto has gotten me in this mess!

In other news, Sprinkles (the cat) made a visit to a new vet last week and he is doing very well! He got a shot of antibiotic, a shot of steroid, and his updated rabies vaccine. He is more playful, doesn't sleep all day, and is more tolerant of the other cat, Miss Marble. But I think since he's been awake more, he has become bored. He follows me around during the day room to room, and just sits and watches me. It's been too cold for him to stay outside long. Supposed to get even colder this weekend!

The bad news is that Sprinkles may have some cancer on his nose. Squamous cell carcinoma, to be exact. I thought it was just some dirt he had nosed around in, but the vet thinks otherwise. We'll have to schedule him for a biopsy later. I want to make sure his throat gets completely cleared up before I put him through something painful like that.

2009: A New Year

When making some of my resolutions, it turns out to be more of a "to do" list.

-Get my SECOND lasik eye surgery to fix my left eye that didn't completely correct with the first surgery.
-Finish kitchen cabinets
-Tile backsplash for kitchen
-Staining the deck and replacing some boards
-Finish decorating the study and master BR
-replacing some light fixtures
-painting the house (outside)
-New stove (the old one is the most inefficient appliance I've ever used). It's the last appliance to have to replace.
-Go to the gym at least 3 times a week.
-Travel

There are more little odds and ends, but I won't bore you all with them.

OH, and I almost forgot: my new resolution is to post on my blog very frequently--at least three times a week!!! Let's see how long I keep this one up!

Can you figure out what is wrong with this sign?

At the Grand Canyon.

Montezuma's Castle

This place is like a tiny bit of Mesa Verde, except you can't go walk up to it because it's carved in the side of a mountain. I have to admit that it is very interesting, but wished I could have gotten closer. It was absolutely shocking just how many visitors this place gets during the year. I hope that we will soon be able to go out to Mesa Verde in the four corners region and see it sometime in the near future.

Scenic Drive

This is the view of west Sedona from the airport. The road we traveled was known as "Airport Road". There's a "coffee cup mountain" somewhere in the background, but I never could really see it.

Jerome, Arizona

Jerome, AZ is an old mining town (copper) built on the side of a mountain. There are few residents left but a whole lot of history remains. It was once known as the "wickedest town in the west". Whoa.

Joy and I discussing what we're going to get at the "sweets shop".

Joy got some ice cream and I decided on a frozen chocolate dipped banana rolled in nuts. And it was totally delicious!! And yes, I shared it with Mark.

Our camera batteries died after this photo, otherwise we'd have more pics of the town!

Chapel on the Mountain

This was the Chapel of the Holy Cross built into the mountain which provided spectacular views of Sedona and the surrounding red rocks.

The Grand Canyon

Mark and I made a quick drive up to see the entire South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Near where the big canyon looks like it starts

Mark at a lookout

It didn't take nearly as long as I had thought it would to see the big hole in the ground. But it was a beautiful sight.