Back in the Game

After a long recovery from a neck injury and two grueling months of waking up at 4am for surgery…I’m back! The gorgeous warm weather today inspired me to lace up my shoes and sweat. I turned to my trusted bodyrock.tv site and picked up where I left off. I needed the several months off. I had managed to give myself a whiplash type injury from working out too hard…too tired and learned, yet again, how important it is to listen to my body. I took my time with emphasis on proper form (appreciating how much my stamina declined), enjoyed my new pink sandbag, and got slammed in the 300 Rep Fat Slaughter Workout. It.felt.good.  I’m optimistic my next rotations will be more gracious and allow me to continue staying active. I may be getting ahead of myself…but I’m anxious to get outside for some long rides and rock climbing!

Time Falling

Fall is officially here in Northern Virginia. The trees are shifting, deep oranges and reds line my streets and the air has a crisp coolness about it. I’m not quite sure where the past 4 months have gone, but they have drifted away as effortlessly as the leaves that now cover our porch.

A bit in disbelief, I have finished 4 months of my clinical rotations….a third of the way done! I spent two month in an adult internal medicine clinic in Burke Virginia, a month in the Emergency Department and have just come home from pediatrics in Fredericksburg, VA. I spent 3 weeks with a lovely couple in Fredericksburg who were gracious enough to share their home with me and was blessed to find friendships in both of them along the way. I surprised myself and loved the ER more than expected…I had been dreading it! It was a churning mix of people and ailments that kept me on my toes and provided satisfying responsibilities as a student. My stitching skills came in handy more than once Unfortunately, my pediatrics site left much for desire but I left confirming that I love love love working with children. What’s not to love about being goofy, listening to elmo’s heart, seeing newborns, and picking out halloween costumes. I’m sold.

In the mix of it all, ‘life’ has continued to weave its way through the different locations and shifts. Brad and I have set our wedding date (yay!) in September of 2012 and I have gotten sidetracked with the fun of details. As if 2 dogs wasn’t enough, Brad reclaimed a family pet who was in need of a loving owner and so we welcomed Max to the mix (crazy, yes I know).

We have a much-needed fun-packed weekend that starts tomorrow with a dinner reservation at Mini Bar (only took us 2+ years to get in!), a black tie wedding at the Hay Adams with Brad’s childhood friends from California, a day at the farm in Middleburg and a reunion with an old friend.

I’m looking forward to it before packing up again and heading up to Baltimore for a month of OB/GYN.

28.921 latitude, -147.656 longitude

No land in sight. 2500 miles. 10 days at sea. Half way there.

My Brave Seafaring Brother,

It was amazing to hear your voice tonight and think about you with the sun beating down on your chest and the wind behind your back. I inhaled deeply, more than I had expected, at hearing your voice and giggled like a child to know you were safe. I think of you every day and wonder where exactly you are. I would have loved to remain connected to you for just a little longer.

I wanted to know how the water felt against your toes, is it cold? What time does the sun come up to wake you? Can you see shooting stars at night and does the moon glisten to light your path? How big was the tuna you caught and do you see any fins in the distance? When did your cough subside and are you ever sea-sick? Do you like reading Huckleberry Finn? Are you wearing sunscreen lotion and did you bring enough beer? Have the Tibetan flags blown their prayers into the wind? How many knots did she sail at today? Do the days blend into each other or do you wake up with excitement and adventure?

I am so proud of you. You are courageous, spontaneous, full of love and life. You constantly surprise and inspire me.

May the sea to watch over you, keep you safe, and share her secrets with you. I am eager to hear your voice again. I love you more than you can know.

XOXO,

Your Adoring Sister.

Dusting off my apron

Yesterday I cooked for the first time for Brad in what seemed like over a year. Maybe longer. Yes, yes…I’m spoiled. Not only is my dad practically a gourmet chef, but Brad also cooks dinners for me at night when we dine in. I’m not quite sure what spurred me to have the urge to cook something but after looking in the empty fridge I thought we could use a good meal together. The past month has been beyond crazy busy and I just wanted a couple of hours to connect with myself and enjoy a meal with Brad…without the distractions of a restaurant or family celebration.

I don’t think I’ve shared the best cookbook around. Meet Dad’s Dishes.

Screenshot of the Cover of the Cookbook

My Dad compiled a collection of recipes that we have all grown to love over the past several years. His culinary exploration after retirement turned into an amazing hobby that we have all benefited from. This past Christmas, after what seemed like 800 rounds of editing and formatting, we sent the book to the printer and he gave us each Dad’s Dishes for Christmas. Each recipe has been tested in our home kitchen and has the Chadwick stamp of approval. I decided to make Parmesan crusted Grouper and then an Edamame tomato dish that I poured over fresh pasta. Yum!

Grouper (or any mild fish), Parmesan Crusted / Serves 6

•  2 lb fresh grouper fillets
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2  cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened (the softer the better)
• 2  tbsp  mayonnaise (I used plain greek yogurt as a substitute)
• 3  tbsp Panko bread crumbs
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

             Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the grouper fillets on a greased baking tray. Brush them with lemon juice. Bake for 12 minutes at 400°F.

             In a small bowl, stir together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, Panko, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Set aside. Remove fish from oven. Turn on broiler. Spread the cheese mixture on top of fillets and return to oven to broil for about a minute, until the topping is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately and enjoy!

I had to laugh when we were cleaning up. I said that next time I thought I would try to make the Edamame dish as a side and add a touch more flavor. Brad said, “Yeah, that will be nice in 2 years.” HAHAHA. I enjoy cooking but finding the time has been the least of my priorities while in school when the men in my life cook better than any restaurant around. I was thankful Brad liked dinner last night. I surprised him with Pistachio popsicles from our favorite dessert maker. Super yum! We both had one and then this morning I noticed the lonely third was gone.

~~~~~

This week marks the last full academic week in my life! Pretty crazy when I think about it that way. I have 2 days of classes next week, and finish the week up with 3 summer exams. Then a two-week break before starting on rotations July 4th! I know this isn’t much of a blog update but I realized it had been since our Costa Rica trip that I’ve found the time to sit down and write anything. A lot has happened since then and starting a long update was too daunting. As a sneak peek, I graduated with my MPH degree, watched my sister graduate college from Butler, held her bachelorette party, celebrated her wedding day with her, met my new future niece finally, started my own wedding plans, was in full-time summer classes and have started trying to prepare for the new adventure of rotations. Hopefully I’ll slowly find the time to expand on the highlights. Here’s to a less busy June!

Unplugged

Thousands of miles away from home with vast spans of empty perfect beaches, coconuts, mangos and passionfruit, the sun and each other we basked in living unplugged and only for each other. No TVs, limited internet, no cell phones, just us.

Costa Rica is an amazingly beautiful country. We began our trip by flying into San Jose and having a driver take us to our resort, Xandari By The Pacific. We had toyed with the idea of renting a car and driving ourselves but after being dissuaded by the threat of long winding roads with no signage we decided to get there safe. Good decision.