Pediatrics Clerkship

I've mentioned bits and pieces about what my husband is doing in Texas, but some of y'all want to understand a bit more about how we got here.

A typical medical school consists of two years in classes and two years in hospitals. My husband's medical school (USUHS) reformed their curriculum recently so that the students spend one and a half years in classes and two and a half years in hospitals. Just before Christmas, he finished up the classroom part (hallelujah! So proud of him!), and so here we are in Texas, as he begins his hands-on education. After we finish this year on the road, Michael will have a year and a half left to do advanced rotations through other specialties and audition rotations for his residency. But that is another adventure in a land far far away from here :)

So, in order for Michael and his 170 other classmates to receive their schedules for this year, they had to participate in a lottery system. I would try to explain it here, but it was so darn complicated and stressful that I just can't bear to relive it. Just know that it took over two weeks to complete the entire process, and we didn't really hang out with any friends during that time period.  It was cutthroat.  Especially Hawaii... go figure.

My husband, being the wonderful man he is, was more concerned with the specialties than the locations, so, here we are at Fort Hood, "The Great Place"... I haven't been able to figure out that moniker yet, but I'll let you know when I figure out where they keep the great in this place :)

Darnall Army Medical Center... with a helicopter flying overhead.

Michael's pediatric rotation is five weeks that is structured like this: 2 weeks in the clinic, 1 week in the newborn nursery, 2 weeks in the inpatient unit.

Tomorrow will be his last day in the pediatric clinic! He has had a great time learning from some amazing physicians.  One of them being Dr. Kunz (the clinic's director)... apparently Michael's long lost brother according to some of the clinic staff! He has really enjoyed his patients, too... ranging in age from two weeks old to fifteen years old.  My favorite moment from his time in clinic: his confession yesterday that he no longer even hears the screams of fussy children/crying babies.  I think that is an invaluable skill :)

Neighbors

Everyone has had neighbors with interesting quirks.  In Bethesda, our neighbors were huge Washington Redskins fans, and there was no way we could go to sleep early on a Sunday night if there was a game on TV.

Our neighbors here at Poxon House have been slightly more challenging.

So far, the room next door to ours has been 'home' to four different families.

1) On our first night here, we were greeted by some lovely football commentary through the walls: "Beat they a**" was one of the more eloquent statements we had the pleasure of over-hearing. Seriously.

2) The sports fans left, and a chatty Hispanic family moved in.  I know that they were Hispanic because they liked to sit right next to the wall and talk loudly on the phone.  Michael says that we lucked out with the language barrier because it ended up being less distracting that way.  Another interesting fact about this group is that one of them was the absolute loudest snorer I have ever heard.  Every night (I think 3) they were here, the snores woke me up.

3) Then, the talkative snorer moved out, and the Nicki Minaj and Rhianna fans moved in.  This time, we had to ask the front desk to get the dance party to end. We just couldn't "Pound the Alarm" at two o'clock in the afternoon.

4) This leads us to where we are now. The toddler not-so-fun time. Certain things may have clued me in about the little ones that are now our new neighbors (like the repeated slamming of their bathroom door, or the screaming crying at 2 AM), but it was really the adults that confirmed my suspicions.  I think the parents may only know two phrases "DANNY!!! STOP IT!!!" and "DANNY!!! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!!" I'm sure that nearly every parent utters these phrases during their child's toddler-hood, but what makes these folks unique is that they probably utter these words 5-10 times every hour. I'm not sure who I should feel more sorry for: the parents, Danny or us.

Here's to hoping Danny's crew finds new quarters soon :)

Shower Woes

I love a good shower.  A relaxing shower can make the worst of days a little better.

Our shower in Bethesda was wonderful, so I may be a little spoiled. It was spacious and never ran out of hot water.  It was consistent, and I miss it so.

This is our shower now:

One notable feature that cannot be adequately captured in a photograph: the shower head is meant for someone no taller than 5'4"... I am 5'7" and my husband is 6'3". Enough said.

The most excruciating aspect of this shower, however, is not visible...Unless you consider the hot and cold knobs accessories in this crime. The water temperature is evil.

No matter how perfect the temperature is set when I get in the shower, I will inevitably be injured in some way during the course of my bathing process.  Even if I try to shower in less than 5 minutes, at some point the water temperature will fluctuate drastically. It will literally be boiling through the pipes and burn whatever is in its path.  OR the water will turn into melted snow and immediately give me frostbite.

Basically the motel shower scares me, so I have developed a defense. If you listen VERY carefully, the pipes give a one second warning about the impending temperature change.  A higher pitch sound (think shhhhhh changing to shhiiiiii) means something bad is happening.  However, I usually panic so much upon hearing the different tone coming from the pipes that I nearly slip and fall on my way out of the shower stream.

I don't think this bathtub would be very forgiving:

So, for the next three and a half weeks, I am going to suck it up and take the abuse. I am grateful to have a shower :)

PS- I promise to post something nice about Fort Hood very soon... as soon as I can think of something :)

Yoga in the Hood

I found something today. Something that had been missing in my life for a month (here's to hoping that never happens again)... A yoga class!!

For the past few years, my primary yoga practice has existed in my home. This was not my ideal situation, but due to my schedule, Michael's schedule, and DC traffic, it was easier to be consistent this way. It definitely taught me more discipline and motivation within my practice, and introduced me to new things (YogaGlo, anyone?).

Even with my personal practice thriving (most of the time), I would get myself in a studio at least once every few weeks. I would bounce around to different studios because there are SO many to choose from in the Bethesda area, and I never found a studio/class/instructor that I especially bonded with.

My favorite mat: Manduka eKO Lite 

Having said all that, I expected to take my usual show on the road this year... Although I did have a panic moment when I thought my yoga mats wouldn't fit in the car. Thanks for talking me down off the ledge on that one, mom :) Then I arrived at Fort Hood.

The first time I rolled out my mat on the motel room floor and stretched into adho mukha svanasana, I realized that there were several issues with a possible 'home' practice.

1) Space. I have practiced in the most crowded of yoga studios, with a man on my right and a woman on my left, both sweating onto ME and MY mat. I can deal with that. This was different... bumping into a bubbling crock pot wouldn't be as forgiving as a stranger's body odor.

2) The musty carpet. Ideally, my practice is accompanied by candles and incense, not the smells of slightly damp carpet that has seen... I don't even want to go there.  Bottom line, the carpet doesn't smell like anything I want to be putting my face near.

3)  Space. I like to be a little adventurous and ambitious in my yoga practice. There is no way that I could adequately work on my visvamitrasana or vrchikasana in the space between the bed and the dresser/'pantry'.

For these reasons, I decided to look elsewhere for yoga.  I was hoping for a studio and ready to settle for a gym class, but I couldn't find any evidence of yoga anywhere!

Yesterday I finally found a class that was starting up at one of the gyms on post (there are seven different gyms on post... are you getting the idea that this base is enormous?). Woo hoo!

I was totally psyched to try it out, but knowing what I do about base gyms, I had realistic expectations.

When I first arrived at the Applied Fitness Center, I walked into an open room filled with weight-lifting equipment, wall-to-wall padded flooring for dropping weights, and men screaming/cringing/whatever-you-would-call-those-noises as they picked up heavy things.  "Where is the yoga class?", I asked with a hopeful smile.

As I walked  into a door-less room twenty feet down the hall from the weight-lifting mania, I was surprised to see so many people! There were nearly 25 men and women arranged in this room... fifteen minutes before class was supposed to start. The popularity of this class was a good sign.

The class ticked along much like any hatha/vinyasa flow. The instructor wasn't especially 'yogic' or 'mind/body' aware, but at least she reminded us to breathe every now and again.  She kept the focus on core strengthening and chest openers, for the most part, which was refreshing compared to my typical hip-opener personal practice.  I enjoyed the work-out aspect of the class, but there was a lot to be desired, otherwise.

I'm not going to go into detail about the less-than-ideal parts of this class because I don't want to sound like I am ranting.  It was a free yoga class about a mile and a half away from our motel room, and I am extremely grateful!! However, these are the issues I had:

1) The extremely low rise pants on the woman practicing in front of me.

2) No music.

3) The screaming (or whatever-you-would-call-those-noises they were making) weight-lifters.

4) The men who started leaving about two-thirds through class in order to go back to work.  Their farewells to their buddies and the instructor was especially disruptive during our standing sequences, inversions and savasana.

I'll stop there. In a way, my frustrations allowed me to stay focused on my practice. With every breath I exhaled, I let go more of the little details I expect in order to really enjoy a class. Not every class can be as yummy as one of Lisa's or Kate's (two of my all-time favorite instructors), or as intense as a class at Down Dog . I realized that it was up to me to get what I needed from the class I was attending in that moment, so I did :)  I will be attending that class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until we leave Fort Hood, and I will enjoy it as much as I can every single time!

Lasagna

Good news, y'all!  Crock pot lasagna was wonderful!

The noodles cooked perfectly (hallelujah!) and because I used my handy crock pot liner, I didn't have to worry about the occasional burnt edge.

I made a massive quantity, so I'm very glad that it turned out well. I think the leftovers will last us until the end of the week!  Yikes... have I mentioned that I have yet to master the concept of 'cooking for two'?

Again, I made up my own recipe.  It's my thing :)

1 lb Spicy Italian turkey sausage
Approx. 30 oz. of pasta sauce... I used an organic jarred sauce, but if I were able to, I would make my own
Approx. 30 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
2 Cups thinly sliced part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 box lasagna noodles... I used this one, but you could use regular lasagna noodles or even gluten-free ones

Mix the sausage with the pasta sauce (if it is in casings, remove the casings before mixing together).
Cover the bottom of your crock pot with the sausage/sauce mixture (approx 1 Cup of sauce).
Place one layer of noodles, breaking them apart to form a complete layer.
Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese over the noodles, sprinkle with 1/3 of the parmesan, then place 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices on top.
Repeat this process two more times, ending with a drizzle of sauce on top.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Note: I have a 6 quart slow cooker, so the recipe might vary for you based upon the size of your cooker.

Also, I was nervous about two things when assembling and cooking this recipe.

1) I was very cautious about the sausage cooking all the way through.  If you omit the sausage or pre-cook it (because you are a lucky soul that has the ability to use a skillet), you could probably decrease the cooking time by 30 minutes or more.

2) All recipes that I read called for water to be added, but I don't like a soup-y lasagna, so I omitted it from my process.  This was a very good call on my part. I had the PERFECT amount of liquid in the pot for everything to set up well. If I didn't have the sausage, though, I would probably add 1/3 Cup of red wine to the sauce before layering. This variation actually sounds better than sausage, to me :)

Enjoy, y'all!

Milestones

Today has been a big day for us in Texas!

First of all, thank you to everyone who has been reading about my (mis)adventures.  My blog reached 1000 page views today! I can't believe how many of y'all take time out of your days to follow along. Thank you so much for your support :)

Secondly, my husband texted me earlier today (he volunteered to work in the hospital from 6 am until 5ish) that he performed his first circumcision! I'm very sorry if this is too much information for some of y'all, but it is the first procedure he has ever done on a real patient!  It's kind of a big deal for a medical student (and their obnoxiously supportive spouse).

Hopefully he will be 'home' soon to give me the play-by-play.  Yes, our dinner conversation can be a little much for most people... I'll spare y'all the details :)

Wine in the Hood

Fort Hood, that is.

As a side note, my husband and I just finished watching a documentary last night about the beer industry: Beer Wars.  We like to watch lighthearted documentaries over dinner every now and again, and this one was pretty interesting.  It made us want to continue drinking beer from independent breweries, that's for sure (Shiner, Dogfish Head or Point beers, anyone?)! This isn't a post about beer, though.  The documentary just reminded me about the issue at hand.

I don't drink much beer.  I like it on occasion, but one is usually my limit.  If I have more than two, I start to feel like a whale, and I don't like feeling whale-y.  One of my loftier goals in life is to feel like a whale very infrequently.

Therefore, I am a wine girl.  I realize that I have posted about liquor, liqueur, and beer, prior to this, my first post about wine, so you will just have to trust me with this fact.  Above anything else offered, nine times out of ten, I will choose a nice glass of wine. Some of my favorites are: 14 Hands Cab, Wente Merlot, and Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc. All of these are around $10 a bottle, and I've never had much difficulty finding them in the past.

This is a HUGE problem in Texas.  Specifically Killeen and Fort Hood, Texas.

1) We are in beer country. Obvious for the following reasons:

• There are over 170,000 military personnel stationed at Fort Hood.  A large number of these are young (18-23 years old) male enlisted soldiers.
•  Barbecue is the local fare.  Even I would rather have a beer than wine with barbecue.
• We are in the middle of nowhere.

This is one of two beer aisles at out local H-E-B (a Texas chain of grocery stores).

2) The wine selection that does exist is an anomaly to me:

• I do not recognize most of the brands.
• The brands that I do recognize are the big bottle brands: Barefoot, Sutter Home, etc.  Nothing wrong with that, just not what I'm looking for.
• Most of the wines (red and white) carry the descriptor 'sweet' on the label.

The wine aisle at H-E-B.  Two things I have never seen before: 

a bottle of wine for $2.98 and the brand "La Di Da"

3) We came here from Bethesda, Maryland.

• The wine selection in the DC area is impeccable, although overpriced.
• I am in culture shock!

Good things came from my adventure to H-E-B, though!

After scouring the shelves, I found these two for me, and now I know where to find them!

I also found a six-pack of Shiner Seasonal for my husband.

Because I found some decent wine, I was able to finally use my Riedel "O-to-Go" wine glass :) I have a thing for pretty glassware, and it makes me happy to have a pretty glass among our paper plates and plastic forks!

Weather

Just in case you don't already know this about me, I can't stand cold weather.

Sure, some of the things that go hand-in-hand with cold weather are nice, like curling up next to a crackling fire in a fireplace, watching snow fall outside, hot cider/tea/coffee/hot chocolate, scarves, hats, etc.  I really enjoy things like that.

I do not enjoy being outside, bundled from head to toe, and freezing my little hiney off! I crave warmth and sunshine 24/7.

So, imagine my delight when I wake up yesterday in Fort Hood, Texas,and check the weather. 

At our former home in Bethesda, Maryland, it was 17 degrees (with a high of 28, I believe) and snow was about to start falling.  Yuck.  For those who know about DC traffic, snow can be the catalyst for absolute nightmares: snowpocalypse or snowmageddon anyone?

In Killeen, Texas, it was 65 degrees (with a high of 81) and sunny.  I wore shorts all day. In January. That is the stuff my dreams are made of!

This is the weather comparison for today:

Not as spectacular in Killeen today, but still better than Bethesda/Rockville.

Note:  This post is not meant to brag about the weather in Killeen and to make those of you that are currently shoveling snow jealous in any way.  I am simply trying to remind myself on a daily basis that there are good things about living in the middle of nowhere. Good weather happens to be one of the things that resonates with my soul :)

Chili's

Last night, we were both exhausted from the week, but did not want to eat another meal sitting on one of the beds in our little room.

Luckily, there is a Chili's about 100 yards from our 'home' :)

I have never been a frequent customer of Chili's, and in fact, I cannot recall the last time I went to one.  In general, we prefer local establishments rather than chains, but yesterday, convenience prevailed!

First of all, I was very impressed by their margaritas!  Mine, on the right, was a Skinny Patron Margarita. It was exactly how I like them... barely sweet at all, fresh lime juice, and smooth tequila. Yum!  My husband's, on the left, was a Presidente Raspberry Margarita. It came with a shaker that was filled enough to refill his glass twice.  His was sweeter than mine, but the raspberries were definitely fresh.  We will definitely go back at some point during our time here at Fort Hood to have some margs again! Here is the link to Chili's online margarita menu, but for some reason, it does not list either of the ones that we tried.

We also ordered some roasted corn guacamole which was good, but the chips that went with it were not.  They were so thin that they broke nearly every time we dipped.

I had a sirloin and steamed broccoli.  Next time I would ask them to not salt my food... the steak and veggies were good, just way too salty!

Michael had a pasta dish that he really liked, and ate the leftovers for lunch today.  Win, win.

Overall, it was a really nice end to his first week of his Pediatric Clerkship!  His second week starts tomorrow at 6 am... I'll try to post an update sometime this week about what he is doing, considering that is what brought us here in the first place :)

Ode to My Dish Rack

So, I'm guessing that when y'all saw this post title you thought one of the following.

1) Wow, she is really scraping the bottom of the barrel on this whole blog thing, and its only week 3!

2) I have better things to do than to read some crazy lady's ramblings about a dish rack.

3) It must be quite a dish rack!

4) Poor thing, she must be pretty lonely in Texas to have such emotional attachment to an inanimate object.


If you went with response number 3, we must be friends. It is quite a dish rack, and I miss it so.

This is what my wonderful dish rack that is now in a storage unit in Maryland looks like.  

First of all, I love that it is clear/white.  Our previous dish rack was black, and not only did it not match our very white kitchen (tragic, right?), but it made our VERY limited counter space look even smaller.  Surprisingly, when we replaced our smaller, black dish rack with this larger clear/white one, our counter top magically appeared larger.

Secondly, it has spots dedicated to specific things: knife block, glass holders, sponge holders, etc. All of these features are necessary for me, and a very efficient use of space.

Lastly, there is a stainless-steel spout (that only betrayed me once by slicing my finger open... we went to therapy, and all is forgiven) that can be moved from the long side to the short side depending on the size of your counter space.

Another thing, we didn't pay the $60 price tag either.  We picked one up at the Williams Sonoma Outlet for $30, and paid for it with gift cards we received as wedding presents. Bargain shopping at its finest :)

This is my 'dish rack' now.

Notice there is no rack involved.  It consists of a folded hand towel that barely fits next to the sink.  If you're good at playing "I Spy", you'll notice the precarious position of the chef's knife perched on top of a plastic container.  Dangerous situations like this one make my husband very concerned for my well being.

The one thing that I am very grateful for is that this is not our bathroom sink.  It is our dedicated 'kitchen sink'.... even though several things will not fit under that low spigot and therefore require me to use one in the bathtub. No big deal :)

Beef Stroganoff

Basically, this recipe was a massive letdown. It was not my crock pot's fault, however. The culprit was... THE PASTA BOAT!!! (You can read about my over-inflated expectations for this device here).

How could such a well engineered 'as seen on tv' invention fail so miserably? Because the directions told me to cook the egg noodles for 18 minutes... Sounds crazy, right? The package of noodles says 6 minutes, but somehow you should multiply that number by three just because its going in the microwave? I wish all of these question marks existed in my head before I made the mistake of checking the noodles at minute 16.

I was so crushed by the Pasta Boat's (notice that I am taking no ownership of this catastrophe) failure that I couldn't bear to photograph the congealed, yet disintegrating, mess that the noodles turned into upon pouring them into the stroganoff sauce.

This picture does not adequately capture the grotesque noodles. We were hungry, so we ate it... Reluctantly on my part... And the meal was really good with the exception of the noodles. I had no idea that noodles could make anything so bad. Apparently noodles are very powerful instruments for evil in the culinary world. Good noodles are good... Bad noodles are so horrifying that you want to cry and huck the Pasta Boat out the window (if you have one, we don't) simultaneously.

Recipe for Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs sirloin or other lean steak, cut into thin pieces
8 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 can "heart healthy" cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp garlic powder
A splash (or two or three) of decent red wine
8 oz fat free or reduced fat cream cheese

Throw all ingredients, except cream cheese, into a crock pot on low, and cook for 7 hours.  Stir in the cream cheese just before serving.

Serve with egg noodles that have been cooked in a pot of boiling water on a stove like a regular person.

Housekeeping Happiness

There are plenty of things I dislike about our teensy motel room, and don't worry, I'll get around to sharing those things with y'all in the next few days. Now you have something to look forward to!

The thing that I am over the moon about is what I came 'home' to after getting our car serviced yesterday (a little shout out to the folks at Automax Volkswagen in Killeen, TX... I have never experienced a more helpful or attentive group of people in an automotive service department).

This:

Fresh sheets on a made bed.  And I didn't wash the sheets or make the bed.  It was a lovely surprise.

Also, the trash was taken out and there were fresh towels in the bathroom.  

I realize that some of you are thinking, "Duh Anna, that's what happens at a hotel"... but one does not typically live in a motel.  It sort of hit me yesterday that I am not going to wash sheets or towels or take out the trash (although Michael usually does this one for me... what can I say, I lucked out :) for the next 11 months! Wooo Hooo!!!

Did I mention that I love clean linens?  They make my heart sing... so despite the other little things that I dislike about Fort Hood and this motel situation, I am one happy girl :)

Jambalaya

Tonight I made our first crock pot meal! (Pause to observe this momentous occasion)...

I'm joking, of course, but I really do feel accomplished. Not because I conquered the crock pot mystery, but because we were able to return to our normal routine, for the most part:

-AG picks up M at work
-AG and M exercise together
-AG puts dinner on the 'table'
-AG and M eat dinner
-M studies, AG cleans 'kitchen', etc.

That has been our afternoon/evening routine on most days for the past 18 months (minus the quotes... We used to have a kitchen and a table where we ate. Now I have an ironing board and two double beds), and it was very comforting to have a little normalcy back in the midst of this abnormal lifestyle.  It's the little victories.

Back to the meal!

After getting inspiration from several jambalaya crock pot recipes, I pieced them together into something that turned out pretty yummy. This is my process for pretty much all cooking, no matter what. The recipe ended up like this:

2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 ribs of celery, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp thyme
1 lb chicken breasts, cubed
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into 1inch pieces
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
2 cans no salt added petite diced tomatoes
No salt added chicken broth, as needed

Throw everything into the pot, except for the shrimp (add those for the last 30 minutes), stir it all together, and cook on high for 4 hours. I think you could also do it on low for a longer amount of time, but I'm not used to cooking like that, yet.

I served the jambalaya over brown rice.  Y'all probably don't have to use microwavable rice like this kind!  I have to admit, I was REALLY scared to try this stuff... it just seems so not right with the world.  However, being in this situation, I had to, and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Another plus- it was the perfect amount of rice for Michael and I to share :)

My husband loved it. I think he may have used the word 'really' four times when describing how good it was... Could've been three, but who's counting, right?

Also, I used one of these slow cooker liners, so that I didn't need to attempt washing the crock pot in the teensy bathroom sink. I think the liner did a spectacular job, and I am a much happier person for having used it :)

Smoothies

We became smoothie fanatics about seven months ago (or whenever we purchased the blender that changed our lives). No, this is not a post about a Vitamix or a Blendtec, but I really wish it was!

The blender that has changed our lives is a little Cuisinart, and with a little coaxing, it gets the job done just fine. 'The job' being the smoothies I make for my husband nearly every morning.

This morning I made the first batch of smoothies our little motel room on Fort Hood has ever seen. (I'm pretty sure it was in a state of shock... Greasy fast-food is more of the norm in these parts).

My recipe varies daily, based upon the frozen fruit we have, but the idea is consistent. All smoothies contain:

1 1/2- 2 Cups frozen fruit (today was blueberries and peaches)
Orange Juice
Milk (I like to use almond or coconut milk when I have it, but today I just had skim)
2 Tbs Cacao nibs (raw chocolate with lots of health benefits you can read about here)
1 scoop Protein Powder (this is a recent addition)

My smaller portion :)

The OJ and milk content varies depending on what kind of fruit you're blending up. I typically end up adding liquids to my blender several times (alternating milk and juice) before everything will process together smoothly. This is because I want to make it as thick (and frozen) as possible so that it will stay cold all morning in a double walled travel mug. The one my husband uses is technically a water bottle, but it works much better than the travel coffee mug he used to have.

My med student husband swears by having a smoothie on hand to get him through the morning. He isn't a coffee or caffeine person, so the extra calories and natural sugars are a little pick me up when the nights of less than desirable amounts of sleep begin to catch up with him.

Enjoy :)

Red Onion

Even though I was FINALLY able to have the opportunity to cook tonight, the chance was thwarted by Michael's clerkship director, Monica.  She is so lovely and welcoming that she planned a dinner out with her and another pediatrician and their husbands. Although I was infuriated by her hospitality, I went along with Michael and the other two pediatric clerkship students, Jill and David.

Note: I am pretending to be upset about not yet using my crock pot in our tiny motel room in order to give myself something to look forward to tomorrow.  In reality, no sane person would be disappointed to eat yummy Indian food off post after spending the better part of a day in the previously mentioned tiny motel room. I'm mostly sane.

The Red Onion Indian Bistro was very delicious. I have been trying to convince Michael to go to an Indian restaurant with me for years (not that he has ever been especially resistant, there was just always somewhere he or I wanted to go to more), so I was especially thrilled about this first foray into the cuisine of Killeen, TX.

I had chicken tikka masala and Michael had tandoori chicken (which they served with tikka masala sauce, making it practically the same dish).  We also had rice and some very garlic-y naan.  I wouldn't change a thing about our meal. Heavily seasoned Indian food totally makes my tastebuds sing :)

The only thing that was less than desirable (not for me, but for a certain med student I know... rhymes with Schmichael) was that it was a two hour long dinner on a Tuesday night.  Studying is a much higher priority, especially after spending a few hours with REAL patients.  As for me, I like to facilitate avoidance of 'I'm not studying and I want to be' anxiety as much as possible.  

Takeaway- The food was amazing.  The people were sweet.  The dinner was too long. We will probably repeat this adventure in the near future.

My Haul

I don't think that I have ever been as excited to go to the commissary as I was this morning.  After eating out for the better part of five days, I am absolutely thrilled to have a stocked (mini) fridge and makeshift pantry.

Thanks to my sister, I have a few recipes that I want to try in my Crock Pot, and to my surprise, the commissary had all of the ingredients! Little miracles :)

Yes, that is the ironing board I used to create a "kitchen counter"... a cook's gotta do what a cook's gotta do!

Improvising

Over the course of the move and this first week of travel, I have done a pretty good job of a lot of things: packing, organizing, planning, etc.  However, my biggest accomplishment has to be how thoroughly I beat myself up.  From broken nails, to scratches and scrapes, to track-mark bruises up and down my legs, I am definitely not in tip-top shape right now.

Therefore, I decided I deserved a little pampering.  This turns out to be quite a tall order on MLK day in Killeen, TX. So I decided to give myself a pedicure in our little motel room.

I am sparing y'all photos of the process.  Lets just say it was a project, and probably needed the expertise of the ladies at Natural Nail Care in Fleming Island, FL.

I am a total product junkie, and Philosophy happens to be one of my favorite brands.  This foot scrub, Footnotes, (really awesome exfoliant, with eucalyptus and lavender) was ironically appropriate for my needs today. 

The front of the tube reads: "On the road of life, everybody has their own path and pace. Some people are high mileage, easy highway.  Others are low mileage, rough terrain.  Either way, everybody deserves a break from whatever road they are traveling."

Amen!

We Made It!

I guess that would be a more appropriate title for a post at the end of this year, but I feel so accomplished to say that we are officially settled (for the most part) at our first location: Fort Hood, TX!

Late yesterday afternoon, we checked in to our motel (Poxon House) on post.  Our room is about how we expected it to be... a semi-renovated space in a very old building.  Bottom line, though, is that it is clean and I was able to unpack all of our things this morning. Hallelujah!!

Memphis

Michael and I were so lucky that my sister, Kendall, opened up her cute condo to us as we passed through last night on our way to Texas.  Not only was I able to get an amazing night's sleep on her guest bed (a huge accomplishment for me), but she and her boyfriend showed us the town for a little bit before we crashed early from the one hour time change.

First up was Rendezvous! A famous Memphis bbq place located on a back alley.  We sampled their ribs, brisket, cole slaw, and baked beans. Everything was amazing.  We also tried a golden ale from Ghost River Brewery.  Also very good!  Trying local beer is always on Michael's list of things to do in a new city, so we checked that box.

Next was a "Diver" from Silky's.  I was skeptical of the bucket with six very long straws poking out of it, and even more so when I saw the slogan ("Guaranteed to make you go down") and heard the back story (I will spare y'all the details of that one).  It turned out to be pretty tasty, though!  Not too sweet, with an aftertaste of vanilla.  However, I have no idea what was actually in it, so I can't completely vouch for it.

Lastly, when we got back to the condo to hang out, Kendall and Brad introduced us to Pisa Liqueur. It was yummy! Michael said that it tasted how almond extract smells... pretty accurate, I'd say.  It would be really good in a cup of coffee :)

Thanks Brad and Kendall for such an awesome whirlwind tour of your town!!

It Starts Here

Yesterday set a really good standard for how the road trips of this adventure should go.

1. We were able to leave two hours earlier than expected.

2. We didn't run into any significant traffic.

3. The weather was beautiful: sunny, between 35-40 degrees, snow on the ground as we got further into the mountains of Virginia. No snow on the roads, though. This was key to my happiness.

4. Our Holiday Inn Express was very nice for a hotel directly off of highway 81, essentially in the middle of nowhere.

5. We saw this beautiful sunset over the mountains as we drove west.


I have high (and admittedly unrealistic) hopes that all of our/my road trips this year continue in this fashion. A girl can dream, right?

The Big Day

It came and went... We are officially homeless! Yay!

No sarcasm here... My heart is very grateful as I sit in the Navy Lodge in Bethesda, waiting for 4 PM when we can finally get on the road.

As a side note, please continue to pray for our amazing recovering wounded soldiers. I have shared a few moments with some of the wounded warriors staying here at the Lodge (as they recuperate at WRNMMC), and they are all beautiful people that deserve to be in the hearts of every American.

Brussels Sprouts

I needed a little pick me up today, so I decided to make some brussels sprouts for lunch! Lost? Make this recipe and you might understand.

I am a total brussels sprouts freak.  This recipe is like crack to me.  For those who aren't brussels sprouts freaks, this recipe might make you one.  Or you may taste them and still hate them like my husband does.  Sigh.

Anyways, give 'em a go!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim 1 lb sprouts and cut in half.  Mince 4-8 cloves of garlic (I'm a garlic freak, too), depending on your tastes.  Toss garlic, sprouts, and 1 Tbs grapeseed oil.  Place sprouts cut-side down in a single layer on a baking sheet, making sure the garlic goes with them.  Sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper over the top.  

Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown.

NOTE: the photo of my sprouts are not browned enough because I am impatient.  However, it is worth it for them to get browned and beautiful.

Last Georgetown Cupcake... for Awhile

Yesterday we enjoyed a few of our favorite things in Bethesda: our sweet little church, Luke's Lobster, and Georgetown Cupcake!  The one I want to focus on is Georgetown Cupcake because I want to share a little tip for those who like GC as much as we do!

After about two years of buying a minimum of six cupcakes when we visited the bakery and sampling just about every flavor on their menu, I discovered the "secret" flavor of the day on the GC facebook page.  Every day, GC has 100 cupcakes at each store that is a flavor not on the posted menu for that day.  You can only find out the flavor by 'liking' GC on facebook.  The secret flavor is free to any customer (one per person) who orders it by name, until they run out.  

The flavor of the day yesterday was 'Chocolate Sundae'.  As far as I know it has never been on their regular menu, but it was delish, of course!  We will miss getting our occasional free cupcake in Bethesda!

Storage

Slowly but surely, it is becoming a reality that in a week (emphasis on the eek! part) we will be homeless!

Our most recent reality check?

We signed the lease on our 10'x20' storage unit!  Whew... 

Another reality check is the state of our living room/dining room, but I will just leave that to your imaginations (boxes, space bags and packing products everywhere).  I don't want to scare anyone!

Speaking of which, I better get going on some more packing... the never ending battle!

The Start of Something New

Obviously, there are a bazillion changes taking place in our home right now.  An unexpected purchase today put one of the changes in the front of my mind.

Feel free to laugh... I tried to.  

The thing is that I LOVE to cook.  Not the open-four-different-packets-and-combine kind of cooking, but the everything-is-better-when-made-from-scratch kind of cooking.  Never in my worst nightmares have I pictured myself with a kitchen consisting of a crock pot and a "Pasta Boat" (cringe) in a hotel room!

Don't get me wrong, I really am not complaining.  Really... I just thought I'd share this semi-hysterical turn that my culinary exploits have taken!

Also... I'll be sure to give y'all an update once I actually have the pleasure of using the darn thing.