Tropical Green Juice

Because I am juicing in a hotel room in Washington State (help me!), something I promised I'd never do, I decided to create a new juice combo. Also, I've heard that this particular type of blend is great at preventing and attenuating migraines. Hallelujah!

Ingredients:

2 Cups Fresh Spinach*

3 Stalks Celery*

1 Green Apple*

1/4 of a Fresh Pineapple

1 Lemon

Juice all ingredients together.  Stir juice together with 1/3 Cup coconut water. 

*Use organic whenever possible!

Washington Juice

I decided that since I'm jumping off the juicing cliff here in Washington, I might as well make it interesting. Here is a new juice recipe, inspired by my favorite local ingredient: cherries!!

Ingredients:

3 Large Carrots

1 Apple

15-20 Cherries, Pitted

3 Stalks of Celery

1 Orange

1 Lemon

1 Tbs. Fresh Ginger

Juice in this order. Enjoy!

Makes one delicious serving of juice that is really satisfying! 

Breaking Promises

Ok, y'all. I have a confession to make. I know I said I would never do this, but I really wasn't given a choice (thanks mom!)! I am juicing in our little hotel room!

Obviously, I'm not actually upset at this new development... juicing is in my soul!!

The little juicer that showed up in the mail from my mom gets the job done, even if the cleaning process is slightly excruciating without access to a disposal.

So there you have it... never say never! New juicing recipes coming soon!

Side note- looking back, I used way too many exclamation points in this post... I guess you can tell that I'm excited!! ;) just a couple more for emphasis...

4th of July

 Just in case you were wondering, we had a perfect little 4th of July here in the northwest. Although my husband had to spend most of the day working at the hospital, we were able to spend a couple of hours together in the evening.

I spent most of the day in Silverdale, WA, with some family friends that I've known for over a decade. It was really lovely catching up with them, and we definitely had some good laughs. They were so thoughtful to pack up some of their cookout fare for me to bring back to Fort Lewis for Michael (whom they have yet to meet!) to enjoy.

Just as Michael and I were about to climb into bed, the base fireworks show began.  We watched the impressive half-hour show from our little hotel window. I can't remember a sweeter July 4th! Happy Birthday America!

Bermuda

Talking about our wedding has made me think about where we went after we celebrated with our family and friends: Bermuda!! Also known as one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, Bermuda was the PERFECT place to honeymoon!

We went on a Celebrity Cruise and spent three days in Bermuda (the other 3 days were spent at sea). I don't think I've ever been as relaxed as I was on that boat... Here are some photos of our fun!

We got a lot of use out of our balcony... drinks, breakfast, reading, champagne...

One of our favorite places to hang out on the ship was the Martini Bar... a frosted paradise with the friendliest bartenders (Igor from Ukraine was the best) and the yummiest martinis!

We made friends with the other couple at our table for dinner: Keith and Lauren! Can't wait to cruise with them again!

Most expensive wine I've ever tasted was at the wine bar on the ship.

The Summit! Oh yea... and the handsome guy in the helmet, too :)

The return of one of our favorite pastimes- scootering!

A few different views of Admiralty Cove. A local's hangout to jump off cliffs into the ocean!

A secluded beach we found when scootering around the island. Breathtaking when you're zipping around corners only to catch a glimpse of a place like this!

The Fourth of July, 2012!!

Taken when we were snorkeling... the water photographed this amazing turquoise color, but it was much prettier in person. Is that even possible?! Oh my, yes.

The happiest honeymooners there ever will be!

Big Day Nostalgia

I promised a throw-back post about our fabulous wedding day, so here it is!

Because this monumental day was a year and a week ago, it is fun to look back at the thousands (literally) of pictures, thanks to LHM Photography, that document that day.  Even the wildly imperfect parts of the day were wonderful because of all of our family and friends that were there to support us and celebrate with us.

Thinking back... the only moment of that day that was upsetting happened when I was alone for 30 minutes to take a shower.  When I got out of that shower and began to blow out my hair, I got a call from my dad saying that there we would likely have the ceremony at Fort McNair (the reception venue) because there was no electricity at the church.  My only response: "Why am I alone right now?!"... with tears, of course.  Because I knew that everything would be better once my sister (aka the most clutch MOH ever!) returned to the bridesmaids suite. And it was.  We had the ceremony in a VERY hot church, followed by the reception in a VERY hot officer's club (turns out that their AC was out, too).  There were some other hiccoughs, too, but I mostly just remember how happy Michael and I were to share that day with everyone. We had the time of our lives!

Pre-Sweat Fest... oh, wedding, I mean... ;)

Y'all don't even want to know what's happening underneath the layers of silk organza, satin and tulle of my dress... it was like a bikram yoga studio in that church...

We felt a little better outside...

My girls and I standing on the edge of the Potomac River... I won't mention the part when Caroline (my dear cousin to the left of me) loses her balance, grabs me, and we nearly fall in. I guess 5 inch heels aren't the steadiest footwear...

A few different views of me and my dress.  The dress was everything... I wish I could wear it every day!

Our WONDERFUL families. Enough said!

The guys... I've really missed each and every one of them this year!

Pretty flowers and candles...

The Cake... this is what it looked like when it tasted like the best cake I'd ever had (thanks Alexandria Pastry Shop!). That is what I'm telling my husband in that photo. It's my omg-this-is-so-good face. Have I mentioned that I can be kind of a foodie?

This was the part where my wonderful Jewish uncle, Jed Mescon, decided that Michael and I should have a Jewish wedding reception.  It was SO much fun... and hilarious.  My face in this one: omg-layers-of-organza-on-a-satin-chaircover-is-incredibly-slippery!!!

Part of our exit... Notice the industrial fan directly behind me ;)

Washington Things: Part 4

Last week I decided that I wanted to get something (food-wise) for my husband to take to the hospital for his 'team.'  People periodically bring things in for the group, and I think medical students should participate, too! Although, I was sort of using this as an excuse to check out cool local bakeries.  There was no way I was going to Taco Bell or Domino's Pizza to pick up my husband's contribution (although I'm sure they would've appreciated that, too).

After going online and researching cupcake bakeries and french pastry shops all around the Seattle/Tacoma area, I finally came across Top Pot.  Once I saw their tagline- "Hand-Forged Doughnuts", I knew this place was exactly what I was looking for.  What resident/intern/medical student/attending physician wouldn't want one of these bad boys at insert-ridiculous-time-of-day-here??

This was the top of the box... cute yet masculine. It felt like the packaging for a cool gift... and it was!

This was the precious cargo.  A dozen assorted 'hand-forged' doughnuts!  They have over 40 varieties that rotate through (I'm guessing they had about 20 different flavors available when I was there), so I spent quite a bit of time deciding on these. Aren't they pretty!?  Oh, and I heard they tasted amazing as well... the old fashioned salted caramel and the maple bar being two stand-outs. I think I'll pick some more up 'for the team' before we leave in two weeks!

This was the box of 'some more' that I picked up for my husband's last overnight call... I think they made the 27 hour shift a little more bearable!!