Birthday Wishes

Happy birthday to my Latin prince - the one and only Dr. Felipe Rosso. Love you babe!

xoxo,

Melissa

Here's a pic of his bday gift - a scrub cap to wear in the OR so that he can think of me while spending long hours in the hospital:)

We're also going to spend the weekend in Lawrence - lots of relaxing in store.

no bridezilla here. . . . .

Had my first meeting with our wedding planner/travel agent today. I was super excited at the meeting, enthralled with the lovely color print-outs of resort pictures. But alas, when I went home and looked closer at the material I realized that the 4 resorts they had picked for us did not fulfill ANY of the guidelines I gave them in our initial consultation.

• One package is $300 over our MAX budget, even more over our desired budget we gave them initially. The other 3 packages have no wedding information - but will all likely be over budget if the wedding is over $500
• Also, we requested to have at least one day back in the states before resuming work, they have us returning Sunday evening which is not going to work for a hard-working surgical intern nor his homemaking bride-to-be.
• Lastly, from the research I have done you need to be in mexico for 4 FULL business days before a wedding. When you are talking about a 7-day trip, by the time you hit 4 business days its time to go home.

I'm just disappointed they didn't do their research into wedding requirements and didn't take the time to calculate total costs (or even wedding package costs for three of the resorts). It's poorly utilized time on both of our parts. They came very highly recommended and I think my hopes might have been a little high. Or am I becoming a dreaded bridezilla already? YIKES!

P.S. The chocolate chunk icecream was divine but unfortunately our camera was low on batteries and it did not photograph well. You'll just have to imagine its chocolately goodness.

P.P.S. I might have found a lovely option on a small family-owned resort on a private island in the Bahamas!

Cooking Extravaganza!

I'm becoming a little more comfortable with meat- cooking it 2-3 times weekly for my love. Today was a cooking extravaganza:

• Spicy drummies in the crockpot (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Hot-Chicken-Legs/Detail.aspx)
• Vinegar cucumber salad for Felipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marinated-Cucumbers/Detail.aspx?prop31=5)
• Sour Cream cucumber salad for me (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sour-Cream-Cucumber-Salad/Detail.aspx?prop31=3)
• Dark chocolate chunk icecream for dessert (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Velvet-Ice-Cream/Detail.aspx) --used egg beaters for the yolks and half&half for the cream

It was a nice meal with just enough left over for Felipe's dinner tomorrow when he is on call. I've got 3 more ER shifts and then on to family medicine which I am super excited for. The ER is way too cynical, definitely starting to rub off and ruining my typical rosy outlook on medicine.

buff brides (and grooms!)

My new favorite DVR addiction is to record the fitness channel - that way I have a workout waiting for me in the privacy of the living room. Even got Felipe to join me the other evening! He's so cute. I hope we keep this up. Gotta look good on the beach next April!

Ate my first bowl of summer cherries - SO yummy! We ate the entire bowl in one sitting.

On the menu for this evening - spicy drummies with 2 kinds of cucumber salad (felipe likes the vinegary, I like the creamy.) And then chocolate chunk icecream for dessert!

Happy Birthday!

An almost belated birthday with to my lovely Aunt Louise! He's almost as sweet as birthday cake.

Pollo Fricassee

Today I tried a new Puerto Rican receipe, Pollo Fricassee in the slow cooker.
(recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pollo-Chicken-Fricassee-from-Puerto-Rico/Detail.aspx)

Here's a good pic of the chicken - it turned out so tender the rest of the drumsticks fell off the bone. The homemade sauce had great flavor, lots of garlic and cilantro.

I am loving my slow cooker, I think I have used it at least twice weekly since I have moved. It's so nice to be able to put dinner together on my own time schedule and then arrive home after a long day at work to a fragrant house and a hot meal.

Miss Elo was feeling a bit lazy tonight:

Upcoming menus: hot wings, pork tenderloin with au jus, pot roast, shrimp cocktail, turkey breast, and chocolate chunk icecream.
Back to the ER for one more night shift. Then 3 days and 2 evenings until the final exam!

Melissa. . . . . .

The Greek origins of my name is "honeybee", and I have definitely been living up to the meaning. Sunday I flew to Chicago to take my boards (Step 2 CS). After a sleepless night on the softest feather bed, I woke up bright and early Monday morning to see 12 standardized patients. Ugh! Afterwards, I hurried back to O'Hare to fly stand-by to get home before dark. I think the boards went really well, I'll know for sure here in 4-6 weeks when they e-mail me a score report. Just another hurdle to jump through before I get my MD.

Today Felipe and I ran errands, but there was a happy suprise at Pier1. We went in to look for a lamp, and emerged with fabulous beachy decorations for our wedding reception - all at 75% off! It was so excited to buy stuff, makes this wedding seem much more tangible. We also made a HUGE grocery run.

As soon as we got home I hit the kitchen. Homemade pizza for dinner - YUMMY! Then I prepped some Pollo Fricassee, a Puerto Rican chicken dish, to put in the crockpot tomorrow for dinner. It has all these wonderful smelling spices that I have never used before (adobo and sazon) worked into a homemade sauce of peppers, onions, garlic, and red wine. I also froze up some lovely blackberry icecream. I licked the bowl clean it was SO good!

Here's the recipe (substituting blackberries for the raspberries): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raspberry-Ice-Cream/Detail.aspx
Now I'm off for another night-shift in the ER. I'm hoping for lots of interesting cases to keep the yawns at bay.

George Clooney

He's so handsome, and funny too!

http://perezhilton.com/2008-07-18-he-makes-selling-out-look-so-good

In other more mundane news I survived my 3 night stint in the ER. Got too see all kinds of interesting things. Sewed up my first laceration, numbed up my first toe, and help relocate and dislocated shoulder. Off to Chicago this weekend for my boards before another 2 nights in the ER.

It's a keeper (the recipe & the fiancee!)

I thawed out some chicken breasts this week. Half were roasted for later and I threw the rest in the crockpot for Tarragon Mushroom Chicken http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tarragon-Mushroom-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Yum! It was a super-easy recipe and since it was in the crockpot I could truthfully say I spent all day cooking:) Decided to serve it over wide whole-wheat noodles wtih some fresh tomatoes on the side. Unfortunately our electricity had gone out around 5 and a steaming plate of chicken wasn't quite as appetizing in a steaming apartment. It made a trip down to Wendy's for a chilly frosty the perfect dessert.

So back to dinner. . . I had gotten everything all prepared and the table set calling out, "Honey, time for dinner!" When I made it to the table only one of my honey's was ready to eat. So I tried again being more specific, "Felipe! Let's eat!" I was met with silence. "Honey?". . . . . . . no answer. After searching through the house I finally found him resting peacefully. Looks like he had a long day.

Happy Birthday!

Felipe, Elo, and I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to his mom. I hope you are having a lovely day!

dinner & miss elo

Had a lovely dinner tonight, all put together in a mere 5 minutes thanks to Mama Gloria and her generosity. Leftovers can be so YUMMY!

Elo missed Felipe SO much today she decided to take a little nap on his backpack - so cute!

Wedding update!

I created a wedding website this morning: http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MelissaGarber&FelipeRosso

The wedding plans are FINALLY coming along. Felipe had a vacation lottery last Friday at work and looks like we will be getting married at the end of April 2009 (4/20-4/26). Got in a touch with a travel agent this morning to start getting things rolling. She said that usually destination weddings are planned an entire year in advance - and that we've got our work cut out for us to pull things together in only 9 months!

We're looking to have our KC reception the weekend of my medical school graduation, May 16th and 17th at our new casa. The dates for our Hutchinson fiesta are still up in the air, I'm hoping Memorial Day weekend but once again we've got to work around intern-year schedule.

Fuzzy hat

I present my latest creation - knitted with some nice fuzzy yarn from my future mother-in-law. It's going to be so nice and fuzzy when fall gets here.

Funny

I came across this comic awhile back, brought back memories of a Valentine's Day a couple of years ago.

FYI: When a girl says she doesn't want to do anything for Valentine's, she still expects SOMETHING ( ie. a card or some flowers). You can just pass on the extravaganza of dinner reservations, carraige ride in the park, 100-piece assorted chocolates, 2-dozen long stem roses, and 3-carat diamond necklace.

Friday Night Date Night

Date night tonight! I'm browning some ribs to throw in the crockpot with a homemade vinegary bbq sauce. I've got most of a bag of red potatoes left over from the cajun boil so I'll try to find a nice potato salad to go alongside with some corn and garlic bread.

Ribs: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tender-n-Tangy-Ribs/Detail.aspx
Potato salad: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/My-Sisters-Favorite-Potato-SaladEver/Detail.aspx?prop31=2

I'll post some pics later!

Felipe has been wanting to see Hellboy 2 - it's a good opportunity to wear my hot new blue heels, and movie-candy makes the best dessert!

I've made it through 3 ER shifts thus far. Nothing too exciting. Honestly, its completely different from what I expected. I tell Felipe its Family Medicine without the fun - which he always laughs about. I have only seen one semi-emergency in the entire 24 hours I've spent in the emergency room. Instead I've seen lots of primary care stuff: abscess, burn, facial swelling, viral URI, vertigo, HA, shingles, suture removal, HTN, wound check, tinea capitis, and intoxication. If I'm going to see this type of cases I'd much rather see it in my own clinic, with patients I'm familiar with. Looks like ER is now crossed off my list, just have to make it through my next 12 shifts (5 of which are nights!)

UPDATE: Friday night date night has now turned into Friday night dinner party with our favorite friends, the Schumachers, followed by drinks with felipe's interns. Wish me luck! My first dinner party at the new casa.

UPDATE #2: Dinner party turned out well. Plenty of food and the ribs were falling off the bone. Yummy!

cajun shrimp boil

YUMMY! After a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, I boiled up some shrimp for Felipe and I's dinner. Totally scrumptious and easy to boot - all you need is a timer so you can throw the various tasty morsels into the pot at the right moment. My new Martha Stewart platter came in handy (thanks mom!), somehow I doubt this is what Martha had envisioned.

Here's the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Old-Bay-Shrimp-Fest/Detail.aspx?prop31=3

UPDATE: This is much better fresh from the stockpot. The flavor is lost in the leftovers, so eat up!

4th of July fun. . . .

TONS of fun 4th of July activities this weekend. Felipe survived his first call on Thursday so we celebrated on Friday with a breakfast of Juan Valdez coffee, eggs over medium, toast with strawberry jam, and crispy bacon.

Friday afternoon we took a stroll around the Plaza and went to a Urology BBQ at one of the resident's houses where I had the most amazing hamburger EVER! Unfortunately you could not see any fireworks from our balcony, but you could definitely hear all the action.

Yesterday we went to happy hour on the plaza with some of Felipe's fellow surgical interns at this Italian place called Figlio's. I had the BEST bloody mary of my life, made with pepperoncini-infused vodka. They also had some AMAZING breadsticks. Afterwards we had another urology BBQ, this time with some fabulous smoked ribs and brisket and the most exquisite dessert pizza. I think I'm still full!

Here's some pics from yesterdays festivities. This is Felipe with 3 of the new ENT interns:

Jamming out on Rock Band:

More decorations

So, as I was sitting waiting for my car to get fixed yesterday I thought I would go on a little walk to pass the time. I came across a Goodwill and thought I would go in for a browse. I emerged 45 minutes later with a cart full of treasures! I must have been a sight pushing a shopping cart with a 10 foot tree down the street!

My first treasure is a huge ficus tree. It was a challenge to get it to fit in my car, but no way was I leaving it behind! After trying it in about a dozen spots, it ended up next to the desk to separate the study and dining room. I'm not sure if this is where it will ultimately reside, but its there for now.
My next treasure is a little wooden stand. It was painted "melissa-blue" when I bought it, but 4 coats later it matches the rest of the furniture in the house. I wanted to put it in the kitchen with a lamp because this area of the kitchen has no light and it is very dark at night, especially if you come home late. Felipe argues that a set-up like this belongs in the living room rather than the kitchen - I half agree but am leaning towards leaving it here for the light. I'm hoping it grows on him! (It's on a rug now while the bottom finishes drying.)

And here's the metal tree I scored at the Pier 1 sale a couple of days ago. During the holiday season I plan on sticking all of our christmas cards between the branches.

A beautiful view for a beautiful day

After the storms and wind of yesterday, I was pleased to wake up this morning to sunshine, a gentle breeze, and a high of 81. I've shut off the AC and opened the windows - gorgeous! Here's the pic of my neighbor's fountain that I have been promising:

On the agenda for today:

• new muffler and hood latch repair (why does all of this come in 3's?)
• gym
• finally sew the living room curtains
• take movies back to blockbuster
• hang out with the med school ladies (they took Step 2 today!)
  

Ice Cream goodness. . . .

Check out what I made: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/006165easy_pumpkin_ice_cream.php

This is one of my new favorite websites - lots of yummy and simple recipes with fresh ingredients. Kind of like Barefoot Contessa only on a blog.

For dinner tonight Felipe and I went to 75th street Brewery, one of our faves that we haven't been to in ages. I had a salmon BLT with grilled salmon, crunchy bacon, and a lemon caper aioli sauce with a side of seasoned fries. Felipe had a French dip, he LOVES au jus! And of course he had to have fresh pub chips, which I hear is a favorite among the Rosso family. The best part is we have leftovers for tomorrow!

Stripey Slippers

Finished up a cute little pair of slippers today. They were a super easy knit using a self-striping acrylic yarn and only minor seaming. They'll be perfect to wear around the house once the weather turns.

A little bit of color. . . . .

To add a splash of color to our room, Felipe and I went on an adventure to Joann's fabric where we found this fabulous batik in the very last row. Felipe picked out this red one:
And I chose the blue. Got them covered yesterday. Its amazing what you can do with a staple gun. Thanks pops for making the frames! You can also catch a glimpse of our fabulous new fan. It has a remote control and all these crazy settings. Very chic! Thanks Gloria! It even came with a baby one for our office.
Here's what is going to be our curtain, this awesome olive-colored burnout fabric. Still have to get up the motivation to pull out the sewing machine, but the plan is to hem the edges - nothing fancy.

Here are our lovely new blue placemats from Target. We got a matching table runner but decided it looks best with just the placemats. Gives a nice bit of color to the dining room. Now I just need to iron them flat, another project that's going to take a bit of motivation.

Here's a parting shot of miss elo. Like a typical girl she loves shoes, though why she would like Felipe's stinky Birks so much is beyond me. Perhaps she really does like him?