ESPN desk

Well there have been two big events involving the city of Dallas recently.

1. The World Series - It was very exciting that this was the second year in a row that the Texas Rangers were in the World Series.  They did a good job this run, but man that was a heartwrenching Game 6 which pretty much cost them the championship.  Since B is from Dallas, he is a HUGE Rangers fan and has swayed me into liking them as well. The week that we began dating, we saw Josh Hamilton and several other Rangers in New York for the All Star game and so I guess it was fate for me to be a Rangers fan as well :). B and I had a great time watching it and now we are so glad to have our evenings back.

2. Texas vs. OU - I went up to see my best friends in Dallas a few weekends ago and had a memorable weekend at the Red River Shootout - aka the rivalry game between UT and OU.  We scored VIP backstage passes to College GameDay and had an incredible time meeting the hosts and taking a picture at the desk! The game didn't go so well for our Longhorns, but this experience still made it a great day!

Free fried food from the State Fair? Yes please.  

 Fried cheesecake and a turkey leg at 9:30 in the morning? Why not. 

Dallas was covered in orange and red over the weekend, even the airport. I have never seen an airport decorated for any other occasion before, but hey I won't complain because I love this college football game!

First week back - sports and food

B has been home for a week straight and I feel like we are married again!  I fired up the stove and oven for the first time in two months and thankfully don't think I lost too much of the touch.  It has been a busy week but a good with lots of food, playing and watching sports, and catching up with friends.

B is in an easy rotation and has been in heaven having a light schedule. Rather than waking up at 4am and spending his day in a 16 hour surgery which he travels 5 minutes away to the clinic and works from from 9am-3pm.  His schedule is starting to make me jealous, but I know that it won't last for long. He will start the crazy interview season next week and will take his first trip to Kansas, Washington, D.C. and Galveston all in four days. Of course our schedules hardly ever cooperate together and I have had a busy week at work when he is home, but at least we still had some time to do some fun things.

I won't say much more but leave you with some snapshots of this last week.  Our first week back together looked a little like this:

chocolate chip cookies

 Cinnamon rolls 

Pesto turkey panini

 

Grilled pineapple chicken

 

Teriyaki meatballs with asian noodles

 Fish with mushroom risotto   

                                         

 

Pineapple chicken fried rice

 

Sports - We played lots of sports (tennis, golf, football) and spent every moment possible outside in the beautiful 75 degree weather.

World Series - B grew up in Dallas and is ecstatic that the Rangers are in the World Series. This means that our evenings revolve around watching the games.   

And this is what I find when I get home after work.  That's ok baby, you can sleep all that you want now.  Rest up well before you have a busy three months traveling across the country.

Weekend in Philly

Here are some long overdue photos from my weekend in Philly.   I now realize that I took quite a few pictures of food.  But what can I say, we had some delicious meals and I still think they are worth sharing. Enjoy!

A perfect dinner in the rain --- B researched the perfect place to take me to dinner, an adorable restaurant that had fabulous food. But there was only one slight issue - they had mostly outside seating and it started to rain. We still had a wonderful time and enjoyed the experience even eating under an umbrella!

 A trout specialty with butternut risotto and a crab salad.  Sooo delish.

A few snapshots of the city.

  

Visiting a little history - Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

We are big crepe fans and found Creperie Beau Monde in Philly which we think is comparable to our reigning favorite Flip Happy Crepes in Austin. I have never tried a breakfast savory crepe before with eggs but it was absolutely delicious.  A must try if you are ever in the city. 

B was offered an invitation to interview with the Philadelphia program while he was there, so I brought his new suit up with me and yes I lugged it around New York before I could give it to him.  So we made a run to a few stores to pick up some shirts and ties to complete the outfit.  I must say he looks sharp in a suit!

We met up with the Texas Exes to watch the Longhorn football game and made some great friends and connections with other Longhorns in Philly.  

For anyone wondering, of course we had a philly cheese steak in Philadelphia.  There are two famous places right across the street from each other that both compete for "the best" of the city.  After we couldn't decide which one to go to, we split up to conquer both lines and get a taste of each one.   Honestly, I think they taste the same.

One of the first things that B said after we first saw each other was..."guess what babe, they have a Krispy Kreme factory here,  can we go...now?" One thing you may learn over time is that B and I are big dessert fans and both have a sweet tooth.

Philly has some very old and beautiful but large buildings and one of which has been turned into a Macy's which is shown below.  The store was gorgeous and I loved walking around inside.   The last photo is B in front of his home for a month.  Poor guy has been roughing it though with no refrigerator and no microwave. I am so proud of him for being resourceful and never complaining.  Only one more day in Philly until he is back home!

B's FIRST interview

I have some very exciting news (at least exciting in doctor world) - yesterday was B's very first interview AND he will be home in less than 48 hours!!

Since this isn't a picture heavy post, here is one photo that describes as I am cleaning and getting ready for him to come home;  "Wisteria Lane" from Tyler Candle Company definitely has my recommendation and I am excited to try it out when he gets here! I am sorry for taking so long to update on here, but after my trip to NY and Philly, I have been so busy catching up on work, another trip to Dallas and spending every free minute helping B with a presentation on his research. 

So about B's interview...the program in Philadelphia that he has been rotating with for the last month invited him for an interview during his last week which means one less flight for us to buy!   

In his humble opinion, he says it went alright, but from what I can tell it actually went very well...  He has made a great impression on the faculty and residents and they told him he is a "strong applicant" which is definitely a good thing.

I am so relieved that his first interview is out of the way. My stomach has been in knots for three days and have been praying nonstop.  But now I am counting down the hours that he comes home on Saturday for the first time in two months!  Man I can't wait to have that guy home.  I do admit that it has been nice to have a break from cooking, but the stove and oven is now calling my name. 

So far we have scheduled 15 surgery interviews in places like Connecticut, New York, Chicago, North Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Colorado and California. We are anxiously awaiting Oct. 26 when we will hear what otolaryngology programs he is invited to.  

For now, he is coming home to do a rotation in neurology in Houston which is only 5 minutes from home.  And then, the traveling starts all over again.  

I promise to be better at giving updates especially when he starts traveling for all of his interview.  But I better get back to cleaning our house, baking cookies and cinnamon rolls and getting ready for him to come home. 

- Nicole

Trip to New York

Last week, I took a trip to New York for business and then went down to Philadelphia to see B.  Here are some photos and stories from the New York Trip and I will post more from Philly soon.

It was soooo good to be back in the city! I am in love with this place and always have been since my first trip when I was 7.  It was always my dream to live up here after I graduated, but getting married changed all of that.  Who knows, maybe we will move back up here someday! 

Even though I was mostly in meetings and busy working during the trip, I had such a wonderful time and was able to catch up with a few friends, eat at some fabulous restaurants and see some special places while I was there.  I tried to do my best to snap a few photos along the way.

  This is my only "work" photo but it basically summarizes my trip.  Meetings over breakfast, coffee or lunch with producers and writers which turned out to be very productive and successful.

And below are some fun photos and stories that share a little more insight into my trip. Enjoy!

If you are interested, here are some of the restaurants that I visited and recommend:

Pastis, The National, Bar Boulud, Bryant Park Grill, Nougatine, Freeman's, Sushi Samba, Chelsea Bagel & Cafe and Cafe Prague.

I also met up with my former roommate and good friend Alle and am sorry that we didn't get a picture together.  

I'm sorry to take a little longer than hoped to get this up, but things have been busy catching up since I have been back.  I promise to post the Philly pictures with B soon!