I will give you one guess

Guess who has yet another flat tire...

This weekend my good friend Erin came to visit me along with her boyfriend Jeff. We went to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Coco Bolos. I think everyone enjoyed their food, seemed that way with the clean plates :)

Here is Chris (Erin's brother), Erin & her boyfriend Jeff. I was happy to see Jeff did not wear anything KU to dinner since we were in Aggieville.
We ate outside, which I love, and was very fortunate to have brought my wrap b/c I certainly needed it.
We dropped the boys off at Rusty's and Erin and I proceeded back to my place for some girl time, wine & a movie and of course talk, talk, talk. Thanks for coming to town and visiting Erin!

Hello... Are those for me?!

I am very happy to see this week come to an end, I have had better weeks that is for sure. Thursday was pretty much my low point... But tonight is one of the high points. I was upstairs on facebook when the door bell rang, it was strange b/c it was sort of late, but not really, so I went to open the door and a man holding this beautiful flower arrangement was standing there! (side note -- What a great job, is anyone ever sad when someone is standing at their door with flowers?)
Someone pretty special in my life sent them. I can not tell you how big the smile on my face was when I saw them. I am truly blessed and it really put things into perspective, it just isn't that bad when I have such great people in my life, no matter what. I hope everyone has a great weekend, mine is off to a good start.

Thanks Katie!

I got new hair today thanks to Katie at Hair Experts. I love it. What do you think? I was really overdue for some color and a cut. She did a great job and I even got an amazing scalp treatment, sent chills all the way down my back :)

Tasty Tuesday

Mascarpone Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

Ingredients
8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), softened
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box white cake mix
1 cup water

1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Special equipment: 4 mini muffin tins and 48 mini muffin paper cupcake liners

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the mini tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

**Another option is to add more sugar & a teaspoon of oil to make it more like a frosting and not a glaze.

Annual BBQ

This weekend was the annual Hittle BBQ, I think it has been happening for 4-5 years now but I have never gotten to attend b/c I was 8 hrs away. I have been told it has gotten "more tame" as the years have gone by, and if this year was tame I would be afraid to see what it was like before... It was a great time and I got to catch up with some great friends, always a bonus. Here are a few pictures from it.

Here is Laura and me at the start of the fun

Laura and her hubby JustinHow many people does it take to fly a kite? Okay maybe everyone is trying to keep track of all the kiddos Grant scaling the boulders :)Lydia, Dan & Callie (look at those curls!)Justin showing his dad how to fly a kiteBarrett... What a cutie!Jeff & Kane dragging, I mean helping, Lydia down the stairsShe was a crack up, I think she was on sensory overload with all her friends Lydia & Barrett taking a break to have a snack

One more picture

Here is a picture that my new friend Sharyl took last weekend. Barry's smirk is the best! And yes that is 2 beers in my hand :)

Fun times at a new lake

This past weekend I finally got to go to Council Grove Lake and spend time with my friends Barry & Dina and their kiddos at their lake house. Little side note, I have known Barry & Dina for 8 or 9 years and have taken care of their kids, house and dogs. They have owned their lake house for 15 years but has just recently really finished it, but of course there is always something still to do :)

Here is a picture of the house from the shorelineThe boat house, complete with bar stools & a bar!Their oldest boy Nick, always has something up his sleeve
Tubing, backwards! We stopped at another boat slip that had a deck on top, love these pictures!
LOOK OUT BELOW!And here is Nate, the youngest.

Hey Dad, yeah you Dad... Please read

Smokeless tobacco may be just as carcinogenic as cigarettes, research suggests.

In the Wellness blog, hosted by Time (8/17), Tiffany Sharples wrote that a University of Minnesota study reveals that people who use "smokeless tobacco -- snuff and chewing tobacco" -- are "subjecting their bodies to an array of harmful chemicals," a finding that "confirms and expands...previous research." In fact, "snuff and 'dip' contain nearly 30 carcinogens that can cause oral and pancreatic cancers, and in a concentration that far exceeds cigarettes: one pinch of smokeless tobacco has five times the harmful chemicals of a single cigarette." There are those who "have long believed that, because you don't have to burn smokeless tobacco products to consume them, your risk of exposure to PAHs [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons] was minimal." The new study, however, offers contradictory evidence.

According to HealthDay (8/17, Thompson), the "marketing and consumption of smokeless tobacco is on the increase, and some estimates suggest that sales of moist snuff in America have doubled since the 1980s." The team in Minneapolis hopes their work helps curb that trend. Lead researcher Irina Stepanov said, "A total of 28 carcinogens were identified in smokeless tobacco even before our study." The team has "found even more carcinogens in snuff," however, possibly because the PAHs may be infused "during the 'fire-curing' process that is used to turn tobacco leaves into snuff."
_________________________
I was going to include some pictures with this but thought that might gross you all out too much. This is serious stuff. Not only can you get oral cancer but pancreatic! The life expectancy after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is 6 months... For those who chew, please stop, please! I am especially begging you Dad. It is not good for you and I would like to have you around for a few more decades.

Tasty Tuesday

Here is a great recipe for the crock pot that my friend Erin shared with me a few years ago. Everyone loves it and it is a great Fall dish, warms you through and through.

Hungarian Goulash

2 lbs of steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T flour
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T paprika
1/4 t dried thyme, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 28-oz can tomatoes, which ever size or cut you want
1 c sour cream

Put steak cubes, onion, garlic in crock pot. Stir in flour and mix to coat steak cubes. Add all remaining ingredients except sour cream. Stir well. Cover and cook on low 7 to 10 hours. Add sour cream 30 minutes before serving, & stir in thoroughly. (High: 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally) Serve over hot noodles/pasta or rice.

Check it out!

Last week I was pleasantly surprised to see that my name had finally made the door to the North Topeka office. And by luck of the draw it was put on top... We'll see how long that lasts :) Typically the most Senior Doctor is put at the top and the "rookie" is at the bottom but since there was room at the top they just added mine there instead of buying all new stickers.
Here's a close up :)

Tasty Treats

On my day off today I made cookies and delivered them to some special people. If you are reading this and have not received cookies, please don't be upset, maybe next week :) I was pretty happy with how the packaging turned out.
With my custom made labels so you know exactly what you are getting into :)

Seriously... When will it stop?

Seriously... So last week, on my day off, my car decided to stop running. Luckily it was just the battery that needed replaced. I guess I should have known since my car is a 2001 and it had never been changed before.

Well then today... Oh today... on my way home my car was shaking horribly. I would look at cars when they passed me and the drivers gave me no indication that I should pull over but after talking with my Uncle Kelly on the phone I did. I stepped out of my car to see that I had a flatter than flat tire! Oh boy. Now don't get me wrong I know how to change a tire but ewe gross. And then out of no where, an angel... Well maybe not but close, a soldier from Ft. Riley was driving by and offered to help. I said, "no thanks, I've got it". And if you believe that you are crazy, of course I took him up on his offer! I nearly jumped for joy when he asked and almost hugged him but did show some restraint. He put my spare on in no time flat and we were both on our way. I didn't get his name but who ever he is, THANK YOU!

As you can see the wall of the tire is blown out about 3/4 the way around the tire.
I am lucky I didn't have a wreck
So the question is... When is enough, enough? Should I think about a new car or just wait for the next mishaps to happen?

New decor

I found myself Friday shopping, go figure, and I found these great candle holders and thought they would look great by my fireplace. What do you think?

I will admit, I watch it...

So I have watched So You Think You Can Dance all season, yes, I will admit it. This was one of my favorite dances, it even made me cry. It is about having breast cancer.

Santa Barbara

Here are a few more pictures from my California adventure. These are taken in Santa Barbara the last weekend I was there. We went to watch the Lanakila Outrigger Canoe races, it was the State Championship. Such a beautiful day filled with lots of sun & fun.

Gorgeous scenery-----
Here are the outrigger canoes -- trying to take an artistic shot One of the Lanakila boats - Ty is on the very left & Carl is 3rd from the left Me & Tami Katie (daughter of family friend), Tami & Boomer The boys were getting too much sun so James (left) & Ty (right) had to cover up
In the beer garden after all the races - Ty's boat got 1st place!Tami & Carl -- I think they get the cutest couple award :)At Sharkeez in Santa Barbara relaxingMe & TyCarl & Tami --- Tam was working it for the camera :)

I was very sad to leave SB and California all together. It was one of the best trips ever, could have been for the fact that I did not have to worry about any studying or national board tests, or it could have been the great people I was with, yeah that is probably it :)

Birthday Celebration

This past weekend I went home for my little sister's birthday, Ashley turned 20! We had a fun time celebrating on Sunday with brunch & a HUGE cake made by my Aunt Brenda. Here are some pictures from the day.

Go K-State!
She just woke up and ready to open presents! Cheers to you Ashley :)Kurtis (Jessica's boyfriend), Jessica (cousin) & Ashley

Getting ready to light the cake Not sure how the birthday girl got stuck lighting her own cake??Make a wish...