Hootie

This weekend J surprised me with Darius Rucker tickets!! We had a wonderful time watching Darius perform all the songs from his "Learn to Live" album, with a little Hootie thrown in the mix. The concert was at a semi-private venue in Greensboro, and the intimacy brought a unique level of excitement not usually included in the massive concert package. After a rainy rainy day, it was fun to get dressed up and go out to a show. I must say that J has perfected the art of "date night." Enjoy this clip of Hootie singing his heart out.

Guests of Honor

There's nothing quite like family. I had the pleasure of hosting my parents for a Winston weekend getaway. I was of course very excited to show them my first apartment, newly decorated to coincide with their arrival. Prior visits to Winston have revolved around some major event- from interviews to graduation, moving in to moving out. This time, however, we got to kick off our shoes and veg, just like the average bear. I know that sounds so simple, but I was utterly excited to hear the sound of my dad flipping the channels while surfing the web, and loved cooking alongside my mom for a dinner party we hosted Saturday evening.

This morning we sprung out of bed bright and early. We enjoyed coffee and pumpkin bread over an interesting conversation concerning the fine art of making chicken pot pie. I have this awesome cookbook written by chefs who experiment with different variations of the same classic recipe, all in the name of perfecting a (fill in the blank). In the case of chicken pot pie, they included two pages of prose discussing which variables were not successful, to include the reason behind what went wrong. For example, raw veggies don't cook enough (duh) while cooked veggies turn mushy. The perfect compromise? Veggies that are gently sauteed during the preparation phase. The chefs discussed at least a dozen variations, in which each go-round featured a sole variable- milk, cream, or half and half? Chicken on the bone or chicken breast? Poached, baked, sauteed, broiled. I'm not even kidding, they literally covered all basis, culminating to the grand finale- the perfect recipe for chicken pot pie. Needless to say, an interesting topic of conversation before the 7:00 hour.

We went on a morning walk before church, enjoying the crisp autumn weather. We even collected a bunch of acorns to fill hurricane vases back home, all in the name of interior design. Which speaking of, after church my mom and I went to a decorating class at Pottery Barn. Today's class was about living rooms. The two cute sales ladies talked us through the art and fundamentals of designing your dream living space. The offered tips (buy your furniture in the following order: couches, media center, end tables) and demonstrated how to transform a neutral colored sectional from cool and crisp to warm and bold (hint: pillows, floral arrangements, more pillows). How inspirational! Before my parents hit the road, we went to my favorite Brunch venue, the Fourth Street Filling Station. The weekend was perfect, and I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Snap!

My friend Erich was telling me about a neat little experiment he did a few months ago. He got the idea from a book that was geared towards positive thinking. For a few weeks he put a rubber band on his wrist and everytime he said something negative, he'd snap the band and move it to the other wrist. It's a simple concept, and yet I can only imagine how effective this could be! Hearing about this exercise prompted further investigation on my part. It turns out that this technique is quite popular can be applied to other thoughts as well.

Here are other ways to apply The Rubber Band Technique. Snap the band when you:

Catch yourself talking about someone behind their back.
Catch yourself reaching for that second helping of food or dessert.

Catch yourself swearing.
Catch yourself judging others.
Catch yourself driving over the speed limit.
Catch yourself yelling at bad drivers.

Pretty cool, huh? I think I'll give it a try!

5 Things to be Happy About

I have alot to be happy about right now. As I was sitting in church on Sunday morning, it just kind of hit me.. life is good. I could probably go on and on about what I'm grateful for, but these are the top 5 things that are making me smile!

1. My new job- I started my career this week. I'm working at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center as an infectious diseases physician assistant. The field is very exciting and I love being at an academic institution, where everyone is so passionate about education. My coworkers are very nice and have made the transition a smooth one. Between orientation, paperwork, and navigating my way around a maze of a hospital, I also spent a few mornings and afternoons in clinic. My first patient ever was a memorable one, as she just so happened to have the swine flu. "Soap and water, soap and water, soap and water"... ie- my new favorite mantra. I am equally excited and overwhelmed by the plethora of knowledge I have yet to learn. My feeling are perhaps articulated best by the eloquent RD Lang in his poem "Knots."

"Knots"

There is something that I don't know that I am supposed to know. I don't know what it is that I don't know and yet am supposed to know, and I feel I look stupid if I seem both not to know it and not know what it is I don't know. Therefore I pretend I know it. This is nerve-racking since I don't know what I must pretend to know. Therefore I pretend to know everything. I feel that you know what I am supposed to knowbut you can't tell me what it is because you don't know that I don't know what it is. You may know what I don't know, but not that I don't know it, and I can't tell you. So you will have to tell me everything.

Despite feeling utterly clueless at times, I am amazed at how much I am learning each day. In the mean time, I am truly loving my job!

2. Fall- It probably wouldn't be farfetched to venture to say that I am utterly obsessed with autumn. From the beautiful foliage to the crisp weather and endless football... I am a fan of it all. Although fall doesn't officially kick in until September 22, 2009 at 5:18 pm, I always choose to start celebrating a little early. For me, the fall fesitivities begin when candy corn hits the shelves (and in case you were wondering.. I'm partial to the autumn mix- the perfect combination of little pumpkins, yellow and indian corn). To me, there is nothing that says fall more than walking around a college campus, preferably on a Saturday when football is involved. I can't wait to get back to Virginia to stomp around Mr. Jefferson's grounds.


3. Friends- My friend Ann turned 30 this weekend, and to celebrate she had a backyard birthday party themed "29 going on 6." It was so fun to be invited to a "little kids" birthday bash which featured an inflatable jumper, cornhole, pinata, party hats, and party favors. As if that could get any better, the guest list absolutely rocked. I got to spend quality time with some of my favorite PA girls who I haven't seen since graduation. It was so fun to laugh, dance (yes, I did my signature worm), and catch up over the last couple of months. I am truly blessed to have amazing friends!


4. Church- I have been church hopping in Winston for the last 2 years and am excited to say that I have found a church I love! Saturday night, I randomly googled "Winston-Salem churches" and this church named "Pinedale" was among the first to appear. I checked out the website which held my interest enough to give it a try the next day. I showed up Sunday morning to the "blended service" and was blown away. I loved the praise and worship team, was impressed by the choir, and challenged by the sermon. The cherry on top was the friendly congregation, sense of fellowship, and peaceful feeling that I was somewhere I belonged. I'm already looking forward to Sunday morning!


5. Holidays- As if things could get any better, I enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day weekend. After a busy first week, I was very thankful to have an extra day to relax, work around the house, spend time with my friends, and of course enjoy some awesome food off the grill (smoked brisket + blueberry cobbler = a winning combination). Labor Day always invokes wonderful childhood memories of starting the new school year. Our family had a tradition of packing a picnic and renting Jon boats for the day. We would always sneak aboard Chelsea, our beloved sheltie. I love the way holidays make you feel... happy and carefree.

So ya, I'd say that life is pretty good right now! Can't wait to share more adventures :)