Blazin' Bills

BBQ

I'm not a big fan. My sister and mother LOVE a good BBQ sandwich. I really don't like sandwiches no matter what type they may be. My brothers, Dad, and Jared can devour ribs. I really don't like getting my hands all messy. I enjoy BBQ sauce for dipping some chicken nuggets into but that is about it.

So needless to say I was hesitant to go to "Blazin' Bills" this past Thursday night known for their full rack of ribs and king crab leg special. Yes, BBQ and crab. Perhaps one of the grossest combinations I can imagine. And yet, so many people were eating it!

But I have got to tell you, my BBQ sandwich.... this was delicious!

Pizza Pizza

Friday night has been pizza night for me since I can remember. And I love, love, LOVE it! Here in Cleveland we don't do Pizza Hut or Domino's. And no Julie, not Papa John's either. Our decision is always split between Geraci's Restaurant or Dewey's Pizza.

Geraci's has amazing pizza! It use to be a little known local place where the cute, elderly, Italian couple, Mr. & Mrs. Geraci, still work at every day. They are either at the counter, answering phones, or even making the pizza. That was until the Food Network arrived. The show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives came to town. And now we have to wait for our pizza but it is always worth it!

If we are feeling like something a little different, we head over to Dewey's Pizza. With Dewey's we have to have the time to sit down, rather than carry out. That is because of the amazing crust. We are talking about something that tastes like a combination pie crust, pizza crust, and maybe those flaky biscuits. And you can get half & half pizza. My favorite is half white cheese, half pepperoni. Fantastic!

I think tonight just might be a Dewey's night.

Happy Friday!

Party Bus

 Last Saturday night we went out to celebrate a friend of ours 30th birthday. Here is the birthday girl, Megan, with her husband Charlie.

One of J's roommates from medical school, Steve, also came into town to visit for the night and we had a ton of fun.

Enough fun that we didn't consider the fact that we started "celebrating" at 6pm when Steve arrived...

Enough fun that it didn't matter that it was the coldest night so far this winter AND it was snowing...

Enough fun that we almost didn't notice there was no heat on the party bus and ice formed on the inside of the windows...

Enough fun that no one noticed that the bus driver had been lost and it took us over an hour to drive 10 miles...

Enough fun that we needed to order snacks at Great Lakes Brewery...  

Enough fun that we considered riding the mechanical bull at Cadillac Ranch but luckily changed our minds while watching a wedding party take turns on it...

Enough fun that we laughed when our cab driver ran out of gas on our way home...

Yep. One of those super fun, silly nights.

Wordfued & Angry Birds

At dinner with my friend Tracey a few weeks ago, I was introduced to a little game called Wordfued. I am terrible at it! She seriously beats me by over 100 points. This is not good. I am competitive and being such a loser sucks.

Then about a week ago Jared gets a new phone. A smart phone. Actually, the same phone I have. And I make the mistake of introducing him to Wordfued as well. Now I am competing with him too! Right now we are 2-1, with me in the lead in my current game by a very slim margin. Tracey on the other hand has kicked my butt every single time. Once I lost by somewhere around 20 points but it was over a weekend and she must have been distracted.

Luckily I have another game I play. Angry Birds. I seriously love this game. Yes, you are slingshotting cartoon birds into little green pigs but it makes sense to me. It is mastering the skill of how to get a stucture to crumble. Great little game to take your mind of waiting in line someplace or when you need to pass the time.

Signs of Spring

Today was so dreary. It could have been because I was sick all weekend. (And I mean sick like you can't crawl back to bed sick!) It could have been because a gray layer of clouds seem to hang over my head like I am Eeyore... or that I just live in Cleveland and we have as many gray days as Seattle does just without the rain.

I needed some color so I picked these up at Whole Foods today. Perfect reminder that spring is just two months away.... lets hope for short months.

Baking Like Betty

I may have mentioned it before but I'm not quite sure. Basically I LOVE food but don't love to cook. Luckily I can bake, and kinda like it too. It must be the engineer in me. I love that baking is measuring exact amounts. And it might just be that I always need just a little something for dessert. :)

I made these Barefoot Contessa cupcakes this week. Coconut isn't my favorite but they were delicious! Very gourmet tasting and super easy to make. Thanks Laura for the mix!

I Never Knew I Always Wanted

Towards the end of last year I found that there are a few things that never knew I had always wanted. These are silly, commercial, and no, I don't really need them. But boy oh boy, do I LOVE them!

The first is my cell phone. I have had just an ordinary phone until this past year. Sometime in August my old phone died abruptly. I had never paid for a phone, just took the free upgrade and went on my way. But this year, this year we decided I would join the 21st century and get a smart phone.

This is my Droid Incredible with a Starry Night Gelaskin. Seriously I love it. I never knew how much I would love having a phone with so much power at my fingertips! It made Christmas shopping cheaper...using my barcode app to compare prices. It helps me find a Starbucks, since I am addicted, wherever I may be. It has my photos, videos, and yes, Facebook. It has Pandora where I can customize my own radio station and play it through the speakers of my car.

It is amazing! I now literally feel naked without it with me. It is ridiculous but I don't care. I am a free ad for Verizon. iPhone schmyphone. My Droid Incredible rocks!

Next up is Latisse. Yes, I am on my way to amazing eyelashes. Back in October Jared was working on his Plastic Surgery rotation. One of the bonuses of him being there was a consultation with Chief for me. :) Enter Latisse.

It has been 3 months and my eyelashes are sooo long! It is so funny to me that this makes me so happy but it does. I hardly need to wear mascara now. My eyelashes are so long and full they barely fit in the eyelash curler. I will put some before/after photos up soon. I can't take them of myself...

But really, I never knew I had always wanted these things!!

Monday

Look who stopped by my office today...

So pretty!

Thirteen

It might sound silly. But today, well, around today anyway. Jared and I have been together for 13 years. WOW!

Jared and I went out on our first date in high school, got together our first year in college, and here we are married and all grown up. Well, almost anyway. ;)

I love it. We really are lucky. And even though it is not our wedding anniversary, here is one of my favorite photos of us.

New Year, New You!

So it is already a week into 2011 and I already feel behind. I have decorations to take down, organizing to do and resolutions to make.

Resolutions. I've never really committed to them. I know of only two that I have kept in recent years. One was to learn to tie my shoes "correctly" and not with bunny ears... so what that I was 28, no judging! ;) The other was to let others handle situations in their time, not mine. Wow, that one was challenging and although I did pretty good, I think, it wasn't the best idea.

But this year. This year I really want to accomplish something. I really want to be healthier. I want to be organized. I want to look good in a bikini... in my 30's. I want a lot, I know.

So here goes. My little resolution list.
1 - Don't break up with the Gym this year. Goal of working out at least 3 x's a week.
2 - Learn to cook some healthy meals and incorporate more salads.
3 - Take more pictures.
4 - Call my brothers at least once a month. I already talk to my sister and Mom & Dad all the time. But I need to talk to them too.
5 - Take Jared on a vacation out of the country.
6 - Organize my place, and all our stuff in storage so that when we move, we aren't just moving old crap from one place to the next.
7 - Make some friends here in Ohio. This might be next to impossible but I am really going to try.
8 - Recycle, get a shredder and use it!

Maybe I will add more, and the order isn't important. What do you think?

NKOTB... New "Kat" on the Block that is...

We have a new addition here at East Coast Girl... Hailey the cat.

I adopted Hailey (briefly known as Phoenix when I couldn't decide on a name) on my 21st birthday back in college. Since then she has lived with Jared and his roommates while I was living in the sorority house, then with me in the townhouse while in school. But mostly for the last 7 years she has lived with my family. 

This is a HUGE change for us and her. She has been meowing a lot. Seems to be looking at closet doors for entrance into the rest of our house or perhaps a portal back to her home in Virginia. She seems a little sad, lonely, and is looking for other people and animals.

I worry about her being alone so much. So, wish us luck and we will see how this goes.

2010... just flew by!

We were busy in 2010. Busy traveling all over the country, and not just for football! Busy getting into the groove of a job I love, Jared finishing his 4th year and starting off his chief year of surgery residency! Woo hoo! Busy enjoying being married and just the two of us! Busy starting this little blog and getting organized recording some of the details of our life. Busy, busy, busy! Just how I like it!

Here is a recap of our 2010. WARNING: This is lengthy! I added some photos of the missing months of 2010 since my blogging didn't come to be until August.

2010 In Review

January - We rang in the New Year at the Chick-Fil-A bowl watching the Hokies win against Tennessee and spent a few days with J's parents at their cabin in North Carolina.

We attended a doctor event downtown with some of his co-residents at CAOM.

I trained my first astronaut at Johnson Space Center in Houston!! And we started to look for a house to buy in Ohio.

February - J was a witness in a court case and did an awesome job testifying! His hospital had a resident bowling night.  

Julie found out she was having a baby girl, due in August. And I made a solo trip to Virginia to see a fashion show and just spend time with the family. 
March - My parents come to visit me for the first time in Ohio!

We house sat for Jared's Aunt and Uncle and went to a Cavalier game where we saw Lebron James before his decision to leave Cleveland.

We also tried to buy a house. We had been looking for months... and we tried to buy this cute house but it didn't work out. Everything happens for a reason. I mean, it was 80 years old...

April - Easter was spent in Ohio with J's family who we are lucky to have living nearby.  Here is Jared, his Grandmother Nonni, and cousin Troy.

We took a trip to Indiana to visit J's sister's family and become Godparents for our niece Abigail.

I tagged along with Jared to a conference he had conveniently scheduled in Virginia for a few days so we were able to hang out with some friends while we were home.

And we traded in my TSX for our first BMW!

The month ended with our annual (well, we try anyway!) Girl's Trip where we met in Key West for some sun and fun!

May - We spent Mother's Day weekend in Virginia where I also went on a friend's birthday wine tour. We had a family girl's weekend in NYC where we surprised Julie in her classroom...

and I hosted a baby shower for her at Sarabeth's.  

June - Mid year was a busy month! We started out with our summer vacation to Panama City Beach to visit J's family (and Harley the dog!) and a get a little R&R by the pool and beach.

There was a resident pot luck and graduation. Here is Jared with the remainder of his intern class, all having graduated except the surgery residents who start their last year next month!

We made a trip to Virginia for baby shower my Mom hosted for Julie which was also Father's Day weekend which meant attending the Italian Festival downtown with Dad.

I trained astronauts for a week and got to meet Shannon Lucid, who held the record at one time for longest stay in space by an American or woman.

And we celebrated our second wedding anniversary with dinner at our favorite place, where he proposed in Chagrin Falls!

July - Jared began his chief year in his surgery residency at South Point Hospital. We spent the 4th of July holiday with Jared's boss on his boat in Lake Erie.

I went to my second county concert with Natalie and Michelle.

I spent another week training astronauts in Texas where I was tweeted about by one of my astronaut students! We made a trip to Virginia for a going away party for Natalie and Brian.

The month ended with a summer surgery pool party at the Stanleys house and a golf outing for the residents.

August - Started off with a visit from Jared's sister and her family where we played in the pool and enjoyed the summer sun.

Our niece Madison Lilly is born! and we made a trip to NYC to meet her. We went sailing and to a baseball game. And I started really working on this little blog.

September - We spent Labor Day weekend in Virginia to see family and watch the Hokies play Boise State. We travelled to Nebraska to see John. We went to an OSU/OU game with some of J's co-residents and his Aunt, Uncle and cousin.

We played Whirlyball, went to Appleseed Festivals, volunteered at Extreme Makeover, and saw my cousin Anthony perform at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

October - We went to the annual SPH Clambake. Attended two VT games, Central Michigan and Wake Forest. And we took a trip to San Francisco for J's conference.

November - Both of our birthdays were this month. Dad runs a marathon and we make a quick trip through North Carolina to visit The Land of Syd and see the Hokies play. Mom and Dad surprise us during their visit by bringing Julie & Madison. And we spend Thanksgiving in Virginia.

December - We went to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte with Dr. C & Mrs. S. Went to Jared's surgery holiday party. Here is Jared and his co-resident Matt.  

And enjoyed the holidays in Virginia.

Oh, what a year. A great year. A busy year. My second year in Ohio and second year married. It is starting to feel more like home. And hopefully, this next year will be even better!