March 2014

After returning from the shores of Hawaii in early March, I enjoyed the remainder of my vacation block inland. My parents had planned a trip to visit their friends the Wilsons, which coincided with my Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave's trip to Palm Springs. We met up for dinner at Kaiser Grille.

Then we walked down Palm Canyon Drive, checking out the names of celebs on the street and seeing the eye-popping "Forever Marilyn" statue. We were fortunate to get the see the 26' tall, 17-ton work of art in the last month of its 2-year California stay before it shipped off to New Jersey.

Teri (above) and Phil were amazing hosts, letting me stick around for a couple days to enjoy the good company, tasty wine, pool lounging, flea market browsing, and amazing food!

I returned to work in the pediatric emergency department, which is always a fun an interesting time with the little kids. Then the PGY2s (second-year class of residents) headed south to Escondido for our overnight retreat. We stayed at the super cool house of assistant program director Dr. Tanen and made a stop at the Lost Abbey Brewery for some tastings.

We had a late dinner at Phil's BBQ in San Marcos then spent the rest of the evening bonding.

The next morning we had our work portion of retreat during which we received an orientation on the senior residents' responsibilities for "running the board." After a bit more hot-tubbing, eating, and relaxing we went back to work and transitioned into this new senior leadership role.  

Adam and I helped college friend Neelroop celebrate his birthday (below).

Back at home I tried to improve upon my meal-preparation skills and made Ellie Krieger's black and red salad with walnuts and goat cheese. Yum!

On date night Adam and I dined at Rocharin Thai then caught The Lego Movie.

While my blog makes me feel like a multidimensional person, I still had been craving something to make me feel like more than just a person who works, sleeps, and eats. I found just what I was looking for in reconnecting with the Girl Scouts.

I joined as an adult Girl Scout then helped out with "Journey Girls," a monthly event at the local Girl Scout Council office for girls without a troop. Working with Brownies on healthy snacking was so much fun!

In fact I was inspired to eat a bit healthier at home and made an heirloom caprese salad to accompany angel hair pesto and garlic cheddar bread.

To complete the focus on fitness, Juliana, Andrea, and I have kept up with running 4-7 miles every 1-2 weeks. My friends sure keep me motivated!

Speaking of friends, it was great to catch up with high school friend Kami over ice cream at the Manhattan Beach Creamery.

She and her husband Dan were visiting southern California with their sons Logan (age 3- above) and Eli (age 5). They spent a couple days in San Diego, a day in Disneyland, then a couple days in Manhattan Beach.

I was lucky to be able to enjoy the beach with them for some sandcastle-building and Eli-burying.

Finally, I wanted to share one last culinary undertaking: making mom's famous pesto with my new food processor. Easy and delicious!

And I should probably mention... as far as my real work goes, I am currently on my elective block, which I am spending doing teaching/education. So far this has involved running intern conference, co-leading journal club on the use of tranexamic acid in trauma, giving board review on ob/gyn issues, presenting a variety of mini case lectures at rounds, and miscellaneous teaching activities in the emergency department.

February 2014

On February 2nd Andrea and I ran in the Redondo Beach 10k, which felt fantastic!

I enjoyed my hard-earned Michelob Ultra during the Super Bowl (which was a bit painful to watch- not gonna lie).

Meanwhile, Adam enjoyed a study break from his thesis writing and defense preparation with the help of a healthy fruit bouquet, courtesy of his parents.

 We studied pyrotechnology and gastronomy during date night at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse.

Though I never made it past the riffraff room while on standby at Ellen, it was fun to be in the same building as Bradley Cooper.

Running with Juliana and Andrea continued with runs along the water in Long Beach...

 ...and in Redondo Beach and at Wilson Park in Torrance where we happened upon roller derby practice.

 February 21st marked the culmination of Adam's 6.5 years of graduate school as he defended his thesis on "Characterizing Novel Neuroregulators of Neural Crest Migration."

His friends Da-Wei, Brandon, and Neelroop were there to cheer Adam on as he became Dr. Tuttle, PhD of Biology from UC-Irvine.

 It was then time to celebrate in Hawaii. First stop after getting off the airplane: Da Kitchen for some deep-fried Spam musubi.

My parents, Adam, and I stayed in a rented condo at the Kapalua Resort. The views were breathtaking, and we took advantage of the ample hiking opportunities around the complex (and the neighboring Ritz Carlton pictured above).

Mom and Dad led the way on the coastal trail.

Adam and I also soaked in the view of Molokai in the distance.

Our first snorkeling expedition took place at Kapalua Bay where we saw a good variety of fish and got a great dose of vitamin D.

We enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner the first night Sansei, which provided fuel for the next day's adventure on the Hana Highway.

With my trusty guidebook (compliments of the Long Beach Public Library) narrating the winding road, we found a few hidden gems, including the Lower Puohokamoa Falls (above).

Near our turnaround point, we picnicked with a mongoose at the Kipahulu Visitor Center. Then we ventured deep into Haleakalā National Park on the Pipiwai Trail, which took us past a giant banyan tree and through a bamboo forest to...

the towering Waimoku Falls. On the way back we hiked along the Seven Sacred Pools in the ʻOheʻo Gulch.

We made one last stop before turning back at the grave of aviator Charles Lindbergh. He is buried on the grounds of Palapala Hoʻomau Church near his good friend Sam Pryor and Sam's gibbon "children."

Dinner at Merrimen's was quite a treat! During the week we also ate truly excellent meals at Roy's and Fleetwood's.

Back at the Kapalua Resort, there was more ground to cover by way of trails through an overgrown golf course.

From the views to the fresh guavas to the Easter egg-like hunt for lost golf balls, our hike was too fun to be hampered by a little sprinkle of rain.

We also made time for the pool, and I got a kick out of the lizards that were out to impress us.

For our last big hike, we did a bit of off-roading. Just beyond Honolua Bay (were we snorkeled with sea turtles), we found a couple tide pools and had them all to ourselves!

Well, I suppose we weren't completely alone because we had tons of little fish, crabs, and big sea cucumbers to keep us company as the waves crashed around us.

Off in the distance we also saw a lively pod of whales that gave us a great show.

We left our little oasis to continue on our trek in our last full day on Maui.

Last stop: the Nakalele Blowhole.

In the evening we headed Lahaina and met the King! Elvis, that is. How lucky we were to stumble upon a free show featuring the star of Burn'n Love in Banyan Court Park.

We really saved the best for last with dinner at Lahaina Grill. I loved everything about the dinner from the food to the ambiance to the company.

Adam and I had an unforgettable week in Hawaii with my parents. It was a great way to celebrate Adam's successful defense and my past-midway point in residency. Thank you Mom and Dad!!