Trick or Treat

Friday was Trick or Treat in German Village. Carla and I had over 400 pieces of candy. We lasted about an hour before tucking our tails in shame and running inside to hide from the SWARMS of munchkins still running from house to house.  As always, Peanut was a big hit, but my guest Princess Jasmine got most of the attention.

Look, Barack Obama showed up! :) This great kid was TOTALLY in character, too. 

Later that night, Jeremy and I had a tasty free burrito from Chipotle. All you had to do was "dress up like a burrito," AKA: wear a piece of foil. Jeremy is kind rocking a hippie look, while I opted for an artfully placed bow. 

                 

I am a little under the weather, so we opted out of our two Halloween parties. Maybe all the festivities have just worn me out. Or maybe its that pesky flu mist! I know that the whole "sick after the flu shot" line is a myth...but I smell conspiracy! Actually, I smell nothing right now because I'm so stuffy. Guess it could be worse!  

Happy Hospital Halloween

As you may know, I am lucky to work part-time at Nationwide Children's Hospital. I can truthfully say that this part of my work week rarely feels like "work." The environment at NCH is positive and child-focused; it's nice being a part of something so benevolent that functions (most of the time, at least) like a well-oiled machine. Plus, I have like, 9,000 friends there. This week was Halloween at the hospital, and nobody disappointed in their efforts to celebrate the holiday for the kids. In no particular order here are some of my work pals (PS, they don't always dress like this): 

This is the lovely Elizabeth Ralstrom, dressed as a perfect tube of Crest toothpaste. (Lampshade cap not pictured, but is as hilarious as it sounds.) Elizabeth is a 1st-year resident. I got to know her when she externed with us her during her last year of dental school.

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Things I love about Elizabeth: Always smiling, cool Michigan accent (reminds me of my days at UT!), great resident, lots of fun, genuinely good hearted person. She is exactly the person she appeared to be when I met her as a wee extern.

This is my other pal, Tim. He wants some of your tots. 

Tim has been at NCH for 3 years now in the dental clinic. Like Elizabeth, he's now a first year resident. You know that guy who will do ANYTHING it takes to help out? The guy who's never too busy? That's Tim! 

This is a picture of lots of the staff at the dental clinic! You guessed it, 101 Dalmations!

And one Cruella de Vil! (This me with my other BFF, Dr. Homa). Dr. Homa was my program director in residency. I'm lucky that we have become friends as colleagues. I love Dr. Homa because she is a great leader and sets a great example of how to resolve conflict in the workplace. We need to hang out more outside of the hospital.  

This is one of the anesthesia teams in the Dental Surgery Center.  Dr. Ganzberg, Shannon, and Amy. Dr. Ganzberg was one of my professors in dental school and in residency. Now I'm lucky to have him help me with my surgical patients. And he has great taste in music. 

This is another super anesthesia team: Rod Stewart (this guy makes me happy just thinking of him), the aptly-named Dr. Smiley (I'm happier still), and Steve, a first-year resident (who makes me incredibly UNHAPPY...just kidding! I like him, too). Dr. Smiley and Rod helped me learn how to take care of and monitor patients in critical, emergency moments. They make it look very easy. The father of one of my surgery patients last month, who was seen in Dr. Smiley's room, could not stop talking about how great Dr. Smiley and Rod were with their child before he went to sleep. PS, this conversation took place a whole 2 weeks later at his post-op visit in Huntington. They were STILL talking about the great experience they had!

Really, with all these great people, committed to a great cause, with great leadership and great benefits...why would I ever want to leave? It is EASY to drive two hours to a place like this. And they don't mind when you dress up like this once in a while, either. Can't say that about (gag) pros or endo, huh, my dental friends?

Cool, huh? :)

Selfish Saturday

8:00am (okay, really, 8:30): Wake up!

9:00-1:30pm: Work in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Dental Clinic as a staff pediatric dentist

1:30-3:30: Lay on couch with Carla. Watch episodes of Lipstick Jungle on Carla's laptop and Dr. 90210 on TV. Eat frozen dinner. (Sad, I know, but a staple of my diet and a the main reason I've lost almost 25lbs since dental school!)

3:30-7:00: Errands with Carla to Alan Ray Bridal (just looking!) in Dublin, the Halloween store, Filene's Basement, and my absolute favorite: WHOLE FOODS.

Have you ever been to a Whole Foods? It is like the BEST grocery store you have ever seen. They have a grand commitment to sustainable goods and eco-friendly packaging and foods, happy, interactive, employees, and lots of samples of yummy, healthy food. The store makes healthy produce look FANTASTIC and the icing on the cake is their amazing deli and prepared foods section. ( Too selfish to cook today!) Seriously, they must pump something in the air there, because I get such a positive RUSH every time I go. Carla and I were supposed to go "for something for dinner." I got:

Gouda cheese

Shrimp bisque

Marinated tofu

Parmesean green beans

Homeade tortilla chips

Salsa

Guacamole

Large bottled water (So L.A.)

My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach. 

But! As the cheesemonger told me, "Gouda goes well with a really fruity red." 

I can't help but agree. :) 

Sweetest Day and a Cereal Killer

My roomie Carla went to a fun Halloween House Hop party as a not-so-scary Cereal Killer. Ha! Yes, she is always this funny! I know we will be eating those boxes of cereal later tonight...

My sweetie bought me these pretties for Sweetest Day. I only had to remind him once. :) 

 Truth be told, I had forgotten completely about Sweetest Day, too.  I guess I must be pretty busy (no matter what I try to tell myself) because I would have never, ever forgotten a "giftable day" in the past. Ahh, maturity.

Happy Birthday Kristin!

This is my sister, Kristin! 

Isn't she pretty? Today is her birthday! She's engaged to a nice guy, Adam, and they're getting hitched in May! 

Kristin has always seemed to go by a nickname: Gooch or Gooch Mouse as a wee lass, Kramer in school, and now she's just Kiki as an auntie to our lovely nieces.

She works very very hard in grad school at the University of Toledo (my alma mater, too!); she's getting her doctorate in occupational therapy. Her passion is working with children with autism. Jeremy and I don't get to see her or Adam nearly enough--that's what happens when you live in OPPOSITE CORNERS of the state!

Okay, so sometime I think I have patience with kids, but one time Kiki worked at a summer camp and spent one whole week teaching "thumbs up" to a boy with autism. One whole WEEK!

Thumbs up, Kiki, and Happy Birthday to YOU!!

Envy

Jeremy and I were talking to my mother the other day about our (lack of) any weekend plans. 

She said, "Oh, its going to be beautiful. Why don't you take Peanut to the park for a walk?"

Great idea, right? Jeremy and I are lucky to live part time in Columbus, where we reside just one block from lovely Schiller Park.

It was a great Indian Summer day, and there is always lots of dog activity at the park, so wouldn't it be swell to join those athletic fidos in a fun game of Frisbee or fetch?

So you would think.  But athleticism has never been Peanut's strong suit.

Exhibit A: Peanut stops walking a mere 50ft from our house and demands to be carried instead.

Exhibit B: After much bribery Peanut resumes short walk the park. Jeremy tries not to look embarrassed walking 3lb fluffball, but this is the only way it works. If I'm not at least 15ft ahead calling and cheering for Peanut, she's not motivated to keep walking.

Exhibit C: Peanut climbs to the top of Mt. Jeremy instead of playing frisbee with the rest of the dogs at the park. 

The defense rests.

A few things on fall...

Hey, do you remember the Great Pumpkin?

You know, from the Peanuts cartoon special that came on around Halloween? When Linus waited all night and the Great Pumpkin didn't show? Gosh I loved that cartoon, officially titled, "Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  The Christmas special is great, too. I love Peanuts for about 1000 reasons--simple animation, a SOLID, subtle moral, and written with a heavy hand towards the bittersweet, even for kids. Really, how many times would Lucy pull the ball from Charlie Brown just before he kicked? Also, my friend Kaye can play the theme on the piano, and my sister Kelly played Lucy in the school play one year. 

Here are my own versions of Peanut and the Great Pumpkins! Hey, and check out that awesome mum! :) 

    

My friend Tiffany at work gave us this little cutie, affectionately called a "Squashkin." When I brought it home, Jeremy immediately held it like a football and asked me to drop back for a pass. Ahh...boys.

Other great things about fall:

Spiced candles smell better now

Sweaters

Chili with all the fixins' on Sundays

Daylight Savings Time and "Fall Back" (Mom's favorite day of the year!)

Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks

Leaves changing color and getting to fully appreciate them as I drive to and from Columbus each week...

Mmm...I can smell my spiced pear candle already! Yay for fall!