Going Irish

This last Wednesday, EVERYONE was in the mood to go out. I was the first to arrive and requested a table for 10 at O'Donahue's. Finally a large booth opened up and about eight of us sat down. Within five minutes, ten more people had arrived so they set up a banquet table to extend our booth! It was a blast to have so many people out. We also had another token fellow this week, Rahul one of the PICU fellows. It was fun to have him out since we have been spending so much quality time together in the PICU... we definitely were ready to blow off some steam. Ari came out briefly, he had to go home to prepare for his lecture on Thursday. Time passed quickly and soon it was time to go home to catch a few hours of sleep before heading back to the PICU. Thursday Rahul and I lamented about our headaches (which is pathetic since I had 2 beers) but the night was definitely worth it. I wonder which fellow will join our ranks next week!

A Texas Hold "Em Showdown

Last Saturday night we hosted poker night. We were totally pumped because we love to play and haven't gotten the opportunity in awhile since The Man won't let us play online anymore. So we gathered up our favorite poker pals and even a couple of newbies for a Texas Hold "em tournament. The added bonus this time was the card shuffler that Tom and Sarah had given us for Christmas. Jason, Dan, Andy, Tom, Brian, Mary Jo, Jackie/Sarah (they were a combined effort), Jenny, Ari, and I antied up for what was quite possibly the longest tournament we have had. Larissa and Karen were there to hang out and keep the losers company. The girls were unfortunately some of the first to fall: Mary Jo and then the team we will call Sarakie. There was some back and forth between chip leaders, all the while Andy was awfully quiet. Even though I was getting tired I kept my wits about me and played smart, waiting to make my move. I attained quite a few chips going head to head with Dan on a couple of hands that I had one card better. Finally it was down to the final three: me, Andy, and Dan. Unfortunately, Andy took out Dan and had a marked chip lead on me. I perservered and kept playing my game. Finally, with pocket kings I took the lead. A few hands later I won it all!! It is hard to believe that I have gone from the first one out (multiple times during med school) to the outright winner. A lesson for the boys: girls can do it too!! I can't wait to go to Vegas in March!!

So above is a picture of Jason, Dan, and Andy. If you look really closely, you will notice they are all wearing the same socks! I don't have many pictures because I was too busy taking care of business!!

Kristen's Big Night

Friday night was the first official event for my sister's company, Vine Journeys International. What she has so cleverly created is a business that caters to wine enthusiasts and has both local and international events. We delved into the wine, food, and culture of Argentina last weekend. At Ritz Tango Cafe we tasted five wines from Argentina that were described to us by one of the local distributors. Then we had a Tango demonstration and lessons. This was also accompanied by fresh empanadas and other Argentinean specialties and finished off with coffee and dessert. The event was a success! I could not be more proud of my sister for her creativity, enthusiasm, and clear passion for her entrepreneurial venture. I was so glad I was able to come down for it since I had been on call in the PICU the night before. Afterward, to celebrate my mom, Kristen, Larry, and I went for martinis...mmm...

Saturday we got up early so that mom could get on the road and I could catch my train. We had a delicious breakfast at Glenn's Cafe and then mom dropped me off at the train station. Even though I was five minutes early, they wouldn't let me on the train. "The green light is on." So I missed my train (which makes two planes and a train that I have officially missed) and I cried. Please keep in mind that I had now slept about 6 hours over the past 3 days. I then went to spend more quality time with Kristen and Larry until it was time to catch the next train, which ironically I almost missed again after we couldn't find the car in the parking garage, we couldn't get out of the garage, and Larry almost took a detour. Thank goodness I made this one and no more tears were spilt.

**Don't forget to check out Vine Journeys International's website to the right to see if there is an event you would like to attend!**

Crab Fest

This Wednesday night for happy hour... affectionately called Liver Rounds by some... we went to Las Palmas for all you can eat crab (and cocktails, of course!) Ari was ecstatic that he actually was off work and could attend the weekly event. We ate before hand, vegetarians and crab just don't mix, but came out to enjoy the company. The mango daquiries were delicious!! There were many usual faces but also some new ones. Sheetal, the rheumatology fellow, came to join us which was an awesome treat since she has been hiding in a lab all year. We look forward to are weekly gatherings growing and ever changing venues to spice things up!

New Year's Eve

After much consternation, we decided to have friends over to our house of New Year's Eve. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy entertaining friends (they are such good guinea pigs for my new recipes) but the decision was made only two days in advance leaving me little time to prepare... or clean! Amazingly our house was ready for the night and we entertained about 20 of our nearest and dearest friends. The champagne floats were a hit (just raspberry sherbet with champagne) as we rang in the New Year. Then in classic resident style, we all about crashed by 12:30. One of my resolutions was to take more pictures, but unfortunately again, no pic with Ari and I together. They say it takes three weeks to change a behavior... keep watchin'!

Workin' Christmas

This year marked another working Christmas for Ari and I; he was on overnights in the ED while I was in the NICU. Fortunately, my mom came up and we did get to celebrate Christmas a little more than last year (when I was post call and slept through it.) Here is mom opening up some of her gifts... they were a hit! We also had a great Christmas dinner, a collaboration between me and mom. That night Ari went to work and the next day I was on call and the holidays were suddenly over. We are so glad that we got to spend time with mom even with our busy schedules. Who knows, maybe next year we will have Christmas off... nah!