Good Ole' Fashion Texas BBQ

This past weekend, I had a chance to enjoy some quality time outside of work with some of my co-residents.  It was great to spend a day sharing good food and company, hearing about everyone's lives outside of the hospital.  My friend, Danielle, hosted this special event in honor of her gorgeous daughter turning one-year-old.  It was a true Texas-style party, complete with cowboy-themed decorations, BBQ, lawn games, cold drinks, and perfect weather.

Many young kids attended the festivities.  They all seemed to have a blast, breaking out their cowboy hats and finding plenty of ways to entertain themselves.

The big hit of the day clearly was the plastic ball pit.  I will have to keep that idea in mind for my own future family parties!

It was clear that everyone enjoyed the spread of food and drinks.  There was not a single piece of left-over brisket or cake by the end of the day!

The people weren't the only ones joining in on the fun.  Even Boss Lady, the family dog, was part of the action.  She loved the extra head rubs...

... and cleaning up the bits of BBQ that made their way under the picnic tables.

And, no party could be complete without a themed photo booth.  Families had a chance to "get their mug taken," with the bonus of plenty of entertaining props.

For me, one of the most striking parts of the day was watching the love shared between parents and children.  Seeing all of the families together offered a preview of how drastically my life will change in the coming months.

It makes me even more excited to finally meet my son in the next couple of months

Thank you so much, Danielle, for asking me to capture and be a part of your special party.

Couple's Christmas

One of the difficult aspects about working in the medical field: people still get sick on the holidays.  2012 certainly has been a reminder of that.  My family has been experiencing this first hand, as my Granddad has been in and out of the hospital over the last month.  And, Tony and I knew when we graduated medical school in May that holiday time off no longer would be a guarantee.

This year, I was blessed with a glorious 4-day weekend over Christmas.  But, my other half was not so lucky... he drew the short straw and ended up having to work in the Cardiac ICU this December.  It is quite clear that heart attacks take no heed in holiday time off, as Tony ended up having to work both the Christmas Eve and Christmas shifts.

This meant no trip to NY for Christmas... we would not be enjoying "Drama Derry Doo" (aka potent champagne punch) at my family's house... 

...nor tasty home-cooked meals with Tony's family.  

We honestly were feeling a bit bummed heading into the Christmas season.  Given it is the holiday dedicated to celebrating Jesus' birth, friends and family play a pretty central role in the celebrations... after all, it wasn't just Mary and Joseph hanging out at the manger with Jesus.  Nevertheless, Tony and I were determined to make the most of this special holiday.  

In the weeks leading up to the big day, Tony and I enjoyed playing Santa by creating gift boxes to send home to family.  We had fun finding neat presents to send home.  We filled pretty boxes with Texas-style treats and festive decorations for family to enjoy.  

In the days leading up to Christmas, we planned our first (and likely last for a while) Couple's Christmas!  Given my time off, I took the head role in planning our special time together.  Butters happily kept me company during the preparations, prancing around the house in his little Santa hat.

For our Christmas Eve and Day, we enjoyed special meals filled with our favorite holiday foods... 

...prime rib, honey baked ham, homemade mashed potatoes, peppermint bark, and Christmas cookies. 

I tried some new recipes too, preparing homemade apple sauce, baked brie, and lemon vinaigrette salad topped with candied almonds and goat cheese.  

Butters (as usual) looked on longingly at the spread... and was pleased as punch to have a taste of prime rib with his dinner.  

Together, we listened to Christmas music and opened presents.  We teared up with the special reminders from home as we opened special gifts from family... especially those designed with Baby Bean in mind.  Tony and I felt like we were dating again, as we shared surprise gifts with one another.  Tony put one of my gifts in a decoy box... he certainly got me... I found my present tucked inside a Dr. Pepper fridge-pack box.

I finished up Christmas night with a special surprise for Tony.  This year, we joined many others in enjoying the Elf on the Shelf tradition.  We were a little late to the game, finding out about this cute idea just a week before Christmas.  For Tony's final gift, I created a scavenger hunt.  

Tony had to find numbered pieces of paper, 1-25, hidden in different places throughout the house... 

...using hints provided through photos of our elf, Marty.  

I was pretty proud of myself... it took Tony more than a half-an-hour to finish the game!

Overall, it turned out to be a pretty special Christmas.  It was difficult spending our first year away from home and family.  But, throughout our celebrations we were reminded over and over of our greatest blessing... each other.