Tea Party!

Wednesday was my mother's birthday, and we celebrated both that occasion and Father's Day yesterday here in Tulsa. Aaron had been introduced to a new pizza place on Cherry Street earlier this week and gave it rave reviews, so we decided to try it out. If you ask my mother, I'm betting she would say it was the best decision we made all day - it was delicious! Andolini's is officially one of our favorite restaurants in Tulsa, and definitely takes the top spot for pizza.

She's so excited! Birthdays are for splurging!

Great vibe, friendly service, and scrumptious food from a mile-long menu. Try it!

After lunch and a matinee viewing of Super 8, we had the boys distract Mom while we finished preparation for her birthday tea party!

Macee crafted these cute pinwheels, which we strung on ribbon and used as chair sashes

We served antipasto pasta salad, sandwich pinwheels, chicken salad sandwiches on sourdough, and hummus. Ribbon strands were used as a table runner.

I made Mom a "Happy Birthday Lisa" bunting and draped it over the arched dining room entrance

Cupcakes from our favorite - Kupcakes! Lemon, Red Velvet, Banana Caramel, White w/ Pink Buttercream, Carrot, and White with Chocolate Cream Cheese icing. Sinful.

Aaron made Strawberry Lemonade and Blueberry Iced Teas that we served instead of hot tea due to the 90 degree weather. So refreshing!

My mother takes a few of these home nearly every time she visits Tulsa. Don't judge until you try one!

Beautiful birthday girl!

We had such a lovely time celebrating Mom, and it was a blast to create all the little details that made the party special for a special mother and friend. Love you, Mom!

THIS is why I want to be a doctor

I happened upon a blog written by my cousin-in-law this afternoon, and one of her posts caught my eye. Her family is very close to an incredible soldier that was severely wounded overseas. He was the first patient of Operation Mend, a partnership between several hospitals that serves to treat the debilitating injuries faced by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. They focus on plastic surgery and hand surgery.
In the video below, the young man explains his experience and how the surgeries - a total of 60 so far - have impacted his life and livelihood.

I can't help but hear about these programs and be anxious to be able to serve such deserving people as these doctors are able to do. I can think of no greater privilege than to use my training to improve lives in the U.S. and abroad.
The opportunities are endless. I can't wait for what God has in store for me!

Birthday(s)!

Yesterday was a busy day, full of birthday celebrations and big changes. The morning began when my parents picked Aaron and I up and we headed down the road to Stillwater. My sister's masters program begins in the fall, but she got a head start to becoming familiar with the town as we moved her in to her new apartment yesterday.

 Aaron treating my mom for the sciatica she developed on the long plane ride home from Germany. It only took me 5 minutes to position her correctly when I had my turn...she's one of those patients. She worried it would be awkward for Aaron. We laughed, thinking about all of the awkward positions we had to put our classmates in and be put into ourselves this year.

 This is what Aaron and dad did all afternoon...

 And this is pretty much what we did all afternoon!

It was also Dad's 51st birthday, so we ate some delicious Mexican at El Guapo's downtown when we got back to Tulsa. I asked my father for what he wished this year, and he responded that he was content. I can't help but think how rarely people find themselves in that position, and it blesses my heart that he loves his family and job so much. According to him, life truly does get better every year!

Another special person, Miss Kyrah, had her first birthday party yesterday in Arkansas. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it, but her mom posted pictures last night and I have to share a few to show off our beautiful nieces. 

Rihanna's 3rd birthday party earlier this year. She did not like Elmo in person!

Birthday girl!

I adore this picture. I believe it's obvious that this baby doll is her favorite present by far. She's in awe!

 To cap off the day, I baked some Funfetti cupcakes in honor of birthday memories in my past. While they were in the oven, Aaron and I swayed on the front porch swing, watching the rain and taking in the scents of summer. I never want it to end.

Happy birthday, Kyrah and Daddy!

Summer Reading

Many physicians say that after medical school they no longer read for pleasure, despite being avid readers before. After experiencing my first year, I can see the reason behind this and the possibility of joining the club after graduation. Therefore, one of my summer goals is to devour as many books as I please. I've been averaging about one novel every two days, so it was time to replenish my unread stash.

 

One of the reasons I love to read is to escape my thoughts for awhile. My favorite genre of books is thrillers. They can be a little graphic, but I love the suspense and the many twists and turns authors like John Sandford and James Patterson incorporate. I've read 17 of the current 21 books in the Prey series, and I can't wait to get my hands on these and reintroduce myself to Lucas Davenport and other characters. 

I'm taking a chance on this series, which I hope will resemble my favorite television show, Criminal Minds. They sound goosebump-inducing and will hopefully keep me up late into the night. That's the mark of a good thriller - swearing you'll read only one more chapter, discovering the details in the last paragraph (or sentence), and feverishly flipping the page to find out what happens next. Here's to many 2 a.m. bedtimes!

What a Weekend!

The past week has been saturated with family, just as I'd hoped this summer would be. Macee stays with us often, and we've formed our own miniature family unit. While her visits are frequent, it's very rare that we see Aaron's family. They've only been to Tulsa once, for our White Coat Ceremony last August, so my husband was very excited when he learned they were coming up for the weekend. We had a wonderful time catching up with them, and I know it meant a lot to Aaron to spend quality time with his parents.

Aaron with his dad, King, and his mom, Laura

My parents returned from their two week tour of Turkey and Greece on Saturday evening. I've been dying to post some of the details of their fascinating trip; unfortunately, I don't trust people enough to announce to the public when they're not home. Isn't that sad?
As soon as we finished lunch with Aaron's parents on Sunday, we drove down to Tahlequah to hear about their travels... so many stories, laughs, and tidbits to share. My mom emailed us nearly every day, and I'll share bits of those emails with you along with their tales and some pictures next week. While they were definitely already on our travel list, Turkey and Greece have now moved up in priority!
After returning home, Aaron and I cuddled up on the new couch and watched The Voice, one of our new favorite shows. It's so refreshing to hear people that can actually sing! If you haven't been tuning in, make sure to do so next week. It's highly entertaining.
After a busy week with family, I need some alone time with the hubs!

New Furniture!

It's days like today that I actually feel like a grown-up. I got up, got dressed, spoke in a panel at a medical school event for prospective students, and gave a tour. Then...
I came home to new furniture! We've been on the search for a new couch/sectional for nearly 3 years now. Either some part of the design wasn't exactly what I wanted, or the price was too steep, or both, on nearly every piece we considered. It all came together this Memorial Day.
We replaced the red microfiber couches Aaron had picked out for his college apartment with an enormous leather sofa. It's over 8 feet long, luxuriously buttery, and deep, making it extremely comfortable. You just sink right in and feel like you could go for a nap upon sitting.

 Nailhead trim, bun feet, dark leather - just what I was looking for!

 The fabric chair coordinates with the sofa pillows and was FREE with its purchase. It's brown with spice red and gold stripes. I'm normally not a huge fan of brown fabric, but it complements everything else in the room. And it was FREE.

I had been eying this ottoman at Mathis Brothers for a while now, but at $1,000, it was designated as an "after medical school" type of purchase. We decided on a whim to drop by on Memorial Day and it was on sale for over 50% off! I love tufted furniture and the gold chenille fabric plays well against the leather sofa. Plus, its extra seating - it's HUGE, which you can't tell from the picture.
There you have it. Our new, grown-up furniture. We're such adults...

No AC = Hot & Irritable

For those of you who don't know, Aaron and I live in a house that was built in 1929 and is in amazing condition for its age. We love the neighborhood, its proximity to school, and the loads of character from some of the original details, like the bathroom tiles and fireplace mantel.
However, this weekend the weather overtook the AC's ability. It's a balmy 82 degrees in the house according to the thermostat - and it's nearly 7 p.m. I was afraid to look at the temperature at 2 this afternoon.

I don't believe that it's currently this cool...

A 1929 house means no insulation. There's no mediator between me and the heat, and the 3 fans we have blowing 24/7 just aren't cutting it. Why couldn't this have happened two weeks ago when it was still cool and rainy? On the other hand, I'm happy it happened at the end of May instead of during the dog days of August. Aaron just might have been forced to ship me to my parent's house for all my whining.
I'm hot and sweaty and irritable. It's hard to fall asleep and I wish I didn't have neighbors so I could strip down and possibly be less miserable... do you see what Aaron has to deal with? I'm reverting to my teenage attitude.
It's these luxuries that I take for granted until they're temporarily gone. I should be thankful that I live in a country and time where air conditioning is the norm. I'll try to maintain that thought until it's fixed. I'm never too old for an attitude adjustment...or so my dad often told 15-year-old me.