CupcakeRN

Tuesday

11.10.09

I'm sitting in class right now, but all I can focus on is how tired I am from work and school. For those of you who are working full time and going to school with a family and other obligations, you're probably going to laugh at me for saying that.

I am working full time (80 hrs) and going to grad school all day on my only day off. Nursing is the type of job that is physically and emotionally exhausting even more so when you are orienting to a new unit and group of coworkers.

I had to mention to my PCC (patient care coordinator) yesterday about my preference to work (70 hrs) and was told that that is going to cause some problems with staffing, but she would talk about it with our manager. I don't understand how my cutting back on one day a week would greatly effect staffing if they have been working a nurse short before I came to the unit.

I really don't like to be made to feel guilty. I'm always tired, I haven't been going to the gym, I have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis since I've started working, and I have no free time to myself. I need that extra day off.

Lord, give me strength.

Sunday

11.8.09

Back from yet another wedding. This wedding was that of Steve's friend and coworker in Annapolis. The reception was held at The Governor Calvert House an historic inn. It was the first wedding that I have been to that was very traditional and formal, the ceremony included a mass, there was a served sit down dinner, champagne toast, and a string quartet played during dinner. The theme was "Fall Harvest." It was a lovely night, the food was amazing, lots of dancing, and fun! Congrats Sarah & Dave :)

Roast lamb

Rockfish with crab imperial

Photos courtesy of Nate Cho.

11.8.09

Inspired by HowChow's "Best Of" posts, Steve and I have decided that we are going to try every sushi place in the Elkridge, Columbia, Ellicott City area. Our list to date includes, Sushi Sono, Katana, Niko, and Hanamura. So, Friday for dinner Steve and I decided to go to Sushi King in Columbia. He'd been there once before, but I hadn't.

I was surprised to see 5 sushi chefs behind the sushi bar, I took it as a good sign that they need that many hands making sushi in one night to keep up with the orders. There was one room with traditional Japanese seating (Chopstix in Perry Hall and Sushi Sono in Columbia have this too). Despite being busy, the service was very attentive and everyone was very friendly.

I ordered miso soup and we both ordered green salads. The miso soup is some of the best I've ever had, it wasn't too watery or salty and it had the perfect ratio of tofu to seaweed. We overheard someone else comment about how good the miso soup was. We ordered three different rolls to share: Veggie, Baltimore, and Smokey. We like to order the Baltimore roll, if it's on the menu, from every sushi place we go to. So far Steve and I agree that Chopstix has the best Baltimore roll thus far. Even so, I think that Sushi King delivered the best sushi I have ever had in regards to both quality and taste.

Veggie roll: tempura sweet potato, asparagus, red onion, cucumber, avocado, pickled squash, and the chef's special dipping sauce.

Smokey roll: there was so much going on with this roll, I forget exactly what was in it. All I know is that it had smoked salmon on the outside with something ever so slightly spicy sprinkled on top. It was out of this world delicious.

Baltimore roll: lump crabmeat, avocado, roe. This tasted like a crabcake with the mayo and all before you actually cook it. This didn't have Old Bay like the one at Chopstix has. If it had, this would have been the best Baltimore roll in my book.

See HowChow's posts on Sushi King. My beloved, Chopstix.

Sushi King

6490 Dobbin Road, Ste. F

Columbia, MD

Sorry the pics are of such poor quality, I was using my Blackberry without the flash.

Saturday

10.31.09

It seems like all I have been doing lately is going to weddings! I went to my friend Beth's last weekend and have another one to go to next weekend! Geez. I feel like all of my friends or someone I know is either just married or getting engaged.... What's in the air? Oh, I know. Love. Love is in the air haha.

Beth is the B (obviously) in the KBJx2, my friends since freshman year of college. Beth's mom walked her down the aisle and she looked beautiful in her dress. She wanted us to all wear different dresses in different shades of blue. At first I thought it was going to turn out to be a hot mess, but everyone looked really good together. We all wore the necklaces Beth gave us as a bridesmaid gift so that we would all be matching in that way.

KBJX2 <3

The wedding was in Frederick, MD on the groom's grandfather's farm. Everything turned out beautifully despite some traffic, direction, food delivery, and rain issues. The reception was held at the Westminster Riding Club in Westminster, MD.

The food was served buffet style and the cake was made and decorated by Beth's aunt Katherine!

I'm writing this blog while Steve is making his first batch of home-brewed beer with the kit I got him for his birthday. The first batch is going to be a winter ale spiced with cinnamon, orange peel, and cardamom. Sounds tasty!

We decided to slack off on doing school work, I have a paper to do and Steve has a midterm to do. I passed out last night from exhaustion at 9:30pm so I woke up early. We went to breakfast at Eggspectations in Ellicott City then over to the Route 1 Flea Market.

We went to check out the Sysco Discount Food Center (link to HowChow's post about it) to find a chef's jacket for Steve's halloween costume. We found one, but Steve thought it was too expensive, psssh. I was amazed at all the food they had and for cheap cheap! Of course it's in quantities large enough to feed the Duggar family, but its a great place to go if you're planning on having a party. I didn't see the taco truck which was disappointing, I wasn't even hungry after eating my scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese crepes and lemon poppyseed muffin at breakfast though :P

Thursday

10.15.09

Continuing with the Disney vacation recap, the main reason why we went to Orlando, FL... John & Kelly's wedding!

The Newlyweds, Congrats! :D

The wedding was held at the Hard Rock Cafe on the City Walk at Universal in Orlando. The ceremony was held on the roof and the reception was inside in the Lennon Room which had Beatles and John Lennon memorabilia all over the walls. It was very laid back and tons of fun!

We dined on chicken fingers, steak quesadillas, pulled pork sandwiches, make your own nachos, cheddar mashed potatoes, mini cheeseburgers, green beans, and a sundae bar!

We received VIP access badges to wear that would get us into any bar/club for free along the Universal City Walk, sweet!

Wednesday

10.14.09

Epcot is my favorite Disney theme park. I love walking around the World Showcase and going to the different attractions. My favorites are Living With the Land because I love taking the boat tour through the green house, seeing food excites me :P and I love Spaceship Earth.

During our trip, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival was going on. It is running from Sept 25 - Nov 8. Besides the countries already in the World Showcase at Epocot, the festival included additional countries offering food and drink specific to that country as well as special dinners, demonstrations, and seminars.

Steve & I stopped at four different countries and sampled different things from each. I felt that the prices were a little pricey for the portion size, but the quality and taste of everything we tried was good.

New England Lobster Roll with Sam Adams Cherry Wheat from the Hops and Barley stand

Quesadilla con Chorizo from Mexico City, Mexico

Mealie Soup with Crabmeat and Chili Oil from Capetown, South Africa

Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Puree and Mango Barbeque Sauce from Cape Town, South Africa

Spaetzel Gratin with Ham and Cheese from Munich, Germany

Nuernberger Sausage on a Pretzel Roll from Munich, Germany

Coke World at Disney... I tried Beverly, gross!

I also went on the Test Track ride, the fastest ride at Disney (or so I'm told) as well as a new ride, Soarin' which simulates hang-gliding. In one of the Innovations buildings, I rode a Segway for the first time. In both parks we went to, there were really no lines for any of the rides. I'm thankful for that because had the line for Thunder Mountain not moved as fast as it did, I probably would have chickened out of getting on. As scared as I was, Steve was always there to hold my hand or offer to hold my hand. For most of the rides I was frozen in my seat, griping on to the handles and safety bar hahah.

Sunday

10.11.09

Cinderella's Castle

Sorry for the lack of posts... As you know, I started a new job so I have been working M-W-Th-Fri and going to class all day on Tu. I have been getting used to my new schedule, exhausting as it is.

I'm currently blogging from our hotel room in Florida! Steve and I were invited to his co-worker's wedding in Orlando so we decided to make a trip out of it. We've been here since Wednesday and leave early tomorrow morning :(

The last time I was at Disney World was when I was in 7th grade... I have been wanting to come back for a looooong time now! The last time I was there, I barely went on any rides being that I am a terrified of all things scary and loud and that I am so not a thrill seeker. This time, I was determined to do much much more.

We stayed at the Doubletree Resort in Orlando on I-Drive. We got the rate of $49/night on Hotwire.com. Our room was awesome and it was right in the middle of all the places we wanted to see and go.