Quote of the Day

"How did you end up with a River Rat from Murphysboro?"


- a patient asked me

Good question.

The Rest of Florida

It was required that we hit the beach, if only just to walk in the sand for 15 minutes. I mean look at the pretty blue water!

We stayed at Joey's in Seffner, which was next to Brandon, Florida. I would not let Brandon miss this photo-op. He promised to name a town after me someday :)

Brandon in Brandon, FL

We found the perfect souvenirs at CVS. All those magnets say "Brandon."And no trip would be complete without some good eats. Joey's girlfriend Mara is the GM at Captain Just's Crab House. Hush puppies and honey dipping sauce, yes:

She also had us try Oysters Rockefeller:

Oysters smothered in cheese, spinach and bacon - why have I not had this sooner?! We also met up with our friend Nate, who took us to Burger 21.

I ordered the shroom burger, fries and a strawberry milkshake. The burger was delicious and the bun was perfect. The fun part was the ketchup station. The most unique flavor was toasted marshmallow. Not a fan!

Marathon & The Proposal

The reason we came down to Florida in the first place was so that Brandon could run his first marathon. On Saturday we drove from Tampa, where we were staying at a Joey's house, to Orlando. Our first stop was Disney, to check-in for the marathon. We were greeted by sweet retired people ushering us into the correct buildings. One was dancing and singing dy-no-mite and another read Brandon's shirt and gave him a high five! Sign me up to retire in Florida. After packet pick-up we visited the runner's expo:

The expo had some neat things but was crowded. We picked up a 26.2 sticker for the car and a baby one for the scrapbook. Then, we left in search of a hotel. We found a great deal on a "blind" hotel with Hotwire. Our goal was to stay at the cheapest hotel in the "Disney Main Gate" region. For $30/night we stayed at the Ramada Maingate. It was just an exit away from the park. This was great for me because I had to drop Brandon off at 3:30am. I promptly headed back to the hotel and back to bed. The race officially began at 5:30am but Brandon crossed the starting line around 6am. I got text messages updating me on his splits for the 5 mi, 10mi, 13.1 mi and 20 mi marks.   

Around 9:30, Joey and the gang picked me up at the hotel and we had Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Now that was a good way to start the morning. Although, I did feel a little guilty not getting to cheer Brandon on.

Brandon was taking his race really seriously, and didn't bring a cell phone with him. This made me nervous! When we made it to the finish line we were trying to estimate his time of arrival. I was so worried I was going to miss him! And so were my friends because they knew Brandon wanted to propose at the finish line.

That's a picture of Brandon crossing the finish line. See those fences, that was the best view we could get. As Brandon made his way to the family reunion area, he realized that the proposal wasn't going to happen. As he requested, I gave him a big sweaty hug anyway. 

He said the race was just as tough as he imagined it would be but was still up for a day at the park. What a trooper! So we headed to the Magic Kingdom and rode some rides. The ring was in Joey's pocket the whole time, yikes!

After Thunder Mountain, Brandon decided we should walk over to the castle and take a video. At the time this did not sound fishy, lol! We video taped Brandon at the finish line earlier. Brandon's plan was to walk through the castle and propose inside (the same path he ran earlier), however, a tent was blocking the path. Amber (our Disney expert friend) suggested that we walk around to the front. I remember babbling on about this and that. Then we arrived and Brandon said, "I ran 26.2 miles today, but I'd run a million more with you. Will you marry me?" Down on one knee and everything. Swoon! 

There are 25 small diamonds in the ring adding up to one karat and it is plated in white gold. I love it! But, my finger is still getting used to it - it hurts! lol. I'm taking it to get sized tomorrow, so it will be gone for 1-2 weeks. Have one more look:

Atlanta, GA

Well before all the engagement excitement, I was blissfully unaware of what was yet to come. On our drive down to Florida we passed through Atlanta and I had to stop. Ever since I read The Hot Zone and learned of the CDC, I have wanted to visit. Atlanta also has an awesome medical school and used to have a restaurant called Mitra, fate I tell you! Anyway, our stops were none of these places but just as fun.

First up was the Atlanta Cyclorama. As John A. Logan fanatics this was a must see! The Cyclorama is a 40 ft x 350 ft oil painting depicting scenes from the Battle of Atlanta. (Yes my Civil War museum journey continues!) The painting was commissioned by Logan for use as a campaign poster - go big or go home! Unfortunately, he died 3 days before it was completed. It toured the country as a circus sideshow and by chance it ended up in the hands of a wealthy Atlantan. To view the painting you need to purchase a ticket. A tour guide takes you to a theater where a movie about the Civil War is played to guide you through the progression of the war to Atlanta. Then you go to the painting where you sit in the center of the room on a revolving platform. Lights and narration guides you through the painting as you spin slowly around the entire painting. It was awesome!

We weren't allowed to take pictures but you can see some highlights on the website. At the bottom of the painting is a diorama that brings the painting's scenes right to your feet. The coolest figurine is of Clark Gable who requested that he be put in the diorama as a dying soldier. An adorable child in the audience asked, "What injuries did Mr. Gable have?" Our tour guide was great.

Me 'n Johnny

Our next and final stop was the World of Coke. As you would imagine, it's a museum about Coke. We love Coke but the movie and exhibits were all fluff! (Disclaimer: I'm a museum snob)

They have a functioning bottling line, the smallest and slowest in the country - ok, that's cute. But the exhibit on the "secret recipe" was sooo lame. It had great production value (I felt like I was at the Spy Museum) but no FACTS. I guess it's because the Coke recipe is a mystery... locked in this vault:

Brandon and I doubt that anything special is in there. But the alarm did sound when people taking pictures got too close. What do you think?

By far the best part about the experience is the tasting room. Unlimited tastings of Coke products from around the world. Beverly, an Italian bitter soda was our least favorite. Bebo, which tasted like pina colada, was one of the best.

Cherry Coke

Classic Coke

Little did we know we got a free bottle of Coke on our way out! We also went through the gift shop and picked up an ornament for our Christmas tree and a magnet for the fridge.

Florida Trip Highlights

No words :)

Christmas Vacation part 2

The day after Christmas, Mom and I decided to head on down I-95 to Richmond. She was dying to visit the Museum of the Confederacy after reading an interesting book about Jefferson Davis. When we pulled into the city, I realized that I had seen the museum before... when I was a visitor at the VCU Medical Center.

Turns out the The White House of the Confederacy (not literally) is surrounded by a hospital campus. Nevertheless, we walked around the 3 floors of the museum and then took a tour of the house. One of the most memorable pieces in the museum was a painting of Davis by an intriguing artist named Julio. Mom's favorite piece in the house was Davis' desk where Lincoln may have sat. Our tour guide danced around the subject and would not confirm that fact. Mom had the final revenge by reaching over and touching it. Our tour guide was a total nerd history major!

On Tuesday, we had another adventure at Oatlands Historic House & Gardens. I treated Mom and Jeila to tea time as part of their Christmas present. The tea was held in the carriage house. It was a pretty building with a lot of tables - kinda like a church lady convention. But that was just the atmosphere we wanted, lol!

Giftshop lady photobomb!

Now, I know why she took that photo over again... We were served their signature calendula tea which was black tea with marigolds. Our hostess kept visiting our table and filling our teacups. We also munched on a tower of treats:   

Then it was time to tour the mansion! Sorry, no photos allowed. Definitely a place worth visiting. Unfortunately, we couldn't walk around the gardens too much because it was raining. (We did try!)

Christmas Vacation part 1

The best part about flying from St. Louis to DC is getting to see the Arch and the Washington Monument all in the same day. My flight landed in Reagan Naitonal Airport (Is that a new statue of Reagan outside? Yes!) so we got a great view upon landing and taking the GW parkway home.

I arrived Christmas eve. Per our new tradition, we had Chinese take-out for dinner. Jeila had a solo at the Christmas Eve 10:30pm service at St. Dunstan's so I went to that. We opened presents Christmas morning at Mom's. Then we headed over to Baba's house. Coda was waiting! He has a new trick:

Pirate Shoulder Cat!

I finally got to indulge in an Iranian feast!

 Naturally, tadig was the best part.

To be continued...