I'm Baaack....

Did you miss me? 
I just spent a week in Florida, and I tried very hard to stay away from any and all computers with the exception of my ipad and kindle for reading and some looking up of local eateries and such.

I have to admit, I WAY blew the diet.  I didn't even bring medifast to the beach.  Oddly, I didn't do as bad as I usually do when on vacation.  I think the medifast has changed the way I handle fatty and high carb foods.  I just cant do it like I used to.

We had a really nice vacation with family and friends.  It was Phil, his brother, our great friend, Dave, my parents, another great friend, Pete, and another family with whom we travel well.  Their kids and our kids are about the same age, and get along great.  The weather was perfect, and we had a wonderful time.  We are all good cooks, so the meals were pretty spectacular - particularly the one that was cooked by our friend from Spain.  She made paella with fresh seafood that was out of this world, and the same night I put some fresh oysters on the grill just long enough for them to pop so they'd be easy to shuck (idea courtesy of Matt).  They were salty, barely warm, juicy, and succulent.  She also made crayfish that night, and clams in garlic sauce.  Oh, what a night.  We had some white wine, some frozen daiquiris, and a ton of laughs. 

Another night, Matt made a grouper with Chinese sauce on it that we ended up eating in fish tacos the next day.  It was out of control good.  He also made some Korean roast beef one night that was too good to even describe.  We had that with black beans and rice and a salad.  We had tuna steaks and shark steaks another night.

Also, Phil and Pete went wild boar hunting on Wednesday, so on Wednesday, we had wild boar ribs that were spectacular. 

For breakfast, Dave was in charge of the Lox and bagel.  Silvia made everyone omelets one morning with farm fresh eggs (that we brought).  My mom made her famous breakfast tacos another morning.  Matt and Phil had donuts from Krispy Kreme (Fresh NOW) and we went through pounds of coffee.

We also went sightseeing to St. Augustine, the Fountain of Youth, and the oldest Plantation in the country.  It was pretty cool.   I'd like to go back to St. Augustine sometime.  When we went, Emma's pump wasn't working right, so we spent the whole day chasing sugars.  She didn't come down below 400 the whole day, and it was a, "So, do we take her to the hospital, or see if this works?" kind of day.  On the other hand, we did do a walking ghost tour, and that was pretty cool.  We really had a wonderful time there. 

The best part of the entire vacation, though, was being able to relax with friends and family.  It was great talking late into the evening.  The kids had a ton to keep them occupied, and also had a blast.  We shared stories of how we met, what we used to do, and what our goals and ideas for the future are.  It was really a great trip - one I hope to repeat again sometime.

I love that our kids get these kinds of experiences.  Last year, we took a similar trip with Pete, his wife, Suzanne, and their kids.  We went to Lake Norman, NC, and had such a wonderful time.  We also ate well, and we did a TON of stuff with the children.  We really travel well with these guys, and it's such a blessing.  In fact, I'm considering a trip to their hometown to hang out with Suz and the kids while the boys do another fishing trip in August. 

I have come to realize in my old age just how important great friends are.  These guys that I've been talking about (plus a couple others not aforementioned) are the stuff that lifetime memories are made of.  Our kids will always remember these vacations with their friends, and I'll always know that even if we don't see each other for years, we'll pick up right where we left off.  I'm so profoundly blessed by having each and every one of them in my life.  Amazing.  Plus, my parents were with us, and I am often struck by how lucky I and my children are to have my parents in our life and well enough to run around the country with us.  They've gone with us to Disney, Jamaica, Florida (in general), North Carolina, Tennessee....the list goes on.  They love my kids and my kids would be lost without them.  Again, blessed, and lucky.

Our trip was pretty uneventful (with the exception of Phil stabbing a wild boar with a dagger in a very Lord of the Flies type experience - but that's his story, not mine...), relaxing, and wonderful.  Now, it's back to the ins and outs of every day life.  Last night we stopped in Elkin, NC, to rest, and we saw that they were having a wine festival this summer.  Phil and I thought, cool- we should go!  So, I got out my ipad to look at my calendar, and guess what?  We have NO open weekends from now until mid August.  Seriously.  Between our trips, our kids camps, and work, we have NO open weekends.  So, if you're a friend, and it seems like I'm ignoring you, remember how much I love you and that you're welcome to come spend an evening at the pool anytime during the week.  I just probably won't be seeing you on weekends!

Dr. Mindy

unbelievable

Now, I think I'm a pretty open minded person.  I try, in my practice, to understand where people are coming from physically, financially, and emotionally so that I can treat them appropriately.  I understand that some people have hard times and that the government has programs in place for these people.

BUT>>>>>>>>

I was so irrationally angry yesterday at a convenience store that I came home and screamed at my poor, unknowing husband for no real good reason.  (Yes, he gets that a lot, and he's a saint to put up with me like he does - more on the miscommunication that caused the ruckus soon...)

I was in line at the convenience store trying to buy a snack for Emma because her sugar was dropping.  I picked out a think of pineapple chunks in juice and a stick of cheese.  Feeling very proud of myself that I found her a healthful snack at the convenience store, I swaggered up to the register only to be beat out by seconds by another woman.  I must admit that I did begrudge her a little because I was in a hurry, but only a little.

The lady has on the counter 8 cases of name brand soda, a bag of Doritos, and a gallon of milk.  She proceeds to get rung up, and the cashier announces that her total for this is 42.80 or something of the sort.  She mumbled something I couldn't understand, and the cashier pointed to a little card swiper off to the right.  She then re-rings the purchase without tax.  Curious, I kind of looked over the woman's shoulder, and come to find out that she's paying with FOOD STAMPS!!!  I have so many problems with this, I don't even know where to start.
1.  NO ONE should be allowed to use food stamps at a convenience store.  It is WAY too expensive.  Is this lady going to run out of stamps by the end of the month and end up at the food bank?  Likely.  I have patients that are trying to feed a family of 6 with food stamps, and they do run out of money, but they're at least trying to buy food that will sustain their children.  42.80 (minus tax) for 8 cases of soda and two other items comes out to about 7.50 per case of soda.  Seriously?  When Kroger has buy one, get one free at 4 dollars a case???   Why is this allowed to happen?
2.  SODA???  SERIOUSLY????  Now, in their defense, the food stamp program doesn't allow cigarettes or alcohol to be purchased on the cards.  Instead, people buy cases of soda, then sell them to their friends for cash to buy the cigarettes and beer.  It's a little harder now because it used to be that they would just sell the stamps themselves.  Now, with the declining balance card, they actually have to purchase something and resell it to make any cash for ciggys.    Aside from that, soda IS NOT FOOD!!!!   It is horrible for children - it rots their teeth and makes them obese.  It sucks calcium from their bones and replaces nourishing water.  Plus, all but 2 cases were caffeinated.  So, assuming that this woman had kids, they are probably having trouble in school due to being all sugared and caffienated up.  I have seen people give their kids mountain dew at 8:00 at night.  Then, they come in and tell me their kids can't sleep and are falling asleep in school.  REALLY?  Nooooo.....  I honestly cannot believe that the food stamp program allows this and actually puts the card reader in convenience stores.   With the incredible obesity crisis that we're facing in the nation, the government is allowing people to buy Doritos and pop on their dime.  Un-freaking-believable.
3.  Ok, so I'm in line behind her as she is ringing up a fortune in pop, and then her husband comes in to start carting the cases out.  I think that she is done and try to deftly maneuver my way up to the counter around the mountain of soda, but, OH, she's not done.  Next, she takes out her own (hard earned, I'm sure) money to buy 4 packs of cigarettes and 4 lottery tickets.  So, now I'm even more miffed because I'm in a hurry, I'm astounded by the flagrant lack of concern about what she is spending the taxpayer's money on, and she's starting another transaction.  Wow.  Has enough money to buy $6 a pack cigs (name brand, of course- camel ultra lights), but has to buy her pop with the food stamp card.
4.  THE KICKER.  The woman raised her arms to stretch when in line and revealed approximately $800 dollars worth of  low back art.  Seriously.  It was one of the nicest tattoos I've ever seen - fairies and lilies and vines from one side of her ample low back to the other.  I can only assume it's about $800 worth. 

Wow.  I still can't get over it. 

So, I was plenty irritated when I got through the line.  Then, Phil called and told me that the suddenlink guy was at the house and waiting for me.  I had to deliver the kids to piano and pick them up, make dinner, and make it to girl scouts by 6:15, so I was rushed.  I asked Phil to stop on his way home and pick me up some white wine.  Unfortunately, I called him from my nephew's phone at piano, then left and went home to get my phone.  I went home to meet the suddenlink guy.   I got even more frustrated because the guy had to go through my house, and as he was doing so, I kept having to move all of the crap that Phil has never put away (i.e., guns, tools, fishing poles - in my DINING ROOM) and I had to move out the couches which had dust bunnies the size of the dog behind them.  So, I was embarrassed, irritated, and rushed.  We all know that this is NOT a good combination.

About 40 minutes later, Phil texted back to my nephew's phone, not knowing that I was no longer using it.  He said, "pinot grigio?"  My nephew (or his mother) did not know that he was texting me, so they said, "How about a nice Chianti?"  Then they had a little Silence of the Lambs banter.  In Phil's defense, we've had that banter hundreds of times, so there was no way that he would know it wasn't me on the other end of the line.  (And, I must admit, that if my nephew knows that movie, I'm a little worried.)  So, Phil comes home at 6:15 with 4 bottles of red wine.  I know nothing of these text messages, and I'm already mad because of his stuff everywhere, so Phil is greeted with, "Gee, thanks, hon.  I ask for one freaking thing, and you can't even get that right.  And, by the way, you are not doing any outside projects this weekend, so don't plan anything - we are going to clean up this damn house so our kids aren't living in a pig sty.  And, don't expect me home right away from scouts because I have to go out and get my own damn wine because you couldn't even get the right kind!"

I'm so embarrassed.  Poor Phil.  Have I mentioned that he's a saint and the best husband in the whole wide universe???? 

He sputtered a little.  He was SOOO confused.  He didn't have time to explain about the texts because I had to go to girl scouts.  When I got home, he had moved his guns, boxes, and fishing poles, and had his phone ready to show me that he was not, in fact, screwing up, but following what looked like a conversation with me. 

Actually, it would have been a comical situation if I hadn't have been insane when it happened. 

I've never claimed to be easy to live with.  Luckily, Phil can handle me.  He will say that he has his own issues that are hard to live with, so we even each other out.  I think he got the short end of the stick sometimes....but we love each other more and more every day, and that's really all that matters.

As always,
Dr. Mindy

Ahhh...the terror and the joy

Well, I finally got out of town for a night this weekend.  Well deserved and VERY needed.  I need to leave at least once a month in order to get away from the constant reminders of everything I need to do at the house.  I can never really relax at my house because there's always laundry to do, dishes to be done, straightening to be done, then there's the bigger projects....

So, we went to Tyson's Corner this Friday afternoon and had an absolutely wonderful time.

Let me rewind a little. 

For Christmas, Phil bought me a car.  It was a very sweet gesture.  Great thought, poor execution.  It was a SAAB 900 convertible - 1995.  He even traded his Bradley GT for it.  (Everyone say "Awww")  The problem is, it was a total piece of crap.  The seats were rotted, truly.  The paint was so flat that even with a full detail, it looked like it had gone through a sandblaster.  The engine wasn't really great.  The shocks and struts needed replaced.  The power seats, mirrors, and seat heaters didn't work.  The dashboard lights wouldn't stay on and I had to drive with my left hand on the dashboard toggling the switch to keep the lights on after dark.  The stereo didn't work.  When you shut the doors, the windows didn't match up, so it constantly pulled air.  When I turned the wheel left, it changed the radio station.  BUT it ran and the convertible top worked.  The gas mileage was better than my Expy, and it was easy to park, so I figured I'd drive it for a couple of years and trade up.  Until two weeks ago....  We'd already changed the latches on the convertible top (to the tune of 350 dollars), and then the motor went out on the top.  Now, our guy (who's amazing, by the way - Automedic in Elkins  - Mark Lentz) said he could easily replace the motor and it would cost less than the darn latches.  I was DONE, though.  I put my foot down and said, "I love you babe, and I appreciate the gesture, but that's it."  The convertible top was the ONLY reason I was driving the darn thing and I couldn't do it anymore.  The car was going to nickel and dime us to death.

Off to Fairfax!  We looked online and found several dealerships with convertibles less than 10,000 dollars that we could trade this heap for.  We went and looked at a few different places.  There was a Volvo that I really liked, but, wow.  What a place.  We went to the "dealer" in Manassas, VA.  When we got there, it was in the back of a cluster of these really large metal buildings that housed a few dealerships.  Very shady looking in their own right, this place wasn't even one of them.  It was a small office with no real lot - the cars were parked in front of the building and in a warehouse in the back.  So, we take the thing for a test drive and first thing, the check oil light comes on.  Then the AC doesn't work.  Then, as I'm driving, the speed drops three times down to 30 on it's own - can we say "bad transmission"?  When I took it back, I told them no deal because it had a bad transmission, and they were appalled, then they said they'd fix it for us.  Um, no.

Long story even longer, we ended up going to Fairfax Auto Gallery and bought a 2002 BMW 330Ci convertible in really nice shape.  Everything seems to work (knock on wood).  We went out for Mexican food, then back to the hotel. 

The next day, we met some of Phil's high school friends at a Dim Sum restaurant and had a great time with them.  Great people - I hope we can see them more often.  Plus, Matt's Duck House near Vienna, VA, is AMAZING!!!  Great Peking Duck.

So, the terror comes in now.  We were following the Garmin home.  Normally, there is a bit of corridor H that we follow to Moorefield, then get off and take smaller roads back home.  This time, it was extended.  Now, Corridor H is supposed to go to Elkins eventually, so we figured we'd follow it as far as it went and see where we ended up.  (Note to readers, the BMW is rear wheel drive, and it does not have great tires on it right now.)  So, we followed the road, and, even now I'm not sure where it ended up.  Somewhere about 30 miles from Davis, Thomas, and Mt. Storm.   The Garmin tells us to take a left on some road that leads to Dolly Sods, and we didn't because last time the Garmin was navigating us in rural WV, we had the now second most terrifying driving experience of our life involving the Expedition on a 4 wheeler track with no way to turn around.  (At one point, I had the left wheels on the side of a mountain so that the right wheels could stay on the road with a 10 foot drop off the right side of the vehicle.  Here's the the 4wd capability of the Expy!).  So, we didn't follow the Garmin.  Bad idea. 

We ended up going to Mt. Storm, and it started to snow.  We made it to Thomas, and then things got REALLY bad.  I've never been so terrified in my life.  It had been warmer in the daytime, so when we got to the top of the mountain, we were driving in pea soup fog and driving snow.  We could only see, literally, about three feet in front of our car.  We couldn't stop because the visibility was so low and the roads were so bad that if someone came up on us, they'd never be able to stop.  At one point, there was a tree across the road, and we didn't see it until we were about 4 feet from it.  Honestly, it was like a BMW commercial.  Phil swerved and narrowly avoided hitting the tree.  The car handled great.  Phil was driving because, as a Texas girl, I've never driven a RWD car in the snow.  Thank God.  Anyhow, it took us an hour to drive the 16 miles from Thomas to Parsons.  It was THE most harrowing drive I've ever experienced in my life.  I'm surprised that I didn't put a hole in the floorboards with my "imaginary brake". 

We made it to Parsons, and a guy at the Sheetz station tells us that earlier in the day, that road had been closed because of so many accidents because the state road vehicles hadn't been able to even get up there.  In fact, we saw one stopped before it got really bad. 

So, we grabbed a snack at Sheetz.  (Diet be damned at this point, I needed something to destress me!)

Got home at 9:30 last night. 

It's a nod to the car that we didn't wreck on that mountain. 

Phil said he was really worried about messing up my new car.  I told him that I knew that, and that I wanted to say, "I don't care if you wreck as long as you try to keep us safe," but I didn't know how to say that and not jinx us, so I didn't.  He laughed.  I laughed.  I had a glass of wine and we breathed a big sigh of relief.

BTW, I LOVE the new car, and I'm so glad that our guardian angel was on duty last night.

Cheers!
Dr. Mindy