Birthday bonanza!

Michelle planned a wonderful day for my 29th birthday! We started by touring the Detroit Institute of Art (free tix in the mail), then had dinner at a well-hidden Italian restaurant nearby. To cap it off we caught a showing of Romeo and Juliet at the Wayne State University Hilberry Theatre. Of course it ended late and I slept through parts of it, but overall it was quite fun :-)
I can't believe 30 is right around the corner!!

A New York Thanksgiving

Michelle & I were able to coordinate our vacation time and traveled to NY for the week of Thanksgiving. Traveling with Ginger by car wasn't too bad, and allowed us to take her cages, food, etc. It was a LONG drive each way, about 12 hours with rest stops and the like. But overall it was quite relaxing, seeing some friends and family. Ginger got to meet our aging french poodle, Coquette, for the first time and was on her best behavior :-) My father surprised me with a grooming and haircut for Ginger, we were finally able to see her big brown eyes!

Thanksgiving spread was delicious, Michelle & my parents slaved away in the kitchen for hours cooking all sorts of meals: turkey, sweet potato, eggplant, salad, fruit, etc. They also broke out the fine china and put together a warm fire in our family room. We hosted my cousin Juanda's family and their new baby daughter Mia. In all a great time to unwind and relax ...

Whoa Baby

So we had the pleasure of attending a couples Baby Shower earlier this month. One of Michelle's colleagues in the pulmonary department is expecting a baby boy in late December, and we attended the event with great anticipation!! Overall it was fun, no games but good food and lots of cool gifts for the parents-to-be. We wish them well during the home stretch ...

Ginger's new duds

While in Las Vegas in October, my grandmother taught me how to knit. I had been wanting to learn for some time and then finally asked to learn. It is a lot of fun--great way to pass time and do something with your hands. I'm really starting to enjoy it. Unteachable? Me... well...

My first project: Ginger outerwear! Something simple at first, a cape/sweater. The finished project.... drum roll please:












What do you think? Ginger's kinda getting into it. She's a natural. I guess we'll have more to look forward to... hopefully not before next season. :)

PETCO Play Date

Michelle was gone all day today moonlighting at a nearby clinic, so I had instructions on how to keep Ginger occupied: take her to the weekly playdate at Petco Pet Store. They have an indoor play arena, where parents let the dogs run loose and tussle. It was a lot of fun, similar setup to the dog parks we frequented back in Florida. I also bumped into a fellow physician with her new puppie Zhowie, very cute all around :-) Ginger made several new friends as usual, and left after getting a good workout. We'll try and get back there later this month, schedules permitting ...

We Passed!

Just to pass along ... Michelle & I passed our Certifying Internal Medicine Board Exams! We're now both board certified internists (at least for the next 10 years), and will have to face the same grueling process in 3 years for our subspecialty boards. What a relief :-)

Fall & Halloween

When I arrived back from Las Vegas, I was greeted by wind and rain. We had arrangments to go to Greenfield Village Halloween. Rain or shine... and that's what it was. There were over 300 pumpkins in all on a sub-40 degree chilly night. It's about the time for the cold weather to set in. Halloween time and the first really cold night were the norm in Reno when all the costumes had to be modified so as not to be chilled to the bone. Last night we set out candy and dressed up a jack-o-lantern for Halloween night. I carved it into all sorts of patterns and shapes. It was a great time. We both got into our jackets and set out to beat the cold with all the kids and parents. Trick or treat everyone!

Home Improvement: Part II

Since Michelle was away this past week in Las Vegas attending a medical conference (and visiting her family), we decided this would be the best time to commence Operation Destruction/Renovation of our kitchen and bathrooms. The previous owners chose this cheap laminate surfacing (white & pink, respectively) that stained quite easily. Once again the before shots:











First step was removing the surfacing. Since we were installing two sinks in the master bathroom, the old cabinet had to come out and a new custom-designed cabinet was put in its place:











Next step was inserting the granite counter-tops. Michelle & I had pre-selected three different patterns, one for each room. Most of the pieces were pre-cut, but the sink openings and backsplashes were cut outside on our driveway:










It was only at this point that the plumber could begin connecting the sinks & piping. His job took the longest, at least 8 hours of labor involved:












An voila! A nicely finished project after all ... you'll have to visit to see the real thing :-)

Winter?

We had our first snowfall in Michigan! I was told that it starts snowing around December... not so... it's October and it is snowing. Ginger does not know what to do with this white stuff from the sky. Albeit, not much snow but what a surprise -- we woke up with a layer of white stuff on the deck. It melted and then started again.

Family visit

So we welcomed my parents last week as our first out-of-town guests. After a delayed flight leaving LaGuardia airport Wednesday night, they finally landed and settled into our condominium. Right away my mom felt at home, preparing all sorts of delicious meals :-) They also got to spend time with Ginger while we were away at work.









Our free weekend included all sorts of sight-seeing in the greater Detroit area. Saturday we did the Rouge Factory Tour (Ford-Dearborn headquarters). They had a nice rooftop view of the auto plant, as well as several Ford models on display. Michelle & Myriam enjoy the new F-150 pickup truck :-)













Later that afternoon we walked around Greenfield Village, which currently has the "Special Taste of History" theme. There were numerous machines on display from the 1800's, including those making yarn, metal, and cloth. The weather was gorgeous, with several trees showing pretty fall color changes ...













Sunday we checked out the popular Franklin Cidar Mill. It was packed, customers ordering all sorts of apple products (pie, cidar, donuts, etc.) They also had several large pumpkins on display, with little kids getting into the act:










The rest of the day was spent shopping, exploring the Sommerset mall in Troy, and seeing our hospital. Overall very relaxing, they left just in time as the weather got chilly soon there-after (see the following post). We'll be seeing the fam soon again in November for Thanksgiving. Until then ...