Happy Halloween!

In honor of the holiday, Michael and I carved pumpkins and handed out candy to the few kids that came by. I was surprised by the number of actual kids we got this year. Last year, Mike said that he got mostly teenagers smoking cigarettes (Thank goodness we haven't had any of those this year). This year we have had the whole range and no cigarettes. There have been some cute costumes: Phillies players, clowns, princesses, angels, devils, witches. Overall, a pretty good night.

It makes me think of my Halloweens growing up. We had so much fun running all over the neighborhood. We always made sure to hit the "candy man's" house where there were always king-sized candy bars and lots of spooky decorations. We lived for that night. I hope that the kids I saw tonight are making the kind of memories of Halloween that I have.

We tried to get the girls involved in the spirit, but needless to say they were mostly uncooperative. They did sit and "help" hand out candy, so I have to give them some credit. We tried to get them to pose by the pumpkins. It would have been easier to learn how to speak Chinese. I will add the few pictures we got; hopefully we will have better success one day with our kids!

Interview #4 (our last!)

Today, on a very rainy and very chilly day, was our last residency interview. We interviewed at Lankenau Hospital, which is about 15 minutes from our house, just outside downtown Philadelphia. Both Michael and I did a rotation there earlier this summer, so we were pretty familiar with their program and the hospital.

Overall, we both thought the interview went well. We were each interviewed by 2 physicians in two separate interviews. We were impressed by how well they knew our applications; we each had very specific questions about past experiences and what we had written in our personal statements. The day was similar in structure to the interview last week: presentation, interview, tour, lunch. I have to admit it was hard to go on the tour and stay for lunch when we had already been there and with the rain all we wanted to do was get home and get warm (wool suits are surprisingly not very warm).

We are both happy that the interview season is over for us. Many of our fellow applicants are applying to 10 or more programs, sorta the shotgun approach to residency applications. We decided to be daring and applied only to programs that we had visited, had experience with, or knew that we would be happy in their program. Maybe this risk will hurt us in the end, but we feel confident one of these programs will accept us.

The next step is to create our rank list. This means that we rank each hospital and submit our lists to a national matching service. They then take the rank lists of each program and through some sort of magic, "match" each residency applicant to a program based upon corresponding ranks. Our lists are due in January, so we have some time to think about it. We will know our fate on February 9th-it will be exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!

Democrats on an Escalator

Okay, I am not normally someone who likes to wear my political views on my sleeve, but this video is pretty funny (and Mike loves it). Sorry if it offends anyone...

Interview # 3

I am late in posting this, but I interviewed on Wednesday at Crozer-Keystone Hospital for one of their internal medicine spots. There were 11 other applicants there that day and they had quite a program planned for us. We heard a lecture from the program director about how great their hospital and program is, we got a tour of the hospital from the chief resident, and had lunch with the current residents--it was a busy morning.

I was interviewed by the director of internal medicine and he was very nice. He had read everything in my file and was very knowledgeable on my past. He seemed to like me and I was very impressed with their program. They are dually accredited, which means that they have both MDs and DOs in their program (they take 3 DOs and 5 MDs per year) and that as a DO you can sit for both sets of boards. They have a very busy hospital with lots of neat departments: shock unit, burn unit, trauma center, cancer center to name a few. Also, they have a geriatric fellowship, which is appealing to me, of course.

Overall, I was very impressed with their program and the people that I met. It will be a hard decision when it comes time to submit our rank lists for the match. Luckily, we don't have to make any decisions until December.

One more interview to go...(thank goodness, I am getting sick of the stress that goes along with interviews)

Interview #2

We made it through another one!

Today we interviewed at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Stratford, New Jersey (south Jersey) for positions in their Internal Medicine program. This is the hospital system that we have spent the most time at over the last year and a half.

The interview was similar to last week's, except today we were interviewed by a panel of three, rather than in individual interviews. We were asked the standards again and hopefully I am getting better at naming my strengths and weaknesses (or my "dark side" as one interviewer put it). We were both pleasantly surprised with how well the interview went. We had been warned that one of the physicians can be kinda tough, but she was very friendly and nice to us both. We hope this is a hint of what is to come...

We have two more to go. I will be glad when the interviews are finished, these days are so stressful!

Naked Chocolate Cafe

One of our favorite spots in the city is the Naked Chocolate Cafe. Its located in Center City on Walnut Street and is a dangerous place for someone with a sweet tooth. Mike and I decided to spend the afternoon walking around the Rittenhouse Square area today. The weather was much cooler than we expected, so to warm up we stopped in for a hot chocolate (like I really needed an excuse).

These are not your normal hot chocolates. You can request either American or European styles, and my advice is to go with the European-its like a melted candy bar in a cup. This drink is so thick and so rich you have to order a petite and eat it with a spoon. Mike and I were feeling gluttonous so we ordered a cupcake to go with our chocolate (sounded like a good idea at first). I was wishing we hadn't ordered it, but as you can see from the picture, we somehow found room for it.

I love Philadelphia in the fall! And I love having such a wonderful husband to share it with!

Walking in Wissahickon

As our vacation comes to an end, Mike and I are trying to squeeze in as much fun as we can. The weather changed overnight from humid heat to crisp coolness. The leaves too seemed to change overnight. We decided to take advantage of our time off and enjoy the outdoors before the cold comes and we are stuck inside the hospital again. The other day we found a new trail along the Wissahickon Creek and so this morning we headed out with the girls for a hike.

It is so beautiful and relaxing to walk through the woods in the fall. The trail was covered with fallen leaves and as you walk they crunch underfoot. The air is cool, but its not too cold out and the sun is still bright. As a Florida girl who never got to experience this season, I love it! I am so thankful that I am able to live in such a great place for a time in my life. Michael got to wear his new pants from Eddie Bauer (they have a ton of pockets and can be unzipped at the knee to become shorts) so he was pretty happy too.
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Another good thing about today is that we got our Halloween package from my mother. She sent tons of candy and some decorations for the house. The animals also all got a toy. But the best part was that she sent Dots candy. I was drooling over these at Target a couple days ago and decided against buying them since we were getting a bunch of chocolate for the "trick or treaters" (quotations used because we are the trick or treaters). Mike also gave me a lecture about how bad for my teeth the gummy candy is, even though I have watched a dentist eat my bowl of candy corn while he was here teaching, so I am not convinced. Anyway, I am excited to have dots to snack on. Leave it to mom to know what's best for me! Thanks Mom!

One down...

Today Michael and I had our first residency interview. We interviewed for spots in PCOM's internal medicine residency. The day started at 7:30am with interviews with the director of clinical education, the residency program director and the chief resident. Everyone was very friendly and the atmosphere was not intense or stressful (thankfully). We were asked the standard questions: What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Why should we pick you over everyone else? What is your proudest personal (not medical) accomplishment? We also had an exercise thrown at us by the chief. She made us write admission orders for a fictitious patient. This is not an easy task, especially since we have never written admit orders before (at least not without the help of a cheat sheet or intern), and we had to do it in front of her and the program director. We think the task was meant to see how we respond to a challenge under pressure. I think we both did okay, we have gotten used to the performance under fire scenario.

After the interviews we toured one of their hospitals, Roxborough Memorial. It is a small community hospital very close to our house. We spent some time with an intern and a resident and got their perspective on the program. Everyone seems very happy and says they feel that they are being well educated.

All together the process was positive. We have pros and cons for the program, but it is definitely on our list. We have three more interviews over the next 2 weeks, so we are keeping our minds open until we have made it through them all.

Our next interview is on Monday, so keep us in your prayers for then!

Processing the apples: Stage 2

Today I tackled the huge job of canning the apples. Mike helped me (thankfully) with the peeling, coring, and slicing job. That part took more time than I was originally thinking. If this is something that I want to do again, I need to invest in one of those contraptions that does all those steps for you.

So after the labor intensive part, I began the cooking. I had to make a syrup to boil the apples in, then boil the apples, then process the cans. Overall, it took me about 4 hours from start to finish, which wasn't too bad, since I was done by lunch. The apples look good and I can't wait to try them. The recipe I used says that these apples can be used for eating or for baking, so its versatile. I want to try to make my own applesauce, but that seems like a bigger task than this was, so I might put that one off until next year.

10 more cans for the food storage (or nuclear kitchen as my dad calls it)

Just as I predicted...

Everyone fell asleep this afternoon. Mocha was in the chair, curled up asleep herself. Isn't my little family adorable?

Hiking in Valley Forge

This morning we decided to head back to Valley Forge for some hiking. We took the girls and tried the Horseshoe Trail through Mount Misery. The trail was moderately difficult, with some good climbs and nice technical difficulty (at least for us amateurs). Of course, the woods we hiked through were gorgeous and we were able to see some deer, which was cool for me. And along with the deer we also got to see some deer ticks. Mocha had 2 and Emmy 1--we will keep looking on all four of us to ensure that we don't become part of the Lyme Disease endemic.

We were out for about an hour and really enjoyed spending the time outdoors together. The hike was good exercise; both dogs are currently asleep on the couches and I think Michael is not far behind.

Processing the apples: Stage 1

To start using these 21 lbs of apples that we picked over the weekend, I baked an apple crumb pie this evening. Unfortunately, the pie only used up 2 apples. I need to make a lot more pies if I am going to put a dent in the stash. I am going to make apple cinnamon muffins tomorrow morning and then I think I will take the remaining for canning.

Here is the recipe for the pie I baked, its a variation on a recipe from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.

APPLE CRUMB PIE

Filling:
3 cups peeled, cored, and finely sliced apples
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

Crust:
I cheat and use Pillsbury Pie Crust (in the refrigerated section)--don't tell my grandmother

Crumb Topping:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c brown sugar, not packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks of chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place one pie crust in 9" pie plate, crimp the edges.

To prepare filling: Combine apples, flour, sugar and spices in a medium bowl. Stir to coat apples evening. Spoon filling into pie crust.

To prepare topping: Combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter, combine flour mixture with butter pieces until mixture looks like coarse meal. Spoon topping onto apples.

Bake pie for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 375 and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping in golden brown. Serve warm.

Valley Forge II

In addition to apple picking, we took my parents to Valley Forge. My dad is such a history junkie, so we knew that he would love being in the same spot that George Washington once was. As planned, we took the trolley tour around the park. It was a beautiful day (a little chilly maybe for the Floridians) and we were able to see a lot of the park from the trolley. It really is amazing to think of what happened on that land over 200 years ago. To see the home that George Washington stayed in, to see the fields that the army trained in, and just to hear the story of that winter is just amazing. We live in such a wonderful country, with such a rich history. I wish that more people were aware of how this country was formed: the courage, dedication, faith, and hard work that our founding fathers and mothers had is inspiring.

We are both so excited that this great park in only 20 minutes from our house. I hope that we can make it back a couple more times before the weather gets too cold for my thin blood!

Apple Picking

As part of our action-packed Philadelphia weekend with my parents, we went apple picking. We drove to an orchard in West Chester, PA and had our choice of 6 varieties to pick. This farm also had pumpkins and raspberries, but since I already have 9 pumpkins of various sizes at our house, we bypassed the pumpkin patch. The group decided that a 1/2 bushel bag (~21lbs) would be a good size for us, so with bag in hand, we headed out to the grove.

There were rows and rows of apples. A ton of apples had already fallen to the ground and many of the trees were already cleaned off from previous pickers. But we were able to fill our bag full of Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonagolds, and Mutsus. There was a lot of sampling of merchandise and we all had a great time picking.

Now I have 21 lbs of apples to play with. I think I am going to use some for a pie, some for canning, and some for just eating. Good thing we are on vacation, its going to be a busy week!

Valley Forge

Yesterday Mike and I decided to tackle some of the things on our vacation "to do" list (yes, we are that Type A that we had to make a to-do list for our time off). We took our bikes up to Valley Forge, which is about 20 minutes from our house. Valley Forge is the site that George Washington and the Continental Army spent the winter after they had been defeated by the British in the battles of Philadelphia, Germantown, and Brandywine. The park has a paved trail that winds around all the historic spots of the area. There are also hiking paths that cut through the countryside. We decided to take a tour of the area on our bikes, so we stayed on the road that goes through the park.

It was such a beautiful ride. The weather was perfect for a bike ride: sunny and about 70 degrees. The road is very hilly, so this out of shape student had a hard time making the climbs. Especially when my husband (who thinks he is Lance Armstrong) trucks up them like they are nothing. But, because of my slowness, I was able to see many deer. I came upon one family grazing in a field. The parents had two young with them and they let me stop and watch them eat. It was awesome! I wish I would have known how nice it was going to be, I would have brought my camera.

We are planning on going back. We scheduled a trolley tour for this weekend (to do with Mom and Dad) and we want to go back to hike the trails. Its such a wonderful spot, both beautiful and historical.