Beach Bums :)

Now that 90+ degree weather has set in, I'm starting to actually feel like a beach resident. Perhaps because it feels much cooler when you're laying on that beach and feeling that ocean breeze..jealous yet?? just kidding :)
After a great week at work it finally came to an end. This was the first week I was let loose on my own. I think I did a pretty good job. A little difficult at first finding my comfort zone but now I love the job and believe it or not I'm actually getting used to the commute home in the evenings! Friday night Lee's mom drove from NC to see us! She got in around 10:00..we were all exhausted and i was ready for bed but what did we do? We headed out on the town for the ultimate crab nachos and beer at Tautog's!! Seriously best nacho's ever..and I'm hard to impress with nachos! We all so had some yummy she-crab soup and bread..YUMMO! (can you tell that we've really enjoyd our culinary happenings around this town??) After a late night binge we headed home only to find this:
Lee opened the door to find that something was blocking it and the tall lamp that sits next to the couch was laying in front of the door. To our left was a huge pile of shattered glass. Yes folks our cats had some kind of frenzy in our living room and knocked over our lamp and shattered it to pieces. I for one was ecstatic because I've been begging Lee to let us get new lamps..I just wish I had a picture! The cats looked incredibly guilty and ashamed..it was really cute! We're just glad the house didn't catch on fire and trap our precious furbabies inside!!
The next morning we woke up early because we were determined to spend a gorgeous day at the beach! We decided to go have brunch at Citrus! BEST EGGS BENEDICT EVER! AND they serve their freshly squeezed orange juice in a champagne flute..no not mimosas really, just orange juice! (sometimes I wonder if I'm writing for the wrong blog..maybe I should be a food critic) Anyway we headed over to First Landing and the beach was AWESOME! We got plenty of sunshine and played in the water..it was 93 degrees!









Julie, Lee, and I just sat in our cozy chairs for the entire day! We realized that we really need to invest in an umbrella...I think we were pretty much sunburned after 10 mins! Add that one to the list! Julie had to leave late afternoon but Lee really wanted to take her to Chicks



(our fav place)
and we had some yummy calimari, shrimp and fish tacos! THEN we went back to our place and grabbed our car and went BACK to the beach to meet Seth and Julie and little Leira! hung out with them and talked the day away until sunset! I was so happy to finally meet Julie and Cakey (Leira) who's official full name is...ahem: Leira Cake Jewel Drool Drama Queen Parsons...(i think i got that right!)






She just turned 6 months old and is a cutie! I'm so happy that Seth lives down here..we look forward to hanging out with them as much as we can! I'm sure I'll see Seth around work since he is in Med School at EVMS..I even saw him chatting it up with a bunch of white coats in the CAFE the other day! After a long hot day we headed home to cool off with a movie and a popsicle! :)
We woke up this morning with the intentions of going to church but I couldn't move! My sunburn..I guess I'll never learn my lesson..even though I've been tanning for about a month now for our Cancun trip..oh well! I finally managed to get up and made some yummy pancakes for breakfast. Those are a treat because I hate making them! Later we decided that since it was so beautiful we felt like we had to grill out! We headed over to home depot to purchase a grill! WOOOOHOOO! I also managed to squeeze in a new pair of scrubs and some groceries...and lunch at Cafe Fresh..LOVE it!
I was so happy to get home in the AC! I'm so not ready for miserable summer temps..I was looking forward to at least one or two 80 degree days first..not 68 and then skipping all the way to 96! I cleaned up a little and cooled off and Lee put the grill together! We made some Sesame ginger chicken, corn on the cob, and canteloupe! it was magnificent...and now we are finishing off our fabulous summer weekend with some lime jello and the red sox/yankee game...GO SOX! Hope everyone had a great weekend...thanks for tuning in to my weekly foodie..haha..see ya next week!

life at the beach continues...and keeps getting better!

This weekend was so much fun! Friday I was really stressed...due to the fact that I had almost a 2 hour commute home. Most of the time if you live in VA Beach and work in Norfolk.. you can expect at least an hour commute and 2 hours if it's Friday. I love my job! I love the people and the company..everything about it, except the commute! BUT its nothing I have any control over and when i've worked here for awhile I can transfer to a CHKD outpatient center that is closer to home. On the school front, I don't want to get too far behind on that either. Last spring when I started back it was wonderful and I made straight A's! I didn't want to get back into it until I figured out my schedule here and figured out traffic and stuff. You really have to plan for traffic or you'll be screwed. So, I plan on starting school again in the fall and taking the summer off. We have SOOO much going on this summer anyway. SO, needless to say Friday I was stressed and Lee and I went to have dinner and drinks and then we came home to watch a movie..where I passed out! Yes, that was my Friday!! haha!
Saturday we got up with the intention of doing some laundry and getting some stuff done. NOT the case! It was a GORGEOUS day...perfect! About 75 degress which here, with the breeze from the ocean..was perfect! We decided to head down to the beach only to find that there was an awesome car show going on! We walked up and down the boardwalk just looking at cool cars and people watching! Then, we headed over to the strip and grabbed a quick bite and then strolled back up the beach with our feetsies in the water! We did a LOT of walking but it was gorgeous and I got a lot of sun which I needed. After we spent a few hours at the beach we headed over to Ghent in Norfolk for some much needed touring around and then to best buy. YES, we now have EVERY single super nintendo game (YES SUPER NINTENDO) On our computer! So what did we do?? Yeah till all hours of the morning! Lee always wants me to play video games with him and I refuse to play his stupid games that he plays for hours on end on rare occasions (he's finally starting to grow out of it a bit!!) but I told him if he actually got a game that I enjoyed I would play him..and of course I whooped his butt at Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and Super Mario. I'm a natural what can I say? We did for a moment pause and take a walk through the neighborhood to get some air and a little more exercise..it was much needed!
Sunday, we slept in a bit and got ready for the day. We headed to Norfolk for the Culinary expo! We had so much fun going around and sampling food from area vendors, restaurants, bakeries..etc! We even had to tickets to see Emeril! Yes, Emeril Lagasse! BAM! He was very entertaining. I have pictures that I will post once I find the camera..i saw it this morning and now its gone..of course! Anyone who religiously reads my blog knows that I'm a huge food network fan..and even though it was no Paula Deen or Giada or Rachael..it was still awesome! Sunday night we decided to wind down and FINALLY do our laundry and treat ourselves to a yummy dinner from Jason's Deli..(one of Lee's favorite places). There's nothing like perfect weather to make for an awesome weekend!! Have a great week, everyone! :)

Easter Weekend

On Easter weekend we headed back to Roanoke to spend time with a few of our friends and family! Friday night Lee got off work sorta late and we left here early evening and went to my dad's to stay for the night! I know it had only been a few weeks since I was there but I missed him like Crazy! I love my dad!! We woke up to an awesome french toast breakfast. We spent some time together that morning before heading to Roanoke for lunch and to meet some friends! let's just say the visit was much needed!! That afternoon we stopped off and got some essentials and headed up to Stone Coal Gap to Jeff and Alisha's cabin! It was so good to see them! We hung out by the fire, sang (YES SANG) Alisha is good at guitar, and ate ribs and chicken and smores and drank a few brewskies! AHHH Brewskie..didn't stand a chance..! After a long evening we headed off to bed in front of the warm wood-stove which was great because it was pretty chilly that night!
The next morning we went to my parents house to spend some time with them before the rest of the family got there for Easter Dunch! it was soooo great seeing everyone! I LOVE my family. AND they LOVE Lee and always look forward to seeing them. No one ever argues, curses, or yells..its wonderful :) I'm so very lucky! Lee's mom and C-money were going to come up but they couldn't make it..plus they were exhausted from their big Easter Lunch..we are sooo looking forward to Julie coming to stay with us soon..as well as our camp-out on the beach! After spending as much time as we could with the Fam it was time to head home! It went by sooo fast :( But, we had to leave because I was to start my new job the next day! The job is still going great..I can't believe its already been a whole week!
I'm looking forward to the weekend..there's so much to do here!! We may go to the culinary expo this weekend and see EMERIL LIVE!! I'm crossing my fingers but if not we it'll be ok! I'm looking forward to seeing Seth and Julie on Sunday..and little Leira! AND last but not least..Lee is getting Aerosmith tickets tomorrow!! I'm so excited!!! I love Aerosmith..I've seen them once before with KISS and they were awesome! I guess its to make up for the fact that I wont be going to see the New Kids on the Block (bummer, right Tracy??) DUE to the fact that I will be in Cancun..hmmm :) Well hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and has a great weekend!! Adios!

xoxoxo
~Megan

A visit from Johnny and Eric

All I have to say about them visiting is THIS!!

I had a blast doing the following:

Playing Frisbee Golf and practically kicking everyone's BUTT (or coming in last)
Eating Raw Oysters and Steamed Clams..and various other not quite dead seafood things
Hot Tuna (enough said) Would've been better if it wasn't for the Dragon
last but not least
DuWanda

Thank YOU, John and Eric!

Most importantly for the memories and for the phone call we got from your mom sayin' how you run not one but SEVERAL toll booths on the way home!..silly boys :)

PS: Eric, thank you for agreeing to play the violin at our wedding...this makes me happy

Doin' it for the kiddos!

Today was my third day on the job! The new job! Let me just say that working for a children's hospital has got to be the most rewarding thing EVER! On Monday we had orientation. Believe me, I've sat through many a hospital orientation..three previous ones to be exact and they were all for Carilion and they all sucked! I am officially employed with the Children's hospital of the King's Daughter's or CHKD and I LOVE IT! The very first day I felt welcomed and they seem to actually CARE about their employees and not just money! I spent my entire first day listening to different speakers and watching videos about the hospital..which of course made me tear up a little because let's face it..what doesn't?? I love children. Always have. Always will. I want to be very involved with this hospital. I want to help out the kids in anyway that I can. This hospital has helped so many! And just today I was thinking, do I really want this? Do I really want to drive all this way everyday?? Then, after work I had to go the bank to get my deposit for filled out for work and the lady at the desk looked at me and asked me if I was going to be working for CHKD. I said yes and she proceeded to tell me how much she loved it there and how they helped save her daughter's life and what an honor it is for me to be working there. She cried as she told me the story and I cried right along with her (OF COURSE!) That was my little sign from God that this job is for me! I never would've supported Carilion..I even told my friends to go to Lewis Gale. Carilion's motto is not COUNT ON CARILION (says the commercials) but WE WANT YOUR MONEY AND WE'LL GET IT NOT MATTER WHAT! CHKD's motto is...Give em' the pickles! AND THAT is a long story but for the record I'm pretty sure I'm in love with Bob Farrell and he's second to Regis on my list! Anyway, my second day was basically some classes such as getting to know the company and customer service and stuff like that..yadda yadda. Today I took my first epic class. I was bored out of my mind! I used Epic everyday in Carilion but I still have to take the class..needless to say I finished two hours earlier than everyone else and got to leave early! WOOOHOOO! I have class for the rest of the week and then I'm starting my actual JOB job! Thank God my boss was cool about letting me off for Cancun and Jen's wedding! And I just LOVE my new scrubs..thanks to Lee :) Anyway that's an update on the job front..I'm looking forward to working there..Not so much the traffic that I will be encountering..YIKES!! :)

I heart Jet noise

Around here in VA BEACH you live near a lot of bases...included but not limited to, naval air force bases and air force bases. We live about 2 miles from Oceana naval air station. THAT MEANS that about every 2-3 mins you WILL hear a plane flying overhead..AND not just any plane, folks. I'm talking..the scary pointy military kinda planes..the kind you don't wanna see comin' at you when you're at war with America. I've seen em go sideways, straigt up and down, cork screws..it's like we have our own private airshow..DAILY! Now, for some people it may seem that the jet noises are hard to get used to HOWEVER.. Lee used to live right next to the train tracks in downtown Roanoke and that painful screeching happend about every 10 or 15 mins or so it seemed. Eventually we got so used to that noise that we never even recognized it. Believe it or not..even though every now and then (and they usually choose one night a week..this week it was tonite) they are so loud that we have to pause the TV and wait till its gone or stop our conversation till it passes..its really not that bad! I seriously thought the trains were worse!! I don't mind the planes at all...sometimes it bothers Lee but not usually..here's the kicker! We were driving out of our apartment complex the other day and there was this dirty ol' beat up HUGE truck in front of us..and down at the very bottom was one lonely bumper sticker that said: I Heart Jet Noise! LOVE IT! If you live around here...you better learn to love it!

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Easter! Whether you're spending it at home, with your family, or whatever! Enjoy. And remember..the reason we all celebrate easter!! (even though the peeps and chocolate bunnies are pretty great :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvB-SfVRzOg

What's up with CHKD??

So Tuesday was the day that I had my physical for work and did all my paperwork for Human resources. Monday, Tom, the human resources rep, sent me an email with all the paperwork for the next day and told me to print it off and fill it out and bring it to my appointment. No problem right?? Well, our printer isn't hooked up yet apparently from the move. So, I called Lee who was in DC working and he said he didn't know where the power chord was so I couldn't print it till he got home. Well he wouldn't be home till long after my appointment so I emailed the guy back and told him I didn't have access to a printer. I didn't check my e-mail again till the next day and it told me to arrive one hour early to my appointment to fill out the paper work! One hour early? I immediately jumped in the shower and headed to downtown norfolk..only 30 mins before the appointment. NOW, I know why he wanted me there an HOUR early..there was so much paperwork. I was trying to fill it out really fast..that was not easy. CHKD sure does do things differently than Carilion..but that's probably a good thing. So She calls me back and I'm thinking ok, going over paperwork and getting a physical. So we go over all the paperwork and then she's like here's where you're going for your physical and hands me a sheet of paper with the directions on it! It's not even in the same building! In fact..its not even in Norfolk it's in VA BEACH! Ok so I get in my car and head over to Military highway to find the clinic. I then had to fill out another CRAP TON of paperwork before taking my drug test. By this point I had to pee sooooo bad because I'd been holding it for the other place! When I go to take the drug test the lab technician couldn't have been a day over 18. She was literally sitting there talking up a storm. She was gawking at my ring and wanted to try it on..um no. She told me a lot of information about the patient before me..um hello? Illegal?! and then she took my pee and ran away and left me to figure out what to do next! I go back to the waiting room and nurse calls me back and takes my weight and then ASKS me what my height was..she didn't even measure me?! OK?? Then I did a vision test and she asked me if i needed a PPD. Um, I don't know you're the nurse doing my job physical why dont you tell me?? I said yeah I guess because I had a PPD every year for my last job. She doesnt say anything and starts walking away and then turns around and looks at me like I need to follow her. RUDE! She pointed to a chair and told me to sit down. I guess I was going to get the PPD. All of a sudden this korean lad comes at me with a tourniquet and I can tell that she's getting ready to take my blood. I said "Is this for a PPD??" she said no I'm taking your blood. Thanks for telling me, NURSE Know-Nothing! (I don't even know if she needed to take my blood for all i know she thought I was someone else) then the other nurse came back and did my PPD. BTW they BOTH bruised me and I've never gotten a bruise from either! they sucked! Then I went into a room and waited for the Doctor. All I can say is Chester Molester he was creepy..glad it wasnt a gyno visit..geez! He made me jump up and down, squat, raise my arms up and down, and stand on one foot with my eyes closed. He made me lay down and asked me if i had been tanning with new bulbs..I said "no, I went to the beach." He seemed distraught that he was wrong. Anyways he left and the stupid nurse came in and made me fill out yet ANOTHER paper about latex allergies. ALL in ALL i was very displeased with my experience and then come to find out..THIS OFFICE WAS NOT thru CHKD! THANK GOD! I didn't want to work for a company with such bo-bo people!! Apparently this is just one of the places CHKD uses as their facilities for new hires. and then it hit me. Duh, I'm not a child. Why would I go to a CHKD office? I would be seeing a pediatrician! FOR the LOVE...

Birthday fun!

Wow, can you believe it's April? That's CRAZY!!! anyway..so far the month of April has been the best! I love April...mainly because my birthday is April 4th! YES, I am 24 now! Almost mid-twenties..I can't believe it! To start off my fabulous birthday celebration, one of my best friends, Hope was going to come down and spend a few days with me starting last Wednesday! BUT, not before I had a job interview! YES! I finally got a job interview. It was for the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters! As soon as I walked in, it immediately felt just better. No stress..the lobby was decorated like an aquarium. My interview was upstairs in Pediatric Surgery. My boss was REALLY cool..unlike my last boss. She showed me all around the surgery wing and the hospital. The Children's hospital is in Downtown Norfolk. I was worried about the commute. Lee works right on the edge of Norfolk and his commute is about 15 mins even with high traffic..mine is around 25 or 30 which is ok with me! The best part of the job..I get to wear scrubs again!! woohooo! I know its weird to get excited about that...but how awesome is it to get up everyday and not have to worry about what you're wearing..scrubs are just easier and some of them are really cute! I miss my scrub wearing days but not nursing! Anywho, I was offered the job the very next morning and I accepted! I'm not sure when I'll start, they haven't told me. The orientation is only once every other week and I have to get my drug test and PPD and everything..so we'll see!
Later that day, Hope arrived! I couldn't wait to just hang out with her for a few days. I drove her around the area and showed her some cool stuff before Lee could arrive home from work. Then we headed over to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner! Yummo! And of course Lee can't walk past cold stone without getting "that's how I roll" ice cream. So we stopped so Hope and Lee could get some ice cream! That night Hope was really tired so we settled down and watched a movie before we all headed off to bed. The next day, Hope ran some errands with me and we headed over to Chili's in Red Mill for lunch! (yeah we ate a LOT this week!) We also managed to find ourselves at one point traveling across the Chesapeake bay via bridge/tunnel. That was a total accident. We didn't realize the toll was 12 dollars but we paid it and went on our merry way and saw some pretty..ocean and um lighthouses..seriously it was a total accident that we made our way here but it was hilarious. We always find ourselves in weird situations! After we safely made it home from the scary bridge, I made my famous Mama kwans pasta! After eating this pasta at the restaurant in Nags Head, I made a point to try to get it just right at home because it was sooo good! I nailed it! AND..Hope loved it! The next day we went shopping! We headed to downtown Norfolk to Macarthur Center and spent the day at the mall! Lee's mom sent me an awesome gift card to Nordstrom and I was excited to spend it! We had a ball! Got some smelly goods from the body shoppe, Hope got a pizza stone from Williams-Sonoma and we even got some famous "SPRINKLE's Cupcakes for my birthday!! Vanilla and Red Velvet! YUUUUUMMMMOOOO! That night Lee met us down on Shore Drive for some yummy dinner at Croaker's! The food was incredible! I had stuffed shrimp and it was to die for. Then we headed down to the beach and took some pictures and hung on the boardwalk for a bit. Once we got home we were exhausted..we had such a great time together. Hope was leaving the next day (my birthday) and I was so sad :( On my birthday I awoke to breakfast in bed! Lee made his famous bacon egg and cheese biscuits and hash browns! Soooo good! I have the best boyfriend in the world..not only that but Hope cleaned pretty much the whole downstairs of my apartment...OMG! Hope and I had one more misson before she left for the day..we had to go to El Pollo Loco to get Bobby some Mexican Chicken. Apparently Bobby thought these restaurants were only on the west coast and when Hope saw one she freaked out because they head eaten there when they went to Los Angeles a few weeks ago. So we made our way over to Red Mill again to get Bobby some Chicken! When I arrived home we found Lee waiting for me with presents! I couldn't believe it! Lee got me an IPOD! hot pink! He also got me an i-tunes gift card and a thing to put the ipod on my arm while I'm working out! It was great! I love him!! Hope left and I was really bummed..I wish she didn't have to leave on my birthday! Yesterday Lee and I headed to Nags Head for the day!! We packed a picnic and got someb brewskies, towels and chairs, and head down to the beach! I layed out in the sun all day long..yeah I'm paying for it with a pretty decent sun-burn but its not the worst Ive ever had. We had dinner at where else? Mama Kwan's before heading home last nite..and then we got our passport pictures taken for Cancun..what a day I was exhausted!
Today Lee is heading to Washington, D.C. for a couple of days for work! This will be the first time I'm at the new apartment alone..but it's ok because I have a lot to do..laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc!
Also, Please keep my good friend Krystle in your prayers. Her mom was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a month ago. She had no symptoms of being sick..she just went into the dr with what she thought was a pulled muscle in her chest. They diagnosed her with lung cancer and it had already spread all over. She didn't want to know how long she had so the doctors never gave her a time. She died on April 2nd. I really wish I could have gone to Roanoke to be with Krystle. She called me and told me about her mom and it was really hard for me to hold it together. She has a 16year old sister that she will now be taking care of...Krystle told me not to come to Roanoke because she didnt want me to be at the funeral on my birthday..she's so amazing. I love you, girl! I can't wait to see you next weekend! Oh yeah..we're going to Roanoke next weekend for Easter and staying with my dad! I'm so excited to see everyone and celebrate my birthday!
Hope everyone has a wonderful week and a great Easter! :)