So, we had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving this year, and I finally have the photo evidence up. What wasn’t photographed was the amazing stuffing that we made from the November 2007 issue of Everyday food – nice and simple, made out of Oak’s homemade ciabatta bread. Yum.
Later that evening we went to see Fred Claus and played almost too much Scrabble (I did actually win a game — woohoo!). We ended up purchasing the official Scrabble dictionary to put an end, once and for all, to the words that are and are not allowed to be used in the game. For those of you that were wondering, most middle English words are allowed – so go ahead and use “ye”. On Black Friday/Saturday we did the obligatory shopping – but not any of that getting up at 4am stuff. Craziness!
Well, my trusty Fuji FinePix A303 that I received as a graduation gift from my aunt and uncle bit the dust. She led a full and happy life, accompanying me on many trips and I’ve posted many photos and printed many photos on DotPhoto with her. It just scared me when I realized that the camera was four years old!! Man these years have flown by.
We’re pretty much convinced that she heard us when Oak mentioned that maybe we should get a new digital camera, since the prices have fallen on them so much lately. She obviously took this as offensive and decided to give up about a week after he made that remark. Poor Fuji!
Anyway, we picked this Canon Powershot A560. I haven’t transferred any pictures from the camera to the computer yet, but it seems great. There are settings for just about any shooting situation (the beach, nighttime, indoors, kids and pets… the list goes on). So it will be fun experimenting with all of those to see if they make any difference!
So, stay posted for more pictures!
Doesn’t this logo match well with my current layout? Ding! On Sunday we went to Tangerine Cafe
with Alex and 3 out of 5 of the “605 crew” to celebrate my birthday. The interior was curiously also painted the same colors as our living room and kitchen. I wonder if they’ve come to spy on us and stole the idea from our decor?!
Dinner was very good! I’ve been meaning to try this place for awhile, so when it was my turn to pick (the advantage of it being my birthday), it wasn’t much question. We got an assortment of appetizers, including calamari, lettuce wraps, and Vietnamese summer rolls. Mm. Alex and Oak also both got soups which I had the privilege to sample (ah the birthday girl advantages!). I had a huge bowl of pad thai noodles, yay noodley peanut deliciousness! The waiter even saw that it was my birthday from the gifts and they brought out a huge piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Yum!
I received a hug mug and drinking chocolate from Alex – my first taste of Max Brenner chocolate! More about that later, I’m planning on giving it a try tonight! I also got a gift card from Belinda for Martha Stewart Crafts.. Double drool…
In last week’s birthday loot- from Mom and Dave, I received my first pair of bermuda shorts (hey! they actually are pretty cute!), a few cute polos, a pair of jean capris, and Gordon Ramsay’s autobiography, which I devoured in 2 days. Nirav got me a blender so that we can make margaritas without it exploding all over the kitchen. Oak is getting me a gift that’s “still being embroidered” .. I’m pretending I don’t know what it is… what a mystery!
In celebration of our marriage, Oak is going to be contributing to the carrievision.com weblog, as you see below in his declaration of his fondness for wedding confections.
We’re close to celebrating our one-month anniversary – March 8th, we were married on the beach on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. We had a great group of friends and family with us – we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding! I think that everyone that came with us had a great time, too.
We’ll be having a bunch of pictures from our wedding and honeymoon posted soon but to wet your appetite, here are the photos that the wedding photographer took.
Our house is still pretty disasterous with wedding memorabilia, souvenirs, etc. still not quite unpacked. Whoops! Are we lazy or is married life just that hectic?
Oak was very tricky with the Valentine’s day this year. First of all, I now smell chic, sexy, and mysterious due to my new Paris Hilton perfume.
As if that were not enough, I was told to be home from work by 5:30 for a surprise – Oak made reservations for Valentines day dinner for us at Melting pot in Raleigh! All I can say is that it lives up to the hype. First, we had a champagne toast and a bacon cheddar cheese appetizer course with bread, vegetables, and granny smith apples. Then, I had a great salad with poppy seed dressing, my current favorite. The main course consisted of a variety of meats (filet mignon, lobster, shrimp, tuna, chicken…) and vegetables that you simmer in a tasty broth, and then dip in a variety of sauces. Oak basically took over the garlic butter. Then, well, the best part, obviously was dessert. Heath bar chocolate fondue that was lit up before our eyes with some bourbon, and then a smorgasboard of sweet treats to dip inside, including cheesecake, pound cake, homemade marshmallows, fruits…. Heaven!
They also gave me a rose, we got a framed photo of the two of us (a decent picture for once!), and a pair of Melting Pot champagne flutes (good since we just broke our last RPI flute!). As usual, I am such a spoiled rotten girl.
It might be a little obvious that I’ve completely reversed any workouts that I did so far this week. It was worth it though 
I never summarized my dental experiences over the past couple weeks. Well, the wisdom teeth extraction was relatively painless, considering my teeth were erupted (apparently a large factor), and the fact that I was under total sedation for the entire surgery. The sedation part was hot, and I definitely recommend it to anyone undergoing dental surgery. Who wants to remember the tooth-cracking experience? No thanks. It also made me unaware of the planet for several hours afterwards. Luckily my honey was there to change the gauze in my mouth and feed me ice cream.
Now that my wisdom teeth situation is basically recovered, I took a little visit to the dentist today to see if I had to undergo the “deep cleaning” (ie uber scary) experience. Luckily the wisdom teeth were the deciding factor.. I got the regular old gritty-toothpaste cleaning instead. Phew.
This is also the end of the nasty concentrated mouthwash. PHEW! That stuff is highly unpleasant. Unfortunately my dental routine is more complicated than ever:
- Floss every morning
- Rotadent twice: in the morning and at night
- At night, mouthwash:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Act Fluoride mouthwash
All other days: Crest Pro-Health Rinse - Chew Trident sugarless gum
- Whitening routine: Sensodyne with Whitening and Crest Whitestrips
- Consume 1200 mg of Calcium and get some Vitamin D each day
I am tired just reading this. I have to say I’m wondering, just a little bit, if dentists conveniently invest in all the products they recommend to patients. Ah well, at least my dental bills are done for the moment. Poor Oak still has his second deep cleaning next week. He was not a happy camper after the first.
Now, more than ever, dental products will be taking over the bathroom….
They kicked up the holiday potluck this year with not one, but two giant inflatable snowmen. Since you already know about my aversion to large blow-up holiday lawn decor, imagine my dismay upon seeing these creatures attacking Cube town. Oh dear! Luckily they exited the building by the end of the day. Phew!
My newly purchased Martha Stewart Everyday sparkling silver wreath is now hanging above our fireplace mantel. So hawt. I highly recommend those 3M hooks that make no marks or holes in your wall to one and all.
Dental update: Luckily my soul was not stolen during the debridement. They should call it “we’re gonna clean under your gums with a high-powered waterpick and then feed you nasty mouthwash for the next 3 months” instead. Perhaps that does not fit on the insurance form. My wisdom tooth removal is scheduled as a late Merry Christmas to me gift on December 28th. I’m getting drugged up and passed out, baby yeah! (This option was actually cheaper than being half passed out, but I won’t argue. As long as Oak is there to drag my drugged behind from the surgeon’s to our comfort-coil filled bed at home!)
Being that it’s December first, I realized that it is offically now not summer anymore. That could be argued, though, since the temperatures are still hitting the mid 60s here.
Either way, I decided it was no longer time to drink spiked lemonade and instead at least consider something somewhat wintery. Though, you all know my feelings about cold weather and winter, so I doubt this will stay very long… at least until I find some decent inspiration. For today my inspiration was the snowflake paintbrush in Photoshop. I think my creativity is slowly being sucked away by the Man (TM).
For those of you entranced with my dental situation, the oral surgeon said that my wisdom teeth should be a piece of cake for removal. Just yank those suckers out of there. Why does that not sound very cakelike? Before actually scheduling this appointment I need to think about the level of sedation I want to be under. a) None, b)slightly happy or c) completely passed out. I am definitely thinking b) or c), as I am not sure I could stand hearing my teeth moving around. Yuck. Unfortunately “get drunk before your appointment” was not a listed option. Anyone with past wisdom teeth removal experience have any tips?
I get the debridement on Monday. I hope they don’t steal my wedding dress. 
Plans for the weekend: crafting a festive tree skirt, acquiring or fashioning a wreath for our front door, Christmas shopping, sleeping in.
OK, so in the last month Oak and I have discovered that we are victims of Periodontal disease. Greaat. Believe me, go to the dentist as often as possible, as unpleasant as it may be! Apparently the treatment is to get some debriding treatment and root planing? All I know this means is some serious time with the dental hygenist. Yeah so how scary does that sound? YIKES! Yet, at the same time, I have no cavities and according to the hygenist, “very little plaque.” Go figure. We now have a fancy rotating toothbrush. I’m impressed.
I also learned yesterday, to my great dismay, that I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled. Oh joy. I don’t want to lose my wisdom!! Or maybe the wisdom comes AFTER you have them taken out. Any thoughts?
Oh yes, and by some miracle I made it to and from the dentist with a slowly deflating tire after hitting a large pothole on my morning commute. Phew.
