Independence Day Fun, and Such

4th of July was a good time this year. First, it was on Wednesday, so I had the day off of work, which was great! Adam and I were able to run errands and grocery shop which freed up Saturday for other fun adventures (blog post to come).

That evening we attended the fireworks show the city of Providence hosted. We went with our friends the Rich's. We thought we'd be awesome and get dinner before, but...to our dismay, every restaurant in Rhode Island wants their 4th of July evening free. We called a million places with no luck and then decided to drive around until we found something. Which we did.
Then we walked ourselves to India Point Park to stake out some sweet spots for the concert and fireworks show. Can you find Adam and Jesse?

Took several sweet photos to pass the time until the concert began.

Then watched the Providence Philharmonic Orchestra play a 2 hour show. Did I mention Miss USA was there? Our very own Miss Rhode Island. She sang the National Anthem. Did I also mention she won the Miss USA contest with her talent of playing the cello? She is NOT a singer. Although, she did give it her best effort. I guess that's how you become Miss USA.

Remember the sweet spot we had staked out?

It sucked. This tree blocked the view of the fireworks. Quick on my feet I ran to a better spot and watched the show from a standing position. All alone. No one else wanted to come with me.

Yeah! So fun! Another successful Independence Day!


And now...for the such.

I got CRAZY yelled at today by a patients daughter. I remained very professional for all 15 minutes I was on the phone with her. I even remained very professional for the 30 minutes after the phone call. Later, in my car I was on the phone with Adam venting my frustration, and then I cried. I guess my feelings were really hurt, even though I continued to remind myself it wasn't my fault. Today I discovered I need tougher skin.

Oysters, Eek!!

Since moving to RI, I have wanted to try oysters. I figured I like most seafood, why not give oysters a try, people really seem to like them. Recently, I was given the opportunity to expand my culinary pallet.
We were at Matunuck Oyster Bar for a friends birthday last week and I thought, "I'm at an oyster bar, there probably isn't a better place to try an oyster than at an oyster bar". I was with several other oyster virgins, so we ordered a sampler of 12 oysters.

Here's how the next several moments went down. Mistake. I picked up my oyster and stared looking at it closely. I began to freak out and didn't think I would be able to consume it. I thought I would hurl.

I watched as Adam, Jesse and Sarita ate their first oysters. Everyone kept a pretty "cool" face, except Sarita, after a few chews her face was the give away that I was NOT going to enjoy this experience too much.

Adam started on oyster two, and I was still debating whether or not I was going to eat my first. Here's how I was finally able to get myself to do it.

1. I dumped out some of the salt water that was still surrounding the oyster (apparently that's why people tend to "slurp" so much when eating oysters, they're trying to pull out every last drop of delicious ocean water). I personally thought it was because people were trying to drop the oyster down their throat without it touching the inside of their mouth. In fact, I still believe this to be true.
2. I squeezed a bit of lemon on top.
3. I added a good dollop of cocktail sauce.
4. I stopped thinking about what I was going to be eating.

I'll quit with the suspense. I put the oyster in my mouth, it touched my tongue and immediately my throat closed off. I knew there was NO WAY my body was going to allow this thing to go down my throat. I panicked for a moment and thought, "how am I going to get this slimy thing down without gagging? I can't very well spit it out. I paid $1.85 and I'm an adult in a nice restaurant!" So I did what any smart person would do. I took a large swig of water and swallowed it down like a pill. Genius!

After shaking off the terrible experience, I posed with my little shell to prove how awesome I am!

 Moral of the story, it's good to try new culinary experiences, because they make for great blog posts!

Ugh!

No, you don't need to adjust your glasses. No, that is not a temperature reading from outside.

Yes, that is the temperature inside our house.

All I can say is, HOLY. COW. I'm not sure how much longer I can take this heat. Ugh!!!

6 Days of Giffie

What is Giffie (pronounced with a soft G, like giraffe)? It's made up of Gina, Tiffany and Julie. Who are these fine ladies you ask. Only the coolest triple decker friends around. Here's the back story in case you don't know.
2004 Julie and Gina become roommates by chance while living in Logan, UT. Magic happens and a friendship forms.
2005 a new school year begins and Gina and Tif become roommates by chance in Logan, UT. Julie is a near by neighbor. Magic happens and new friendships form.
Summer 2006 Julie and Tif are roommates by choice in Logan, UT (Gina's left Logan for cooler adventures). Friendships continue to blossom.
Present day, the flame of friendship is still burning bright, bright enough that these 2 fabulous women took time out of their lives to come to RI to see me and kindle the flame of friendship.

Here's a photographic synopsis of their time in RI.

Beavertail Lighthouse

New Port Mansions

Adam was a good sport...most of the time.

Lobsters at Aquidneck

Boston, Harvard Campus

Park near Boston Common

Red Sox game

Martha's Vineyard

Gaspee Days parade...very colonial

Swan boating at Roger Williams Park

Water Fire

Beach

 

Burning of the Gaspee

Gaspee Colonial man

Patriotic roads of RI

Confused about all the Gaspee references because you're not from RI? Just do a quick Google search for "Gaspee Affair". It's a pretty great reason to have a celebration.

Triple Decker Friends

Just a little preview of the 6 days of awesomeness had by Triple Decker Friends.

Happy Birthday!

May 31, 2012 was a special day this year. Adam turned 30 years old! Yeah!

Adam had just gotten back the night before from a lovely trip to VA. I didn't really have anything planned for his special day (I know, I'm lame). I got home late from work (which never happens by the way), picked Adam up and headed for Providence Place Mall.

Adam had a mission and nothing was going to stop him from getting his birthday present. We walked straight to Williams-Sonoma for his gift (doesn't surprise you does it?). That's where Adam got this beauty. . .

Did I mention it was 20% off? I guess there are some good perks to being a culinary student. I think all of Adam's wildest dreams came true this day. Since this culinary journey began, I've heard so much Kitchen Aid talk it's a bit ridiculous.

Anyway, for all you baking fiends out there, it has a 7 quart mixing bowl and a 1.3 horse power motor. It's the Rolls Royce of Kitchen Aids, at least that's what I'm told, I wouldn't know the difference.

After a few glamor shots with his new love. . .

we got some tasty burritos and then chilled the rest of the night. I guess it's a pretty good way to celebrate 30 years of life.

Missing Adam

I miss this guy.

Why do I miss him? Because he's been in Virginia for 5 days. I still have 5 more to go until he gets home. He's spending some QT with his family.

I realized I make a terrible single person. I made dinner Monday and ate the leftovers for 4 days. I've used the same 3 dishes and 2 utensils during those days. I need to branch out.

I can't wait until next week when he gets home. I wonder how I'm going to handle 2 months of his absence when he goes to France. That being said, I am now taking reservations for people to come stay with me during that time.