The Latest

Well, well, well.

It's been a while. Here's what we've been up to, in bullet points:

- We bought a house! After going down to Austin for Easter, Mr. Snoop, Mama Cat, and I drove down Easter Monday for the house hunt. After seeing 10 houses (more on that in a sec), we found two houses that we were happy with. On Tuesday morning, we put down an offer and it was accepted by Tuesday afternoon. Alleluia!

- House #8 had maroon walls and orange trim. Also, it smelled like a giant litterbox. Mr. Snoop counted nine cats. You know that means there were more hiding. There was a litterbox in the bathtub. Ew.

- On a related note, if you are trying to sell your house, why in the hell would you leave it a hot mess? I'm talking piled up dirty dishes in the sink, unmade beds, piles of dog poop in the yard, dirty laundry strewn about, and a weird vampire-esque altar on a piano. Really? Ick.

- Our new house has a huge kitchen with an attached sunporch. I can't wait to move!

- Also, there is a JCrew outlet within thirty minutes of our new house. Excellent.

- Speaking of shopping, I found a pair of Lilly shorts in my size at our Marshall's. $25! Perfect for moving back to Texas, if I do say so myself. It is STILL not warm enough for shorts or short sleeves here. The print on my new shorts is "Garden by the Sea," below:



- In other shopping news, I have accomplished a lifelong goal. Mr. Snoop bought a pink and white dress shirt yesterday. He looks amazing.

- On a less shallow note, the Boston Marathon bombings. So very sad. All events like this are terrible. But as a runner, I'm specifically pissed off that someone messed with my therapy in this way. Races are when you get to celebrate all the hard work and progess--both physical and mental--that you've made. There are some truly crazy people in this world.

Mr. Snoop's Very Bad Day with the law

The week prior to Match Week, Mr. Snoop had a terrible, no good, very bad Monday with the law. We were beginning to feel the pins and needles of Match Week, and it had been a truly exhausting six months. So Mr. Snoop decided to come with me to the grocery store to get out of the house.

[Side Note: You have to pay to park at the grocery store where we shop. The store reimburses you for an hour and has really long lines, so it is a mad dash to get everything done in there. Especially because they ticket if you are 30 seconds over]

Well, those of you who know Mr. Snoop know that he is Mr. Responsibility USA. He washes the bedsheets every saturday morning, always pays bills on time, works out every day, worries when my girlfriends have porches in their apartments that face the street, etc. Basically the guy was made to be a dad. And I love that about him.

Somehow in the midst of interview season hell, Mr. Snoop let his car (It's a subaru. I told you.) registration lapse. Highly uncharacteristic, to say the least. But I didn't just call it six months of hell for nothing. He sent in the registration as soon as he discovered it had lapsed and was waiting to get it in the mail at the time of The Bad Day With the law.

Anyway, Mr. Snoop goes to the grocery store with me. We make it out super quick, like 30 or 45 minutes. And get to the car to discover that we have a ticket. Initially we thought it was a parking ticket. But alas, it was the registration. Boo, right? So that sucked, but whatever. $50. More than our weekly grocery budget but we'll deal. We

get back home and check the mail, whereupon Mr. Snoop discovered A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST. From the City of Austin. Some of you may remember that Mr. Snoop and a friend got jaywalking tickets there nearly three years ago. While crossing at a crosswalk. During which the little hand stopped flashing midway through. The other 10 or so friends got across before. Oh, and did I mention that this was his bachelor party? And that he had opened up his head water-skiing and required 7 stitches just hours before? Yes, indeed.

Given that it was, you know, his bachelor party, Mr. Snoop and Co. went out and had an awesome time. In that process he lost his jaywalking ticket. Then somewhere in the mix of getting married, going on a honeymoon, and completing 3 years of medical school, he forgot to pay it. Imagine that. So it cost $250 to clear it. BURN. Talk about an expensive walk across the street.

Morals of the story:

- If the little hand stops flashing midway while you are crossing the street, I guess you are supposed to Stop Right There and risk getting hit by cars. Otherwise you are jaywalking.

- If you get a $10 ticket from an eighteen year old cop, pay it.

- Don't Mess With Texas.

In conclusion, let's all say a prayer of thanksgiving that Mr. Snoop's brazen criminal past didn't prevent him from getting a residency in Texas. Phew. Thank goodness for small mercies.

Texas forever

That's right, we're going home!

Source: fuckyeahtx.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

6 hellacious months of agonizing over interviews (or lack thereof) is over. The great irony of all this is that Mr. Snoop matched at his #1 spot. We feel so grateful and blessed. Particularly since well over 100 people applying to Mr. Snoop's specialty did not match into it this year. We take nothing for granted.

The good news has not yet sunk in, though I think it's getting there. Especially because it is snowing/raining/sleeting/nasty-ing here and I don't even care. So yes, it must be sinking in somewhat :)

Now let the great house-hunt begin!

Matched!!

We got the fantastic news on Monday that Mr. Snoop matched into an ENT residency. We are so thrilled and feel so fortunate, but I have to say that the reality has not sunk in yet! We've been waiting for this news for four years. Since he had a small number of interviews, we have been intensively and stressfully waiting for six months. After all that waiting, it is so hard to switch my brain over to actually believing he matched!

Trying to stay occupied until Monday was a good time. Fortunately my Mama Cat was in town and I work Sundays, so I was busy the day before Match/Unmatch. This past Saturday, I decided to occupy my time by making.. wait for it.. Lilly Pulitzer bowties for my cats. I know you are judging me but I just don't care. Look how adorable:



He looks ready to drink a hotty toddy at the grove, don't you think? So preppy. Of course I do have a top in the same pattern. As if you even had to ask.

Since I never was able to think past Monday, I have found myself in an unexpected predicament: finding ways to distract myself until we get the big news about WHERE on Friday. Last night I threw a temper tantrum about how cold our house was, how I much I hate winter, and then had a panic attack about the possibility of Mr. Snoop matching in Wisconsin. Mr. Snoop, ever the expert in the field of taming me, lit a fire in the fireplace and cut up the chicken for dinner. Bless his heart.

After I got my behavior under control, I accomplished the original task I had planned for myself: baking a million cookies for our friends to celebrate Match Week. Any excuse to use adorable labels and treat boxes, right?



Tonight I have a girls' shopping outing, but I am still searching for a project for Thursday night. Also, I can't get my pictures to center. Sorry about that. Til Friday, chikadees!

Winter. What I've learned.

Oh yeah, check out the "feels like" on that picture.

So here we are over half way through (I hope!) this winter. We've reached the point at which I am whiny and irrationally angry about the cold. My skin itches, I haven't seen my arms or legs outside of a shower in months, and I'm craving warm sun. And sand. Even Mr. Snoop is getting sick of it all. We're both really ready to spend some time outside. This being my 4th (and possibly final) Great White North Winter, I've learned some things. About how to keep my wimpy butt marginally warm. Behold:

- Fleece-lined leggings and tights. An absolute necessity. Winter is impossible without them.

- Tall leather boots. In brown and black. I discovered that the more of your body that is covered up, the better.

- Layers upon layers upon layers. Seriously. I wear so many clothes that it is laughable. For example, a typical winter outfit for me involves pants or leggings, socks, tall boots on the bottom half. And then we get to the top. Oh boy. On top I wear a short sleeved tshirt (or tanktop if it is above freezing) as a base layer, one long sleeved base layer, and then one or two sweaters on top of that. And a scarf. No, I don't sweat in all that. I can't remember the last time I was warm enough to sweat.

- Hot beverages. Tea, hot chocolate, etc. I drink hot tea constantly, especially since I work in an old, drafty church. It does help keep a person warm. And hydrated.

- Flannel sheets.

- Do not go outside without a hat and gloves.

- Many people would say wool, but I'm allergic. Hence, layers.

Thanks to listening to me whine. 20 days til March 11th (Match/Unmatch). Fortunately, in the mean time, I just got a groupon for a southern food (I've been needing fried chicken lately) restaurant in the city and my brother is coming up to distract us.

Mid February Randoms

This is what I love about February. You blink and it's halfway though! Here's what we've had going on:

- One month from yesterday is Match/Unmatch Day. This is where we find out if Mr. Snoop got a residency position. I get nauseous just thinking about it or looking at that day on my calendar.

- Nemo! We got well over a foot of snow:

Mr. Snoop shoveled while I stayed inside and made a bright yellow polka-dot skirt for the summer, naturally. We only have one snow shovel, ok? Luckily, we did not lose power or anything like that.

- Now that interviews are over, Mr. Snoop is on a new rotation. Looking at his ID picture, you get the idea that he may be scraping out earwax and boogers or killing you in your sleep with an ax. I mean, 50/50. You decide.

- The first weekend in February we went to parties Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. I'm still worn out. Here we are at one of them, James Bond themed. Where else do you get to carry a fake gun (sorry, I'm a Texan and therefore completely tacky about such things), rock cat eyes, AND a sequined, leopard-print dress? And drink martinis!

Happy Valentine's week, everyone! I hope your week is full of all things pink and sparkly.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Mr. Snoop and I typically eat at home nearly every night. Thus I usually cook nearly every night. Good for the budget and the waistline, you see. So I tend to make pretty healthy meals. Except this one. Are you ready? Because this is ridiculous. And a total man-catcher. You can find the original version on the Food Network website, but I adjusted this for our budget and needs (ie, I always simplify and will not spend $5 on a thing of panko I'll use just for this). Here goes!

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

3 T unsalted butter
8 oz elbow macaroni (we always do whole wheat)
One large onion, chopped
1 cup shredded chicken (more or less)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 C hot sauce (I used Franks's and we like things SPICY.. definitely halve or quarter if you do not)
1 T flour
2 t dry mustard
1 1/4 C half and half
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
6 - 8 oz cheddar, shredded
1/3 C light sour cream
1/4 C blue cheese, crumbled

How To
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking dish. Cook pasta til al dente, about 6-7 minutes.
Melt 2 T butter and saute onion until golden. Add garlic and chicken. Stir til fragrant. Then add 1/2 C hot sauce and simmer until thickened, about a minute.
Scoot the onion, garlic, chicken, and hot sauce mixture over to one side of your pan. Melt 1 T butter on the clear side. Stir in flour and mustard to create a roux. Mix your roux in with the onion mixture and then add the half and half and last 1/2 C of hot sauce. Stir until thickened.
Once the sauce is thickened, stir in the pepper jack, cheddar until they melt. Then add the sour cream. Do a taste test here to make sure you have enough hot sauce. If you are like me, dump another half a bottle in there.
Stir the pasta and sauce together in your prepared baking dish. Top with blue cheese. Bake for 35 minutes, until bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes after baking.
Enjoy!