Winter mayhem in slower, lower Delaware!

Hello friends and family, yes Sarah and I are still alive, we have just been a little busy dominating the east coast.  I didn't think anyone actually read this blog besides my mom, but I got a couple of text messages hounding me to update, so breath easy, here it is! 

Since my last post, there have been a few big things going down:
First & most importantly....SARAH HAS A NEW BEAUTIFUL NIECE!  Her name is Nora and she is just the cutest little thing.  Auntie Sarah went to Ohio to visit her and Nora's big sister, 2 year old Ella.  Sarah also got to enjoy Antarctica, aka Ohio by playing some ice hockey in her backyard and stressing about possible flight delays.  Sarah is eager to visit again and has been hitting up Gap Kids, Children's Place, and other clothing stores to make sure her nieces are voted 'best dressed.' 

Next on the agenda, I went to Washington DC for a weekend and hung out with the Pres for a while.  Word to the wise, don't go to DC in January...FREEEEEEZING.  I also realized that I have the attention span of a 3 year old and museums are cool, but I hate reading.  I went out for a birthday dinner with Columbus Kevin and yep was a member of the clean plate club.  Riding the metro was interesting and thank you Kevin for not leaving me because I had no idea what I was doing.  The country girl in me gets a little nervous with all the public transportation but hey, go green! 

ATLANTIC CITY BABY!!! Obviously we had to visit AC while leaving on the East Coast.  We rounded up our friends Andrew and Matt and hit the town in search of big money.  We took the ferry from Lewes to Cape May, NJ and stayed at the Trump Marina for one night.  Ferrys are pretty sweet and AC was a blast, with the highlight being Sarah winning 100 bones on a slot machine!  It was her last 25 cents and as she pulled that lever and screamed "mama needs new shoes" we knew it was destiny to win!  We all screamed like she had just hit the megamillions and then she immediately went to collect her winnings.  I learned how to play craps and I won 20 dollars in less than 3 minutes, and then got nervous and quit.  Craps was sweet though because everyone screams and jumps up and down for you.  It's a team sport, I dig.  I would also like to report that we did not see Snookie, the Situation, or any of those Jersey grease balls, which was probably a good thing.  Atlantic City was great, however, I'm a Vegas girl and I promise I won't cheat on you Sin City, you know you are the best! 

'FIRST ANNUAL 9 HOLE EVENT'-  With the help of our fellow dodgeball friends, we put together a little event known as 9 hole.  The idea of the event was to hit up 9 different locations and have a different shot/drink at each location, with the 9th hole being The Green Turtle (the local watering hole in our apartment complex).  Many of the houses had themes and for our casa we chose a mexican theme!!  Yes we had a mexican flag on our door and message that read: Hola mi amigos!  Our drink was a tequila sunrise, which ended up being a shot because there were 20+ people at the event and we were running a little short on the tequila. You know it's going to be a night to remember (or not remember) when the evening began with an irish car bomb at hole #1.  By the time we got to our house for hole #4 everyone was all smiles and the night was a total success.  Sarah may or may not have had a hangover for the following 3 days, but I will say this, she is a champ and not only completed the front 9 on the course, I believe she took it upon herself to create 9 other shots.  Nevertheless, good times and we are really going to miss all the great friends we have made here in little Lewes, Delaware.

TAKING THE PLUNGE.... Every year in the beginning of February the crazy locals hold a charity event to raise money for the special olympics, in which thousands of people take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.  Now I hate cold more than anyone, but when it's for charity and it's a tradition, I'm in.  So I put on the bikini and took the plunge, not once but twice.  My fellow plungers decided that once was not enough because we didn't get a photo, so after getting dry, I then ran in again.  You must go underwater for it to count (well those arent official rules, but if you don't go under people will talk smack about you, so I had to go all the way under).  The temperature outside was around 40 degrees and sunny, so that wasn't too horrible, however the water was a blistering 35 degrees.  My whole body went numb and I struggled to run back to my towel due to the loss of sensation in my lower extremities, but hey, not everyone can say they did the polar bear plunge!  The event also raised more than a half of a million dollars, so kudos to you my fellow plungers and donators :)

Sarah and I are officially done working at Beebe Medical Center on February 25th.  We are pretty positive our next stop will be...........  let the suspense set in............ HOUSTON, TEXAS!!   Cowboys, warm weather, BBQ, rodeos, the final four, ohhh my it looks like it will be another wild ride :)

Ringing in the New Year!

Happy New Year!  Hope ya’ll had a fun, safe holiday season and don’t worry we survived the east coast blizzard.  Correction, it’s called a “Nor-Eastern” storm and the wind was outrageous.  I was forced to leave my Christmas weekend in Ohio early and fly back to Philly to beat the snow.  Sarah got stuck in Baltimore overnight, but it was no biggy because the outpatient facility that she works at was closed on Monday.  People in Delaware do not know how to handle the snow; I don’t understand because even though they plow some roads, they never plow down to the pavement and the roads are still covered in snow.  Also, there are only 3 counties in the whole state so there’s not exactly a surplus of snow plows. 

I turned 26 on January 3^rd and we had a lovely evening chowing down on some sushi with friends.  Thanks for all the birthday wishes, cards, etc, and I would like to share a few things I have learned over 26 years of existence: 

1.       Live each day to the fullest and don’t be afraid to take a risk. 

2.       Don’t speed in the state of Virginia.

3.       If you are traveling with a group of people and going to the airport, make sure everyone has their ID and/or passport before leaving home.

4.       Life is short, eat desserts

5.       As an addition to #4, don’t forget to exercise, because you don’t want to be 50 years old and using a walker, on oxygen, and 75 lbs overweight like some of my patients.

6.       Be careful driving if you have a Christmas tree strapped to the top of your car.

7.       Don’t smoke….it’s gross, it kills people, smells disgusting, and turns your teeth yellow, not to mention how expensive it is.

8.       Go on as many vacations as possible.

9.       Pick up the phone and stay in touch with your friends and family.

10.   Volunteer, help others, and treat others like you would like to be treated. 

I’m sure those 10 bits of wisdom will change your life… But anyway, hope everyone had a safe new year’s eve!  Sarah and I went to a house party and then a bar in Rehoboth Beach.  Sarah reverted to her college years and downed a significant amount of beers (yep, a funnel may have been involved- her parents and my dad would be proud!).  I drove and it was nice to wakeup the next day without a hangover. 

We have approximately 3 weeks left in Delaware since our last day of work is January 28^th.  Washington D.C. is getting invaded by some Ohioans this weekend, and then the last couple of weekends I think we are going to stay local and take over Lewes.  We are trying to figure out where we going for our next assignment- hopefully somewhere in Texas or North Carolina.  Don’t worry, we will keep ya’ll posted so then you will be able to sleep at night.  Speaking of sleep, I need to catch some shut eye…. Adios!

BELLS, BOWS, and BOOZE!

Kara and I found enough friends to host an ugly Christmas sweater party on Friday, which was a success!  We had roughly 30 peeps all cozied in our festive condo. We had quite the crew: ranging from dodgeball friends, Five Points neighbors, gym friends, co-workers (and boss), and randoms. We figured out if our PT careers take a turn for the worst we have party planning to fall back on.  The night was relatively a blur, as we started drinking wine, jello shots, and chocolate vodka a tad too early and not wanting to stop until 3am.  Drinking games were played, romance was in the air (thanks to our mistletoe), and the photos are priceless, some of which had to be deleted. Not to mention, I rocked a onesie...thats right, they make them for adults, although I had a permanent wedgie. Friday night was a blast, but Saturday not so much! We were pretty much wasted space on Saturday! Blame it on the alcohol! I popped multiple Ibuprofens throughout the day and had almost 13 hrs of sleep Saturday night…needless to say I can’t hang like I used to.  Cathy Hester if you are reading this, we are sorry.  If something is broken please bill it to our company, CompHealth. Thanks again for letting us stay in your condo and we promise we won’t throw any parties until next yearJ  Today was once again uneventful.  We were productive this morning and went to Church with our friend Steph.  We figured we better pray hard for everything that took place on Friday night.  One more work week and then time to head back to Ohio! We are both excited to spend the holidays with family and friends.  Merry Christmas and talk to you all next year!

Mama Poling is in the house!

Sarah's mama came to visit us the weekend of December 17-19!  She is a Delaware first timer, well was, and she loved it.  The Poling ladies did alot of shopping, froze their feet off in order to step in the ocean, and ate some delicious seafood.  Sarah took her mom to Ocean City, Maryland to see a bunch of Christmas lights and get in the holiday spirit.  Mrs. Poling might just be Mrs. Claus though because she is all about Christmas!  She brought us a frosty that senses motion and sings loud tunes, don't worry we put it in the bathroom above the toilet to freak everyone out.  She also packed a variety of Christmas decorations including antlers and a christmas tree headband.  She is a wonderful lady and hopefully the Poling's and Gintert's will be visiting each state we move too!

I also began my duty as dog/house sitter for my coworker.  I know what you are all thinking, someone trusts you with their house and animal?  The answer is yes and I didn't burn the place down.  Dakota is an 11 year old black lab and we bonded.  Dogs are awesome but I'm not responsible enough to have one.  It's below freezing outside and Dakota wanted to run around the town.  Then she realized I had a weak spot for her puppy dog eyes and she pretty much got a treat for breathing. Sarah and I are starting our second round of housesitting the day after Christmas for another coworker.  If this whole PT thing falls through, looks like we have a second career!

New York, New York!

Ohhh where to begin??? Well Sarah and I have been slacking on the blog, but stop crying because today is the day you have all been waiting for.  Below are the juicy details from the last 3 weeks of the lives of Kara & Sarah.

December 10-12:  THE BIG APPLE

Sarah and I made a road trip up to NYC for some fun in the big city.  We stayed with my friend Sean, who is a baller and lives right in the heart of Manhattan.  It took us about 3 hours to drive to Jersey, with a stop on the way to get booze for Sean and his roomies (obvious thank you gift for dudes).  It dawned on me on the car ride up that we would have to carry the 30 pack of bud light and the bottle of Jameson along with 2 duffle bags and a bookbag.  Yes, we overpacked, but remember NYC is the fashion capital of the United States so we had to bring some cool gear.  After parking our car somewhere in Jersey, the journey to find our way to NYC on foot began.  People were pretty friendly (probably because they wanted our liquor stash) and we made it to the PATH train to go across to NYC.  We arrived in NYC and found our tour guide for the weekend.  I forgot to mention that Sean is currently a gimp due to a foot surgery (injury sustained in a hockey game, ha well that’s the story he told his work but the real story is slightly different and involves alcohol), anyway, so being on crutches in NYC is a big bummer.  We met Sean’s awesome roomies and we hit up a couple of bars near his apartment.  Men in the big apple dress really well with scarves and sweaters and well it took me a little while to get used to it because I felt like they were all gay, but hey whatever floats your boat.  Drinks were expensive and I’m glad I’m not an alcoholic, but the bars were really swanky, decorated for Christmas and large & in charge.  Saturday morning, Sarah and I awoke and were ready to explore the greatest city on earth.  We left Sean’s place at 9 am and did not return until 5 pm.  Sean may have been overserved the night before and due to his gimp status, did not make the excursion.  We made our way to Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Macy’s, picked up a few items at Prada, Guicci, and Harry Winston’s, and stopped in at MSG to chat with Spike Lee.  Things we loved about NYC:  shopping (you can find affordable stuff), street performers, people watching, every type of food you can imagine, street meat on every corner, starbucks (Sarah is an addict and she was in heaven), and the beautiful Christmas decorations.  Saturday night we went to a birthday party for one of Sean’s friends and we showed NYC how the Midwest rolls.  People kept saying “you girls aren’t from the east coast are you?”  I was in a dance off with a man in camo and Sarah almost got in a fight with some girl with reindeer antlers (she was a whackjob and Sarah would have jacked her up).  Anyway, no one got arrested and sometime around 3 am we made it back to the apartment.  Sunday brunch is the big ‘to-do’ in NYC so we followed along and did that, which was delicious.  We found our car and made our way back to the big Del later that day.  Things that we didn’t like about NYC: pigeons, taxes (Taxfree Delaware looks better everyday), high prices on everything, the wind/cold, traffic, and crazy cab drivers that made me fear for my life.  Overall, NYC is a blast to visit, neither of us plan to live there anytime soon, but everyone needs to visit.  Thank you to Sean and his roomies for letting us crash for the weekend J

Visitors & Victories!

     It's official, we had our first visitors!  The state of Delaware and all it's glory welcomed Mark and Lana Gintert on this Thanksgiving weekend.  My wonderful parents arrived Friday evening and stayed until Sunday afternoon.  Sarah and I spent Thanksgiving day at our coworker Holly's house with her family.  It was so nice of Holly to adopt us and we couldn't have asked for a better group of people to enjoy the holidays with.  I believe I ate my body weight in desserts (there was pecan pie, cranberry pie, dutch apple pie made by yours truly, and pumpkin cake).  Holly's dog, Dakota, also enjoyed the pumpkin cake since she ate about half of the cake when it was left outside due to lack of frig storage room.  She was a trooper though and kept the cake down, while also cleaning up any scraps that fell on the floor.  We topped the evening off by going to bed before 9 o'clock, yep we are crazy.  Instead of spending cash we don't have on black friday, Dr. Poling and I saved lives all day at the hospital.  I'm starting to realize that being an adult means you can't just go on vacation whenever you want and for some reason you don't get multiple week breaks between quarters.... on the positive side though, we did receive our second paycheck, which later got spent outlet shopping with my parents.  It's tax free shopping here in the big del so certain items just scream "buy me." Friday night we ate with my parents at FINS and I lost my crab cake virginity!  I feel cheated because I have went 25 years without these delicious morsels.  Sidenote-a few other random things I've noticed about Delaware:  1.  It's always windy, Chicago has nothing on this place.  2.  There are no targets here and I love target.   3. Ohio should have more crab cakes.  4. Everyone here says hello, good morning, or some other greeting, more people should embrace that.  5. Windsurfing sounds fun.  6. One day I wanna be able to say "I live in.... and I have a beach house in..." 
     Guess what?  For the 6th or 7th year in a row, OHIO STATE BEAT MICHIGAN (I lost track, but who cares because we just keep dominating).  Nice work bucks! We went to the Green Turtle Saturday to watch the game and luckily we had our own booth and tv so my dad's swearing didn't disturb others at the bar.  On Saturday night I made another big step in my life and paid for dinner!  Now, I don't think I would like to make this a frequent occurence, but after all the money I have cost them over the years, I think it's the least I could do.  Oh and in other news, someone egged my car in the parking lot.  Yeah apparently people still throw cars at eggs and think it's funny.  I haven't even lived here long enough to piss someone off and not to mention that I have yet to see another person under the age of 25 around.  It was probably someone from Michigan....

      We are NYC bound on Friday!  Two country girls hitting the big city.... should be a blast :)

FALL FUN: Football, Gay Bars, & Punkin Ale!

I am slacking on the blog so we will combine the last 2 weekends into 1. This weekend’s blog may be a little short due to me not recalling details of last night.  I will blame it on my good friend, Mr.  Jagermeister! A special shout out to you and the pounding headache you left me with this morning.

Back tracking to Friday, November 12, 2010… a day to mark down in the record book.  Kara and I finally received our first ever real paychecks.  I think our parents are just as excited as we are.   We felt rich for about 2 seconds and then realized we have school loans and taxes, which are a bitch…Mr. Obama if you follow our blog and happen to be reading this, would you be so kind to lower them? Thank you!  Friday night we met with friends ( yes, we found a few) for dinner at the Summer House. The evening ended with a trip to the Purple Parrot; a classy, romantic bar in Delaware ideal for people watching.   A big crowd was in attendance for karaoke night complete with a few drag queens and a lot of flaming homosexuals singing Celine Dion and Cher.  Picture standing up, waving your hands in the air, shouting out Cher’s lyrics to Believe. Nothing to brag about, but that was us and we stole the show. We looked a bit out of place as we were the only straight people there, but we made a few gay friends that night.  We were told Sunday nights are the best to attend with entertainment consisting of a full out drag show.  It is on our “to do list” while in Delaware.  Saturday was complete with a big win from our Buckeyes. O-H!  I wish we could say the same about our Browns on Sunday, but we won’t even go there!

This past Friday we were dorks and were in bed by 10:00. Kara and I watched a chick flick and went through an entire box of tissues.  I guess when you get a real job you turn lame on Friday nights. Saturday was once again complete with a victory from the Buckeyes.  It was not pretty, but a win is a win.  Our neighbors probably think I was beating Kara from all of our screaming at the TV. Last night we went to Dogfish Brewery and sampled a few beers.  It’s putting Delaware on the map as the Discovery channel is filming a series about it called Brew Master, which is airing tonight.  We then went down the street to Summer House. You know it’s a successful night when I had to ice my knee this morning from all my stellar dance moves.  Welp it’s now almost noon, it took me a lot longer to write this entry due to killing too many brain cells last night. Time to hit up the outlets and do some Christmas shopping…my favorite time of the year! Kara is starting to see the true side of me and my obsession with Christmas. I have been rocking out to Christmas music the past 3 weeks.  Side note, I would dominate all of you at Christmas music trivia, so if anyone is up for the challenge please let me know! “There is no singing in the north pole”  For any of you wanting to make a trip to the big Del, we are hosting a Christmas party on December 17^th. We bought 20 invitations, so we are hoping to find enough friends to make this party rockin! Christmas attire is a must for entry!