Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  Though Sumeet and I have never done the couples costume thing before, we will for this year. Sumeet and I are going as the "Ultimate Couple"...I'll post pics after the weekend. 

UPDATE...

Yes, it's true. The Post-Dispatch actually printed the article about the water fountain. 

You can read about it here.

My husband will change the world...or at least, water fountains!

He's a bit of a phone conversation from today...

ring....ring. 

Since we have caller id, I knew it was the newspaper.

Me: hello?

Man: yes, is dr. g there?

Me: um, no, can I help you?

Man: Yes, this is so and so, I'm a reporter. I'm calling because he contacted us about a faulty water fountain at forest park and need interview him.

Me: Oh, I didn't know that the park was having problems with their water fountains OR that he actually contacted someone about it....

Anyway, there's going to be some sort of column about it in the newspaper on Monday. I'm really hoping they put Sumeet's name in the paper so he can be considered a local celebrity!!!

Marathon weekend.

It was a crazy busy weekend and I was exhausted on Monday, but it was well worth it. We both had a lot of fun... too bad it's Sumeet's last marathon.

Here's a summary of the weekend:

First up, Sumeet had to lay out all of his gear....

After a 6 hour drive up to Chicago (1 hour spent in traffic)- we made it up just in time to meet up with Matt for dinner at Goose Island Brewery. Cool place, great burgers and beer. My fav was the "boo-berry"- just a hint of fruit.

Saturday was "expo day" in Chicago. Since our weekend was short and there was so much to do, we decided to split up to maximize time. Sumeet picked up his bib and goodie bag for the run and I hit, what I like to call "heaven on earth". 

Here's a shot of the expo....

Saturday night was the final opportunity for Sumeet to carb-load and at the recommendation of a friend, headed to Leona's. It was a cute restaurant with great pasta and the best bread ever- mostly because they give you garlic butter to slather on the loaf. In honor of my husband, I decided to carb-load too. 

Sunday morning it was up and at 'em pretty early.

Here's the tattoo Sumeet put on to help determine his pace. Don't worry, it's temporary.

 Sumeet headed to the starting line and I headed to mile one to try and catch him. The way the race was set up, it allowed for multiple viewings if I planned and timed it out accordingly. It wasn't quite what I expected. There were 1.5 million spectators and 45,000 runners. Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded watching and I managed to sneak my way to the front for optimal viewing. Here's a shot of the runners- Sumeet's not in this shot. When I finally saw him, I got too excited and cheered too long and forgot to get a shot. It sure is hard being a cheerleader AND a photographer!

  Matt met up with me and we somehow missed Sumeet at Mile 12 but headed to Chinatown and had a great view of the race. The sad thing was, despite focused vision, Matt and I both missed Sumeet but he ended up finding us. 

Here's Sumeet in Chinatown right before he almost knocked over a one-legged runner.

We then headed to the finish line and I quickly snapped Sumeet with 1 mile to go. It was such a huge difference seeing the runners at this point. With only one mile to go, they were definitely more energized. At this point it was uber-hot and they had to open the fire hydrants...

Last year they ran out of water and Gatorade....they had plenty on hand this year!

One Mile to go!!!!

The runner reunite area:

I didn't know I was this popular...

Click here...

Chicago, here we come!

This weekend we'll be heading to Chicago for the marathon. Sumeet will be running, and I'll be cheering. Sumeet has run the Boston twice before but that was pre- me so this will be the first time I get to cheer him on. I take my cheering duties very seriously, so I'll be sporting this shirt for the event....I'm sure they'll be some sort of obnoxious handmade sign involved too.

He's been working very hard for this marathon and I know he'll do great!  They'll be 40,000+ runners and countless friends and family members in the area, so the weekend should be very exciting!

If you want to follow his progress on Sunday, click here 

Still undecided?

If you're like me and still undecided, here's a little tool that may help...click here.

Of course, you may want to further research the candidates, but it certainly can't hurt. 

Happy 30th Jess!

Today's Jessica's 30th birthday! We all surprised her last night with a night fun at Robust. Robust is in Webster and is a cute little wine store/restaurant. They have a great selection of nicely priced wines and the food is served tapas style- it was De-Lish! 

Jess, have a great B-day! You deserve it! 

In honor of the VP debate...

This blog is typically free of politics but I just wanted to share this.
My friend Bernadette is very passionate about politics and I enjoy reading her blog for her latest rants/raves on the candidates. I, on the other hand, am still deciding who will receive my vote.  I suppose she is trying to sway my vote and thought the pack of gum she sent me would do the trick.  She lives in the deep southern part of Alabama and told me that you can buy these in bulk at the local Winn Dixie.

Wine, Pizza & Football

It was a super busy weekend and I'm exhausted today! Here's a run down of the weekend...         

One of my favorite activities from last fall was the St. Louis Wine Fest, so I was determined to make it this year. Despite a lot of other great activities like SLU's homecoming, attending the fest was top on my list of "to dos" for the fall. Though it was a little warm we had a great time!

After the wine fest, we headed to our favorite pizza place...Feraro's in Soulard. It's "Jersey-Style" and their specialty is the Taylor ham pizza (some sort of Jersey specialty). It's DE-LISH! My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!

Of course one of Sumeet's favorite past times is watching his beloved Buffalo Bills. They hardly ever come to St. Louis because they are in a different section of the league (I think). Since Sumeet isn't shy about his love for the Bills, a kind doc at the hospital was so nice to give us great seats to the game.  Thankfully, the Bills won! Unfortunately though for the Rams coach, they lost and he was subsequently fired. They apparently don't mess around! Go Bills!

Balloon Glow

Sumeet and I have never been to the balloon glow and it's definitely been on my list of "to-do's" before we leave the STL.  It was such a beautiful night and fun to see the hot air balloon up close.  It was great too, because my friend from school, Caroline was able to join us!

Here are a few shots from the evening.

Apple Picking

Sumeet and I both had the day off on Thursday so we decided to make our annual trip to Eckerts Orchard. Last year's trip was a bit disappointing because 

1. there were no apples to pick because of the poor crop so you had to "pick" your apples from barrels 

2. We specifically went there to get their apple cider which Sumeet loves, but were distracted by their wine tasting and neglected to buy the cider.

Thursday was a beautiful day and it was a great trip for multiple reasons: there was hardly anyone else there, there were apples to pick off the trees this year AND we remembered the apple cider! All in all, it was a successful trip!

The trip home was  a bit of adventure since we ended up driving through East St. Louis on the way home.  Apparently the Garmin directs you to the most efficient, and not necessiarly the safest route. Lesson learned. 

Fall is here!

Though I used to be more of a "summer gal", over the past few years I've definitely started to love fall! It could be that in my old age, I'm becoming more of a fan of the season that allows me to open our windows, wear jeans with my Uggs, and walk from the parking garage to school without breaking out in the typical summer sweat. 

St. Louis thankfully has also discovered the greatness of fall as well. Our schedule is almost already packed with a few weddings, the St. Louis Wine Festival, the Forest Park Balloon Glow and The Best of Missouri.   And if I'm lucky, a certain someone will take me for a picnic in the park complete with a boat ride....

Fall is Sumeet's favorite season but not for the brisk air and changing leaves. No, Sumeet loves it for the football. He watches the 50 games that are on Sundays and is in a fantasy football league. He can't get enough. He even found a Buffalo Bills fan club right here in St. Louis. Here's Sumeet today on his way to join the club...Go Bills!

Summer's End.

Well, my summer school has ended which means that the blog is officially back. To recap my summer, I basically studied the whole time. I'm even talking most Friday and Saturday nights too! It obviously was very challenging but I think it will be worth it in the end. Thank goodness for my #1 husband who took care of the majority of the household chores and meals this summer :)

A few fun facts about the program:

46 - number of students who started in the program

44 number of students currently in the program

50 -percentage of females in the program

14 - number of courses taken (and successfully completed) during the summer semester

6- number of different groups I've been in 

2- number of semesters to go!

Needless to say, it was quite an experience and I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to be a part of the program. The next two semesters will be a bit better with a lighter workload. This will give me time to work for the Marketing Chair through a Graduate Assistantship and possibly an internship with a local company. 

I've had a week off and have been really enjoying it. I joined Sumeet at his limb deformity course in Baltimore (very cool city) and enjoyed lots of great food and wonderful weather!

Here are a few photos from the trip...

Brace yourselves people...

The blog will be making its comeback next week after all my final tests, papers and presentations. 

The Blog is not dead...

It's just taking a little break while I study super hard this summer....stay tuned!

It was fun while it lasted...

I'm going to have to end the blogging...have a great summer everyone.

Where exactly is Sumeet?

He's in Lucknow, India....

Just talked to Sumeet...

He arrived safely in India and is with his relatives in Lucknow for a few days.  He said the that the 15 hour plane ride wasn't that bad. He's such a trooper! He has a bit of jet lag but the home cooked Indian food is making things a whole lot better!

I sure miss him (and not just because I had to take out the recycling and trash all by myself).

The Good and the Bad

Let's start with the good:

This weekend signifies the start of a major landmark in our lives. Sumeet is set to start his 5th year of residency!!! Yeah! For those of you that don't know, 5th year is the last year!  I literally can't believe that Sumeet has been in some sort of educational/learning environment for 24 years. Crazy, right?! I'm so proud of him! Though the last year is very demanding, it also comes with it's perks:

-Mega respect

-Some sort of boat bash for the 5th years and their significant others

-A golf tourney in your honor

-A seat at the head table graduation night

-The star of the show at graduation, complete with a picture montage.

-Everyone asking, "now, where are you going next year?"

I'm especially looking forward to the picture montage, since I'm the one submitting the pictures. I'm sure everyone will get a good chuckle out of little Sumeet dressed in a suit and tie when he was 3. Then there's my favorite picture of Sumeet in his snorkel key.

Now, the bad:

The residency just started a new international segment to the program which means that Sumeet will leaves today for India for 3 weeks. The plan was for me to go with him, the timing didn't work out and obviously can't go during school. I'm really excited for him to go and he's really excited, but we obviously don't make a habit of being away from each other for 3 weeks at a time. I'll definitely miss him a ton!!!

Question...

How can you fit 9 months of  statistics content into 3 weeks?

I'm not sure and am still trying to figure that out. I have my FINAL exam in the class on Friday. Yes, I've been in class for 2.5 weeks and have a final exam. How is this possible?

Wish me luck!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad! Even though you probably won't read this, I'd like to give you a very special shout out!  Being the only male in the household, I can't imagine it was very easy for Dad- especially during those fabulous teen years. Though sometimes he had a "tough cop" exterior, he definitely has one of the softest spots, especially when it comes to family and tradition. Every Christmas, Dad gets all the ladies in the house a special gift, a silver bell with that year inscribed on it. I'll admit, during my teen years, I thought this was a little corny and I'd pack the bell away with the others.  Then I realized it was a really special tradition and started unpacking the bells every Christmas and put them on display.  My dad assured me that even though I'm married now, I'll still be getting the bells...

Happy Father's Day!

Dave!

Sumeet and I went to the Dave Matthews concert on Saturday and it was AWESOME! Collectively, we both have been to probably a dozen dave concerts, but this one definitely takes the cake, primarily due to the location. Typically, they play at UMB Bank Pavilion, which is a fine venue, but turns into a nightmare when you try to leave the parking lot. Well, this concert was a bit different since it was the first ever performance held at the new Busch stadium. We had awesome seats along the first base line and were close enough to see Dave make those crazy faces.  Another bonus of the night...Sumeet actually stayed awake this time! 

First Day of Class!

Today was the first official first day of school. Basically all summer, I will have class from 9-12 then 2-5. I know you're probably thinking: "nice two hour break, not bad". I wish. The two hour break will be devoted to group work. YIKES!!!! 

Oh, how I long for the days of undergrad. I definitely worked very hard in undergrad, but I'm pretty sure that I only had class until 11 or 12. After that, I'd hang out in the dorm room for a bit with Jess, we'd watch the Rosie O'Donnell show together (this was before Rosie turned a little weird) on our 13 inch tv. I'd spend my afternoon and evening studying but not without a break that included some dorm shenanigans. Ahhh, the good old days!

Today was filled with Statistics and Strategic Management.  I'm not kidding you when I say that the amount we covered in Stats today basically encompassed my entire semester-long class in undergrad. It sure has been a long time since hearing "Standard deviations" or "variances"!

It's going to be a busy summer...

Orientation week...

Orientation week started on Tuesday and has kept me quite busy! I know what you're thinking: "orientation week is all about doing a bunch on icebreakers and campus tours". No ma'am!

Yes, we have had the usual meet and greets, but we've also done "business bootcamps" which attempts to bring everyone to the same level in application areas like Excel and Access.  I had never used Access at all, so this was obviously very challenging for me. The wonderful aspect about the instructors that is constantly reiterated, is the fact that professors are always willing to help.  I definitely witnessed this first-hand during the Access workshop. 

We've also already been working in a series of financial simulation group projects. Very interesting and definitely out of my comfort zone. I will say that it is quite refreshing that within the past few days of working with my group, all members have been enthusiastic and everyone has been participating. I remember in undergrad, there was always one or two members that didn't participate fully - so far, this has not been the case. Oh yeah, after day one, my group was leading the pack. Toot, toot!  Tomorrow is the final day of the simulation, ending with a group presentation for the members of the "board" who will judge the final results.

SLU has definitely mixed some fun into the week though too.  On Tuesday, we toured the new Chaifitz arena and finished with a welcome reception in the club seats. Seeing the new facility really got me excited for the upcoming basketball season! Go Billikens!

This evening, we mingled with former grads at the Moolah bowling alley. If you've never been, I highly recommend it! Besides having a bowling alley, the upper level is a movie theater, complete with leather couches and bar service. Super fun.

Class officially starts on Monday, but I definitely have felt that this week has allowed me to get my feet wet a little bit...after all, I have been out of school for over 8 years. It's great to be back!

Enjoy your day off...

School's IN for the summer!

School starts tomorrow!!! This week will is orientation week which includes meeting the faculty, business boot camp and lunch with Father Biondi. It will be great meeting everyone!

Weekend Recap...

This is a little overdue but I have had many distractions....

Sumeet and I just got back from a trip to Rochester, NY and I have a lot to blog about. We went up there for our Indian reception hosted by Sumeet's parents. Here's a brief rundown of the weekend's events ...I'll post photos later.

* I flew in Friday morning and we went straight to the Lilac Festival. I think that Rochester might be know for its lilacs and the festival was held on beautiful grounds with lilac trees all over.
* Friday afternoon, I had the mehndi applied on my hands. The girl that did this was super talented and very fast. It took her about 25 minutes to do all of this (I'll post photos later). Once the henna has been applied you have to let it dry, scrape off the excess, then it will turn dark. The longer you let it set without washing your hands, the darker it becomes.
*Saturday afternoon,  Sumeet's parents had all the out of towners over for lunch. It was great seeing friends and family we haven't seen since October. We were very fortunate that so many people were so kind to make the trip. Family/friends came from all over including Dallas, San Francisco, LA, NYC and Tennessee.
* Saturday night was the Indian reception held at the convention center. A lot of family was there, and we had a chance to meet a lot of his parents' friends. Preeti and Pooja did a fabulous Bollywood style dance for everyone that was amazing!! The reception was filled with great toasts, good food and lots of dancing.  The night ended with this amazing dessert bar, complete with sparklers and more dessert choices than guests! 
*Sunday everyone was gathered at the house, so we primarily just spent time relaxing...until we were given 2 great gifts:

 * Sumeet's parents were so kind to give us an awesome new tool...a navigation system! This definitely came in handy for our trip up north the next day. More on that later.
 * Apparently I've been talking about getting a "fancy" camera a little too much. After I     graduate, I planned on researching then buying one. Well, Sumeet and his parents were             about 10 steps ahead of me.  I was so surprised! The best part is that Sumeet's father                   knows a lot about cameras, so he knew just the right one to buy. I'm so lucky!


And a few randoms from the weekend...
*Given the time of year (and after checking the weather) I anticipated a nice, 60 degree weekend. Not so my friend. Apparently, Rochester still thought it was winter and didn't reach 55 until the day we left.
* Sumeet signed up for a facebook account! We learned from the cousins that everyone's doing it so I suppose I'll be signing up for an account soon.
* The "maid of the mist", the famous boat ride that takes you up close to the falls, should really be called "maid of the monsoon".  I'm planning on posting more on Niagara Falls a little later.

We just got our new computer...a Mac so I've been very busy trying to figure it out. I still don't know how to download pictures onto my blog, so for now, there are none.  The new computer plus the new camera = lots of fun for me!  Now I just need to learn how to use my new toys!!!

NKOTB!

It's true...they're coming to St. Louis on November 10! Not sure if I'll go, but they recently performed on the Today show and were great! I really would only want to see their "old" stuff "Please don't go girl", "The Right Stuff" and so on...

It's official!

We're poor. Today was my last day working which means we are now a one income household. And we have two mortgages (hopefully for not much longer).

Ok, so we aren't really poor, but cutting out one income will definitely be a challenge.

We both were very fortunate not to have to rely on federal funding during the undergrad/med school days (thank you parents, grandparents and scholarships), but not anymore. I'm really proud to say that I filled out the FAFSA all by myself.

In all honesty, it will be a challenge this year and over the past few weeks we have recently adjusted our spending habits. (Did you see my post below about Ebay?). By making a few adjustments, we've already found ways to cut back.
We have also reevaluated our phone plans and are saving about $50/month on that. Oh, by the way, please don't call us unless you are a Verizon customer. If you aren't, you can call us after 9pm. Or just shoot us an email :)

Sumeet's into (over) analyzing EVERYTHING, including things like how tire pressure can affect gas mileage or not accelerating downhill and just cruising. I like to save money as much as the next person, but he definitely is a true saver.

We've already cut back on eating out and discovered we're pretty great cooks (plus that gives us a chance to use all of our new kitchen goodies we got for the wedding)! Of course we still like to eat out and in the past we have found great deals through Channel 5's dining out deals or on Restaurants.com

I've always been "money conscious". Sumeet takes it to the next level. I totally used to make fun of him as he cut coupons every weekend proclaiming "Molly, the paper totally pays for itself with all these coupons!". Of course, I'm so glad he has these little money-saving tricks up he sleeves.

Though the next year, we may be in fact a little "poorer", I'm definitely excited for this next chapter in my life. I know that the sacrifices we make this year in the long run won't really seem like a big deal. Plus, when I'm sitting in my corner office, running some large corporation, I'll probably still be cutting coupons :)

I'll be off-line for a few days...but have a great weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today's post is obviously dedicated to my mom. She's actually working a 12 hour day today so we don't get to "celebrate" with the traditional Mother's day brunch (though we did make dinner for her on Friday night). I of course have always loved and respected my mom, but as I get older, I've grown to appreciate her and all she did for me growning up.

I can never remember a time when my mom missed a soccer game, swim meet, tennis match or an event that I was cheerleading for. And she worked. And took me to all of these sports' practices. And there were two of us!

Looking back, how is this even possible? Of course my dad helped out, but since her work schedule was a little lighter, the bulk of this responsibility fell upon her shoulders. How did mom find the time, energy or desire to do all of this for us?

To be honest, if I were in her shoes, I may have suggested that I cut back on my extracurricular activities. Of course she never did this and I never heard her complain.

My mom will always be the one to take the overcooked piece of chicken so that the rest of us can have perfectly cooked ones. She will always say "No, I don't want anything for my birthday". She will never be the one to pick the restaurant. These things I can't change, but I do know that I will alway love and appreciate her for the things she has done and will continue to do for me.

Happy Mother's day!