ASHP Midyear: New Orleans 2011

Although I went to New Orleans for a Hospital Pharmacy Conference, I did have plenty of opportunities to explore this amazing city...

 Lower 9th Ward -- Brad Pitt Homes

 Mississippi River

 Jackson Square (AKA Place D'Armes)

 St. Louis Cathedral

 Canal Street

 Architecture on Bourbon Street

 Oldest Pharmacy (Museum) in the United States

 ?

 Near Cafe Du Monde

 The Spotted Cat on Frenchman Street for live New Orleans Old Timey Jazz

The food in New Orleans was fantastic... I wish I could eat like this everyday...

 Beignets at Cafe Du Monde

 Grilled Oysters 

Jambalaya, Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, and Andouille Sausage 

 Oysters Desire (broiled oysters with Parmesan cheese)

 The best--and second--Filet Mignon I've ever had

 

Shrimp Creole may be my new favorite... 

Cajun fried chicken, Jambalaya, and coleslaw 

(not pictured: fried clams, shrimp, crawdads, and oysters appetizer)

Even the grilled shrimp Po'Boy that I got at a food court near the convention center was great!

We like to watch animated TV shows as a family. Recently, we just finished The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008) and Ali heard Megan singing to herself while playing, "Peter Parker, I really love you."

Gotta teach 'em while they're young, I guess.

A lobster gets too big for his shell and has to shed it to grow a new one. Sharks try to eat him. The current threatens to slam him into coral. He's so soft, pink, and vulnerable, but he's gotta risk it all to become a bigger, better lobster. This anecdote has always given me perspective in times of trial and learning...about the delicate, deliciousness of lobster.

Boise, Idaho

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 6 weeks since we've moved to Idaho. We're pretty much settled. We have callings in the ward. And the residency seems to be going pretty well. And Idaho is really great. I think Utahns have a tendency to bash their neighbors to the north, but there are some really cool things about living in Boise.

First, this place has amazing parks. The Boise river runs through downtown and all along it are huge green parks with fountains, rose gardens, museums, the zoo, and trees, trees, trees. There are paths for running and cycling, tons of grass area for Taichi or LARPing, whatever your pleasure. You can fish along the river and some parks have their own stocked ponds. And everyone loves to float the Boise river and get out afterward and hang out for a BBQ along the greenbelt.

Second, Boise is still relatively small, but has all of the amenities of a big city. It has a robust awesome downtown with great restaurants, a huge farmer's market (every Saturday), and various other cultural activities. I guess they've got a pretty good college football team too.

People, for the most part, seem much friendlier than the general population of Salt Lake City. Strangers greet us and engage in conversation all the time at grocery stores or on the street. And not everyone seems to be in such a big hurry on the roads (at least not as badly as in Utah). This isn't always the case, but people don't seem to have such an impending agenda here.

So, it's basically like the Utah of my youth up here, but with more places to eat and shop.

It's funny though, I have met with other residents and people from the south or midwest who think the mountains here are fantastic. I'm sure once you get to the actual mountains they are, you know like in Stanley or McCall (1-2 hours away), but the mountains you can see here in Boise aren't mountains. No sirree. Every day when I ride my bike or scooter to the hospital looking at the foothills in the distance it makes me long for the the beauty and grandeur of the Wasatch Front, the great view from my parents deck in Sandy, and the ability to drive less than 30 minutes to Big Cottonwood Canyon.

I wouldn't say that I'm usually the homesick type, but Ali, the kids, and I are excited to visit home in the next two weeks. Both sets of our folks have come to visit, and it was great to see them up here, but we're excited to visit them now. Boise's great, but home is where our family and mountains are.

Yearbook Yourself Never Gets Old

There Should Be No Debate...

Created by: Medical Coding Career Guide

My Sister

If I had to judge a book by it's cover, I'd say this book is gonna be fantastic!