October is quite possibly my favorite month of the year. The arrival of crisp fall air, birthdays, a few vacation days, and endless pumpkin treats are just a few highlights. Despite all of these things to look forward to, October 2014 flew by in the blink of an eye. Between a busy month on trauma, call weekends, recovering from
Ironman, and a weekend trip to present research, I'm not sure that I ever stopped to do much other than to think about the next "to do". Here's a look at my month in mostly pictures and a few words.
Since Mom and I's birthdays are just two days apart, we celebrated together with a family dinner at our favorite Atlanta restaurant -
Canoe.
 |
The "Last of Summer Tomato Stack" |
 |
Crisped Rhode Island Calamari, Pickled Broccoli, Jicama, Sweet Chili, Smoked Peanut |
 |
Sweet Potato Creme Brulee, Marshmallow, Pecan Tea Cookies |
 |
The birthday girls and our pumpkin cake |
 |
In addition to diamond earrings from my parents, I also received this handmade wood Ironman sign from Royce and Erin. |
 |
After two weeks of easy short swims and and yoga, I felt mostly recovered from Chattanooga. This 8 mile run on a cool fall morning was exactly what my legs and mind wanted. |
 |
Pancake breakfast! |
 |
Sauté of Gardein "chicken", peas, tomato, and arugula over quinoa and a lemon-white wine sauce. |
I escaped to the
Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC during the last weekend in October to present a research project at the North Carolina Orthopedic Association.
 |
Peak fall color on the drive to Mt. Mitchell |
 |
Beautiful views looking back towards the city |
 |
Clouds built quickly during the day and temperatures hovered in the 30s with high winds |
 |
Happy Anniversary to my parents! |
 |
We hiked five miles before making the drive back down the mountain in search of a warm lunch. |
 |
Lunch at Rosetta's Kitchen Buddha Bowl with mixed greens, brown rice with tahini BBQ sauce, sprouts, avocado, tofu, and sea vegetable salad. |
 |
November 1st officially marked the start of winter. We woke up to 5 inches of snow on the ground and it continued to snow all day. Combined with the high winds, it looked like a blizzard. Fortunately I stayed warm at the spa - enjoying massaging hot tubs, contrast baths, saunas, and a facial. |
 |
Dinner at Rezaz Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potato Mash, and Fall Vegetables |
 |
A sunny clear day after the snowstorm |