Here are a couple of my favorite pictures he has taken!
why we said "yes" to special needs
9 years ago
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Working as a "married team"
As an old married woman (I have been married for 2 years and 2 months now!), I believe that the key to a happy marriage is being a team. As simple as this sounds, it can make all the difference in the world, if a husband and a wife have hobbies together, cook together, clean together, etc. For instance, Bo is an amazing photographer. He can take portraits or landscapes, and with turn of a few knobs on his fancy camera, adjust the photo into art. So, when he goes out to take pictures, I love to go with him. I often point out a "picture perfect" scene, and he snaps away. Many times, we end the day at sunset, maybe have a glass of wine or two, and we know we spent the day as a team, working together.
Here are a couple of my favorite pictures he has taken!
Here are a couple of my favorite pictures he has taken!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Saturday morning happiness
My baby loves pancakes. And I like to make my baby happy.
On the rare Saturdays that we get to wake up together (he hasn't had a day off in six weeks), our favorite thing to do is slowly wake up over a period of a couple hours, (this part I must edit), and then stumble into the kitchen to make pancakes. I am not sure if I have mentioned it before, but my mom is a cook like none other. She is fantasmatic! HOWEVER, in all my days, I have never tasted yummy pancakes like Bo makes. I think I said "I love you" right after I tasted his delicious fluffiness for the first time.
So, I thought I would share with you guys a few tips to make pancakes that make your tongue sing with joy.
1. Don't over mix the batter.
2. Let the batter REST. This might be the most important tip of all!!!
3. Test the hotness of the pan...
4. And as soon as the edges of your pancake starts to brown, you should flip it. NO sooner, NO later!
Make these and make your day!
On the rare Saturdays that we get to wake up together (he hasn't had a day off in six weeks), our favorite thing to do is slowly wake up over a period of a couple hours, (this part I must edit), and then stumble into the kitchen to make pancakes. I am not sure if I have mentioned it before, but my mom is a cook like none other. She is fantasmatic! HOWEVER, in all my days, I have never tasted yummy pancakes like Bo makes. I think I said "I love you" right after I tasted his delicious fluffiness for the first time.
So, I thought I would share with you guys a few tips to make pancakes that make your tongue sing with joy.
1. Don't over mix the batter.
2. Let the batter REST. This might be the most important tip of all!!!
3. Test the hotness of the pan...
4. And as soon as the edges of your pancake starts to brown, you should flip it. NO sooner, NO later!
Make these and make your day!
A doctor with a passion
Morning starts early for a doctor, and a day never ends at a hospital.
Life consists of snapshots of time: He rolls out of bed; a car crashes. He splashes his face; a heart stops beating. He squints to focus his face in the mirror; a baby is born. Khayree Butler is a physician and a photographer. He saves lives and captures it at the same time.
These days, Butler’s time is filled with countless hospital consults, the morbid task of writing notes, and the occasional opportunity to hold retractors during a surgery, but every chance he gets, he sneaks out towards nature and loses himself in his pictures.
You could say Butler grew up surrounded by art. Born in southern Maryland to an artist mother and a carpenter father Khayree knew what it was like to create beauty from an early age.
After high school graduation, Butler attended Florida Institute of Technology and majored in marine biology, and it was during his time at FIT that photography entered Butler’s life. In his sophomore year of college, he began taking casual pictures around the marine lab and on the North Carolina coast. Butler was suddenly and irreversibly drawn to the medium.
During his junior year at FIT, Butler realized he needed a little more human interaction with his future job. After shadowing the doctor who performed his grandfather’s hernia surgery, Khayree decided to pursue a career in medicine. Butler is quick to point out that Zach Braff had a little to do with it, too.
“I was watching Scrubs,” Butler laughed, “and I thought, ‘You know, I could do that!’”
And so began the long road to where he is today, finishing up his intern year of residency at the University of Florida. He will be the first one to tell you it is no accident they call it “residency.” Until six years ago, young physicians were staying at the hospital for an excess of 120 hours each week. It was their residence. Now, government has mandated they work no longer than 80 hours per week. As hard as one may try to stay within the boundaries of these limitations, many interns and residents smudge the lines when filling out the required paper work, and for Butler, it is no different.
Residents at the University of Florida have are used to the physical exhaustion, but they can also be affected emotionally and spiritually. This year, the program has had residents be hospitalized, and some young physicians have even had quit secondary to depression. For the ones attempting to hold their head high and trudge through, it is necessary to lean on something. Some lean on family, others lean on friends, and some, including Khayree, simply look for a diversion.
“When I was in college, if I got stressed, I would surf. It was just me and my board out in the water, and my only focus was on the next wave coming in,” Butler said.
These days, instead of grabbing a surf board, Khayree reaches for his camera. Wanting to take advantage of every free moment, even though they are few and far between, Khayree heads towards nature and what has become his sanctuary. He is able to take reprieve in the art form.
“I just go out, and it is all about me and the camera, nothing else matters. I am thinking about exposures and lenses. I see people fishing on the lake and birds flying overhead,” Butler says. “I guess it is where we escape.”
Back at the hospital, Butler is constantly making decisions in a split second. This takes creativity. The same goes for photography and its fleeting moments of significance. However, the relationship between medicine and art does not end at inventiveness. A good surgeon sees in 3D, Butler explains, and an artist must do the same.
“Art is about spatial relationships, and in surgery, spatial relationships are the hardest part. It is one of those things you have to master.”
Butler admits that it is hard to always see the end product of your work but says there are moments that worlds collide and your efforts are rewarded by a beautiful creation.
“A lot of taking pictures is simply allowing yourself to see the photo. There is always something beautiful. For example, I took a picture of a tree. From one perspective, it is just a tree sitting in water, and then you look at it from another and it looks like a duck that turns into an octopus at the end. You can turn something ordinary into something that has a meaning.”
Even though his art captures his creativity and imagination, for now, Butler’s plan is to pursue a career in general surgery.
If he had to choose between being a world renowned surgeon or a famous photographer, Khayree’s heart still lies with his patients.
“Right now, photography is what I do for fun. I am not trying to change the world with it. If I have done something to be a world renowned surgeon, I have helped a lot of folks.”
Life consists of snapshots of time: He rolls out of bed; a car crashes. He splashes his face; a heart stops beating. He squints to focus his face in the mirror; a baby is born. Khayree Butler is a physician and a photographer. He saves lives and captures it at the same time.
These days, Butler’s time is filled with countless hospital consults, the morbid task of writing notes, and the occasional opportunity to hold retractors during a surgery, but every chance he gets, he sneaks out towards nature and loses himself in his pictures.
You could say Butler grew up surrounded by art. Born in southern Maryland to an artist mother and a carpenter father Khayree knew what it was like to create beauty from an early age.
After high school graduation, Butler attended Florida Institute of Technology and majored in marine biology, and it was during his time at FIT that photography entered Butler’s life. In his sophomore year of college, he began taking casual pictures around the marine lab and on the North Carolina coast. Butler was suddenly and irreversibly drawn to the medium.
During his junior year at FIT, Butler realized he needed a little more human interaction with his future job. After shadowing the doctor who performed his grandfather’s hernia surgery, Khayree decided to pursue a career in medicine. Butler is quick to point out that Zach Braff had a little to do with it, too.
“I was watching Scrubs,” Butler laughed, “and I thought, ‘You know, I could do that!’”
And so began the long road to where he is today, finishing up his intern year of residency at the University of Florida. He will be the first one to tell you it is no accident they call it “residency.” Until six years ago, young physicians were staying at the hospital for an excess of 120 hours each week. It was their residence. Now, government has mandated they work no longer than 80 hours per week. As hard as one may try to stay within the boundaries of these limitations, many interns and residents smudge the lines when filling out the required paper work, and for Butler, it is no different.
Residents at the University of Florida have are used to the physical exhaustion, but they can also be affected emotionally and spiritually. This year, the program has had residents be hospitalized, and some young physicians have even had quit secondary to depression. For the ones attempting to hold their head high and trudge through, it is necessary to lean on something. Some lean on family, others lean on friends, and some, including Khayree, simply look for a diversion.
“When I was in college, if I got stressed, I would surf. It was just me and my board out in the water, and my only focus was on the next wave coming in,” Butler said.
These days, instead of grabbing a surf board, Khayree reaches for his camera. Wanting to take advantage of every free moment, even though they are few and far between, Khayree heads towards nature and what has become his sanctuary. He is able to take reprieve in the art form.
“I just go out, and it is all about me and the camera, nothing else matters. I am thinking about exposures and lenses. I see people fishing on the lake and birds flying overhead,” Butler says. “I guess it is where we escape.”
Back at the hospital, Butler is constantly making decisions in a split second. This takes creativity. The same goes for photography and its fleeting moments of significance. However, the relationship between medicine and art does not end at inventiveness. A good surgeon sees in 3D, Butler explains, and an artist must do the same.
“Art is about spatial relationships, and in surgery, spatial relationships are the hardest part. It is one of those things you have to master.”
Butler admits that it is hard to always see the end product of your work but says there are moments that worlds collide and your efforts are rewarded by a beautiful creation.
“A lot of taking pictures is simply allowing yourself to see the photo. There is always something beautiful. For example, I took a picture of a tree. From one perspective, it is just a tree sitting in water, and then you look at it from another and it looks like a duck that turns into an octopus at the end. You can turn something ordinary into something that has a meaning.”
Even though his art captures his creativity and imagination, for now, Butler’s plan is to pursue a career in general surgery.
If he had to choose between being a world renowned surgeon or a famous photographer, Khayree’s heart still lies with his patients.
“Right now, photography is what I do for fun. I am not trying to change the world with it. If I have done something to be a world renowned surgeon, I have helped a lot of folks.”
Monday, November 30, 2009
What your momma didn't tell you
I don't mean to dwell on the topic...or maybe I do. (If you know me long enough, you will find out I tend to stay on the same subject for DAYS. Just ask my husband.)
Anyway, my sister had a baby. His name is Smith.
I have come to realize that my mother's generation tend to be...how should I say this...too perfect, maybe a little closed off, a bit prude if you will. I can hear my mother talking about childbirth right now..."It is the most amazing experience of your life. It is a gift from God." I don't know, but I am pretty sure in my mother's version of giving birth, there was no blood, sweat or tears. Hair was maintained in perfect Farrah Fawcett layers and curls and fake eyelashes were intact.
However, whether it is because the newer generation is more open or less concerned about appearances, many of my "new mom" friends are telling me things aren't so peachy. Here are a couple warnings I have heard.
1. You can't laugh after a c-section.
2. All of your beautiful baby's first poops are apparently like crude oil...seeping, seeping, seeping. Per Shae "my baby produces oil."
3. Life tends to be like groundhog day...you wake up and it is the same thing over, and over, and over.
Anyway, my sister had a baby. His name is Smith.
I have come to realize that my mother's generation tend to be...how should I say this...too perfect, maybe a little closed off, a bit prude if you will. I can hear my mother talking about childbirth right now..."It is the most amazing experience of your life. It is a gift from God." I don't know, but I am pretty sure in my mother's version of giving birth, there was no blood, sweat or tears. Hair was maintained in perfect Farrah Fawcett layers and curls and fake eyelashes were intact.
However, whether it is because the newer generation is more open or less concerned about appearances, many of my "new mom" friends are telling me things aren't so peachy. Here are a couple warnings I have heard.
1. You can't laugh after a c-section.
2. All of your beautiful baby's first poops are apparently like crude oil...seeping, seeping, seeping. Per Shae "my baby produces oil."
3. Life tends to be like groundhog day...you wake up and it is the same thing over, and over, and over.
There are stories that grab you attention, and then there are stories that grab your heart. I found a story that did just that. In two sentence: When baby Moses was born, his mother died from a rare amniotic fluid aneurysm. His mother's dream was to breast feed her baby, and that is when 20 neighborhood women stepped in and breast fed Moses.
This got me thinking about the benefits of breast feeding. My Jiddi (grandfather) always attributed his strength and health to being breast fed as a baby. Whether it was that, or the strong Lebanese genes, my family has always encouraged it.
Here is what I learned:
1. It is spelled breastfeeding.
2. A study showed that it may curb heart and diabetes risk factors.
3. Per an extremely sexy doctor I know, babies who are breastfed, are less likely to develop new born health issues.
4. A woman's risk for breast and ovarian cancer is reduced.
5. As selfish as this may seem, women who breastfeed burn as many calories as running two miles!! Whaa! That is about 200-500 calories, or as I like to look at it, two scoops of ice cream.
So, it looks as though, without the massive scientific research behind it, my Jiddi knew what he was talking about!
This got me thinking about the benefits of breast feeding. My Jiddi (grandfather) always attributed his strength and health to being breast fed as a baby. Whether it was that, or the strong Lebanese genes, my family has always encouraged it.
Here is what I learned:
1. It is spelled breastfeeding.
2. A study showed that it may curb heart and diabetes risk factors.
3. Per an extremely sexy doctor I know, babies who are breastfed, are less likely to develop new born health issues.
4. A woman's risk for breast and ovarian cancer is reduced.
5. As selfish as this may seem, women who breastfeed burn as many calories as running two miles!! Whaa! That is about 200-500 calories, or as I like to look at it, two scoops of ice cream.
So, it looks as though, without the massive scientific research behind it, my Jiddi knew what he was talking about!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Venison
When the seasons begin to change (and let's be honest, fall tends to come a little later for Florida), I am inspired to make dishes that reflect the weather. Some of Bo's fondest memories are going deer hunting with his mom and dad when he was a little boy. As I have mentioned in a previous post about fishing and having a garden, it is such a great feeling for me when you can eat something you have grown (or shot, or caught). Anyway...sorry PETA. Even though Bo and I have not been able to go hunting since we have been in Florida, we are fortunate enough to have family bring us fresh game. Bo's father, Marc, and uncle (Puncle) have both given us amazing venison sausage and loin. Just prior to Halloween, I tried a new recipe, and it turned out to be amazing. It is from Jamie Oliver.
10 juniper berries, crushed with the side of a knife
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 pounds venison loin in 1 large piece, trimmed
Olive oil
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled
Water
1 wineglass of good-quality red wine, like Pinot Noir
Combing the juniper berries and rosemary, add a pinch of salt and pepper, then sprinkle over a board. Rub the venison all over with olive oil before rolling it across the board and pressing it into the flavorings. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a high heat and add a glug of olive oil. Sear the venison for a couple of minutes on all sides, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the smashed garlic bulb and any leftover flavorings from the chopping board. Shake everything together, pour in a splash of water to cool things down and place in the oven. Cook according to your liking - about 8 minutes will give you medium venison.
Take the venison out of the oven and let it rest on a plate, covered loosely with foil. Pour away any excess fat. Squash the garlic cloves with a fork and discard the skins. Mix the garlic with the herbs in the pan and place on the heat. Pour in the red wine, simmer until it has reduced by half and then add the butter. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the sticky, meaty goodness from the bottom. As soon as the sauce comes together, take the pan off the heat, correct the seasoning and stir in another knob of butter. Carve the venison into desired-thickness. Pour any resting juices from the plate back into the pan, then pour your gravy through a sieve over the meat.
10 juniper berries, crushed with the side of a knife
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 pounds venison loin in 1 large piece, trimmed
Olive oil
1 bulb garlic, unpeeled
Water
1 wineglass of good-quality red wine, like Pinot Noir
Combing the juniper berries and rosemary, add a pinch of salt and pepper, then sprinkle over a board. Rub the venison all over with olive oil before rolling it across the board and pressing it into the flavorings. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a high heat and add a glug of olive oil. Sear the venison for a couple of minutes on all sides, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the smashed garlic bulb and any leftover flavorings from the chopping board. Shake everything together, pour in a splash of water to cool things down and place in the oven. Cook according to your liking - about 8 minutes will give you medium venison.
Take the venison out of the oven and let it rest on a plate, covered loosely with foil. Pour away any excess fat. Squash the garlic cloves with a fork and discard the skins. Mix the garlic with the herbs in the pan and place on the heat. Pour in the red wine, simmer until it has reduced by half and then add the butter. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the sticky, meaty goodness from the bottom. As soon as the sauce comes together, take the pan off the heat, correct the seasoning and stir in another knob of butter. Carve the venison into desired-thickness. Pour any resting juices from the plate back into the pan, then pour your gravy through a sieve over the meat.
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