Bangkok Blogger break

Hey friends! This blogger will be taking a Blogger break while away on work travel in Bangkok, Thailand until May 16.  See you then!

Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand, March 2011 (Laura Blank)

Mango salad, Krabi, Thailand, March 2011 (Laura Blank)

Krabi, Thailand, March 2011 (Laura Blank)

Med School Update #2

Update: After reading this post more closely last night, I realized that what I wrote may be a little bit confusing.  So here's take two:  While we're thrilled with the possibility of moving to North Carolina, the final decision is still very unclear.  Given the reality that there are several wait-list schools we have yet to hear from, it's quite possible that our decision could change 5 times between now and August. But we're confident that we will end up in just the right place by the time classes roll around. Thanks for everyone's prayers and support!


Well, we're nearing the end of the medical school process, but things are still a bit up in the air.  Nevertheless, it seemed like a good time for an update! Here's what we do know:

• So far, we have been accepted to two schools: the State University of New York (SUNY) in Brooklyn and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Praise the Lord!
• We had to accept the offer of admission at one of these schools by May 15.
• After praying about the decision, talking to several people, thinking through all of our options and several different important factors for us, and taking a very deep breath, we decided to say "Hello, Tar Heels!" and "Adios, Big Apple."  
• However, we have also been wait-listed at 5 schools on the East Coast.  Technically, we could hear from any of these schools up until the day before class begins with an offer of admission.
• So, while we've made a small step forward, the waiting continues.  We could have a definitive answer in the next few weeks...or we could ultimately know where we're going right before classes start.
• Most schools begin in early August, so, to play it safe, we'll be moving back to the U.S. on July 31 in order to make sure we're home in time for *any* of the medical schools that may end up being our home for the next four years.

"Waiting," White Sands National Park, New Mexico, 2009 (Laura Blank)

^{Proverbs 3: 5, 6 - "5} Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Grandma's Easter biscotti cookies

My Sicilian Grandmother, Maria Angelena Famiano Cusumano, loved making these Easter treats for us every year.  Unfortunately, my cookbook of her recipes is currently packed and buried beneath a storage-unit full of boxes in Boston, but this recipe is a close second!


I made these for some friends and officemates here in San Jose, and they loved them. I hope you do too!

Courtesy: LevieDeisapori.it

BISCOTTI - PUPA CU L'OVA


4 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup of milk
1 teaspoon anise extract (optional)
about 1 teaspoon anise seed 
12 hard boiled eggs


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Combine flour and baking powder; set aside.


Mix together softened butter and sugar; add 2 eggs. Combine flour mixture with butter-egg-sugar mixture. Add milk, anise extract, and anise seed (if using). After mixing, let rest for about 15 minutes.


Knead on lightly floured surface.


Here is where you use your imagination. It's supposed to look like a bird's nest: Make a base (about 4-5-inches in diameter each) and place a hard boiled egg in the center. I use scissors and make slits around the base. Roll a small piece of dough into a rope about 5-inches long and tie a loose knot, like a cross, over the egg. Bake same as above (they make take less time). 


Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cookie dough. Do not over-bake (they are not supposed to be brown). Remove from oven and cool. Yield: 12 cookies

Easter Sunday in San Jose

Easter Sunday in San Jose at Iglesia de Santa Teresita, April 24, 2011.

Iglesia de Santa Teresita, Barrio Escalante, San Jose, Costa Rica

Oh praise the One who paid my debts

Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead! Happy Easter y Feliz Pascua de Resurrección!


Jesus Has Risen! Luke 24: 1 - 7

¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Play this incredible time-lapse video of El Teide mountain in Spain while listening to these beautiful hymns of praise. How great is our God!



The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.




Chris Tomlin, "How Great is Our God"



Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill, "How Great Thou Art"



Kristian Stanfill, "Jesus Paid It All"

An Ode to Peeps

(Clear throat, read loudly)

An Ode to Peeps

Colorful, sugary, creme-filled delights

Making my mouth a-water

Dreaming of your soft mallow insides

Yellow, pink, blue, no matter.

(Could someone please save me some to eat when we get back in 4 months?) kthanksbye

Courtesy: Boston.com

Two's company, three's a crowd

Courtesy: Greg Lavaty (2003 - 2011), PBase.com

There is a new guest in the Blank household in San Jose: a Great Kiskadee and his mate have built a home right outside our window and are eagerly awaiting the birth of Baby Kiskadees. (At least, it's our best guess at what kind of bird they are.  A Google search for "yellow belly black white bird Costa Rica" pulled up several images, and this is the one that most resembles our new neighbors!)

The Great Kiskadee nest

Besides the photographic resemblance, the description on Wikipedia pretty much seems what we know about Mr. and Mrs. Kiskadee - "the Great Kiskadee is a common, noisy, and conspicuous bird." Every morning, we hear them chirping around the house, and they make their displeasure known when we walk outside our apartment to see the nest.  Most days, if they're not tending to their nest, they are keeping a watchful eye out (usually with one leery eye toward us) by perching on a cable above our house or flitting around on the rooftop.  Some days, if I exercise outside, several birds will fly around my head, watching to make sure I don't disturb the nest. Yesterday, one dive-bombed me while I was trying to stretch my way through a yoga video.  Lucky for me, they missed.  Blanks - 1, Birds - 0.

Mr. Kiskadee watching over his nest from his perch above our apartment

Despite their somewhat antagonistic approach to us (they didn't exactly bring over a casserole when they moved in!), we're starting to have fun with our new neighbors.  And I love the way Charles Darwin described their call: "the call is an exuberant BEE-tee-WEE; in Spanish-speaking countries it is often bien-te-veo ("I see you well!").  Love our little birdie friends!