Our last day and night in Sacramento.

After returning from Modesto, we went over to Kamran's house (since his wife and baby are not so mobile these days) and brought them dinner from Nahid's house. For those of you that know Persian food, we had gormeh-sabzi with rice and mast-khiar. It was delicious.
Then, much to Gabriel's delight, Kamran broke out the poker chips and we played a friendly game of Texas Hold 'em. Marjan and I went out pretty early, and it was a battle of the men, between Gabriel, Kamran, and Parviz. I didn't know it, but apparently Parviz has been playing poker for years and loves it. While he'd never played the specific game of Texas Hold 'em, he caught right on and gave the younger two a run for their money.
The next morning, Gabriel and Kamran took a trip to the world's best electronics store (apparently) called Fry's. As you can tell, those two had a lot in common and got to discuss stuff that I usually don't get too excited about like slingboxes and hmmm...I can't say I remember what else, since I didn't pay that much attention and didn't go to the store with them. I stayed home to play with the baby, talk to Christina, and get my hair cut by Nahid. I don't have a picture of my hair yet, but it's about 3-4 inches shorter and layered. It was long overdue. I wish I lived closer so I could always get her to cut my hair; she did a great job.
For lunch, we headed over to Marjan's house to meet her doggie (her two cats hid from us, even though I chased them around) and eat a big meal before going to the airport. For anyone interested, we had Ash-e-reshdeh, cou-cou, and fesanjun. As Persians say, "Ba, ba, ba." (Means, yummy!)
It was a whirlwind trip and we didn't get home this morning til 2 AM, but I think both G and I agreed it was worth it. He got to meet more family on my side, which isn't easy b/c they are all over the world, and got to learn more about Persian stuff. He's been calling me all the Persian sweet nicknames he heard all weekend, since we left and I love it. I would love nothing more than for him to continue that with his children...as a kid, there was nothing better than being called "junam" or "azizam" by my dad, which are roughly translated to sweetheart or honey. Somehow, they mean so much more to me in Farsi. Here are a few pics from the last day and night of the trip. I miss those guys already!
-Shirin

The poker players reviewing the rules of Hold 'em poker (sans me).

Looking at Christina and Kamran's wedding pics and snuggling with a very cute baby Jamil.

Breakfast on Sunday: ash-sabzi (bean and veggie soup with butter and flatbread).

Pre-hair cut. I will post a picture of my new hair-do soon.

The master chef at work. It was a delicious final meal.

Marjan and Ali in front of their beautiful house.

Sasha, their 4 year old German Shepherd. She was very sweet and hung out with us the whole time.

Lots of babies!!

We had a lot of fun with all the new babies we got to meet yesterday at my Uncle Masud's house. He only had 3 sons, but his sons all gave him lots more grandbabies, girls and boys. I chased them around with the camera yesterday and enjoyed watching them interact with each other and their parents. I met the boys (my cousins) when we were all adolescents and it's so interesting to watch them be parents of all these kids now. Brian, the youngest son, has 4 kids now: 2 girls and 2 boys. I can remember how long ago it was that I visited last by which children weren't born yet and which ones were babies (I saw the girls only last time). Steven, the oldest son, didn't have any babies last time I was here and now he has two (his wife was pregnant with the first when I was here last). Michael, the middle son, has a beautiful girl Julia that I saw last time, but we didn't get to see them yesterday. Meanwhile, Masud just LOVES all the kids running around his house and says they are all his babies! I believe it...they love their "papa."
Nahid and family were also able to come down to Modesto for the afternoon, and it was a jolly family get-together. We rode back to Sacramento with them that night to spend more time with Kamran and family (more pictures on that tomorrow) and eat dinner. Gabriel said our day with all the family reminded him of our Thanksgivings at his Uncle Sam's house (with fewer kids, of course), and he enjoyed himself immensely!
-Shirin

Ali, Marjan, and Nahid came for the afternoon at Masud's. Nahid's husband Parviz came too.

Masud on the right looking at his grandson Andrew (Steve's son).

Nahid got all the kids presents and got kisses for it. She's kissing Landon right now, Steve's older son.

Ali, checking out the newest of Brian's babies, Anthony. He's a month older than Jamil, Kamran's son.

What beautiful girls! Brian's first two, Aliyah (4) and Kaitlin (7).

Brian, Jr aka "Bam Bam." I thought he was hilarious. He LOVED the play cell phone that Nahid brought him...he talked into it over and over very seriously. He's only one and a half but he's a big boy already!

From left, Nahid, Marjan, Parviz, Ali, and Linda (Masud's wife). They were enjoying the beautiful Cali weather and watching the kids playing.

In Masud's backyard, we checked out his Persian lime and pomegranate trees, as well as his fresh basil. He looked just like my dad watering them.

Brian wrestled with his children and nephews like Masud used to do with them (and like my dad used to do with us).

Steven, his wife Rochelle, and his younger son Andrew. I wish I had gotten a picture of Brian's wife Bettina too. I like both of those girls a lot.

California...

This Thursday, my morning started in Athens, Georgia taking an impossibly hard Pharmacology final and ended in Sacramento, California eating delicious Persian food with my aunt Nahid and her family. I got to meet the newest addition to her family, baby Jamil, and eat lots of good food that she cooked for us.
On Friday afternoon, we headed down to Modesto to spend some time with my uncle Masud and his wife Linda. Anahita and Prathap came to spend the evening with us as well and brought my favorite doggie...Cha Cha! We had a great time and today the rest of Masud's children and grandchildren are coming...3 kids and 6 grandkids!! Nahid and her family will be coming down too, so we're gonna have a huge family shindig. I'll put up pictures of that tomorrow.
-Shirin

We rode with Beth to the Atl airport b/c our car is in the shop and she was taking a flight out to Seattle at the same time...very lucky.

I got to hold the new baby while we were eating dinner. You can see lots of the family in the mirror behind me.

Gabriel did great with Jamil. His mom stayed close in case he needed her.

Breakfast at Nahid's...very healthy and yummy.

Nahid makes me look tall...we were taking a walk to Kamran's house to play with the baby some more...he only lives a few blocks away from Nahid's house.

What a face!

I liked seeing Nahid as a grandma...she cooed and awwed more than I'd ever heard her before.

Kami has another baby...his name is Momo and he is very demanding!

Our snazzy rental car!

We ate lunch at Nahid's before we left. Yum.

Yay...we're at Masud's house and Tita met us there! I love her new longer hair. We were very happy that Prathap came with her as well.

She also brought her best doggie for me to play with...I sure do miss him!

We're getting ready for the rest of the family to get here and I'll post more pictures later.
-Shirin

Hiatus from the blog...

Hi everyone. Sorry for the week long break I took from posting. Most of you know I was balls to the wall with exams and had little time for anything else. I just finished my last exam this morning (whoo hoo) and am now packing my bags to head to the airport this afternoon to go to CA. It will be a short visit b/c I have class again on Monday, but it'll be nice to take a trip with my honey and introduce him to my relatives over there. I also get to see Anahita and Cha Cha, which will be an extra treat. Here's what I've been doing the last week...
-Shirin

Studying with Benjen on the couch...

Flies, fleas, and lice, oh my!

One of the more pertinent classes I've spent a lot of time on this semester is Parasitology. While it seems my MD counterparts have done away with most of their Parasitology classes, we DVMs still have a great need to learn all about the creepy crawlies of the world....since many of them will live on our patients and spread diseases to them and us. We've already covered the standard ones I thought of as parasites: protozoa (like Giardia and Toxoplasma) and worms (like roundworms, hookworms, and heartworms). I was very used to dealing with them and thought of them as prototypic "parasites." However, I forgot about a huge category of blood-sucking, disease spreading little critters: ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, lice, etc). So, now I am learning hundreds of insects and what type of havoc they can bring on horses, cows, goats, cats, dogs, birds...and even humans! Yes, we learn about the human ones too. I've actually enjoyed learning about them, though I seem to be writing a blog about them instead of studying them right now, which isn't so smart!
Anyway, I've included a human louse picture for any of you who have suffered personally from this parasite (I chose to include the one that lives in your head hair...the other one's scientific name is Phthirus pubis, and you can only imagine where it resides!) Be the way, I've learned some interesting explanations for the idioms I've used all my life. For example, if you're a nit-picker, it comes from the little louse eggs "nits" that get stuck all over an animal's hair, which you have to meticulously pick off! Also, I never knew a "louse" was anything but a bad person until I learned it was the singular of lice...maybe I'm just in my own little world, but I thought that was interesting when I found out where that word came from as well.
-Shirin

Here it is...ready to crawl all over your head! Each host animal has it's own lice species, and this one specifically loves humans!

Being in the order Anoplura means he is actually going to suck your blood...not just bite you, like the ones in Mallophaga!

My birthday surprise!

I've known for the last 10 days that Gabriel was giving me my birthday present on Friday, October 19. If I had had to guess, I would've said I thought he was taking me to a play. That's one of those things we always wish we did more than we do. Yesterday, in true Gabriel form, he sent me an anagram as a clue as to what our date would entail: slopoubli. I couldn't crack it and even tried a computer anagram unscrambler, to no avail. Finally, he gave me another clue: what does it mean if the computer unscrambler can't figure it out? Aha...it's not a real word! Finally, I got it: Pilobolus!!! Does that mean anything to anyone but me? Probably not...here are some pictures to help you out:

That's right...the most AWESOME dance company we've ever seen! Here's the history behind it's significance to us: Gabriel is two years older than I, so during his Freshman and Sophomore years of college at Winthrop University, we both lived in Rock Hill, SC. I was still a Junior and Senior in high school, but often we've discussed whether our paths could've crossed somewhere along the line. I mean, my dad was a professor there, my piano lessons and swim team were all at Winthrop, and I even studied at the Winthrop library after soccer practice every night! Well, we finally pinpointed an event we were both at: a Pilobolus performance. I went with my best friend Clint and he went with....whoever, I don't remember. But, we both clearly remember how amazing the performance was and that we both must've been sitting in the same auditorium watching it, destined to become husband and wife one day.
When we first started dating, we talked about using some Buddy Passes to go on a trip to Europe where Pilobolus was touring at the time...but it never worked out. It would've been awesome to see them in Praque! Oh well. So, tonight, we are driving to Atlanta to see the only common experience we shared before we knew each other. What a great birthday present!
-Shirin

My new shirt.

I like the message. We DVMs never get the respect that MDs do, but we have to learn and do a TON of stuff MDs have specialists for. Vet medicine is moving that direction, but we're not totally there yet!
-Shirin

Part guest, part maid, part mom

We have a visitor! She's about my size, has short brown hair, and LOVES to clean other peoples' messy houses! If you guessed Beth, you're right! Her house is getting tile floors put down for the next few days, so Gabriel and I will have the pleasure of hosting our very own neat and efficient house-guest. Here's a blow by blow of our night (I left out the pictures of us studying---since I think you've all see enough of those for a while!).
-Shirin

She arrived...(and I caught her acting normal!)

She started to clean our dirty sink (not the one in her room, but in mine!)

Still cleaning....it was really dirty!

Then she made me a quesadilla...

And also cleaned my kitchen sink and did the dishes...

After studying, she did some stairmaster, while watching TV on her laptop. Innovative, no?

Sexy pose on the stairmaster. (That's what Gabriel looks like when he is about to scoop the litter box).

Home this weekend.

We went home to Rock Hill this weekend to hang out with my parents, and Clayton and David. We had a good time, though I studied most of it, and I got lots of yummy food and clean laundry from my mom. There's just no place like home.
I didn't bring my camera, so I'm going to have to use photos from my visit home 2 weeks ago. They are still pretty applicable: Mommy in the kitchen, Daddy on the computer, Shirin studying, and Gabriel eating sweets. That about sums it up! Actually, it was much busier than that. If you really want to see what I did this weekend, you can go to my mom's blog and see pictures from Saturday and Sunday. She does a very good job of chronicling our lives.
-Shirin

My dad bascially lives on his computer: making tests and writing reports for his patients.

My first baby...so big and grumpy now!

My mom does a great job of making me whatever I want. Last time it was soybean salad. This time it was oatmeal muffins.

Gabriel reading nerdy magazines and eating Persian cookies. It's how my dad lures him home.

Yep....studying.

My Campus Cats kitties are celebrities!

Click here to read an article that just came out in UGA's school paper about the rescue group I'm working with. It's cute.
-Shirin

This week's getting better...

So, as you could see from my last post, Monday's 8 AM test really stunk it up...or I did, at least. Tuesday was my birthday, but I had to study for Wednesday's test, so it wasn't that great either. This morning, I took the test and did GREAT! Or, at least think I did. We'll see in a few days. Since I don't have any tests tomorrow and already wrote the paper that's due this week, I decided to take the night off! Gabriel and I made dinner (fake BLTs) and watched the Matrix. It's definitely something we'd seen before, but we love it all the same. I also needed Gabriel to explain parts of it to me, since it's so cryptic, and he's read-up on the "lore."
We've also really been enjoying the foster kitties we still have. The twin tuxedo boys (Benjen and Jojen) have been with us for quite a while, and I'm really falling in love with the sweet one. The other one is pretty wild, but Gabriel's been doing a great job "charming" him and is making great strides in the socialization process. It's very rewarding work. We also have the orange adult Gabriel rescued from the vet hospital that's totally ours unless we can find him a home. They are all good little boys, and we have a lot of fun with them.
This weekend we might go home to Rock Hill...me to see my parents and Gabriel to hang out with David and Clayton. I hope it works out, because there's nothing better than being pampered by parents that always think of you as their baby! I don't mind at all.
Here are some pictures from the week.
-Shirin

My birthday. I was about to study, and G was on the phone. It wasn't all that romantic, but apparently I have a suprise waiting for me on the 19th. ;) (I think his head looks huge compared to mine....ha ha ha! Or, maybe my head is just tiny).

Gabriel with our broken window....it just decided to not roll up any more. We're gonna have to get it fixed one of these days!

Our quick solution...

This little orange guy just got adopted a few days ago, but he was really snuggly with the wild tuxedo brother (Jojen). I'm sure they miss each other!

It's play time...Gabriel is off-camera wielding the strings-on-a-stick-toy. Benjen and Jojen are playing, while Qui-Gon looks on.

No, Beth can't look normal in a picture unless she's asleep. She makes cookies every time we study...what a bad influence! It makes Gabriel happy, though.