Florida - Gainesville, Orlando

I hope you all had a wonderful November, and that your tummies are happy and full. My trip to Florida to visit my sister turned out to be tons of fun. We went to the University of Florida Homecoming and Gator Growl, Universal's Islands of Adventure, and the Florida Museum of Natural History. For a little place such as Gainesville, I didn't expect there to be so much to do. Boy was I wrong!

UF mascots Albert E. Gator and Alberta Gator. 

Truck full of UF football players? Yes, please!

Apparently, Gator Growl is the largest student-run pep rally in the world. 

I'm glad I got a chance to experience it with my bestie!

(From left to right: Me, Anh)

The show definitely ended with a bang!

UF Homecoming game. United We Growl. 

(From left to right: Anh, Me)

We <3 Tim Tebow!

UF Gators vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajins. UF won 27-20.

What a nail-biting game!

Getting ready for some fun at Universal's Islands of Adventure. 

(From left to right: Anh, Me)

The butterbeer was so delicious! It tasted like cream soda with butterscotch 

whipped cream. I'd highly recommend the frozen butterbeer over the cold version

as it's less carbonated.

Just goofing around. 

(From left to right: Me, Anh)

We ended the day on the Caro-Seuss-el. 

(From left to right: Me, Anh)

The butterfly rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

I felt like a whole new person! 

A butterfly decided to hitchhike on my hair and on my sister's Butterfly Rainforest ID guide. 

(From left to right: Anh, Me)

To add to that, I had a great time with family for Thanksgiving. For the most part, we all got along, and really enjoyed each other's company. That's definitely a big deal since having 15 people over can be a very stressful! The one thing that I could have done without was the dishes, but surprisingly it wasn't too terrible. Looking back, I'm very thankful for the exceptional doctors at Stanford Hospital & Clinics for saving my life, my amazing family and friends for their unwavering support, and my loving boyfriend Andrew for his compassion and understanding as I continue to fight through this.  I'm so blessed to have them in my life, and I would not be the strong person I am today without them.

The adult table.

(From left to right: Chinh, her husband Kiet, Uncle 7, Uncle 6, Dad, 

Uncle 2, Aunt 2, Aunt 6, Mom, Aunt 7)

The kid's table. 

(From left to right: Me, my cousin Da-Thao, 

my brother Phong, Annie)

Don't drink and cook. Otherwise, you'll get burnt garlic bread!

(From left to right: Me, Anh)

It is officially my birthday month now. I'm very excited to be celebrating another year of life, but lately my mind's been preoccupied. I think preoccupied would be an understatement. Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about what the future holds for me. I'm really worried about cancer recurrence cutting my life short, and never being able to get married and have children. I try not to think about it too much since there's nothing I can do, but it's especially difficult since I have my 3 month follow-up which consists of a CT scan of my chest next week. I really do hope the results will be good, and that there is no evidence of disease (NED). That would be a great early birthday and Christmas present. If that was the only thing I got, I would be more than happy with that. I don't want anything else besides good health.

Spinach Fettuccine with Shrimp, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, and Basil 

serves 6

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled, and deveined  
• 4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes) 
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup black olives, sliced 
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, sliced
• 1 cup of baby corn, sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes 
• Salt and pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 bag pasta

Cooking the pasta.

1. Add pasta to a large pot of boiling, salted water. Stir. 
2. Test in 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Pasta should be al dente, "tender, but firm to the bite."
3. Drain. Toss immediately with butter, olive oil, or sauce. 

Adding in the rest. 

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
2. Add garlic. Cook and stir until garlic begins to turn golden. 
3. Add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Roughly about 3 minutes. Remove and place to the side. 
4. Add in tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, baby corn, and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil. 
5. Add in basil, cilantro, green onion, and cooked shrimp. Toss all together with pasta. 
6. Take the pan off the heat immediately. 
7. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese.

Chef's Note: For a vegetarian option, omit the shrimp.

 

Bon appetite!