The Ditzel way of getting pregnant!

So here’s the story.

Back in April, I told Ron that I thought by June I would be ready to explore options with a new fertility clinic since going back to Shady Grove made me feel some type of way. I was talking to a friend and she had mentioned that a close friend of hers had raved about Fertility Center of Md.  So I took a look into their success rates, docs and facility which is conveniently located in Kenilworth.  I pulled the trigger and made the call to set-up a consultation with Dr. Bass.

On June 12^th, Ron and I went for a consultation armed with our six months of records from Shady Grove. During the consultation we all came into agreement that we would move forward with one cycle of FSH injections and if no luck move forward with IVF. Since we had so much going on during the summer and I wanted to get some more weight off, we decided we would wait until my cycle started at the end of August/beginning of September. 

Fast forward to mid/late- August.  I make I call to the fertility center about a week before my period is expected. They ask that patients do this so meds can be ordered since some retail pharmacists don’t always carry fertility drugs.  I believe I called on August 21^st to take care of my order.  I would have expected my period to show sometime between August 26^th -28^th. Those days came and went with no visit from Aunt Flo. At this point I am starting to get anxious because I want to get started with my injections since October would be out with us traveling to Miami. Our next chance to start a cycle would have been in November. Finally on August 31^st I reluctantly took a pregnancy test, even though in my mind my body was just being a jerk and not cooperating, which was so unlike me. I can usually predict when my period will start to the minute. The test came back invalid because the control window did not show a sign. I threw the thing in the trash and yelled down the hall “I think it’s negative. I will call the fertility center tomorrow to see if they can give me something to start my period.”

September 1^st, I wake up, pee and call the fertility center. I let the nurse know I am concerned that my period has not shown and I need to get figured out before Sept 4^th so I can start injections. The nurse tells me to come in and they will draw blood and we will go from there. I drive over to Towson to give a blood sample and go back home. Around 10:30am the house phone rings and it’s my nurse. The next words I hear went something like this. “Is this Tia? Well I have the results of your blood work and you are pregnant. Your HCG level is 2500” …….. I am in complete shock and say “I’m sorry, what?” The nurse tells me again and asks if it’s ok that I am pregnant. Which, of course it was. I immediately started crying because I never once thought that we would have any luck in our Hail Mary month. I was so focused on just getting to September that actually getting pregnant the old fashion way didn’t seem possible for us. On this day I calculated that I was 4 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

September 3^rd, I went back in for blood work to make sure my HCG and progesterone levels were going up accordingly. Everything was looking good so Ron had a good birthday. September 9^th we went for our 6 week ultrasound (vag stick). That day my life changed, we saw the heartbeat of our little person in the making. My due date was set for May 5^th, of course Ron was thrilled that our kid could be born on drinking holiday. I also did more blood work to check numbers again which all came back great. After my ultrasound Dr. Bass released me to my OB (did I really just hear that, I have an OB.) Before we left I asked about the meds we had paid for 2 weeks ago. The nurse found my meds and told me they would submit a request for a refund. I asked if they had a donation program, which they did. Ron and I asked if we could just donate the meds to someone who might be having a financial hardship. I wanted to pay forward on our good luck. There just so happen to be a woman in the office in an exam room upset about not being to afford the cost of meds and we so just happened to be prescribed the same thing. The nurse asked if I was sure I wanted to donate and of course I was.  Ron and I thought if the $70 bucks we spent will make someone’s day a little less stressful than we wanted to help. I never met the woman who received my meds but I often wonder about her. I hope she is doing well and had some good luck.

I hope this story will give people going through the same journey some hope. Don't ever give up on your dream of being parents.  

Time by Tia D · 365 Project

Time by Tia D · 365 Project

So far the 365 project is going pretty well. I am starting to get a little more creative. I always make sure I have a camera with me at all times. You never know what you may be able to capture.

I also really enjoy other peoples feedback. Even when I feel like I haven't gotten the best shot others find nice things to say. Some photos I don't edit or use filters at all and just leave them in their "raw" form. Then there are a few I have cleaned up or edited in iPhoto and/or Lightroom 4.

I'm not gonna lie. Some days I lack creativity or motivation but I always make sure I stick to my guns and get a photo of some sort.

Check out the link above to see my photo from today.

A new year and a new perspective.

As 2012 came to a close, I felt a certain sense of disappointment with myself. I felt like I had not accomplished much in 2012. I felt as if I let myself down. I forgot to make time for the things that I enjoy or I simply made excuses to not do things that I enjoy.

I really hope to change my attitude in 2013. There are so many projects and hobbies that give me an outlet to express myself and it's about time I really start dedicating more time to broadening my horizons.

In 2013, you should plan on seeing more post from me. I plan to expand my photography and really tackle some DIY and decorating fun that I have pinned to my Pinterest board. I just hope I am focused enough to complete all my projects.

Shades.....

So I started reading the Shades trilogy. What can I say ??? Christian Grey is quite a messed up, sexy, rich, controlling man. That's exactly why most women that read the books fall in love with him. It's even why some women want their boyfriends/husbands to take notes from Christian.

The detailed sex scenes will keep you turning the pages. I'm usually a slow readers but I am burning through the trilogy pretty quickly. I'm about half way through Fifty Shades Darker. The second installment gives more details on why Christian is the way he is. I'm sure there are more surprises in store and I can't wait to finish this blog entry and grab the book off my night stand and continuing reading on this lazy Sunday.

If you are like me and read for entertainment and not depth. I suggest you grab these books.

If you've read any or all three of the books, feel free to comment below with your review.

Our infertility journey.

I will start out by saying that no married couples likes to hear " so when are you guys having kids?? ". In this post you will learn why it's never appropriate to ask that question. Not to mention to state the obvious, that pregnancy can NOT be planned.

Our path to parenthood started in November 2009, when we decided that we would pull the goalie and stop preventing pregnancy. What we didn't know is that this was just beginning of quite a journey. 

The first rule of trying to conceive for someone my age, 27 at the time we decided to "not, not try" is that your gynecologist is going to tell you to "try" for 12 months. So that's what we embarked on. At the time I was part of an online community of people in the same boat. Through the first few months I learned many things. One practice I took on was monitoring my basal body temperature. Tracking your temperature each morning and charting out your temps helps to predict and mostly confirm when you will ovulate. I did this for about 8 months and when I felt comfortable with the fact that I was "regular" I put the thermometer away for good. Let's back track to the months and months of heartbreak and negative pregnancy tests. We had no idea that it would be so hard, but man it was. 

Fast forward to October 2010. I go to see my gynecologist for my yearly appointment and Ron joins me so that we can figure out what our next steps are. All the while I am in denial that we are closely approaching the point where we may need to seek the help of an reproductive endocronologist. After speaking with my gyn he lets us know that he wants to run some blood work on me and orders me to have a hystersalpinogram(HSG) along with advising Ron to contact his doctor to have a semen analysis done. I guess some of you are wondering why we have to have these tests done. Basically this is the beginning to getting any possible explanation for our lack of being able to conceive. My blood work came back perfect which meant all hormones were performing well. My HGS, which is an ultrasound of the uterus and fallopian tubes that have been filled with dye to confirm any blocks in the tubes or uterus. Well mine are just fine, no blocks or abnormalities of the uterus. Ron's analysis came back good as well. So, what's next ? My doctor put me on a drug called Clomid, which is supposed to help you ovulate if you don't on your own and if you do like I do. It's supposed to help create a stronger ovulation. I took this pill days 5-9 for two months with no pregnancies. I think this should bring us to about April of 2011. 

By now I am coming to grips with the fact that we are probably not going to conceive without medical intervention. It breaks our hearts but we have a dream to have children so we make a vow to do whatever it takes. I search out the best fertility  clinic in the area and I call Shady Grove Fertility. I make our consultation appointment for June 17, 2011. When I called to set-up the consultation I was able to pick with reproductive endocronologist we would see. I went with Dr. Eugene Katz, who came highly recommended by a co-worker.  From this day forward our lives would forever be changed.

On June 17, 2011 at 4pm we met at GBMC to see doctor Katz at Shady Grove's Towson location. I had been instructed to bring the films from my HGS, blood work and Ron's analysis. We met with doctor Katz and he went over our test results and medical history. He felt pretty confident in giving us a diagnosis of UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY. What that means is there is no explanation for why we have not conceived. After our diagnosis we went over a course of action. For a couple with our diagnosis our protocol would go something like this. We would try 2-3 cycles of one protocol and if no success we would decide to try something else a little more invasive or pursue IVF. After deciding on our first protocol we met with our assigned nurse Priscilla. She is quite literally the nicest and sweetest nurse I could ask for considering our situation.

Here is a peak into what we did for the first 3 cycles with Shady Grove. June, July & August.

Protocol 1: 100MG Clomid, Ovidrel trigger and IUI on ovulation day

• Day 1- the day my menstrual cycle starts. I would call my nurse who would schedule me for a trans vaginal ultrasound and blood work for day 3.
• Day 3-  I would go to the GBMC at 7:30am to have my ultrasound and blood work. During the ultra sound my doctor would be looking for egg producing follicles. They like to see more than 10 and generally I would have about 20. If you are wondering what the follicles do, one of them will produce an egg when I ovulate. Later that day my nurse would call and give me instructions for the next step.
• Day 5-9- I would take 100mg of Clomid. This is just 2 pills. 
• Day 8- We would have to start "doing it" every other day. Yes, we had a sex protocol. Way to remove romance right????
• Day 12- I go back at 7:30am for another round of blood work and another ultrasound to see how I responded to the Clomid. All three 3 cycle that we went with this protocol I responded perfectly. 
• After day 12 I would go back every single day for blood work and an ultrasound until my follicles were mature and I was ready to "trigger". My first cycle I triggered in day 15, cycle 2 I triggered on day 14 and cycle 3 I triggered on day 13. By trigger I mean I would come home in the evening and between 10pm-12am I would shoot myself in the stomach with a medicine called Ovidrel. Ovidrel basically makes you ovulate within 48 hours of administering the shot. Once I was given the green light to trigger we would also schedule our IUI ( Inter-uterine Insemination.
• 2 Days after the trigger was IUI day. For the first part of the procedure Ron would go in and have to give a "sample". The lab would then take that sample spin it around in one of their nifty scientific machines. The procedure is actually called "washing". What they are doing is removing all the slow and imperfect sperm. About 60-90 minutes after they wash the sperm. I have a catheter inserted into my uterus and the washed sperm are inserted in my uterus. After that we pray for 14 days. 
• After 14 days I go back in for a blood test to check for a pregnancy. If the hormone HCG shows up that means good news.

Well we didn't get good news on any of these cycles so now it was time to talk about a new protocol. We made an appointment to meet with Dr. Katz after our second failed cycle so that we would have a plan if the third failed, which it did. We decided to try FSH injections since my BMI was to high to move to IVF. Shady Grove has strict rules on BMI for certain procedures. My BMI is fine for IUI but not for IVF.

So in September I got a new arsenal of drugs. these drugs included needles...OH JOY.

Protocol 2: FSH injections day 3-5, 6,7,8,9......Ovidrel and IUI

• Day 1- Same as previous cycles
• Day 3- Same as previous cycles. Here's where it changes a tiny bit. Priscilla would give me directions on how to mix my FSH( follicle stimulating hormone....read as produce more eggs) and how many cc's to take for how many days.
• Days 3-5- give FSH injections each night.
• Day 6- back to Shady Grove for blood work and ultrasound. Priscilla calls and I am to increase my meds and inject the same amount on days 6 & 7. 
• Day 8, 9, 10- Back to Shady Grove with FSH changing each day. 
• Day 10- I have 3 competing maturing follicles. My doctor is extremely nervous because all 3 follicles will produce eggs. I think he said " If you get pregnant with triplets I will kill myself". He told us to go home and have a discussion about if we wanted to move forward with the 3 eggs or forfeit the cycle. We knew going into this that our chances of multiples was much higher and were ready to handle multiples if that is what happened. So that day my nurse called and told me trigger.
• Day 12- IUI day...same as previous 3 IUIs.

Fast forward 13 days to October 20th. I get a call at work that my grandmother is in the hospital and is not expected to make it through the day. On that day my grandmother passed away and my blood test the next morning was the furthest thing from my mind. 7:30am on October 21st I went in for yet another blood test. At 1:27pm that afternoon Priscilla called. What I heard when I answered the phone was " Hello my dear, you are very early pregnant". I immediately started shaking and tearing up. Of course I tried to call Ron but he was in a meeting. I left a voicemail to call me back. I finally heard back from Ron who was in disbelief and so excited. We shared the news the next day with or parents since they knew about us working with Shady Grove. My first HCG was 38. Now the number is not what is important it's the doubling rate. The doctors want to see that number double every 36-48 hours. I went back in on October 24th for another blood draw, that number was 157. It was going up but slowly, still had no worries. Some babies are slow starters. October 26th blood draw #3 comes back at only 281. In my heart something does not seem right. Even still I enjoy every minute that I know I am pregnant. 

On October 28th I go in for another blood draw before we head to South Carolina for my grandmothers funeral. Now usually my nurse would call between 1:30-2:30 with test results. On this day I didn't get a call until 4pm and I knew something was wrong. My HCG was only 361, by this point it should be well over a 1000. So clearly something is wrong. Dr. Katz was concerned that I was having an ectopic pregnancy and wanted to see me the next day. Since I was 8 hours away it wasn't possible. My nurse gave me a list of symptoms to keep an eye out for and if I experienced any I was to go to the ER. I went on with my weekend with my family while we laid my grandmother to rest. All the while my heart and our baby was dying at the same time. 

On October 31,2011 we went into Shady Grove for emergency blood work. The blood work confirmed our worse fears I was miscarrying. The good news as if there could be any at this time. At least I can get pregnant and that miscarriages in the first pregnancy are very common. After a conversation with my nurse and doctor, they advised that I needed to come in every few days to have my HGC levels checked to make sure they were decreasing and that I would miscarry naturally. I asked Ron if it was ok if we didn't hand out candy that year. He agreed and also did not feel like seeing all this cute kids. For the next few days I cried the most tears I had ever cried. Even though it was only 7 days of knowing I was pregnant, it was the best 7 days of our lives. 

After the miscarriage I built up enough strength to try one more round of FSH injections before we would take a break for me to lose weight to pursue IVF. I also began to see an acupuncturist to help heal my mind. It was probably the best thing I could do for my mental state. There was no success with cycle #5 so here we sit....2 people longing for a child.

It took more than you know to put these words out there for you all to see but we are not ashamed of our diagnosis and it's a great chance to educate people about this diseases. Chances are we aren't the only people you know going through this. I hope that just getting a glimpse into the life of a couple suffering with infertility will show you that becoming parents is harder than the movies make it seem. 

I would also like to take this time to ask every pregnant woman out there to really reconsider ever complaining about your pregnancy. Chance are you may be complaining to someone just like me. That someone would love to take on the morning sickness, aches, pains, sleepless nights, swelling and all the undesirable things that come with pregnancy. I promised myself that when we do successfully conceive I will NEVER complain because I want to be a mother more than I have ever wanted anything in my adult life.

Thanks for reading !!!!

Turning 30

It's been some time since I posted. I need to get back on the wagon. Since I last posted there has been one major change. I turned 30 back on February 5th. 

30 came in with a bang and by bang I mean my dear Celica dying on me less than a week before we left for Vegas to celebrate my birthday. I bought Chelly Celica when I was 20 years old. We had a good 10 years together. I didn't realize my emotional attachment to Chelly until she died. It's crazy but I miss that little car. She has since been replaced by Trevor my 2012 Maxima. Which I love so much :)

So let's get to my very first visit to Vegas...OMG. I had no idea the places were so big. We stayed at the MGM Grand and I was just mesmerized by everything. The decor in these places is amazing. While we were there we visited New York, NY, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Venetian, Bellagio, Excalibur and  Ceasers. I already want to go back but the husband said not for at least 2 years. I guess you are wondering what we did for my birthday. I started my day with an aromatherapy massage which was magnificent. Then that evening we went to dinner at Fix in the Bellagio. After dinner we went to see the cirque du soliel show "O" which was mind blowing. 

I am so glad we were able to go away for my birthday because I spent no time thinking about getting older. 

2012

So 2012 is here. I don't generally make resolutions. This year we do plan to be better in different parts of our lives. We each are making a list of things we want to do better. Not just in 2012 but forever. Just to give you a peak on some of my things. I plan to eliminate as much negativity as possible from my life. I also want to put more effort into my everyday appearance. The main focus is to be the best Ditzel possible.

Did you make a resolution?

Yay

There is a blogger app! Hopefully I will be able to blog more often now.

Conversion Complete

Well the Ditzels are officially Apple converts. We have made the transition with his and her ipod touches, to a MacBook Pro then a iMac and most recently we both purchased the iPhone 4S. I never thought I would go from being a PC and BlackBerry user but I am so glad we made the switch.

Some of my photography

I know some time ago I said I would share some photos from my new hobby. Well here are a few that I have taken in the last 7 months.

This is one of my first shots of our cherry tree.

This is my goddaughter...isn't she beautiful. I love her red her and she was such a good sport this day in the park

Here are few more random shots.

I am still trying to figure out what all the buttons and settings are on my Nikon but it has been fun learning so far.

Football...woohooo!

I couldn't have been more excited last week when the NFL owners and the NFLPA came to an agreement. As a fan, it did bother me that it took 4 months for the two sides to come to an agreement but I guess that's what happens when millionaires and billionaires can't agree who gets a bigger slice of the pie.

I know, I know it wasn't all about money but who are they kidding, 95% of the last 4 months of talks and arbitration was about the mighty dollar. I kept hearing from Roger Goodell that they were doing such and such "for the fans"....Hmmm, here's an idea, how about not taking 4 months to come to an agreement for the fans.

Now that I have that off my chest and feel at piece with the NFL. It is time to start thinking about my 2 fantasy football teams. With free agency and all the trades in the last few days, I have no idea what this season will hold for me. Luckily I am not one to over-think my teams so I should be able to draft a solid team either way.

On August 6th the Ravens will be having a training camp practice at M&T Bank Stadium. We plan to attend and I am anxious to see how we look since our first pre-season game is August 11th against the Eagles. I trust that Ozzie will make a few more signings before the August 4th deadline that will complete our 2011 roster. Here's hoping that we re-sign Derrick Mason!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL ?

Dinner and a mission. The Dogwood in Hampden

After another great recommendation it was time to try The Dogwood in Hampden. We were having dinner with the Jones' that evening so we were able to share our foodie adventure with good friends.

It's not to often that you find restaurants that have a mission but The Dogwood is whole heartedly invested in individuals going through a struggle. Most of the people who work there have been through or are going through a personal struggle. Dogwood hires these individuals and teaches them a skill that they may not of considered and it helps these people realize that it's not to late to turn your life around.

Now let me introduce you to the deliciousness of The Dogwood.

Let's start with appetizers. Each couple had their own order of chips and dip. This is not your ordinary chips and dip. TD's version is fresh made Old Bay potato chips with a fresh herbed organic yogurt dip. I literally could not stop eating the chips and dip. The chips we so crunchy and had just enough Old Bay and then dip was so fresh and reminded me of the most delicious onion style dip you could imagine.

Ron also had this very refreshing signature cocktail called The Dogwood(citrus-infused organic Prairie Vodka, Coin- treau, splash of Campari, house-made simple syrup, pomegranate juice, splash of fresh lemon juice, topped with Prosecco, garnished with a cucumber round and a lemon twist, served over ice, sangria-style in a wine glass).

After we enjoyed our chips and dip it was time for dinner. I am warning you that the next few photos will have you salivating if you aren't already.

Mrs. Jones and Mr. Ditzel both chose the Ancho braised grass-fed short ribs(green chile cornbread with sage, spicy braising jus BBQ, garlic sautéed greens and market vegetables )

I went with the pan-roasted Duroc pork porterhouse (rined with rosemary, thyme and brown sugar, served with mashed sweet potato & plantain, grilled pineapple-cherry salsa).

Mr. Jones decided on the MD crab cakes. 

We also ordered some sides al carte. The Ditzels went with Pommes Dauphine (organic potato puffs- French Tater-Tots, roasted chili aioli).

The Jones' decided on an order of Mac n Bleu (artisan blue cheese, farfalle, ginger breadcrumbs).

Everyone really enjoyed their dinner and I am pretty sure I could eat those french tater tots every single day of my life. 

Next up was dessert. Ron went with Chocolate de pot Creme and the Jones' split a piece of carrot cake.

After looking at all these pictures are you ready for your dining experience at The Dogwood ? We promise you won't regret it!

www.dogwoodbaltimore.com/

I have been completely converted

Converted to what you say, Apple products. It started a few years back when the iPod was the best selling mp3 back in the early years of the 21st century. Since then I have become the owner of an iPod touch and a MacBook Pro. Both items I may have a small obsession with. I have partially converted Ron and he is 90% on board with getting rid of our Dell desktop and purchasing the 27"iMac. I am also patiently awaiting the release of the iPhone 5 which rumor has it will be out September 2011.

Since Ron gave me my MacBook for Christmas in 2010. I cringe at the thought of having to go into our office and use the Dell. I am now part of the Apple/Mac world and there is no turning back.

Check out this article I read on CNN a while ago.

Domestic Delights

Just thought I would share some photos of delights that have been ordered.

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Icing.

Coconut and Pineapple Cupcakes w/ Coconut Cream Cheese Icing and Toasted Coconut

A Platter with Fudge Brownies, Mini Black Bottoms and Peanut butter Balls.

This is what the inside of the peanut butter balls looks like. 

Our 3rd anniversary at Woodberry Kitchen.

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary we decided to try Woodberry Kitchen. I had heard nothing but good things about WBK so my high expectations would be met.  WBK is well known for using mostly if not all local product and with their slogan of "From farm to table" you can expect the freshest ingredients. So let's get into the nitty gritty.

We decided on 2 appetizers to start the meal. The deviled eggs came highly recommended by my friend Britney so that was a no brainer. We also went with a sizzling marvesta shrimp. The deviled eggs were the best we have ever had and the shaved ham just put them over the top. The shrimp were a close second to the eggs. We could really taste the fire roasted flavor. Ron also had one of their signature drinks called a Hampden Shandy. A Hampden shandy was described to us by our server as a beer sangria

Now on to the entree selection. I went with the liberty delight dry-aged tavern steak and Ron selected one of the supper specials of the evening with pork chops which came with the most delicious zucchini stuffing. While talking to our server about our entrees he let me know that WBK butchers their own meat and the tavern steak is aged for 30 days. I must add that when we sat down a sample of their fire roasted green beans were sent to the table. They were amazing so we ordered a side to split with our dinner. They put an amazing butter sauce on the green beans that had me speechless. 

Of course you get dessert on your anniversary, right? Ron had their chocolate pudding and I went for the CMP with a honey macchiato. WOW, WOW, WOW. The chocolate pudding was so creamy and decadent. My CMP which was layers of malted ice cream, chocolate sauce, wet peanuts and marshmallow fluff. The macchiato was delicious but definitely smaller than I expected. LOL

All in all we were blown away by our meal and can't wait to go back. I think between the atmosphere and the food you can't go wrong heading to Woodberry Kitchen.

http://www.woodberrykitchen.com/

Domestic Delights has an identity.

Thanks to my brother in-law my logo is complete. It's perfect and Chris completely understood the look I was going for.

A true gem in Baltimore

So I am sure you all know how much we love to try food at places we have never been before. Since we had taken off the Friday before Memorial Day we decided to go and have breakfast at Miss Shirley's Cafe in Roland Park.  I think we were more influenced by the detailed description we were given about their monkey bread...Thanks Sammy :) So let's get started.

Yes we went for breakfast but it was breakfast on the Friday of a holiday weekend. So Ron, Chris and I all started with a breakfast cocktail. Ron had a Sweet Peach Tea Tini( sweet peach tea, citrus vodka, garnished with lemon, mint and a rock candy swizzle stick). Chris had a Spicy Shirley (Stoli Citrus, green tomato slices, pickled okra, pepper, celery, peppadew, lemon, lime with a MD touch of an Old Bay rim)...this thing looked so insane. I went for a Pink Lemonade with the Blues (strawberry lemonade and stoli blueberry vodka, garnished with blueberries, strawberries, lemon and a rock candy swizzle stick and a sugared rim. Oh Miss Shirley you make a mean lemonade with the blues and the rock candy swizzle just upped the ante.

Since we had heard so much about the monkey bread we decided to split some between the 3 of us. Well, it lived up to the hype and I am pretty sure this stuff should be illegal. 

For our main meals Ron went more traditional with bacon, eggs and hash browns. Chris and I on the other hand went for a less than classic approach. I had benne seed chicken and waffles( benne seed boneless chicken breast pieces and a honey mustard drizzle on white cheddar- green onion waffles with peppadew- jalapeno butter).  Chris had their sunrise benedict (poached eggs and homemade slow roasted Carolina pulled pork or corn bread rounds with collard greens with tasso ham and cajun hollandaise sauce).  All three meals were great and I can't wait to go back and try more meals in the very near future. 

Please do yourself a favor and make the trip to Miss Shirley. They have 2 locations one in Roland Park and one downtown at the Inner Harbor. I promise you won't regret it.

http://missshirleys.com

Dining at Devon in Hershey

Back on May 21st we went to visit some from friends in York, PA. We had planned to drive about 30 minutes away from York to Devon in Hershey for dinner. I had previously previewed their menu online and was looking forward to our meal at a new place.

Devon is mainly a seafood restaurant but there are plenty of other options on the menu as well. So let's get started on our night at Devon.

In true Ditzel fashion, Ron and I both began the evening with a cocktail. No surprises there right ? I had the Asian Pear; which is Asian pear sake, square one vodka, jasmine, fresh-squeezed lemon and an edible hibiscus flower.  

Can you same delicious ??? I wish there was a place in MD that made this drink because it was great.

Ron had a Caribbean Hard Lemonade which is Cruzan, guava and mango rums, Malibu rum, pineapple, fresh squeezed lemonade and a Firelfy Sweet Tea vodka float. This cocktail was also very tasty and it made me think of being on vacation and spending days on a caribbean resort drinking poolside.

Next up was appetizers. The Jones' split an order of little neck clams which were served in a pool of white wine garlic sauce with a side of garlic bread. 

I went with a shrimp tempura roll and Ron decided on chipotle grilled shrimp which came over a bed of corn and black bean relish and pico de gallo.

Now for dinner. The Jones' recommend the seafood mixed grill. I figured since I was at a place known for their seafood I would give it a try. We had duplicate meals at our table. Mr. Ditzel and Mrs. Jones had the crab cakes and Mr. Jones and myself had the seafood mixed grill. Since I am not a big fan of scallops I requested extra shrimp. The Jones' also added a side of lobster mac & cheese to round out the meal. Everything was as good as I expected the seafood was really fresh and and was not over seasoned so you could appreciate each item for what it was.

Overall we were very pleased with every part of the meal. I would definitely go back to try some other meals and drinks on the menu. If you are at Hershey park you should definitely stop next door at Devon.

http://devonseafood.com

Support

As the days go on and I make a new advance into my idea of what Domestic Delights should be. I find myself bouncing ideas off of my support core. These few people give me great ideas and honest feedback and for that I am appreciative. So Ron, Britney, Tracy and Katina you're the best.

In other news my friends Britney and Katina are staring their own event planning companies. You can definitely look forward to me putting a spotlight on their businesses. Keep your eyes peeled for A Sweet Affair and Blue Lily Events. Don't forget where you heard it first.

Coming Soon........

My very own dessert company.....Domestic Delights. Keep your eye out for the menu.