jkRibbit Randomness...

Random the First: I like alliteration. I am aware that I'm a nerd and I'm okay with that.

Random the Second: (I need to preface this with a quick explanation. I am trying to be very careful with my words. I have learned through my experience with my continuing health saga, and even more so with BodyTalk, that everything has an energy - and I'm very susceptible to that energy. So, I'm trying to focus on the positive energy. Hence, I have been trying not to use the term "lose weight." A) the word "lose" has negative connotations. And 2) I never want to "find" that weight again. So, my family and I have been referring to that particular phenomenon as "letting go" - as in "I have let go of 30 pounds in the last year." This particular terminology, for me, says: "I no longer have the need to carry that extra weight, so I am releasing it." We will also sometimes use: "I am 30 pounds lighter than I was a year ago." You get the idea...) So, in case you didn't catch those oh-so-subtle hints -

I let go of 30 pounds!!! I am 30 pounds lighter!!!

Random the Third: I am recording a CD. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about being brave. However, I was not brave enough to announce what I was being brave about and that didn't jive with me. So, I decided to be brave all the way. I'm recording a CD. There will be 12 vocal selections mostly taken from my Broadway repertoire. Tuesday evening, I had my second recording session. It didn't go quite as smoothly as the first one - I was only able to complete two songs instead of the planned three (I'm a bit stuck in a health issue cycle - sprained ankle led to tweaked back, led to knee problems with a sinus infection thrown in the middle for good measure...but I'm determined to perservere :). But I am still happy with how the two turned out. I now have 5/12 done.

Random the Fourth: My siblings crack me up! AngelFish had a conference in Vegas this week. Tergaso thought it would be cool to drive up and spend some time together on the strip since she only has class on Monday and Tuesday and is feeling all cool and grown-up now that she's started her Master's program. (Apparently, she's also turned ghetto. Stay. Cool. Yo.) However, Brunhilde (her car) didn't agree with this plan. I guess what goes to Vegas, stays in Vegas and poor Brunhilde was left in the dust of the Greyhound that took Tergaso back to Claremont. Poor Bruni...

Random the Fifth: I was going through pictures to find my favorites of ScienceBoy and found these awesome pics and had to share. They were taken, I believe, eight years ago. The top one is pretty much what we look like whenever we're together (ie: laughing hysterically). The bottom one is of us pulling it together for a split second. I love these pictures.

Happy Birthday, ScienceBoy!

Okay, so I'm almost two weeks late with this post...but at least the scanner is now officially hooked up to the computer. So, my procrastination means I can post pictures! Also, these pictures are three years old! But they are some of my favorite pictures of ScienceBoy, so I had to post them :)


We have a tradition that the birthday boy (or girl, depending on who's birthday it is...) gets to choose the dinner menu. You would think that a 10-year-old boy would pick something like pizza or hamburgers or macaroni and cheese...but no. ScienceBoy, like his brother SpiderMan in February, completely cracked me up with his distinguished palette. When I called to ask what ScienceBoy would like for dinner at his birthday party, without hesitation of any kind, he answered: artichokes, steak, and some sort of punch, please. Seriously. First thing out of his mouth was "artichokes." He also told me that at the top of his birthday wish list were a mug with his name painted on it and an eagle statue. Again, he's 10! Crazy kid!

Needless to say, he did get his birthday dinner of artichokes and steak - although we forgot about the punch until it was too late. He also got a kit to decorate his own mug and AngelFish and LSOC found him an eagle statue at the fair. I think he had a great birthday.

Easy Pork Chops and Stuffing

This is one of our favorite comfort food meals. And it's SO easy!

4-6 pork chops
1 box stove-top stuffing
(usually the stuffing calls for 1/2 stick of butter)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can milk.

Preheat oven to 350. Brown pork chops. Make stuffing according to recipe on box. Put stuffing in 9x12 glass baking dish. Put pork chops on top. Combine soup and milk. Pour over chops and stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Enjoy :)

Remembering...

Seven years ago:

• I was working in one of the tallest buildings in Salt Lake City and heard the news while riding the elevator to the 24th floor. Not much work got done that day before they let us go home. We mostly crowded around the few radios and t.v.s in the office.
  
• My sister, AngelFish, was serving a mission in Russia. We waited anxiously to hear from her and to see what would happen world wide.
• My cute little ScienceBoy was about to turn 3. We had him for the weekend and he went out to help The Count put up our flag. He started to say parts of the Pledge of Allegiance that he had heard, including "one nation, under Uncle The Count..." We laughed and thought it was cute. But isn't it nice to have fathers and father figures that you can turn to and recieve comfort and safety. I know that we, as individuals, as a family, and, I'm sure, as a nation also turned to our Heavenly Father during that dark time.
• I was touched by the stories of courage, the outpouring of love, the unifying of our country.

Finding Joy

Today I had my annual dilated eye exam. And by annual, I mean that it's supposed to be annual but my last one was over three years ago. I remembered why my last one was over three years ago. I hate having an annual dilated eye exam. It is not fun. At all. Sure, the doctor was very nice and competent and sociable. The staff were friendly and also competent. And then they stick things in your eye: drops that sting, pokey things, bright lights. And then the panic starts. Anxiety levels go through the roof. And I am actually a little grateful for the drops that sting because I can explain away the sudden wetness on my face with them. (There are very few things in life I don't cry at. I'm not ok with this but I'm trying to be...) So there I am thinking "breathe! Remember to breathe!" and "wow, this isn't going to be such a great day."

And then I'm pulling into the driveway (they temporarily blind you and then send you out to drive home...) and there are two cute little toddlers out for a walk with their Grandma. And they squeal in delight to see me and come in for a treat and give me a big hug and lots of smiles.

And then my awesome sister posts a picture from our practically perfect weekend at our cabin. And I remember how wonderful it was to head up to the mountains and enjoy a last day of end of summer sunshine and then enjoy two days of fall storms with fabulous rain, lightening, thunder, mist, hail, and snow-tipped mountains. I also remember watching great-fun movies on VHS that I haven't seen in years. And playing games with my family laughing at me because I will always pick the green card from the Rook deck.




And then I have a delicious BCT (bacon, cheese, tomato - I don't like lettuce I've decided) sandwich for lunch with fresh from the garden tomatoes. And while I'm eating lunch I am able to see again and pull out a great book that I am loving re-reading (Little Women.)

And I remember to post a favorite quote on Facebook:
"We can distinguish more clearly between divine discontent and the devil's dissonance, between dissatisfaction with self and disdain for self. We need the first and must shun the second, for when conscience calls to us from the next ridge, it is not solely to scold but also to beckon." - Neal A. Maxwell

And so, I decide that today is a great day. I choose to be grateful that the exam, while painful and panic-inducing, went well and showed I had no problems with my eyes. I choose to be grateful that I don't have to worry about having another one for another year. I choose to be grateful that my health has improved to the point that that kind of panic is a rarity in my life now. I choose to be grateful for a wonderful family who can laugh at my OCDness and love me because of my weird quirks. I choose to be grateful for friends who stop to say hi and encourage their granddaughters to be friends as well. I choose to enjoy this glorious fall day. I choose to find joy.