Long time no blog...

Yep, its been a while since I blogged. What is new in my life???? Not much, unfortunately.

I'm still going to Mars Hill church in Seattle and LOVE it. I have always had a hard time sitting through sermons, even those that were no longer than 30min. But there is something about how Pastor Mark (Driscoll, not Pitroff), that keeps me still an attentive for 50-60 min at a time. I'm still having a hard time with the worship as its not at all what I like/am used to for church, but I'm slowly learning to appreciate it, especially now that I am starting to know the songs.

The community group I am part of is going good. Its in downtown Seattle (not my favorite place), but the people are nice and there are a lot of single guys :-)

The missions trip is coming together. I have my passport, and will be getting my vaccinations soon. Luckily, I only have to get my Hep A and a Tetanus booster. Not too bad.....

I have been working out at Curves for the last month and had my first weigh/measure tonight. I went in not expecting anything at all as this first month was just to get me going on a regular basis. I gained a pound and half, but I lost almost 4 inches overall...so I think the gain was probably muscle. I was very pleasantly surprised to say the least.

Well, I am going to bed. I think I'm fighting a cold or something as my head hurts and I feel crappy. To all a good night....

Fabulous Movie

I just got back from a free showing of Lars and the Real Girl that my church sponsored. This is a must see movie, folks. I haven't laughed this hard at a movie in I don't know how long. What I thought was really cool was that you laughed really hard, but when the movie was over, you have a lot of serious things to think about. It is definitely a 5 star movie in my books.

My only advice.... don't let the fact that it is a story about a sex doll scare you away. It is 100% cleaner and more family friendly than 98% of all the commercials/cartoons/shows on TV. Very, VERY well done.

Pumpkin Carving Fun

So, last night my friends Beth and Rachael came over and we carved our pumpkins. 3 hours later, I had finished two (mine and Abby's as she was out of town) and they each finished one. My hand is so sore....I had the worst tool ever for scraping the pumpkin skin away. Anyway, here they are...can you guess which two are mine? I think I might have a few pictures without the flash...but my camera is not cooperating at the moment.

Yummy Recipes

Here are two recipes I saw on an Episode of America's Test Kitchen (which is a very, VERY cool show). They are both fast, simple and delicious!


Skillet Chicken and Rice with Peas and Scallions

Be sure to use chicken breasts that are roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.

Serves 4

4	boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
	Table salt and ground black pepper
1/2	cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
2	tablespoons unsalted butter
1	medium onion , minced
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
	Pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2	cups long-grain rice
1/2	cup dry white wine
4 1/2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1	cup frozen peas
5	scallions , sliced thin
2	tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1	lemon , cut into wedges, for serving

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour to coat and shake off any excess. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the chicken well on one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

2. Off the heat, add the butter to the skillet, and swirl to melt. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and return to medium-high heat until softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice thoroughly and let toast for about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in the wine and let the rice absorb it completely, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken into the rice, browned side facing up, including any accumulated juices. Cover and cook over medium heat until the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate. Gently brush off and discard any rice clinging to the chicken, then tent the chicken with foil and set aside. Return the skillet of rice to medium-low heat, cover, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 8 to 12 minutes longer.

5. Off the heat, sprinkle the peas over the rice, cover, and let warm through, about 2 minutes. Add the scallions and lemon juice to the rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the chicken and lemon wedges.

___________________________________________________________________
Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Ziti, and Asiago Cheese

This recipe also works well with 8 ounces of penne. Parmesan cheese can be substituted for the Asiago.

Serves 4

1	pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1-inch squares
	Table salt and ground black pepper
2	tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil)
1	medium onion , minced (about 1 cup)
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4	teaspoon dried oregano
1/8	teaspoon red pepper flakes
8	ounces ziti (2 /12 cups)
2 3/4	cups water
1 2/3	cups low-sodium chicken broth
12	ounces broccoli florets (4 cups)
1/4	cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , rinsed and chopped coarse
1/2	cup heavy cream
1	ounce grated Asiago cheese (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
1	tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the ziti, 2 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 3/4 cup water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Uncover and return the heat to high. Stir in the cream, Asiago, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated Asiago at the table, if desired.

Yes, I am having a whopper of a pity party for myself. Its just been a rough week and I just want to just get away from work and not ever go back. I'm overwhelmed and I just want to cry.

Feeling a little angry, frustrated, and impatient.

Feeling very un-attractive, boring, and sad.

Feeling very VERY lonely, confused, and disappointed in God.

Zoo Trip and Other Assorted Topics

So for the heck of it, I went to the zoo on Saturday. Now, I love the zoo....I mean really love the zoo. I have seriously considered volunteering there and I may just once my busy social life dies down a bit next year. Anyway, I went by myself (which is a nice way to see the zoo) and got to meander around, stopping where I wanted to stop, going where I wanted to go, and just enjoyed the amazing creatures God has made. Here are some pictures:

Baby Tiger (born earlier this year)..very fluffy looking, I wanted to cuddle with it.



Birds in Willawong Station....they will fly up and land on you..you can also pay $1 and get a Popsicle stick with a tad of birdseed on the end. I am Dutch, and therefore cheap...I just enjoyed others getting pooped on.



Classic zoo Peacock


Yep, thats a bear.


I love this one..it look like the monkey is giving the finger, lol


My favorite, the elephant


Some exciting news is that I was elected commanding officer of my good guys Star Wars costuming group. This means I have power, unlimited power (insert evil laugh here). It also means I have to coordinate all events, convention appearances, settle disputes, and approve costumes. Just a tad bit more to add to my plate, but it had to be done.

Blessings

I just wanted to share with everyone how things are going in preparation for my trip to Guatemala:

- My passport application has been sent in, so now I just have to wait 6-8 weeks (per the person I gave the application to) for my passport to come. Just enough time for them to make sure I am an acutally legal resident of the US and don't have a criminal background.

- I will be having a meeting with the group on October at which I will find out what vaccinations I need so that I hopefully will not contract some funky disease...not looking forward to those injections. Will be making a trip to Costco before I leave to make sure I have a super sized box of Immodium AD....don't really want to get the Guatemalan equivalent of Montezuma's revenge.

- Last night I got an e-mail from the accounting person with RBB (Reach Beyond Borders) with my total support raised so far. Before I give the amount, I just wanted to share that I haven't been concerned at all about if enough support was going to be raised. Normally I worry (I'm VERY good at that) and it disrupts my life, but I haven't had even a moments concern. I consider that a confirmation that I am supposed to go on this trip and that God will provide. I also consider it a confirmation in that he has provided $1500 of the $1850 I need to go! Yep folks...that leaves $350 I need to raise before Jan 2! As my mom says, "its like a hug from God". I am feeling completely blessed and loved by God, family and friends.

On a non missions trip related note...I woke up last night at 4:30 to what I thought was the static sound from my alarm clock radio, but instead it was a torrential downpour outside. I laid in bed listening to it for a while and then went back to sleep. I LOVE the sounds of a heavy rain...I just wish I had a tin or metal roof, then I would REALLY hear it. I'm also totally in a fall mood. I'm thinking its time to start baking bread and making soups and stews. I want to smell cinnamon pine cones and rotting leaves. It totally makes me want to put up my Christmas decorations and play Christmas music. Yes they would be 3 months early, but oh I long for that time of year (minus the snow...unless its on a weekend). Maybe I'll take a jaunt out to Michaels and see if they have their pine cones in yet. I wonder if there's an easy way to make my own...hmmm...I may look online.

More proof that I am a dork...

Ok, tonight at community group, this guy Brad (who I've known for a while) came up while I was in line getting dinner. He said he needed to talk with me about my trip to Guatemala....and then asked how short I was. Me, being myself and a little on the slow side, thought for a moment and said "5'8". He kind of looked at me weird and then I realized he was talking about money, not my height. We both got a good laugh over it.....I honestly thought he was going to offer me some boots or a coat or something...money was the last thing on my mind.

Real smooth Becki, real smooth!

Wow!

I just wanted to share some amazing news.....during my community group tonight, I asked for prayer for my support to come in for Guatemala. There are three deadlines I need to make and a certain amount by each one. I sent out my support letters yesterday (expect one on the mail :-), and just wanted group prayer for God's provision. Afterwards, this guy came up and asked me how much I needed to raise, and how much I had currently. I told him...and he said "Well, I have $500 I'd like to give you. If by the end you don't have enough let me know, and I'll fill in what is needed"! I was speechless at his generosity, to say the least. I was so flustered, that on my way back from grabbing him my support letter...I ran into a wall mounted TV, lol. A classic Becki move...

I'm still blown away and very grateful. God is amazing!

Guatemala

I am going to Guatemala....on a medical missions trip.....for 10 days......I am so excited!

A Day in Becki's Life

I was inspired by my cousin Lindy to tell you what a usual day in my life is like. Its not really interesting or fun, but I suppose the grass is always greener.

I usually get up at 6am, hit the snooze and get up at 6:09 when it goes off (that 9 minutes sure makes a big difference, lol). I put my contacts in, and check my e-mail while I brush my teeth. Shower, dress, take my vitamins...then off to work by 6:45. I get to work around 7:30...switch the laundry over, put away the clean speculums and tools, fill the equipment basins and turn on the warmers in each room (nothing worse than cold speculums and gel). Patients start arriving at 8am, so I start putting them in exam rooms. During this time, I'm also checking the lab results that came in overnight, filing the normal ones, sending results letters, etc. At 9am the phones turn on and the messages start coming in. I usually get a breather around 9:30, which is when I usually scarf breakfast. Patients, calls, labs continue until 12:30 when, if everything is going smoothly, I get to go for lunch. The afternoon patients start at 1:00-1:30 depending on the day, and then its back to patients and calls for the rest of the afternoon. If I have a free moment I try to schedule surgeries or order supplies. Last patient is usually done at 3:45, which is when the charts start flowing from the Dr's office as she is done charting or signing off things. There is usually a pile of things she wants us to follow up on, call someone about, or fax somewhere. We usually clean the speculums and other equipment, stock supplies in the rooms and basically close them down for the night at around 4:30 or so. Then its back to calls and filing until we are done, which is hopefully 5 or 5:30. Drive home and usually get there at 6 (doesn't seem to matter if I leave at 5 or 5:30, I still get home at the same time). I change right into my pajamas, cook dinner, watch some TV, check e-mail. Sometimes I'll go hang out with the girls, or watch a movie with them, but most of the time I'm in bed by 9 or 9:30pm. Repeat over, and over, and over again.

Vacation

Just got back from my vacation....now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation. I really don't want to go back to work tomorrow!

Went to Lake Chelan with the family Wed-Fri and then drove home and left Sat morning to spend the weekend at Guemes Island (Sp?) just off Anacortes. I could totally live in that area! Its so quaint and quiet...especially on the island. The ferry ride to and from work would be brutal though as it makes me REALLY seasick.

Finishing up laundry and boiling some eggs for breakfasts this week...then going to bed, where I plan on getting a decent nights sleep.

Good Job!

I just wanted to share two "good job" moments I had this week. This has been my first week on the weight watchers eating plan, and I had to face two big challenges. 1) We had a drug rep bring us Mexican food....which I love and could eat for every meal, every day and never get tired of it. 2) I went out to eat with friends to the Old Spaghetti Factory.

I made a very modified taco salad of the Mexican food, stayed away from the chips/salsa, and didn't eat any of the cookies.

And tonight I made it through the Spaghetti Factory with good choices. I ate the salad with the nummy creamy pesto, but only dipped my fork in the dressing for each bite (which only used a 1/4 of the total dressing they brought), had 1 piece of bread, and ate half a serving of plain spaghetti with tomato sauce (and choose the whole wheat pasta). I did splurge and eat the ice cream, but I was still within my points for the day because of the other good choices. All in all, I am very proud of myself.

Hopefully the scale will reward me more tomorrow at weigh in...although even if it doesn't I am still proud of my choices.

Get Fit

I'm 100% committed to losing weight and getting fit! I'm tired of being tired, heavy, and unable to find/look good in clothes. To this end...I have joined Weight Watchers. I was a member over a year ago and did lose some weight, but was lazy..very lazy. I'm bound and determined to work at this and lose weight. My leader is very cool. She is a fellow nurse and also lost 110 lbs and has kept it off for 5 years. I found this very inspiring as I have about 100 lbs to lose as well..so its nice to talk with someone who has done the same. I weighed in Thursday and this is my second day watching my food intake and tracking my points. I'm planning on joining the YMCA in the next few weeks to go and swim before work. They also have discounted massages there, which I am really looking forward to as I have some serious knots that need to come out...stupid stress.

Busy, Busy

Sorry for not getting more blogging done lately. It has been a very busy past few weeks.

Went to Lake Chelan to spread Grandpa's ashes, which was a beautiful thing. I was kind of surprised at how much closure it gave me. I felt like I reached a place of finality and the pouring of the ashes into Gold Creek just cemented that feeling. It was also great to spend time with all the family and just relax, the apricots were nice too :-)

I took this past Friday off as I volunteered to prepare the food for Jason Pitroffs wedding. Everything turned out nice food wise, and Debby (Jason's new wife) guess almost perfectly on the food. The ceremony was BEAUTIFUL! It was very simple in the gazebo at the Edmonds City Park. Close friends and family....very nice. It was such a blessing to see how special it was for the two of them....to be honest, it made me jealous a bit. Very happy for the both of them though.

Saturday, I was in the Kla Ha Ya Days parade in Snohomish. It drizzled for most of the time, but we had a good time. Chewbacca flew in from Nashville, and with his new stilts was at least 7'9. It was very impressive and he definitely stole the show. Everyone kept yelling "Chewbacca, Chewie!" Put some pictures below.

I also finished the Harry Potter book today....wow.....won't give anything away, but wow! Got it Saturday morning at 11 and finished it this evening. Not bad, not bad at all. I'll probably have time to read it again before I start passing it around.


This is me saving the universe from evil.



Me fraternizing with the enemy

Chewbacca and his non-Wookie dad

Harry Potter

I went and saw the new Harry Potter movie this morning...sorry Jenni....it was amazing!!!!! The best HP movie so far! I thought they did a fairly decent job of keeping to the story...it wasn't all action, like the last movie, and we got to meet Luna Lovegood, who is my new fav character. That girl played her spot on! I HIGHLY recommend you go see this movie!

On another note, Shawn, aka "the guy", wrote back and I'm having some mixed feelings about what I should do. On one hand, I think I should at least meet him before I make a decision, but on the other hand I'm not really interested in "just being friends" and dragging this e-mail thing on. I'm not really sensing any direction from the Lord, so maybe that is the direction....just continue until I do sense something. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the ideas of arranged marriages....if anyone want to pick out some nice guy and set the wedding date, I may be up for that in the near future.

Ok..

So this guy has not e-mailed me since Friday....why do I sense he's maybe not as interested as he sounded. Its actually kind of funny, in a God sense of humor type of way. I have been praying that if this wasn't from God that he would close all doors and communication....don't pray for something if you don't want to recieve it. If he for some reason does contact me again and doesn't give a decent story, like "my child was in the hospital" or "I had to go out of town last minute for a family emergency", I will kindly be letting him know that I'm not really interested in sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to grow some balls. I'm way past the whole "lets be friends" or "just want to hang out" type crap that so many guys and gals are so fond of. All people should be past this by my age, but for some reason, it's still quite popular. I'm 27 and my eggs aren't getting any younger, thank you very much!

A Guy

So a bit more on this guy...for those whom my mom hasn't already filled in.

His name is Shawn, he's 32, divorced, has a 2 year old son name Thor that lives with him full time. We haven't met yet, just e-mailing. He says he's a Christian and goes to church when his work schedule allows. He works as a medical assistant at the UW ER, and is planning on applying for physician assistant school or nursing school. Used to be in the Air Force as a flight medic/critical care tech. Is on good terms with his ex, who recently moved to Chicago for a job. They got divorced because "they just didn't get along and his wife declined counseling".

Top three things I have issues with....

1) Not sure how solid of a Christian he is. Has me a bit concerned.
2) The reason behind the divorce....kind of a lame reason if you ask me. There is always 2 sides to any story, and I'm interested in finding out more.
3) The fact that he wants to go back to school.

Top three things I don't have issues with....
1) His son...I love kids.
2) His age...32 is still very young, and I will remind my readers that I am 27, which is ancient.
3) The fact that we haven't met yet....we've only been "talking" for a week.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July!!

I was in a parade today down in Edmonds. It was hot, hot, hot, but we had a good time. No one go heatstroke, our costumes didn't fall apart, and I looked good! I did get tired of being called "Darth Maul" and one girl said she though we were from the Matrix.....these people are seriously having this part of their education neglected. "Train up a child in the ways of Star Wars and they will never part from it." Yes, that is a bit sacrilegious....but I think God is a total Star Wars fan...I can just see Him in heaven wearing a WWYD? bracelet (What Would Yoda Do?). Its a good thing God has a good sense of humor....cause 2 sacrilegious comments in one day is probably too many.

When I got home last night from the festivities at my mom's house, my freezer was hanging open, devoid of my frozen goods, with a note attached. I had talked with my landlords the other day about the freezer leaking water on the floor and the freezer defrosting and refreezing all my food. Well, they took it upon themselves to move my freezer stuff upstairs and turn off the refrigerator. My land lady said not to worry about the stuff in the fridge as it should stay cold enough. I didn't think it worked that way if the freezer door was left open and defrosted.....I was right. My fridge was room temperature this morning, so I had to throw out a lot of stuff. Oh well, hopefully the freezer will now work right.

Yep...

Yep, so I've met a very nice man.. Met in the sense of talking via e-mail....no phone calls or in person meetings, yet. I won't say more as it makes the suspense all the better.

Naked Man

Yes, I saw a naked man on my way to work yesterday, just standing by the side of the road in Kenmore. I'm driving, minding my own business, when I see this man on the other side of the street with his back to me......and he is naked. I keep driving, thinking "he must be holding a sign 'down there' to make a political or advertising statement"......well, when I drove by and whipped my head around, he was completely naked. I was shocked at first, and then I started giggling like crazy. I debated whether or not to call the police, but didn't think I could call 911 for such a thing (apparently you can), so I just kept driving. It made for a very good story at work, and we chuckled about it all day long.

Speaking of work, I have to go in for a bit today to work on the new office. I have supplies piled all over the waiting room and they really need to be put away. I'm also going to a stamp thing with Kristi today and planning on getting my hair cut....busy, busy.

Poll

I am doing a poll for which license plate frame I should get...opinions please!

1. I'm a Star Wars fan, Honk if you R2

2. My other transport is an AT-AT

3. My car made the Kessel run in 2 parsecs

4. My other ride is a TaunTaun

5. Its an armor thing, you wouldn't understand

Any other suggestions are welcome. Some of these were my ideas, others were from the garrison.

Sushi

I have been wanting to try Sushi for a very long time. Now mind you, I don't eat seafood of any kind, which kind of makes you feel out of place in a restaurant where 98% of the menu revolves around seafood. Michelle had given me a good recommendation in Kirkland and my co-worker gave me one for Mill Creek. Since I didn't relish going to Kirkland and trying to find parking, I opted for Mill Creek.

The place was called Sushi Zen. Its in a strip mall, but it is a nice place! I got seated and when the waiter brought the menu over, I confessed my inexperience. I could tell he was about to suggest some raw fish dish when I asked for a suggestion...so I quickly stated "I don't eat fish or seafood, do you have some non-fish rolls?". He gave me two nice suggestions, a basic vegetarian roll and another one that I can't pronounce, but it had pickled plum in it. They arrived and looked great...I then tasted one and wasn't that impressed. The rice was good, the vegetables fresh, but it was the nori (seaweed wrapper) that did me in. It tasted like a beach at low tide...and it didn't taste nice. I tried to hide the flavor with some pickled ginger and wasabi, but with no luck. I managed to eat 4 pieces, but then I was done. I didn't want to be rude, so I asked for a box. I left it at the cabin for Abby as I know she likes that sort of thing.

All in all, a good experience and I would definitely go back to the restaurant and get some noodles or some other food, but not the rolls. At least I can say I tried it.

Exercise

I really need to start exercising again. I was doing good for a while, and then I missed a day....then 2.....then 5..... and now lots of days. I'm thinking about taking a tennis class as I've always liked tennis, but never really knew how to play. I've also been looking into going swimming before work a couple of days a week, but the thought of getting into a bathing suit is awful! I just need to do it, stop whining, and stop caring about what other people think. Yes, self, that is what I must do.

Long time

I know...its been a long time since I blogged. I don't even have a good reason, except that I didn't want to. Nothing interesting going on....just work, stress, difficulty sleeping, etc.

I envy people who get good sleep. Its the deep, dark, evil envy too, not the watered down stuff. I'll forever curse the day I inherited my dads bad sleeping genes! Why couldn't I have inherited my moms "I lay my head down and sleep until 7am" genes, those are the ones I really want.

When you dream you are living in some sort of earthbound ship, and neglecting the people upstairs so that they die, and then getting called on it by coworkers......something is wrong. When you actually start getting up out of bed to look for those you neglected....something is terribly wrong. But when you are tired because you were up all night living out a stupid dream.....thats the ultimate in wrongness.

Curse the sleep disorders that plague me!

Good movie

So, last night I watched Star Wars Episode 3. Man, I love that movie! Beth, Katie, Rach, and Spencer came over and we had some good laughes, chuckles, and scoffing....nice combination. We also ate popcorn an gummy bears and drank Verners ginger ale. Poor Rach and Spencer both had huge stacks of finals to grade...I'm glad I'm not a teacher.

Combination

So this is a combination post from the last few days.

6/12/07

Just found out that my costuming groups was cut from the Torchlight parade. We had originally be accepted and we had turned in our entrance fee. Then our CO got a letter saying that they were sorry for the confusion, but they were cutting us because we had been in the parade two years in a row and there are other groups who want a spot. I would have understood it if they had just said no right off the bat, but to go almost 2 months after accepting us and then say no....after accepting our money, that is just stupid. We were really bummed as this is a big parade for us and its the 30th anniversary this year. We are doing other parades, but this is definitely a highlight.

6/13/07

Went out for coffee with the girls and Philip. We hadn't seen him in almost 2 months, so it was nice to catch up. Having serious bouts of loneliness lately....it is tough being single...especially during wedding season. I have two weddings to go to this summer, and while I'm happy for the couples, it just makes me jealous. I know, I know...God has it all in control and I just need to trust Him..... I hate hearing that, despite its truth, especially since its almost always said by those who are married! Do you ever hear a single person saying that??? Never! And if they do, they are lying...they are having the same doubts in God as the rest of us.

6/14/07

Thinking about taking some tennis lessons. I enjoy playing, but I don't understand the rules, and have no form. I think I'm going to look into it.....

Need a haircut something awful, but the person I want to go to is out in Snohomish. No one gives a haircut like a gay man....they just know how to make it look good! I should call and see if he has any Saturday appointments.

6/15/07

I am a controlling, bossy person. We are going to be opening an annex office in the next few months and the space needs to be stocked, organized, and put together. I've decided to take this on, mostly because I don't want it to be a group effort, too many cooks in the kitchen! A couple of my co-workers have to argue and discuss to death any decision , including where the garbage can should sit in the exam room. Uggh...I am NOT organizing an office with them, I refuse. What I really need is three full days in a row where I don't have to worry about phone calls, patients, or people needing my help. Three days and I can have that office operational....I'm sure of it! So, the controlling personality has come right to the top.....and bossy side is also rearing its head per my co-nurse. I apologized for bossing her around and asked her to call me on it. She is my equal and I have no right to boss her around.

A pile of charts a mile high

That is was was sitting on my desk all day long...a pile of charts that not only were sitting there laughing at me, but also reproducing. I would go to put a patient in a room and when I came back, there were three more charts. I think we need to put those charts on some birth control, or get them fixed.....

I stayed at work until 5:45 and then fought traffic. Here it is 9pm and I just finished dinner. I did manage to get the kitchen cleaned, so it hasn't been a total waste of an evening.

I have yet to work with my sewing dummy, it just sits in the living room scaring me when I get up to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I really need to move it, but I am just too lazy.

Tired, tired, tired

Got back from the camping trip this afternoon. I am tired....I didn't get nearly as much sleep as I needed. Nature decided to try and kill me (and mom) with allergy problems. I had sneezing, stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and facial swelling for most of the weekend. Mom thinks there was plant that set us off....stupid allergies.

Friday was beautiful! Saturday was cold and rainy, but we managed to stay dry. Today was cloudy, but no rain. We hiked all over and went up hill and down hill and across hill. Very nice.

There was this very good looking man who was camping two sites over. Abby (daring and bold women that she is) asked him if he wanted to join us around the campfire last night. He came over and we had jiffy pop, laughed, and shared funny stories. He is from Vermont and has been driving across the country for 3 weeks. He's getting ready to start heading back after he stops off in Oregon. We gave him some firewood before we left today and wished him a safe trip. Did I mention he is cute???

Must go to bed as I have to work tomorrow....*sigh*

Bed

I'm going to be gone for the weekend, so I will miss posting at least on Saturday....so consider yourself warned.

I was going to post something longer, but I am sitting here yawning...so I'm going to bed instead. I'll try to post something before I leave tomorrow.

Camping!

Friday I am going camping with my mom, sister, Abby, Beth and Mary. We are going to Fort Ebey State park and are staying until Sunday (or it rains so much we are all miserable). I definitely need a break from work, and I'm hoping this will put me in good spirits when I get back.

My only concern is that our campsite is like the farthest from the bathroom. I ALWAYS have to make at least 1 trip in the middle of the night, and once my contacts are out, I am blind as a bat. I have glasses (which are pretty hideous), but the Rx is back from 1998 and my eyes have changed a lot since then. I really need to buckle down and get a nice pair of glasses that I can wear instead of contacts. I'll add it to my list.

CPR

I took a CPR class tonight as my card had expired a year ago. It was nice to have the refresher, and its even better to take it with other health care providers as it goes real quick. The class was to be from 6-10, but we got out at 8:30. Now I am certified for another 2 years (or longer if I let it lapse again).

It looks like we may be hiring another nurse and a MA at our office. We are adding another Dr in September, so Dr W and her will share the nurse (for triage, procedures, etc), and each have an MA to do the rooming of pts, and the less important stuff. I'm a little concerned how Dr W's current MA will take being demoted. She has been practicing way out of her scope for a long time, feels like she is the queen bee, and does pretty much whatever she wants. Hopefully, they will both have strong personalities and can put her in her rightful place (which is the bottom of the seniority totem pole). Nothing worse than an uppity MA who thinks she is the same as a nurse (she actually calls herself a nurse to her patients). I always refer to her as an MA and make sure I say it loud and often, as she obviously needs to be reminded. I worked very hard, and had a lot of schooling to have the right to call myself a nurse, and I'm not about to share that with someone who may have a lot of experience, but only took a 3 month class to get her certification.

Steak

I had me the biggest craving for steak today...it was awful! As many of you know, I'm not a big meat person at all. I would choose just about any other food over meat. I'm wondering if my iron level is low or something, or I'm deficient in some other mineral. Anyway, I had to have steak, today!

I ended up going to the Keg and got a very nice 9 oz piece of steak, of which I ate half. The other half is for lunch tomorrow, along with the left over garlic mashed potatoes. I feel much better now, and the craving seems to be gone for the moment.

Tomorrow night I am taking a refresher course for my CPR. My certification lapsed a year ago, and if I want to work in the hospital, I need to be current. Its probably a good thing to be current in anyway, especially since I thought a woman was going to code on the exam table the other day. Long story that isn't proper to post here, so ask me about it next time I see you. I also expect the course to be boring, and it pretty much is, but the teacher knows it too. They schedule it for 4 hours, but we are usually out of there in under 2 as the teacher has no desire to be teaching a class from 6-10pm on a Tuesday night.....going to miss Deadliest Catch :-(

I still haven't heard back from Stevens. I'm going to give it to Thursday or Friday and then inquire as to the status of my application. I'm REALLY hoping it works out, but if not, I'll probably go to Evergreen. I just really wanted to be somewhere different, with less deliveries, and a bad reputation I can try and make better :-)

Well, its now an hour past my bedtime, which means 30 min less reading for me :-( I'm finishing up a great Star Wars book....Dark Lord : The Rise of Dark Vader. It chronicles some of the early period following Episode 3. It also give an awesome look at what is underneath Vader's suit...very cool.

2/3rds of the way

I am now 2/3rds of the way to my goal of blogging every day for 30 days. To be honest, I think I might be running out of things to say (hard to believe I know).

Today I got something I have been wanting for a really long time......no, its not a man (I wish!), its a sewing dress form. I joined Freecycle, which is the coolest thing ever, and now I have a size 18 dress form that is my height, and I got it for free. Just stopped by on the way to my mom's house and now its mine.

This will be perfect to display a costume and/or work on sewing projects (I'll need to fill it out in certain places as I am not yet a size 18). Anyway, I'm very excited! I'm going to give it a good cleaning tomorrow and then put my royal guard on display to see how it looks. Sweet!

Becki's day

Made cards.....got Star Wars swag collected by a friend from Celebration 4....ate Mexican food.....read a book.....visited with friends....watched a movie.....considering my opinion on when life begins for a family discussion....going to bed because my head hurts.

Elephant Ear

I had an elephant ear tonight for the first time in probably 10 years. I forgot how good they are! Abby, Beth and I went to the Edmonds Waterfront Festival. I've never been before, so I decided to go this year. It was ok....the booths were pretty much all the same (did you know there are a millions window companies in Edmonds?), the food was diverse and smelled good, the beer garden was full of drunk people (and one particular white man who danced in a kind of disturbing way).

The best part was the troop of belly dancers that performed. They were pretty good, although there was this one dancer who was a tall stick. She literally was like an "I". She'd shimmy her hips and it was an all over body tremble. She'd undulate and it looked like a fish trying to swim upstream. It was worse watching her than the overweight woman who was dancing (at least she had curves!). They all seemed to enjoy themselves, so that is really all that matters, but it was still kind of funny.

Anyway, very fun, sort of worth the $3, would probably go again next year.

Sad

I am sad at the state our world is in. When 12 year old babies are having sex and getting pregnant, something is wrong with the world. Our new patient who is 12 came in today for an ultrasound a check with the Dr. I think we were all really hoping two things, 1) that she was seriously going to consider adoption, and 2) that it had been a case of rape instead of something consensual. We were unlucky on both counts. The father of the baby is apparently 3-4 times her age and her grandmother got him put in jail for statutory rape; it was totally consensual. She also firmly wants to keep the baby....so sad. It makes me want to go and steal the baby while she is in the hospital, just to keep it safe and give it a good life. *sigh* Its just plain sad, very, very sad. It makes my head hurt, so I am going to bed.

Poor Dr D

So I told my Dr today that I had applied for a per-diem position at Stevens....she just about died because she thought I was leaving. I realized after that I could have asked for just about anything at that moment and she would have given it to me without reservation. Its kind of scary to have that kind of power! She started asking if I wasn't getting paid enough or needed more time off. Once I calmed her down and explained my reasoning, she felt much better.....poor Dr. D, I really scared her.

For those who aren't aware of my reasoning for going insane and working more, there are three main reasons:

1) I'm probably going to need a new car sooner than later, and an extra job would allow me to funnel larger amounts of money into that fund.

2) Once you've been out of the hospital 3 years or more, you are required to take a refresher class before you can work in one again....it will be 3 years in October and I REALLY don't want to take a refresher class.

3) I'm getting bored with my job and needing a change. This allows me to get some change without sacrificing my good, stable position.

Dark Side

So I have started playing Knights of the Old Republic again (Star Wars game) and have decided to be as bad as I can be. Its weird cause normally I try to be as good as I can, but my bad side needed an outlet. Its also kind of nice to get to say mean, evil things to the other characters in the game, and you get to use cool dark side powers like force choke and lightning.

I just read that last sentence and it makes me sound REALLY cruel....good thing y'all know I'm not really like that. Anyway, its really interesting to see the game from the dark side, and your face also gets all craggy and ugly like the Emperors. Sweet! My GT guys would be proud of my complete turn to the dark side.

Too fast

This weekend went way to fast for my liking! I don't want to go back to work tomorrow, I don't!!!! I keep telling myself that its only 4 days until Saturday again, but its not really helping that much. I just got finished watching The Sin Eater. Its one of those cheesy Christian movies produced by Michael Landon Jr. For once I would like to see a Christian movie that doesn't have crappy music, bad acting, and can actually give some competition to Hollywood. Ugg!! Anyway, its now late and as I have to work tomorrow, I should probably go to bed.

Good movie

So I just go back from seeing Waitress. Its was a cute, funny movie, and I overall enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy the part where they had an affair, but other than that it was good. We were going to see Pirates of the Caribbean, but the 7:45 showing we had arrived at 6:45 to buy tickets for was sold out, and we didn't feel like hanging out until 8:30 and then having 3 hours of movie, so we switched theaters.

Plan on doing the Denny Creek hike tomorrow with Abby if the weather cooperates. I can't believe this three day weekend is almost over! I got nothing done! That's not entirely true...its just that my Saturday was jam packed and so it didn't feel like a day off. I REALLY don't want to go back to work on Tuesday. *sigh*

I need to go wash some dishes as I have a pot with some strange thing growing in it.

Short blog

I'm tired, too tired in fact to write a long blog. More tomorrow.

Tired

Well, my new visor worked fairly well. I only sweated out 1L of fluid as opposed to 5L, so I count that a success! Seriously, if there is a nice breeze, its not too bad. The real test will be tomorrow when I'm out walking in the sun.

The couple tonight did a pretty decent job on the costumes. The bride was Padme, the groom Anakin, the bridesmaids were Handmaidens, the groomsmen were Jedi, and the flower girls were junior Handmaidens. Some of the other guests were also dressed in costume. None of the costumes would have made it into the 501st or Rebel Legion, but over all not

bad.
I managed to get my lines off with only two mishaps. I said "royal scum" instead of "rebel scum" and then I messed up their last name slightly. I'm hoping that no one really noticed as my speaker system isn't great and I had the mic literally in my mouth. I was hoping to practice a few times after I was in gear to check volume levels and such, but after arriving 20 min early, I realized that I had left my outer robe in the dryer(where it was de-wrinkling), so I had to drive home and back, which only gave me 5 min to get dressed and have them tell me their name. Ahh well, it still was fun.

Jill, here are some old pictures of my Royal Guard costume. Don't have any from the wedding reception yet.

Lesson

I learned a lesson this evening.....don't put your head inside a helmet where you just installed a new visor using super glue. It makes your nose and throat burn something awful. In the attempt to get more airflow in my Royal Guard helmet, I have replaced my solid visor with double layer screen mesh. In theory it should work, especially since I can tilt my head back a bit when I exhale through my nose and the warm air goes out through the visor. We'll see how it work at the wedding tomorrow night.

Hurt Knee

So I hurt my knee today and I have no clue how it happened. After lunch it started getting sore and then I started limping. Its moving all wonky....yes I did say wonky. I've been icing it all evening and have taken Advil, so hopefully it will be better by morning.

I really have to work on my Royal Guard helmet tomorrow. I'm putting a mesh visor in to give that baby some airflow. I guess I'm just full of a lot of hot air!

I'm off to bed early tonight. I'm so tired.

Worst day

Well, today almost took the cake for "worst day at work". Dr D was in surgery most of the morning, and was running 45 min behind, so our in office procedure had to wait. While she was gone, a patient showed up for fetal monitoring/contraction monitoring. Baby looked great, but she was contracting every 3 minutes, which is not great at 35 weeks, but ok. She then had a fluid check which confirmed a low fluid that hadn't resolved and a baby in frank (legs up next to head) breech. Her cervix was closed (good), so after a quick call to the OR to confer with Dr D, the patient went to Maternal Fetal Medicine for an evaluation. Well, they found out that the baby has a heart defect and had to be delivered today.

While Dr D (who was back in the office) was on the phone with them, another patient was getting an ultrasound at 20wks to check gender....they had unexpected identical twin girls! Great, yes, but we don't do twins so we are sending them elsewhere, which is sad because they are one of our normal couples. Phone calls in numbers you can't believe were followed by all three Dr's being in surgery/deliveries, which delayed patients. Right in the middle of this, we get a call from an ER Dr over at Swedish with a pt of Dr I's who wants to be admitted to Evergreen for a possible bowel obstruction. I call into the OR where Dr I is and he says there is no way he is dealing with this because its a general surgery case. Phone call back to the ER Dr wraps that up.

More phone calls followed by the receptionist coming back to let us know that a grandmother just called to set up OB care for her 12 year old (yes, I said 12) granddaughter. What in heavens name is a 12 year old doing having sex!!!!??? Who is having sex with a 12 year old???? Why do they have to call us??? We are kind of stuck taking her as her older sister (20) is coming to see Dr D for her 2nd baby (first at 16). Stupid, stupid people......it just makes me sick thinking about it. Let me just tell you right now that I will be handing out all the pamphlets we have on adoption and places for her to call. I don't care if she doesn't want them, she is getting them. I can't even wrap my mind completely around the situation, and I am MOST interested in hearing how all this came about. As one of the girls up in the front office said, "She's probably only had her period for, what, 5 minutes."

Ok, I am going to bed. Its been too long of a day.

Extra Work

Just a quick note tonight as I am tired and ready for bed.

I'm looking into taking some occasional shifts at the hospital, if they can be flexible with my schedule. It would probably be two days, maybe three a month, and most likely on weekends. I've decided that this is the best way to save money for a new car, which I will probably be needing by the end of summer. I'm not really looking forward to it, as well, I like my time off. It just seems like the most feasible option. My budget is pretty much set and it doesn't leave extra for a car, so the extra hours must be worked somewhere. I'm putting out some feelers tomorrow and Wednesday, and hopefully, they can be accommodating, especially since I'm working full-time as it is. I actually took a gander over at the Stevens Hospital website (I know, I know, not a great hospital), but its close. They have a per-diem position available there on the Birth Center. It would be nice to just have quick trip to work, instead of driving to the Eastside. Please keep the whole situation in your prayers.

Hurt Toe

I was minding my own business, checking my e-mail, when my right foot decided to kick forward and I smashed my toes into my desk. My poor middle toe took the brunt and scrapped a nice piece off. It of course hurt like no tomorrow and bleed like nobody's business. After a few choice swear words (I'll leave them to your imagination), I bandaged the poor thing and watched as it continued to bleed. I put another Band-Aid on and it finally stopped. It still hurts and I am not looking forward to wearing my shoes tomorrow. Do you think it would look funny if I wore pink flip-flops with my scrubs??

On a brighter note, I am making a fabulous dish tomorrow night for dinner. I made it once before and loved it! Its from Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller, which is my new favorite cookbook. I highly recommend it, and suggest you use the Soba noddles. Soba is a buckwheat noodle, so it has lots of fiber and a great texture and taste. Its found in the Asian food isles. The sauce makes 3 cups (you only need about 1+) for the recipe. The leftover sauce is a great marinade, or dressing, or a dip if mixed with some black bean paste.



Beef and Noodles in Thai Peanut Sauce
Recipe courtesy Robin Miller, 2006

8 ounces somen or soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti

Thai Peanut Sauce:
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Pad Thai:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1⁄4 pounds lean beef steak (such as sirloin or flank), cut crosswise into 1⁄4-inch-thick strips
1⁄4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1⁄4 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well blended and set the pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the peanut sauce and simmer until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the beef mixture to the noodles and toss to combine, and then serve on individual plates topped with the peanuts and scallions. The leftover peanut sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 3 months; thaw completely in the refrigerator or microwave for about 3 minutes on LOW before using.

Campfire smell

I've decided that campfire smell is pretty cool. Its amazing what a few logs and a flame can do for a persons spirit.

My sister's graduation party was today and we had a camping theme, campfire included. Decent turnout, although not as many as my mom had planned on. It was good just to spend time with family and enjoy the weird (sunny/windy/cloudy) weather.

I also watched Marie Antoinette tonight. Its a good movie and an interesting look into life during the time of big hair, powdered wigs, and men acting like women. It makes me want to learn more about her, as the movie probably isn't completely accurate (it IS a movie after all).

Friday night

Tonight I went to my younger sisters band concert. She did a wonderful job and her band sounded great! Good job Jenni! They have three band levels and several choirs, which were all good. My only complaint was that the whole thing lasted over 2 hours.....after working a full day and then driving to Arlington from Kirkland, well, lets just say I am tired.

The advanced band played a Star Wars song..the opening title with a selection from Episode 2 in the middle. They did a decent job, but it was missing something........ahh yes, Star Wars characters. I think I will make the suggestion to my sister that next time one of the bands does a Star Wars piece to tell her teacher to contact me and I'll round up some troopers and maybe a Vader. It would have made it perfect.

Work was long and boring today. I had a million phone calls, a stack of labs that was almost as tall as me, and about 5 surgeries to schedule. I was so glad to be out of there for the weekend. I managed to get almost everything done. I have to have a clean slate on Monday morning, otherwise it just throws the week off.

Well, I am off to bed. It should be nice and toasty now, since I turned on the electric mattress pad about 40 min ago. I tell you, that baby was the best investment I've ever made!

Psalm 139

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed is Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me. and the light around me will be night," even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

*skips a few verses*

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Frustration

Uggg.....remind me again why I work....oh that's right, to pay off the bills I earned so I COULD work. So not worth it!

I had the same conversation today 4 times. Twice with the patient and twice with her husband because she didn't believe me when I told it to her the first two times. The poor woman just had her second chemical pregnancy, and wanted to insist that I was wrong and that we had failed her because this was her second one. Frustrating! Despite what people think, neither the Dr or I have any control over what God decides to do with a fertilized egg. Do you hear that, NO CONTROL!!!!!!!

A chemical pregnancy (for those who don't know) is basically where conception happens, the hormone levels rise (you get a + preg test), but then it doesn't develop/implant and everything fizzles out. You are usually a few days to a week late on your period, and it may be heavier than normal. In the good old days when women weren't checking pregnancy tests every 5 minutes after having sex, they didn't even know they were pregnant and just attributed it to a fluke in their cycle. The stats say that 8/10 women will have at least 1 chemical pregnancy during their childbearing years, and some will have more that that. There is nothing to prevent a chemical pregnancy, and you can't cause one. It is just one of those flukes that happen in the miracle of getting pregnant.

I swear that if people had an understanding of the thousands of things that have to happen in a certain order to even get pregnant, let alone have everything develop properly, they would have a much better time of dealing with these sorts of things. They should feel blessed to even have a sperm and egg that get together, because a lot of people can't even get that far.

Stupid Questions Pregnant Women Ask

Forgive me if you have heard me complain about these before....

- Can I paint my toenails?
- Can I drive a car?
- Can I open a door?
- Can I go up stairs?
- If I drink Ovaltine (substitute in any dark food/beverage), will my child have dark skin?
- Will the jewels on my belly button piercing bother my baby (ie unborn child)?
- I have an awful headache, what can I take? Me: Tylenol. Pt: Oh no, I don't want to take any medication because it might hurt my baby.
- Aren't water births better for the baby....so they can breath? Me: Excuse me? Pt: Don't they need the water to go through the gills so they can breath?


Ok....I know there are more, but these are the only ones off the top of my head at the moment. I really need to write these down so I can put them in my book.

Work today was boring. Dr D's surgeries were delayed 90+min, which means she didn't get back into the office until 2:30. We had to reschedule the 1:00, 1:30's, and the 2:00 patients. Thankfully, we were able to shuffle some of them to the nurse practitioners schedule tomorrow. I don't know where we would have put them in, we are just way to full. Since we didn't have patients until later in the afternoon, Dorothy and I were bored out of our minds. I must have shuffled the same papers 20 times. I should enjoy it, considering we have 30+ patients Wed and Thurs, which is our standard for those days.

My Star Wars group, Garrison Titan (bad guys) will be mingling at a wedding reception the Friday before Memorial Day. They were hoping for a Vader, but he is going to be at Celebration IV, which is the HUGE Star Wars convention in LA *sigh, I wish I was going*

It seems that since Vader won't be in attendance, the next highest ranking Imperial gets to announce the couple at the reception, guess who that is......yep, me. My Royal Guard trumps the troopers ( I do guard the Emperor after all).

I've been practicing my speech......"Loyal servants of the Empire and Rebel Scum, on behalf of the Emperor, Garrison Titan would like to announce Mr and Mrs.___________. Long live the Empire!"

The only downside is that my speaker system has the speaker at about chest level, which is where I'm going to hold the mic. My chest will be doing the talking :-)

My first blog!

I have decided to develop the area of consistency in my life and keep a blog. I must warn you that it will probably not be filled with profound thoughts, deep philosophical musings, or other things that cause your brain to work hard (although I may throw a few in there to keep you on your toes).

It will most likely be comprised of a mix of my musings about Star Wars, costume updates, funny stories from work, and a smattering of recipes I found enjoyable.

Anyway...enjoy, offer criticisms, and encourage me in my journey of self discipline.