Redheaded Journal

Moved

2008-12-23T23:52:00.000-08:00

#100

2008-12-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today Jennifer, Billy and I went to Green for lunch. I ordered the Mexicali burger. I thought it was going to be a veggie burger but it was a mock beef burger. Ew :P I don't like the flavor of any fake red meat. It was even pink like dead cow burgers are. Without skipping a beat my wonderful husband switched lunches with me. I had his yummy Original G Spicy Po Boy (spicy buffalo mock chicken, lettuce, tomato, and vegan mayo). He is so very sweet :)

Best six months of my life

2008-12-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Last night Billy and I went to True Food to celebrate our 6 month anniversary a day early because 12/22 is Billy's mom's Bday. Tyler gave us some gift cards to use there.

OH MY GOSH THE FOOD IS ***AMAZING***

From their web page:

At True Food Kitchen, we believe simple, fresh, pure ingredients create the most satisfying and memorable dining experiences. While our menu is packed with nutritious, good-for-you vegetables, whole grains, and proteins, we never sacrifice flavor. You may not notice the difference, but it’s there.

We use seasonal, locally grown, organic produce as often as possible. It tastes better and is more nutritious.
We use healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil and expellier pressed canola oil.
We use minimal dairy in our recipes; what we do use is all organic.
Most of our pastas are wheat free and made from brown
and white rice.
Our pizza crusts and pita breads are made in-house with organic flour, spelt and flax seed.
We offer biodynamic, organic and sustainable wine.
We are the only restaurant in the nation to provide Olivello Juice, an extract from sea buckthorn berries. Olivello is full of powerful natural anti-oxidants and other protective phytonutrients. (You can find this ingredient in Andy’s Elixir, Medicine Man, and Orange Olivello Sorbet with Fresh Berries.)
We offer 16 vegetarian, 6 vegan, and 10 gluten-free items on our menu.
We use organic yogurt instead of butter and cream in the sauce for our Butternut Squash Ravioli.
We purify our own bottled water in-house using Natura Water System, which eliminates plastic bottle waste.
Our soba noodle dishes are made from buckwheat noodles that are slow-digesting (low glycemic load) carbs, prepared with little or no fat.
We offer farro, a true whole-grain dish, which is delicious and slow digesting (low glycemic load).
Our house-made natural sodas and fresh juice drinks are sweetened with either agave nectar or erythritol, they are full of health-protective compounds and have less impact on blood sugar.
For those who want a noncaloric sweetener, we offer a natural alternative that will not undermine your health: erythritol.
We use fresh wasabi – a true food – unlike the powdered stuff that contains little or no real wasabi.
We put delicious, organic plum tomatoes from Tuscany on our pizzas.

For our appetizer we got the Caramelized Onion Tart with Smoked Garlic, Black Figs & Gorgonzola. This was so delicious! The creaminess of the cheese and the sweetness of the figs made this so good!

For our entrees I got the Farm Vegetables, Manchego Cheese, Pistachios & Chili Lime Vinaigrette and added tofu. I didn't see any cheese in my salad so I am not too sure about that. This salad was so good! I would def. order it again. Billy got the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Mushrooms, Savoy Cabbage & Pistachios. HOLY MOLY he gave me a few bites of his and I swear I died and went to heaven. This was by far the best ravioli I have EVER had. Ever, ever!! He also got the sweet potato hash.

When we went to pay I realized I forgot the gift cards at home. Oops! Oh well it just gives us an excuse to go back.

Other menu items we want to try:
- Harvest Chopped Salad, Butternut Squash, Apples, Walnuts, Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Local Vegetable Crudités with Tzatziki Dipping Sauce
- Gluten Free Spaghetti, Roasted Shrimp, Eggplant & Tuscan Kale*
- Fresh Tomato, Pasilla Chile & Manchego Pizza
- Curry Chicken with Rice Noodles, Cauliflower & Cashews (Billy, but with tofu. I don't like curry :P)
- Teriyaki Tofu, Local Vegetables, Brown Rice, Sesame & Avocado
- Roasted Root Vegetables, Farro & Celery Root Purée
- Andy’s Favorite “TLT” Tempeh, Lettuce & Tomato on Whole Seed Bread 9

HYPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

My steroids make me hyper!!!! Super duper hyper!!!

I did some Christmas shopping this morning. At the first store the cashier asked if I was done with my shopping. I told him this was actually my first day shopping. I went to a couple stores and then came home because I was starving. Like eat my arm off starving. Another side effect of the steroids is increased appetite. Luckily I only have a few more days of taking them. For lunch I had a garden burger, broccoli, and vanilla yogurt.

I took my doses this morning and another at lunch. When Billy walked in the door I was like, "LETS GO TO THE STORE AND BUY SOMETHING FOR THE HOUSE!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)"

Billy said, "Ok."

I said, "Now! " and got my purse and bolted out the door! Zoom! Woosh!!

We didn't find anything but I got to channel my nervous energy by walking around the store a million times.

Then I was starving (story of myu life) and had a granola bar and some more broccoli.

I wish I could work out because I could run 123235647655635423342 miles! Seriously!

Unfortunately the steroids basically make me have 0% of an immune system. I decided having three open wounds be saturated in sweat and trapped under my cast would not be good. The last thing I need is for them to get infected. I also supposed to avoid people who are sick because I'd get really sick.

Tonight we are celebrating our 6 month wedding anniversary (a day early because tomorrow is Barbara's Bday by going on a date <3>

Scott graduated!!!

2008-12-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

Boo boo

2008-12-20T09:34:00.001-08:00

Bruised from the tendon transfer

Allergic reaction...again...ugh
Blue cast this time

Scott graduated!!!

2008-12-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

Surgery Day

2008-12-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

I am about to leave for surgery. Anesthesia makes me so nervous. One second you are awake and the next several hours have passed. So bizarre. Hopefully everything goes ok!

Before...no scars...

Can't wear my rings :(

And the best part.....

I am going to the hospital in a Bacardi shirt. Hey, at least I have a sense of humor :)

Lurking

2008-12-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

704 blog views? I know my husband and dad read this blog. Does anyone else?

Please leave me a comment. I would love to add you to my blog roll and/or comment on your fabulous blog!

Side note: my husband just bought me the Britney CD off of I-Tunes :)

Snacks not meals today - apparently

2008-12-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Regular puffins and cinnamon puffins with almond milk. I've never had almond milk before but it was really good! Def. a keeper!

First of two apples.
First of two 50 calorie cheese sticks
Chocolate chip granola bar.

Aw! And my dad brought me flowers at work today :)

I also had a cookie during a conference call :)

Brrr

2008-12-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

It is FREEZING outside! According to weather.com it is 50 degrees. BRRRRR!!!

Aw when Billy woke up this morning the first thing he said was, "And the Lord said let there be love. And then He made Marissa and Billy" Aw :)

Billy woke up and we ran to the gym. At the gym I:

- 40 minutes of walking reading Twilight

- Foam Roller

- Walked home

My IT bands were super tight today. I think it was probably from all my cardio yesterday.

For lunch I had a veggie burger, broccoli, and some leftover pasta.

I've been cleaning and doing laundry on and off all day. I am just lacking the motivation.

Shortly after I ran smack into the tired wall. So I took a nap. When I woke up I was starving! I always wake up from naps hungry. So I had a tofu egg roll, grapes, and a gingerbread cookie.

Click here to read an article on the high price of cheap foods. One of the many benefits of being a vegetarian is I don't go to fast food places.

Dinner was a cheese sandwich, left over pasta, and broccoli.

Cleaning Time

2008-12-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

I have no idea how to rotate this. Please tilt your head :)

I woke up at 7:30 this morning. I was hoping to sleep in some but I guess not.

I like Sundays. Today I am going to clean. Once Billy wakes up we are going to the gym and I am going to read Twilight. I am so excited!

I have been working out since I was a little Marissa

2008-12-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

I used to wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning EVERY single morning! No joke, my mom even recorded it for me. I was crazy about exercising when I was little!

Hello my name is Marissa and I have a cookie problem

2008-12-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

My mom and I baked cookies today and I may or may not have eaten a TON of oatmeal/whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. When Billy wakes up tomorrow he won't have a wife. On his pillow will be a cookie.

Oh my gosh.....so delicious! I have no idea where the recipe came from (Heaven?) but they are awesome.

For lunch I had an egg roll and some broccoli slaw. Dinner? Same. Ugh, boring palate. Whatever. Tofu egg rolls rock my world.

At 6:40am I was eating my leftover Mexican food from the ballet. The rice was icky but the burrito was yummy! I most certainly cannot be the only person eating Mexican food before the sun comes up on Saturday mornings.

Once the sun finally came up I ran to the gym so I could read Twilight.

Workout:
1 mile run
60 min. elliptical
15 min. bike
Lower body exercises
Foam roller <3
1 mile walk

Once again I ran to the gym with my beloved Twilight book in hand. I am sure people driving by thought I was *CRAZY* but I don't care. I made a ridiculous promise to myself to read the glory that is Twilight only at the gym.

Tomorrow I hope to wake up later than 6:30. Billy and I are going to the gym and I am sooooo reading my book! Ahhh!! :)

Christmas shopping progress: um....I need to start.....

Billy: What are you blogging about wife?
Me (as my az glaze over): cookies....

Eats and Fresh and Easy

2008-12-13T05:49:00.000-08:00

Organic whole wheat pasta with broccoli and chunky vegetable sauce

Rolls Before. They are crescent dough with alfredo sauce and cheese in the middle

Rolls

My free :) Fresh and Easy Bag <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_c2L4nJYT9RU/SUO940OOO2I/AAAAAAAAAMk/Hq45flG02QY/s1600-h/IMG_1827.JPG">

Fresh and Easy Purchases:

- Sierra Mist Free

- Organic Soy Milk

- Almond Milk

- Apples

- Grapes

- Tofu

Total: $8.55

EW

2008-12-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

WARNING: Pictures of my staph infection below. Read with caution.

(Note the cut covering up my initial stitches from the night before the wedding trip to the ER)

I just realized I will have to wear my wedding rings on my right hand because my arm will be in a cast again. But not a fiber glass cast.

My arm when the cast was on:

Here is my arm once the cast was off and I had a staph (not contagious) infection:

Wahhhh :(

Original cut was itty bitty. Here is post surgery #1 scars:

Letter

2008-12-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Husband,

Please write a blog so I have something to read.

Love,
Your Wife

Soup

2008-12-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

Right as I was about to heat my soup up I got a call that I needed to drop a packet of info off. So in the car I ate a string cheese.

Lunch was a bowl of veggie soup (added Tabasco and Sriracha):

Snack:
100 calorie pop corn. I just Googled it to make sure it didn't have whatever that lung cancer chemical was. I am good to go!

I am beyond glad it is Friday!

Tomorrow I am baking holiday cookies with my mom. Plus it's my 7 year anniversary of becoming a vegetarian :)

:)

2008-12-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

My surgery is going to be next Thursday.

I will be off from 12/18/2008 until 1/5/09. Sick/Vacation combo time.

The ballet last night was so much fun! I'd never been to a ballet before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Billy had never been either, but it was something we both wanted to check out. It's def. something we will go to again!

After the show we walked around looking for somewhere to eat. We ended up going to a Mexican Food place. There salsa (especially the hot one) were good! Billy got spinach enchiladas and I got a bean burrito with guac.

Right now! ARGHerhsjkfhdlwshjk!

2008-12-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

I still have no idea when my surgery is. I called again at 9 and left a message.

This is what I said:

I said this is Marissa X calling again. I’ve already left you several messages. I need to know when my surgery is next week so please call me back right…as soon as you can. Thank you.

I am calling again at 11.

Ha ha I almost said call me me back right now. Considering my orthopedic surgeon is out of town for the last two weeks this month it is IMPERATIVE that I know TODAY when it is!

(I hope you can sense my overly annoyed self through the monitor)

Work out this morning (I got to the gym at 5am because I couldn't sleep)
- 30 minutes jog/run on the treadmill.
- Foam roller :) <3
Distance 2.65 miles
No pain :)

Came home for a little bit more sleep before work.

Once I got to work I had a gingerbread yogurt + cereal. Ahh...tasted like a holiday!

Please tone it down a little

2008-12-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

I hate it when I get in the (empty) elevator at work and I smell perfume/cologne.

I am pretty sure you are wearing too much when you are not even in an elevator people can smell that you have been there.

Thank you Outlook

2008-12-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

1 minute ago...I looked in my purse for a piece of gum. :( none

1 day ago...I was so elated I can have surgery this year

1 week ago...I went to the gym and ate spicy food

1 month ago...I had the day off because of Veteran's Day :) and finished 100 facts about me

1 year ago...was a staff meeting

3 years ago...was December 2005. I was probably studying for finals.

5 years ago...was December 2003. I was a freshman in college and excited to spend my first Christmas with Billy :) <3

7 years ago...was December 2001. I was a Junior in HS and became a vegetarian

10 years ago...was December 1998. I was in 8th grade, had bangs, glasses, and braces. Oh boy!

Sleep

2008-12-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Workout today:
Sleep in :)

ahh....it was divine! The alarm went off, I got up, put my contacts in, looked at Billy and said, "Lets not go today."

He responded, "OK."

So I went back to sleep for 2 glorious more hours. So very much needed!

Tonight the husband and I are going to the ballet to see the Nutcracker. We are in the third row! It should be fun! :)

I have left two messages with the surgery scheduler to see when next week I'll be having surgery. Still no word...

Opposable Thumb

2008-12-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

After work I met Billy at my parent's house. When I walked up to the door there was a glass of Carly Zin waiting for me. Oh how delicious it was! My dad made pasta with some sort of yummy bread. My mom foo-foo'ed up some sort of veggie sauce for me. I asked her what she added to it and she responded back with, "love." After one taste it was clear it contained a whole lot of love!! Everything she makes is like something some 5 star chef would make - only hers is def. a bazillion stars better!

I added red chili flakes, Tabasco, and jalapenos to my pasta. So spicy and yummy! For a little something sweet I took a sliver of fudge and a dollop of fat free cool whip. Billy is currently still at my parent's house watching some Mickey Mouse Christmas something. Today he told me one of the reasons he married me was because of how much he likes spending time with my family. There isn't an AW big enough for that :) I feel just as lucky to be a part of his family too.

I keep thinking about how badly I want to read Twilight! Curse myself for making the rule to only read it at the gym! At least it is motivation to go :)

The doctor's office didn't call me back so I still don't know if my surgery is Tuesday or Thursday of next week. I am really glad my mom is going to be there because it just makes everything seem ok. I am really glad my husband owns his own company so he can be there too (I asked him if he'd be there and then suggested he talk to his boss, lol). The last time they were both in the waiting room and it made me more at ease.

I need a time machine so I can start reading my book! Agh!

Going Under the Knife Again

2008-12-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

I am having surgery next week.

Ok, back up, what?

My 6 month follow up (when surgery would be scheduled at this appointment) was 1/3/09. Now that is all fine and dandy except for one *MAJOR* thing...I am about $100 away from my out of pocket max. I decided if I was going to have surgery it should be before December 31, 2008 otherwise I'd be out another couple grand.

Last week I called my orthopedic surgeon left a message saying I needed to schedule surgery. Apparently, people are not allowed to schedule their own surgeries. The rules are you see a doctor and he schedules the surgery. So I made my appointment for today to see my doctor.

He saw me and explained the whole procedure to me and my mom. (My mom was there because she can ask the tough medical questions.) He explained at around 6 months my thumb movement may improve, but only slightly. He said the surgery won't hinder any progress my body would make by itself, it would just add to it.

I am not sure of the order of it all but he takes a tendon from my index finger (did you know we have extra?! we do!) and uses it and do a little wrappy-poo around my thumb and through my hand etc. and bam! I can hold a cup again! I will need physical therapy after wards. I guess when I do a thumbs up sign my index finger will point out (think making a gun with your hand).

I will be put in an arm cast. I won't be getting a fiber glass cast because we all know fiber glass cast + me equaled a staph infection that required 10 days of antibiotics back in July.

Also, every time I move my thumb the tendon will bulge out a little bit. Cool beans!

Some not so great things:
- He needs to avoid my original nerve graft and that whole area to avoid undoing the first surgery
- He needs to avoid my ulnar nerve. If hit, I will get a ZAP! every time I move my wrist
- The tendon could pull from the incision site
- General Anesthesia (freaks me out! it's like you are told to close your eyes and then you open them right away, but really hours have gone by. Also, whatever dumb things I say under Anesthesia. I've heard everyone says dumb stuff, but I am a babbler normally so Lord only knows what I say)

Good things:
- $100 cost vs. $$$$$
- My mom is off all next week and hopefully Billy can arrange his work schedule around this
- I will be able to hold a cup
- Paid sick time off
- The sympathy looks that people give girls in casts

-----------

Workout today (really I just wanted to read Twilight)
- 30 min. elliptical
- 20 min. bike
- Lower body exercises
- Foam Roller

And Repeat

2008-12-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

My dinner was ~~completely different~~ the exact same as lunch. Well not the exact same - I didn't have any pineapple

What? Don't judge.

It was even more awesomely delicious the second time around! I made Billy a wrap that contained: fake chicken, organic Cheddar, a little Alfredo sauce, and a whole lot of love. On the side we had some Vegetable Bisque soup. Ick :P There was some flavor it in that I didn't like. So I dumped it in the sink and had a "frozen yogurt." Meaning vanilla yogurt tuck in the freezer.

I am currently waiting for my sugar cookie tea to finish it's thing so I can have myself a little tea party.

Tomorrow I find out if I can have surgery this year (meaning no cost to me because I have met my out of pocket max) or if I have to wait and see if it heals by itself/surgery next year (this will cost me several thousand out of pocket). I am bringing my mom with me because she is a nurse at the most prestigious hospital in the state. Ideally my thumb will heal without surgery. I am going to be cautious about making medical decisions based on money. I am just stressing that in a couple months they are going to say I need surgery because without it the muscle that controls thumb movement is close to atrophying. On the flip side, I don't want to have unnecessary surgery if it is not necessary. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. After my appointment my mom and I are going to lunch :)

True Love

2008-12-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Oatmeal,

I love you so much. I love your no cholesterol, protein, fiber, 0 trans fat, and all of your other vitamins and minerals. I especially adore you with cinnamon. Plus you're hot!

Always and Forever,
Marissa

(Yes I really did take a picture of my breakfast, add a heart, and M+O)
----------
Today's workout:
- 10 minutes Stairmaster
- 15 minutes bike
- 10 minutes elliptical
- 10 minutes walking
- Foam roller and stretching for 15 minutes

The best part of my work out: READING TWILIGHT :) Time goes by so fast when I am reading it. If I didn't have to go to work today I would probably still be at the gym reading it. The best part is I am only on the first book so I know there are many happy days ahead!
------
Lunch (I cut the wrap in half because I like small plates):

- Sun Dried Tomato Wrap (100 calories, 9 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber and a whole lot of deliciousness!)
- Veggie Burger
- Pineapple
- Broccoli Slaw
- Pickles
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Seed Ginger
- Love

Wow wow wow. So yummy!

Snack:

Delicious and 14 grams of protein!

Dorky tendencies

2008-12-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

I woke up randomly at 4:36am and couldn't fall back asleep. I really hate it when that happens! Now Billy and I are headed off to the gym. I am so excited to continue reading Twilight I can barely stand it!

I am a bottomless pit

2008-12-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

oday was one of those days where I felt like I had a little monster in my stomach that needed a lot of food. Ha ha :)

Tomorrow we are having someone come from the new insurance company (switched because our rates went up. Wonder if my $22,000 surgery had anything to do with that). Depending on what my doctor says on Wednesday I am probably going to go with the more expensive monthly plan for a lower out of pocket max.

On a happier note we got the appraisal back on the condo and us buying half of it is significantly lower than we thought! Plus we qualify for first time homeowner tax credit :) :) :)

There's a bunch of stuff that we want to change. Here are some things that come to mind:

- CHANGE THE FLIPPING CURTAINS! Oh how I hate them!

- Get different carpet in our room

- Turn the area where the trash can is into a pantry with pull out shelves

- Get a new kitchen table - the one we have is UGLIER THAN SIN

- Change out some of the light fixtures

- Remove the popcorn ceilings

- Paint our room

- ETC

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY ON OUR HANDS!!!

Santa!

2008-12-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

Husband (oh my gosh he is so adorable!)

Me:

?

Santa just told those two kids Christmas was canceled due to the failing economy. (from CollegeHumor)

Pop Crunk

2008-12-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

We just got home from the Christmas party at my dad's work. There were a TON of people there! Wow! They had Mexican food out but nothing without meat so my dad had the cook make me a bean and rice burrito with green chile sauce on top :) I brought him a cherry pie Larabar and he loved it!!

I stumbled across this site today. I will have to add it to my TMZ/Perez Hilton fluff reading list.

Billy wanted a healthy dinner (I am still full from my burrito) so I made him:

- Ramekin of salt free black beans with a little bit of soy pepper jack cheese and hot sauce

- Toasted Fiber English muffin with chunky vegetable Fresh and Easy marinara sauce, fake peperoni, a tad of organic cheddar, and pineapple (and love, obviously)

He ran 7+ miles today! Wowza!

I just remembered I have a meeting st 5:30 tomorrow night so it'll be another long day :( ugh....

Adventerous Palate

2008-12-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Trader Joe's Purchases:

- FF Sesame Dressing

- Larabars*

- Greek style pomegranate*

- Creamy Vegetable Bisque*

- 2 bags of frozen broccoli

- Broccoli slaw3 *

- Sweet Potato Fries*

- Veggie Egg rolls

(* Never had before)

I am currently snacking on ff vanilla yogurt that I stuck in the freezer. Holy guacamole is it good! I wonder if that kills the probiotics....

It's Official: I am a fan of Twilight

2008-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

It's cloudy outside and chilly! What a great Sunday :)

Billy and I ran to the gym. Today's workout consited of:

- 30 minutes walking on the treadmill (3.0 speed 3-5 incline)

- 30 minutes on the bike

- Lower body exercises

- Lunges

- Stretches I learned in PT

- Using the foam roller (I love this thing! It hurts really bad, but then I stand up and it's like ahhh...)

While biking and walking at the gym I read Twilight. I'm officially hooked! I'm only going to read the book at the gym. That way it is like added motivation. When we were running to and from the gym I wondered how many people drove by me thinking, "Oh look it's a crazy girl that can't even run without the book" ha ha :)

In a little bit Billy and I are going to my dad's work's Christmas party (I have no idea if I used the ' correctly so I apologize in advance)

Sucked into the Twilight Vortex

2008-12-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

This morning when I woke up Billy and I went to the gym. I did 20 minutes on the bike while I read the paper and 20 minutes on the elliptical. Then I did the foam roller. I seriously recommend anyone and everyone to use it! My IT Bands are always tight and this thing works wonders!

After the gym we went to my parent's house. When we got there I had a spinach salad with roma tomatoes, carrots and fat free Italian Dressing. In the middle of my salad was a Morningstar Farms Ginger Teryaki Veggie Cake. So delicious! Then I took a sugar free chocolate pudding and put a dollop of fat free cool whip and a couple mini chocolate chips on top. It was way too sweet so I stuck it in the fridge for my dad to have.

Putting up lights didn't happen because my dad was too sore from hiking. I needed to pick up some shampoo and conditioner so I went to Target. I also got pickles and the first Twilight book. I need to figure out what all the hype is about!

Chatty

2008-12-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

My dad and Billy made roasted corn quesadillas. They were so yummy! Come to think of it the whole dinner was vegetarian. Usually my parents make two versions of the same thing

(one meat free or with mock meat and one with meat). When we got home Billy passed out. I don't think he is used to waking up as early as he has been lately.

For some odd reason I am not tired so I went to the store instead of going tomorrow and bought:

Veggie burgers

Vanilla yogurt (put it in the freezer in an attempt to make "frozen yogurt")

Puffins (Peanut butter and Cinnamon)

Peanut butter M&Ms to put in my Christmas bowl

Soy pepperjack cheese (I've never had it before but I figured what they hay I might as well try it)

Dish washing detergent

Fragrance Free Detergent

Then I decided I should do laundry, run the dishwasher and clean the house. Including sweeping outside and cleaning Scotty and MK's bathroom.

Time for some randomness...

Brilliant Idea of the Night: My mom got me and Scott an Advent Calendar (oh how I love them). I just thought of a genius idea! They should make Hot Sauce Advent calendars...everyday is a new mini bottle of hot sauce!

Tomorrow Billy and I are going back over to my parent's house. Billy, my dad, and Evan are going to put up Christmas lights. Scotty would help but he has to take the LSAT. Me and my mom are going to get some of the dough ready for our baking day next Saturday (which is also my 7 year anniversary for being a vegetarian). Last year we drank champagne and baked cookies. We had so much fun we decided to make it a tradition (and you know I love me some traditions).

The last few days Billy has been working on some secret Christmas something for me. I love surprises! :)

Yays and Boos

2008-12-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yays:
- It's Friday
- I went to the gym this morning
- My fake ham sandwich that I had for lunch was delicious
- Billy and my dad are making me and my mom dinner tonight
- I have 9 days off this month

Boos:
- My calves are sore
- I am probably going to get stuck late at work. I've worked 60 hours this week (as of 2pm today) so this number will increase
- I am going to have to get gas on my way home
- I am out of oatmeal
- To add Billy to my health insurance would be over 27% of my paycheck (Don't stress I got him his own insurance - basically if something happens we won't have to pay 4.5688787 bajillion dollars)
- I need a nap

Put your pretend cap on!

2008-12-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

Billy sent me a text message yesterday while I was at work saying we should cook my parents dinner. Well my dad is on a 2 day trip (Me: Dad why are you going there? Dad: Hiking) so I made dinner for my mom and Billy. After work I went to Trader Joe's to pick up some stuff. On the way to Trader Joe's I thought to myself, "did I just miss my turn?" Then I realized I said it out loud. First step of me going crazy is complete! Next step 20 cats.

My future?
(Actually Billy and I will never own a cat because I am allergic to them.)

OK! I need to focus (sometimes I feel like a Labrador retriever)

What I got:
12 Grain Loaf of Bread
3 Bell Peppers
TJ's veggie rice
Spinach/Cranberry/Blue Cheese/Walnut Salad

Now went I went to take a picture of my lovely culinary creation my camera screen said: CARD LOCKED. I have no idea what this means or how to fix it. However, I am sure you have a wonderful imagination so please visualize with me:

The salad in a bowl with Strawberry and Balsamic Dressings on the side
Baked Bell Peppers cut in half and stuffed with rice (and I added Morningstar Farms fake ground beef) and topped with a little bit of feta cheese
Baked crispy tofu
Warm chewy bread
Nice glass of red wine

Billy and I went to the gym this morning. I did the elliptical for 35 minutes (reading two People Magazines makes time go by fast!) and then cooled down by walking at speed 3.0 and incline of 4.0 on the treadmill for 5 minutes. Next I did some stretches. I tried this stretch for my IT bands for the first time (they tried to show me in PT but too many people were looking at me and I could not do it). I have no idea how to add a video so please click here to see the video.

Oh look something shiny....

Is hot sauce considered a food group?

2008-12-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Lunch today:

The Fresh and Easy Dijon Marinated Fake Chicken comes with two "chicken breasts." There is WAY too much marinade so I cooked the "chicken" and took paper towels to wipe it off.

To my broccoli and fake chicken I added: Tabasco, Sriracha hot chili sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Spicy and Delicious!

Health Benefits to eating Spicy Food:
- A protein receptor binds with capsaicin to manage chronic arthritis pain.
- The consumption of chile peppers increases peripheral circulation and lowers blood pressure.
- Chile Peppers increase endorphin production - those mood-elevating substances which are released when performing aerobic exercise (I knew they made me happy!)
Eating hot peppers can reduce the discomfort of the flu (in part, by promoting sweating). It also opens clogged breathing passages, and functions as an effective expectorant (I am sniffling up a storm as I type this).
- Hot peppers inhibit the growth of H. Pylori, the bacteria that causes certain kinds of ulcers.
- Hot peppers can speed up metabolism and help the body burn calories faster. F
- Many studies have shown that regular consumption of chilies and curry decrease the risk of cancer. The compound, capsaicin, also kills cancer cells by attacking their energy-producing mitochondria without damaging healthy cells.
- Hot peppers may help to improve heart health by boosting the body's ability to dissolve blood clots.

Part of my hot sauce collection can be seen here. I keep part at home, part in the fridge, and part at work.

Pa, can I ride Bunny into town instead of riding in the wagon?

2008-12-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

This morning Billy and I got up (again) before the sun had even come up to go the gym. Every time my alarm goes of I think Pa (from Little House on the Prairie) probably woke up when the sun came up...not before. However, if I don't go before work I'll never go - especially working 12 hour days. :( It's crazy and I am really hoping I don't have to stay that long today.

At the gym I did 12 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes on the rolling stairmaster, and 13 minutes on the elliptical. After that I I did lower body exercises and some stretching.

...Great now I want to watch every single episode of Little House on the Prairie...

Adopt from shelters and not pet stores :)

2008-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

This is a fake chicken breast from Fresh and Easy. I got the Herb Dijon Flavor. There was a TON of marinade in the pouch (which I proceeded to dump down the sink). Immediately after the photo was taken I dumped hot sauce all over it. Oh how I heart Tabasco....

Sometime after Scotty's graduation party my mom and I are going to the local animal shelter to adopt ~~every single dog and cat~~ one cat. I am super excited! My mom wants a cat and not a kitten because kittens are more adoptable. Of course she is taking me with her because I am an enabler when it comes to rescuing animals!

Pigs are friends, not food

2008-12-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

This vegetarian sandwich contains: fiber English muffin, ff cheese slice, mustard, chili paste, and (OHHHHH SOOOOOOOOOOO DELCIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!) vegetarian ham slice.

I've bought vegetarian deli sliced ham before but I was too creeped out to try it. Well I am a changed person! It is super duper yummy!

(I put a thing of vanilla yogurt in the "freezer" (it's a dorm room type fridge) in hopes that it will taste like frozen yogurt. I know it is literally frozen yogurt but I am talking like frozen treat good not extra cold yogurt....<--- not sure if that makes sense anywhere except in my head. Update: :( The work "freezer" isn't cold enough. I added 1/4 c. Puffins to my vanilla yogurt.)

A little bit later it was apple/cracker time. Who ever invented this deliciously sweet/crunchy snack should get an award!

Ode to Cinnamon

2008-12-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

I am currently drinking my Cinnabon coffee and I added cinnamon to my oatmeal. Apparently I am on a cinnamon kick this morning :)

My super sweet husband woke up with me again this morning before the sun was even up so we could go to the gym. I did 30 minutes of walking 3.2 on a 4.0 incline. I am trying to incorporate easy cardio every other day. I then did lunges on the empty basketball court (It smelled so icky in their :P blah) After our work out we went home and when I came out of our room from getting ready for work I thought to myself today was DEFINITELY a coffee morning! I walked into the kitchen to find Billy already brewing me coffee to drink on my way to work. I guess it's true - great minds do think alike!

Health benefits to cinnamon:
- 1/2 tsp. can lower LDL cholesterol
- It's a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium
- Smelling cinnamon can improve memory
- Google it if you care for more (I wonder if I say look it up on yahoo.com if the Google Police will mark my blog as spam again....)

Daily dose of buffness

2008-12-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

My gym work out for the day:

30 minutes on the elliptical (while watching Fresh Prince of Bell Air - Ha)
Lower Body Exercises
Stretches I learned in PT

I called my orthopedic surgeon because I'd ideally like to have my surgery before 1/1/09 because I have already met my out of pocket max (read: free surgery instead of thousands of dollars). The surgery scheduler called me and said my doctor would like to meet with me. She said sometimes the hand heals on its own and surgery isn't necessary. I made an appointment for next week. I wonder how often it heals without surgery. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Before my first surgery they said sometimes when the nerve grows it attaches to the muscle and hinders thumb movement. I cannot currently hold a cup or move it on that plane, but I can make my hands into the number 4.

I think it is completely ridiculous I am basing medical decisions on finances. I went to college, I have a job - but this is not enough. My insurance is poo poo.

Looking for vegetarian blogs

2008-12-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

If anyone is aware of any good vegetarian blogs please let me know!

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

2008-11-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

This tastes like a liquid sugar cookie!!!!! WOWZA!!! I had to call 10 places to find it but oh my is it worth it!

This calorie free sugar cookie is AMAZING!!!!

I am going back to Whole Foods to stash up!

::Jumps for joy::

Background: I started drinking wine because I like the glass it is served in. I started eating oatmeal because I thought that's what healthy people do (sooo delicious! I am not sure how I got by without it!!) and I really wanted to drink hot tea because how freaking cool are tea pots?!!?! This is the perfect "gateway tea" to more traditional hot teas.

I am starting a new grown up ritual: taking a shower before bed and then making a spot o' tea and reading before bed.

[If I could add any more exclamation points to this blog I sooooo would!!...!!!!!...ok I'll knock it off.... !!!!...]

Today's work out (I am going to start blogging what I do so I can recognize when I am getting back into the habit of working out too much):
- Bike for 15 minutes (Read the Sunday Paper so time flew by)
- Treadmill for 20 (12 running and 8 walking on an incline - thanks to my lovely knee sleeves I am now running pain free. I don't want to over do it so I am easing back into running. The website is right on with sizes. The small fits perfectly!)
- 5 minutes on the rolling stair master (Wow! this one is tough!)
- Lunges and stretching
- Arm weights (easing back into this one because of my arm surgery)

Tomorrow is going to be at least a 10 hour work day so I won't be working out (taking a day off from working out is always good!)

(Other exciting news: My husband asked me to start buying soy milk instead of regular for him ::swoons::)

Cooking for the hubs

2008-11-29T17:33:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I decided I was going to cook Billy Dinner.

Eats:
- Salad (lettuce, carrots, and balsamic vinegar)
- Ciabatta bread
- Spinach ravioli with Alfredo sauce and peas/sun dried tomatoes
Drink:
- Red Wine
Dessert:
- Sugar cookies with a scoop of pineapple sorbet on top

And this is why I am the:

Fresh and Easy

2008-11-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

My Fresh and Easy Purchase:

Puffins
Soy Sauce
Spinach and Cheese Ravioli
Alfredo Sauce
Spaghetti
Spaghetti Squash
Fake Chickn Breasts - Herb Dijon
Ciabatta Bread
Black Beans
Corn
Bag of salad
Pineapple
Pineapple and Orange Sorbet

Total: 19.26

Et Cetera

2008-11-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

We had dinner at my parent's house tonight. For the first time ever I had vegetarian kung pao. And now I am burping up China (for real there was a triangle hat, then this huge old wall, then some child toys with lead based paint, and every now and then a little communism).

Apparently the combination of peanuts + bell peppers + onions + etc makes me burp.

If I had to bet my first child (Aaron where they at? No idea? Ok we shall bet Scott!) I'd say et-cet-eras make me burp.

No knee pain

2008-11-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

I am in love! My knee sleeves came today. After work Billy and I went to the gym. I did the rolling StairMaster (is it just me or is that thing harder than any other cardio equipment?!). I had ZERO knee pain. It was awesome! After my work out the knee sleeve acted like a sort of heating pad (less hot)...which is perfect on muscles!

After the gym I swung by my parent's house. My mom bought me a black work skirt from the Gap, a work top, and a cream colored sweater. I tried them on and they all fit! I suggested to my mom that she do this professionally (only charge people for it and not give them free clothes).

Then Billy and I went to see my dad for dinner. I had a veggie sandwich (no sprouts, no dressing, add pineapple, and of course add a whole bottle of Tabasco [obviously]) and a salad. I brought some Asian dressing with me and it was DELICIOUS! I saved half of my food to have for lunch tomorrow.

Then Billy and I went to Target to get TP. We walked in and Billy asked if we should grab a basket. I responded back, "of course" in a tone like if he had asked me if the sky was blue. I am not capable of going to the store and only getting what I went there for (but in all honesty can any one? I think not). I decided that I need a traveling coffee mug so can drink my Seattle's Best Cinnabon coffee on the way to work. That way I can be extra perky! Starting tomorrow my schedule at work has changed and I now get to go in 1-2 hours later. Please do not ask me why after 2 years and now getting to go in later that I am deciding I need to drink coffee. It makes sense in my head and that is all that matters.

[Note: I think I heard somewhere blogs are supposed to be short. Unfortunately sometimes (always) I am over chatty]

Ahahahahaha

2008-11-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

What do you think about my little new baby Babyizzle?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

What do you think about my little new baby Babyizzle?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Neeeighh....Noooooooo :*(

2008-11-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

At the event for my work today I saw a horse. I've never really been around horses because they FREAK ME OUT! The horse tonight almost fell and was flipping the f--- out....in between two pieces of art (total value for each of them over one million dollars). I nearly had a heart attack! Then the horse was tied up to a tree and I swear on Tabasco Sauce it was giving me the evil eye. You know how cats push their ears back when they are mad? Well the horse did the EXACT SAME thing! To top it all off the horse was even moving its demon mouth around like it was cursing and two seconds away from kicking someone (read: me). If it wasn't tied up I am sure it would have raced right towards me and plowed me over and would have pounced on me until I was smooshed up! Oh, and the tree it was attached to? Yeah the horse was eating it...so it could chew it and push it over on me and smoosh me that way!

Moral of the story: Horses are big ol beasts that hate me with all of their hearts and should be feared by everyone!!

Delicious

2008-11-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

We have an event tonight at work so I came home for an early dinner.

It's macaroni and cheese, frozen veggies, and 1 Morningstar fake bacon strip (and Tabasco of course!)

Made these up in my pretty little head

2008-11-18T16:27:00.001-08:00

Re: Recipe Exchange!

My sista (!) just became a vegetarian (I have been one since December 2001) and I was talking to her about the importance of fiber and protein.

App:
- Take one package pre-made rolls
- Cut each roll in half and roll out
- Spread cream cheese on the dough (get low fat b/c it spreads easier)
- Top with a little bit of cut pineapple chunks
- Top with some chopped "bacon" (I use Morningstar farms and microwave the bacon for 30 seconds and then chop it up)
- Roll the dough up
- Brush with egg white
- Cook until Golden Brown
[I've also done this with pickled jalapenos]

Dinner:
- Cook 2 cups Rice 2 cups water (or vegetable broth for more flavor)
- Stir in
* salsa (as much as you'd like, I added a good amount) - I used Target's Cilantro Jalapeno ...sooo good!
* 2/3 can of black beans
*1/2 can of pineapple chunks (she doesn't like spicy food as much as me so I used the sweetness to balance the spiciness)
- Place "chickn" strips across top (Use one bag cooked Morningstar Chickn Strips. I put a little EVOO in a pan and brown each strip) or you can use tofu. I found See Bride Run and there is the most amazing tofu recipe on there - and I've had a lot of tofu in my day and this is the best!
- Put a couple chunks of Pepperjack Cheese over the "chickn"
- Cook in oven at 350 until the cheese melts

Fresh and Easy

2008-11-18T15:54:00.001-08:00

Me: I am going to the store.

Billy: Ok. For what?

Me: Apples.

(Fast forward)

I walk in the door.

Billy: What do you have there?

Me: Apples, (long pause) a big bag of apples

I got:

- Jalapeno Tortillas

- Organic Baby Carrots

- Frozen Chopped Spinach

- Frozen Peas

- Froze Broc/Carrot/Cauliflower

- Frozen Corn

- Hummus

- Salt free black beans

- Salsa

- Diet Dr. Pepper

....and apples

Buff

2008-11-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

Recently a gym opened up right around the corner from where we live. I looked online and there rates are the EXACT SAME as our current gym (the first gym I joined was only $35/year....how about that!). The gym we go to now is by our old house and this new gym is right around the corner. I think if a gym is literally a short run away I will be more likely to go there. I talked to Billy and we are going to go check out this new gym before I cancel our old gym membership. In my dream world I would have a gym in my house.

I just drank too much water and now I am freezing!!! bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrr

I have

2008-11-17T07:34:00.000-08:00

I am suppose to just bold the things in this list that I have done.
Here we go.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (currently raising)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Mormon Speak

2008-11-16T11:58:00.001-08:00

Billy has brought it to my attention that I speak like I am Mormon. As you know I do not cuss for a variety of reasons.

These are some of the things I say (with examples):
1. Holy guacamole I love this hot sauce. (Instead of holy s...)
2. Shut the front door! (shut the f... up)
3. Cheese and Rice you are all driving like idiots! (j.... c....)
4. My husband has a nice bum (a..)
5. ETC

I know cuss words are socially constructed and implying at them may be just as terrible.

Good thing Billy and I are having Mexican for dinner! All this talk about guacamole and cheese and rice is making me hungry...

Creepy....

2008-11-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

9 (9, 18/9, 27/9, 36/9)
The Life Path 9 suggests that you entered this plane with an abundance of dramatic feelings coupled with a strong sense of compassion and generosity. The key to the nature of a Life Path number 9 person is found in their humanitarian attitude. Even the very average of those with life path 9 possess extremely compassionate tendencies.

Usually this number produces an individual that is very trustworthy and honorable, and one unlikely to harbor any sort of prejudice. Obviously, this is a rather tall order, but you are, in fact, a person that feels very deeply for individuals less fortunate than yourself, and if you are in a position to help, you certainly will. The 9, being the highest of the single digit numbers, holds an elevated position in terms of responsibilities to mankind.

Material gains are not overly important, although the quality of some life path 9 people is such that they are materially rewarded in very significant ways. In this, however, the 9 Life Path is not apt to get rich since they are very generous, sometimes to a fault, and usually have an easy come, easy go attitude about money. The rare 9 life path has a totally selfless attitude, giving up of material possessions for the common good.

The 9 Life Path indicates you have a commanding presence. You have the ability to make friends very easily, as people are attracted to your magnetic, open personality. The term "hail-fellow" may have been coined to describe a 9 Life Path, as you may indeed be one of those who is generally upbeat and heartily friendly and congenial. You meet people easily and are quickly befriended because of your openness and amiable demeanor. Your genial ways often put you in the lead in whatever field of endeavor you pursue.

Relationships can be difficult for you because it is hard to strike a balance that will work effectively. If your partner is one sharing your giving attitudes, the relationship will be happy and lasting. On the other hand, if you choose a partner whose focus is on material issues, problems will arise quickly.

You tend to be quite sensitive, as you see the world with much feeling. The number 9's very deep understanding of life is sometimes manifested in the artistic and literary fields. If drama and acting is not your forte, it will surely be an area of great interest and potential. Likewise, you may be able to express your deep emotional feelings through painting, writing, music, or other art forms.

The purpose of life for those with a 9 life path is often of a philosophical nature. Judges, spiritual leaders, healers and educators frequently have much 9 energy. The number is less inclined to the competitive business environment and may find this a struggle.

As do all the life path numbers, the 9 has its negative side. Because of the demanding nature of the truly positive 9, many tend to fail in this category. It is not uncommon for persons with the 9 life path to fight the realities and challenges of purpose imposed here because selflessness is not an easy trait. You may have difficulty believing that giving and a lack of personal ambition can be satisfying. It must be realized and accepted that little long-term satisfaction and happiness is to be gained by rejecting the natural humanitarian inclinations of this path.

LIFE PATH 9

You are philanthropic, humanitarian, socially conscious, and deeply concerned about the state of the world. You have a great compassion and idealism. You are a Utopian and will spend your life trying to realize some aspect of your Utopian dream, sacrificing money, time, and energy for a better world. It is in giving that you will find much satisfaction.

You have a broad outlook on life. You tend to see the big picture, rather than minute details.

You naturally attract people from all walks of life who can fit into your larger plans, and who take over areas you find uninteresting. The person with a 9 Life path is rarely prejudiced and rarely accepts others' social biases. Instead, you evaluate people on the basis of what they can do for the larger cause. You are true egalitarian. You are imaginative and creative, especially at harmoniously arranging the beauty that is already potential in the environment. These abilities can lead you into such fields as interior decoration, landscape art and photography. But because of your strong social consciousness, you can be an effective politician, lawyer, judge, minister, teacher, healer, or environmentalist. Vocations that require self sacrifice, and that have a clear social impact, are common 9's.

You are often disappointed by the realities of life: the shortcomings of others or yourself. Somehow you don't want to accept the imperfections of the world, a feeling that drives you constantly to try improve upon it. But, rather than be satisfied with your efforts, and those of others, you relentlessly push on, striving for greater accomplishments. You are often unsatisfied with the results. In short, you lack the perspective that would otherwise make it possible for you to enjoy life more fully, and to accept it as natural limitations.

You have a controlled enthusiasm, and the ability to finish what you start.

A key to your personality is the necessity of sacrifice. You have to learn to go of material possessions and relationships, the inherent lesson being that holding on to too tightly to anything causes pain.

Money comes to you through mysterious or unexpected ways: inheritance, the benevolence of someone who was inspired by your work, or a lucky investment. Conversely, if you pursue dreams, you're likely to find yourself empty-handed. The most successful and satisfying road for a 9 is giving, sharing and sacrificing for a larger goal, without expecting anything in return. Your greatest chance at success is to tie your personal fortunes to an endeavor that makes the world a lucrative enterprise, providing amply for you and your family. Your life rests on the axiom that the more you give, the bigger will be your reward.

You are romantic, but your love is more impersonal. You tend to be focused on your dreams.

When you are not in harmony with your true nature, you can fall to moodiness, or become aloof and withdrawn. You can become timid, uncertain, and ungrateful, putting the blame for your troubles on others or the world. You have a gift for examining your life objectively and at some distance. Be honest with yourself. Be open to your shortcomings, as well as your strengths, develop equilibrium. You will thus be able to love and better understand yourself and all life.

Elated!

2008-11-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

Katerina just told me that Confessions of a Shopaholic by the literary genius Sophie Kinsella is going to be a movie!! EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!! 2.1 seconds after I heard this I immediately Googled it. The whole time I was watching the trailer I was giddy with glee! If I didn't have curlers in my hair right now (Side note: Billy asked me if I would like a pack of cigarettes and some cheap whiskey and maybe a baby. I told him no, I have a bingo game to go to) I would run around the block screaming noises that cannot be spelled!

Me: Billy will you go see this movie with me?
Billy: Sure

He might as well have given me a bouquet of roses and a mushy card!

I wish I knew how to illegally (um..err...) download the movie RIGHT NOW!

Sigh.....I need a time machine

Laziness

2008-11-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today after we had lunch with Billy's mom Billy and I went to the Social Security Office. I know, I know...it's been almost 5 months. The thought of sitting around has kept me from going. I decided today was the day! I went to Google Maps to get directions. My brain cannot understand directions AT ALL. All I understood was go south on this street and after that I was so confused! I didn't know which was was up, down, straight, east...and I began to feel dizzy (Drama Queen!). Luckily Billy is not directionally challenged like me so he told me when to turn. We pull up and this dude in a unifrom asks why were are there. I explain why and he says they do not do that sort of thing here,

Um..........okayyyy.

This is how I found them:
1. Googled Social Security
2. Clicked on Marriage, Divorce, Name Changess
3. Printed and filled off the form (I had to call my mom to get her and my dad's social security Numbers. Note to self: memorize Billy's SSN because wives should know these sorts of things.
4. Clicked on locate an office
5. Went to the office and was turned away.

Why would you let me link to the map of somewhere that doesn't do this?

What exactly goes on in that building all day?

On the way home I concluded that this is all George W. Bush's fault. Billy didn't say anything during my tangent so that must mean I was being completely logical.

Birthday Facts

2008-11-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Click here to find out about you!

Your date of conception was on or about 23 December 1983 which was a Friday.

You were born on a Friday
under the astrological sign Virgo.
Your Life path number is 9.

Your fortune cookie reads:
You will spend old age in comfort and material wealth.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 6 & 9. (Billy is a 6!)
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 7 & 11.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 4, 8 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2445957.5.
The golden number for 1984 is 9.
The epact number for 1984 is 27.
The year 1984 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/2/1984 and ending 2/19/1985.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Rat.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Bear; your plant is Violets.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Hathys, the third month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 17 Elul 5744.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 18 Elul 5744.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.11.5.13 which is
12 baktun 18 katun 11 tun 5 uinal 13 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Friday, 18 Dhi'l-Hijjih 1404 (1404-12-18).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 22 April 1984.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 22 April 1984.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 7 March 1984.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 10 June 1984.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 17 June 1984.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 25 September 1984.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 15 April 1984.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 6 March 1984.

As of 11/14/2008 9:41:37 AM EST
You are 24 years old.
You are 290 months old.
You are 1,261 weeks old.
You are 8,827 days old.
You are 211,857 hours old.
You are 12,711,461 minutes old.
You are 762,687,697 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
A.J. Trauth (1986) Adam Lamberg (1984) Callum Keith Rennie (1960)
Sam Neill (1947) Joey Heatherton (1944) Nicol Williamson (1938)
Harve Presnell (1933) Clayton Moore (1914)

Top songs of 1984
Like a Virgin by Madonna When Doves Cry by Prince
Jump by Van Halen Footloose by Kenny Loggins
What's Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner Against All Odds by Phil Collins
I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
Karma Chameleon by Culture Club Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.45479452054795 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!)

Your lucky day is Wednesday.
Your lucky number is 5.
Your ruling planet(s) is Mercury.
Your lucky dates are 5th, 14th, 23rd.
Your opposition sign is Pisces.
Your opposition number(s) is 3.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 304 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 25 candles.

Those 25 candles produce 25 BTUs,
or 6,300 calories of heat (that's only 6.3000 food Calories!) .
You can boil 2.86 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1984 there were approximately 3.6 million births in the US.
In 1984 the US population was approximately 226,545,805 people, 64.0 persons per square mile.
In 1984 in the US there were 2,487,000 marriages (10.5%) and 1,155,000 divorces (4.9%)
In 1984 in the US there were approximately 1,990,000 deaths (8.8 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1984 the population of Australia was approximately 15,677,282.
In 1984 there were approximately 234,034 births in Australia.
In 1984 in Australia there were approximately 108,655 marriages and 43,124 divorces.
In 1984 in Australia there were approximately 109,914 deaths.

Your birthstone is Sapphire

The Mystical properties of Sapphire

Though not meant to replace traditional medical treatment, Sapphire is used for clear thinking.

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Agate, Moonstone, Lapis Lazuli

Your birth tree is

Lime Tree, the Doubt

Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.

There are 41 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 54 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waning gibbous.

Marissaland

2008-11-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes things only make sense in my head. Today is a great example of this.

Reason #1 Save Money

I went into Target today to get a brush. I decided to check out the veggie product section. Holy guacamole!!!!! They had Morningstar Chickn Patties for $1.68.

I know!

We should all take a minute to soak this up
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I did not buy all of their inventory.....I did buy these:

Delicious

2008-11-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

Soooo delcious!

100 Facts About Yours Truly

2008-11-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

1. I love my husband with all of my heart
2. I told my mom people that go to high school together don't get married - my husband and I went to HS together
3. I remember in 6th grade there was this new kid and he talked funny - it was little Southern Billy!
4. I have been a vegetarian since December 2001
5. I got my belly button pierced when I was 15 with an eyebrow bar bell and I never could figure out how to take it out
6. I was born in the wrong decade
7. I do not like scary movies
8. I need a lot of sleep to function
9. I refuse to Shop at Wal-Mart
10. Spicy food is my favorite
11. I love vegetables (except mushrooms and sometimes olives)
12. I love my hybrid
13. I think the health care situation in this country is completely ridiculous
14. I think the world will come to an end if I drink regular soda
15. I plan on drinking bourbon every day at 4pm when I retire
16. I have never ever dyed my hair
17. My brother, sista, and brotha are fabulous
18. When I am stressed out I bake and clean
19. I bake and clean when I am not stressed out
20. My favorite part of yoga is the clapping at the end
21. Since I hurt my hand I have not been able to go to yoga, or hold a glass in my hand, or have normal feeling in my index finger
22. Billy and I started dating on 6/22/03, engaged on 2/22/08, and married on 6/22/08
23. Billy asked my dad for permission to marry me on the anniversary of my dad proposing to my mom
24. Billy opens all doors for me - every time
25. I think it is important to be nice to everyone
26. I used to take a nap everyday - now I do not
27. I don't cuss, ever
28. I go to www.dailypuppy.com everyday
29. My wedding was the best day of my entire life
30. I have no concept of paying attention to details (Thankfully Billy does)
31. I am really glad Billy started his own company
32. I hate skiing (I cried the whole way down the mountain. thank you Billy for not ditching me on the mountain)
33. The thought of trying to scuba dive again makes me panicky - I will NEVER do that again!
34. My favorite thing to do is cook and drink wine with my husband
35. I am the world's worst parker
36. I used to work out everyday and that resulted in an injury
37. My mom rocks - she's smart, she makes delicious things, she saves lives ...basically she rocks
38. I am terrible about returning library books
39. I am not capable of sympathy - only empathy
40. I like reading the wedding section of the New York Times
41. I love pickles
42. I think watching sports on TV is incredibly boring
43. I am terrible at packing ( Example: Billy and I were going to a cabin for the weekend and I packed my bathing suit. I knew there wasn't going to be a pool but I thought I might need it)
44. The fact that rBST is legal in this country is completely appalling
45. I like getting pedicures but not manicures (I can't read a magazine, I find it boring, the nail polish chips too soon...)
46. I hate how the news dwells on only negative things
47. Novocaine doesn't work for me (I read somewhere that redheads need more pain medication than the average person)
48. Billy once told me I should work in a soup kitchen because I can make dinner out of anything
49. Flying scares me but not as much as driving somewhere does
50. I cannot wink my right eye
51. I never go to sleep and wake up when my alarm goes off - I wake up a ton during the night
52. I graduated from college a semester early
53. I love Christmas Eve
54. I am loud - indoor voice what?
55. My dad is the King of Corn and my husband is the Prince of Corn - I love every minute of it
56. I had the most beautiful (and delicious!) wedding cake I have ever seen and Billy's mom made it
57. Everything happens for a reason
58. I wish I liked hot tea (It just looks so cool. I thought the same about oatmeal and now I love oatmeal so hopefully the same will be true for tea)
59. My mother in law is better than yours
60. I like dresses much better than pants
61. Now that my husband goes to sleep with me every night I fall asleep right away instead of tossing and turning
62. I like to look at the ocean and won't go in it
63. When I have bad dreams I shake my head and I wake up (Thanks Dad!)
64. Everyday I want to take Billy's truck to the animal shelter and adopt each and every single animal (I don't know how to drive a stick shift so I made need to have Billy's help!)
65. I could eat tofu for every meal (as long as it is crunchy and not mushy :P, I have had some bad tofu in my day)
66. I think it is weird I haven't always known my husband
67. I call the bathroom the loo
68. I think people should only be taken off of life support when they are brain dead - I know most people disagree
69. I like the Washington Monument (Hey that was my first thought - lets move on people!)
70. I cry every time I watch The Notebook
71. Driving on the freeway makes me nervous
72. I am always cold
73. My foot is super arched and Billy has flat feet - if we combined feet it would be the perfect foot
74. Road rage doesn't make sense to me (You wouldn't scream like that at someone if they weren't walking fast enough/accidentally too close to you/etc)
75. I am always paranoid that my alarm clock won't go off
76. I love surprises
78. If I go to sleep with socks on I always wake up with only one sock on

79. I am allergic to cats

80. I have never over drafted on my bank account

81. I am very clumsy!! (This is an understatement!)

82. I only hold the phone up to my right ear

83. I love the show "Jon and Kate Plus 8"

84. Chocolate chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream

85. I have trouble sitting still

86. I like egg salad sandwiches with pineapple and tomatoes

87. I cannot remember the last time I went to the mall

88. It is very important to have a little bit of dark chocolate everyday

89. If I could have an IV of diet Lipton green tea I would be a very happy camper

90. I am currently taking on one major organizational project a weekend (outside closet, inside closet, kitchen cabinets)

91. I think it is strange that most people my age and younger don't worry about HIV/AIDS (FACT: 25% of people in a blood drive from a high school that was in the same district as my high school tested positive - Not a charter school...one of the major ones)

92. I find this website funny

93. If I don't read a book the first day I get it I will probably never read it

94. I don't have a TV in my bedroom

95. My first concert was Moody Blues and I took my water baby with me

96. I know what my parents are getting me and Billy for Christmas (Billy does not)

97. I started running when I was 14 (whoa running for a decade...wonder how far I've ran)

98. "There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things that we could use," Mother Teresa.

99. I live for today - not tomorrow or yesterday

100. This took me three days

Operation organize Kitchen Cabinets

2008-11-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to organize one kitchen cabinet. Then I decided I should organize all of them!

Before:

During:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

During:

After:

Before:

After (please ignore the stuff from Wal-Marx Scotty and MK shop there):

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

After all that I realized I was hungry so I had green beans with Tabasco and chili flakes and a veggie burger and a 100 calorie ice cream bar.

Breakfast

2008-11-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

This is what I had for breakfast today:

with

and one of these

I don't care what you think if I want broccoli for breakfast than I am going to have it! Because I am a grown up!

Redheads

2008-11-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

I just got back from getting my hair cut. I told my stylist Kristy what I wanted and she said it just may be enough to donate to Locks of Love. She put my hair in a ponytail and we were close but it didn't meet the minimum 6 inch requirement. So I told her to go shorter. I got about 8 inches cut off and I am so glad I did that! Now some little girl with cancer can have fabulous red hair :)

Here is my hair before

Before the wedding:

Get yer hair did

2008-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

I was wide awake this morning but it was pitch black outside. What time do you guess it was? 6:05 a.m. Um...hello body today is Saturday and I was hoping to sleep in. No such luck. So I got out of bed because lying there was pointless. I did some laundry and went to the gym. At the gym I did 30 minutes on the stairmaster (while reading, of course) and then walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes (3.5 incline and 3.5 speed).

In a little bit I am leaving to get my hair cut. I am super excited! I am cutting a significant amount off so I'll post new pictures later.

This afternoon Billy, me, and my parents are going to Tracy and Mark's wedding. I just love weddings!! It should be a lot of fun. They have been engaged for two years so today has been a long time coming. Right now it's bright and sunny so I bet Tracy woke up relieved this morning!

Needs

2008-11-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Google and type in your first name followed with "needs" and see what comes up.

Marissa needs to receive a glucagon shot, preferably by the school nurse. (I am gonna go with a big fat NO on that one!)
Marissa needs to stop signing petitions in other people's names. (Haha I would totally so this..j/k)
Marissa needs your numbers because I lost them all! (No I have not)
Marissa needs the services that the state was ordered to pay for three years ago. (AARON!)
Marissa needs a smooth surface to be able to practice walking. (TRUE.)
Marissa needs help packing. (SO TRUE)
Marissa needs to have a sit-down talk with both parents present. (Uh oh...what did I do?)
Marissa needs to eat a sandwich. (I just ate a fake chicken patty so I am ok)
Marissa needs to do something fantastic next week or she's gone. (Gone where? Is that a threat?)
Marissa needs to be taken to a hospital in Argentina. (That doesn't sound like such a good idea)
Marissa needs to tone down the gushing. (I am an enthusiastic person!)
Marissa needs to at least try to be polite. (I am polite...most of the time)

Proud to be an American

2008-11-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

History is being made.

More to come later!

Part Walrus Part Dog

2008-11-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

(I forgot my camera next to my purse so pics will have to wait until tomorrow.)

When Suka decides it's walk time she starts making this noise that can only be described as the noise a walrus makes. I have found the best way to have my husband accompany me on night time walks (she gets a walk in the morning as well) is to offer him wine - it works like a charm!

I am super excited to vote tomorrow morning!! Scotty is going to meet me at my parent's house bright and early and we are all going to go together! Fun times!

Tomorrow Billy is going to pick up a copy of our marriage license and my birth certificate tomorrow so I can FINALLY legally change my name (::small voice:: 130 some odd days after we got married, oops....)

Prizes

2008-11-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

This morning when I woke up I threw a load of laundry into the washer. Billy was still asleep. Right as I am putting the clothes in I hear that he is awake. He said, "I won." I said, "What?" he said, "I won." I said, "What did you win?" And he said, "I won the best wife ever!" AWW!!! :)

Now we are going to breakfast with my dad!

Farmer's Market and Halloween

2008-11-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am in love! :) After my morning run (no pain again..yippee!!) Billy and I went to our first Farmer's Market in awhile. I really cannot put into words how wonderful it is! Right near the front is this huge farm but Billy and I decided to walk around for a little bit. We found a farm owned by a husband and wife. The woman was Asian and they had a lot of really exotic foods. We picked up: apples, potatoes, Thai chiles (sooo excited to try those!), cilantro, garlic, a lime, and asparagus. All for $11!!!

It is so great because we are supporting local small farmers. The organic food and the grocery store comes from all over so even if it is organic it probably took a whole lot of gas to get it here. Plus they are selling organic food for way cheaper than the grocery stores. There are so many big farms that dominate the market that small farmers don't even have a chance. I think it is very important to be socially conscious with how you spend your money.

Last night Billy and I walked across the street to my parent's house. Every year my parents have a fire in their driveway and we sit and hang out and hand out candy to trick or treaters. Billy's family also came over. My mom made the most delicious vegetarian chili I have ever had!! She's been making it for years but some how I've never had it. We handed out candy and then took the dogs for a walk. Then we went to this guy's house who decorates his house every year in a very over the top crazy way. My mom (in here Malificant Costume) had a stare down with a goth kid....it was pretty funny.

Sweetest Hubby Ever!!

2008-10-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

I just got a text from Billy: "You know what I could not wish for a better person to spend the rest of my life with"

AWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I ate a pie

2008-10-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went on a short run. I took Suka with me. She walks about as fast as my slow paced run - LOL :) I wanted to take it easy because I still need to order my knee sleeves. It was awesome to run without pain! A few months ago I would have never thought that would be possible.

I am really excited for Halloween tomorrow! Billy and I are going to sit in my parent's driveway and hand out candy. Billy's mom will even be there!

On a side note, check out this site

Fun on this street!

2008-10-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

For the next two weeks Billy and I are house sitting for the Q's. It's awesome because my parents live right across the street! Today was such a LONG day! Right now we are getting some dinner ready. We are having some of this and some spicy chipotle baked tofu. I put so many hot sauces and spices in it is going to be awesome!! :)

I have been runnning back and forth between the houses and Payson is a very confused puppy. My mom and I took the dogs for a walk this morning. There were a lot of people out and about at 6am.

I am going to buy these so hopefully that will help my knees out! I have been cross training and doing lower body stuff - which should help as well.

Operation Clean Closet

2008-10-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Picture of Billy just because he is so cute :)

Before:

During:

My organizational challenge for this weekend was to clean our closet.

After:

I am currenlty in the process of doing a TON of laundy so our closet is a bit empty

Fabulous Friday

2008-10-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I got up to get a drink of water and when I laid back down Billy scooted really close and put his arm around me. Made my whole day :)

Zzzz

2008-10-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in is awesome!

I love cookie dough

2008-10-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

After dinner tonight my husband disappeared into the kitchen. I asked him what he was doing and he said he wanted to bake me something. While I was making dinner he was working on his company's website and he felt bad for not keeping me company. Please note he made a heart and a bird with butterscotch chips. Aw!!

>

Bipity bopity do!

2008-10-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Billy and I went to the gym. I did the elliptical and my IT bands hurt a little bit. When I got off the elliptical I did some lower body exercises. When I walked over to the treadmill where Billy was running I had a dull aching pain in both of my knee caps. There are so many people that don't like to work out - why is it that the people who enjoy it have the struggles? I have late meetings tomorrow and Thursday so a couple days of rest will be good :)

After the gym I made dinner.

Spicy Baked tofu:

- 1 block of Fresh and Easy tofu
- Open one bottle of red wine to share with your handsome hubby :)
- Wrap tofu in a bunch of paper towels and place between two plates. On top of the plates place several cans of veggies.
- Preheat oven to 375
- In a small bowl mix EVOO, honey (1 tbs. or more to make it sweeter), a lot of chili powder (tbs. +), couple shakes of Tabasco (I seriously cannot cook without this stuff, lol!), pinch of kosher salt, a shake of sesame oil, a few shakes of white pepper (we are out of black), a smidge of teryaki sauce, and some love. In all honesty the essentials are EVOO, honey, and Chili powder...I just start adding in extra stuff to add some variety :) This is the best recipe. You can do a ton of variations on it!
- Microwave for 30 seconds.
- Grease a baking sheet
- After 30 minutes thinly slice the tofu (to avoid mushiness :P)
- Dunk the tofu in the sauce
- Sprinkle with paprika
- Sprinkle with red chili flakes
- Bake for 30 minutes or so (baking time will depend on thickness of your tofu)

I could eat tofu for every meal but I thought we should have something to go with our tofu. We had about half a package of cooked spaghetti in the fridge so I tossed that with some EVOO, Garlic Powder, Chopped tomato, and a couple leaves from Sir Arthur, and a piece of shredded jalapeno cheese.

Everything was super delicious!

Billy has 16.6 days worth of music on I-Tunes so we listened to some Kings of Leon:

Excellent

2008-10-20T20:56:00.001-07:00

I got my credit report in the mail today. My score: 798. Apparently this is excellent.

Operation clean outdoor closet

2008-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today has been a very productive day. I wanted to do something nice for Billy so I went to Einsteins and got him a bagel with cream cheese and some orange juice. Then I stopped by Starbucks and got him the New York Times. After he finished his breakfast I decided to clean out the outside storage closet. I was half expecting to find a dead body in there. Billy was a big help! His truck bed is filled with junk (or should I say a treasure to someone else) that we will be taking to Goodwill.

Before:

After:

Guacamole

2008-10-19T12:53:00.001-07:00

I had a serious hankering for Guacamole last night so Billy and I made a stop at Fresh and Easy for some avocados

Ingredients:

Put everything in a bowl:

Mush everything up and enjoy!

Who needs Sudafed when you have Tabasco?

2008-10-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a really great Saturday so far! Billy and I went to the gym (elliptical/weights). We go to one a little far form our house but we both like it better than the closer one. I just had some veggie soup ...or should I say Tabasco soup. Oh! I have a genius idea! Tabasco should make extra spicy soups (vegetarian friendly of course). In about an hour or so we are going to some some street fair with my parents and Scotty and MK.

Me and Billy before we left:

Some art:

We thought it was going to be 3D Chalk art but it wasn't. However, there was some pretty cool stuff! Unfortunately it was uber hot outside.

Tonight Will is coming over for some dinner. Billy is going to make chipotle mashed potatoes. His jalapeno mashed potatoes are AMAZING so I am sure the chipotle ones will be too!

Fabulous Friday

2008-10-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

I love Fridays! They are probably the my favorite day of the whole week! I remember in first grade on Fridays we would wash our desks and it would make me so happy. :)

A couple of minutes ago I decided I was a landscaper and I should use our leaf blower. Well about 45 seconds later I decided this is not what I want to be doing right now so I turend it off. I turned around and there was Billy. Husband to the rescue!

Today's Daily Puppy is super duper cute:

(Sir Arthur is currently outside basking in the sun.)

Running, Tofu, Red Wine = :)

2008-10-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today I ran around the park while Billy and Jennifer played soccer (FYI: Jennifer won). It was a lot of fun! I stopped running from no energy - not from my knees hurting. It was awesome!! I am slowly increasing my runs and it feels amazing. Before physical therapy I seriously thought I would never run again. Anytime I saw people in public with running shoes on it made me sad...even when it was obvious they hadn't done any physical activity in a long time.

Tonight for dinner I am making baked tofu (recipe here) with brown rice, green beans, and broccoli. Yum! Plus Jennifer is here so that's a lot of fun too :)

When Billy came home from work this is what he gave me:

He said he thought a bottle of red wine would be better than a card. He is the most wonderful husband ever! He is always doing cute little things to show me how much he loves me. I really am so lucky!!

Aw

2008-10-15T17:12:00.001-07:00

Welcome!

2008-10-15T17:05:00.001-07:00

I would like you to meet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the Second. He's British (ancestors from Scotland), he wears velvet robe in his library, he is a bit pretentious, he smokes cigars, and he writes mystery novels. Oh, and he's organic.

“When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it,” Marie de Sevigne.

2008-10-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

I love (LOVE!) the library! It is probably one of my all time favorite places. I love that I can read as many books as my little heart desires for free! Every time I go to the library I feel like I need to check out every single book I’ve ever wanted to read, LOL :) Sometimes I do searches for specific books but most of the time I just walk down random aisles and pick out books that catch my eye. Right now I am reading Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. I just got it so I don’t have anything to say about it just yet. The library now has tons of DVDs to check out. I have a tendency to not return videos on time. Once I had to pay $99 to Hollywood Video! It’s so nice because with the library I can check them out for 2 weeks at a time. If I don’t think I am going to have time to get the movie back in time I have to go online and renew it.

Running Issues

2008-10-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have been running since I was 14. Starting in February I began to have pain in my knees when I ran. So I went to my doctor. She gave me some stretches to do. I also invested in good running shoes (Asics). I love them!! Then in April I was running on the treadmill and it felt like something on the side of my knee tore. I went to the doctor and she suggested physical therapy. For approximately 2 months (and $511 later - I used my tax refund money) I went to physical therapy 3 times a week. Physical therapy consisted of doing the elliptical for 10 minutes and then doing various strength training exercises. The key message was to not run every single day. My physical therapist suggested taking 1-2 days off between runs. After I completed physical therapy I started running for 10 minutes, then 12, then 15 and so on. I was doing great! Then I fell and had my whole arm in a cast so running was out for a little bit.

I've recently started running again. Here is my plan: run until I feel pain in my IT band and then walk. My physical therapist said I will have some pain because my muscles need to get used to running again. I can run with mild pain but if it gets worse I need to stop. I am continuing to do the exercises I learned in physical therapy and lunges. On Sunday while Billy kicked around the soccer ball I ran around. It's nice because I can run as slow as I'd like (which is basically walking speed according to Billy ... lol!). I am basically running in a square so once I have knee pain I am only a short distance away. If anyone has successfully recuperated from a running issue please let me know what worked for you!

Fresh and Easy <3

2008-10-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Water, Sierra Mist Free, Butter (butta), whole grain penne pasta, chunky vegetable sauce, salsa, vegetarian refried beans, black beans, and dark chocolate = $8.20

Cooking with Billy on Friday

2008-10-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

The Chefs

The Food

Boiling Water

Fresh Whole Grain Garlic Bread

Cooked Pasta

Yummy!

Forward

2008-10-10T07:50:00.001-07:00

I have a problem...well mainly an e-mail forwarding problem. I forward every single e-mail I get. I am not sure what horrible thing will happen if I don't. For a few seconds I debate hitting delete but I just cannot bring myself to do it.

Quote

2008-10-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier," Mother Teresa.

I really can identify with this quote. I think it is very important to always act pleasant and friendly to everyone - regardless of how they are acting towards you. In my whole save the world mentality I think everyone deserves just that!

Fresh and Easy

2008-10-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Reasons why I love them:

1) The benefits they give their employees ("All our employees will be eligible for our comprehensive benefits package, which include affordable medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage; with the company picking up a majority of the costs." that's for employees who work 20+ hours per week)
2) All of their dairy products come from cows that are not treated with rSBT
3) I can pronounce all of their ingredients on all of their food items
4) They have special parking spots for hybrid cars
5) Every week I use their $5 off a purchase of $20 or more

See if they are near you: www.freshandeasy.com

Annoyed

2008-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

Google has locked my blog because they are considering it spam. I received an e-mail saying to be patient while it is reviewed.

How is an uber cute picture of Billy taking a nap considered spam?

Cuter than the daily puppy :)

2008-10-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Call it a day

2008-10-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Creating a blog is a lot harder than I thought it would be.