Merry Christmas! (and other things to catch up on)

So I just had to post this, it's just so dang cute! 'Tis the reason for the season!

Also, for my mom (and others) who haven't seen my new hairdo... tada! I haven't had bangs (on purpose) since I was in elementary school! The disaster haircut about 6 years ago doesn't count and left me traumatized. LOL. My friend Kim also gave me some layers for a whole new look... I was a weeeee bit nervous, but I'm so happy I just let her do her thing!

Anyway, hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful holiday season! We were super lamo again and never got around to sending Christmas cards, but we hope and pray for the very best for you all in the year to come!

Dulce de Heaven.. uh, I mean Leche

I've recently learned to make alfajores (the Uruguayan type) and so have been obsessed with finding/making the perfect filling for them... dulce de leche. For those of you unfortunate souls who have never had the opportunity to enjoy this sumptuous treat, my condolences. Dulce de leche is like caramel but SO much better! It's spreadable or you can eat if right off the spoon if you prefer, which I do! SO so good... seriously.

Anyway, the best dulce de leche in the world is this stuff:

My family in Uruguay owns part of the company, so I may just be a teeeensy bit partial, but still... most of Uruguay will agree with me, this is the best of the best!

Since I can't get that here, I've tried a few alternatives. The first was a ready-made dulce de leche my mom told me about. She warned it it would never live up to my expectations, but I decided to try it out.  This stuff:

She was right, it fell way below the bar... In consistency its just about right, but the flavor is all wrong. Yuck.

I started looking online for easy to make homemade recipes, knowing that the traditional way of making it was going to be a pain. If all else failed I would have to do it, but there was still another option left to try. Tinkering with this stuff:

If you pour this out into a pie plate and bake it long enough, it turns into ooey-gooey caramel! While it was good tasting caramel (seriously good) it didn't taste exactly like the dulce de leche I love. Consistency turned out pretty close though.

Alas, after all these failures, the time had come to go the whole hog! I was rather hopeful but still dreading the process, as I've watched many of my aunts and family friends spend long hours over the stove making this stuff. My dad tried it once... it wasn't pretty... The disaster stories had been enough to deter me until now, but when you're on the quest for the Holy Grail of dulce de leche, you just have to do what you have to do, right? So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work:

 

This is about an hour in. Basically just whole milk, sugar, vanilla beans, and baking soda bubbling away.

 This is 2 hours in... notice the slight color change!

This is 3 hours in... definite color change now! Starting to thicken up.

 This is 4 hours in... crucial point when timing is everything. The longer it boils at this stage, the thicker it will be. However, let it go too long and it will harden as candy, NOT what you want...though it would taste great!

 TADA... the finished product! As you can see (or maybe you can't, I don't know... depends on how you like your DDL) I didn't let it boil long enough, GRRRR!!! It's got the consistency of pourable caramel. I was aiming for thicker (like spread) but I was afraid if I let it boil any longer (4 1/2 hours seems like an eternity when you're hovering over a pot constantly stirring) it would be rock hard when it cooled. Alas, I chickened out. However, the flavor is SPOT ON!!! Hallelujah! 

So... the verdict? Homemade is definitely worth it when it comes to taste! I bet if I did this enough times I could get the consistency down really well too, but since this takes about 5 hours to make, it's hard to know when I'll next be able to make another batch.... I won't be able to use this for my alfajores, but it will make for some good toast-spreading delight! :)

Yup, it's that time again....

What time, you ask? Why, the time of year when it is no longer a crime to play Christmas music!!! (Ok, ok, so I'm a day early... shhhhh!) And you all know what that means, right? Heehee...

As per usual, here is a link to my original post regarding the awesomeness that is my favorite Christmas song. And in case you don't feel like clicking or the link doesn't work (or whatever, but mostly because I love posting this video) here it is! Enjoy! ;)

Deathly Hallows- Part 1 (Spoiler Free)

Gosh, it's been a crazy weekend... can't believe it's taken me this long to do my movie review! Work, my back, and Sirius's injury (more on that later) took precedence. Oh well, here we go!

My sister-in-law and I went to the midnight showing last week and stood/sat in line for almost 5 hours. Thanks Tiff for keeping me company! ;) Was it worth the wait? HECK YEAH! Deathly Hallows (part 1) was absolutely, unequivocally, refreakingdiculously AMAZING!!! Every movie has, as expected, continued to get darker and scarier and this one was no exception. For me though, it had a different feel to it, definitely not a "kiddie" movie anymore... and not just because of the scary parts. I won't get scene specific here, but I cried, and laughed, and cried some more... It was intense, tender at times, and of course full of intermittent comic relief delivered superbly by the Grint and the Phelps twins!

Some things were added that weren't in the book and other things were left out... of course this happens in all book to movie adaptations, so it wasn't a huge deal for me. At times it bugged a bit, but it wasn't anything plot-altering. Many critics are harping on how "slow" it gets during the middle, as the trio wanders. HELLO, newsflash: That's how JK Rowling wrote it! I believe her intention was for us, as readers, to feel some of that sense of desperation and impatience alongside HarRonMione. I believe the movie accomplished just that. I wasn't bothered by it one bit. In fact, I felt that the wandering was rather quick and not as drawn out as in the book... but again, this is a movie and there are time constraints and all that mojo so oh well.
All in all, I give this movie 2 thumbs up and a great big smile! I LOVED it and cannot wait until next year to see the conclusion of this most beloved series! 

So... now its your turn? What did you think? CAUTION: comments may not be spoiler free!

T minus 9 days!!!

We're down to single digits people!!! WOOHOO!!!

And here, for your Voldy Moldy hating pleasure...

My mom the Horcrux vanquisher!

Ok, so the secret's out... my mom is actually Dumbledore's secret agent and she helped him destroy a horcrux he and HarRonMione didn't get around to finding. It was all rather embarrassing for them so JK kept it hush-hush... Voldy Moldy didn't stand a chance! ;)

... Or I can tell the real story, though its nowhere near as exciting. Lets just say malfunctioning gloves and dark brown hair dye were involved... oh, and my head. Whoopsie! My momma is so awesome to make the best of a rather crummy situation... we've tried everything and the dye isn't coming off. Yikes! Any suggestions?

Pottertastic!

Hmmm... can we guess which one is Fleur? ;)

Finally, the full length trailer (for Part 1) is here! I'm so excited!!! November can't come quick enough! Enjoy!



AWE-SOME!

Nature... who needs it?!?!

Not I. Especially last night... I was thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to packing up my bags and taking the first flight back to my cement paradise home that is New York City! Well, not really but that's certainly what I wanted to do!

I was attacked last night while getting out of my car. I had just gotten home from work, it was close to midnight. I'd been singing Defying Gravity in the car and so it was with a wide open mouth that I met my assailant as I opened my car door. Once, twice, thrice it hit me in the face! Shocked and quite frightened I (first- shut my mouth!) fought back at my still invisible foe. I managed to avert any more attacks to the face and instead began to receive them in the torso. Madly, I swatted and punched in vain as the tricky little thing continue to evade me. It mocked me with a most unnatural laughter. "Click click cliiiiiiiiiick!"After what seemed like an eternity of this life and death struggle, my opponent tired and fell on my lap. I finally got a good look at my assailant and only then did I scream...

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I jumped up out of my seat and slammed the door shut, thus trapping the vile monster. Then I realized I had also trapped my purse and lunchpack in there with it. Crud! I then did the only thing I could: swiftly I ran up my front steps and called for my Prince in Shining Armor! So genteel, he left his own battles with fearsome foes ( a Boss) to come rescue his damsel in distress. "Quickly, my sword, madam!" I ran and fetched his beautifully (factory) crafted Mag-Lite and stood back while my beloved slay the beast for good. "Crunch...splat...crunch crunch!"

Oh the horror. Seriously...

After 6 years of living in Oklahoma (and all its trees and bugs) I still just can't handle nature/grass/bugs. I am making strides though, little as they may be... a few weekends ago I actually sat on grass with no blanket under me!!! Some day I may even work up the nerve to walk in it barefoot (ugh, that gives me the heebiejeebies just thinking about it!) but not just yet. Me and all that green stuff just don't get along very well...

All done!

I took the last of my finals Thursday and am officially DONE for the summer.... or what's left of it, right? I have my orientation this coming Wednesday so its finally starting to feel real that in less than a month I'm going to start my clinical rotations!!! I am beyond excited!!!

Everyone I've talked to(both at school and work) keeps giving me all these horror stories about how 1/2 the class flunks out after the first semester and that there were only 1 or 2 A's in the whole class(of 72 students). This has me worried... I survived Micro with my 4.0 unscathed and the fact that everyone is telling me to prepare to give that up is unsettling. Part of it is pride, I know... But at the same time I hate being told I can't accomplish something... what do they know, right? I've always found that I am my own worst critic... which is why when I ended up with a 99.96% in Micro part of me was too busy kicking myself (for being 0.04% away from a perfect grade) to realize, "You got a 99.96 in an insanely difficult 8 week (5 credit) class!!! BE HAPPY!"

So I guess I'll just have to work my hardest, hope for the best, but prepare myself to be humbled. That's my plan.

I am a horrible person...

I can't stop giggling at this video:



But don't worry, he finally makes it!



Apparently this breed of dog (French bulldog) has a particularly hard time with this due to its bone structure and has to "learn" to roll over on its own. Its part of survival which is why the owner had to let the pup figure it out on its own... momma was in the background chillin.

Whoopsie!

(This pic is for you Kim!)

A few things I learned today:

1) If you are allergic to cherries, DO NOT eat them.... no, not even "just one or two!"

2) If you're going to be a turd and eat them anyway, for the love, WASH your hands before doing something silly like oh.... rubbing your itchy eyes!

3) If you see what looks like a contact folded in half smack in the middle of your eyeball when you know for a fact that its NOT a contact because you are wearing glasses... well, for one thing, don't poke and prod it with the aforementioned unwashed, cherry-fied fingers!!!

*sigh* Where's my sign? ;)

SO... now for the story. Ben and I had dinner at his parents house tonight. Cherries were on the menu. I LOVE CHERRIES. I'm also allergic to them. They make my tongue and throat itchy. If I eat enough of them I end up with bubble lips. But I love them... loooooooooooooooooove them! So when I saw them, I knew what I was doing but promised myself that I'd stop at the first sign of an itch. It only took 2. I should have stopped there but I had 1 more and prepared myself. Sure enough my tongue started itching... then my gums... then the roof of my mouth, and then my throat. Crud! Oh well... I started gulping water and scratching my tongue with my teeth and figured that was that.

A little while later my left eye started itching. I rubbed it. It kept itching. I rubbed it some more. Then it started tearing and got all blurry. I tried to ignore it but eventually I couldn't see squat out of it and it felt like I had a major eyelash or something in there. I went to look in a mirror and my first thought was, "Why do I have a folded over contact in my eye?" Then my brain caught up and I realized... uh, that's no contact. I poked at the weird transparent folds and ripples on my eyeball and it finally dawned on me what I was touching. A very swollen cornea that was folding in on itself every time I blinked. Yikes!

I called my eye doctor/old boss to make sure this was nothing urgent. While it didn't hurt, it was very uncomfortable and felt like my eye was going to fall out with every blink... really nasty sensation. I ended up having to go get some eye drops, took some Benadryl, and got an icepack on it right away. Fortunately the swelling has gone down considerably, though I still can't see very well out of that eye. I should be good as new tomorrow, but if I'm not, it shouldn't be anything some steroid drops can't fix. Phew!

Lesson learned... No more cherries! Or... maybe I'll just wear gloves next time, heehee ;)

Full Circle

I can't believe we are coming up on the last (albeit split into 2) movie!!! I saw the latest trailer in all its IMAX glory this past week and I'm just itching for it to be November already! Its kind of annoying that we'll only get half of Deathly Hallows and then some more waiting, but at least it won't be all rushed and too condensed.

When the books were done I kept telling myself that at least I had years and years of movies left, but even that is drawing to a close now! I'm so sad that we are nearing the end of such a magical era...

Mis Charruas

WHAT. A. GAME!!!!

I only caught the first 30 minutes or so before work and then left with the biggest ball of knots in my stomach.... Ben kept sending me texts with updates and it just killed me to have to keep it together and not lock myself in an empty room and turn to ESPN and let loose. NONE of my patients were even watching it so I couldn't take sneak peaks either... ARGH!!!

I normally love it when games go into PK's, that's always a treat for me, so when Ben texted me that this was happening, I knew it was going to be insane... and it was! I'm so sad Suarez got red-carded for the handball, but so grateful that he took one for the team in order for them to advance. I feel terrible for Ayew, who with the weight of a continent on his shoulders, missed that PK, but of course I am grateful to him as well for ensuring our win. Craziness, I tell you.... absolute MADNESS!!! Hands down one of the most nerve-wracking games I've seen in a looooooooooong time! (I ended up watching the rebroadcast after work at my BIL's house)

VAMOS URUGUAY!!!! Arriba mis Charruas!!!!

Eclipse Review! (possible spoilers, beware)

Got home at 3am, didn't sleep much, and am up studying but I thought I'd take a break to do my shpiel. Overall impression: SO good! Best of the three for sure! Gonna go see it again tomorrow with another buddy, hopefully the screams will have died down a bit and I can hear more dialogue this time... that's always hard at the midnight showings, heehee.

Without getting too spoilery, this is what stuck out the most to me:

* Very few/minor deviations from the book! Much was condensed, of course, but nothing plot-altering was done, thank goodness!

* Lots and lots of dialogue straight from the book, some even from BD.

* Sparkle effect was very subtle and better done than in previous movies.

* More of the soundtrack made it into this movie than any of the previous ones. Some worked, some... not so much, in my opinion.

* I prefer the " marble consistency" of the vamps in New Moon to the "crystal consistency" in
this one... fighting scenes really bring out the difference.

* Speaking of fighting scenes, I was unprepared for how graphic (albeit non-bloody) they were.
No subtlety there... but then again, I've got a low tolerance for the cringe- factor.

* Lots of tongue-in-cheek/movie poking fun at itself moments :)

Directing/Production technicalities aside, most memorable moments:

* Loved all the Bella/Charlie scenes. Perfectly awkward/funny/tender! The sex-talk scene was
my favorite, although graduation made me tear up ;)

* Rosalie/Jasper flashbacks were awesome!!! Quillute legends were cool as well.

* Loved the adorable Alice/Jasper stuff they threw in; many "awwwww" moments!

* Lots of the Bree Tanner back story made it in which helped tremendously.

* Riley and (new) Victoria were pretty cool. Riley stole the show though, awesome actor!

* Jacob does a really good job at making you feel so bad for him... I totally hated him in the books
but even my cold heart-strings felt a few tugs :(

* Tent scene was done very well, they kept the most crucial of the book's dialogue.

* Ahh, the much anticipated big bed/chastity & virtue talk/official marriage proposal scene:
It didn't deviate much from the book, if that tells you something. My favorite part was the end,
when he does the actual proposal and she says yes. Absolute raw/unguarded joy! I almost
forgot myself and jumped out of my seat clapping... Probably will go down as a fan favorite!


And that's that folks! I'm SO excited to see it again tomorrow, its always better the second time around because you can take more in. Hopefully the crowd won't be as rowdy. Yeah... we'll see about that ;)

I may regret this tomorrow...

... oh, but what a way to go!!!

I work tomorrow (afternoon) and have my 2nd Micro test of the week Thursday but guess what I am doing tonight? Oh yeah baby... ECLIPSE!!!! Since we're just doing the midnight release this time, and not the triple feature, we (my friends and I, Ben is not coming tonight) will have to do the never-ending waiting in line thing... *sigh* Good thing I have a gazillion terms/essay topics to memorize!

Okiedokie, gotta eat and head off to the theater, hopefully I can get a coherent movie review up tomorrow!

Half of me is happy and the other is sad!

Why? Well because this morning this happened:

Amidst the torrential rain and after a crazy game, Luis Suarez scored the winning goal for Uruguay, advancing my Charruas into the quarter-finals! Arriba mi Celeste!!!

However... this afternoon, this happened:

Yup, the US lost to Ghana... 2:1. It was a painful game to watch... It went into overtime tied at 1:1 but then (just like in the beginning of the first 1/2 of the game) we gave away an easy goal and then it was just torture... pure never-ending torture. *sigh*

I guess the only good thing about this is that had the USA won, that would have meant they would have been lined up to play Uruguay next week... Eeeek, what a conundrum. Who would I have cheered for harder? (For I would have cheered for both to be sure!) Guess I won't have to face that decision after all... phew!

Goooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't usually post stuff about sports but... something about soccer makes me go a little crazy ;) The dogs are still hiding under the table looking at me like, "Who are you and what did you do to our momma?!?!" I guess I get a little carried away... woops.

URUGUAY kicked some South African bootay today!!!!!!

3-0 baby, WOOT!

They now lead Group A with 4 pts, which is more than anyone else at the moment! Dang I wish I were down there with my family, celebrating and eating some good food! My cousin Guillermo is actually down in SA and was there at the game today, how neat for him!

Diego Forlan (scored twice) and Alvaro Pereira (scored once) celebrating a sweet victory

I loooooooove the world cup! I miss watching it with my family. My bro and I used to dress up and go bonkers with our mom & dad. Fun times.

Good Things To Come

I stumbled upon a great quote today that just resonated with me and for which I am grateful to have finally listened to:


Now that I am just weeks away from starting clinicals for my RN program, I am starting to see just how true that statement is. It's been about a year and 1/2 since Ben and I put a stop to all our fertility treatments and I embarked on this journey of acceptance. I knew it was what needed to be done after more than 3 years of pushing and pleading for something that was obviously not in God's plan for me right now. Giving up control and handing it all to The Lord has been one of the toughest trials in my life, but I have to say... what everyone tried to tell me is true. I just had to get back to living to realize it myself.

I still look forward to and yearn for motherhood, that is not a dream so lightly cast aside. I admit that certain days of the year are still a challenge for me, but its getting easier. I am grateful for the doors Heavenly Father is opening up for me that would more than likely have remained closed had I gotten what I wanted so many years ago. Some day I will be a mommy. It may not be exactly how I planned it (well, that's obvious by now!) or when I think would suit us best, but I have faith that someday it will happen. In the meanwhile I appreciate the time I have to grow and learn and prepare for that blessed event.

Below is a video that a dear friend shared and I thought I'd pass it along as well. I saw it just shortly after stumbling upon that quote (above) and it tied in quite nicely. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and the strength He gives me to keep walking down this long road to motherhood. It's a comfort to know that I am never alone and help is always there when I need it.

What was I thinking?!?!?

So I figured I'd take Micro over the summer and just get it out of the way before starting clinicals. Its a 5 credit class so its a doozey, even in a regular 16 week semester. I chose to do it in 8 weeks. I figured it would be no sweat after killing my Chem class (which I was terrified of!) NOT SO. Two days into it (and 2 quizzes later, with our first test coming up on Monday) I'm starting to wonder if I'll survive this summer. If I weren't working it would be no problem, but I'm at the hospital 4 days this week and at school the other 3. When will I study and get my hw done? Hmmmm.... good question. Somethings gonna have to give and I think it will have to be work. However, schedules are made for the month so I'm stuck like this until July. Baptist will not be seeing as much of me after June though... I've kept a 4.0 for the past 4 semesters, this class will NOT mess that up for me!!! ARGH!

I'm tackling this like I did cross country, small reachable goals. Survive one week at a time. Since we're pretty much having a test and 2-3 quizzes/week that's quite enough for me. I also am going to focus on my reward for surviving the first half of this ordeal. Guess what happens June 30th, exactly 1 month before the last day of term? Oh yeah baby, Eclipse time!!!

Speaking of, found another clip today and this one is about the wolf pack and introduces Leah a bit. She's such a pill...I think Julia Jones will do a fantastic job!



Anyway, Micro's calling, eeek!

Bool Review: Bree Tanner (Caution: possible spoilers?)

I normally stay away from books that have a sad ending (and anyone that's read Eclipse knows that Bree Tanner's ultimate fate is not a happy one, so I don't consider this a spoiler) but I just had to make an exception for this one. Eclipse has always been my very favorite of the Twilight Saga for many reasons, but one of them is my fascination with " the newborns." The info Stephenie Meyer gives us about them (in the series) is almost like a tease and I always wondered what it would be like, from their perspective. When I found out that she had written a short novel based on a newborn's experience I was thrilled! Finally, first hand accounts of what it was like to be these crazy, savage beings; a complete departure from the Cullen world.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner essentially fills in all the gaps in Eclipse regarding Victoria's "newborn army" and her plans for revenge on the Cullens, namely Edward. All the how's and why's are answered which is satisfying since even at the end of Eclipse, after all was resolved, you were still left wondering how Victoria and Riley accomplished what they had. Basically, this ties up a lot of loose ends and introduces you to some really neat characters that we never knew existed, but whom were nevertheless vital to how everything played out in the end.

Sadly, Bree's story is that of a tragic hero. She is just one of the many victims. The Cullen's have her to thank for some vital info obtained in those last moments before her ultimate demise. That last scene takes on a whole new meaning when seen through someone other than Bella's eyes. I expect that some of what we see in Eclipse will make a lot more sense now that we have this back story. For me, my dislike of the Volturi (especially Jane and her cronies) increased tenfold. Too bad things turned out the way they did... I think Bree (and perhaps two of her friends ) would have made loyal additions to the Cullen fam.

Here is a short featurette about Bree Tanner and her role in Eclipse.

It's official....

No, I'm not pregnant... LOL

BUT... I GOT IN!!!!! I got in, I got in, I got IIIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!!!!!! *insert Alex doing Balki Bartocumous' "Dance of Joy"* ;)

I got my acceptance letter today for the RN clinicals program for the Fall!!! Oh man, these past 8 weeks have been a killer, just waiting and waiting, and waiting... But its over now and I can rest easy and just be excited for the fun to start!!!

WOOT! WOOT!

New Muse Video!!!

Hooray!!! Here is Muse's new song for the Eclipse soundtrack:
Neutron Star Collision(Love Is Forever)

Muse - New Music - More Music Videos

Love love LOVE the song!!! Lyrics here. It fits well with the doom and gloom circumstances surrounding the plot and Bella's choice in the end. No spoiler scenes to speak of, pretty much stuff we've already seen. Enjoy:)


Aaaaaaaaand because I just couldn't resist... a snippet of one of my favorite scenes in the book. I much prefer Edward's quiet fury/threats (in the book) to the movie Edward's sort of manic tantrum. Plus, Bella(and her broken hand, heehee) is supposed to not care if Edward rips Jacob in two, not stand between them! *Sigh* They always mess with stuff. However, gotta love Charlie! I wonder if they'll leave in his, "Good for you kid!" line... that would be classic. I guess we shall see... Anyway, here it is.



Jacob is a punk... Boo!Hiss!

Scary day

So as most of you probably already know (unless you've been living under a rock with no TV) we had a nasty tornado outbreak on Monday. Thankfully, we are ok and our home did not suffer any damages. Sadly, many were not so lucky... NOAA has confirmed 12 tornadoes in the state, 4 of them in the OKC metro area. There were 5 fatalities and 60+ injuries.

Here is a video shot by a local submitted to our ABC news affiliate, KOCO5. It starts off silent but the audio kicks in after about 30 sec. The guy on the radio (about 1/2 way through) is my favorite Meteorologist, Rick Mitchell. The others get too boisterous and scare me senseless...

Also, some crazy pics... courtesy of KOCO5!

WOW... seriously, wow.

Baseball size hail... this could kill you.

So where were we when this all went down? Well, Ben was at work, hunkered down in their safe room. I was at school, after just taking a Chem test. I was trying to decide whether or not to drive home (and try to beat the storms that were racing into the city) or stay put. Fortunately for me, the security guards made the decision for me because as I was texting back and forth with Ben, they started shouting, "Tornado on the ground, everyone follow me... NOW! No one leaves this building!" So... off I went, to the the science building's safe rooms (i.e. labs) and hid there for a good hour or so. They pulled up KOCO5's live streaming coverage online and we watched it on the overhead projector screen. Ben and I stayed in contact for most of that time via cellphone. Once the tornadoes were well to our east, they let us go. Fortunately, we only got golf-ball sized hail, which yes... left dings on my already dinged up car. Such is life in OK. At least my windshield/windows were intact.

I raced home to check on our home since a tornado had touched down in Bethany, which is a neighborhood (or rather subset of OKC) just a few blocks away from where we live. I had purposely left the pups locked up in the kitchen, hoping their instincts would tell them to hide in our pantry/safe room. Thankfully, the pups were just fine, as was out house. Nothing but a messy backyard (branches, leaves, and random debris) to show for it... phew!

My school has been closed for 2 days though, as it has no water because of some damage. My last final has been rescheduled, which I guess is a good thing... although I much rather get it over with, but whatever. All in all, we were VERY lucky and blessed to have escaped unharmed and with our property undamaged.

Well, looks like this evening will be active as well. Tornado warnings are popping up in western OK. We'll be in for some of this later on tonight... *sigh*

Get a tissue first!

Some of you may be familiar with NieNie, but for those of you that are not... well, she is an amazing woman who exemplifies the meaning of "turning lemons into lemonade." I love reading her blog because it always leaves me with a smile and reminds me to keep an eternal perspective. She reminds me not to take even life's simplest joys for granted and to look for tiny miracles (because they are there!) all around me.

On perspective, trials, and motherhood:



Enjoy!!! :)

Ahhhh!!! Attack of the killer Teddybears!

This has got to be one of the funniest singles cover/music videos I have ever seen. I don't know if its because I've been re-reading The Hunger Games series and The Host (and watching "V") or what, but I can't get this song out of my head!



I'm so excited Muse is coming to OKC in October!!! Ben is taking me to their concert, I can't wait!!!

What's your district?

OK, this is a Hunger Games post, so if it doesn't make sense to you... go read the books and it will! Seriously, go read them :)

Here is a (fan-made) map of Panem that I found, showing the location of all 13 districts plus the Capitol. This is based on info provided mostly in Catching Fire (as Katniss & Peeta travel) and of course some conjecture. I guess much of the continental US has been lost (underwater) due to the preceding cataclysmic events that gave way to Panem.What we know about each district's trade/livelihood and uprising status:

The Capitol- in the Rocky Mountains or on the west side of the mountains. Very urban.

D1- Puts out Career tributes and seem to be loyal to the Capitol. We don't know anything about its geography or economy.

D2- Puts out Career tributes and seem to be loyal to the Capitol. We don't know anything about its geography or economy

D3- Makes electronics. Was on the brink of an uprising.

D4- Fishing, coastal. Was on the brink of an uprising

D5- Nothing on this district.

D6- Nothing on this district.

D7- Produces lumber and paper. Rumors of an uprising.

D8- Textile production (factories). Uprising taking place.

D9- Nothing on this district.

D10- Raises livestock. Communications down, probable uprising.

D11- Agricultural. A very large & populous district. Uprising taking place.

D12/The Seam-Katniss and Peeta's home. Coal belt of Appalachia. Not loyal to the Capitol, but not openly rebellious. Weak and poor. Smaller population than most districts. Bombed/destroyed at the end of Catching Fire :(

D13- Supposedly destroyed in war 75 years ago, used to provide nuclear technology. However, actually inhabited and seems to be the headquarters for the revolution :)

Soooo... what district would YOU be in? I myself would be in District 4 but have lived in D's 1, 11, & 13!

Final Eclipse Trailer

Yay! So excited!!! I was a bit concerned about the 3D/IMAX side of things but it's going to make the wolf pack scenes CRAZY!!!

Go puppies, go!!! :)
(for the record, the wolves are killing the bad (newborn) vamps, NOT regular people!)

Come on June 3oth...

Hello, my name is...

If you could be any fictional character, who would you pick and why? (This was the topic of a discussion the other day and I've found myself contemplating it for a while. Just thought it would be fun to hear others' thoughts on it as well!)

I couldn't pick just one of course, so here is my short list! (In no particular order because I can't decide who would win outright...)

1) Lucy Pevensie: When I was little I used to pray at night that I'd wake up and be in Narnia. I wanted to meet Mr.Tumnus and Aslan SO badly and have talking animal friends. Lucy stays in Narnia the longest and I loved that she got to heal people!

2) Elinor Dashwood: She has always been my favorite Jane Austen heroine. I thought it would be lots of fun to have her younger sisters (especially silly Marianne) and of course there is the matter of Edward Ferrars! I admit, I prefer him to Mr.Darcy!

3) Hermione Granger:How could I not want to be a wizard?!?! She just makes me laugh because she totally reminds me of myself when I was younger. It would be awesome to live in Harry's world and be part of Harry's life without having to BE Harry and go through all that crud. I'm not much for having the spotlight, but I'm cool with being the know-it-all sidekick! ;)

4) Arwen Undomiel: Simply because I think elves rock and would love to be pretty and graceful, speak a cool language and pull all that off with delicate pointy ears! Yup, I'm a dork I know.

5) Esme Cullen: Yes, that's right... Esme, not Bella. As much as I am all for Team Edward, he would really get on my nerves as a boyfriend. The whole tormented soul/overprotective thing would get really old, so yeah... not Bella. Alice is my favorite Cullen but I wouldn't want to BE her because then I couldn't enjoy her, so Esme is really the best option. She gets to be mom and (lovingly) boss everyone around, she's beautiful, and she's married to the hottest doctor on earth!

Speaking of my favorite veggie vamps, SM just announced that she is publishing a new book (more like a short story) this June, just shortly before the release of the movie Eclipse! It's the side story of Bree, the newborn, in Eclipse and how she came to be, etc. Exciting!!! :)

Old habits die hard

I have always been a procrastinator... always. "I work better under pressure" has been my lifelong excuse and while it has mostly proven to be correct, it sure does add a lot of unnecessary stress to my already hectic life! I was sure that going back to school for my RN as an "adult" (as in not straight out of high school as your typical college kid) would mean better study habits, including less procrastination. Thus far I have done well and kept my 4.0 since I stared back last year, but the procrastination is still a habit I have just not been able to shake.

This term I'm taking a Developmental Psych class and knew from the beginning that I'd have a 10 page paper due mid semester. I resolved to get it done early. I even emailed my professor asking for all the info a week into the semester so I could get a head start. I had all of spring break (last week) to make good on that promise to myself... but what did I do? Nothing... well, not nothing, I caught up on some sleep, worked several 12 hr shifts at the hospital, and well... slept some more. Oh, and enjoyed New Moon with all its extra features, interviews, deleted scenes, etc etc.

Where did that get me? Well, lets see... this paper is due on Monday. I also have a 4-5 page Chem Lab report due Monday. Oh, did I mention 2 tests that very same day as well? Yeah... lots of stuff snuck up on me and when I realized it yesterday at work, I just about had a cow. I have school today and YW's New Beginnings tonight. I work both tomorrow and Friday, so no time there either... This is going to be one LONG and not-so-relaxing weekend for Alex... oy!

*UPDATE- Saturday, March 27th*
I'm done with my 12 page paper, got a 95% on my Psych test, and finished my discussion post! Now its on to Chemistry... (Lab report, homework, and test on Monday)

Uh-oh, it's begun again...

Eclipse's first official trailer is out, and here it is!!!



AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! *Much squealing and jumping up and down ensues*

Yay!

Hooray for The Hunger Games, they're finally starting to talk up the movie!!!

Endo, Endo, bobendo...

March is Endometriosis Awareness month! It has been my experience that not many people really understand Endo or what it does to people (women). As one of many women that suffers from this hormonal/reproductive/immune system disorder I always jump at the opportunity to talk about it and share my experiences. Unfortunately I am part of that group of women that went 10+ years without being diagnosed correctly (we are a majority unfortunately) all because of the still all-too-common misconceptions regarding Endometriosis... even amongst physicians, sadly enough!

This being a "womanly" disease (as I've heard it be called, I kid you not) I guess not everyone feels comfortable talking about it. I used to be one of them and then I realized that it was partly because of this "taboo" attitude that many have about it that it is still as unknown and misunderstood/diagnosed as it currently is!

Endometriosis has not put me in any grave danger, nor will it kill me. For that I am very grateful. It has, however, stolen much from me. Had I known how much trouble, pain, money, and time it would eventually cost me, I would have been less embarrassed and more proactive and demanding of my doctors YEARS ago.

Had I been diagnosed in my teens (when all heck broke lose for my body) I truly believe my life would be very different right now. It would have saved me from much pain, many useless trips to the ER, missed days of school/work/life, and most importantly... I would probably be a mommy by now. I wish Endometriosis had been mentioned to me. I wish I would have had at least a clue as to what was wrong with me instead of being patted on the head, told it was "normal" and handed a bunch of pain meds... For this and many more "I wish"-es, I try to be that person for others.

I could go on and on about this forever, but as I have a mountain of homework and dinner to fix, I will keep this post short. Instead of posting a humongous amount of information that may or may not be read, I will pose this question: What (if anything) about Endo would you like to know? Go ahead, ask away! I will answer any and all questions to the best of my ability, whether with plain old info, my own experiences, or both!

Dog vent... no, not mine!

If there is one thing I will never understand, its how/why some people let their dogs ride on the backs of pickup trucks on busy roads. Despite what magnetic-paw superpowers they think their pups might have (or incredible balance or self-control or whatever) dogs have been known to fall out and CAN get hurt! That to me would be the obvious reason not to do this, but today I was reminded of yet another.

As I was driving to school this afternoon, I came upon a pickup truck with a beautiful Australian Shepherd in the back. Not only was this dog in the back of the pickup, she was running back and forth on top of one of those metal toolbox thingies that come up higher than the lip of the truck bed! She was even standing up on her hind legs and resting her front paws on the roof of the truck!!! All the cars around me (myself included) slowed way down and I bet we were all thinking the same thing- "Oh please don't let me be the one to A) run over that dog when it falls off or B) get into an accident trying to avoid that dog when it falls off!" We were all keeping a distance of about 4-5 car lengths between us and that crazy shmuck driving this vehicle.

SERIOUSLY dude?!?! Ok, so let's just say that this guy couldn't give a rat's fart about his pup's safety ... what about US, his fellow drivers?!?! I mean come on! No one wants to see a dog splattered all over the road, much less be the one to run over it OR drive into oncoming traffic/a pole (etc) trying to avoid it! If I were a cop I would have pulled him over and cited him for reckless driving and/or whatever else I could get him on, including endangerment of an animal! This can't have been the first time the dog did that, and knowing how it behaves and the increased risk it puts everyone in should be one more reason to either keep the dog in the cab with you or leave it at home!!!

Still, best case scenario- your dog is well mannered and sits quietly in the back? Congratulations to you. That doesn't mean he/she couldn't go flying out and get run over (or cause accidents) if you have to make a sudden stop, turn, or get into an accident yourself. I recognize that I am super paranoid about doggy safety and all, but this is something that transcends even my paranoia. It's about our responsibility (not just as dog owners) as drivers to keep the road safe for ourselves and everyone around us.

Sheesh people, use your brains... Grrr...

Cutiepatootie!

I can't believe my little nephew Alex is getting so big, so fast! He's so handsome! No wonder he's already got many admirers in the neighborhood... including some "older women" who are in 1st or 2nd grade I think! ;)

Oh well, I tried!

For the past couple of months I have been trying to broaden my literary horizons. Upon reflection and the fast approach of my last birthday in my twenties, I decided it was time to turn to more "grown up" literature, if you will... As much as I loved the last few years of amazing YA finds (it all started with my beloved Harry Potter) I figured it was time to move on.

My sister-in-law Kathleen was kind enough to go through her vast collection with me and help narrow down 2 bags of hopefuls, and off I went, super excited and ready to find a new nitche in the literary world. *sigh* You can see where this is going, no? Well, I read a few books, including some of Jane Austen's best as well as a few others that were highly recommended both by Kathleen as well as friends. In all honesty they were all quite good, really. Some I liked better than others, but none of them were really horrible or anything! The problem?

I kind of quit reading. Well, let me rephrase that... I quit devouring, feasting, slurping them up like they're a sumptuous feast. (I really view my favorite books like that) I don't know, I just lost my drive and it turned into passively nibbling- a little here and a little there... in short, there was just not enough to tempt me.

Last night I was book hungry... starving, really. I was so flustered! I completely gave up, snatched The Hunger Games off my shelf and went to bed and read... and read...and could not put it down for 2 hours! Mind you, I've read this book at least twice (maybe a third time although I'm not 100% sure) so it's not like I didn't know what was going to happen! I came home from work today and went straight back to it. I am SO looking forward to spending the next day (or 2 or 3 if I can manage to stretch it out that long) finishing it and then moving onto Catching Fire! Oh how I missed that feeling!!! It was like being reunited with a long-lost friend! (Yes, I know I'm weird. Ben thinks I'm crazy because I say books are like friends to me...go ahead, laugh away)

So, I guess I'm just going to have to be content with what I like. Better to be a happy not-so-sophisticated reader than an unhappy snooty one, right? Never fear, I will continue to expand my horizons (I'm dead set on finishing all those books I was lent) but I will not feel guilty for being almost 30 and reading Harry Potter, Twilight, Eragon, Hunger Games, Narnia, and all my other much beloved YA books!

That is all. *Stepping off soapbox to return to Panem*

One year older and wiser too...

...Haaaaaappy Birthday, to me!

I'm 29 today but not so sure about the wiser part... I have a Chem test today that is itching to prove that point! Oh wells, I guess we shall see! ;)

The men take a stand!

Just had to share this music video, it's pretty funny!

Caramel Corn Disaster!

My sister-in-law Tiffany makes the BEST caramel popcorn. So good that I dream about eating it on occasion... seriously. Today was one of those days and so I decided to try my hand at caramel popcorn making... after all, how hard could it be, right?

I should have just called her and asked for the recipe...

Instead, I just went to one of my go-to cooking websites, Our Best Bites thinking all caramel popcorn recipes would be the same, minus the added bells and whistles like nuts, etc. The recipe in itself wasn't difficult to follow but things just didn't turn out quite right... first the sugar seemed to be overcooked ( I followed the exact time... I believe my microwave's "high" is a lot higher then hers) and then when I added the baking soda it turned the wrong consistency. ( marshmallow jet-puff instead of thick yet pourable) I plugged on, hoping it would be alright in the end. However, instead of being soft and gooey it got rock solid before I was even able to get it mixed in well. By the time I was done, it had hardened into a huge ball of not so yummyness. I could have cracked someone's skull open with it... not to mention some teeth, so with not much coaxing from Ben, into the trash it went. *sigh*

I then decided to try another recipe altogether. One that calls for you to melt everything on the stovetop rather than our crazy microwave. I was surprised to see how much these recipes varied! (I was happy to see that this one didn't call for baking soda) I am about 90% happy with this recipe. It turned out gooey and soft like I wanted it too but we'll see how it hold up overnight. If it's still soft tomorrow I will consider it a success.

Tiff's definitely tastes better though... I will still have to beg her for it!

Fooey!

A monkey-wrench has been thrown into my 5K plans in the form of 2 minor foot surgeries, poo! One was done today and then next one will be in early March. They're nothing terrible, but enough to keep me from running for some weeks while I heal.

I may start running in the weeks between each procedure or I may wait until I am done with both completely... I haven't yet decided. I hate getting on a roll and then having to stop and feel like all my hard work has been completely undone, you know? And now its time to get back to the couch and prop my throbbing foot back up on a mountain of pillows, whilst waiting for the Lortab to do its job! ;)

Fast & Furious

If you're gonna get a stomach bug, I guess this is the way to go, huh? It seems like I've been getting a little bit of everything since I started working at the hospital and while I've been told its normal and every new employee goes through it, I wish it would just hurry up and be done! My hands (dry, cracked, and at times bleeding) are ample sign of my very frequent hand washing/disinfectant usage so I'm not sure what the deal is... Oh wells, this too shall pass, right?

I haven't puked in a few hours, so I think the nasties are on their way out finally! Woot! Here's to a puke free night and actually getting some sleep, sans my head in a bucket... ;)

No longer toxic!

About a year ago I posted this about not being able to donate blood. I was on Aygestin for a while (before my surgery in June) and then had to do my 6 month time in "you-may-not-donate jail." Well, my time is up (it was actually up about a month ago but with my new job I hadn't gotten around to going to OBI- whoops!) my sentence served, and today I got to go donate again!!!!

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!

It's been soooooooooooooo long. I dragged Ben along, kicking and screaming, but he went. They got his vein on the first time this go-round so all went well there. My donation experience was great as well! I'm next eligible March 3rd, so the countdown is on! It's so nice to be useful again :)

C2-5K: Week 1 Day 1

I just got back from my first walk/run! It's 27* outside (feels like 18* w/ the wind chill factor) but I was determined. I decided to take Sirius along with me (hoping he'd keep me going) but he really just slowed me down, wanting to stop every 5 feet to smell something or mark his territory, grrr... I don't think I'll be taking him anymore.

I was hoping it would go better than it did. I walked a lot more than I ran, but I'm sure that as time progresses that will turn around. I'm just glad that I did it and I'm back at home where it's nice and warm and the wind isn't blowing. I'm exhausted but quite content with myself. :)

Can I do it?!?!?!

I'm tired of being such a blob. I gained so much weight during our 3+years of infertility treatments and have never gotten around to losing it! Ben and I have been discussing getting serious about weight loss this year and since going on crazy fad diets just doesn't appeal to me, I figured if I'm gonna lose weight it's going to be the old fashion way... working up a sweat! (From a dietary standpoint I am going to try to cut back on sugars... mainly soda since I refuse to drink anything diet because its nasty!) I used to run when I was younger and due to knee and back problems gave up on that source of exercise years ago. I think I mostly just gave into the fear of "re-injuring" myself and let that be my excuse. I'm ready to face my demons though and at least give it a try.

I have friends that are super buff marathon runners and while I give them kudos and would someday like to brag that I've been there, done that, I think it's best I start small. I heard about this nice and slow program designed to get couch potatoes off their bums and running again and figured it might be best to start there. Whether or not I someday make it to marathon runner status is beyond me, but for now my goal is to be able to run a 5K without keeling over dead!

And so begins my journey to fitness. I decided to post this so that I have some sense of accountability and this new found excitement doesn't go the way of the Dodo bird here in 2 weeks. The plan is to run 3x's /week according to my little schedule here. I'll be posting updates weekly, maybe more often depending how I'm doing. I plan to start this Wed. the 6th of January, so if my calculations are correct, I should be done and running 5K's by March.

Can I do it?!?! I hope so!!! ;)