I'm back!

Hi friends,

After a long hiatus from blogging, I am finally back into the swing of things. Life has been hectic, but I suppose it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't.

Here is a quick recap of what's been going on since I blogged last...

November: Our house went on the market. We thought we were going to have a chance to sell that month until.....

December: Huge ice storm in town. It was as if a mini war zone hit Tulsa. This is our home one day after the ice storm. We were w/o power for 11 days. Luckily, we had a warm place to live. Others were not so fortunate. Our neighbor passed away that week. She fell in her home and became hypothermic. Needless to say, she was found too late. We were fortunate enough to have wonderful friends, family and guardian angels. Whomever it was that put our meter box back on our house is truly an angel in my book. Thank You! Unfortunately, we still have piles of limbs in our yard and half broken branches in the trees. We are hoping for good weather here on out.

We traveled to Houston for the holidays. It didn't really feel like Christmas though. It was nice to be with family.

January: I took my board exam on the 12th. I am patiently waiting for my scores (4 weeks!). Keep your fingers crossed and say your prayers that I passed. I started my school rotation on the 2nd. I am currently at Northeast Elementary in Owasso. It is interesting. My heart goes out to the teachers and staff! Working in a school is tough. There is so much paperwork and so little money-those who teach are truly doing it because they are passionate about it. It amazes me every day! I have 53 kids on my caseload right now. That's a lot of paperwork (mainly IEP's). My favorite part is working in the multi-handicap classroom. These kids are the sweetest ones. I have found that I don't have much patience when it comes to working with children in the mainstream classrooms. I don't know if it because they are so spoiled (i.e., me: what did you get for xmas? them: a wii, xbox 360, horse, plasma tv, etc) or if I would rather work with the kids in the multi-handicap room instead. Either way, it has been an eye-opening experience and it makes me really really ready to graduate!

I guess that brings me up-to-date for now. I'll write tomorrow.

See you then!

Helloooooooooo!

Hello friends!
It has been so long since my last post. So much has gone on since then..... Let's see, where to start.
Well, I've had two more sinus infections since my last post. My doctor's don't know what is wrong with me. Now, they think I have an autoimmune disease. Of course, I automatically think the worst, like MS. But, only time and lots of medical tests will tell.

School has been ok. I haven't really been "into it" like I should be or like I have previously been. I think because I have not been feeling well the majority of the semester, I find it hard to concentrate and am usually just really tired. I took my last test of the semester on Thursday and now all I have left is finals. This semester has really gone by fast. This is my last semester of class work and I am so excited. I am eagerly waiting to start my externship to see if I will actually be able to make it in the real world. For my school placement, I am going to Owasso public schools and for my hospital/rehab placement, I will be in Okmulgee at the George Nigh Rehab Center. I'm excited to work in rehab, not in Okmulgee. It gives me flashbacks to working in Claremore, which was quite interesting. I'm also whittling away at my thesis. It's taking a long time. I want to go on and get my doctorate and I keep thinking about why I would torture myself like that. We will see....

Robert and I have decided to put our house on the market-BOO, kinda. Our house has a myriad of problems, the main one being that we have some wood rot on the outside and need to repaint. That's hard to do on one salary. Because we are thinking about moving (I'll talk more about that), we thought our best option would be to put the house on the market now since it will probably take forever for it to sell. The market is so bad right now and of course, we chose to do it right before the winter season. Surely someone will want this house. It is a perfect starter home and is right in the middle of midtown, which is a popular area. Let's hope for the best! My mom and step-dad are moving to Houston soon and we will probably just live in their house, if our house sells. I'm not real excited about moving back in with my mom (pride thing) but we have to do what we have to do to get by. I also think we will be much happier in the end if I get offered a job out-of-state and we don't have to worry about selling our house then. That way we can just pick up and move.

So, about moving. I've interviewed for a few companies in North Carolina and I have an interview in Boston in November. Everyone I talk to about NC says what a wonderful, affordable and beautiful place NC is. I had no idea. The companies I have talked to seem great, but it's hard to know what to look for. You have to weigh benefits against pay and decide which one is more important. I wish you could just have both---maybe the right company will come along soon. I'll keep you posted.

This weekend, I'm not doing much. I have so much work to catch up on. I may go to a Halloween party later tonight, but I'm not sure. When I have things looming over my head it's hard to have fun and let loose because I always end up thinking about what needs to be done instead.

Lastly, I recently read an article in Newsweek that discussed the biological reason that positive thinking does make a difference. It was a great article. I'm guilty when it comes to thinking negatively. I'm going to try to think positively from here on out. I need to be more grateful for the things I have in my life rather than think about all the things I could have or should have. I wonder if anyone else is like that too?

Well, I have to leave you with a fun recipe for relatively healthy cookies:) Hopefully it won't be that long before I post again! Au revoir!

PB cookies

3/4 C peanut butter (I use the natural kind)
2 C bisquick mix (use the heart healthy kind, the yellow packet has trans fat in it)
1-14oz can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
sugar
hershey kisses

preheat oven to 375. mix first four ingredients. roll into walnut sized balls and roll in sugar. bake 7-9 minutes until they just begin to brown. press hershey kisses into the center immediately after pulling from oven.

I've also replaced Nutella for the PB and use caramel kisses. Those turn out super yummy!

----Chi

It's been so long....

Hi!
It's been so long since I last blogged. Unfortunately, not too much has happened. Apparantely I live an uneventful and semi-boring life. The one good thing that has happened is that I took my last dosage of Prednisone (corticosteroids) on Thursday. I hated life while I was taking those. I was quite moody, had an enormous appetite and was unable to sleep. But, I'm still on the antibiotics for another two weeks. I also took my first test in my swallowing disorders class. I studied pretty hard for that test and I think I did ok. Maybe not an A, but I passed (in my major, you have to pass with an 80% or you have to take the test again). Now I'm getting ready for two more tests. Luckily I'm not as spacey anymore seeing that I don't have to take the evil steroids. What else? Oh, we are decorating our house for the Fall. Seems ironic that we are spending money on the inside of our house while the outside is in need of a serious paint job. However, a paint job costs slightly more than a few decorations:) I like when the house is decorated because it makes it feel more homey and welcoming. Robert and I usually don't have lots of guests over because our house seems so small when more than two people are in it. But, we are thinking about branching out and doing something like a wine party this fall. I love the fall. I love the weather. I also love making my pumpkin dip. It's so easy and decently healthy. I got this recipe from one of my former employees at Chili's. She was an older woman who pretty much acted like my grandmother! Hope you enjoy it. Wish me luck in the next few weeks! Hope all is well with everyone!

Chi

Pumpkin Dip
(I use sugar free products in this-you can use the real deal if you want)
1 package (small) sugar free vanilla pudding (i wouldn't use french vanilla-it's too sweet)
1 can (small) pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 container of sugar free whipped topping
pumpkin pie spice to taste

Mix the pudding packet and pumpkin
Fold in whipped topping
add pumpkin pie spice to taste (i add tons)

served with graham crackers

Hi Hello

Well hello there!
It's the second week of school and I just can't get it together. My head is in the clouds. I'm experiencing senior-itis! I think it's been hard because of my chronic sinutitis. The latest update on this situation is:

I finally visited the ENT yesterday. I am now on three different meds, a steroid, something for a bacterial infection (and not a stupid z-pack that doesn't work), and a decongestant/exporant. I have to take them for the next month. I'm also having a CT scan done. He tried to perform a nasendoscopy on me yesterday, but my nasal passage was too swollen. The good thing to come out of this whole thing is that he will finally find the root of my problem and fix it! Yeah! I can't wait. Just wish I didn't have to take all these meds.

That's about all I have. This weekend is a 3-day weekend and I can't wait to rest.

Again?

I've been blessed with yet another sinus infection. This stinks. The part that sucks the most about having a sinus infection is having to pay the doctor to tell you what you already know. Can't I just get a lifetime supply of amoxicillan or z-packs?

Either way, it's been an interesting week. School started back and I am scared for this semester. I have three classes (1.5 hour classes) back to back on T/TH. By the time the third class rolls around, I'm in a daze. I barely know what we are talking about half the time! This semester is also the semester I do my research project. Like an idiot, I decided to do an actual project instead of a literature review. I don't know what I was thinking when I signed up for that one!

The weekend was fun. My friends Jason and Amy had their first baby! Abby Rae was brought into this world after a very long labor (22 hours). It was so nice to spend some time with them at the hospital. Amy looks beautiful but tired, Jason looks so proud and Abby is perfect! She is my first close friend (in town) to have a baby that I've actually gotten to get attached to. It was emotional!

I also got to meet up with an old friend Deana, her husband Steve and their ever-so-handsome son, Max. Although it was a short visit, it was so nice to see them. It has been more than 10 years since I've seen Deana! So much has happened in our lives since then, but it was nice to be able to pick up like old friends! I wish that we lived closer, but I guess that is just how life goes.

Then I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Shogun. It was super yummy. Then I stopped off at the Cheesecake Factory (it's open now!) and got two pieces of cheesecake, Tiramisu and Carrot Cake. Robert and I tried the Tiramisu last night and it was sooooooo good. Tonight we will try the other one. There were so many choices. I think that I can feel my waist growing just thinking about it.

Well, I'm off to the library (yuck) to do some research. I can't wait.
Have a great week!

Yummy!

Hello! I don't have tons of time to write today (today is the first day back at school), but I wanted to share this recipe. Robert and I are trying to eat healthier and I just got my 2007 Cooking Light Annual Recipe book and this is the one we tried last night. It was very unique and good. I served it over brown rice. Garam Masala is expensive in our grocery stores, so I made my own by mixing equal parts of ground cumin, nutmeg, cloves and chili powder. I added more cumin (because I love it).

Shrimp Garam Masala
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped bell pepper
1 cup prechopped onion (I use the frozen kind-I hate chopping onions)
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used chicken stock)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 lime wedges
PreparationSprinkle shrimp evenly with garam masala; let stand 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in wine, 3 tablespoons cilantro, salt, and black pepper. Cook 30 seconds. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup shrimp mixture and 1 lime wedge)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 260(29% from fat); FAT 8.4g (sat 1g,mono 3.5g,poly 2.8g); PROTEIN 35.5g; CHOLESTEROL 259mg; CALCIUM 112mg; SODIUM 405mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.6g

Picture of Paradise....Xel-ha

This is my absolute favorite spot of all time. Here is a picture we took on vacation.