A Letter to My Son

My son, Tate, just turned 5 years old on February 26.  I decided to share a letter that I wrote for him (I keep it in a special pocket in his baby book) just before his first birthday.

February 21, 2008

Dear Tate,

Your first birthday is just around the corner.  I can hardly believe how fast time has flown by!  You've changed so much in the past year.

It has all been such an amazing experience for me; the pregnancy, the delivery, the way I felt the first time that I saw you when they laid you on my chest just after you were born...and watching you grow, develop, explore, discover, and learn.  You look at the world with such awe, wonder, and innocence.

You bring such joy to my life.  You have quite the personality!  You have a temper and are showing a major independent streak, but you also have the sweetest spirit and love to cuddle.  At the moment, you are definitely a mama's boy...that's okay, I won't complain; you are already growing up too fast!

I look forward to every new day, just wondering what new things you are going to do, learn, or possibly say.  However, I don't want the days to come too quickly.  I want to enjoy these days as long as I can and I will always cherish them.  Just remember...even when these days are long gone and you've grown into the wonderful man I know you'll be...you'll always be my baby.  I love you so very much.

Love Always,
  Mom

Every word still rings true.  Time is still passing way to fast.  I can't believe how much he has changed.  It is still an amazing experience, watching him develop skills and learn new things.  He still looks at the world with awe and innocence, and oh how I wish it could always be that way; how great would it be if once in a while we could all view the world through the eyes of a child again.  I still look forward to each new day, but each new day, like each of his birthdays, is bittersweet.  He really is my greatest gift and my greatest challenge, and I wouldn't trade him for the world.  I will always love and cherish him, no matter what...and he will always be may baby...

Favorie-Recipe Friday: No Ordinary Sloppy Joes

Why Favorite-Recipe Friday, you ask?  Well, what better time to try a new recipe than on the weekend?

I actually got this recipe from my husband.  It's definitely a different spin on the good ol' Sloppy Joe.  I still make Sloppy Joes with more of a tomato base to them, but this is by far my favorite and usual go-to recipe.  It might sound strange, but it is so good!




No Ordinary Sloppy Joes



Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 10-1/4 oz can chicken gumbo soup
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 tbsp mustard
• hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Season (if desired) and brown hamburger.
2. Stir in soup (don't add water), ketchup, and mustard.
3. Reduce heat to med-low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and spoon into buns.
5. Enjoy!

So, there you have it.  Easy right?!  It really is pretty tasty too.  Well, I hope you enjoy your Sloppy Joes and have a great weekend!

Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share?  Well, send it to me and I will feature it on my blog.  Better yet, consider doing a guest post with me.

The Pros and Cons of What I Do

Many of you may already know that I'm a medical transcriptionist and that I work from home.  I've been asked quite a few questions about this line of work, so I thought I'd go into a little more detail and tell you the pros and cons (in my opinion) of my job.

First off, after an appointment, a doctor will do a dictation about that appointment into a recorder.  A medical transcriptionist listens to a doctor's dictation and types what is said.  Sounds easy, right?... Think again...

Rewarding & Challenging:  Typing what you hear sounds like it would be easy, but it isn't, especially in the beginning. 

-Transcription takes training: You have to know your keyboard and know it well; there is keyboard kinetics in the training, so if you aren’t much of a typist like I wasn’t, it’s really not a problem.  You also have to learn the medical lingo, which really is basically learning a foreign language; it is, after all, derived from Greek and Latin.  You have to "train your ear;" not every doctor is going to speak clearly and at an understandable pace.  You'll get background noise, chewing in your ear, mumbling, fast talking, doctors with accents, etc. 

-It really is never boring:  It is very interesting work because, well, people are interesting!  You'll be amazed at what people visit the doctor and go to the ER for!  I do a lot of psych reports and I love psychology, so that's always interesting as well.  But, you can never discuss with other people what you hear except in the most general of terms (HIPPA).  You are held to the same standard as any other medical professional and have to comply with the “doctor-patient confidentiality.”

Commute:  Most transcriptionists work from home, so the commute is mega short seen as how you just have to walk to your home office (ha ha ha).  For someone who likes a bit of a drive to unwind after work, this might not be as appealing. 

Dress Code:  Working from home, you can wear jammies and slippers if you choose.  Although, sometimes I wish I had a reason to wear cute office attire (hey, I’m like any girl, I like cute clothes and killer shoes)...my checkbook, however, appreciates my lack of need for an office-appropriate wardrobe (I think my hubby appreciates it too).

Flexible hours:  For the most part, a transcriptionist's hours are quite flexible.  If you are a true IC (independent contractor) like me, you get to choose your own hours as long as you work a reasonable amount.  Sometimes the downside to being an IC is that the pay can be a bit lower; it's a bit of a trade off.  There are some companies that hire MTs as employees instead of an IC.  In this case, even though you work from home, they choose your shift and how many hours you work.  But, unlike an IC, an employee gets benefits and paid time off, and it pays better to start… It’s all about what you are looking for.  There are a lot of medical transcription companies out there, so you should eventually be able to find the perfect fit for you.

Social atmosphere:  If you are a person who thrives on socializing and the regular "water-cooler gossip," then working at home might be a drag.  On the other hand, if you hate having a boss breathing down your neck and staring over your shoulder, and don't much care for the stereotypical "9-5" atmosphere, well then working from home might be a little slice of heaven.  You also have to get used to most of the correspondence between you and your employer being via email and telephone.  The place I work for is in Massachusetts, so I have never seen anyone from the company; I've only had a few phone conversations with them, and most of the time our communications have been through email. 

Motivation:  To work from home and be productive, you have to be a self starter and self motivated.  You have to train yourself not to be distracted by the other things that you could (and maybe want to) be doing.  You also have to train the other people in your life to understand that they still need to act the same way they would if you worked outside the home; they can't call or drop by whenever they want.

I really like working from home...okay, I love it! I'm a type-A personality and do well being left to my own devices.  I love the fact that I am home if my husband or son need me.  I love the fact that I am basically my own boss and make my own hours.  I love how the time usually flies by when I'm working.  If I want to throw something in the Crockpot for dinner because I forgot, no problem.  If I want to start a load of laundry when I'm on break, I can do it.  If I want to watch some TV during lunch, I can do that too.  And I really love the fact that I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn and scrape my windshield or drive to work in a crazy Utah snowstorm!  Sure, there are days that I do sometimes feel a little cooped up, and there are some days I find myself getting a bit distracted, but for me the pros far outweigh the cons. 

If you are considering this line of work, there are many things to take into consideration.  I won't bore you with going into more detail, but if you are interested in being an MT, feel free to contact me for more details.  A great place for more information and for the best training is Career Step in Provo, UT.  There are many companies that actually recommend this school on their site and are more likely to give a new MT a chance if they've graduated from Career Step.  You train completely at your own pace and on your own time, and it is all entirely online.

I hope this was helpful, both in giving some information and appeasing some curiosity.  Like I said, if you have questions, feel free to ask me.      

Favorite-Recipe Friday: Guest Post by Mj Scott

Why Favorite-Recipe Friday, you ask?  Well, what better time to try a new recipe than on the weekend?

I am so excited to have my first guest blogger, Mj Scott from A Girl Named Michael.  I've known Mj since grade school.  We lost touch a bit through junior high and high school, and then I totally lost track of her after high school, but through the magic of Facebook, we have picked up right where we left off.  We don't hang out as often as we would like, but when we do, we both talk nonstop until we are both hoarse!  It's only fitting that Mj is my first guest blogger because I did my first guest blog over at her blog, and she was also my very first Twitter follower!  You really need to head on over and check out her blog.  You can also find her on Twitter...She's is tons of fun!! 

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone I am Michael from A Girl Named Michael and I am excited to be posting at My Name is Still Trinity. I have known Trinity since Mr. Whitaker's 5th grade class when I moved to our small town. She was the first person who was nice to the new girl and maybe that's why after a casual comment about having a good chili recipe I was soon agreeing to a guest post and driving to the grocery store in a snow storm to pick up a few ingredients. 

Whatever the reason here I am about to share my White Chicken Chili recipe. 

I want to start by saying I am a lazy cook. Really I am. This doesn't mean I am not a good cook because I am that also, I'm just lazy and will always look for the short cut. So its no surprise that the most used appliance in my kitchen is my slow cooker. In fact I have 3 of them in different sizes. 

(I stole this recipe from Prevention magazine but made some changes to make it better and easier because I like I said I am a lazy cook).

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless breasts, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cans cannelli beans (or any other white bean you want), rinsed and drained
• 1 can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use more when I'm not feeding the "pseudo" stepkids.)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder (You can add as much as you like honestly.)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions 

1. Place all the ingredients in a large slow cooker. 

2. Mix together.

3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

4. Eat and enjoy.

It serves 10 and the best thing is that it has less than 300 calories per serving.

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, there you have it.  It sounds fabulous, right?!  And I really do appreciate Mj risking life and limb in a crazy Utah snowstorm to get the ingredients to make this yummy dish for her guest post; what a great friend!... I hope you all enjoy your White Chicken Chili and have a great weekend!

Do you have a favorite recipe? Well, send it to me and I will feature it on my blog.  Better yet, consider doing a guest post with me. 

A Few of My Favorite Things: Killer Rides Edition

1977 Chevy Camaro

I have mentioned in the past that I am a fan of muscle cars and motorcycles, so I thought I'd get in touch with my macho side and tell you what my favorite "killer rides" are.  Can I get a Tim Allen "Argh Argh Argh!" (or however you would spell that iconic sound he made.)  

Chevy Camaro  Both old and new, this is a thrill ride! The older Camaro pictured here is actually my husband's 1977 Camaro that he has had since high school.  The first time I drove it, my hubby said, "Well, stomp on it!" ...Wow! Hello power! The sound the engine makes when it's wide open...uh huh!...This car is, well...sexy!

Ford Mustang  This has always been my favorite car, though they did ruin it for awhile in the 80s; the look had no muscle and the fact that they put a four-banger in it...seriously, what was the point?!... There is an ongoing but friendly Mustang vs. Camaro debate between my husband and I, but I really do like them both.  I do, however, want to have a cherried-out 1969 Mustang one day!...a brand new Mustang Cobra would be pretty awesome too...in yellow please...

Dodge Charger  Well, I grew up watching The Dukes of Hazzard, so I naturally like the old 1969 Charger! What a car, right?!  I also really like the new one too.  It definitely says "tough." That's probably why they chose it for a cop car...kind of ironic when you think about it...

Dodge Challenger  I love how the new one really has a very similar look to the old 1970 one.  This one may not be as popular as its other muscled counterparts, but it is still a great car.

Chevy Corvette  Aw yes, the "Vette."  This is one car, though I prefer the old 1969 body style, that has always been a beautiful car!  Unlike the Mustang and Camaro (sorry fans) who took the muscle out of the design for some years, the Corvette has always had the right, all-American look.  They also have a bit of a distinctive sound when that engine revs...

Harley Davidson.  You can hear it without seeing it, and know when one of these is headed your way.  This is the King of motorbikes!  One day, me and the hubby will be decked out in leather and riding one of these bad boys!

American Chopper  After watching a few episodes of the show and watching these super cool bikes being built, I've really wanted one!  The crafstmanship is amazing.  I would love one all decked out in red, white, and blue...totally Americana!

Can-Am Spyder  My aunt has one of these.  It is one fabulous machine!  I'm a bit of a klutz, but because of the three wheels, I think I could handle this baby (lol).  I kinda like the interesting spin on the traditional three-wheel bike; the two wheels are up front.  It definitely isn't a Harley or a Chopper, but it's still pretty great!

These next two aren't muscle cars or motorbikes, but I like them and decided they were noteworthy nonetheless.

Hummer  Well now, this thing just screams tough!  My hubby's uncle has one that he let us take for a spin...too much fun!  Talk about an all-terrain vehicle!  It's uber comfy to sit in too, which seen as I don't much care to drive and am usually a passenger, hey, that's important!  

Short Stepside Chevy Truck  I don't know why, but I have always loved these trucks.  I'm a fan of quite a few trucks, but there's just something about this one that I really like...maybe it's because it is short like me. Lol!

Well, there you have it, my favorite rides.  There are more great pics below.  Now that I have sufficiently got in touch with my masculine side, I think I'll go have a beer...




1969 Ford Mustang

  



2011 Ford Mustang Cobra

  




2011 Chevy Camaro

 


1969 Chevy Corvette











Harley Davidson







Can Am Spyder





1969 Dodge Charger





2011 Dodge Charger





Hummer H2

 


Short Stepside Chevy Truck

 


American Chopper

 



Dodge Challenger SRT



The Impact We Make

       "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression."
            -Unknown

I've always believed this quote to be true, but I didn't realize, until very recently, just how true it was for me personally.  I had a classmate from my junior high days contact me the other day (They know who they are) after reading my blog.  They said how junior high was rough for them, but that I was one of the people they could look back on and have a positive memory because I took the time to be a friend and treat them like a normal person.  They said, "It's probably a case of one person having more of an impact than they realize on another."  That really struck a cord in me.  I was incredibly touched and humbled, and then very inspired to write this post. 

        "Kindness in ourselves is the honey that blunts the sting of unkindness in another."
            -Walter Savage Landor

        "Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a 

         ripple with no logical end.”
            -Scott Adams

This person moved away after Junior high and just recently found me on Facebook, and it has been many years since those days, so it is so true that even the smallest of gestures can make a big impact and the impression we make is a lasting one.  The paths we choose to take and the actions we choose to make not only affect us and who we are, but it also affects those whose paths we cross and whose lives we enter, no matter how long or short of a time that may be. 

        "Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough."
            -McLeod Bethune

We all need to try to be as patient, as tolerant, as open minded, as thoughtful, and as kind as possible to everyone we meet because we don't know that person's struggles and we don't know just how much of a difference we could make in their lives with the simplest of gestures.  Just a smile can go a very long way.  We also never know where and in what situation we might find the greatest of people and the truest of friends, when our paths might cross again, and the difference they could make in our lives as well...

        Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the

        flowers, and kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out

        the weeds; fill it with sunshine, kind words, and kind deeds."

          -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Favorite-Recipe Friday: Beef Tacos With a Twist

Why Favorite-Recipe Friday you ask?  Well, what better time to try a new recipe than on the weekend?

I got the recipe for the homemade taco seasoning on a site called Allrecipes.com.  It's a great site with a lot of wonderful recipes for just about anything you can imagine, and the nutritional information is included, which you have the option to print out along with the recipe; great for someone who is counting calories, watching their fat intake, etc. 

Beef Tacos With a Twist

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 16oz can refried beans
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• taco shells or tortillas
• shredded Colby & Monterey jack cheese
• lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and any other condiments you like 

Directions:

1. Premix all of the dry ingredients to make the taco seasoning and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef on high.
3. Reduce heat and add premade taco seasoning and tomato sauce.
4. Stir well and allow to simmer on low for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add refried beans, mix well, and allow to heat through.
6. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit, and spoon into taco shells or fried corn tortillas.
7. Top with shredded cheese, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, etc. 
8. Enjoy!

Tips:

• You don't have to add the refried beans if you don't want to; I just think it gives it a little extra flare.
• You could always make an extra large batch of the taco seasoning and store it in an air-tight container. 
• Instead of taco shells or fried corn tortillas, you could always use flour tortillas and make soft tacos. 
• Instead of tacos, you could also make some loaded nachos!

There you have it.  I hope you enjoy your tacos and have a great weekend!

Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share?  Send it to me and I will feature it on my blog.  Better yet, consider doing a guest post with me.    

A Few of My Favorite Things: Great-Skin Edition, vol. 1

I am all about taking good care of my skin, and here are just a few of the products I use on a regular basis.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle night cream.  This stuff is my favorite night cream right now.  It has retinol and antioxidants, and it's not only good for fine lines, but it helps the breakouts I still seem to get well into my 30s!

Neutrogena Healthy Skin face lotion spf 15.  This is as good as its nighttime counterpart. It has antioxidants too, but it has glycolic acid as the wonder ingredient.  Glycolic acid is great for fine lines, large pores, and breakouts as well.  This is the only spf lotion that doesn't cause me to break out.

Olay Definity line.  Olay really has some great products. I like the Definity line because it really does seem to help those pesky discolorations and spots we seem to get as we get *ahem* older.

L’Oreal Revitalift eye cream.  This is a great eye cream.  It has Pro Retin-A, a mild form of retinol, and it's gentle, but works!  This one has been around for awhile, but seems to be a lot of women’s go-to eye cream.

L’Oreal go 360° Clean cleansers.  When these cleansers first came out, I thought, “Total gimmick,” but they are awesome little cleansers and I love the little scrublet that comes attached to the bottle.  There are four formulas, sensitive, anti-acne, deep clean, and an exfoliating scrub.

Jergens Overnight Repair lotion.  This is a wonderful lotion and it has a great smell.  It has glycerine listed second in the list of ingredients, which is what you want if you really want a rich and very-moisturizing formula.  The ingredients are listed highest to lowest in concentration on any label (just something to keep in mind), so if glycerine is in the top three in the list, you know it’s gonna do the job.    

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser.  This is so gentle.  It’s a cleanser and makeup remover in one.  It always gets rid of my stubborn mascara and budge-proof makeup I sometimes wear, but it does not over dry the skin.     

Clinique 3-Step Skincare.  I’ve always been a big fan of Clinique.  It is actually very reasonably priced for a department-store brand.  I’ve never tried a Clinique product I didn’t like, but the 3-step Skincare routine is the best place to start.  I actually prefer the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel as opposed to the lotion, but both are a fantastic moisturizer.  And the soap and the clarifying lotion come in different formulas according to skin type.  You can’t go wrong with this stuff!

Bath & Body Works Signature Collection.  I’m a HUGE fan of Bath & Body Works.  The lotion and body wash are fabulous feeling and smelling…Win, Win!  Not to mention the body spray to add the finishing touch.  My skin stays moisturized and lightly fragranced all day when I use this stuff.  They may be somewhat pricy, but they always have an awesome sale going on.  I think there is a fragrance to fit anybody’s taste… 

Caress Daily Silk body wash.  I’m really liking this body wash.  It smells great and it really does help my skin retain the moisture.  It comes in a generous size, and has a pretty great price too. 

Avon Anew Clinical line.  This is not your grandmother’s skincare line!  All the Avon Anew products are great, but the Clinical line is fantastic!  The formulations are potent, but gentle, and do a great job.  There’s something for just about every skincare concern here. 

Avon Footworks line.  This is a really effective yet very affordable pedicure line.  They have creams, lotions, sprays, scrubs, and treatments of all kinds.  And they always have seasonal scents and gift sets that are really fun.

Well, there you have it.  Just some of my favorites!  I hope you found this helpful… Do you have some favorite go-to skincare that you love?  If you do, I’d love to hear about it; I love trying new products!

Disclaimer:  I was in no way compensated for reviewing these products and these opinions are my own. 

 

Just Some MORE Random Facts About Me

I figured, what the heck! You all probably already think I'm a bit coo-coo, so why not share a little more and remove all doubt! Lol!

I was very shy.  It's true! I was so very painfully shy as a child. I was like Linus from the Peanuts and carried around my trusty blanket, and I used to embarrass my parents by throwing it over my head and hiding if someone I didn't know so much as looked at me, let alone talked to me.  I often felt very awkward and uncomfortable in my own skin when I was in school. Many people thought I was stuck up, but I was actually just scared out of my mind and insecure... This, of course, has gotten better, but I do still have my moments...

I've been divorced.  I got married the first time in 1997, at age 21 (almost 22). It lasted four years. Let's just say it became obvious that I had married a perpetual 15-year-old and we will just leave it at that. I was single for about four years before I started dating my husband, Blake. I was in no hurry to jump back in! I learned a lot about myself in those four years and I think it was a great thing... Hey, they say all things happen for a reason, and I'm one of those people who believe that to be true...

I'm a "Jack Mormon."  Yup, it's a fact! I was baptized into the Mormon Church at the age of 8 and that's about as far as it went.  I guess the fact that I'm not a practicing Mormon is obvious, for starters, by my consumption of coffee and wine.  Living in Utah and being a "Jack Mormon" is not always an easy thing, as I have been looked down upon and treated poorly, but I refuse to be a hypocrite.  I have nothing against the LDS religion, they have some wonderful ideals and values, but there are just some things I don't agree with, both big and small, in the Mormon teachings... I'm a very spiritual person. I believe in God and say my prayers (admittedly not as often as I should), and I even have my grandma's old Bible in my nightstand drawer. I'm good to my friends and family, I'm faithful to my husband, and I'm true to myself. At the end of the day, I feel that's what matters the most. I don't feel any one religion has it 100% right, and I don't believe you necessarily have to go to a particular church to be close to God or let Jesus into your life. When I read the book, The Shack by William P. Young, I felt much more validated in that belief.... And at the very end, it's between me and God anyway and it's not someone else's place to judge.

My heritage has been a mystery.  I've had quite a few people ask me, "So, what are you anyway?"  Many people would look at me and my dad and assume we were Italian or maybe Spanish.  For a many years, it was actually a mystery to us too.  But recently, after a lot of research, my dad was able to find some information.  Come to find out, we're Black Irish.  Black Irish is a term that raises more questions and creates even more mystery, however.  Some say there's no such thing and others say it's simply Irish people with a darker complexion. But, from what we can find, it is most likely Irish and Mediterranean, probably Spanish. So, there ya go... I also have Welsh, Danish, and German in the mix...among others...A bit of a "Heinz 57."

I was an Avon lady.  Yes I was! I delivered books to doorsteps and the whole nine yards. I did this for about six years. I also sold Mary Kay for a couple of years as well. I'm not much of a salesperson, however, and I like experimenting and trying new products too much to tie myself to one brand... I love going to the salon and being my stylist's guinea pig and trying the latest thing.

I'm a bit rebellious. I've always marched to the beat of my own drum, a bit of a nonconformist. I like edgy fashion and things with flare.  I have a tattoo and my belly button is pierced, both of which I had done on the same day, not too long after my divorce...uh huh!... I've been asked more than once, "you're not from around here are you?" I actually take that as a compliment...

My dad was in the military.  Yes, besides strong country ties, I have strong military ties. My dad served in the Air Force during Vietnam, and he worked as a civilian at Hill AFB in Clearfield, UT for over 20 years. I grew up around military people and they are just amazing, and I wholeheartedly respect and admire what they do. I'm fiercely patriotic. No matter my heritage, I'm an American and damn proud to be!

I like a variety of bold styles. My favorite Color is yellow; yes, bright, tweety-bird, canary yellow! I love bright Colors; I find them cheerful and mood lifting. My kitchen is all decked out in sunflowers (my favorite flower)... I also have a thing about animal print; our bedroom and bathroom are like stepping into Safari (lions, tigers, zebras, giraffes, and elephants, oh my!), and I have some jewelry, bags, and other accessories that are decked out in leopard, zebra, and giraffe print... You'll find a lot of Native-American Indian inspired decor in my home as well. I love the culture and the belief system. My tattoo is actually one I had designed; its a mixture of an Indian shield and dream catcher. My tattoo is a sign of my rebellious side, sure, but more than that it's a symbol that truly means something to me.

I used to be quite athletic.  No, seriously, stop laughing! Yes, I know I'm clumsy and short (not quite 5' 2"), and it's hard to believe, but I used to be a fast runner; the 50-yard dash was my specialty. I also used to go to the gym regularly and lift weights. I actually got into power lifting and had started to train for competition at one point. Life got in the way a bit and I never did compete though. I don't necessarily regret it, but I do sometimes wonder just how far I could have gone...

Well, there you have it. I delved a bit deeper into what makes me tick...I'm a bit like an onion, lots of layers! 

Thank You!

I have been having a few health issues the past few weeks, nothing terribly serious or life threatening, but a series of things that happened one right after another that slowed me down and had me MIA, especially from my blog. I'm feeling and doing a lot better now, so things should be getting back to normal. There's nothing like a few health concerns to help you get things into perspective and focus on what's most important (hey, we need to find the positive and the silver lining in all things, right?). I just want to thank all of you checked on me, brought us food, gave words of encouragement, and just for being the wonderful friends and family that you are! You all are freakin awesome! (((GREAT BIG HUGS)))

I'll be back tomorrow with some more random facts about myself, and later in the week, I'll be sharing more of my favorite things and another favorite recipe. So, stay tuned...