My family history

For some reason (and I have no idea what or where it came from), I was suddenly inspired to research my family history. I'm guessing part of it comes from the lack of motivation to do my school work for the week just before spring break (I mean, c'mon...it's time for a break!). However, how this particular topic came to me, I don't know.

I remember that many years ago (like, grade school...I think it was 4th grade) I had an assignment to make a family tree. Mom did the "digging" and asked my grandparents who our ancestors were and we made a poster that I still have at their house. I think I'm going to dig it out when I get home at the end of this week.

However, in the interim, I did some digging on my own on the internet and was able to trace my maternal grandmother's history back to the 1600's. I recognized a lot of the names from my poster that I did way back when...and it's really neat. I was able to go back 12 generations (which was a surprise to me).

I think I have found a new hobby. Maybe I'll be able to trace some of the other branches of my family. I'm excited about this!

Ranch chicken

So, I'm sure that someone out there has come up with this recipe. No doubt. However, after some searching, I didn't find one like this and thus the experiment began! Unfortunately, my better half took off for Florida yesterday morning and left me here all alone so he didn't get to be the guinea pig for this recipe (he claims to enjoy it...I guess because he's getting fed and doesn't have to cook).

So, here's what I used:

• 2 chicken breasts (no, I didn't eat all, or even half of that, but it's silly not to make enough for at least 2 meals for me
• 1 cup of chicken broth (I used 1 cup of water and 1 chicken bouillon cube)
• 1/2 package of dry ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Flour as needed
• Olive oil

Here's what you do:

Old Disney movies

I love watching old Disney films. I, often times, enjoy animated films more than live action movies. Here are some of my favorite animated classics from my childhood:

• Fantasia (1940)
• Cinderella (1950)
• Alice in Wonderland (1951)
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
• The Aristocats (1970)
• The Little Mermaid (1989)
• Beauty and the Beast (1991)
• Aladdin (1992)
• The Lion King (1994)

See a theme here? Lots of princesses and animals.

Random thoughts strung together

I have a bunch of random thoughts that were running through my head last night during my insomnia run -- and some are still running through my mind today. So, I'll share them with you in a bulleted fashion. (Warning: one thought is not guaranteed to flow nicely into the next. You have been forewarned.)

• When Jon and I get married, we have planned to take pictures prior to the ceremony so that we are not away from the reception for hours while we get all those necessary family pictures. This being the case, there will be a "reveal" that takes place between him and I. This will be his first chance to see me all dressed up in my gown, with my hair done and my face all made up. It will also be my first chance to see my soon-to-be husband that day -- and I couldn't get that out of my mind as I was trying to sleep last night. I was trying to imagine what his face is going to look like when he sees me. I was trying to imagine a scenario that I didn't cry in. I was trying to imagine myself with the gown and my hair/make up all done...in other words, imagine myself as a bride. I've seen the dress on me. I think I know how I want my hair. But, I haven't seen all that together. I'm rather excited to be able to see it all together. So, that was something I was thinking about (and if something was going to run through my mind and not let me sleep, I'm okay with that being it).

My twist on "aloha chicken"

There is a cookbook that I was given several years ago that has LOTS of delicious recipes in it. I haven't made nearly 1/4 of them but the ones I have tried have not been disappointing. One of my favorites is called "aloha chicken". Delicious! First I'll give you the original recipe and then I'll share my twist on it with you.


Original recipe:

Looking ahead...

I have yet to complete my second degree (but my first bachelor's degree); however, I am looking ahead to determine what it is that I am going to do with my life from work, to the possibility of continuing school, to getting married (that's already determined)...to whatever else may come. I'm a planner. And, because of that, I like to know what's coming up. No surprises.

Yesterday, I filled out my application for graduate school. Just about anyone who has heard I am looking at continuing my education at graduate school has made the remark that they think I'm crazy. I have been in school (college level) every semester since the spring of 2005. Honestly, yes, I'm tired of school. However, I know me and I know that if I quit school now, I may never go back. So, the next logical question is: what are you going to grad. school for?

That's easy. Teaching. The program I have chosen, after a lot of deliberation and searching, is a Masters of Art in Teaching with my specialization area being in elementary education. My associate's degree is in EMS and my bachelor's degree will be in psychology. That knowledge being known, the logical question that follows is: why not pursue a degree furthering one of those degrees?

The countdown has begun!

As I look over the past several weeks, I am so amazed at what has happened and how things have progressed forward. As a point of reference, it was 7 weeks ago yesterday that Jon asked me to marry him...and 15 weeks from tomorrow, I will be walking down the aisle to meet my groom and become his wife. It continually amazes me how much I (with lots of help) have been able to accomplish over the previous weeks. The planning process for the wedding is essentially done and now it's just the details that need to be worked on (and those are coming along well -- it's just a matter of actually deciding what Jon and I like). Amazingly, most of this period has been relatively stress-free. It hasn't been without bumps but it has gone so much more smoothly than I thought it ever could. I am so thankful for that.

The value of sleep

Over the last couple of weeks, I have re-realized the importance of sleep. Being up in the middle of the night doesn't bother me all that much...when I'm getting paid for it (just please make sure you really need an ambulance -- I have zero tolerance for stupidity at 3 am).


For several years, I've had on-and-off problems with insomnia but they haven't really kicked up until I got back to school for my final undergraduate semester. I'm guessing that it's a combination of the stress of my final semester and the work of planning a wedding that have caused it to resurface with a vengeance. I have ended up collapsing on the couch and watching a movie more often than I have slept in my bed over the last few weeks.


So, in light of this, I decided to take a look at the necessary function and the usefulness of that blissful thing called sleep.


First, a few definitions:

• Basal sleep need -- the amount of sleep that our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance
• Sleep debt -- the accumulated sleep that is lost due to poor sleep habits, sickness and awakenings due to environmental factors or other causes

It's Valentine's Day!!

So, here's the story:

My fiancé is the best. Really. This morning, I got a message from him to "come downstairs", presumably so I could let him in my apartment building. I walked downstairs to find him with breakfast and flowers and another bag...all for me.

My roses. :)
This picture doesn't do them justice!

Random facts

I felt like sharing some random facts today. Enjoy!

• The risk for heart attack is the highest on Mondays.
• It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 muscles to frown.
• A square inch of human skin contains about 20 feet of blood vessels.
• Humans shed about 1.5 pounds of skin per year. By the age of 70, the average human has shed 105 pounds of skin.
• If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
• The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

Chili!

I got creative today and made chili for the first time. I didn't have a recipe (I couldn't find one I liked) so I made my own. I thought I'd share it with you so that perhaps you can enjoy it.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 cans of navy beans
• 2 cans of kidney beans (I used one light and one dark)
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• Oregano -- probably about 2 teaspoons
• Basil -- probably about 2 teaspoons
• Garlic powder (I didn't have any garlic on hand) -- probably about 2 cloves worth
• Cayenne pepper -- to taste

These things I know to be true

These are things I was reminded of this weekend while at work:

• There is no cure for stupidity.
• Laziness is contagious.
• When the support in a home is underwhelming, the patient generally has something wrong with them.
• When the support in a home is overwhelming, it's generally an over reaction.
• Those who don't need to go to the hospital will have several family members at the home and several functioning vehicles in the driveway.
• People refuse to vomit in the bag or bucket provided to them.
• If you touch me again, you will meet your friends: the police.
• If you refuse to do what I tell you, you will also meet your friends: the police.
• Telling me that you take a "water pill", a "sugar pill" and a "high blood pill" doesn't help me. I need to know names.
• Showing me the pills without the pill bottle is not helpful either.
• You also need to tell me all of the medicines that you take.
• I won't intentionally kill you; however, you might kill yourself if you take off your seat belts.

117. :-)

Thoughts on my classes...

So, prior to coming back to school, I laid out my course schedule for my final semester of undergraduate study and promised to let you know how I thought the semester would go. As I am halfway through the fourth week of the semester, I thought it was time to fulfill that promise.

Child and adolescent psychology -- this class, so far, is really fun! I am learning a lot about development throughout childhood...both psychological and physical. This class is a fair amount of work, but nothing I wouldn't expect for a 4000-level capstone course. We have to write a paper based on a 12-hour volunteer experience. Last week, I completed all 12 hours of my volunteering which was a huge thing to get completed seeing as I expect this semester to get very busy with both school work and finishing all the wedding stuff.

Health and fitness -- oh...my...goodness. This class is ridiculously boring. I feel like the know-it-all in there. The instructor tries to elicit responses from the class...and nobody answers but me. (I do give them a fair chance to respond before I chime in.) Jon suggested that I talk to him and see if he'll give me the final exam and not have to go to class anymore. (Nice thought, but it likely won't work.) To be fair, if I didn't have my medical background, I would not find this class as easy.

Principles of learning -- this is quite the interesting class. I have learned a lot about conditioning and the learning process for different things, both conscious and unconscious. We have our first exam in this class next Tuesday...so hopefully that will turn out well.

State and local government -- I am not particularly enjoying this class. I, and most of my classmates, feel like our instructor gives an unreasonable amount of work for the course. We have sheets to turn in every day at the beginning of class and sometimes are given sheets to do during class (during lecture...no specific time to do it) as well as at least a quiz a week. It's a little crazy, I feel. I have had 3000- and 4000- level classes that require less work. She is also a terrible lecturer. It's not like she's new at it either -- but she is pretty bad and difficult to listen to.

US and Canadian geography -- this has been an informative class. My instructor is has a plethora of degrees and a wealth of knowledge to share with us on a variety of subjects. I am really learning a lot and he genuinely wants us to learn about the things he is trying to teach us.

One thing I have learned over the last few weeks is that if I have any children, I will be either a terrible mother or a really good one. I will be so overprotective (as in, "oh my goodness...they're not ______ properly") or just apathetic (as in, "meh, they'll outgrow it") with their developmental and physical changes. If this happens (the "having kids" part), we shall see if I'm overprotective, apathetic...or somewhere in the middle.