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