Friday, February 13, 2009

25 Things You Might Not Know

In no particular order...

1) I have never eaten a fast food burger in my life. And after reading Fast Food Nation, I NEVER will. Gag!

2) I throw hissy fits about this brain tumor crap sometimes. I'm getting entirely sick of being stuck in a place all week where the smell makes me nauseated (Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that the Hope Lodge exists and is free to stay in. But, do they have to make it smell so dang bad?!). I am sick of being generally nauseated. I'm just getting crabby in general. But I'm entitled, right? More than anything, I am sick of people taking my blood!!

3) I have to take two Lorazepam (anti-anxiety drugs), lie down, close my eyes, and pretend it's not happening to get my blood drawn. And I'm still a big sissy even then. I hyperventilate in the waiting room, and my face/eyes spasm the whole time I'm sitting in that dang chair. And I have to have this done 4 out of 6 weeks because I'm doing chemo and radiation at the same time. Crap...

4) I like peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. Well normally I do, this radiation bit has me wanting to hurl at the smell of meat. Before you get sick, let me explain. When I was little, my dad, my sister and I didn't like tomatoes or mayo. That makes it kind of hard to eat BLT's! So my dad came up with peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. They all eat some form of BLT now, but I still can't stand tomato or mayo, so... it has to be bacon and super chunky peanut butter :)

5) I officially want to be a vampire. Well, I want to be Bella anyways! The Twilight series sucked me in like a little teenage girl.

6) I have a group of lady friends, most of which I have never met in person. I swear to God they keep me sane sometimes. I love you ladies!

7) I spend an obscene amount of money of plane tickets flying back to WI. However, it's worth it! And I can think of someone else who agrees completely.

8) I sleep with three stuffed animals. And they have names. Pumpkin (cat), Babycakes (cat), and Teddy (teddy bear, obviously). Oh and a blanky. Yes, I am five years old.

9) Tyson and Hormel products make me want to hurl. Yuck!

10) I hate doing the dishes. At times, I have huge stacks of dishes in my sink and on my counter. Sometimes, I wait until almost all of my dishes are dirty before I will even try to load the dishwasher, despite my normal clean freak nature. This is how much I hate doing dishes.

11) I despise smoking. It's a filthy habit and the smoke gives me a headache. I absolutely love that Colorado is smoke-free in bars/restaurants/etc; I wish the whole country would go smoke-free.

12) On that same note, I have never smoked anything in my life (one exception, I took one puff off pipe tobacco. I don't grasp the concept of inhaling though). No cigarettes, no pot, nothing.

13) Is my lucky number. It was my number all through sports in high school.

14) Speaking of high school, I loved wearing spandex for volleyball. It was so much more comfortable and easy to move! I liked them so much I still wore spandex under my shorts and pants for basketball and softball.

15) I really want a peanut butter sandwich right now (without bacon), despite the peanut recall. The radiation really limits which foods will not make me hurl, and right now, that sounds especially tasty.

16) Steroids are the devil. I'm sure most of you have heard me bitch about them on more than one occasion, but they truly are. And the side effects seem to have lasted long after I stopped taking them. They do their job for sure (I had momentary relief of headaches), but the side effects suck. I feel bad for people who have to be on them for longer than a month.

17) I am losing hair my by the handful, and only today I found a spot that is starting to bald. Apparently I have more hair than I thought! But the sensation of it falling out and the fact that it is absolutely everywhere (I'm shedding worse than a golden retriever) is a rather pain in the ass.

18) After brain surgery, I had to stop watching hospital shows for a month. And as soon as I started watching House again, sure enough... they were doing a stereotactic biopsy. Things I could've gone without seeing.

19) I still have to choke back tears when I think about my grandma. It's been almost three years, but I can't help it.

20) I have fleeting thoughts about running away. Not like running away to Colorado to live (wait, I already did that!), but seriously running away to Europe. Not permanently, but just for a couple months. Anyone want to go?

21) I haven't slept normally in months. At first it was the steroids. Now, who the hells knows. Some combination of chemo, radiation, and stress. I want to sleep for more than 8 hours without the help of AmbienCR, which only works some of the time. And I want to sleep for a consecutive amount of hours.

22) I love Harry Potter, and I don't care how geeky it is. I have read the entire series twice, and will probably read a couple of the books again before the sixth movie comes out. I also wish it was real. Eff this, I'm going to Hogwarts!

23) The age I will be in April. Nobody likes you when you're 23.

24) I am obsessed with plucking my eyebrows. Those of you who knew me in middle school should understand this (read: I had a unibrow). I must be traumatized from then, and this is what's fueling my obsession.

25) I cannot wait to go on vacation. Nate and I need a vacation after this radiation vacation.

Friday, January 2, 2009

2008 In Review

I stole this from Jessie :)


1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I moved a thousand miles away from everything I've ever known and started my first real person job.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Nope, I failed! I only lost 10 of the 30 lbs. However, I did graduate college and get a job.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Well, a bunch of my MKE girlfriends had babies! 2009 is going to be full of new babies too :)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank God.

5. What countries did you visit?
Nope, not unless visiting my hillbilly drunkles (thanks Jessie, I love that word!) counts. It's like a different country there.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Enough willpower to finally get back in shape

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 1st--Nate and I's first date
January 4th--The day I moved to Steamboat Springs
November 14th--The day I found out I had a mass on my brain, and later a brain tumor
December 2nd--Brain surgery!
December 15th--The last day of those god-awful steroids

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Surviving my first year in a real person job and living alone

9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't know?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Ha, ya! Hello my little friend (brain tumor)

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Adobe Creative Suite 3 software, how good it is to have it back!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Oh gosh, everyone who has been so supportive! Especially Nate... he has been absolutely incredible.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I can't pinpoint just one right now.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Gas, rent, scrapbooking supplies

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Every time I got to see Nate :) And my Cricut and my Garmin





16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
The entire Sara Bareilles CD and "Calling You" Blue October
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, thank you steroids :(
c) richer or poorer? Both, richer because I actually have income, poorer because of my huge student loan debt and upcoming medical bills
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Explored Steamboat: hiking, fishing, skiing. Read more.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Sitting on my butt!
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Oh yes, more and more every day.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
CSI, How I Met Your Mother, and Ghoster Whisperer
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Not hate, but I do feel differently about some people
24. What was the best book you read?
I didn't read much this year :( But I promise to get back in the habit during radiation vacation!
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Rise Against, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Kate Voegele, Lady Antebellum, Matt Nathanson, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Sara Bareilles, and Tristan Prettyman

26. What did you want and get?
Nate :D, Garmin GPS, Spice Rack, Wafflemaker, a good diagnosis!

27. What did you want and not get?
Oh, there's a lot of kitchen stuff I want ;)
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't see a lot of movies last year, but I liked all of the ones that I did!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I met some of my friends for dinner and went out for drinks. I ended up walking home shoeless (the sidewalks were clear and it was a warm night in April!) with a few of my friends. I turned the ripe old age of 22 ;)
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being able to see Nate more than once a month.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Dress pants, nice top, and heels during the week; shorts/sweats and t-shirt on the weekends
32. What kept you sane?
Nate, my Steamboat friends, and waking up to mountains every day :)
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Eh?
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Sarah Palin makes me insanely angry. I do not want to get started on the subject right now.
35. Who do you miss?
I miss Nate, my family, and friends when I'm in Steamboat. I miss Steamboat and my friends there when I'm in WI.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Number 1, of course, is Nate! I'm happy to have met some of my TIA girls in person finally and will be meeting more tonight!
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
When someone tells you that you can't do something, prove them wrong. Believe in yourself, and be true to yourself. When you find the person who loves you exactly how you are, hold on tight!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"I've found all I've waited for, and I could not ask for more."

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Pomegranate Guacamole

After watching an episode of Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals about holiday party appetizers, I decided to try my own version of what looked to be absolutely delicious. And I was right! I know, I know.. pomegranate guacamole, it sounds a little funky, but I promise... it's GOOD!

So here's the recipe:

  • 1 Avocado, mashed
  • 1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined (I think I might go with 2 jalapenos next time though for a little more kick!)
  • 1 Serrano pepper, seeded and deveined
  • 1/2 Red Bell pepper, seeded and deveined
  • 1/2 cup Red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, pasted (which I learned from Rachel Ray: mince the garlic, add a little salt, and mash it with the back of a spoon until it's "pasty")
  • Seeds from 1/2 of a Pomegranate
  • Juice from 1/2 of a Lime
  • And as much Cilantro as you want!

Mash the avocado, chop the veggies, and squeeze in the lime. Mix it all together and voila! This makes enough for one person to eat a couple times. I will definitely be eating more tonight!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Proof

Further proof that they didn't screw anything up with my brain surgery.

Before Nate and I headed to the airport, we stopped at Chipotle. I decided I had better use the bathroom before we started driving. In this particular Chipotle, there's a wood ledge that sticks out about an inch all the way around the room, about shoulder height on me. Not even seeing it, I bent over to grab some toilet paper and.. SMACK!

I slammed my forehead right into the ledge. If I had been in a cartoon, there would've been little birdies flying around my head. I immediately grabbed my forehead and started laughing. I wasn't bleeding, but geez did that hurt! I go to look in the mirror, sure enough.. perfect red line across my forehead.

But, at least I missed the bruises where I had the screws in my forehead. I came out of the bathroom laughing, and Nate just shook his head at me when I told him what I did.

All just proof that I'm still a klutz, nothing's changed. Haha :)

Back in the 'Boat

I made it back! My flight was supposed to leave Minneapolis/St. Paul at 7:20 pm... 40 minutes of de-icing later we took off. I was supposed to land at 8:30, had we taken off on time, and somehow we still landed at 8:45. Thank you for the speed pilot! I still had to run thirty four gates and barely make my connection flight to Steamboat, but I'm back.

Back to my little space, with seven shiny staples in my head, where I can maybe establish some normal again. Well, at least until I fly out for Christmas on the 20th!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Putting Up The Tree

Nate's going to do some more decorating yet, but we had a lil fun :)
Ain't she cute?!

Our First Thanksgiving

Nate and I had our first Thanksgiving together. Of course, as a cop, he had to work until 10:00 pm, so it was a late dinner. This was also my first year making turkey dinner, and I have to say it went quite well!And yes, we're real klassy like that, but it's the only glasses I had to work with. And yes that is sparkling juice. The steroids I'm on do not allow me to drink alcohol. Wine :( Literally, I whine.