Rants, Recipes, and Running

Remember as a child, there was that blanket statement of "Never talk to strangers". Well, I'm not a child any more...but I still follow that rule. I actually like that rule, and wish others would follow it. Nothing irritates me more than standing in line at the grocery store, and the man in front of me saying "I see chili peppers, meat, tortillas, and avacados....SOMEONE'S MAKIN TACOS"! I want to respond saying "No. I'm not. I just bought ingredients to make tacos. But I'm going to put these together to make lutefisk and lefse. Dumbass." But my "Real-time Response" still isn't very nice. It' would usually go, "Yep. No kiddin." And then I'd roll my eyes. When I get home from the day, and my neighbor is sitting outside smoking -- I grab my cell phone and start faking a conversation to avoid having to talk to him and hear his voice. Sometimes, on the airplane, my I-pod dies. (traumatic) But I still w...

For a long time...I really didn't like birthdays. Here's a little birthday history: High school sucked. So all my birthdays were lame and depressing. In fact, the first birthday that I spent with Ryan...the day's prior I remember him saying "What do you want to do for your birthday??!! Are you excited? It's coming up." And I remember responding saying, "I will spending digging in a cadaver in anatomy lab. It'll be a good reminder that I'm one year closer to death. Birthdays are over-rated." Yep! That was me! He changed my negativity towards birthday's though, and the past 3 years have been pretty good ones! And last Saturday, February 27, I had a wonderful birthday! Here's how it went: Thursday it began: I had 2 final tests. Ryan took me out to dinner to celebrate at my favorite Brewery. I got to have my favorite Rasberry Blonde. Friday evening we went to Ryan's Dad & Step-Mom's house for dinner. His sister is i...

1. If you were given an hour to use a $200 Amazon gift card, what would you buy? -I would put it towards a new Dyson vacuum cleaner! 2. Are there any fairly common foods that you’ve never had? -I've never had lamb, which I could consider fairly common. However my father in law did put it in spaghetti sauce, so I can now say I've *had* it. But not plain. -I've never eaten Girls Scout cookies. And probably never will....I'm not a big cookie fan. 3. What was your favorite way to use your imagination as a kid? I played a LOT of "House" as a kid. All kids do that though, so it's not that neat.  I also remember practicing the piano a lllloott (I started piano when I was in first grade), and pretending that I was putting on a concert. I would take like 10 songs, arrange them in order, and imagine I was performing my own concert. 4. What’s your favorite state? Why? Minnesota: it has my family, our lake cabin, Minneapolis, the chain of lakes (great run...

It's a new month!! I'm pleased, because I always like new weeks, new days, new months, etc..... But -- February seems to be one of my favorite months. Especially now that we live in AZ. The weather is in the 50-60's, lots of rain, I get to wear sweaters,  grapefruit is in season,   Valentine's Days, my birthday, only 28 days; good things! But, I am ready for a fresh, new month! Especially since it's beginning with a week of vacation! So here is my month recap -- which I have un-creatively stolen from my dear sister, Lisa . Current Book(s): Ahh! This is soooo exciting, my friends! It is NOT a text book right now. (In about 5 days my book will be some "Psychiatric Nursing Text"). But for NOW..... "The Sunflower" - Richard Paul Evans. I am currently at a coffee shop reading this, and had to force myself to put it down -- or I fear the book will be finished by the end of the day! This is the same author that wrote "The Christmas Box...

Green My favorite color ever! I have to control myself to not purchase too many green things. If I had no control, my house would be green. My kitchen would be lime-themed. With greenery everywhere. My bathrooms would be green. My bedroom would be green. You would all feel nauseated-green after entering my home. (So I don't have a green-themed home) Many things I love are green, such as: Spinach (I eat it a minimum twice a day usually) My weding color was green. (clover green) Limes (I have at least one time a day) Grass. I love the feel of grass, especially since I see it so rarely in AZ (except in my neighborhood that has amazing landscapers with grass-galore) Palm trees. Any tree. Christmas trees. I love Christmas Green Beer. I think the green beer on St. Patty's Day tastes better. My favorite color of eyes. When I was in 9th grade, I so badly wanted to get green contacts. But they made me keep my brown eyes. Diet Mountain Dew (my guilty pleasure) Granny Smith...

"Do you have any questions?" *smile* It's almost beome a common law that at the end of any presentation, lecture, or speech to end your prose in the statement, "Do you have any questions?" I don't know where, when, and how I became trained to react to this question. I think it may be a combo year of 5-6 hour long lectures of nursing school, the 300-person lecture-bowls at UND, or my monotony and hatred of high school. Whenever I hear that question, I have been absolutely trained to responed with an assuring "head-nod". This "assuring head nod" is almost me saying "No. I don't have any questions. I think we are ready for cessation of this lecture, for you were such an incredible teacher of this subject. Forget *teacher*, You are an expert. Thank you. Now let us go home!!!!!" But let me know you, my friends, it hasn't always been this way! Oh no. I almost forgot that it hasn't always been that way until...........

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip 2. What is your earliest memory? I have this bold memory being really young, sitting on the beach at Sunset Beach Resort, Battle Lake in my Mom's lap. I remember it being a sunny, hot day. I was playing in the sand, and she was cracking open sunflower seeds and giving them to me as a snack. Kind of random..but I remember it! 3. What is your earliest memory of a dessert? My 3rd (?) birthday cake, made by my dear Grandma McDougall! She was incredibly talented!!! The funny thing about this cake is..... that it was a Dog cake! We all know how much Abby despises dogs! 4. Do you have any recurring dreams? Yes. I have such odd dreams. I have the "teeth falling out" dream every once in awhile. I also have a panic-stricken, doom-impending nightmare about a high school teacher I had that I don't have the greatest history with. I always have nightmares about her being my new boss at a job, attending my...