It's been too long!!!!

I haven't blogged in almost two weeks! Not cool. My laptop is gone and being fixed. I can't wait to get it back. So for now I'm back and forth between every room in the house stealing precious time on different computers that don't belong to me. How annoying for everyone! LOL

I also haven't been at work very much lately. I've been dealing with an annoying health issue which I originally thought was arthritis. Now that it's been over two weeks and what feels like a million tests I finally feel like we're starting to get to the bottom of what's going on with me. Urgh!

I woke up with swollen wrists and ankels a few weeks ago. I thought it was just a random reaction to something new but it wouldn't go away. After taking several blood tests that ruled out the most obvious and scary conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, heart disease, etc) my doc referred me to a rheumotologist who suggested I take a chest x-ray. Cha-CHING! They're finally starting to get to the root of the problem. I stil have a few more tests and a minor procedure to do before I know EXACTLY what's going on but at least now I feel like I have an idea of why I'm swollen and in pain sometimes. Whew! I'm confident that things will be back to normal soon and I pray that this won't be a lifelong issue.

While it's a huge pain, I do enjoy the time I'm able to spend at home with my kids, hubby and siblings. It's nice to "slow down" for a little while. I'm also so grateful that I'm getting this taken care of before I start school and while I still have decent health insurance.

If nothing else, this is a good life lesson. I need to learn to appreciate the small things (like walking without pain!) that are so easy to take for granted. Now that I've learned the lesson already, can I please be back to normal now? LOL

Super Cheezy Oooey Gooey Garlic Bread

Remember how I promised that food would be yummy, but never said anything about it being all that great for you? This is one of the things that should be placed on the top of the yummy list but waayyyyy at the bottom of the "Good for You" list. We don't have it that often because of that reason, but when we do it never lasts very long! It's usually served with one of our favorite pasta dishes, but this is something I wouldn't mind having all by itself.

I don't know very many recipes that are easier than this. The ingredients are usually things we already have in our fridge.

Mix 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese with 1 cup of mayo. Add a healthy teaspoon of minced garlic and stir it all up.

Spread the cheesy mix onto one loaf of french bread sliced the long way. Finish off with by sprinkling some parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes and then switch to Broil for another 3-5 minutes. Watch closely because it can burn quickly when you're broiling. You'll notice mine got a little extra toasty on accident. ;-)

"Sidetracked"

I've run into a small issue with my laptop so I can't get to pictures. :-( For now, my 30 day challenge has been put on hold. No biggie though. The blog must go on! HA!

It's official, I'm counting down the days until my last day of work at Meyers Nave. I put in my two months notice today. Yes two MONTHS! I love the people here and I decided that I would be nice and make sure not to burn any bridges by giving them sufficient notice. My last day is May 20th. While I enjoy my job most of the time, the truth is that I'm not really passionate about it. There are so many things that I love and for years I've talked about going back to school in hopes of finding a way to incorporate the things that I am passionate about into something that will pay off in the long run. So I'm ready to take a leap of faith.

I'm enrolling in school for the summer semester and I'm going to move in a whole new direction. I'm sure that it's going to be tough. I'm confident that my family will persevere and get passed the struggles that are to come. I'm ready to face the challenges in hopes of making a living doing something that I LOVE one day. That is the ultimate dream for most right? Here goes nothin'!

"Grown Folks"

Day 04 - A picture of a night you'll never forget.

I smile EVERY time I see this picture. I can't believe all of the ugly things that we thought were cute! Who wears swoosh sweat pants when you're not working out? HAHA

This picture/night in particular stands out because it's one of the very first times us girls were able to go out alone and completely unsupervised. It was official, we were "grown". Or so we thought.

We got to bring our "baby sisters" Laura and Pesi along which meant someone thought we were old and mature enough to handle the kids. Yeah right! I'd bet good money that they were sent along as little spies. I can't even remember how we managed to scheme our way all the way out to Vallejo. All I know is that Ginger had a brand new car and we were ready to put miles on it. ;-) It's memories like these with the ones I love that I wouldn't trade for the world.

I LOVE this picture challenge!

I've said it many times and I'll say it again, if my daughter tries to attempt half of the things I tried when I was a teen I'm going to have my hands full. It's a good thing that I know almost ALL the tricks in the book! Don't ask me how I know though. ;-)

Day 3 - GLEE!

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

This changes so often based on what's on TV but for now...GLEE!!!! Gotta love the fact that I had ZERO interest at first and after watching with my sisters I'm in LOVE. Today's picture was easy...GLEE!

Day 2 - My Madre

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with longest.

I couldn't think of anyone who I have been close to longer than my madre. I can't even muster up the words to express how I feel about her without tearing up! She is the most hard working woman I know. My brother Markybo said it best at his farewell when he said he thinks my mom works for the FBI. LOL She always seems to make things happen even when it seems that there is no hope. Even after all of the craziness I've put her through she still manages to find a way to make me feel like she loves me unconditionally. Gotta love Madre!

30 Day Photo Challenge...THANKS Kika!!!

I came across this blog post by the one and only Lady Latu and I.LOVE.IT. In fact, I love it so much that I'm going to be a blog biter and do it as well.

I soooooo miss the days of email chains and quizzes that felt so much more intimate than FB Status updates or Myspace bulletins. Funny how the networking tools designed to keep people connected feel so...um...idk...TOO connected? Or connected in a way that feels unreal, with a lack of genuine "friendship" and way too many people. So in reality, we're disconnected. Hmm. Maybe that's why I'm so happy and free in my own little blogging corner of the world with all 4 of my loyal followers. LOL

Whatever the case...here goes day ONE of my 30 day Photo Challenge. I hope more people do it! Enjoy!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of a night you'll never forget.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that's made an impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Day 1 -


Ten Facts -

1. The picture above is one of only THREE pictures that I could find of myself alone. Of all the hundreds of FB photos I have, I'm ALWAYS with a sibling or child. LOL

2. I wanted to have 10 children until I had my first child. Now I'm happy with three. Ha!

3. I'm a reality TV junkie and I HATE it.

4. My poor hubby is a sports fanatic and I couldn't care less about sports ANYTHING.

5. I'm tall for nothing - 5 feet 11 inches but see previous fact re sports.

6. I baked my first batch of cookies alone when I was in the forth grade. I've loved it ever since.

7. I secretly speak very fluent Tongan. It's funny when folks have no clue and I've caught crap talkers countless times. LOL

8. I am driven by the idea that my siblings and children just might be watching my moves sometimes.

9. Said siblings and children don't know it but I'd give my very last dollar without hesitation if they needed it.

10. I used to read myself to sleep as a kid and get in trouble for reading late into the night. Yes, I've always been a dork. LOL