My Ramblings

Photo Me Me

2009-02-26T12:28:00.003-06:00

My seester tagged me for this particular meme thang. Its simple go to the 5th folder in you pictures, select the 5th photo and put on here and talk about it, so with further ado. I give photo number 5. In this particular photo you will find my son Andrew. Doing what our family does best, eating. He is partaking of the annual christmas feast in 2003. We are at my mother-in-law's old house. Seeing the ham there is making my salivary glands go into hyper drive. I must go get something to eat now.

ABC's of Me.....E

2009-02-11T15:10:00.004-06:00

I was talking to my seester the other day. I was saying I was having a difficult time sorting through the rubble of my life and trying to come up with something for the letter E in the ABC's of me. Elephants was not going to work since I know nothing of these pachyderms. Then I thought of everything. Well, that may be a bit long to write about EVERYTHING. I would for sure have carpal tunnel or something after doing that. I also tried coming up with a word that begins with E for sleeping. Yeah I couldn't think of one either.
Then it downed to me that an important part of me is eating. Which so happens to begin with the letter in question. You see, I love to eat probably as much, if not more than I love to cook. I guess the saying my bio dad says is true, "Never trust a skinny cook!" So after taking a look at myself in the mirror one morning after getting out of the shower I am very trustworthy.
I thinking cooking and eating are just about synonymous as words can be. My family wonder why I am no longer hungry once I have finished cooking dinner.
I have come to the realization that I eat way too much while I am cooking.
Eating to me is more important than breathing. one can hold their breath for long periods of time. I have tried not to eat, but it does not last very long. I eat with all 5 senses. Maybe even all 6.
I can sense good food is around from long distances.
Food that I am going to eat has to look good, first. A pile of gray mush on a plate is not very appealing to the eyes.The nice bright green color of freshly chopped cilantro before it is placed in with the other ingredients of homemade pico de gallo.
How does one eat with one's sense of hearing? Remember the sound of the first bite into a crisp, juicy apple? That crunch is as important as the sweet juice running down your chin.
Touch? The feeling of ice cream on the back of your tongue on a hot summer day? 'nuff said.
Smell? That's easy. Mom's banana bread cooking in the oven. Mmmmm. I can smell it now. Anticipating the first slice while it is still hot of of the oven with butter melting everywhere. Not many things are better than that.
Taste. Eating with a sense of taste? Need I mention anything about this? How can I describe the sense of taste. Is there anything better than a bite of nice red, juicy, cold watermelon on a hot summer day? Or the sweet juice of a just ripe peach. How about the garlicky, salty, briny taste of a crunchy pickle from a deli on 2nd avenue in NYC.
I feel like Anthony Bourdain right now talking about food like this. He is a food hero of mine.

ABC's of Me

2009-01-24T11:28:00.009-06:00

D would be the next letter. It did not take much thought to come up with a d word. Dogs! Love them. Hate cleaning up after them. Love the look they give you when you come home from work and they are all jumping on me. When we moved down her 3 years ago we had 3: Blackjack, Jenni, and Lexi.
Blackjack was Genny's dog before we met. He was the funniest dog ever. His ears were on crooked, he had a tooth that stuck out and made him look like Elvis. I always imagined him saying, "thank you. Thank you very much." You know you heard Elvis' voice when you read that.
Genny had a Rottie named Baby. She died 2 weeks after having pups. Blackjack was the only one to survive. All the other puppies and Mom died. So Genny became Blackjack's momy. Literally and figuratively. This is Blackjack.

Blackjack is, unfortunately not with us anymore. He ran away and we have not seen him since. Its been about 8 months. It was very sad when we realized he was not coming back to us. It took about 3 months before Genny could walk in the house and not cry. He was definitely her dog. I do feel privileged though. I was the one man Genny dated that he did not want to attack upon entering her house. He and I would play for hours. It sounds like he was tearing my arms off, but it was always funny. My joke about him is he was so close to Genny, that when she burped it sounded like him barking.

While live here in Indiana we adopted a rottie. Her name was Jezzybelle. We spelled her name different because she was no Jezebel. She was so sweet. We rescued her from a local shelter. SHe was seized during the raiding of a meth lab. The vet told me that she was pregnant more often then she should have been. I guess the best way to describe how she was treated would be to call her a puppy mill. She was so funny. She would not beg for food unless it was pizza. We had the funny idea that her previous owners ate a lot of pizza. Probably a stretch for the owners of a meth lab. Here's Jezzy giving Amberlin some love.
The story with Jezzy takes a sad turn. You see she had bad hips. We knew we were bringing her home to live out her last days. Over time it began to get harder and harder for her to even stand up. It got to the point she stopped eating. I didn't have the heart to take her to some cold, sterile vet office. So I kept her home and kept her as comfortable as possible. With her head on my lap she passed away peacefully in Nov 2008.

We still have Jenni and Lexi. Jenni was another rescue dog that we have. She is a Dalmatian. I know this going to sound crazy but she's a little neurotic. She is 100% Amberlin's dog. She is very sweet. Our 2 year old niece can crawl all over her, pull on her ears and tail and Jenni will just lay there taking it all in.
Some times she will run around the living room crying, you tell her to lay down and she does. Then 30 seconds later she's up doing it again. She was supposed to be my dog. She is totally Amberlin's though.

The next dog is Lexi. Lexi is a beagle combined with the yellow hair of a lab. She's all beagle though. She barks like one. We got her from a neighbor in Ohio. She was giving them pups away and somehow we ended up with one. She's also Amberlin's dog. She's a little skiddish around little kids, so we keep her away from the nieces when they are here. She recently had puppies. She had atotaly of 10, but 3 didn't make it. So we went from 3 dogs to 10 over night.
The last dogs in my life are the puppies. They were a handful. They were very cute until we let them out of the kennel to eat and do their business. I affectionately referred to them as the poop machines. When I saw one of them in particular she got into my heart. I named her Bella. She just looked like a Bella. I'm not sure what a Bella looks like, but she sure does. She's the 2nd one from the left in this picture. She was/is the last one to go to a new home. I say is because her new family will take her home in one week. Which is okay by me. I get one more week to wake up with a little puppy face looking at me in the morning.
My sister says that dogs come in to your life and leave little muddy paw prints on your heart. I think this is so true. Every dog I have ever had in my life has done the same.

Now to contemplate the letter E. Hmmmm........

C of Me

2008-12-28T20:24:00.002-06:00

As I was looking at some blogs of other nurses, I was wondering why I haven't continued the ABC's of me.
I can think of all the excuses that you are thinking right now, but the one I'm going with is I just haven't done it.
So with further ado...
C is for Church
I grew up in a christian church. I went to the same church for about 8 years straight, but we went there off and on since I was 2 or 3 years old.
When I think of great chrsitian men that I have met, I am immediately taken back to that church. Pastor Ole Hanson is the first that comes to mind. I remember how emotional he could get when he was preaching. He was one of the nicest men I have ever met.
The other man that comes to mind is Ray Blakeslee. He would lead the church in singing of hymns. Between verses he would always have a little tidbit of knowledge to bestow on the congregation.
I took a break form church and God for more years than I care to admit. Some things happened that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. A friendship lost, several re locations, not staying in touch with"friends".
I started back to church while living in Toledo, Ohio. I started going to a charismatic church. Pastor Scott was a gifted speaker. He taught me a lot.
Then we moved to Evansville. The Church we attend now has been the greatest church for me ever. I've grown so much and continue to do so. Pastor Rick Van Hoose is a great man of God. He ranks right up there with the previous mentioned.
So how long will it be before I blog 'D'? I dunno....We shall see. Until then...

Me Me Me

2008-10-30T10:57:00.004-05:00

4 Things I Did Today:
1. Drank a cup of Dunkin Donuts Coffee
2. Cleaned up after one of our dogs. Reversal of fortune.
3. Made some changes to my retirement accounts
4. Ate an apple toaster strudel

4 Things On My To Do List:
1. Make a Dentist appointment
2. Decide what to cook for dinner
3. Take the girl-child to get a J O B
4. Watch ER tonight

4 Of My Guiltiest Pleasures:
1. the internet
2. M&Ms Dark Chocolate
3. gourmet food - just like my seester
4. Mountain Dew

4 Random Facts About Me:
1. I have restless legs syndrome. It looks like I'm playing soccer while I sleep. But ... better living through pharmacueticals.

2. I'm a trauma junkie- Yes people know I work in the ER, but I'm bored until a real emergency comes in. Its not that I want soemone to get hurt, I just want to be there afterwords.

3. I am a huge Ohio State Footbal fan. I have been since Jr. High. We wore the same colors as the buckeyes. Then I married into a family of buckeye fans. Ahhh Destiny

4. I have been called to the ministry. I'm currently on a little break from Bible college, but I am working towards becoming a minister.

B is for Boat

2008-07-12T13:28:00.004-05:00

I was thinking about the abc's of me and I had a relly difficult time thinking of B. I looked through some old photos and found this pic I shot with a el cheapo point and shoot. Genny and I spent our 1st wedding anniversary in Key West. We were riding on a 40 foot katarmoran when I took this.

Greek Food

2008-07-10T11:38:00.002-05:00

While getting caught in the rabbit hole that tastespotting is, I came across a great blog for Greek food. If you are a fan of this particular cuisine as we are, you must check this out. Be a little daring and try it. Ya never know you might even enjoy it.

Dean Zulich

2008-07-07T14:25:00.007-05:00

I had the awesome pleasure of meeting a real live professional photgrapher. His name is Dean Zulich. His work is amazing. Check out dean zulich for samples.

This guy grew up in Bosnia, immigrated to the US after war tore his country apart. He attempted a clothing store that didn't quite work out the way he planned. He decided to pursue his passion, photography. He attended photo school in Seattle. While there his work won him multiple scholorships and awards.

I feel his major accomplishment was runner-up on VH1's The Shot. It was America's Next Fashion Photographer.

He talked about not having the most expensive equipment. He used a digital point and shoot until he could afford to upgrade to digital SLR equipment.

It was really great to hear how a pro got started.

A to Z of Me

2008-07-02T23:18:00.009-05:00

Using my seester as my blogging guide I decided to attempt the a-z of me....
Here we go...
A= Andrew and Amberlin. These are my children. One biological and the other, well it doesn't matter she's mine. See my earlier posts about Andrew.I pretty much said everything about him there.
Amberlin is phenomenal also. She's the one on the left of this pic She is a never ending source of everything in my life. From amazing to zany and everything in between. Great source of joy and frustration.

Andrew and the Army

2008-07-02T14:47:00.005-05:00

In 14 days my son will be leaving for basic training in the Army. He will be attending basic at Fort Lost-in-the-woods, in the state of misery. AKA Fort Leonard wood, Missouri. Then he will be traveling to Fort Huachuca, Arizona for his job training as an intelligence analyst.
How do I feel about this endeavor? You name it, I'm feeling it. Proud that he is choosing to serve his country. Proud that he is following in my footsteps by joining the Army.
Excited to relive my Army days vicariously through him. Excited at the opportunities that will be available to him. Scared to death that he will have to go over to the Middle East and something bad will happen to him. Something that I will not be able to protect him from. Sad that my little boy is all grow'd up. Little Andrew is not so little anymore. Happy to know that he has a goal to do the exact same job in the Army that he wants to do for the CIA . Happy to know that he has a goal and is taking steps to reach that goal.
This is just a tip of the iceberg of how I'm feeling about him and the Army. There are many more emotions, but they are having a difficult time identifying themselves at the moment.

Andrew's Graduation

2008-07-02T14:41:00.004-05:00

On June 27, 2008, my little boy graduated from New Paltz High School in New York. It sounds cliche` to say this, but it seems like yesterday he was born. Doesn't every parent say that when their child finishes high school?
Andrew graduated with honors, the cord around his neck designates he will be joining the Army. More on that whole thing in another blog.
I'm very proud of my son. He's so intelligent, sometimes I woulder where he gets it.
What an amazing young man!

miscellany: book meme

2008-04-30T21:16:00.000-05:00

miscellany: book meme I got "tagged" by my seester. Sort of. Well she is my seester, but she kinda not really tagged me.

Book Me Me

The Rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 (or more) pages.
2. Open the book to page 123 and find the 5th sentence.
3. Post the next 3 sentences.
4. Tag 5 people.

I had to go to another room to get the closest book to me. Unless I should have used the phone book, but I didn't think that would have been as good,
1. Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits by T.D. Jakes
2. " You can't afford that car , son", said an older gentleman with a fake smile.
3. "Let me show you some of our used cars back here behind the garage." I hesitated for a moment, containing my anger and indignation before replying, "I don't think you know what I can and cannot afford. I'm sure another dealer will be interested in my business."

My attempt at being a foodie like my seester

2008-02-11T12:46:00.000-06:00

Using my seester Melly as my inspiration, I decided to use the extra can of pumpkin left over from the holidays. We were wanting something different for lunch. Since it is currently simmering away on the stove, I cannot comment on the taste. If it tastes as wonderful as it smells woohooo.

Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 large sprig parsley
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 can tomatoes (1 cup) -- (8oz)
1 lb cooked pumpkin (canned OK)
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add green pepper, onion, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Cook 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, pumpkin and chicken broth. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Puree. Blend together flour and milk and stir into soup.
Add salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil.
Serve immediately
Serves 6

2007-12-14T17:15:00.000-06:00

I received this from a friend from church. I thought it was very interesting. It really got me thinking about my life and what I 'think' is important.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning
Commentary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country? I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this Happen?'(regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' (She said the same thing when interviewed after 9-11)

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.
I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.
Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God
thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards. honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

A newly found Fav singer

2007-12-10T08:47:00.000-06:00

I found her on itunes looking for something else. I think her voice is amazing. Check out her website www.janemonheitmusic.com

2007-11-02T16:16:00.001-05:00

Waiting has been on my mind this week. Not an easy word for our society. We don't want to wait for anything. We want things right now. We have drive up windows for everything from pharmacies to banks to starbucks. We have drive-up windows for all kinds of food. We have restaurants that you can call ahead and when you get there your food is ready to go. I even saw a drive-thru liquor store.
If we do cook at home we have our microwaves. remove the plastic wrapper and BING dinner is served. Our lives have become so busy. We don't take time for what is important. What's important is a individual as fingerprints.
For me that is spending time with God. Praying. We are told in the Bible that we should "pray with out ceasing" and " His praise should be continualy on my lips". Do I do this? Not as much as I should. I too busy picking up extra shifts at work, trying to get the yard mowed, the house clean, etc, etc etc.
After about a week of running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I'm exhausted. I'm stressed out. My body is screaming for some rest. I was even diagnosed with central serous chorioretinopathy. Its not a serious as it sounds. Due to stress a small blister forms in the macula. Long story short, it helps see the fine print. These blisters usually go away on their own.
Check out www.esi-in.com/central_serous.htm for more information.
When I was thinking about the whole waiting thing, My son came to my mind. He's awesome. He is so talented. He plays both the guitar and the bass guitar. He has a goal to be a CIA counter-terrorism intelligence analysis. He has decided to join the Army after high school. This year is his senior year. He has this goal and is taking step to reach that goal.
My relationship with him has been a little rocky. Its getting better all the time, but for awhile it was not. I'm cherishing every conversation that we have, because in 10 months he leaves for basic training.
With all the symptoms of being completely stressed out a Bible verse came to mind, Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version) "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
When life gets to spinning way too fast I try to remember this verse.

2007-11-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

Hello. Welcome to the 1st ever blog by me. This is pretty bare right now. I will be adding things over time. You should check out my little sister's blog. She is very talented. imellyc