Snow Day Part Deux

Snow days always make me relive my childhood - no school, hot chocolate, sleeping in (except hot chocolate is replaced with wine in the adult snow day).

You may have heard about the SuperBowl commercial that will reunite Danny Tanner, Joey and Uncle Jesse from Full House. Apparently the three amigos are doing a full- out press tour to promote the ad. I'm particularly thankful for this reunion that happened on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Full House Guys Reunion

Enjoy your snow day!

SNOW DAY!!!!!

Today, I'm thankful for a snow day!!! I've been nursing an intense wine headache and generally lounging, catching up on Downton Abbey episodes. It's been glorious!

I'm even more grateful that I made it home safely (in a speedy 4 hours).  I'm so happy that my friends in the city were safe and had shelter for the night if they didn't make it home. 

Enjoy the snow day! I'm back to Downton!

Orange Slices = Love?

This morning I was slicing a navel orange to eat for breakfast at work.  I love oranges - the sweet-sour citrus flavor coupled with the juiciness of the fruit makes them one of my favorite things.  The best navel oranges are available in the winter.  Although winter is probably one of my least favorite things, fresh and delicious oranges can provide a bright spot on a bleak wintry day like today. 

When I was growing up, the best fruit oranges came direct from Florida.  If you were lucky, a traveling friend or relative could bring you some Florida oranges direct from the grove.  As a secondary option, we could purchase oranges and grapefruit from the Indian River Fruit Company.  Of course, oranges are normally available at the grocery store, but oranges brought or shipped to us direct from Florida were always superior.  

My grandmother, whom I will refer to as "Nanny" for the rest of the entry, loves oranges as much or more than I do.  When I was a child, there was nothing better than spending the night with Nanny and Pa.  Not only did I have a huge, fluffy bed with a canopy (pretty much the ultimate for an 8-year old) to sleep in, there was always a special breakfast.  I wasn't left to fix my own cold cereal or oatmeal at Nanny's - no siree, Bob!  At Nanny's it was always French toast.  Slabs of bread (if you were lucky, homemade sourdough) dredged in egg, sugar and cinnamon then cooked to perfection and served with butter and maple syrup.  Nanny, a former home economics teacher, is obsessed with nutrition and makes it her business to ensure everyone gets their recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables (this is a woman, who at 82, has a better bone density than most 35-year olds, so it really has paid off). So, this delicious French toast was often served with a fresh orange.  

If you have ever eaten an orange, you know that everyone like theirs sliced differently.  My mother always sliced oranges in quarters, my father always sliced his in "pinwheel" slices, and Nanny always cut hers in eighths, often cutting off the edge if there was a lot of membrane.  THIS IS MY FAVORITE WAY TO CUT AN ORANGE.  It is the way, in my book, they taste the best.  After an overnight adventure at Nanny's, I would return home and request that my parents cut their oranges like Nanny's.  Of course, they rolled their eyes and cut the oranges how they wanted to cut them.  I firmly believe if they would have cut their oranges like Nanny cuts hers, they probably would have enjoyed their oranges much more.  

When I became old enough to wield a sharp knife and cut my own oranges, I exclusively follow Nanny's technique.  This morning as I was slicing my orange, I couldn't help but think of Nanny and her French toast breakfasts accompanied by exquisitely cut oranges.  To many people, food is love - it has always been Nanny's particular brand of love.  From breakfast foods to chicken and dumplings and from green beans to chocolate cake, Nanny stirs, kneads, snaps and mixes every dish she creates with a tremendous amount of tenderness and sentiment.  And it shows - Nanny's orange slices always tast better than anyone else's (even the ones I cut myself), the savoriness of her green beans can't be matched and don't even get me started on her cornbread dressing.  I (as well as my mother and sister) have tried to recreate many of Nanny's dishes, and while they are tasty, they never quite taste the same.  The missing ingredient won't ever be found or replicated - because it is Nanny's love.  And they don't sell that at Trader Joe's.  

From left to right:  My mom, Edna, me, Nanny, and my sister, Sara

TRADER JOE'S!!!!!

Well . . . it looks like I goofed and missed my first day of blogging.  I'll be sure to do a "bonus" post this week to make up for my oversight.

Today, I want to talk about something I am very grateful for . . . Trader Joe's, your friendly neighborhood grocer.  It's no secret I am obsessed with TJ's, and I don't believe I've ever come across anyone who doesn't absolutely lurve it.  In fact, our friends across the border in Canada love it so much that a enterprising man purchased $350,000 worth of TJ's products and sold them for a handsome profit in Vancouver (at a store aptly called Pirate Joe's - ha!).  Check out his story:  Man spends $350,000 at Trader Joe's in Seattle and resells it at a profit in Vancouver at his Pirate Joe's

 TJ's is the perfect place to shop when you usually are cooking for one or sometimes don't feel like cooking at all because you're just ready to decompress from a stressful day at work.  They have great prices on organic and non-GMO products as well as antibiotic-free meat.  I have also been really impressed with their shift in seafood suppliers to make sure their selection is coming from sustainable sources.  You can read more about this here.  

For lunch today, I made a delicious salad courtesy of Orna at Orna Bakes.  She loves Trader Joe's maybe even more than I do - in fact, she an amazing list of all the best products at Trader Joe's, including Weight Watcher point values.  You can check it out here - Orna's TJ Shopping List. 

Onto my delicious salad . . . it is Asian-inspired and super healthy and almost all the ingredients can be found at TJ's!!  I started with quinoa, added some broccoli slaw and tuna then threw in some edamame and pomegranate seeds for good measure.  Topped with some Trader Ming's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette, the result was a perfect lunch salad, and healthy to boot!  Thanks to Orna for the inspiration for my delicious lunch! I would have taken a photo my salad, but was halfway done eating this divine creation when I thought of that.  Next time!! 

To all the powers that be . . . thank you for my beloved, precious TRADER JOE'S!

Gala

So sorry for the late post but I got home late. I went to a gala for a hospital fundraiser tonight. A bunch of coworkers went and it was so much fun! The band and food were fantastic and there were gorgeous flowers everywhere (I love fresh flowers). 

I am grateful for coworkers who make my office a fun place to be and who are fun to spend time with at galas!!

Friday Nights

I must be getting old.

The perfect Friday afternoon/night to me is the one I had today. Off work a little early, home to relax for a while, to the gym for running and Body Pump, home for a healthy home-cooked dinner, a glass or two of wine, and watching some shows from the week on DVR. I love Friday nights, the beginning of the weekend, time to unwind and relax. I love going out on Fridays but I especially love staying in.

I need to work on my food photos but this was delicious--salmon, roasted cauliflower, brown rice. So good. Happy Friday friends!! 

Happy Outcomes

Today I am grateful for my patients. My job is not always fun or easy but I love working with patients. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to help women have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies. I am so very blessed to have had the opportunities I have had to be able to provide care to women and their families.

Prayer, Chocolate, Wine, Sleep

It's funny how a visit to the UNC Hospital can really take forever. My sister had to leave for the airport during my last appointment there in September! 

My mom and I stayed in a lovely hotel last night near the hospital specifically so that we could walk there (parking is a cluster!) but it was too cold to walk this morning. The hotel had a van so we hitched a ride to the hospital. I had an 11:30 MRI appointment and we got there early around 11:10. By the time I registered, found the MRI suite, had my IV started, had the MRI, and met back up with my mom it was 1:10! My aunt and uncle met us after the MRI and we went to my doctor's office. UNC Hospital is several hospitals (general, women's, children's, cancer, neuroscience) all joined together by a long walkway. It is quite impressive. We got to Dr Ewend's office for my 1:30 appointment early and waited and waited and waited to see him. We then had to get some copies of my MRI to take with me. My mom and I were driving away from the hospital at 4:30. What a loooong day.

My visit went well. I am not really sure what I was expecting going into today's visit but I am not surprised with how it turned out. There is about 2 x 2 x 2 cm of tumor left. I started with a tumor that was almost 4 x 4 x 4 cm. The tumor has been downgraded from "large" to "small to medium". Dr Ewend gave me my options: watch and wait, radiation, surgery. I am a candidate for all three options but he thinks that I will eventually have to do either radiation or surgery. I am personally more of a fan of surgery because I am young and it seems that I hopefully have a lot of years left and radiation has about 20 years of data--not long term data on patient outcomes. Each option has a list of pros and cons. Meanwhile, I have been feeling that my life is "on hold" waiting for today's appointment, and I don't want for my life to be "on hold" in anticipation of another major surgery--i.e. continuing to watch and wait sounds tedious. 

So I am going to pray, eat chocolate, drink wine, and sleep on it. There is no hurry to make a decision this time, which is fabulous but also makes the decision a little bit more challenging. 

I am eternally grateful today and every day for the support that y'all have given me. I am so very grateful for my family, my friends, my coworkers, and my UNC healthcare team--I could never feel as brave as I have without everyone's support!

Custom made trophy compliments of my cousin Johnny. Still sitting on my dining room table! 

Snow in Chapel Hill

I am in Chapel Hill tonight with my mom. I have a follow up MRI and visit with my favorite neurosurgeon tomorrow--praying that I get some good news!! I picked my mom up at the airport in Raleigh and it started snowing! It was quite beautiful. We walked to dinner in the snow but at that point it was just really cold. Today I am grateful for the gorgeous snow. i hoping that my providers and all of the hospital employees have a safe commute in the morning.❄

Martin Luther King Jr

Today I am grateful for Martin Luther King Jr. I am grateful that we grew up in a very different society than our parents and grandparents, where friendships and love conquer differences in race with considerable less resistance than when our parents were our age. Society still has a long way to go in achieving equal rights for many groups, but at least with courageous leaders like MLK Jr we have made so much progress.

Gem of a gym

I was homesick for many things when I moved to Wilmington. I missed my family, all of my lovely friends, my neighborhood, my favorite restaurants, and the gym. I adjusted to life in Wilmington and although I did still miss much about Atlanta, I realized that I would visit often and that friends and family would visit me! I found new restaurants to frequent and new activities to do. I even found a great barn for Belle!

But the gym situation was seriously lacking. I did a trial of several gyms in town and ended up joining a gym across the street from where I work. It was ok but I was never too excited about going there. Actually, it was a pretty crappy gym, outdated, and they kept canceling their Body Pump classes.

I got a Christmas present when O2 Fitness opened their second Wilmington location within walking or running distance of my house last month!

OverlaysSHARETWEET

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Today I am so grateful for my new gym! I went to yoga this morning as my leg has been hurting and I am taking a few days off from running. Yoga was a blast! The gym offers Body Pump classes almost every day, as well as a pretty comprehensive schedule of other fitness classes. The employees and members are super friendly. I can only hope that I feel as at home at my new gym as I did at the Decatur/DeKalb YMCA--so far things are looking great!

Mt.McCarty attempts a comeback

Today I am grateful that there was a relatively easy fix to our washing machine. As I began the final loads of the remnants of Mt.McCarty, I heard a loud buzzing noise. Then, when I went to check the sound, I realized that there was also water leaking out. UGHHHHH! 

Paul began watching videos for common washing machine issues, and started to take the machine apart. Although we did have about 15-20 gallons of water that were stuck in the machine come pouring out onto the floor, the fix was pretty easy. The problem was the number one problem that machines have. How lucky! It ended up that one of my boob pads was stuck in the pump on the washing machine. What a relief!

Half-birthday nuzzles for Grandmom

Paul took this picture to capture the first time that my mom met Ru. She was so disappointed that she was not able to meet him right after he was born, but my granddad needed her help as he was recovering from surgery. As she held Russell for the first time, I could see her worries and stress about my granddad lift.

It's hard to believe, but today is Russell's 6-month birthday! I have been back at work for about three months, and have been relieved that the pace of my days typically does not leave space for me to miss or worry about him. Today was the first day that my jam packed schedule did not keep me distracted. I just couldn't get him off my mind.

I pretty much ran inside once I got to my parents house this afternoon to pick Russell up. As I gathered all of his stuff, and caught up with my mom about his day, she was excited to share that Russell was learning how to give kisses. She then showed me how he nuzzled his little nose and lips against her cheek for a "kiss". For the second time, I could see her completely relax and let her current worries settle. I was taken aback by the tenderness of the moment as he nuzzled and his Grandmom nuzzled. Today I am grateful that my mom had the chance to relax.  It was really nice to see her face free from lines of worry and anxiety, even if it was only for a brief period.

The classic combo is back!

Today I am grateful for my co-teacher. We had a meeting today to prepare for her return to work next Tuesday. I know that returning will be bittersweet, but I am excited to have the classic combo (hence the PB& J sandwich pic :-)) back in the Learning Center.

Making strides

Left: How I feel on a typical Wednesday. Right: How I felt today.

Wednesday's are typically my longest days. Part of the reason is because the school schedule is a little crazy, and the other reason is because I start to feel the early mornings catch up to me by this point, but still feel like there is a lot left to my work week. Wednesdays I teach 1st, 3rd, and 5th periods for a little more than 90 minutes each. Third and fifth periods have the most number of students, and also the students who are struggling the most. Many of them are failing a class, and most at least two classes. I often feel like a chicken with my head cut-off as I attempt to work with all of the students either individually or in small groups on their respective math and science classes. I often spend a fair amount of time trying to redirect those that I am not working with in hopes that they will work independently on the assignment that we agreed on at the beginning of class.

Fifth period today was amazing. The students came in and worked quietly until lunch, and then, settled back to their work after only about five minutes once they returned from lunch. I was able to work with all of the groups that I needed/wanted to, and felt like the students that I worked with actually made some strides in understanding the material we went over.

I must say that I was particularly surprised that this class period went so well. After the laptop was stolen Monday, I was forced to change my beginning and ending class protocols. Yesterday was tense in most of my classes as I explained the change, and why the change was taking place. Many of the students in my fifth period were angry about the situation, and expressed resentment that because a peer took something, they all had to suffer. I explained to them honestly that I also felt uncomfortable about having to keep the back office area completely locked off, and check out computers individually, but that it is also my job to take care of the materials that we are so fortunate to have. I am grateful that fifth period showed me that they respected my management decisions today. That these students who are so used to having privileges removed due to actions done by their peers thanked me for being honest in my discomfort, and more importantly, for sharing my feelings and reasoning.

Tuckered out Tuesday

Today I am grateful that Russell was not into naps at daycare. He was so sleepy that he slept all the way through the gridlock that began in Decatur. The bottom picture is not the actual traffic I was in, but is a picture of GA 400 during rush hour.

Groceries for gratitude

I knew that I would have trouble finding a daily gratitude at points throughout the year, but I certainly did not think it would be the second day into this year-long adventure. My day began in a fury, and continued this way throughout. During my holiday break, which I know I am lucky to have, I quickly adjusted to my holiday morning routine. This routine did not include a 4:45 wake-up call. Also, I guess I was hoping that I had magically cut my morning events down by 25 minutes.

Before I knew it, 1:45pm had arrived, and it was time for planning. My students still seem to be adjusting back into the school groove, so although the instructional part of my day went quickly, it was rather bumpy. I had a 1:50 meeting today, so I was rushing to get the laptops plugged back into the cart to juice up for another busy day tomorrow, when with a sinking feeling, I only got up to a count of 18. I counted, re-counted; walked away, then came back and counted again. Hoping that the 19th computer would be there. It was not, nor was it in any hiding places around the room. I reluctantly went to report the theft, and then to my meeting... 15 minutes late by this point. I wondered who else besides myself was thinking, 'Good gracious! This lady needs to get her *&%$ together'.

As I pulled out of the DHS parking lot to pick up Russell from my parents' house, I called Paul. He was at the grocery store "picking up a few things", so said he would call me back later. I figured that he was just getting some fruit and salad to tide us over for a quick dinner and lunch for tomorrow. This grocery shopping act alone was enough to make me grateful because it was one less item to complete tonight once arriving home.

When I finally got home about 7:40, I quickly realized that Paul had shopped for the entire week, and had meals planned out too! He had also gone to the Whole Foods, rather than the Kroger nearest us because Whole Foods has the organic produce that I wanted to buy to start making Russell food. Paul knew that he could not do anything to fix my frustrating and disappointing work day, but he could ease the load by taking two of my least favorite weekly activities, grocery shopping and meal planning, off my shoulders.

Mt. McCarty reaches new heights

Yes... this is a picture of the mounds of laundry that resulted from a week without a working dryer. About a month ago, Paul and I were offered a lightly used dryer to upgrade our current dryer. We were only asked to pay $50, so needless to say, Paul and I were excited to start using a hopefully more efficient dryer. Last Saturday Paul and a friend moved out the old dryer, and in the new dryer. After getting it installed, they found that it ran, but did not put out any heat... definitely a problem. Paul spent Saturday evening and Sunday researching possible problems, and ordered a new part that hopefully would fix the issue. Thankfully, my mom and dad took a huge basket of laundry to their house last Sunday in hopes of putting dent in the already growing pile of laundry, which I lovingly call, "Mt. McCarty."

Unfortunately, the new part did not fix the problem, and we had to switch back to the original dryer. As I gradually broke down Mt.McCarty throughout the day today, I recognized my first gratitude topic. The original dryer that Paul and I have is nothing fancy. It was the first purchase that we made after returning from our honeymoon; also with mounds of laundry. Although it is not the most efficient dryer, nor does it have any fancy settings, it works. After going through a week without a working dryer, and feeling my stress build as the mounds grew, I am grateful that I could finally start to deconstruct Mt. McCarty today. On a deeper level, as I folded the loads and loads of laundry, I began to reflect that I am even more grateful about the fact that we have enough clothes, towels, etc. to build a mountain of laundry throughout a week.

Hi Lovelies!

Welcome to our Latitudes of Gratitude blog! Happy 2014! I am super excited about starting my first ever blog!

Starting a gratitude blog was Claire's idea, something she proposed after learning about the idea from a friend. See http://365grateful.com/original-365-project. The idea is to every day post something that you are grateful for. It can be a blog entry or a picture or both! We all know that we have so many blessings. By reflecting on our blessings we become more mindful of and gracious for them.

We plan to alternate weeks of being the "author". The author for the week will post something that she is grateful for every day of that week.

I will kick off this project by saying I am so incredibly grateful for our friendships! We are so very lucky and blessed to have each other.

Cheers to a brand new year and a brand new blog!