Thursday, January 31, 2013

An Old Friend and a Chili Cookoff

Brian's "otha brotha," Tugi, came from Virginia to visit and do some serious snowboarding. He was only staying in Layton one night, so the Park clan threw a nice little gathering for dinner. A good time and amazing food was had by all. Terri (mama Park) put together a fabulous fiesta! Chicken fajitas and tacos with all the fixins: Mexican rice, re fried beans, guacamole...the works. They let me bring an appetizer/dessert this time (sometimes I wonder if they doubt my mad kitchen skills.) I made a delicious Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar chips. It was so yummy! Click for the >>Recipe<< I love Pinterest.

Kim w/ Claire, Becky, Caleb w/ Carson, and John
Brian, Tugi, Terri and I













The following day, Go Travel had a Chili cookoff to kick off Superbowl weekend. (Any excuse to work as little as possible.) The contenders: Stacy, Joe, Pam, Chris and myself were to face off in an epic battle of the beans.

When a reminder was sent throughout the office the day before judgement day, it was brought to our attention that there had been a minimal (nonexistent) amount of trash talk leading up to the event. So of course the office explodes with emails boasting their superior recipes from generations past, with supposed "Mayaztincan" (Mayan, Aztec and Incan) origin, and another from the far away land of Detroit. Mine? I probably got it off of the internet, but I've changed the recipe so much that I think I can officially call it my own; with exotic flavors of canned whats-its and prepackaged turkey. But...it is really good chili. One problem...I don't know how to trash talk! One of the many unfortunate misgivings of being an only child. So I did what I always do in times of uncertainty...I Googled it. WikiHow took me through the 5 step program of "How to Trash Talk:"

  • Step #1 - insult your opponents mothers
  • Step #2 - LIE. false trash talk is most effective
  • Step #3 - repeat the previous steps as necessary
  • Step #4 - if you lose, discontinue trash talk and hide immediately
  • Step #5 - challenge opponents to another match
I don't know who violated Pam's flyer (aca-Stacy)
Pam had already posted fliers in the kitchen and around the office promoting her "Chili con Gringo" (I don't think she actually put whitey IN the chili though, don't worry.) I, being the not-so-confrontational type, whipped up my own trash talking flyer. 

*Not for wussies

It got ugly and lasted until minutes before the contest. We eventually let the chili do the talking with a blind taste test for our Judge panel: Amber, Tom, and Jonathan. Brave souls that they are, they rated us very highly and it was very close! Joe got first place (I'm sure he bribed someone on the panel - Joe wins everything, and is therefore banned from future work contests.) Actually it was very good. I don't remember where everyone else placed but I got 3rd (out of 5). A comfortable middle - I've decided that I'm okay with that. I was told later that I shouldn't have played it so safe with the heat: I toned it down a little where I should have kicked it up! Next time there will be no question.

Anyhow, who can beat a work day like that? Chili and trash talk really brought us all together.

I love my job.




Tuesday, January 22, 2013

My Medical Mystery

So many of you have inquired about my injuries and why I've been spending so much time at the doctor. I guess it's about time for an explanation, so here's the short and sweet version:

In May of last year, I began training for a half-marathon again (I hadn't trained for a few months,) and I guess I just turned up the volume too quickly on my mileage. Had some pain in my knee and was told to take it easy for awhile. My doctor told me it was most likely just runners knee and it should heal up with rest. So I iced it, elevated it, and ate Ibuprofen like it was candy. After about a month and a half it had still not gone anywhere, so my Doc suggested physical therapy. My physical therapist had me doing some quad-strengthening exercises, nothing intense. But with these exercises came unbelievable pain and inflammation in my foot. (This is what has every doctor scratching their heads.)

It's been 8 months and the pain has not lifted - actually it progresses slowly over time, and has made it to my lower back as well. I'm doing physical therapy for my back, and it helps, but that's coming to a stand still as they are hesitating to continue until they know for sure what's going on between my knee and foot. (They have more of those quad strengthening exercises for me, which still have me writhing in pain for a few days after doing them.)

Long story short, I've had MRIs on my foot and back, as well as an EMG to rule out anything nerve related. The latest test was an ultrasound of my entire leg by a Vascular Surgeon - who could only shrug. I've seen just about every doctor - and referral after referral I get passed along from doctor to doctor, specialist to specialist...and the cycle continues. Meanwhile, it's driving me crazy not being able to do much of anything exercise-wise. So I keep going to doctor after doctor, because I have to hope that eventually I will find someone who will know or will find out. *Sigh*

It's been quite a circus act, but I'm keeping my chin up. :) If you know how to solve this medical misery mystery, please don't hesitate to share. Thanks all for your support during all of this. It's helped more than you know.



Monday, January 14, 2013

The Cone of Shame

Last August, Brian and I finally broke down and decided to get ourselves a puppy. We drove all the way to Provo to see some 7 week old Pit Bull/Lab mixes. Oh I could've scooped all of them up in a box and taken them all, but we were there to decide on just one. Brian wanted a black one, so I put my blinders on and tried to connect with one of the two beautiful and super sweet black pups. We both fell in love with Pepper, but while we were playing with the other puppies, a little brown one hopped in my lap and curled up for a cuddle. I wasn't paying any attention to the brown ones, but this one was so snuggley and loving that I just couldn't leave her behind. That brown baby became known as Bailey. I looked at Brian with pleading eyes and of course he obliged. After all, he had been sitting in puppy heaven, drunk on puppy breath along with me, so he was pretty easily convinced. I was nervous at first but looking back, I wouldn't have done it any other way. Two was definitely the way to go. They're so much more at ease when you bring them home because they have something familiar at their side, and they keep each other entertained.
Pepper
Bailey


My sweet puppies Pepper and Bailey turned 6 months old this week! And to celebrate, we got them spayed (sorry kids.) I was a wreck the week leading up to the surgery. I had dreams that two dogs went in and only one came out; it was beyond horrible. Brian was the one who took them in Thursday morning, and then picked them up at the end of the day. The surgery went fine but the pups were just a bit groggy and sore when they got home.

Of course, just in time for me to come home from work on Thursday, there was a huge snow storm. A 30 minute drive took me about 2 hours. It's in times like those that I really appreciate the all wheel drive in my Subaru. The roads were packed with snow and bumpy with ice, and traffic crawled. When it wasn't stop and go, it was 10mph. I was dying to see my poor babies; I had been worrying about them all day long.


Had already been driving 45 mins, and still over an hour to get home!


Okay, so they didn't actually get a cone to wear as the title suggests, but they had some pretty pitiful faces when I finally got home. Bailey was a trooper and was up and about, but sleepy. They both just wanted to cuddle up with us all night. Pepper was very sore, and reminded herself several times of which ways not to move. She usually does a Superman leap off the couch, which she quickly figured out she shouldn't perform for a few days.
Sad faces. Pepper kinda blends in, but you can see her little white toes
Brian took the whole week off to hang out with them, and I got to join him on Friday. We didn't get a whole lot accomplished other than the several naps we shared with the puppies, (and the staring contest Brian lost with Bailey - picture below) but all in all it was a great day. Pups are doing well, and pretty much back to normal. I love our little family.


Saturday, January 12, 2013

Collapsing Christmas & Back to Real Life

Welp, it's about that time after The Most Wonderful Time of the year when the Christmas cookies have all been eaten and the Tree becomes a beautifully decorated fire hazard. Our tree barely made it to The Day, and became a dusty needley mess. It probably didn't help that the tree served as a puppy snack from its entrance until its demise, but it gave Pepper and Bailey refreshingly piney puppy breath (which I must admit was not altogether unpleasant.)


So on New Year's Eve, I sadly plucked each ornament, candy cane and yanked each string of lights off of it's stiff dry branches, then stuffed them in the Fortune Cookie storage box to wait in the dark for another 12 months. Brian rolled the tree out the door and threw it in the snow on the curb. So sad. 

After taking everything down, Brian and I made Jambalaya and watched Up, then Ice Age 4 (because we're 10 years old) until right before midnight so we could count down with the residual Times Square celebration aired to MST. With the puppies tucked and curled by my legs under the blanket on the couch, I counted down with the crowd in NYC: 10, 9, 8...the excitement was building 6, 5, 4...and then finally 3,2,1! I turned to Brian for a New Year's kiss and...he was sleeping. He probably zonked out at about 9:30. Lame.

The first week of January: in lieu of my staple resolution that visits me for the first two weeks of every year, I have begun construction on my eating habits. Because of an injury, I can't really do much exercise except for Physical Therapy at the moment, but that's another story. I have been logging my daily intake on MyFitnessPal.com (sign up and friend me!) and have been trying to take short walks when I can. In the first few days, I was severely discouraged by my famine. I did so well at work, and by the time I got home I was ravenous. Nothing was safe. And I was so disappointed the next morning when recounting the shamefulness from the night before.

I hit Pinterest, and I hit it hard. I came up with a few solutions and found a winner. Bell pepper "chips" and salsa. You cut up a couple bell peppers (I used green) into chip-like chunks, spray with olive oil, and dust with garlic powder. Bake them at 400F for about 10 minutes. I don't even think I waited for the oven to finish preheating or for the timer to go off. My friends, it's delicious. And it's a lot of food! I had trouble finishing it and the whole plate was under 150 calories.

I am also not a breakfast person. I struggle to find something I can have at work that is quick and easy and won't pack on the pounds (especially with an Einsteins Bagels just a parking lot away.) But I may have found a solution. Ham and egg cups. Not only are they adorable, but they are scrumptious, and only 117 calories so you can even have it with half of an English muffin and still be good to go. Another one of my favorite switches is for dinner. I don't know about you, but pasta is a serious weakness of mine. Good thing I found out that zucchini strings are just as tasty. You can still put whatever sauce and toppings on it you like and not miss out on any of the taste.

Well, that's enough of my rambling. How are you all doing with your resolutions? I hope you're all staying warm and safe wherever you are.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Resolutions

Hello friends!

Welcome to my New Year's resolution. As in years past, I've decided once again to take on entering and becoming part of the blogosphere. It hasn't stuck with me yet but I've decided (again) that 2013 is my year. Prepare yourselves for my special breed of randomness and wit that is forthcoming in future posts. In addition to my blogging (semi) regularly, I have several other to-do's on my resolution list this year (because what you don't stick with the year prior apparently follows you on to the next.)

Of course it wouldn't be a New Year's resolution if it didn't include finally getting serious about losing weight and gaining health. No excuses.
About that...I'm just going to do what I can and kinda hope for a miracle.

I'm also planning an attack on the tremendous stack of books I've been forever piling. The proposed plan is to read 1-2 books each month until completely de-stacked. January will start with The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho.

These are what I have planned so far, it will keep me busy until about September
Not shown: The Host by Stephanie Meyer (you know...since the movie is coming out)

So there ya have it. Something about having it all in writing seems to make it binding. *Gulp* Thanks to my fabulous blogger friends that are my inspiration...you have possibly created a monster.

What have all of you promised to change in 2013?