Nothing, Really

It's going to sound crazy, but I just haven't had anything to say lately.

I miss writing, though. Because it's sort of relaxing to journal for me.

I got a new, really nice purse (better than anything I've previously owned.) Mark picked it out. He's a great shopper. (I'm so lucky.)

I've been cleaning, organizing, scrapping a little. I think I am going to set up a scrapbook blog to post my latest layouts. I love looking at others to get ideas, so it makes sense to share mine. I share practically every thought I have here, so why not?

Break's Over

Today is the first day of school, last semester for my Bachelor's. (I can't decide if I want to keep going and get my Masters yet or not.)

I'm off to classes in 20 minutes. I just have two back-to-back Math classes in the evenings, Tues/Thur. I'll have a pretty long day those days (1 p.m. to 8 am) but I will be free for the rest of the week and can take an hour nap between school and work.

It's been kind of busy getting ready and trying to close up some of my summer projects before fun's over...

I think I will try to make a better effort to take the time to have some fun during the semester this time.

Storm

We had an electrical storm so strong that the thunder was setting off car alarms. It woke me up. (I guess waking me up is actually a stronger statement than setting off car alarms, but you'd only know this if you ever tried waking me up.)

It was pretty loud. Not a lot of rain though. Just enough to make everything smell nice.

We went on a date today. Bowling (we tied), a movie (Pirates), and dinner at Rubio's.

School starts tomorrow. Yippee. (That's half sarcastic and half excited to put the brain back to work.) My parking pass went from $89 which felt like a lot up to $200 and I still have to walk nearly a mile from the parking lot to campus! Crazy. Anyhoo... we're off.

Consumer Advisory Alert

A strict warning is in place for the All-You-Can-Eat Sunday Brunch at Marie Callendar's. Consuming this product, even in moderation, will produce the following adverse reactions:

• Mixing food on one's plate which should never touch, such as Salmon, Waffles with fresh blueberry, and eggs benedict.
• Disappointment when beautiful food tastes mediocre at best
• With no price posted, expect some initial shock when the bill arrives $15/plate.
• Stomach cramps which last all day and severe vomiting several hours later.

Ahhhh!

Sigh of relief. I took my test. There were no serious surprises. I studied appropriately. I did pretty well in there. I won't find out until they noodle the numbers and decide an appropriate score to call a "pass." It depends on the sample group. If there were a fair share of idiots in my group then, I passed for sure.

I guess I should wait to celebrate until I get my results though, because if there were too many over acheivers in the group, then perhaps I shant be celebrant at all.

Anyway. I really don't care one way or another because it feels so good to have it behind me for now.

Game Plan

By this time tomorrow I will be sitting down to take my test. AGHH!

So what am I doing with my time today? So far, nothing related. I put my laundry away. I'm trying not to think about it or get too stressed out. I'm going to sit down in a coffee shop and work a few problems, go to the gym to cycle, and then take a hot bath and go to bed early.

At work, before the test, I am going to do flash cards, do concentration exersizes and write scrapbooking journals. (You only get 2 hours of peak brain use per day and my test is 3.5 hours long - so I'm not doing any higher level thinking before the test.) Maybe I'll do some suduku puzzles. That's always good for turning on the logic centers of the brain.

I am going to do a lot of positive thinking, have a confident attitude that my best will be enough. However, I will also try to remember that taking the test, even if my best is not enough, will give me advantage if I need to retake it and will satisfy a lot of potential employers that I am committed to becoming certified... so that I do not become catatonic if it isn't going well in there.

I will (pass or fail) post my results for the world when they come out in six weeks. I will not be embarassed if I fail, because 60 percent of attempts on this test do. I'd be in good company. Sometimes it takes three or four attempts.

I guess I better get on with my day. I'm putting it off because as long as I've been puttering around the house in my PJ's, I've been able to ignore the subtle stress going on. Wish me luck.

Taking Time to Preserve Time

It's really rare considering how much I love to that I actually sit down and scrapbook. However, with Stephanie getting so amped, she keeps wanting some help here or a companion there. Somehow, I've scrapped more the passed few weeks that I have all put together in history.

It's been awesome. On Sunday, I did the hard part of getting started on the Honeymoon. I narrowed down from over 600 photos the selections that might make the pages - that was fun looking at all the pictures - decided on a color theme and decided how I want to story to feel. I reread the blog entries, travel journal entries, and went through boxes of stuff we brought back. (This is one of the things I like about doing this... you get to remember things. - I found a seashell I picked up on Sugar Beach. I wish I had found some chocolate covered cashews but we ate them all and I just found the package.) Afterward, I actually got the first day finished completely. (7 to go.) The pages are probably the best I've done, too. Very colorful and soft. --

And today, I all but finished the Wedding pages. Again, it's neat to look back on the day. Now that the pages are done, I can do that anytime I want.

It's been very relaxing considering that I have only two days left until my test. I'm trying not to stress and study too hard because my brain tends to shut down if I work too many problems in too short of a time. This is a great way to completely take my mind somewhere else.

What's Great!

Blogging is great. I just looked back at old posts and remembered some very good times. I'm so glad I do this.

TC Eggington's in Mesa is an awesome place to eat. We decided to try something new and WOW.

I had an artichoke and klamata olive omelet with zucchini and feta cheese and Me-Lovey had a skillet pan with roasted potatoes covered in two cheeses, chicken, chorizo, and over easy eggs. We were both pretty impressed. Go there.

Something Different

I actually cooked something I've never had before today. I looked at a ton of different recipes and combined them to make my own. It was terrific, so I am passing it on. Take my lead and try this adventure soon.

Mona's Chicken Cacciatore

1 T olive oil
3 large chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 t rosemary
1 t dried basil
1 t oregano
1/4 t pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 c onion chopped
1/2 c celery chopped
1/2 c bell pepper chopped into 1 inch strips
1 (26 oz) can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Brown the chicken (I use my little indoor grill because it is faster). Chop the (not completely cooked) chicken into 1 inch squares. In a skillet on medium heat (careful or you will burn the garlic), mix the vegetables and seasons for a couple minutes. Add the chicken and tomato stuff. Cover and simmer roughly 20 minutes.

Serve over hot pasta. (Spaghetti is the most traditional for this dish. You can start the pasta when you cover the sauce and just serve it when the noodles are ready. It doesn't have to be exactly 20 minutes. The longer you simmer, the richer the flavor of the sauce. Some recipes call for an hour of simmering.) I melted some italian cheese blend over the top and served with steamed asparagus.

YUMM!

Also, I am really proud of Mark's latest accomplishment. Check out his website link for more details.

Latest Splurge

I just got this cute little scrap booking tool-tote so that when I go to the place with Stephanie, I can easily take all my gear. Mark calls it my dorko-bag.

full. 

A Little Of Nothing

I haven't written in a while for two reasons:

a) I am very busy

b) doing nothing very interesting.

So, that's the summary for the time-challenged reader.

The more indepth version is:

I made two more scrapbook pages with Stephanie and we are going to have a standing once a month date to scrap at the scrapbooking store on Sunday afternoon. (All friends and family in the area are invited to join us - I'm thinking of you in particular, Jamie.) We're both pretty hooked.

I had my weight-loss challenge massage on Monday. I really cannot overrate the awesomeness of a professional massage. The difference between having a friend rub your back and having a pro do it is like going from riding a tricycle to driving a sprint car.

I was up for 37 hours doing overtime over the weekend. I should have said, "no." (But I can use the overtime to buy another massage!) It wasn't that bad for me, but for everyone who had to deal with me, I'm sorry.

I'm almost all ready to go to school. My first class is on the 22nd. I just need to go in for my books. (I will probably file for graduation at the same time.)

I take my test in 8 days, on the 16th. I'm pretty ready. It could go either way. I'm prepared for the worst. It will be awkward telling people if I fail if I say I think I'll pass. So, prepare for the worst also, just in case. But, still, keep your fingers crossed for me.

I made a collage of smaller pics from our trip to Utah. Stephanie is really getting involved in scrapbooking. I helped her put together her first pages today and they are really awesome. Now she totally has the bug. (Thanks for the kits, Lindsey! I finally have someone in AZ to scrap with!) We also found out that the scrapbooking store by her mom's work lets you crop for free (my usual place is $5 / half-hour) Steph has her eye on a canvas crop tool tote that I am going to get on coupon day.