I am a FAILURE at blogging

Welp, Haven't blogged in a coons age.

On the 8th we had this super shitty snow storm which led my job to closing early! Woop
Well, with the extra hour off of work, Joe & I decided to drive to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.
OmG. The food was FANTASTIC.
We ordered these cheesy potato skins for an appetizer.
And then got the rib and pulled pork combo for dinner.
Mouth watering just thinking about it.

I decided to make a copy cat recipe of the potatoes.
So, here is what I did.

Ingredients:
Russet Potatoes
Vegetable oil
Cheddar Cheese
Center Cut Bacon.
All Seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Place center cut bacon on cookie sheet & bake for 20 minutes. (This is the easiest & cleanest way to cook bacon & get it super crispy)
3. While bacon is cooking, scrub potatoes and microwave for 5-7 minutes. (You can skip microwaving potatoes if you let them cook for a full over in a 400 degree oven for an hour- but Ain't Nobody Got Time for Dat). 
4. Coat potatoes with vegetable oil. 
5. Place potatoes in over and cook for about 30 minutes. 
6. Remove bacon after 20 minutes of cooking and let it cool. Then pull a bunch of the bacon apart into chunks! 
7. Once potatoes are cooked all the way through, remove from oven & cut in half & let cool before handling. 
8. Oh & bump up your oven temp to 450 now. 
9. Remove all but a 1/4 inch from the potato's (save the inside guts of the tater for a snack or dinner side for the next day- or throw the shit out, I don't care). 
10. Sprinkle a tad of all seasoning (just Google that- i basically threw salt, sugar, cumin, curry, pepper, paprika  garlic and onion powder together. No measuring. Just threw it together) 
11. Place potato skins on baking sheet & bake on one side for 10 minutes, flip, then bake on the other side for another 10 minutes (this is what really gets the CRISPY!) 
12. Remove from oven, FILL GENEROUSLY with cheese & top with bacon. 
13. Place back in oven until cheese melts completely & you're done! Yeehaw!

Don't these shits look bomb. 

Over the next few days Joe & I were slaves to wedding planning. 

We finally mailed out invitations. 

Woo. And yesterday (the 14th) we got out first round of response cards in! We made them fun, so hopefully that will get people to actually mail those things back. 

I really don't want to call stragglers the week AFTER they're due begging them to send the damn things in! 

The 13th was a rough day. 

It's been one year since my sister in law passed away. 

I never got the chance to get to know her. 

I met her once before her cancer diagnosis and because she lived out of state the one time was the only memory I have of her healthy. 

I know Joe had a rough day too. 

I tried to be thoughtful & I found this really pretty picture of his mother and sister from when his sister was young. 

I blew it up, put it in a nice frame & added it to our mantel. I like it a lot. Hope he does too. 

Valentines day was any other day. He went to work. I sat home on my ass. 

However, I did manage to run outside for the first time. 

It was SO much more enjoyable than running on the DREADmill but it was way too cold out for me. 

After about a mile, I couldn't maintain my breathing. It was so cold I felt like I was gasping for air. 

And then I got a horrible side cramp. 

I wanted to tough it out & do my mile and a half in under 15 (& I was on pace to do just that), but that cold air got the best of me. 

Oh well, come spring time I will own that shit. 

Then I got home & did a work out from Bender Fitness. If you haven't checked out this woman's website, I suggest you do. 

It was hard & I am def sore today! 

Afterwards, I blew my work out to shit by going to our usual place, Carrabbas. 

It was fun. 

I made fun of Joe for being on his phone during dinner. 

Happy Valentines Day! 

Today when I came into work I saw the most purdy flowers on my desk!
My co-worker Jan got me these

as a parting gift. I start my new job on Monday & she wants me to plant these in my garden. 

That way I will think of her from time to time! How sweet! 

Not to mention, they're pink, and gorgeous! 

So there, now you're all caught up (not that you probably care). 

Until next time. 

Normal CT scans and Broski Joining the Army

I haven't written in a couple days because I have been under the weather. Sort of.

For a few days I was/sort of still am having stomach pains in my lower right abdomen. Which, working in an Urgent Care setting causes me to be a hypochondriac. Naturally, my first thought was, "Oh shit, my appendix is about to rupture causing me to vomit to DEATH!" And then, panic set in. Nausea set in. Anxiety set in.
My next step was to call the doctor on for the day and run my symptoms by him. Which, according to WebMD, I was not having acute appendicitis. WebMD informed me that in fact, I was probably suffering from ovarian cysts.
Either one can be diagnosed with a simple CT scan.
So, that's what we decided would be best. With a tender and painful abdomen, something surely has to be wrong with me. Right?

Off to the radiologist I went. I got there early, hoping I could start drinking my nasty order of contrast so that way when my appointment time came I would be ready to go back. The thing with contrast is after you drink that nasty shit, you have to sit for about an hour. Then drink another glass and THEN you can get pictures of your rotting gut taken.

Well, going early was pointless. No one brought out my contrast until my appointment time of 12:45. I chugged the contrast. It tasted like flat, poisoned Mountain Dew. And I hate Mountain Dew. Probably the WORST soda known to man-kind.

Poisonous Mountain Dew contrast

Heads up: Contrast can make you incredibly sick. No one warned me of this. I have stomach issues as is, and after pounding that gross hunk of garbage I probably had to run to the bathroom a dozen times throughout the rest of the appointment. And this is the PG version.

As if drinking contrast wasn't enough, once you get on the table they shove and IV in your arm and pump some more in real quick. My arm started burning and then I felt like I pissed my pants. No joke. Thank God they warned me I would get that sensation, but seriously, I was convinced I peed all over their CT scanner. So embarrassing.

After the scan, they sent me to this little room and I walked in and found this little gem. AWKWARD.

Of course, after my bitching about pain, the scan came back completely normal. Minus the fact that I have slight follicles growing on my ovaries. Which I guess is very normal in most women.

I went home. That's it. Didn't need surgery to have my appendix ripped from my body. Didn't need any meds for my follicle growing ovaries. I am just a huge baby. All in all, I tortured myself on my day off. And then due to ingesting so much contrast had to take the next day off of work because I couldn't stop running to the bathroom.

Lovely.

And on a much more chipper note, my brother made a decision in his career path. He has decided to enlist in the Army. He has been talking about serving this great country for many months now and was just trying to decide what branch would be best for him.

On 2-4-13 he went to Syracuse to complete his MEPS and take his physical. It's a 2 day process. And yesterday he was sworn in.

He will leave August 6th for basic and then he will find out where he will be stationed after that. He asked to be as close to NY as possible, but we all know wherever the Army needs him, that's where he will end up.
I am incredibly proud to say that my brother will be serving our country. It takes a lot of courage to step up and be a man in this degree. Not everyone can go out and fight the fight.

I would be lying if I didn't say I was beyond scared too. He is my baby brother. He is the same kid that loved to watch Rosie O'Donnell with my mom as a kid (and posed as Tom Cruise), he is the same kid that beat up a boy in my neighborhood for not being nice to his big sister (mind you, he was probably 6 and the guy was 12), he is the same brother that drove his tricycle off the front porch and cut his head, he is the same brother  that over the years I have become very protective of. And to know, that I can't protect him when he is serving is gut wrenching. I've cried, multiple times. I know he will do great and he will be fine, but just thinking of him growing up and being an adult is so overwhelming. I just want him to be safe & I want the best for him.

 So, that's been my weekend. Toodles, bitches.

The National Anthem is not just a song....

A friend of mine posted the following status this evening...

" Why do ppl cry when someone sings the national anthem?"

My response was, "Because America is great."

And their reponse, "Not really... it's just a song."

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion & I guess I could see why some may think this way. However, it made me want to write about the song and what this country means to me. I am not big on the Super Bowl, or other sporting events, but when I hear our national anthem being sang or played, I stand up, remove any hats, and put my hand over my heart & Thank God to be an American. I am so blessed to be a citizen of this amazing country.

To me, the national anthem is NOT just a song. It's a tribute to our service men and women- past, present, and future. It's a tribute to the wars we fought - civil and foreign. It's a tribute to the American citizens themselves. What makes this country so great is our foundation. And the National Anthem is a huge part of our foundation. I may not always get teary eyed, but for the few minutes that the song is sang and played, I take a moment to reflect on how great life is. It's a reminder that I should not be selfish in life. Someone out there may not have it as easy as I. It's a reminder that their are great men and women serving for my freedoms.

I may not always agree or love my government, but I can assure you, the love for my country is unwavering and true. I may not serve in the military but I defend my country on a day to day basis. I make my opinions known. I stand by my constitution (as we all well know my thoughts on the 2nd Amendment & the recent infringements upon it).

O say can you see by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I am a big FAT cheater!!!

My dieting has been HORRIBLE these last couple of days.
I have pretty much eaten whatever I felt like. I mean, I haven't gone crazy or anything.
But I would be lying if I said I didn't eat a couple of double stuffed EL Fudge cookies at my sisters yesterday.
I also ate PF Changs for lunch. I mean, I had vegetable lo mein... so, that has to give me some credit of trying.
Then Joe & I went to Grinnells last night. I had a drink. Well, a drink and a half. And they were STRONG. I couldn't drive myself home. I think Mr. Grinnell asked them to make them potent to make up for not realizing who I was. I had a beer battered fish fry with french fries for dinner. FRIED FRIED & MORE FRIED.

I know everyone falls off the beaten path. But jesus.
And, to make matters worse, the gym closes @ 9 on the weekends and I work until 8pm. So, I can only get a quick 10-15 minute run in before I have to head out. And that's IF I even get out of work on time.

So basically, I suck. Oh well.
I will get more serious again come Monday.

My fur kid got his teeth cleaned. I feel so bad for him. That breathing tube ruined his throat. He can't stop coughing. Poor guy. But otherwise, he is all cleaned up and healthy. They didn't have to pull any teefers!!! woo!

And I think that's about it.

BYEEE!