Update

Most of my recent posts have been opinion posts, so I'm going to update you all on what Graham and I have been up to in the past couple of months.

--Reality. We work, come home, eat, work out (me only), read our scriptures, watch some TV, and go to bed.

That is all.


Just kidding.. Kind of. We haven't been doing anything special, just living life to the minimum and waiting until the weekends.

So, for Valentines Day, Graham had a surprise day planned out for us. However, with our luck, nothing worked out. The reservation he made for dinner fell through, we didn't go to Seattle, and I figured out his surprise present for me. So, Graham worked on my present all morning (I'll have to post pictures later since I lost the freaking USB cord for the camera), which turned out great. We then tried to go out to a non-chain Italian restaurant for a late lunch, but it didn't open until 4 PM. So we went to Olive Garden, and I had the nastiest meal. DO NOT GET THE GNOCCI. Anyways, we went to see "He's just not that into you"... which I really liked. Graham tolerated it just fine. I also loved the way the ladies were dressed in the movie, except slutty Scarlett Johansen. I also wished I was as skinny as Jennifer Connelly. So... that was our big day. Exciting right?

So last weekend, we had Graham's entire family come stay up with us for the weekend. There were NINE OF US in a 2 bedroom apartment. Needless to say, it kind of stressed me out. We also spent $90 in food preparing for them to visit, and they ate it up. I don't know how his family can be so skinny. They eat like beasts! We played Wii with his family, which was HILARIOUS because his dad kept saying what crappy technology it was, when really.. he just couldn't play very well. Plus, Graham also almost killed someone playing Guitar Hero because he got so frustrated. But, we put our massive LoveSac to good use (I'll post a picture sometime) and I made some tasty homemade lasagna.

As far as my health goes, I've really been trying to step my diet up into a healthier bracket. Being a dietitian, I know all the tricks, I know what I should be eating more or less of, and I know what to buy. So after my high cholesterol diagnosis, we went to a store and got some Bob's Red Mill flaxseed meal, which is high in omega-3's. Omega-3's are the good fats that can help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase your HDL (good) cholesterol. So, I use about 2 tablespoons a day of this, which provides more than 2 times the daily recommended amount. I put it in my yogurt (it doesn't taste very good like this, but hey? what else can I do), my soup, or anything else I can get my hands on. I bought Quaker Squares cereal (my favorite) for the soluble fiber content, which can help lower LDL. I snack on the cereal instead of other bad or neutral foods at home. I really am trying to exercise everyday, but that heart incident scared me and I took a break for a bit.

As far as plans for the future.. we have plenty of things lined up. My sister-in-law, Ali, has a baby shower next week. Our friend Warren is getting married in a few weeks in Portland. I'm going on a road trip in the end of March with Graham's cousins to California so I can visit my family. My sister is coming to visit in May and we're going to go to Victoria, BC, and possibly Forks, WA--home of the Twilight vampires (no I have not read those books). In June, my family is having a family reunion in Tahoe, and our friends Jered and Amy are getting married in Portland. My brother and his kids may also come up to visit us. Our friend Paul is ALSO getting married in Portland in June. In July, Graham's cousin Tyler gets married and we have an option of attending 2 family reunions on Graham's side, but I don't know if we can attend either of them. Then in August/September, we plan on taking a long weekend road trip with our friends Ryan and Karen to Bend, Oregon.

So.. I guess that makes up for our boring life now.

But anyways, I promise to post more pictures next time. I have some sweet ones of the gift Graham made me. We decided to make our own wall art in December because it can be SO expensive. So, we bought some designer-grade fabric at Joanne's (half-off) back in December, and Graham did the lumber and cutting on Valentines Day. Now, we have modern, designer-like wall art. It totally matches our room, looks professional, and only cost $30!

All right people.. I'm actually at work now. I'm working my first weekend alone, and it's totally an easy day. Woohoo! Plus, I get paid $1.75 more per hour on the weekends!

Freak Show

I might offend some of you faithful watchers of TLC, but I've been wanting to rant about this for some time.

TLC is just a glorified FREAK SHOW.

They have shows that feature "mermaid girl", "pregnant man", "small people", etc. They pretend to show how brave these people are living their lives being so different, but what they're just doing is a more discreet and sneaky version of the old school circus freak show.

And I'm tired of it. Do I really need to watch a show about a woman who was pregnant for 50 years and didn't know it? Does it fulfill my life in anyway?

Yes, some of these shows have piqued my interest, but I refuse to watch them. It's none of my business to watch a poor little girl with one leg/mermaid fin, or to find out more about the pregnant "man". Can't we leave them be? It just makes things worse, especially for the people who want attention for the freakiness, like the Duggars. 18 kids? Come on. You don't deserve a TV show for that.

Anyways, just wanted to speak my mind.

You never realize how good you have it..

Until it's almost gone.

I have a weird sense of pride that I never get sick. I'm almost immune to illnesses that ordinarily people get (the flu, cold, etc).. even though I have made that excuse many times before.

Then, I got told I have high cholesterol. One big blow to my pride.

Then this weekend, another big shot to my ego.

I wasn't feeling too great for the past week or so.. Sleep was hard coming, Graham had a cold, I had a sympathetic cold.. etc.

Then yesterday in bed, my heart started beating irregularly. It was like a normal horse just galloping around, when it would suddenly pause and stomp harder. This weird pattern kept going for about 10 minutes, and that was it. Graham and I were like, that was weird..

So we took a hike for the holiday.. about 2.5-3 miles, uphill and downhill. My heart was perfectly fine.. galloping like any normal heart would.

Back in the car about 15 minutes later, more irregular beats.. which continued for about 45 minutes this time. I got all freaked out, and Graham did too. So, we decided to go to urgent care to get it checked out. I had the feeling the irregular rhythm would disappear once scrutinized by others, which it did. Boy did I feel sheepish. The doctor blamed my heart palpitations on too much caffeine (I drank maybe 5 diet cokes on sunday, and more yesterday. By the way, do NOT drink diet pepsi max. It does bad things to you... and your heart.)

But my heart thing came back... and stayed. The whole night.

Graham did not sleep because he was so worried.

I kept tossing and turning.. just WILLING my heart to beat regularly. I even pounded it a little to try to shock it back to normal rhythm. No such luck.

Graham and I "woke up" pretty dang tired after last night's shenanigans.

Anyways, Graham talked to a cardiologist at work who said that such arrhythmias are common in women my age because we as an age group are prone to anxiety. She said the arrhythmias are pretty much harmless, but you should see a doctor if they continue.

So anyways, I am feeling fine now (my heart stopped being all crazy this morning after a couple of hours at work), except for the major lack of sleep. Ugh.

Life Lesson: Don't take your health for granted.

My personal challenge

Ok, so as you all know, I love to cook. I'm obsessed with planning out meals and increasing the health and nutrition value of the meals I make. I like to have well-rounded meals, with veggies and other side dishes. I also don't like to make the same recipe in the same month, or even same 2 months.

This means I often go over our budgeted grocery amount each month. It should be cheap to buy food for us two, especially since I get free breakfast and lunch 4 days a week, but it's not.

I'm considering doing more extensive coupon clipping and searching.. but for the next 2 weeks, I'm challenging myself to NOT go to the grocery store. I'm going to be scrappy and use all of the food I have in the house. It's time to get creative! It's also a good skill to learn for the tight economy and possible tough times in the future. Don't worry.. right now I'm not at risk of losing my job, but you have to be prepared right?

Anyways, I just wanted to post some recipes that were a big hit at the Super Bowl party we went to last week. Oh, and if you want to lighten up the recipes, feel free to substitute low-fat products where you can.

Buffalo Chicken Dip (serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or crusty bread)
1 can (10 oz.) chunk white chicken, drained
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
1/2 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
2 cups cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or colby jack.. all good)

Mix all ingredients together, except cheese. Spread into an ungreased shallow 1-qt baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Peanut Butter Balls (From Graham's aunt Lizzie)
1 pound powdered sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup margarine or butter
3 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 package chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk)

Melt peanut butter and margarine together; add powdered sugar and mix together. Remove mixture from heat and stir in Rice Krispies. Roll into 2" balls and chill in refrigerator. Melt chocolate chips. Dip peanut butter balls in melted chocolate halfway, and chill in refrigerator.

Store in an air-tight container in the freezer.

Enjoy! Both of these recipes are ADDICTING.

My Love Affair is Over

I'm over the internet.

I used to be addicted. Like seriously, check my email at least 100 times a day, and see who's online to chat with. When Graham and I were engaged, he would sit and watch TV as I sat on the computer for hours (looking up wedding stuff... sometimes).

Now, I hardly ever log on while I'm home.

Graham had the laptop computer for 2 days while I wasn't working, and I didn't get on the computer for 48 hours. That's the longest I've ever voluntarily not gone on the internet.

Internet.. You and I are done. Consider us friends, no longer lovers. Sorry to make this so public. I just thought you should know.

Weekend

Everybody's working for the weekend...

My first Sunday at work.

Weird.