Writing My Way Through Life: A Girl's Dream To Being an Author

June 28th, 2011, 1.00am

2011-06-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

My last doctor's appt was June 21st at 2.45, and I left with this news: "Your fundal height is at 43, and I'm just being nice-- it's really 44... you're still closed up... I went away for a couple of days and came back, HOPING you would have had that baby," and FINALLY, "Okay we're inducing you- go to the hospital midnight on Monday. We'll try everything we can to make it natural, but it's more than likely going to be a c-section."

It was such a long but quick Monday-- everyone told me to sleep and rest, but I couldn't. I was busy cleaning and painting, and by the time I thought about laying down, something else was going on or needed to be taken care of. Needless to say, no sleep was gotten. After I was admitted, the nurses did lots of bloodwork and inserted a catheter into my arm for fluids prior to the induction process. They gave me Misoprostol to ripen my cervix b/c, pause for shock, I still was not dilated. Because Elijah was still very active, the nurses had to wrap my belly in two bands to keep track of his heartbeat. I was then hooked up to the blood pressure monitor and the pulsation/oxygen machine. I still tried to sleep but it was very hard to do b/c of the bands, and anytime there was an alarm about something, it would wake me up (alarms for the contraction machine running out of paper, bubbles in the fluid line, and oxygen level getting too low). I ended up sleeping in 15-30 minute increments only- plus I was cramping from the Misoprostol (which is normal). After another assessment was done and showed no ripening, I was started on Pitocin that is considered to be the "serious stuff."

The cramping was worse, and I still got no sleep-- so the next step was my epidural and bathroom catheter. My anesthesiologist was super nice and very "talented." I really thought that would hurt, but it really didn't. The worse part of it is when they do a "test run" on the numbing medicine b/c it's a lot of pressure on your back and it's cold going in. But then once the numbing takes place, the cramping goes away and it's pure bliss. I still didn't get any sleep, but it was still really nice not to be in pain. The bathroom catheter didn't hurt either, but of course, I was numb so didn't feel it. Just in case you were wondering why they use a catheter, it's because you can't move or feel your legs to get up and walk so they do a catheter so you can pee.

Around 1.00pm, my water broke and that was really weird. I've read it's like a popping sensation when it happened, so that's what I was thinking but it really isn't. It's more of a sensation like when you have to pee for a while but can't, so when you do it takes a while but finally happens. At first it was a trickle but then it was a gush and would continue to be a gush for the next 7 minutes. When my doctor came in to check me, I still wasn't dilated so he said, "Well let's give it until 3 or 4. If nothing has happened, then we'll get him out." The doctor showed up around 4, and again pause for shock, was only dilated 2 cm.

I was taken back to the OR at 4.50pm and the C-Section was started. Prior to, I was given more numbing medicine and was told, "Be expected to have some nausea with this stuff." They rolled me into the OR, and that's when it hit- the nervousness and shakiness (from being nervous) and the tears (from being nervous and not knowing what to expect). The other anesthesiologist introduced herself and reassured me about everything. I couldn't stop apologizing for crying and she kept saying, "Honey it's okay.. it's okay.. the end result is worth it." When everything was started, I had no idea what they were doing but I certainly couldn't feel anything because my body was so numb. At one point, I said, "It smells like popcorn in here." She laughed and said, "Honey that's you." And I said, "Oh... well I smell good." LOL. There were two guys working on me, and from Josh told me- Elijah wouldn't come out of the opening they had made, so one of the doctors actually had to jump and push down on my stomach to get Elijah's head to come out. Even at that, they had to use the vacuum and suction to get him. The doctor pushed on me one more time. When Elijah's head popped out, he was completely out- and at that very moment, I was relieved of 100+ lbs of pressure on my body. It was a night and day difference. Then I heard his shrill, sweet baby cry- and that's when Josh and me both cried. It was the most amazing thing EVER. Before Elijah was out, the anesthesiologist said, "Okay it's 5.14 right now. I predict he'll be out by 5.19." His actually birth time 5.21pm-- that's how big he was.

Both doctors couldn't believe how big he was. His birth weight was 8 lbs, 9 ounces- head size was 15 1/4-- and he was as chubby as he could be. My original OB said later that we definitely made the right choice b/c as big as he was, there was NO WAY he was coming out the natural way. I would have been in labor for days and pushing for hours.

The after process was probably the worst part of it all. It seemed to take forever to stitch me up, and the longer it took, the more nauseated I got. And I couldn't quite figure out if it was the medicine or the blue sterile curtain they had up, but it was horrible. I tried to look at anything to take my mind off of it, but nothing worked and eventually, things went double. I started trying to do deep breathing things, but it didn't work. I was asked how I was feeling and was given Phenergan and had the blue sterile curtain pushed back a little bit to relieve my sickness. I started shivering and was wrapped in a warm blanket.

The ride back to the room was horrible because I was still nauseated, and the more I laid there and tried to get my mind off the nausea, the worse it got-- and pretty soon.. well, you can guess what happened next. But I'll tell ya, after that, my nausea was gone and besides being drugged up and exhausted- I felt good.

Thursday was an interesting day because all of my catheters and pumps, etc. were removed, and it was strongly advised to get up and walk around. So I did that and tried to get some sleep, but it's very hard to do when nurse after nurse after lactating consultant after kitchen staff after doctor comes in every 5 minutes. That was the day that my hormones got the best of me, and I broke down. Everyone thought it was because I was overwhelmed or worried about not being able to breastfeed, but it wasn't anything like that. It was the simple fact that I'm so used to being independent and not having to ask anyone for anything, and I couldn't do it. AND I had been in the hospital for what seemed like an eternity, so I was ready to get home. And finally on Friday, I got to go home.

I was a little worried about that because the doctor won't let you leave if you don't use the bathroom. So at 5.00 that morning, I was able to use the bathroom and was so happy that I texted one of my friends and told her (a little TMI, yes, but she was very happy for me.. lol). My staples were removed, I was given my discharge papers, and all of that good stuff-- and out the door we went.

So welcome to the world baby big head, chubby-cheeked, little Elijah Alexander Vittitow... It was love at first sight!!!

I'm Such a Goober!!

2011-06-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

So today, my feet have been super swollen and it hurts to rotate my left foot side to side. I got the Boppy out and have been elevating my feet in hopes of the fluid going away, which it has. I'm laying here in the recliner and start rotating my foot and said, "Hey, I can rotate my wrist side to side now." Josh turns to look at me with this very questionable look and says, "What?!" I look at my rotating foot and said, "My wrist, I can move it now." He starts giggling and says, "Your wrist?"

lololololololol--- I'm SUCH a goober. :))

35 Weeks and Freakin Miserable.

2011-05-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

You know I'm not one of these women who LOVES being pregnant-- I'm just not. First off, don't get me wrong-- I laugh every time I feel Elijah jab me or roll. And I'm so excited about the next step-- meeting him, seeing who he looks like, etc. I really, really can't wait. I haven't even met him, and I love him to pieces. BUT the symptoms that come along with it? The no-boundaries that some people have? Well it's enough for me to say, "Okay Elijah, you can come out now."

So here is my list of complaints:

1. I feel the need to be cold all the time. Any kind of warmth makes my feet and hands hurt from swelling.

2. I'm tired ALL THE TIME. Lugging around 50 pounds of baby and baby-related things is hard work. And when you're lugging all that around weight, it makes it very hard to get comfortable-- sleeping or otherwise. I can't eat like a normal person, nor can I really put my plate or bowl on my stomach very well. Several times I've had to take off my pants just so I could sit in a decent position to eat.

3. Naps are officially out of the question... OFFICIALLY.

4. My pelvis and pubic bone have started hurting. And this one aggravates me the most. Now I've read that this is just because my body is getting ready b/c of the stretching, which I'm thankful for-- but must I hurt so bad that I can't even switch positions when I'm sleeping??? And must it hurt so bad that it's a pain to get out of the chair and put a lot of pressure on every part of my body???

Boo!!!!

Now onto the no-boundaries thing. When I was in NC, these are the questions I got asked the most by patients: How tall are you? Are you old enough to work here? How big are your feet? What's your ethnicity? And it was quite annoying, as you can imagine. In SC, being pregnant gets these questions: Are you pregnant/expecting? (no idiot I was really hungry) Is this your first? Do you know if it's a boy or girl? And my favorite- What are you going to name him? It's gotten so bad that when I call someone back, I cover my stomach with the chart so people won't ask me about it. Just a little tip, if I don't know you-- I'm not going to tell you his name. Me telling you his name is the same as you touching me or my stomach-- it's just not going to happen. Several people have asked me what I'm going to name him, and I have to say, "I'm sorry, I'm not going to talk about that. It's private."

So those are my rants this week... Really, really, really can't wait for Baby Elijah to get here. Really, really.

What's Going On..

2011-05-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Not a lot going on in little Elijah's world right now-- he's getting bigger and fatter in the oven, which is good. On the outside world, his mama is feeling every roll and jab and getting more and more uncomfortable sleeping. I'm also trying to get used to sleeping on my left side and enjoying my lunchtime 20-30 minute naps.

Mother's Day weekend, Josh and I traveled up to NC for a final trip and the baby shower. I was so happy to get up there to see everyone- friends and family- and I was even more excited to get home (even though by the time we got home to SC, my butt was numb and my feet and fingers were swollen. We got so much stuff-- it was unreal the amount of stuff we got-- BUT I was so grateful for everything people got us. I was even more grateful to see how many people showed up-- it was like a female family reunion for the Collins side-- four of my bestest friends from my old job showed up-- and even Josh's mom and grandmother showed up. It was SO GOOD to see everyone-- really did my heart good. Favorite presents I got were the Eddie Bauer high chair and some green frog galoshes that my friend, Kabo, got me. We got so much sweet baby stuff that mom had to take some of it home with her.

So my projects for this weekend are to finish packing my labor bag and to wash and divide baby clothes and blankets. We'll see if I follow through with any of that. :))

33 weeks pregnant

Baby Shower Goodies.. do y'all see the little green galoshes??!!

2011-04-29T10:37:00.001-07:00

31 weeks-- sweet lil Elijah. My belly is measuring 33cm-- so he's going to be a big baby. :)

Spotting, Bedrest, and Boredom.. oh my!!

2011-04-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

This current week has been an interesting and scary week for me. Now I know spotting throughout pregnancy is normal, BUT this pregnancy has been easy- no sickness, no heartburn, bloating is gone, etc-- I mean, easy pregnancy. So when something like spotting happens, well, it freaked me out. Spotting to me is bad b/c I know the possibilities of WHAT can happen. The first episode happened Monday night. Of course first thing Tuesday morning, I went to the doctor and was told everything was fine. BUT drink lots of fluids, stay off your feet as much as possible, and TAKE IT EASY.

Well that is easier said than done when the doctor you work for has a 60 patient load, your work ethic is to work up as many of those sixty patients as possible (not to be a kiss ass but because that's what you're there for, those 60 patients pay you, and the sooner you get started, the sooner you leave), and because your work ethic tells you to constantly be moving. Luckily Tuesdays and Thursdays are light days, so it's easier to take it easy (25 patients is so much easier to work up than 60, as I'm sure you can imagine). So since Tuesday was a light day AND the day I was told to take it easy, I did. And everything was fine.

Wednesday rolled around with yet another sixty patient load and again, more spotting. This time I freaked out (more than I did Monday) and went to the doctor yet again who told me again that everything was fine. He told me that women spot for unknown reasons but my cervix was not thinning and perfectly intact. Said placenta could be separating a little and that could have caused the spotting. Told me to be on the lookout for more bleeding and pain because that, of course, is bad. Most important thing he told me was, "Go home and stay off your feet. Let's see if the spotting goes away." My question, "Am I out just today?" His response, "Nope the rest of the week."

While I'm enjoying putting my feet up and doing as little as possible so Elijah can continue to bake and get fat (which from what I was told yesterday, he's already a big baby-- whether that means he's long or fat I don't know), I can't help but think about work. I feel like I need to be working, not because I'm obsessed with my job but because I simply hate to be an inconvenience to anyone. I hate putting people off.. it quite frankly upsets me, BUT I have to do what's best for my body and Elijah. And if that means, staying off my feet than so be it. However I can't wait to get back to work on Monday-- I just hope the spotting doesn't return. IF it does and with the doctor's permission, I'll be reclined at work doing triage and ordering/dispensing contact lenses all day. Which is fine with me b/c at least I'll be working AND off my feet-- two for one deal.

So it's Thursday at 11.49am-- what am I doing? Watching Grey's Anatomy and The Price is Right and enjoying the company of my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece (who is quite the character). They were getting ready to go to the beach last night, and Josh took Paisley with him. As they were getting ready to leave, Ashtyn squealed and said, "This is the best day EVER!!!" LOLOLOLOL. She was getting ready to leave, and I said, "See ya later alligator." Her response, "See ya later alligator- don't let the bedbugs bite." Like I said, quite the little character. Love that little girl to pieces.

Sweet Boy.

2011-04-22T12:21:00.001-07:00

Sweet lil Elijah boy. 30 weeks tomorrow, Saturday 04.23.2011.

SN: I am now having hot flashes and need to be cold all the time. I have a sinus infection that is getting better with Sudafed (okay'd by my doc, btw). Trying to sleep with a growing baby and clogged up nostrils is very uncomfortable. I feel the need to nap every day at lunch, even for just 10-20 minutes. And my fingertips are swollen, probably from being hot.

Short and to the Point..

2011-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much pregnancy blogging because I haven't experienced anything unusual and haven't felt the need to blog about boring things.

Today was another doctor day, and everything went well. As you know, my blood sugar was and is fine- blood pressure has been good. My doctor told me that when they did my ultrasound, they measure every little thing and he is the right size-- no problems there!! YEA!!! I did my birth plan and she said, "Getting an early start, huh? But that's good to be prepared." She read over everything and said it was a very reasonable birth plan, which I'm very laid back and the only thing I really requested was for Josh to be with me, an epidural, and I wanted the baby circumcised.

So as far as other miscellaneous things go, we registered at Target and Babies-R-Us for our baby shower May 7th. Josh says he has noticed that there are some things I won't eat now whereas before I would have "gobbled it down." I, honestly, haven't noticed what I eat and what I won't eat. I haven't had any cravings besides the lemonade- maybe Smores- but aren't cravings things that you usually don't eat or drink? I've had one, maybe two, dizzy spells, and I've nauseous once but that was from low blood sugar. And sleeping is very difficult right now. I can't get comfortable no matter which side I sleep on... the pillow thing has its days with me- some nights I want it, some nights I hate it. I've had one day of feet swelling, but I think that was due to walking too much. And my finger tips swell if I walk outside in the heat. Probably the coolest thing I've experienced is watching my stomach move and do weird things b/c he's moving and rolling around. And that's about it... oh and my scrubs are really doing weird things. I have to constantly pull them up b/c they sit low on my belly.

Lastly we're playing with names-- his first name will be Elijah.. middle name, we're still playing with.

2011-04-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today was my big doctor day-- to find out how far along I was- and get a due date- AND to find out what we were having. And I was so excited to find out and be there.. that is, after I got there and got settled.

As I have mentioned before, I have the bladder of a hummingbird. I can NOT hold liquid very well at all. Forget drinking water or coffee when we travel b/c I will and do have to pee every 30-60 minutes. And after lunch, I have to pee anywhere from 3-4 times in 45 minutes. The doctor I used to work for used to joke that he was going to get me a catheter so I wouldn't have to walk away and pee every few minutes after lunch.

Anyways for my doctor's appt today, I was told to empty my bladder and then drink 36 ounces of water to ensure a full bladder. I know me, and I know my bladder. So I drink probably 30 ounces total of water and could already feel my bladder filling up. By the time I got signed in for my appt and sat down, I really really really had to pee. The receptionist (god bless her) was super nice and told me she knew I had to pee and she was going to let the ultrasound tech know ASAP that I was there. Well person after person after person kept going back, and I'm still sitting there. I break out into a sweat and then chills b/c I have to pee so bad that I'm hurting. I tried to stand up and walk but that was just as uncomfortable as sitting down. The receptionist noticed I was still sitting there after 20-30 minutes and said, "Have they not called you back yet?" As soon as I shook my head no, I started crying--- like furiously crying but trying to hide it (didn't work in my favor, btw). Then I was the talk of the room b/c I was crying and in such pain. "Oh she looks so uncomfortable. We better call back there again." The receptionist said it would be five more minutes, but of course it felt like an eternity. I finally got called back, and it hurt to walk. As soon as we walked into her room, she had to get a measurement of my uterus and then told me to pee. By the time I had to pee, my bladder was so spasmed that I trickled pee, but it was enough to get the pressure off. So I'm laying down again and as she's going over my stomach, she took a picture of my bladder and said, "Good grief honey, your bladder is still full." Aaawww, you freakin think???? And she said, "They should have let you just pee out there because it still would have been full enough for me to get what I needed." Thanks for telling me that after the fact!!! And it was fifteen minutes later, I had to pee again and every 15 minutes for the next hour after that.

BUT on a sweeter note, I saw a sweet little boy in there. I saw his little head and his heartbeat, his little legs and stomach and arms, and his official little boy parts. Oh he is just beautiful.. absolutely gorgeous. Seeing him made me cry-- of course I was crying over seeing him AND because of my traumatic experience in the waiting room (it takes me a while to move on from situations after I start crying). The ultrasound tech measured his head and his femur and his heart.. gave me the official due date of July 1st-- 27 weeks and 4 days.

So after that was over, I headed back to Josh's work to drink my orange goo-- which doesn't taste like goo, as much as it tastes like Hawaiian Ice syrup-- and went to my OB-GYN's office. That was less traumatizing for me-- blood sugar is 112 which is perfect. AND I got to actually HEAR his heartbeat this time.. the sweetest sound I've ever heard. Doctor said I was doing GREAT and she would see me in two weeks.

YEA!!! So overall a GREAT day... that is, once my bladder quit spasming. :)

22 Weeks.

2011-03-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, today was our first ultrasound visit. We, also, wanted to know how far along we were, boy or girl, and how many there were in there. After the GYN appt was over with, she asked how far along we thought we could be.

"Oh probably about 3 1/2 to 4 months, maybe."

As soon as she pressed on my stomach, she said, "Oh you're farther along than that."

Really??!!

She asked when my last period was, and when I told her I was on birth control and had no idea really. She said, "You were on birth control? Well all bets are off then if you were on birth control."

She then told us that the ultrasound she currently had was for early-on pregnancies, and since we were farther along then her ultrasound machine wouldn't do us justice and give us the detail we wanted. "But let's just scan through and see what we can see... just for fun."

We saw little baby head, little baby arms, little baby heart (we didn't hear the heartbeat b/c she didn't have the volume up, but it was beating and going to town), little baby stomach, and little baby legs. She tried to measure how long the baby's femur was, so it could give us a better idea how far along we were but the machine wouldn't calculate it so we didn't officially know.

She did say based on the way my stomach felt and based on how long the baby's femur was, she guessed about 22-23 weeks. "Wow.. really?!" we asked.

But she wanted to send us to the hospital to have an official ultrasound done where we can see better detail, find out what we're having, and get an official due date. So I get to take care of that on April 5th, as well as go back to the doctor's office and have my LOVELY diabetic test done. Ick.

She told me I could do what "normal" people do, since obviously I've been doing it and it hasn't bothered me. She said taking birth control all this time hasn't scientifically shown to do harm, but obviously not to take them. Continue my prenatal vitamins. It's okay for me to take Tylenol for a headache or cold and okay for me to take Claritin (thank god b/c the pollen is flipping HORRIBLE down here-- you can see it floating in the air). And I can continue using my Proactiv-- there was question about that since it has benzoyl peroxide in it. OH and most importantly.. there is only 1 in there... which relieved us both. :)

Keep checking back for updates.

And Stretch...

2011-03-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Well Friday marks our first, official ultrasound-- and I gotta say we are very excited to find out how baby is looking and doing and how long/old he/she is.. OH and to find out how many there are in there. :)

Josh and I have established some compromises as far as baby is concerned. And yes I realize that the baby isn't born yet, and we have NO idea what we're getting into-- so things may change, but these are things that we would LIKE to have or see happen.

1) Josh has established himself as getting the good in the baby- meaning he gets to feed, coo, hold the baby, and change the pee-pee diapers. I get to change the poo-poo diapers and clean any spit-up and/or throw-up. :) This one is still in the works of compromise. :))

2) We're going to get a Baby Bullet. We want to know what's going into our baby's mouth, and we want to make sure it's produce with natural sugars and so forth.

3) We're going to have a separate playroom for toys and games-- MAYBE a TV. In their room, books only. That way when they get sent to their room, they can either read to pass time or do nothing at all.

4) Which leads to.. no cell phones until they are driving.

5) Final and more important-- I'm going to breastfeed, and baby is going to stay in a bassinet in our room for the first 4 months or so. I'm reading a book called the Baby Sleep Guide, and it's really given me a lot of pointers and helpful hints for a peaceful and healthy sleeping baby.

So... what's going on with my ever-changing body?? Well-- just within the week or two, I've gone from looking sorta pregnant to really looking pregnant (which is really cute if I do say so myself). Putting on scrub pants or pants/shorts in general is interesting in itself. Usually the front band or elastic is below the belly while the back of the pants is pulled up like it should be b/c they're too small. 1) I don't want to buy scrub pants if I don't have to.. too expensive (unless you can find them at Goodwill, but when you wear a size XS or S- what good does a L or XL do you?) 2) As previously stated, I have a small stature, and it is VERY difficult to find pants that will fit in the waist and in length. Shirts are starting to get tighter on me. And not meaning to get gross, but I'm going to have to move up in a bra size or get a maternity bra soon. I've gained back my pre hCG weight, which is fine now that I know what the added weight IS now. And I can literally feel my stomach muscles stretching and getting bigger. My skin is super tight right now and seems to be even worse after I eat.

Some days I'm not tired at all and feel great, like I can do anything-- and others I have a lot of pressure on my lower back and stomach, and I feel like I could crawl in a hole and sleep. I took a nap today in our little screening room, and it was dark and cool and quiet.. and I did NOT want to get up and go back to work. But it gave me enough energy to get through the afternoon. So today was a, "I can feel the baby growing," day. LOL. I'm still bloated and gassy (again, sorry) on a daily basis, but I've been trying to eat and snack throughout the day to avoid that. Some days it helps, and others like today, it didn't.

I'm still craving lemonade (which I gave into today and got some Minute Maid). But I find that I crave weird things at weird times like today I wanted shrimp sauce. I've only been nauseous twice now, and today was one of them. I smell weird things like onion rings across the room at a restaurant. My coffee smelled like wet cat food. And my Chinese food smelled like... well I don't remember, but I thought, "What the hell is that smell?" and realized it was supper. OH and the smells STILL came through my stuffy nose this am, but all I could smell was cologne and perfume (which gave me a headache).

So in short, that's what's going on. :) Weird feelings and weird smells. I still can't believe I'm pregnant, but I know that will change Friday. Will keep you posted.

1st Baby Picture.

2011-03-13T08:02:00.001-07:00

Sweet little baby Vittitow in there.

Pregnancy Trumps Drunk.

2011-03-12T20:14:00.001-08:00

Josh and I decided to go to Savannah on Saturday and walk around to 1) get exercise (something I was a little nervous about but I had no problems and rested when I needed to), and 2) to let Josh take pictures of the green-watered fountain at Forsyth Park.

On our way up to Forsyth, we counted 4-5 wedding photo shoots going on, 1 military ball photo shoot (nonprofessional), and 1 bridal shoot. Not to mention people looking at the fountain and then handing us their camera and asking, "Will you take our picture please? Don't let our camera offend you now." There were 3 other Great Danes there, tons of pregnant women, other photographers, tons of people wearing green- including a guy with a shirt that read, "In My Pants," on the front and, "Lucky Charms," on the back- and the whole downtown decorated in reds, purples, and green.

After Josh got his pictures, we were walking back up towards River Street and decided to grab some dinner and take more pictures of Broughton Street lit up with signs and cars. While Josh was snapping away, I took the opportunity to go pee at Starbucks.

I walked in, and already there's a line to the single stall women's bathroom. The longer I stood there, the more I had to pee. One lady was in the bathroom with her kids, there was a girl in front of me, and before too much longer, there were two more girls standing behind me. One thing I guess I need to mention that along with all the people in green-- about 75-98% of them are drinking and/or drunk. SO the girl in front of me went in, and I'm standing waiting doing the bouncy dance. And I hear the last girl standing in line say, "Excuse me, can I go in front of you? I feel like I'm going to hurl." The girl behind says yes, so the girl asks me. I turned around to look at her, and you could tell she was hammered-- glassy, sleepy eyes, yellow skin, etc. "Can I please go in front of you?"

My response, "Well I'm pregnant and gotta pee, so no you can't go in front of me."

"But I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"Sorry. I gotta pee. My pregnant body trumps your drunkedness need to throw up. Don't worry. I pee fast."

I told Josh later, "I'm going to love this pregnancy thing." (as if I'm not already outspoken when people cut me off in line).

Short and to the Point.

2011-03-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Pre-natal exam thingy went well. Technically it was more the doctor's nurse asking me questions about my medical and personal history, Josh's past history, family history, and etc... Oh and let's not forget about the judgmental look of, "How did you not know?" But I was given a lot of info, as well as pre-registration to Hilton Head Memorial.

I went to Labcorp Thursday pm for my bloodwork, and I was really kinda nervous about it. Not that I mind getting my blood drawn or the needles (I have tattoos, trust me- I'm used to needles), but I was more nervous about getting lost or getting there too late OR the fact that they were going to fill up five vials of blood and I'd pass out. Turns out, I found it just fine and they only took three vials of blood. The nurse asked me how far along I was and if I had been sick.

"No," I replied.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Anyone that tells me they haven't been sick with their pregnancy, I want to kill them."

Thanks lady.. you're kinda killing me by digging that needle into my arm and switching the vials out. :))

So the 18th of March, we officially go to the doctor for the ultrasound. HOPEFULLY, I'll be far enough along to be able to see what we're having.

***Fingers crossed***

The Past 4 Days...

2011-03-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

It's thought that I'm probably anywhere from 2-4 months along at this point and time, but I go to the doctor tomorrow to have my prenatal exam done. Then judging how far along the doctor thinks I am depends on the ultrasound appt- so it's possible I'll be going back on Thursday or next Tuesday.

I've gotten a lot of questions about being pregnant and how did I not know I was pregnant. Well first off-- no morning sickness, not even the slightest hint of an uneasy queasy feeling. Second off, no extreme fatigue. Now there were some days that I felt like I had to take a nap at lunch, but I had done this in the past and wasn't pregnant, and just thought I was tired or hadn't had enough sleep the day before. Third, no increased urges to pee.. let's face it, I pee a LOT-- especially right after lunch. It's nothing for me to pee 3-5 times in an hour after lunch. And forget drinking coffee, water, or tea when we travel. Fourth, I was on birth control and believe me when I tell you-- there were months that I wouldn't have my period at all. BUT my OB-GYN in NC said, "As long as you take it everyday like you should, then don't worry about it." So I didn't. I never, ever thought I would end up pregnant.. despite the fact that (pardon the language) my boobs were getting bigger and the fact that I was gaining weight. Keep in mind too-- eating what I want and not drinking water was what I thought was making me gain weight.. hence why I thought my boobs were getting bigger and tender.

So now what? What's going on? What do I notice? Well like I said, the prenatal visit is tomorrow (which hopefully if I'm up to it, I'll blog about). My body is tired, I'm tired, and I'm freaking bloated and gassy. I don't mind the tired part as much as I mind the bloated and gassy feeling. I also feel like when I stand up, there is all this pressure on my body and back. My grandmother tonight said, "Don't worry kid, you still got a long way to go." Thanks grandma. :)) Which is why I really enjoy laying down and putting my feet up. The cute little scrub top I bought just a week or so ago, I can't wear anymore which is going to make the other ones even more difficult to get into. And I'm starting to feel little flutters, here and there, especially when I'm laying down and getting ready to go to sleep. I've had that one episode of queasiness- other than that, nothing. OH and I get choked up easier now too.. this morning it was Michael Buble singing, "Home," which is usually very soothing to me but this morning, I choked up. I choked up at Barnes and Noble looking at stuffed animals. And when the first chord of Brad Paisley's song "Anything Like Me," comes on, I choke up and have to turn it.

So that's what's been going on the past 4 days.. complaints and all. The journey still isn't over yet, so be on the lookout for more blogs about weird and unusual pregnancy things.

Expecting...

2011-03-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes... after years of trying and finally thinking we weren't able to have children, we have unexpectedly found out that we are expecting #1, or possibly #2 (twins do run on my side of the family). We're very shocked and surprised and excited and possibly running on every emotion there is.

We're guessing I'm about 2-3 months along, but I'm going to the doctor soon so we can have a better guesstimate on when we're due. We thought something was up when I went on this hCG diet, and I was losing weight everywhere BUT my mid to lower stomach. Josh brought to my attention that I could possibly be pregnant, and bless his soul-- I didn't believe him and even argued with him that I wasn't. So we bought a test, and we both peed on it... yes, he took a pregnancy test with me-- for the simple fact that we were both on hCG and since it's a pregnancy hormone, it could or would show up on both tests. His took a while but finally showed up negative. My test, however, showed up positive in a hurry. I stood there looking at the results for a while, and Josh said, "Honey I don't think the results are going to change the longer you look at it." LOL...

So I stopped my birth control immediately and am now taking prenatal vitamins that look like red horse pills. And maybe it's a mental thing, but my body knows that I'm pregnant. For instance, this morning at I-HOP, I was eating hashbrowns and the first thing I tasted was butter.. not potatoes but butter. Josh tasted it as well but not as strong as I did. I'm very tired today- of course that could be b/c I've been awake since 5:00 am. And I've been craving broccoli casserole, so I made one for supper and while I haven't eaten ALL of it, I have eaten quite a bit of that. And actually preferred that over cubed steak (which is very ick to me right now). OH and I've gone from not being able to eat carrots, broccoli, and nuts to eating apples, pineapple, carrots, broccoli, and toffee nuts. And trying to cut back on caffeine, but as we all know-- Amanda needs her coffee. And my digestive system is all screwed up.. which makes me nauseous ever so slightly.

So that's the story and why I had to stop doing the hCG diet..

What I'm Doing...

2011-02-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

I've started doing a new diet that has gotten a LOT of people asking "What are you doing?" So I thought I would blog about the diet- what it is, how it works, what you can eat and what you can't eat, etc.

But first off, I've gotten asked (not just from friends but people at work), "Why do YOU need to lose weight?" The fact of the matter is, ever since I've been down here.. I have slowly put on weight that I'm not proud of. I know the reason partly being is my previous jobs, I'm not used to 1)getting a lunch, and 2) running around a BIG building. Now I get a lunch- sometimes with a nap squeezed in- (which is another bad thing), and my walking is minimal around the building. Add the fact that I was starting to drink Coke (b/c the water tasted weird to me), and not really watching what I was eating.. and you get.. a girl that wore her lab jacket all the time b/c her scrubs were too tight and not being able to get into jeans that she could originally wear 1-2 years ago.

So when New Year's came around, I stopped drinking Coke, vowed to eat better, and not eat out so often. The not drinking Coke is still going on, but the eating better didn't last all that long. Thankfully my husband working a compounding pharmacy brings out more than just "happy drugs," and hormone creams... it also brings out a natural metabolism booster called hCG.

hCG???? What is that?? The long hand-written name is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and it's a hormone that's developed during pregnancy so if a woman is not eating enough, this hormone kicks in and gets fat from other sources of her body to feed the baby (Tip #1, if you want to get pregnant-- then take it to increase your chances. If not, then take your birth control).

You can get it online, but honestly I don't know about the potency of it and you also have to worry about the source and if you're actually getting what you paid for. Therefore, you need a prescription for it. A lot of people will do shots through the stomach, but if you can't muster the thought of a shot in your stomach-- then you can also do a nasal spray or sub,lingual (under the tongue) (sub,lingual is what I'm doing b/c I can't muster the thought of a nasal spray). You do it once a day, and you MUST KEEP IT REFRIGERATED OR IT WON'T BE ANY GOOD.

What to Eat, and What Not to Eat-- That is the question. Okay now this is the difficulty of the diet and a LOT of people can't handle the phases which is why I've been saying: ****Do Your Research before you do this diet!!!**** The first day you start the hCG, do your hCG and eat fattening stuff and as much as your body will allow you to eat-- this means pizza, soda, fatty Italian food, candy, sweets, EVERYTHING you can get into your body that is FATTENING. Day 2, do the same thing-- hCG and eat fattening things (Tip 2 Enjoy it while you can b/c it's all going to change from here). This is considered to be Phase 1.

Phase 2 starts your "diet" and your diet goes from eating what you want to eating restricted foods-- foods that have little to no sugar content and lean meats- chicken, pork, LEAN beef, shrimp, and white fish. No tuna, salmon, or herring is allowed. As far as your fruits and veggies go, every source is different. To find out what fruits and veggies are allowed, check out the website: www.poundsandinches.com. Your meats have to be weighed 100gm at lunch and dinner (to equal 200gm), and you have to have 1 fruit and veggie at lunch and dinner. Your daily intake of calories can NOT exceed 500 calories. I know what you're saying- 500 calories, are you kidding me? Nope, sorry, wish I was. And you have to do this for 3 weeks (3 weeks of the 500 calorie diet and the hCG solution). And again, you're saying, How can I survive on 500 calories? You can, trust me. The hCG is meant to curb your appetite and b/c it's "starving" itself, it'll use the stored fat you already have to feed itself.. hence the fast and rapid weight loss. The first week, you generally, lose the most weight (why I've already lost 7lbs since Saturday), and the next 3 weeks it's gradual.. but don't fret... it'll be okay. Just don't cave and don't cheat. It'll either slow your weight loss down or stall it all together if you cheat.

Phase 3: The maintenance phase.. this is the phase where you can increase your calorie intake, but you still have to stay away from sugar and starches. Although you don't really have to worry about it now. BUT you still need to maintain your weight and watch what you eat so you don't exceed your calorie intake and start to gain it back. This phase is 3 more additional weeks, BUT it's easier this time b/c you're just maintaining weight and calorie intake.. you're not restricted to 500 calories anymore.

So that's what we're doing-- the hCG diet. And of course when you "Google" it, you're going to get some negatives and positives, but I promise it's well worth it and it works (trust me, I know from personal experience).

A couple more things before signing off-- only black coffee, unsweetened tea, or water for breakfast. You can't skip out on meat, fruits, or veggies-- your body really does need this stuff to "survive." Again no foods with sugar- nothing processed-- no milk products, starches (potatoes, rice, pasta, etc), oils, or butters (we do use a smidgen of butter but nothing that will hurt us and we only use it if we're sauteing veggies. Because there's no oil-- ladies this means no makeup or lotion for a month b/c the oils absorb in your body. You're only allowed to use seasonings and fresh herbs when cooking.

If I have left anything out or you have questions, then again check out: www.poundsandinches.com

New Year's Resolution... ppsshhtt (yeah right).

2011-01-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

You know I really do wish I were one of those people who made and actually kept New Year's Resolutions, but the fact of the matter is-- I am not. One year I said I was going to write and read everyday-- another year I said I was going to save money so that I saved my "eye" income and could quit work for a year and write. Well as you can clearly tell... I am still working in the eye business. I really do want to write and aspire to write, but 1) once you've worked all day, the last thing you wanna do when you come home is write and 2) once you hit a block or your story takes another direction- a different one than what what you thought- you kinda sit there and say, 'okay, now what?' And yes I realize those are just excuses, but those are mine.. and I think they're pretty good ones. :)

So being the New Year in the new place, I have come up with goals.. not resolutions but goals. These are not writing goals as much as ME goals. The week before New Year's, I started on the Special K challenge. This starts week 3 for me. Have I seen results? No. But I do have the results in, I'm trying to eat and be healthier. This means no Coke and no eating out, except for twice a week (trust me, this is better than what it used to be). This means eating breakfast (something I have NEVER done before in my entire life). And this means, less desserts (something I'm still working on) and more walking (again, something I'm still working on). I also keep meaning to keep a food journal, so I can keep track of what's going in but I haven't managed to do that yet. I'm drinking mostly water, unless I get an urge for mostly unsweetened tea.

With this effort in trying to be healthy, this means I'm trying to come up with good recipes that are flavorful and good and healthy (any homecooking is better than fast food, so thankfully in our house, it doesn't have to be TOO healthy).

This is just a list of the recent recipes I've made: Chicken with Caramelized Onion Soup, spaghetti, jambalaya, goulash (which I did NOT like at all), chicken lime soup, cheddar corn chowder, firecracker chicken stir fry, cheesesteak sandwiches with macaroni salad, and then our regulars (cubed steak with mushroom gravy, chicken pot pie etc). Anyone that knows me knows I don't mind to cook at all-- I actually prefer it b/c it always gives us leftovers (lunch OR for future suppers), it's cheaper, and again-- Nothing beats homecooking.

I realize now that I do not have the metabolism I once had when I was 20 or hell, even 25, so I've gotta work to get myself healthy again. One of these days, I've got to be able to stand and paddleboard comfortably. :)

Chicken Florentine Penne Pasta Casserole

2010-09-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for new things to do with chicken, so I found this recipe and, of course, added some things to make it mine.

- 1-1.25 pounds of chicken- either cut up or shredded
- 1 box of penne
- 1 10 ounce box of frozen spinach, thawed. Make sure you wring the excess water out-- there will be a lot of it.
- 2 ounces of cream cheese
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 2T of sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
- 1 glove of garlic clove, chopped
-1 small red onion, chopped
-6 mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, divided
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for about 11 minutes (you don't want it completely done b/c it's going to continue cooking in the oven). Drain the pasta well.

Cook your chicken- add salt and pepper. When it's about halfway through, add the dressing and continue cooking until just cooked through. Add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms- salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add your spinach and break it apart. Cook for another three minutes. Add your chicken broth and cream cheese- add salt and pepper. Cook until the cream cheese is melted. Add the mixture to the cooked pasta.

Put about half of the mixture into a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Add 1 cup of mozzarella and some grated Parmesan. Add the other half of the mixture to the dish. Add the remaining mozzarella and more Parmesan on top.

Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes.

It is one of the best casseroles I've ever made... still eating the leftovers!!!

How I Know I Own a Great Dane

2010-09-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

... And yes I mean besides the food and the size ...

Some people we know that have a Dane used to tell us that he had his own designated spot on their bed that he would sleep, and if anyone got in his way he would pout and pace and make noises until they got up.

WELL... when we got our furniture, we said, "Paisley is not allowed on the furniture. It's new... blah, blah, blah..." Yeah that lasted about a week. We have a couch, a recliner, and an over-sized chair-- and Paisley can pretty much sleep and sit where she wants now (it's kinda hard to control the power and weight of a Great Dane). So recently her place to sleep has been on the couch beside of her daddy.

A couple of nights ago, I was sitting in her spot and she started pacing.. pacing around the coffee table, pacing around the room... she would NOT lay down. I took her out, thinking that would make her lay down... NOPE. She's still pacing... then she comes over to me and puts her head on chest and sighs. And she's pacing again and making noises and looking at Josh.

Then it hit me, and I said, "I'm going to get up. Let's see how long it takes for her to get in my spot."

I got up and walked to the kitchen, and as soon as I got up-- I get the look like, "Are you watching me? When you're not looking, I'm going to get on the couch." And sure enough when I was far enough away, the front paws get up on the couch and the look of, "Oh am I going to get away with it? Is she watching me?" The back paws go up and she plops down.. within 5 minutes she was zonked out.

And tonight.. Paisley ate her kibbles and came over to look at me like, "Mama get up so I can lay down on the couch." And as soon as I got up, she climbed up and is now out like a light.

I LOVE this dog-- she's awesome!!!

Chicken Mushroom Provolone Sandwiches..

2010-09-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

This recipe originally came from Williams-Sonoma, but I altered the recipe to make it mine.

- Thick Textured Bread-- I used Sourdough.

- Thinly Sliced Chicken Breasts (you can use Oscar Mayer or Sara Lee, but I used actual chicken breast and cooked it through). I sliced the breasts even more to make them thinner.

- 1 cup of fresh white or brown mushrooms

- Slices of Provolone Cheese (the original recipe called for Gruyere)

- Salt/Pepper to taste

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

If you use actual chicken breasts and cook them through, remove them from the pan and add your mushrooms to the same pan. Saute over medium heat and set them aside. Slice your bread so your slices are thick enough so they won't fall apart in your panini maker. Put cheese on both sides of the bread. Put your chicken on one side of the bread, and the mushrooms on the other. Put the sandwich together and put in the panini maker until the cheese is melty and gooey.

Don't have a panini maker? You can use frying pans.. put the sandwiches in one pan over medium heat and put a foiled-covered brick or another frying pan on top of the sandwich to flatten the sandwich and add weight.

Pair it up with some sweet potato fries, and you have got yourself an awesome Bistro meal..

What I Have Learned in SC.

2010-09-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

So we have been in SC for a little over a month now-- and it's amazing the things I have learned so far...

1. People are just as crazy in SC as they are in NC.

2. Alligators really do live in the ponds and marshes and lakes.

3. Squashed armadillos exist too (saw my first one rolled over on the way home today).

4. School zones in the pm are between 3.15 and 4.00- 45mph, and not 1mph over or the cops will get you (no this hasn't happened to me but they are watched very closely)

5. Hurricanes- even off the coast of Africa- can make the waves and rip currents bad (good for surfers, bad for everyone else).

6. Paddleboarding is extreme fun but extremely hard. Your upper legs have to be strong.

7. Surfboards, paddleboards, and those other board things are expensive.

8. Paddleboards are heavy.

9. Jellyfish are plentiful in the month of August ONLY. They start going away in September.

10. Jellyfish stings hurt. Now granted I only got stung by a small one. And some of them can't hurt you. But they still hurt. To get rid of the burning and stinging: spray vinegar on it.

11. You're not allowed to keep live sand dollars. If they're dead, keep as many as you want. Otherwise leave them alone.

12. The most important thing I have learned is that there are ophthalmology offices that treat their techs and pay their techs what they're worth. I have never worked at a place that treats their techs so well. For instance, we shut down Friday pm to have a pool party. Monday was Labor Day. This morning I came and signed off on my time sheet and noticed that not only did I get paid for Labor Day, but I got paid for Friday pm. Plus I got to leave early today to meet the cable guy. When I asked about getting my hours in so I got paid for Labor Day, I got a very strange look and then the response of, "No you get paid regardless." If it were "anywhere else" (and you girls know where I'm talking about), it would have been, "I hate that for ya. You have to get your hours, or you don't get paid for yesterday."

13. Another important thing I have learned, and I'll end on this: I've learned and remembered what it is to be happy... This was a GREAT decision to move down here.

PS... For those of you that question if I'm really down here or not, YES I AM!!! Just because my cell number still says 828 doesn't mean a thing. Josh's best friend has lived in Savannah for the past 4-5 years, and he still has an 828 number. However with Josh's new job, we'll have to switch to 843.

PSS... One more little tidbit, and I'm officially done-- We officially have internet again. Woo!!!

Official Blufftonians

2010-08-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, August 20th, will be our three week anniversary that we have officially been moved and settled into the state of SC. Greetings from Bluffton!!!

We spent the whole week- and yes I do mean the WHOLE WEEK- packing crap up and finally loading it into the 27 foot U-Haul... oh and doing my final good-byes to my co-workers and friends. Friday morning we got up after sleeping on the floor and finished the ends and outs up, did our apartment inspection, and drove 5 hours to the sweltering heat of SC (I did have a minor breakdown when leaving Hickory, but honestly I think I was too tired and focused to really think about it). Our poor little town home went from shambles and boxes everywhere to a pretty cute little place to live and call home. Josh's pictures adorn our walls and somehow seemed to complete the moving process. We threw away our beloved blue couch- that we have had for about eight or nine years- and threw away Paisley's crappy blue recliner and have replaced it with not-yet-broken-in furniture. What's even greater is we have enough room and enough furniture for EVERYONE to sit-- it's GREAT.

The week before I started work, we explored our little area and have discovered three little back roads that bypass things and make things easier to get around. We've also discovered public beach accesses where the parking is free and not a lot of people know about. We've discovered Hunting Island and snooty Fripp Island (where as big as the island is, they have no gas stations.. just an FYI). Hunting Island is a really cool beach- it's a State Park, as well as the beach. You have to pay to park, but you can also buy a pass for $50 that will last you the whole year and will get you into any state park in SC with free parking. We've already made our money up... Let's see Josh has discovered and read about crab pots and saltwater fishing. Just about everyday that I was off, we went to the beach in some form or another.

The week I actually started work, I discovered the sometimes hellacious traffic- tourists and school- and if you're going into the island in the mornings... it sucks. There, of course, aren't any back roads, so if there is any kind of holdup, you're going to be stuck-- could be five minutes or three hours. I did my orientation and followed for a day and a half-- then I was working up on my own and now workup more patients than the experienced people do (I'm not bragging, I really do- the doctors and supervisor has told me this). Everyone there is super nice- it's a small practice- so there aren't any cliques or coworker drama. Of course, being me, I'm still trying to feel people out and not get in the way. The flow of patients is really awesome compared to what I'm used to, and when they say, "Oh my gosh it's going to be busy today," I look at the schedule and think, "I worked with one doctor that saw 47-60 patients in one session.. this is nothing." I think that's why I work so hard and fast, is because, that's what I'm used to. The supervisor and doctors are super nice-- they're not afraid to eat lunch with their techs and take super good care of them... better than I've ever been treated before. The patients are nice, as well-- you would think that being Hilton Head, there would be nothing but snooty people.. but really, they're some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

Let's see what else is going on... oh the air is amazing... the salty, beachy smell is something that I have not gotten tired of yet. I was telling Josh I still hope I enjoy that smell when we're here in five years b/c that's one smell I do not want to EVER get tired of. It really hit me that we live here a couple last week when we got to go the beach after I left work. I thought, "Wow I'm really not a tourist... I really live here." :)

Food wise we haven't really tried anything new... we did eat chocolate chip cheese cake with Bailey's whip cream on top that was awesome. OH the grocery stores are phenomenal down here (and you know how I am about grocery stores). There are Publix stores everywhere, and they are by far my favorite-- fresh sushi is made every day, the seafood is fresh, their produce and pastry section is divine, AND in the frozen section they have sensor lights so when you walk by, they sense you and light up. When you walk away, the lights turn off. It's a GREAT store!!!! On the agenda this weekend may be me fixing crab cakes and such, so we can see if crab catching will be our forte.

Well I have written a book here, but as you can see, I've had three weeks to catch up on. I'm studying for my COT exam again (3rd time's a charm), and I've started to think more about my writing... the kids are doing great and seem to be happy with the move. They especially love all the frogs and toads that are in our area-- we've seen signs for alligators but no sightings, and I have yet to see a snake or an armadillo. :)

Au Revior-- more later as I get more news and more time.

Ham and Cheese Panini... oh my.

2010-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Our cable has been out for the past month or so-- so that means no Food Network, which really bums me out. However my Internet is NOT down, so I got on Food Network's website and found a sandwich that Ann Burrell had made... And that is how I discovered Sweet Pepper Relish. Oh my gracious-- it's so good.

Ciabata Bread
Smoked Ham
Provolone and Swiss Cheese
Sweet Pepper Relish
Slices of Red Onion
Olive Oil

Cut the bread in half and drizzle the olive oil in the bread. Put a thin layer of the relish on (I did it only on half the bread, but do it on both sides if you choose). Layer the Provolone and Swiss on one side of the bread and several slices of ham on the other. Put the thin slices of onion on. Spray your panini maker and cook/bake until the cheese is melty and gooey.

It's a GREAT sandwich--- that Sweet Pepper Relish is sweet and spicy, and so good.

Yummy goodness.

4th of July fun..

2010-07-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

Josh and I went up to Kentucky this weekend to see his family and celebrate the 4th with everyone. His aunt, Shelly, had a cookout and fireworks "show" at her house. Now I love the Beam side of the family-- they're a lot like my family- laid back, fun, silly, etc. There are more children in this family which always makes the gatherings more interesting and definitely funny.

Josh and I were getting ready to head out to Shelly's house, and we were trying to figure out if we were going to Paisley or not. I really didn't want to because she's a big girl, and I didn't want either one of us to have to deal with her. But Josh brought up a very good point, "If we take her, then she'll get worn out. And she'll sleep-- if she sleeps, we sleep." So we took her.

It's a good thing we did!!! Everyone- adult and child- loved on her... EVERYONE!!! The kids gave her Cheetos and bites of cake and hotdogs... but the greatest Paisley had was a marshmallow. Now this was no ordinary marshmallow- this was a little girl's marshmallow. Here's what happened.

There's a three year old little girl named Abigail who is the cutest, funniest, drama queeniest thing EVER. She can cry and pooch that lip out at the drop of a hat. All the kids were outside getting their marshmallows ready for the campfire. Abigail had come back inside, for whatever reason, and was standing in the doorway. She had her little bowl with her marshmallow inside when all of a sudden you see this black and white thing take a couple of steps towards her. The nose goes into the bowl, and you see Paisley starting chomping on something. Everyone's trying to pull Paisley back and they're yelling, "Paisley!! Come here!!! What's in your mouth?? What do you have???!!" Then you see Abigail's face drop. She looks in her bowl and looks at Paisley like, "What just happened there?" Then you see the chin quiver and the little mouth turn into a frown. Someone said, "Abigail.. what did Paisley do?!" She responds very soft and meek, "She. Just. Ate. My. Marshmallow." Everything changes after that-- we started laughing hysterically, and Abigail walks outside and starts crying and screaming, "PAISLEY ATE MY MARSHMALLOW!!!!!"

After the fireworks are done, Abigail comes back in and walks towards us but definitely keeps her distance from the marshmallow stealing thief. Josh asks her, "Are you still mad at Paisley for eating your marshmallow?" And her little head nods. Of course after two or three minutes have passed, Abigail is loving on Paisley-- and the whole "Paisley stole my marshmallow" thing is over. But oh it was great!!!!!

First Attempt...

2010-06-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

I was off this very hot, humid Monday afternoon and went to our favorite park- Reep Park- to do a photo shoot with two very hot chicks. Josh had done a shoot with one of the girls before, but this time it was her and one of her friends. After the two hour shoot was over, Josh and I were getting ready to pack it up and go home when I annoyed him and said, "Can we go pick some blackberries?" There are several wild vines on the path down to the water and trails, so we loaded everything up and went back down to pick blackberries.

As we were picking our two quarts I got a bright idea, I'm going to attempt to do a blackberry cobbler. And I must say that it turned out VERY, VERY well. Here's the recipe:

4 cups of fresh blackberries
1 cup of sugar

Cook/simmer over medium or medium-low heat until the syrup forms and the berries are sweet.

1/2 cup oats
1/2 flour
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 cup softened or melted butter

Crumble everything together.

Put the berries into a loaf pan and put the crumble mixture on top of the berries. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. When it comes out, add whip cream or vanilla ice cream and voila--- wonderful blackberry cobbler/crumble.

The Biggest Pet Peeves EVER..

2010-06-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

It seems to be a daily complaint to my husband (God bless him) about the fact that I am underestimated and second guessed--- ALWAYS!!! I shocked a fellow co-worker today when I told her, "I put on a good front," because she always thought I was happy where I was.. which I am to a certain extent.. BUT when it's a daily thing-- it gets old and tiring and stressful.

Now I'm not saying I'm perfect because I'm not... I make mistakes and forget to do things- BUT don't ever underestimate me. If I don't know or if I do make a mistake, I'm a big enough person to say, "Hey I screwed up." I'm a good speller- don't ever ask me to spell something and then turn around to use your dictionary to look the word up b/c 9 out of 10 times, I'm right. Trust me.

Don't blame me for something that you did when it clearly says that YOU did it. And if you do, have the freakin decency to apologize.

Don't ever cut me off when I'm trying to tell you something important... OMFG... this happens several times a day. At first I just shut up and let people talk-- now I'm like, "OKAY like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted." Or I will just go ask someone else and get my answers. Fortunately my doctor has recognized this and says, "Amanda what were you going to say?!" Interrupting people is the rudest thing another person can do. I don't open my mouth and talk much, but when I do-- you better freakin guarantee that it's important-- especially where patients are concerned. Don't cut me off in mid-sentence because you THINK you know what I'm going to say when you really don't.

I roll my eyes a lot and shake my head a lot because I'm so sick of being underestimated and second guessed... but I have to remind myself, "It's only temporary."

My Name's Amanda and I'm a Food-a-holic.

2010-06-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

My second blog in a day... pause for shock...

Recently Josh and I took a day trip to Gatlinburg, TN (the same night we got the cops called on us b/c our dogs were raising hell). We ate some of the BEST food that day. First was the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant for a late lunch. Josh and I ate pulled barbecue pork sandwiches with caramelized onions on Hawaiian Sweet bread.. oooohhhh they were SO good. We made a trip to the candy store (a tradition we seem to have when traveling out of state) where I ate some crabs, aka Turtles. Then there was dinner... oh dinner...

We made our first trip to Bonefish Grill after being disappointed that Cheeseburgers in Paradise had closed down. Once we got seated at Bonefish, we quickly got over our grief. LOL... Bonefish gets fresh fish five out of seven days. And EVERYTHING is made to order. We started out with a crab cake-- a fairly large CRAB cake that had more crab meat than stuffing. I have grown fairly fond of crab cakes-- it started when Josh and I ate at A.J.'s Dockside (except that was more stuffing than meat but still good). Then came our entrees- me shrimp pad thai and Josh got sesame crusted tuna that was perfectly seared on the outside and perfectly raw inside. It came with jasmine/parsley rice and some sort of carrot salad.

So what have I made recently?? Well last night I bought some boston roast and made some bbq in the crockpot. It turned out really well!!! And today I perfected my bechamel sauce and made a mushroom lasagna. This recipe I'm very proud of b/c it's something new, I did a good job, and I think it's going to taste wonderful!!!! With my herb garden, I've been trying to make recipes that require fresh herbs, so I've been using a lot of rosemary, thyme, and some oregano. Still trying to find a good recipe that uses fresh basil... maybe I'll try a pesto or something of that nature.

Se7en Weeks and Counting...

2010-06-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

This past Friday marked our seven week mark until the big move from NC to GA. Yes after 29-30 years of living in the state of NC, Josh and I have decided to spread our wings and fly to Rincon, GA.

Why, you may ask? Well that's just one of the MANY questions we've been asked ever since people have found out we're moving. Quite frankly, I'm tired of answering the same questions over and over again. SO here are the answers--

Why Georgia? Because Josh and I have been in NC our entire lives (me more than him but still), and it's time for us to go. Plus when we go on vacation, we tend to go to the beaches of Tybee and downtown Savannah... and a very good question was presented to us, "Why don't we just live here?"

What's in Georgia? What I really want to say is, "What's in NC?" You know this area used to be booming but now... well... it's not. But I just shrug and don't respond. Personally I'm sick of NC-- it's the same routine, the same way to work, the same environment, the same scenery, and hours away from the beaches of Tybee Island and Hilton Head.

Do you have family down there? No.

Where in Georgia are you moving to? Atlanta? No, to a town to called Rincon. Where is that? About ten minutes or so from Savannah. Thirty to forty minutes from Tybee and Hilton Head. Rincon is in the halfway mark.

What are you going to do for jobs? I'm going to work on Hilton Head. Josh is going to get a part time job and is going to promote the crap out of his photography.

Are you staying in ophthalmology? Yes.

Since you're going to be on the beach, can we come stay with you and visit? If I like you, yes. If I don't, then no. (I don't really say this, but I want to. Those of you know who I love, who I tolerate, and who I really don't like AT ALL).

Are your dogs excited? Sure- why not? Actually they'll probably be excited once they discover the beaches of Hilton Head and a dog park at their new apartment.

Is your mom freakin out? She was at first, but now she's more on board with it. She's helping us move.

And last question is: When is your last day? July 23rd.

Beauty Tip # 18.

2010-04-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

I read this in my May 2010 Allure magazine and wanted to do a short blog about it. The article is called: 22 Reasons to Look Better Naked.

"It's obvious that feeling good in your own skin requires that you take it easy on that creature looking back at you in the mirror. Less obvious: being kind to other women. 'There's nothing positive or attractive about criticizing another woman's appearance,' says self-esteem coach Laure Redmond. 'Even sitting around with your friends talking about how fat a certain celebrity looks or calling women 'cougar' is destructive- and it certainly doesn't make you feel any better about yourself.'"

I say this because there are a LOT of girls- yes I have certain ones in mind- that criticize girls for their hair, their weight, their life, etc. And you know what I think? That they are so miserable in their own life that they have to talk about other girls to make themselves feel better. But you know what?? You have to love yourself before you can attempt to love anyone else.

Chicken Fettuccine...

2010-04-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a Food Network Junkie.. I love watching people mix ingredients together to produce this awesome dish- whether it's sweet or savory. This morning I was watching Rachel Ray, and she made a wonderful looking dish called Fettuccine with Garden Vegetables and Greens. The dish calls for eggplant and a type of lettuce on top of the pasta-- both of which are weird to me, so I left them out. This is what I did:

1 zucchini- cut into matchsticks or cubed
1 small onion- cut very thin
1 red pepper- cut into matchsticks or cubed
5 small cloves of garlic- if your cloves are big, only use 2-3
2 T of extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
1 lb chicken breasts or tenders
12 ounce of fettuccine
Kraft Italian 5 Cheese Blend
Handful of basil leaves, julienned or shredded.

Boil and salt (2 tablespoons of salt in the water is fine) your water for the pasta. The recipe says to cook shy of al dente, but this didn't work for me-- so just cook it al dente (for fettuccine, it's about 12-13 minutes).

While your pasta is boiling, cook your chicken until cooked through and then remove. Use the oil leftover from the chicken and put all your veggies in a pan to saute them until they're tender, for about 12 minutes. Cook the veggies over a medium-low or medium heat. Add more oil IF you need to. Add your salt, pepper, and red peppers flakes to the veggies. Once the veggies are tender, add the chicken and warm through.

Once the pasta is done, reserve about a cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the veggies and toss everything together, adding your pasta water. From there, add your basil leaves and your cheese. Continue tossing until the cheese is just melted and the basil have started to wilt.

Transfer to another bowl (if you want to, I just left mine in the pot) and finish topping with cheese and maybe a sprinkle more of extra virgin olive oil... and voila.

Some other ingredients you may add to the dish: mushrooms or alfredo sauce to be tossed until everything is lightly, evenly coated.

This dish, I thought, was really yummy... and thinking back now, I wish I would have taken pictures of it... but my stomach out-ruled my mind, and I didn't think about it. Take my word for it, though, it looked just as good as it tasted.

Bon Appetit!!!

2010-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is the shortest blog ever, but...

What do you aspire to be?

Do you want to be better or do you want to be the same?

Do you want to change the world to make it better, or are you perfectly happy sitting at the same old 8-5 or 8-8 job??

Me-- I aspire to be a writer who learns and gets better everyday. I never want to stop learning. I want to make a difference in the world by writing something so great and wonderful that it leaves an impression. And if you give me a choice between being successful in ophthalmology versus struggling in writing.. I will choose struggling in writing.

Sorry-- I do not get up every morning thinking, "I love my job." There are some mornings I get up and pray and wish that I would break my leg, so I wouldn't have to go in there. But just about every morning I get up and think, "I want to write or want to spend the day reading about writing.. how to perfect my writing."

So again, on an ending note:

What do you aspire to be?

LMAO...

2010-02-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

My in-laws are in town this weekend, and we decided to go up to the mountains today. So on the way back down the mountain, we all noticed that there was a cell phone tower in the valley of the mountain. Of course we all questioned why there was a tower in the valley of the mountain versus the top of the mountain.

Then my brother-in-law innocently asked, "How do they get down there?"

Husband, "Roads."

After we all cracked up by this response, my brother-in-law tells my husband, "Asshole."

More laughter.

Then the response of, "You're so stilly." (the combination word of stupid and silly).

Life With Paisley...

2010-02-21T07:32:00.001-08:00

Life with a 5 1/2 month old Harlequin Great Dane female has been an interesting ride so far. Besides the obvious- being tall and strong and majestic- she's also silly and sweet and beautiful-- and ALL DANE. So this is what I've learned from my beautiful sweet girl...

1. She leans- which all Danes do, it's a sign of affection. She especially does this when you pat her side. And if you move when she is leaning, she will stumble over.

2. She hates her vet. All dogs are a great judge of character, and if they don't like you- they're not going to give you the time of day and they're especially not going to let you touch them. Paisley sees whoever is available at her vet, and we have found that there is one vet she really doesn't like. The vet was trying to exam her and give her a shot, and Paisley was unruly and squirmy. They vet proceeded to lecture us for ten minutes about socializing her with other people and messing with her ears and nose and mouth and feet. Josh wanted to say, "Maybe she just doesn't like you." We exam her nose and ears and teeth, as well as her paws when Josh is clipping her nails-- and she gives us no problems. We socialize her as much as we can and does well with other people and dogs, so maybe it's the vet she doesn't like. There is one other vet that Paisley likes b/c the vet gets down on her level and plays with her and loves on her. PLUS if she's getting a shot, do you really think she's going to just sit there and let you do it? She's just like a human child in that aspect.

3. She loves to be in competition with herself. Give her a toy and watch as she picks it up, lays in the middle of the floor, and runs back and forth as hard as she can to pick it up. Sometimes she succeeds and sometimes she doesn't. It's the funniest thing to watch her do.

4. She LOVES to be scratched behind her ears. Scratch back there and watch the eyes get sleepier and sleepier.

5. She can sit and stay before feeding or while getting weighed. She can give you High Five, and she's learning not to bark at other people (which is a process). We're trying to teach her not to pull, which again is a process when she sees something she wants, but we're getting there.

6. If she sits on it, it's hers. This can range from her chair, to the couch, to me or Josh. She's so tall that it's nothing for her to walk by something and sit her on a chair or the couch while her front paws are still on the floor. Josh was winding down, getting ready to go to sleep. Paisley was on the bed and down went her butt on top of Josh, totally oblivious that he was laying there. Yesterday she plopped down on Branson, as if to say, "I want to sit here, so you can move or I can sit on you."

7. She gets really silly when it snows or when the weather is warm outside-- self explanatory.

8. She gives the greatest hugs and kisses.

9. When she sits down, her head is at my hip bone. I still realize that I'm vertically challenged so everything is bigger to me than it really is, but still I love that she's so tall. And yes I realize she will be bigger than me and will feel the need to pull me everywhere, but that's why we're teaching her the things we're teaching her.

10. And last but not least, she was destined to be our dog. Getting Paisley has been an issue with certain people ever since we got her. They think we're not fit or responsible or "rich" enough to have her. Here's my issue with that.. while we may live in an apartment and not be as well-off as others, there is nothing we wouldn't do for any of our dogs. We do whatever it takes to make sure our dogs are happy and healthy. And most importantly, we love our dogs unconditionally.. so with all due respect, if THAT makes us unfit as parents, then maybe that's your own insecurity and not ours. And again with all due respect while we may not have human children, we do have four-legged children, and we worry about them and love them just the same. We raise them to be decent adult dogs in public and at home. We worry when they get sick or have surgery. We have to potty-train them and teach them manners.

I'm So Silly..

2010-02-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

Shows how silly I really am...

Josh, "How do they build a snow pipe?"

Me, "I don't know... I've always wondered how they build a Luger."

Josh, "You mean an ice luge?"

Me, "Oh yeah.. a Luger is one of those people in New Orleans that steal stuff after it floods."

Josh, "No those are looters."

A brief moment of silence, and then Josh, "A Luger is a pistol."

LOL!!!!!

Creamy Tomato Crockpot Italian Chicken

2010-01-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this before, but I love trying new recipes ESPECIALLY when mushrooms are involved. So in an effort to eat semi-healthy, I searched through Sparkpeople's website and came across an interesting recipe that I had to try. While this recipe came from Spark, I had to add my own flare to it and found some stuff out while trying this recipe that, in the future, will make this recipe mine.

1 package of mushrooms, sliced

1 6 ounce bag of baby spinach

3 chicken breasts

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (full fat, 1/3 less fat, or no fat is fine), cubed

1/2 red onion, sliced or chopped

1 package of Slow Cooker Chicken Italian Seasoning (I could not find it, so I used a package of Grill Mates Garlic and Basil for chicken)

2 cans of tomatoes

You're going to layer everything in the crockpot- so layer your mushrooms, spinach, chicken, red onion, and cream cheese. In a bowl mix the tomatoes and the seasoning packet together-- now I used 1 complete can of tomatoes and drained the other one, so the sauce itself wouldn't be too thin, but do it however you like. Put the tomato mixture on top of everything in the crock pot.

Cook on low heat for about 6 hours or on high heat for 4 hours. After an hour or so has passed, mix everything together and continue to let it cook. One thing I did find out with this recipe, after cooking the chicken for this long in the crockpot, it turned out dry. So a suggestion would be to broil or fry the chicken, and add it at the last minute to prevent it from drying out.

Serve it over pasta and b/c I'm such a cheese over pasta person, I sprinkled some Parmesan over it. Surprisingly, this was a really good recipe and is definitely one that I'll be trying and eating again.

Homemade Pizza

2010-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

There is something so enticing and welcoming about homemade meal. First I think it means more to people and to yourself to put the thought and effort into a homemade meal. Second you know what exactly goes into your food. And third it's cheaper.

Josh and I made homemade pizza for supper-- our one of many that we have made in the past, and that meal is honestly one that never gets old. You can anything, and I mean anything, on a pizza. However much sauce, whatever kind of sauce, toppings, cheese, herbs, sweet, savory, doughy crust, crispy crust-- it really doesn't matter.

One pizza that we do is-

1 pizza crust- pricked and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil or canola oil, sprinkled with salt or oregano.

1 jar of pizza sauce- I use about 1/4 of the jar while Josh uses 1/2 of the jar (a small jar that is)

Pepperoni-- we used turkey pepperoni (pause for shock.. me eating turkey anything)

Italian Sausage (we didn't use it tonight but have in the past, and it's awesome)

1/2 red onion, diced

4 mushrooms, sliced

6 Italian blend Sargentos bag of cheese

Bake your crust first, 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Layer everything and set back in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. If you want your crust browner, turn the broiler on.

And of course we pair it up with $0.75 macaroni and cheese-- but again, it's such a great meal, who needs to spend $30 on pizza?

A friend of mine makes a veggie pizza for a night she calls Meatless Monday-- she puts kale, peppers, tomatoes, onion, and broccoli on hers. You could make your own Chicken Florentine pizza that I'm sure would be out of this world. You could even make a dessert pizza that a chocolate hazelnut pizza with Nutella or a breakfast pizza or even a fruit pizza.

The possibilities are endless-- but given the choice between restaurant pizza versus homemade pizza-- homemade trumps the restaurants any day.

Start of a New Year...

2010-01-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Say good-bye to 2009 and hello to 2010-- only is it two-thousand ten or twenty-ten?! A very good point was made yesterday-- all the good things happen when the year is pronounced in the latter. For instance the Constitution was signed in Seventeen Seventy Six- Prince's song was Party Like It's Nineteen Ninety-Nine.. so I guess it's only fitting to say the year is Twenty-Ten.

So it's been a LONG, LONG time since I've blogged-- I think maybe around my 30th birthday. A lot has changed and happened since that blog. For one I've figured out that there are some people that are willing to and will stand by you and some that will dispose of you at the drop of a hat. Turning 30 was just like any other ordinary day- I don't and still don't feel any different as I did a year ago (although my hair doesn't hold the natural waviness it once did.. an early aging sign maybe?)

The holidays were different but also the very same. Good and new memories were made-- great food, full and deep laughs made from Pictionary (check out my FB Christmas album to understand), wonderful presents (again check the album out to understand), and some much needed time off.

Work is the same-- working with a new doctor and a new team is always an interesting experience, trying to figure them out while they're trying to figure you out. And while Josh and I have decided to stay in NC until April 2011, I have often wondered if it was the right decision. Either way, it's only for a year.. and then we'll be out of NC (yes it will happen). We're paying a lot of stuff off so when we officially move, we don't have a lot of crap hanging over our heads that don't need to be.

I still have dreams of being a writer-- still desire to write for a living, but I guess I've taken a break from it (unfortunately). I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog or a piece called Life with a Great Dane or Life with Paisley (that's my Paisley, not Brad Paisley.. LOL). I've also been dabbling with photography, although, I will NEVER be as good as my husband.. would love to do something with food photography b/c I'm such a foodie. Been thinking about doing a baking blog which could combine the 3 things I love- food, writing, and photography-- but again I don't know. Of course there is no better time than the present to do it, and the best way to get into it, is just to do it--- we'll see I guess.

Life with the dogs is always interesting... I learn something new about Paisley everyday (if I choose to blog about her, you'll find out). Shadow and Branson are still getting used to her, even though we've had her for a little over 2 mos.

So that's the past 2 mos of Vittitow life... so good-bye 2009, hello 2010.. let's see what you hold for me this year. :) I am hoping to blog more, regardless of what it's about. Au Revoir!!!!

Poundcake.

2009-10-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

The baking season continues for me... you would think that I would be going through cheesecake mania, but nope- I'm still going and discovering new recipes.

This past week at work, we've been served Red Radish- this awesome catering company out of Asheville and Charlotte- and twice now they've served us Porkloin with Grainy Mustard Rosemary sauce. So I was going to try and copy the recipe but they didn't have it, BUT they did have a recipe for a white chocolate poundcake with lemon icing.

Ooooo, I thought. Might have to make that, so I did.

The recipe called for lemon zest and lemon juice AND the lemon icing.. I love sweet-and-savory lemony things, but I felt the need to do something different.. and the end result was yummified to say the least. I substituted white chocolate chips with milk chocolate chips, the lemon zest and juice with vanilla, and lemon icing with cream cheese icing.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and make the grainy mustard sauce from scratch.. we'll see.

Do I really have to keep working in eyes? Can't I just quit and go into the baking business?!

Tis the Season

2009-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

So this year I'm getting ready to hit a mile marker in my life-- hitting the big 3-0 in November (eesh)-- and while I'm very much looking forward to celebrating my bday at Kobes (yes I have already put my request in)- there's something else I'm looking forward to-- COOKING AND BAKING!! Oh I Love this time of year. Now this year will be very different from any other for more than one reason- one being that I will be 30, two I'm going to try and experiment with different dessert recipes, and third-- this year will be the first year that we will be without our beloved Cindy-- how weird it will be without her there to celebrate and eat with us and have her say, "Hhhmm Mandy that is sooooo good." (BTW, she is the ONLY one allowed to call me Mandy). She will definitely be there in spirit but still will NOT be the same.

When September rolls around, I honestly feel the seasons change- from Pina Colada cheesecake, grilled steaks, salad, and Iced *Bux coffee to pecan-caramel cheesecake, White chocolate peppermint cheesecake, chili, spaghetti, Thanksgiving and Christmas food, and nice hot *Bux coffee. Now I haven't made my fall/winter cheesecakes yet, but I have made an apple tart and a chocolate cake made from scratch. I'm hoping to master an apple pie this year, as well as make my yummy cheesecakes. There is something so hearty and comforting in cooking and/or baking... maybe it's the end result or seeing the expressions on people's faces and hearing people say, "Oh my god Amanda that was heavenly." (yes it's the Monica in me).

And I swear- if I knew I wouldn't sink to the bottom, I would say "Screw it," and go into business for myself.. but it costs a lot of money to go into the restaurant business and statistics say the businesses fail in first 5 years. Then where would I be? Back to eyes??!!! No thanks- if I'm going to be done with eyes, I need to be completely done with eyes-- I can't backtrack.. once the bridge is burned, it's burned.

There Once Was a Pup Named Bailey

2009-08-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we have babysat Bailey- an adorable Schnauzer that is just shy of two years old. Miss Bailey's hometown is in Wingate, North Carolina- near Monroe- and her parents are my parents- Thomas and Karen. She is a dark gray color and is close-shaved along her back and sides- her stomach and legs are shaggy and long. She has a small stub for a tail and these big amazing brown eyes. Her ears flop over and when she looks up at you, they can go straight out and look like Ewok ears. She has a beard and shaggy eyebrows like Charlie Chaplin.

She whines when she needs to go out or when her daddy left her today- she growls at unusual things- and she barks at the legless dogs, aka the snakes, that we have in the cage. She loves her some Branson, although I can't say if the feeling is mutual or not. She loves to shred toys and loves a fleece rope that I got Branson from Woofstock. She doesn't have the tug-of-war thing down pat yet.

She has some unusual behaviors- like last night when we were getting ready to go to bed, and she felt the need to shred her bed. She turned her bowl of food over on purpose. She refused to come up the stairs and had to be carried. She sat beside of Josh and started growling/talking for no reason. She refuses to be fed from her bowl and prefers to be hand-fed, if at all possible. She was playing with the rope and sat half of her body on me, the other half on the floor.

I got in the floor to play with her, and she proceeded to give me kisses and love and bit/nibbled on my nose. She still has the run of a puppy, that prissy trot that most dogs have. She gets the most interesting looks on her face, especially when she's trying to understand what you're saying. She is rarely ever still but is the most beautiful pup when she is sleeping. She understands sit and shake- doesn't understand Come here just yet.

One thing is for sure-- I LOVE this little girl... she is the greatest dog EVER!!!

2009-08-21T18:16:00.001-07:00

I put on my I-Pod headphones on and headed outside for my daily walk as I always did, but this night was different. Something was different, I could feel it but couldn't see it.

The Carolina blue sky above me gave me a show of dark blue clouds outlined in pinks and yellows- it was absolutely gorgeous. The hot summer weather took my breath away as soon as I stepped outside, and I immediately thought how I couldn't wait until next month when the weather would start cooling down.

I took the three flights of steps downstairs and noticed how much more comfortable my feet felt since I had bought shoes specifically for running and some insoles that supposedly made my feet and back hurt less. But that wasn't it either...

What was it that was different?

I turned my I-Pod to song 37 and turned my volume up as loud as I could, before stretching my legs and taking off to run.

"Hung my cotton dress on rusted wire," blared LeAnn Rimes as she sang "Nothin Better To Do" loudly into my ears. I was in my running mode, paid attention to nothing and no one around me. I ran my five miles and headed back up the three flights of stairs to my apartment.

I took my end of the day shower and was getting ready to get into bed by eleven. As I stood beside of my bed, I looked down at my feet and thought how wonderful my feet still felt with my new shoes and insoles. I couldn't believe it.

I lifted one leg to get into bed when I felt it and knew what was different- excruciating pain in my ankle and something wet running all over my foot. I looked down to see a deep gash along my Achilles Tendon with dark red, thick blood pouring onto my foot. As soon as I set my other foot down, I saw it- a hand with a sharp surraded knife slashing a gash into my other ankle. The movement was so quick that all I saw was a swift motion, but I felt the pain and soon fell to my knees and collapsed onto my stomach.

I was starting to feel faint and cold and started losing consciousness. I was slowly starting to bleed to death... guess I wasn't going running tomorrow.

Copyright: Amanda Vittitow.

Idea #2

2009-08-18T20:12:00.001-07:00

The last thing I wanted when I left Ohio was a relationship. I wanted a change… no, let me rephrase that…I needed a change. I had been stuck in the same Podunk town since I was a child and had gone to college to have the experience- thinking it would change something for me. But after the same parties, the same situations, the same thing day after day, I had finally had enough. I packed all of my stuff into my car and headed for home, but when my exit for home came up- I kept driving.

In front of me stood nothing but open interstate and the clear, blue horizon in front of me. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I got there, but I was going and that’s all that mattered to me.

As I drove to my destination unknown, I thought about my life… kinda boring, definitely uneventful. I had grown up in the rural area of Southeast Ohio, in the typical house with my parents and siblings- one older brother, who everyone thought the sun rose and set with, and one younger sister, who according to my parents was, “the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.” Gag me. Being the middle child did have its advantages because while my parents were tending to my siblings, I was getting away with things that I never would have gotten away with if I was the oldest, youngest, or even the only child. And as much I pushed the limit and wanted to get caught or punished to get my parents attention, it never happened. I was the forgotten child.

The forgotten child, I thought as I continued to drive. It had a nice ring to it. I mean what would truly happen if I never went home? My parents wouldn’t miss me, my siblings wouldn’t miss me, my roommates back at college definitely wouldn’t miss me. The girl that played her music too loud when her roommates were sweating exams the next day, the girl that came in way too late and clattered around because she wanted Ramen noodles at four in the morning… yeah they definitely wouldn’t miss me.

And Thoughts..

2009-07-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Still writing articles and such.. trying to get back into grant writing. I'm going to meet a grant writer on Tuesday for her to teach me some things to see I like it and want to get into it.

I have also had a lot of fiction ideas come into my head. Only thing is I don't know where to go and what the characters should or can do to make them stand out and be different from everyone else. I mean let's face it, writing a book is a great accomplishment but I'm not proud of it. I think if things were handled different with the publishing company, I would be more proud of it.

May be writing different ideas to put on my blogspot... just a tip: I own the rights- all of them. It's my original work, and I am proud of it- so it's MINE.

Idea...

2009-07-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while but have had a lot of ideas running through my head. Finally had to write an idea down to see where it took me.. here's the result. Who knows where it will end up if anywhere.

I own all rights to this.

I woke up the morning after and looked around his bedroom. It looked a whole lot different in the morning sunlight than it did in the dark- where the only light coming through was the softness of the moon. Now the morning sun made everything look extra bright, almost translucent. I rolled over to see him sleeping soundly next to me with his arm draped over his eyes to block out the sun, or maybe he was he was doing the same thing I was- trying to avoid me, like I was with him. But oh my god it was fun—ten years of playing catch up wrapped into two hours of pure, animal, never-going-to-see-you-again sex.

I peeled myself out of his bed and tried to step lightly across the hardwood floors. One of the boards creaked underneath me, immediately causing me to stop and turn around to see if I had woke him up. I sighed under my breath to see that he was still peacefully sleeping and continued walking through his room picking up my clothes that seemed to be in order from his bed to his bedroom door. First was my black, lacy underwear, second was my matching bra, third was my simple, black cocktail dress, fourth and fifth were my shoes and my hair barrette that I tossed as soon as the door was closed.

As soon as I was dressed, I opened the door and was just about out of his room- thinking I had played it safe.

“Hey,” I heard behind me.

Damn it. I was busted.

Moshimoshi..

2009-06-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is a plate thing we found at Anthropologie that I thought was a good hat. My friends are always hassling me that I'm from Hong Kong, Japan (yes I know that Hong Kong is in China) so I thought this was a good touch.

Saturday Shopping Trip

2009-06-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

One Saturday out of the month, my mom and I get together in Huntersville (it's about equal distance for the both of us- I'm in Hickory, she's in Wingate near Monroe). At first when we were meeting at Birkdale which is interesting enough, but then on a navigating trip we discovered Northlakes Mall complete with a Macy's and Borders- two stores that Valley Hill Malls lacks.

I made the hour trip in the A/C (thanks honey) and listened to the CMA Country Fest (what used to be known as Fan Fair). They were doing a songwriter's session which was the best and only session I've heard. The songwriter that wrote Kelly Pickler's "Red High Heels," and "I Wonder" was on there- also the songwriter that wrote Luke Bryan's "Country Man," and one of the writers (who happened to be a guy) that wrote Carrie Underwood's "Last Name." Oh also heard one of the writer's that wrote Billy Currington's "Must Be Doin Something Right." It was an excellent session.. really really good.

Mom and I met for coffee in the two-story Borders store which is an awesome bookstore that has even better coffee-- better than Starbucks could ever think about being. I got a white chocolate mocha coffee complete with whip cream and white chocolate shavings- mom got her usual coffee. As far as our pastries- she got a raspberry pastry thing with peach cream cheese in the middle, and I got a lemon pound cake that was really yummy.

First store we went into was Belk (by the way it's Belk, not Belk's- mom used to work for them, she would know). I went looking for a darker shade of powder for summertime. Instead of just being shown what to buy for makeup, I was given 3 different powders. I found one that didn't make me look chalky, and after I chose, the Clinque-ician put the powder all over my face and dressed up my eyelids, cheeks, and lips. I don't wear a lot of makeup b/c I'm really prone to breakouts, but I really like what she did. I was almost tempted to buy it all, but I know me and I wouldn't wear it. I also found a pair of jean shorts that are a little longer and nicer than the jean shorts I have now. What's funny about this is these shorts were originally $36 but thought they were on sale for $17.99. When I got up to the register I paid $12.59.. isn't that awesome???

Let's see where did we go from there.. OH we went to Coldwater Creek- mom's favorite store. I helped her pick two shirts out for a skirt and spotted another shirt for her to wear with white capris. I told her I was going to stop working in eyes and be a personal assistant and shopper.

Next was my absolute favorite store- Anthropologie. I love, love, love that store. I could easily drop $1000 in the store on dishes, a bedspread, sheets, and clothes-- not to mention the soap and the candles. It's such a funky store!! Mom bought a lot of scented soaps and two candles that cost more than your average candle (I refuse to say the price, but it was quite up there).

Last shopping place was Border's.. of course all we got there were books, but I got two books- Eat This, Not This (supermarket survival guide) and the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. There's a movie getting ready to come about that, but books are already better than movies- so I bought the book.

Originally lunch was going to be at a rustic Italian restaurant that has the best drinks and food, but I changed my mind and opted for TGIFridays which still has good drinks and food. But I decided to stay sober on this shopping trip- lol- but let me talk about the burger I got. It was called the Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger (so very fattening but I didn't care).. what was good about this burger was the thick piece of FRIED PROVOLONE. Now serious who doesn't love fried cheese of any sort??? Other than that it was just a cheeseburger.

I made the long trip home and have been lazy ever since. I really do enjoy the trip I make down there every month. I enjoy what the day holds.

Couple of Weeks Have Passed..

2009-05-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

I realize that a couple of weeks have passed since I have blogged on here. I have been extremely busy with writing projects. I have decided to take another writing project doing nothing but re-writes and still doing my originals and re-write articles. I am having some trouble trying to figure out how to plan and do everything, but I have to believe that it will come to me when I least expect it.

I just finished a batch of re-writes in regards to tracing cell phone numbers, and I'm working on another batch right now in regards to fitness. Other subjects I've been writing include Twitter, business cards (boring), window and vertical blinds (bore me to tears), rejuvenating the body to get rid of toxins, and various other subjects that I can't really remember right now.

Josh and I have really getting into hiking lately- we've been to South Mountain hiking up the side of the mountain, and we've been through the Appalachian Mountains, and of course our usual park that we go to. Hiking is really great exercise, and it gives Josh some really good picture ideas. Other than that, same ol' same ol'.. work, work, work.. write, write, write... hanging out with great friends.. eating great food.. blah, blah, blah.

May Days

2009-05-03T17:20:00.001-07:00

This past week has been an interesting week. At my day job I followed the retina doctor around- learned how to listen very carefully to what he was saying, learned how to write down exactly what he was saying, went to surgery two days, got thrown to the wolves Friday morning, and rode in his Porsche Friday at lunch. But at lunch he said I was doing extremely well and he would be sure to pass the word to my supervisor. He's the president of the company, so she's gotta listen to him. LOL... day job aside...

I've written a lot more this week as far as the number of articles I've been writing. I think I've written sixteen or seventeen articles this week compared to my usual ten or eleven. The big thing I've written about this week has been tubal reversal surgery- how to find the best doctor, what to do following surgery, tubal reversal vs IVF, and ovulating after tubal reversal surgery. I've also written about some how-tos for cooking, disciplining your teenager, marriage problems and their solutions, pediophobia (a fear of dolls and/or children), and then some re-writes on hypnosis and Singapore museums.

This week my boss is going to take on a large writing project, so lots of work will be available. I'm really excited.

Josh's photo shoot went well last week with TR. Then later Saturday evening we went to our friends' mother's house for a cookout. Our friend has five dogs- two Great Danes, a Great Dane/Lab/Hound mix, a Lab, and a daschund- and all five of them were there. Needless to say Josh got some great pictures of the dogs and of our friends and such.

Spring is here..

2009-04-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

As always I'm still writing about various subjects.. let's see I've written about credit repairs, acne, foods that lower cholesterol, and other things that I really can't remember right now. I've been bidding on other projects this week, so hopefully I'll be able to expand my writing skills.

Next week I start rotating through with the retina doctor at work. I've been extremely interested in retina ever since I've been in the eye biz and especially since working at CEENTA. It's a very interesting field with a lot of pathology and causes unknown...

Still my one true passion, even more than retina, is writing. True some of the subjects may bore me to tears even though I say I'll do them- not knowing what I'm getting into- but I still enjoy what I do very much. And I would still love to stay home and write full time. One of these days I will.

Let's see.. Josh does his first official photo shoot tomorrow am at 10.00 (ish). I'm so excited and happy for him. After that we'll have a couple of hours to spare, and then it'll be off to another photo shoot but this one will be more relaxed.

Stay tuned, happy spring weekend.

Beginning of New Week

2009-04-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Let's see.. still writing.. Friday I turned in two pet articles. Saturday I wrote about the basics of vegetable garden growing, one re-write on Liberia and one on Libya. I took off Sunday and wrote two articles on aromatherapy.

I did send an email to the editor-in-chief of Diabetes Health magazine in hopes of being able to write an article for them. I've been in ophthalmology for the ten years or so, and I must say that besides eyes- endocrinology is something I've been extremely interested in. I think I could definitely hold my own when it came to writing for this magazine.

Mom got me this huge 2009 Writer's Market book filled with literary agencies, publishing agencies, and magazines to write for. I'm starting to go through that and see what I can get into. I would still love to write for Bon Appetit one of these days... to see my name in my favorite magazine ever would be the great accomplishment and dream. I would just about frame that article. LOL...

As much as I love writing and doing what I'm doing, I'm slowly starting to realize that I can't make the kind of money I want to make being a ghostwriter. I write the articles but they're not really mine.. they belong to someone else. But writing is writing, and it's great practice... very good practice.. so I'll keep on keeping on.

The Week Is Almost Over

2009-04-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy writing girl this week, which is really good for me. I like being able to write every day, regardless of how tired I am.

I've written about a variety of subjects this week: Monday was depression, Tuesday was inspiration for women, Wednesday was hypertension re-writes, today I was supposed to write about pets but was asked to do two more hypertension re-writes. I just finished the re-writes and am going to turn my pet articles in tomorrow.

Last week I got a little bit more of a bonus than I was expecting, so I'm taking that as a sign that my writing is improving and I'm getting to be more dependable.

Our Kentucky trip was wonderful as usual.. I love going up there, and I always hate coming home. ALWAYS. Josh and I have talked several times about how we're going to move up there one of these days. So we have decided that once we're self-employed full time, we're moving up there. There were lots of pictures taken by Josh and me, and as of now, he's editing and saving them. Stay on the lookout on blogspot for updated pics from our trip.

Lots going on...

http://lifesjourneyphoto.blogspot.com

Greetings from Bardstown, KY

2009-04-09T19:12:00.001-07:00

Josh and I got here in KY almost three hours ago, and we're awaiting some heavy rain. Rain never seems to escape us no matter where we go (down right sucks), but Saturday and Sunday are going to be good.

Saturday we're heading over to Loretto, KY where the big Maker's Mark distillery is. We go up there just about every time we come up to Kentucky, and I learn something new at every visit.

Josh of course brought his camera with him to take lots of pictures, so be on the lookout.

Just in case you need the address: http://lifesjourneyphoto.blogspot.com

I have finished my weekly articles and have requested some re-writes for the ride home on Sunday.

More later...

Guitars, Herbs, and Coffee... oh my

2009-04-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

I finished writing my guitar articles on Saturday and almost immediately after sending them in, I got an email asking I could do an emergency rewrite on the electric guitar. "Sure why not?" so I spent an hour doing the rewrite because I thought it was an emergency, but I don't think it was all that big of an emergency.

My articles writes this week are three re-writes on coffee, three originals on herbs (anything and everything is welcome), and three originals on weightloss. We got to choose what we wanted to write on this week, so that's why my subjects are a little more interesting.

I'll be done with my weightloss articles tomorrow, so I'm hoping I can do some more rewrites or originals before we head off to KY... so excited.

ah

2009-04-02T19:12:00.001-07:00

I think I may have mentioned in my last blog that I had to write about dental procedures which I finished. Yesterday I was given 3 re-writes to do, around 700 words, about electric guitars.. the beginner buyer's guide, electric guitar lessons, and how to get started or something along those lines. I was going to do an article a night since they were so long, but I buckled down and finished them all tonight.

Now I get to relax for about 30-45 minutes and wait on the next assignment. Woo..

Bored To Sleep... No Seriously

2009-03-30T17:05:00.001-07:00

Well I thought I was going to die this past weekend.. no not really but relatively speaking. I usually try to write on the weekends because I can write and accomplish more, blah, blah, blah. My writing boss- god love her- gave me an assignment to do seven re-writes about golf.. GOLF.. what kind of balls to use, the clubs, how to improve technique, yadda yadda. Oh my gosh y'all.. I haver never been so bored in all my life. Granted the weather didn't help matters either, but geez golf is so boring to me.

Now I've played golf before, and I really enjoy it but good grief, having to write about it? Kill me, kill me now... I vowed to get the articles written by Saturday. Know when I finished them?? 12:00am Sunday/Monday am. I hope I never have to write about golf again...

Now I'm writing about dental procedures which is so more interesting than golf.

sigh

2009-03-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's 12.01 at the start of a Thursday morning, and I am still awake.

I have been a busy girl this evening, but it's all in good fortune. I've been writing about the benefits of contact lenses, X-Box 360 Live Codes, and tomorrow I write about Real Estate Investing with a re-write from the original article.

I was supposed to go with mom shopping, but she ditched me (not really). So hopefully I'll be writing this weekend, since it's going to be nasty and rainy.

Okay the computer is dying, so I'm gonna jump off here and go to SLEEP.

Still writing...

2009-03-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Let's see mid-week I wrote about microdermabrasion- something I'm familiar with being in my line of work. My article titles: What is microdermabrasion? What are the benefits of microdermabrasion? Microdermabrasion at home.

Now I'm writing about pregnancy: The Risks of Pregnancy, The Joys of Being Pregnant, and What to Expect When You're Pregnant. Two of the articles have to have url sources.

I need to write some more, so hopefully I'll have more subjects coming my way.

Colon Cleansing

2009-03-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yes you read right colon cleansing... that's the topic up for discussion- well topic up for writing- tonight. I'm writing five articles, and I must say after reading some of the topics... kinda freaks me out a little bit. I could go into details but why ruin your appetite and evening with the icky details. Hopefully I can get done with the articles tomorrow and move on to something nicer like diabetes or blood pressure or strokes or EYES (lol).

And on a completely different subject matter, I got paid today... got paid more than I thought I would AND I got a bonus for turning stuff in on time or early.

Supposed to take a day off

2009-03-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

My writing boss said that all of my articles were really good and that she was very happy with my work. I should be getting paid tomorrow for my articles, and the sad thing about that is- I've made more money writing these articles in one weekend than my book has made since August 2008 (not my fault but my publisher's fault).

Good thing is I've been writing, and I like writing so it's all fine and dandy. My writing boss asked me if I would like to work today, but it's Sunday and I said no. Then I got a little bored and felt like I needed to write to keep my momentum going, so I asked for a re-write or two.

I've never been good at re-writes, simply because they confuse me. But I gave it a try, and hopefully my writing boss will approve of them.

I wrote about Why Dogs and Cats Eat Grass, and How to Give a Pill to a Cat.. both interesting titles but fairly easy titles.

Writing is a way of life... My life

2009-03-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting to see what my life would be like as a freelance writer, and I must say-- it certainly is a job (no a job you hate but a good hardworking job). Friday I wrote four articles about dental insurance (thanks Shannon for your help). I woke up this am and wrote the final article on dental insurance.

Then I was given the assignment to write eight articles on stress: Signs and Symptoms, Management, Reducing, Causes of, Dangers of, How to Deal With, Job Stress, and Relationship Stress.

I've been writing all day, and I must say I'm exhausted. But I've been very productive today and have loved every minute of it. Good thing, too, is I've made money sitting here on my rump and writing. Woo.

What's New?!

2009-03-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

So I've gotten accepted to write medical and miscellaneous articles. Last night I wrote an article about Complaint Handling in 30 minutes. I must say I'm proud of this article-- not because it took 30 minutes but because I know so much about customer service and the article flowed wonderfully as I wrote it.

I'm waiting on permission to publish it on blogspot, so be on the lookout...

I found out last night that I don't have the rights to the articles I've written- which is totally fine with me.

Good thing I'm writing like crazy, and that's always good.

Oh my, my, my...

2009-03-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have to share this recipe with you b/c it is probably one of my favorite cookies ever. Now mind you until tonight the only cookies I had made were either out of the package (a quick fix) or homemade chocolate chip, pecan, and toffee cookies (when I'm feeling creative).

I had discovered this cookie recipe out of my Bon Appetit magazine- one of my absolute favorite food magazines ever (should anyone from Bon Appetit read this blog, see how much I love y'all? Can I please write for you now?? LOL). This recipe calls for no eggs which makes it a really good cookie b/c when you bite into them, its flaky and not doughy... kind of like eating a flaky, buttery pie crust... oh my, my, my...

Ok so here's the recipe from Bon Appetit magazine:

Lime Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate and Almonds.

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1/4t salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/2 cubes

1t vanilla

2T fresh lime peel (usually 2 limes)

1/2 chopped toasted almonds

1 3.5 ounce bar of white chocolate (I used 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the cubed butter, lime peel, and vanilla into the processor and pulse until the dough forms clumps. Press the dough evenly into a buttered 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Pierce the dough with a fork and cut the dough (make sure you go all the way through) into 12 bars and then diagonally to make 24 bars.

Bake the shortbread until golden brown around the edges for 30 minutes (the recipe says 45 minutes but with my oven, it's 30 minutes--- so judge your time-- the rule is: if you can smell them, they're overdone). Remove from the oven. Using a knife, immediately recut shortbread, gently seperating triangles. Put them on a cooling rack.

Place white chocolate into a metal bowl and put over simmering water to melt. After the chocolate is completely melted, take it off the water. Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the cookies (I put the melted the chocolate and put it into a ziploc baggy, snipped the end and made it into a piping bag- that works too). Sprinkle evenly with the almonds.

You can sprinkle any remaining lime peel over the cookies, but I didn't have enough so I didn't.

I'm telling you once you make these cookies and bite into them, you'll be in cookie heaven. They're not overly sweet and you can taste the lime in the background.

Trust me you won't regret it.

More Pictures

2009-03-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

Ameteur Photography

2009-03-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Now I am by no means an expert photographer like some of my friends and my wonderful husband, but I did feel the need to get out this morning and take some pictures with Josh's camera.

I think I'll just stick to my writing, but hope y'all enjoy the pictures just the same.

My Talk Carolina About Us Page

2009-02-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

This is an About Us Page that I re-wrote for MyTalkCarolina.com. The administrator gave me his draft and told me to have it, so I did.

MTC About Us Page:

So what is MyTalkCarolina.com? What are we all about? Keep on reading, and I’ll give you (or y’all, depending on what part of the states you’re in) all a little bit of history about who we are and what do.

MyTalkCarolina.com started off from a lot of different sites that I used to own… well… I still own, but they’re pointed to a different domain. Coast2coast-info.com was the first website that I started off with but was unsuccessful. The second website I started with a buddy of mine called stringdat-lax.net, which is now owned by yours truly- me. It was a lacrosse sports website that was never paid attention to, therefore, not really all that successful. Last was metroconnections.net- I really liked the name and had several friends to help me out. It was popular, at the time, but decided to bring it down and start what we have now- MyTalkCarolina.com. They say with each new thing, you learn something and this is what I’ve learned. With each website MyTalkCarolina.com is the HUB of all the domains I owned.

MyTalkCarolina.com has several thousand members with people signing up daily. We discuss everything from politics to family, recipes to pet care. MyTalkCarolina.com is designed for those that live in North and South Carolina, but we welcome anyone and everyone to sign up, stop by, and say hello or a, “What’s up y’all?”

So sit back and enjoy the ride because at MyTalkCarolina.com, that’s how we roll.

Freelance Project

2009-02-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

I got to add another freelance writing project to my "writing resume." It's a company called "myhappyad," and what they do (what Josh told me) is that if you're on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, or one of those sites, myhappyad puts advertisements up that they think you'll be interested in, in hopes that you'll click on it and drive business to advertising companies. They track what you like and may be interested in and put up the appropriate advertising ads for you. I've already re-written the "About Us" section of the website- now I'm working on advertisers, publishers, and such.

I've decided to go ahead and do the re-writes.. that way I'm ahead of schedule.

Strawberry Pie Recipe

2009-02-22T16:03:00.001-08:00

This pie is made of a graham cracker crust and a great substitute when I'm craving Backyard Burgers' strawberry cobbler.

The crust:

9 graham crackers pulsed into crumbs or 1 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs
3T sugar
5T melted butter

Mix together and press into a 9-inch pie pan or 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

The filling:

2 cups of strawberries
1/2 cup sugar

Put the berries and sugar in the food processor and pulse until it's a puree.
Transfer to a pot and cook on medium heat with:

1/4t of salt and 2T cornstarch

Cook mixture for about 5 minutes until the taste of the cornstarch is gone, and the mixture has a custard appearance to it. Stir it constantly.

The topping:

4 cups of strawberries
3T strawberry preserves or orange marmelade, melted

Coat with berries with the melt preserves or marmelade to give the berries a shiny appearance.

Pour the filling into the crust and top with the strawberries. Gently push the berries into the custard.

Cover the pie and put it in the refrigerator to set up anywhere from 2-3 hours to a day.

Bon Appetit!!

What Is Sjogrens Disease?

2009-02-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

What is Sjogren’s Syndrome?

Sjogrens Syndrome (pronounced SHOW-grins) is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own moisture glands. This disease can affect as many as four million Americans and affects nine out of ten women. The average age of Sjogrens is late 40s, although it can occur in all age groups in men and women.

What are the Symptoms?
The main symptoms of Sjogrens Syndrome is dry mouth and dry eyes (known as Sicca Syndrome) but may, also, cause dryness in the organs such as the central nervous system, the GI tract, the blood vessels, the kidneys, lungs, and the liver. Other symptoms include dry nose, trouble speaking, a change in the sense of smell or taste, dry skin, and fatigue.

Who treats Sjogrens?
Rheumatologists generally treat Sjogrens. Ophthalmologists and dentists are, also, highly qualified to treat Sjogrens.

How easy is it to diagnose Sjogrens?
Sjogrens Syndrome is often misdiagnosed or under diagnosed because the symptoms mimic other systemic diseases such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Multiple Sclerosis (MS). But because all of the symptoms do not come up at once, doctors will often treat one symptom at a time and do not recognize a systemic disease is present.

If Sjogrens is suspected, your doctor may run blood tests to determine if you have high levels of antibodies that are indicative of the disease, such as anti-nuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor (Sjogrens frequently occurs secondary to RA).

A Schirmer’s Test can be done by your ophthalmologist to determine if the dryness in your eyes is caused by Sjogrens. A Schirmer’s Test measures to see how much tear film you have. This is conducted by the technician putting an anesthetic drop into your eyes and inserting little strips of paper that have numbers edged into them. She will have you close your eyes for five minutes. After five minutes has passed, she will pull the inserts out and record the amount of moisture you have. If the moisture in your eyes is 5mm or less, then there is the possibility that you may have Sjogrens

Treatment:
Many symptoms of Sjogrens can be treated with over-the-counter medications such as preservative-free artificial tears, artificial salivas, vaginal lubricants, nasal sprays, and unscented body lotions. Prescription meds may include Lacriserts or Restasis, which is used to give relief for dry eyes. Salagen and Evoxac are available to treat dry mouth. Depending on severity, your doctor may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or immunosuppressive drugs. Some other, non-medicine remedies are to get a humidifier and to wear eye protective googles.

How to Cook a Steak

2009-02-21T19:49:00.000-08:00

I used to always get my steak cooked well-done, I wanted no fat on my steak, and I wanted A1 sauce to go with it. It wasn't until I went to eat at a well known steakhouse, that I learned some things about the way steak is cooked.

1. The longer you cook a steak, the less nutritional value it has. Also if you go to a steakhouse and have it cooked well done, they will more than likely give you a steak that is less quality than someone who orders their steak medium rare.

2. Fat gives the steak flavor, so leave it on there.

3. If you have a really good, well seasoned steak, you don't need A1.

SEASONINGS:
You never want your seasonings or marinade to overpower the steak. Sometimes it's as simple as salt and pepper and sometimes it's as simple as a dry rub. A dry rub that I've come up with is chopped rosemary, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. I mix them together and put the dry rub on both sides, just enough to give the steak flavor. Marinades are good as well, but again, I only put enough on the steak to give it flavor.

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR STEAK COOKED?"
So now you have your seasoned steak ready to cook, but how? There are five ways to cook a steak by either frying, broiling, or grilling.

Rare: The steak should be lightly charred on the sides and should be bright pink through most of the steak. This steak needs to be cooked on high heat for a minute on both sides. The internal temperature of this steak is 50-55 degrees Celsius.

Medium Rare: The steak should be charred on all sides with a hint of red, but the center should still be pink. The surface should be firm to the touch but still has some give in the center. The internal temperature of this steak is 55-57 degrees Celsius. This steak should be cooked on high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Any gourmet chef will tell you this is the way a steak should really be cooked.

Medium: The steak should have a thick pink center but be more browned than pink. The steak should, also, still have some play in the middle but be firm. The internal temperature of this steak is 60-65 degrees Celsius and should be cooked over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Medium well: The steak will be brown all the way through with the slightest hint of pink. This steak needs to be cooked on high heat for a minute (the central part of your grill), and then cooked on medium heat (the side of your grill) for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Well done: The steak will be brown all the way through with no hint of pink but should not be burnt. The steak is firm all the way through with no give if you press on it. This is by far the hardest steak to cook because you don't want to burn it. The steak needs to be cooked low and slow to prevent this; cooked on medium heat 10-12 minutes on each side. The internal temperature of this steak is 77< degrees Celsius.

You've taken your perfectly cooked steak off the heat; now what? I bet you want to cut right into it and eat it, right? WRONG! Never, never cut into a steak that has just been taken off the heat. The reason being is if you cut into a steak too soon, the wonderful, flavoring juices that should be redistributing through the steak is going to go all over the plate, and the meat will be tough. The rule is to wait 5 minutes before cutting into a steak, so you give the juices time.

Trust me, your mouth will thank you! Bon apptit!

Assessing Sexism in Gaming: Is It Still a Boy's World?

2009-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

When I was little, the Easter Bunny gave me a Gameboy. I played games such as Tetris, Super Mario World, even a baseball game that I was really good at. I pretty much played my Gameboy until the screen cracked, and I had to get rid of it.

It wasn't until I got engaged that I started getting back into gaming; this time graduating to the original Playstation and this time playing Crash Bandicoot and Grand Theft Auto. I played those games so much that I had them memorized; had every secret unlocked on Crash and knew exactly how to turn my car so that I wouldn't run into a fence. Playing Playstation was so much fun and made the time pass by when I was bored, but I still wasn't into gaming like I am today.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Playstation 2, still playing every Crash Bandicoot game that I could get my hands on. I bought and played Guitar Hero 2 when it was originally made for Playstation 2; the same goes for Hot Shots Golf 3.

That still wasn't enough, and soon, my husband bought an Xbox 360 Elite, and I bought a Nintendo DS. This is where my gaming skills start to really improve, and I start to play more than most girls my age ever thought about playing. The Xbox 360 games range from Condemned (think Silent Hill-scary) to Burnout Paradise to Acme Arsenal to Rockband (all of which I have played). My DS games range from Brain Age to Word Coach: French to Sims to Yoshi.

So as far as assessing sexism in gaming: Is it still a boy's world? No. Are about sixty percent of the games, regardless of the system, targeted towards teenage boys and young men? Yes, BUT that doesn't mean that all teenage boys and men are the only ones that play the games or that they're the only ones that gaming industries want to play the games. Gaming industries know boys are more likely to play because they know women think gaming is for boys, but the industries are trying to change that thought process.

On Xbox you can purchase Xbox Live cards; these cards let you play online with other players in other states and even other countries. My husband plays with a lot of guys from his work but also plays with a lot of girls in other states and, at least, one in another country (No it doesn't bother me). These girls play games like Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 3, Gears of War, Halo 3, Bioshock, and the list goes on. These girls not only play but have beat the games on expert while still playing "girlie" games.

There's even an online group called The Gamer Chix. They get together every week to play a different game and invite girls from everywhere to play. When you're in the room with these ladies, there is no trash talk, no put downs, no negativity; just girls having fun, boosting each other up, playing video games.

If non-gaming women think it's still a boy's world, it's because women think it's a boy's world. A lot of women are too scared to even try to play. For whatever reason I don't know; either they're scared of getting embarrassed, afraid they might enjoy it, and/or afraid of what other women will think about them. I once had a girl tell my friends (in front of me), "Every time I talk to Amanda, she's playing a video game. I mean, seriously, how old is she?" Needless to say, she's not my friend anymore.

In conclusion, more than half of the games are targeted towards males, BUT if we can play a shoot-'em-up game and pretend it's our boss or significant other, then we're going to play it. We're going to play just as well, if not better, than boys. So watch out, the Gamer Chix are coming to get ya!

New Update.

2009-02-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged here, but here I am... keeping my word about what's going on with my writing and such.

My freelance career is starting off slow, but I'd much rather have it start out slow than not at all. I know that I'm not going to be able to quit the eye business on Monday, and I'm okay with that. But writing is something I've wanted to do since I was a teenager. Writing comes natural to me, and it's something I am passionate about, and for that- I'll gladly wait my turn to be a permanent stay-at-home writer.

So what's new in the writing world of Amanda??

Well right now I'm working on my first Grant Writing project in ophthalmology (eyes). I have never done grant writing before (yes the guy knows this), but I'm strong in ophthalmology so he's letting me take the project on. We're working together-- he's doing the research, and when the time comes, I'm doing the writing. I've bought a Grant Writing book and have been very dependent on my wonderful cousin who is experienced in research and grant writing--- THANK YOU JESSICA!! Every email that is sent, I forward to her for her professional opinion.

I've also been in contact with someone about re-writing 25 articles twice, and that looks promising.

I'm really strong in the medical field- obviously-so I think writing and re-writing medical articles is going to be my strong suit and a strong start to my freelance career, which is fine with me. Everyone needs to start somewhere.

I have also been working on another book-- this one a little darker than the first one, actually, it's a lot darker than the first one. LOL...

So that's what's going on with the writing world of me. Now that I know how to blog on "blogger" correctly, I'll post more often.

Love to all.

Word of mouth advertising really is free!!!

2008-07-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

All right guys!!! The time has come to talk about my book and to get word out!! My publishing company says the more I talk about my book on the internet, the better off I will be. So here it goes: My first official blog to promote my book.

The title: Carry On, Oh My Soul

Genre: Fiction

Soon available as an E-book (will be available for download on Amazon, Google E-books, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, etc) and/or on Print.

Due Date: Around August or September... keep checking back for an official release date (trust me, Josh and I are just as excited about the official release date as we are about anything else).

Cost: $14.95 plus tax

I could give a short synopsis, but it's hard to do that without giving too much away. I will say this: The book talks about love, life, baseball, and fate.

I have put a lot of thought and hard work into this book, and I am very proud to call this my own.

The concept of this book came from a dream that I had had, and as soon as I woke up the next morning, I knew that this would be a great book. So you know what? Don't ever ignore your dreams. You never know where they might take you.

Please, please spread the word around about my book. I know if you buy it, you will not be disappointed. Thank you guys and gals!!! I really appreciate it!!!