"Taquitos Tonight" or "The Most Meaningful Blog Ever"

Today was a rather good day.

I fell asleep on the couch last night watching Food Network.  I am officially obsessed with both Iron Chef America and Chopped.  I first became obsessed with the former, not knowing about the latter, but now I don't even know which one I like more.  Someday when I have spare time (haha) I will go into some in depth analysis and compare the two.  Anyway, love them both.



So, this morning, Genevieve woke me up, wanting to go outside.  I didn't need breakfast, seeing as I woke up to a cake-crumb-covered plate, and discovered that in my sleep I ate the end of Melissa's "Congratulations on Quitting Your Job Cake."  That's not a joke.  None of it is.  I ate it in my sleep.  And I really did make her that cake.  Or I tried.  Anyway, I didn't need breakfast, clearly I had taken care of that already.  So I took my meds, yadda yadda yadda, then Genevieve and I went for our walk.  It was lovely and she was so well behaved today...it was a pleasant and super-welcome surprise with the way that she's been acting this past week or so.

Anyway.  Good morning.  Good classes.  Good time at work (got some work done teaching myself how to use our new three dimensional animation software...and then watched The Office).  Got some groceries.  Came home.  Played with the dog.  This is way more in depth than I initially planned.  The point of the post is taquitos.

Okay, so I'm watching Iron Chef America and normally that makes me want what they are cooking (well sometimes anyway, when it's not fish and stuff) but today, I just want to chill.  Plus, the secret ingredient is barracuda.  Gross.  And I know what you're saying.  Don't judge a book by it's cover.  I'm not.  I'm judging a terrifying fish on the grounds that it is terrifying and that it is a fish.  Two strikes for the barracuda.  There's one more strike as well.  Strike three: it is a barracuda.

Anyway, instead of being inspired to make something fantastic, I was inspired to take some frozen taquitos out of a box and put them in the oven.



Anyway, that's what I did.  And they were good.

Both the pup and myself were much more interested in the
taquitos than the barracuda fondue.  Yes, you heard me right.  Anyway, only
I got to eat them because taquitos are not for dogs.
Chalk a point up on the board for me.

The end.

P.S.  To those of you who took me at my word when I entitled this (at least partially) "The Most Meaningful Blog Ever," I was lying.  I was lying, and doing so ever-so-intentionally.  I believe that's another point for me.

Movin' on Up!

Hey Everybody!

Hope all is well in everyone else's worlds.  Mine's pretty good right now.  We just moved furniture and stuff into our apartment on Friday.  Makes the whole move up to apartment living seem like more of a reality.  Melissa and I are both really thrilled.

Myself and Melissa on Friday night after moving in.

She's been out of campus housing for a couple years now but this is my first year...so one of the things I'm MOST excited about is being able to cook for myself!

I know...I know...it's a lot more work.  I'll get tired of it.  Soon I'll wish that I'm back in a hall of Freshman (no offense guys, you know I love you) with a meal plan that provides me with frightening faux food.  Yeah...I think not.

I do realize that it will be more work.  But it's real work that I'm really glad to take on.  It's like my mom keeps saying to me:

"Lauren...you're like...a real person now!"

Those of you who know me, know that I like to be in control of things.  Those of you who don't know me probably know that too, haha.  I wouldn't say that I'm a control freak (surely others might disagree), I would say that rather than needing to be in control of everything...I need things not to be out of control.  So if something is under control and safe, healthy, and of course to my liking...but in the control of someone else...I'm totally cool with it.

Food is a big thing for me.  I can't handle anything be questionable about food.  I also have a really hard time handling raw meat...but I'd rather brave through the terror of working with raw meat than have somebody that I don't know or trust preparing my meat for me.  Makes sense, right?  At least a little bit?

Anyway, this weekend marks the time when I will actually be moving in...not just moving in furniture.

Audience participation time...okay?

Please, please, please send me a favorite recipe...or two...or four...so that I can try it out!  I'm going to Facebook this request too, but I'm planning on doing this stuff from my blog mostly.  Here's the deal.  I'm thinking about trying to chronicle my new apartment experiences or whatever in the blog.  Kinda like Julie & Julia with the cooking thing.  So send me a recipe...AND YOU COULD SEE IT ON THE BLOG!

Exciting, right?  Well...I think so.

A little note about recipes:  Healthy recipes are preferable...just because that's part of why I'm so excited about cooking for myself...but if the're super awesome and not the healthiest...I might be able to make an exception.  Also, not a huge fish person.  But again...if you can convince me it's super awesome...I'll probably try it out.

Let's see some recipes people!!!!

Peace Out,
LT

P.S.  Sister...wet burritos?  Pretty please?

Not Alone

Today was a pretty long day.  I traversed back down to the good ol' Butler University campus today (with the help of my wonderful chauffeuring father) to attend Melissa's graduation ceremony.

So...I got up at 5:30 am.  I'm not complaining though.  It's more than worth it to go see Melissa.  She's worth everything and more to me.  Anyway...I got up early, went back down to Indy, and listened to a lot of people tell her in an extremely erudite fashion how she should keep reaching for the stars.  Anyway, after graduation, my dad and I went to Fresh Market to buy some capers for my mother (I assume to make marinated asparagus for tomorrow's Mother's Day dinner at my Aunt Betsy and Uncle Rick's house).  After that we joined Melissa and company at Buca di Beppo for dinner.  It was lovely to see her reach this mile marker in her life.  I was so honored to be a part of it with her.

Though the blessings of the day definitely way out the problems...due to part of this post, it's important to note that today was a pretty bad pain day.  I think I was able to hide it pretty well (I think) but I know Melissa noticed (she always does) and my dad could tell too of course.  Anyway...the point is, by the time I came back up North, my pain was still pretty bad.  So...in keeping with the commencement addresses (NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP) I kinda just started browsing around on the internet looking at alternative forms of pain management.

Honestly, part of me wonders if medical marijuana would be a good option to try...but seriously, how do you go about asking about that?  HaHa. "Hey...so...my pain is pretty unbearable sometimes, Doc.  What do you think about weed?"

Anyway, I looked it up, just for kicks, and looked up other herbal stuff...and then ended up looking up Congenital Myasthenia Gravis (one of those things that just makes me one of a kind) AND herbal remedies.  You know...like that old way to search things on Google.  Anyway...I ended up running into a handful of blogs of people with CMS (Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome...which I think they are calling it now...like I think it's a group of them) and parents of children with the disease.

I ran into one in particular that really touched my heart.  Luke and Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome.  I sent the mother an e-mail.  It's just nice to know that I'm not alone.  I mean I know that I'm not alone....but it's nice to know.  I'll never forget the time I got out of one of my surgeries and found out that a girl with CMG had just moved out of the hospital from across the hall.  I was so devastated at the time (part of me still is) that I didn't get to meet her and ask her what her life was like.  I believe she was college age, as I am now, and I wanted to ask her so many things.

Anyway...that pain's still there...and the internet isn't working as a really great distraction.  Hopefully Betty White hosting Saturday Night Live will help.  HOW COULD IT NOT?!

So yeah...I'm signing out for now.  Just wanted to throw all of that out there.

P.S.  I got weighed at my GI specialist in Indianapolis on Wednesday and I am now back below 150 lbs at 149.6!

Peace out kiddos!

LT  

A Song for Today

I'm at a point in my life...I think...a point where life twists and turns and takes you to various places...and it's just weird to recognize that while I'm at that point in my own life, one of those closest to me is at that point in her own as well.  Today...one of the dearest people in my life, a girl who may know me even better than I know myself, a puzzle piece of my soul, and my best friend...was taking a nap in my bed before she went to work .  I was reading A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.  Nickel Creek (one of our shared favorites) was playing in the background.  She was sleeping soundly.  I was studying soundly.  But then a song came on that kind of broke down this invisible wall of strength that I've been trying to maintain for a while.

When You Come Back Down

By: Nickel Creek

You got to leave me now, you got to go alone
You got to chase a dream, one that's all your own
Before it slips away
When you're flyin' high, take my heart along
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

I'll keep lookin' up, awaitin' your return
My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn
And I won't feel your fire
I'll be the other hand that always holds the line
Connectin' in between your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire

And I'll be on the other end, To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly, If you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall

[Bridge:]
Your memory's the sunshine every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel, let me help you with your wings

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare

I'll still be there
When you come back down
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down 

This friend of mine...this sister to my soul...is graduating soon (she's a little bit more on time with her education than I am).  She's going on and following her dreams.  That is the best that I could ever ask for or wish for her.  And I do.  EVERY OUNCE of me is in full support of where she's going and what she's doing.  There must be absolutely no mistake about that.  There's no "but" here...just an "and."

...and the thing is...no matter how much I love her and wish the best for her and NEVER EVER would want to hold her back...there is this regrettably human selfishness within me that just doesn't know what I'm going to do without her by my side.  I am my own person.  A beautiful person.  I know I will still be me on my own.  Okay...here's the "but," I guess I lied...but...we complament each other.  Yes...I know that that is incorrect spelling.  It's a made up word that combines both "compliment" and "complement" because we do both.

Anyway...I woke her up from her nap.  I was crying but didn't want to say why.  I don't want her to feel anything but love and support from me.  At the same time though...I don't want her to think that this is going to be easy for me.  It doesn't matter that it's not going to be easy...life isn't easy, period.  But what I'm saying is that I don't want her, for a moment, to think that she's unappreciated, unloved, or that my heart doesn't cry itself dry when I think of her living on the West Coast...instead of a few blocks away.

I think that's all that I have to say.  For now anyway.  We're sitting in the library.  She's being studious and studying and I am blogging.  Something is wrong with this picture.  I just wanted to put that out there.  Maybe if I break down crying tonight I'll just have her read this as an explanation.  Here's hoping that that doesn't happen though.  I look up to her so much.  As an actor, a designer, a woman, a sister, a friend, a person, and a soul.  I want nothing more for her to fly as high as she can.

Thanks for listening.

Peace, Hope, and Love,

LT