We're a few days away from Christmas, and it seems like we're both getting sick. (Nicole: Getting sick?)
Okay, amend that. She's sick, and I'm right behind her. We're also watching Jeanne and Colleen's dog, which brings our total up to 4. They've all been pretty well-behaved, though Rufus has stolen food off of our plates TWICE in the past hour. They also like to run around randomly barking and riling each other up...and then stopping. And then starting again. I think they're crazy.
Christmas is coming! I won't post what I bought her for Christmas, but I wish we could open presents now so she could enjoy some of them. I've been keeping track of my bank account, so I made it through December with no issues. Hooray!
I still want us to run the Resolution Run, even though we have not kept up on our running. Maybe it'll inspire us to get back on track for the New Year.
I've been reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe out loud before bed to Nicole, which we're both enjoying. I'm going to count that as the "read poems aloud to each other" since it's happening fairly regularly. I want to go through the whole Narnia series -- it's something my mom used to read to Joe and me when we were younger.
I also want to get rid of some books off of my bookshelf -- I'm thinking of trading them in or just donating them somewhere. I don't know. I don't need all of these books anymore.
Not much to say...wish Nicole felt better.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
January and February
I forgot to mention that January is our vegetarian month and February is our vegan month. This is our way to cleanse after the holiday season.
I'm Uppers, I'm Downers
Nicole keeps reminding me that I haven’t posted about the Turkey Trot, and I keep having “things” happen to me that really warrants an update. So here goes.
1. Turkey Trot: I did as well as I expected to – I ran and ran and ran and actually was caught by surprise when a colleague, who was also running, came over and high-fived me (he was going in the opposite direction and nearing the end). Though I would have liked to run three miles, the reality was that we were trying to run with walkers surrounding us. It was like a military stealth mission weaving in between everyone. And at some point, I just thought, “Why am I running and everyone else is walking? Walking sounds like a good idea.” And I stopped running. Next time, we’ll start at the end of the runners, that way we’re motivated to keep up rather than slow down. We’ve only run once since the race – I guess life gets in the way.
2. Master's program: Ah, you’re probably thinking, “This is going to be good news!” It was. Before Friday. Here’s the story: I was accepted into a Master’s in Education program at Regis University, which was excellent news. I received the email, the letter, spoke to my advisor, etcetera etcetera. And then. The next day, after telling so many people I was accepted, I got an email from my advisor asking if I had my teaching license. Well, no. But I’ve taught for three years now in my fourth…doesn’t matter. And even though I searched far and wide for the information about whether or not I needed my teaching license, it wasn’t anywhere on their website, brochure, or introductory packet. So…retroactively, I was declined. Wah wah.
3. Perhaps you’re wondering, “Libby, why don’t you have your teacher’s license? You have a bachelor’s in education from Bloomsburg.” Yes, I do. And Colorado law says that I need a program completed at a university, which I have, and three years experience, which I have. But wait. Because I did my training out-of-state, I need three years of out-of-state experience. And after many phone calls, it is true: if I worked in any of the other 49 states of the USA, I could get my COLORADO license. But because I work in Colorado and did my teacher education program somewhere else, I can’t get it. Amazing.
4. This week has taught me once again that I desperately need my medication. Nicole received a text message from me with all of my passwords and when she asked me why, I said, “In case anything happens to me.” She thought I was trying to commit suicide again (I wasn’t). I was in a very dark place in my brain, though. Meds are being taken, though, and therapy on Monday helped, so all is well in that arena.
5. Our dogs are really adorable. If you haven’t met them yet, you need to come by and see them. Ruby is getting so big!
6. Nicole gave me an engagement ring! I’m not sure I blogged about that yet, but it’s absolutely perfect. I look down at it often.
I THINK that’s everything. We need to get back to running. I have a week left of school before the semester is over. And I have to do some serious Christmas shopping soon.
1. Turkey Trot: I did as well as I expected to – I ran and ran and ran and actually was caught by surprise when a colleague, who was also running, came over and high-fived me (he was going in the opposite direction and nearing the end). Though I would have liked to run three miles, the reality was that we were trying to run with walkers surrounding us. It was like a military stealth mission weaving in between everyone. And at some point, I just thought, “Why am I running and everyone else is walking? Walking sounds like a good idea.” And I stopped running. Next time, we’ll start at the end of the runners, that way we’re motivated to keep up rather than slow down. We’ve only run once since the race – I guess life gets in the way.
2. Master's program: Ah, you’re probably thinking, “This is going to be good news!” It was. Before Friday. Here’s the story: I was accepted into a Master’s in Education program at Regis University, which was excellent news. I received the email, the letter, spoke to my advisor, etcetera etcetera. And then. The next day, after telling so many people I was accepted, I got an email from my advisor asking if I had my teaching license. Well, no. But I’ve taught for three years now in my fourth…doesn’t matter. And even though I searched far and wide for the information about whether or not I needed my teaching license, it wasn’t anywhere on their website, brochure, or introductory packet. So…retroactively, I was declined. Wah wah.
3. Perhaps you’re wondering, “Libby, why don’t you have your teacher’s license? You have a bachelor’s in education from Bloomsburg.” Yes, I do. And Colorado law says that I need a program completed at a university, which I have, and three years experience, which I have. But wait. Because I did my training out-of-state, I need three years of out-of-state experience. And after many phone calls, it is true: if I worked in any of the other 49 states of the USA, I could get my COLORADO license. But because I work in Colorado and did my teacher education program somewhere else, I can’t get it. Amazing.
4. This week has taught me once again that I desperately need my medication. Nicole received a text message from me with all of my passwords and when she asked me why, I said, “In case anything happens to me.” She thought I was trying to commit suicide again (I wasn’t). I was in a very dark place in my brain, though. Meds are being taken, though, and therapy on Monday helped, so all is well in that arena.
5. Our dogs are really adorable. If you haven’t met them yet, you need to come by and see them. Ruby is getting so big!
6. Nicole gave me an engagement ring! I’m not sure I blogged about that yet, but it’s absolutely perfect. I look down at it often.
I THINK that’s everything. We need to get back to running. I have a week left of school before the semester is over. And I have to do some serious Christmas shopping soon.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Quinoa and Red Beans
In an effort to eat healthier, I decided to build a concoction last night that sounded like a good idea. Quinoa and red beans.
First of all, if you've never made quinoa before, you're certainly missing out. Go get some immediately. Replace it for rice, and you'll never go back.
When I lived alone, I used to make brown rice and red beans all of the time as my meal, but always had to add a lot of salt (note: I love love love garlic salt, salt, anything sodium-y. 'Tis one of my many downfalls). Nicole always makes quinoa with broth instead of water, so I thought, hey, I can get my sodium fix, and see how this all turns out.
I put some olive oil in a pan (just a little), and chopped up a clove of garlic. Next time I'll put a little more in it, maybe three or four cloves. When the garlic was starting to become brown, I put in a cup of quinoa and 2+ cups of chicken broth. When we do our vegetarian month, I'll replace the chicken broth (which I had in the house) with vegetable broth (which I did not). I also added a pinch of chili powder and cayenne pepper (and Emeril's essence seasoning). Let that boil for a few minutes, then turned the stove down for it to simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
Okay, so I use canned organic red beans. I'm sure I'm supposed to avoid canned beans, but it's just so simple. Replace if you'd like with "real" beans.
After the quinoa, broth, and garlic simmered, and the broth was absorbed and evaporated, I poured two cans of organic red beans (drained, of course) into the pan. Let that cook for another five minutes or so, stirring, stirring, stirring. Voila.
I loved it. I'm loving it this morning as my leftovers (I didn't eat a "normal" breakfast before coming in to work today). I'm going to start making huge vats of it on weekends for my lunches during the school weeks. It packs a lot of protein, and while there is a bit of sodium, that's not the biggest deal in my world. Ah, well. Try it if you'd like.
Nicole reminded me that I haven't written about the race, so I'll need to do that over the next few hours. We survived! That's a big win. 5K this weekend in Boulder.
First of all, if you've never made quinoa before, you're certainly missing out. Go get some immediately. Replace it for rice, and you'll never go back.
When I lived alone, I used to make brown rice and red beans all of the time as my meal, but always had to add a lot of salt (note: I love love love garlic salt, salt, anything sodium-y. 'Tis one of my many downfalls). Nicole always makes quinoa with broth instead of water, so I thought, hey, I can get my sodium fix, and see how this all turns out.
I put some olive oil in a pan (just a little), and chopped up a clove of garlic. Next time I'll put a little more in it, maybe three or four cloves. When the garlic was starting to become brown, I put in a cup of quinoa and 2+ cups of chicken broth. When we do our vegetarian month, I'll replace the chicken broth (which I had in the house) with vegetable broth (which I did not). I also added a pinch of chili powder and cayenne pepper (and Emeril's essence seasoning). Let that boil for a few minutes, then turned the stove down for it to simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
Okay, so I use canned organic red beans. I'm sure I'm supposed to avoid canned beans, but it's just so simple. Replace if you'd like with "real" beans.
After the quinoa, broth, and garlic simmered, and the broth was absorbed and evaporated, I poured two cans of organic red beans (drained, of course) into the pan. Let that cook for another five minutes or so, stirring, stirring, stirring. Voila.
I loved it. I'm loving it this morning as my leftovers (I didn't eat a "normal" breakfast before coming in to work today). I'm going to start making huge vats of it on weekends for my lunches during the school weeks. It packs a lot of protein, and while there is a bit of sodium, that's not the biggest deal in my world. Ah, well. Try it if you'd like.
Nicole reminded me that I haven't written about the race, so I'll need to do that over the next few hours. We survived! That's a big win. 5K this weekend in Boulder.
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