Spring 2013

Hello, hello! 

Just checking in with my blog for a quick update. Life is flying by as my jaw progressively improves. This year brings about many things for us. Doug and I are getting married in October and are busy with wedding preparations. We're also looking into buying our first home after the wedding. And planning our honeymoon, maintaining jobs, finding a new one (me), and trying to find a healthy balance of work, fun and ways to keep our sanity. We are now realizing that we can't have everything we want right at this moment and that things take time to achieve. Our fortune cookies gave us much needed advice.

True to life fortune cookie!

I will be 25 this year!!!! The only good thing about this is that I do not look like I am 25. The bad part of this statement is that as a substitute teacher, to the kids I don't look much older than them. I remind them that my age is not relevant to their classwork and that I really do not care how old they are so I suggest they try not to focus on guessing my correct age. 

Time really does fly by. I remember being 13 and impatient to turn 14 so my brother would stop calling me a tween. To him, tweenhood ended at age 14 and thus that was the age I was going for. I could get there and stay that age forever. And now I am........almost 25. My twenties have by far gone the fastest. Since graduating from college in 2010 the time has flown by and I can't slow it down for even a minute.

Enjoying spring!! (Taken in 2012)

Enjoy spring everyone! Seasons change and years come and go so make memories that last forever :-)

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year! My last post was back in August 2012. Six months ago many changes had taken place for us, and now yet again more things are changing and yet some old things are returning. For the new year I'll start off by posting some pictures of my delectable creations and see how long into the new year I'll keep at it :) For tonight's dinner I made Chicken Tenders with Pineapple Sauce which is a variation of momma's famous Hawaiian Chicken. I accompanied the meal with Homemade Creamed Corn and a light Avocado, Tomato, Chick Pea Salad. 

Chicken tenders in a pineapple sauce with chunks of pineapple.

Homemade creamed corn with Ritz cracker topping.

Avocado, tomato and chick pea salad.

My #1 customer was very happy with dinner tonight! 

In jaw-news, my shoulder and neck pain has recently been confronted and a series of exercises given to me by my physical therapists. These exercises have helped tremendously and just within the past few days have I begun to really notice some great differences in regards to my range of motion in my shoulder. About a month ago I went in for an MRI as was advised by my orthopedic doctor who which I have a follow-up appointment with tomorrow morning, to get a scope on the knob sticking out of my collar bone and figure out what was causing it/wrong.

The results showed nothing severely wrong, and only a mild indicator of fluid around that joint in my collar bone and a slight sign of arthritis. He suggested a cortisone shot, and physical therapy. I opted for the second option and chose to hold off if at all possible on the first. My knob was extremely sensitive at this point and previous chiropractic measures had proven unsuccessful. Now, I have had great success with physical therapy alone, yet my knob remains not as sore but still very visible. We shall see. At the PT they work with my right arm and shoulder to strengthen it through means of massage and other techniques, with hopes to reduce/release this fluid in my joint. Stay tuned for more recipes and updates!

Happy New Year!