Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thankful for writing




Writing has always been very therapeutic to me. I enjoy writing about things...whether they are happy, sad or insignificant. This blog was started out of a broken heart - to serve as a small haven where I could clear my head by writing. And it has, since then, remained a little place of solace to make some sense of everything around me.

Being separated from the person you love is hard - sometimes it can be pretty damn unbearable. But I have discovered how soothing it is to simply write to him.

After he left for Basic Training, I purchased this thick spiral-bound red notebook specifically for writing letters. In two months, the metal that had held it together has loosened and fallen apart from my overuse. The pages have also begun to dwindle - the front and back covers now seem too large to contain the few pages remaining. So many times I've reached for that red notebook through a haze of tears because I had no where else to turn. Even if I didn't intend to send him some of the things I wrote, it was a relief to almost pretend I was speaking to him. And upon finishing a letter, I'd realize that my sadness had begun to ebb the moment I touched my pen to the paper to write his name. The process of writing to him was so uplifting that, by the closing, I'd find my tears dried and a smile on my face.

This Thanksgiving - after looking back over the hardest year I've yet endured - I gave thanks for the gift of writing ability. It has truly helped preserve my sanity and happiness throughout.

And I hope everyone else had a happy Thanksgiving! Happy December (almost)!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Happy Two Year Anniversary



A very very very happy day.

Today just goes to show: if ever you lose faith that you'll never climb out from rock bottom, look to the future. Eventually, you will find the strength to get your ass out of there and you'll find happiness at the top.

I'm so unbelievably happy right now. I have so much to look forward to... Mashing potatoes with Mom while she listens to Frank Sinatra in the kitchen. Watching football with Dad and Seth. Continuing the Viall sister tradition of wearing pajamas to the dinner table on Thanksgiving. Sitting by the fireside, talking to my family and the friends we consider family. Reuniting with all of my friends. And, most of all, being with Adam two and a half weeks from today!!!!

I'm a lucky girl to have so much love in my life.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Mirror Lake Jump 2008

Tomorrow night is the Mirror Lake Jump for Beat Michigan Week. Here's last year's:

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

"Cocina Sabrosa"

An e-mail from my Uncle Ned on how to cook his famous dish:

"Here's how I cook it: I start out sauteeing the onions, and when they're just getting brown, I add the garlic and mushrooms (and if you can find mushrooms with a lot of flavor, like shiitake, it's worth the extra bucks). The garlic and mushrooms get brown quickly, then I add tomatoes, broccoli and zucchini (I just cut up the tomatoes into small chunks and let them kind of boil down into sauce). When everything else is ready, I throw in the marinated artichoke hearts just to heat them up -- they lose their flavor quickly if you cook them. I cook the sausage separately (cut it up into small pieces and sautee it or broil it) and add it with the art hearts, cook the pasta (al dente -- just past rubbery) and then mix it all together."

Uhh, sounds easy for a beginner cook with experience only in pouring cereal and making grilled cheese.

As part of Adam's Christmas gift, I want to surprise him by cooking a romantic (and edible) dinner. And Uncle Ned's pasta dish - or, as we like to call it "cocina sabrosa" - came to mind as the perfect meal Adam and I could share together.

I'm going to give it a trial run - with my mother close at hand, prepared with a fire extinguisher - just to see how badly I screw it up. Then, hopefully, it will be perfect by the time Adam gets home for Christmas!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Ice skating upside down...or just backward



Since I've already completed my Biology prerequisite for Nursing (thanks to a certain high school Biology teacher), I had an opening in my Winter Quarter schedule that needed to be filled. So what did I decide to fill it with? Skating 101.

Yup, I'll get credit for ice skating once a week. I was sold on the class once I read the description which stated that I would learn to skate backward. I have always wanted to do that!

Chances are good that I will bruise my tailbone at least twice.

Friday, November 14, 2008

The Narcoleptic Dog

Happy World Diabetes Day!

The focus of this post, however, is not diabetes. It's narcolepsy - because that's a lot funnier.

Meet the narcoleptic dog:



You're going to laugh really hard...which will be followed by a great deal of guilt.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A month to go

Happy Veteran's Day, Dad!



Indeed it has been a very happy Veteran's Day for me...because, one month from today, I will be with Adam as he graduates from Basic Training.

God, I can't wait to be with him again. Forty-nine days down...only thirty more to go!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

One Sentence

This website encourages you to tell your story - life story, an insignificant story, anything - in one sentence.

A favorite submission:

"When the one-armed Amishman sitting next to me started talking about condoms, I knew it was going to be an interesting train ride."

And one of my own submissions:

"Looking at the picture of my grandfather, I was finally able to blame someone for my double cowlicks."

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Dumbledore '08

The reason I voted for Obama...

He reminded me of this guy.



That's right - Albus Dumbledore. A Gryffindor, the renowned Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the founder of the Order of the Phoenix, defeater of the dark wizard Grindelwald. You've probably heard of him.

As all of the election madness was taking place, I was in the midst of re-reading my favorite book in the Harry Potter series. That's probably why I started to see (or maybe I should say create) parallels between Obama and Dumbledore...

When the evil Lord Voldemort returned, Dumbledore did not try to cover up the truth - he wanted to take bold and immediate action. He never lied to Harry or the rest of the Wizarding world in saying that it would be easy to defeat Voldemort. He knew how difficult and dangerous the task would be yet remained brave and willing to fight. Because he had a vision of a better world. And his courage was contagious, inspiring many wizards and witches to rise up to challenge the Death Eaters. And ultimately, after undertaking great challenges and failing more often than he succeeded, he enabled Harry to carry out the restoration of peace to the magical world.

Above all, however, Dumbledore's most admirable quality was his tolerance of and willingness to cooperate with all magical creatures - even the misunderstood giants and detested "half-breeds."

It all seems quite ridiculous when I say it aloud (this is what happens when you let your imagination run away from you.)

While I do not have full unyielding faith in President Obama as of yet, I feel some degree of comfort in recognizing his loose similarities to the greatest wizard to ever live...in my head.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

O-H-I-O!



An analyst on CNN reported that Hamilton County helped Obama win Ohio.

I feel like my vote counted big time!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Someone you might know someday

In Psych class, I sit near a noticeably older man - probably in his mid to late twenties. He has a booming voice and a buzzed, military-style hair cut. Immediately, I pegged him as a former soldier - perhaps a military man attending college on the GI Bill.

During one of our classes I noticed that he had asked several questions about the discussion topic - child development. Later, I figured out why he'd been so curious - I overheard him sharing an animated story with our teacher about his own young daughter. And telling from his myriad of questions and ear-to-ear smile, I pictured this to be his first.

I wondered if I might be seeing a small glimpse of Adam in the future - in my future. Then I worried that it was nothing more than seeing a stranger...just some person I'll never know.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Perfect blood sugar

This morning, after spending a ridiculous night on the Ohio University campus, my blood sugar was 98! Yay! I rock.

I then proceeded to stuff my face with a large breakfast from the Big Silver Diner. Which shot me up to 269. Damn.

Oh well, I'm still a beast for that 98!

(By the way, 70-120 is considered a good blood sugar.)