Have you ever...

got to singing so good while you are in the shower that you actually have to actively stop bathing yourself to finish out the song? You know, close your eyes and just let it wail?
I did yesterday.....
and I----eeee-----I will always love you----uuu--uuuu----I will always, I will always, love youUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!
And I rocked it. Whitney's got nothin' on me.

Billy Elliot comes to Broadway

One of THE best movies I have ever seen is now on Broadway in NYC.

http://www.billyelliotbroadway.com/

Now I have an excuse to go back to New York, and I don't care that the tickets cost $127 each either!

Vacation

Usually vacations are reserved for vacating one's own domicile in search of overpriced airline fares, hotel stays and bad food. Well, I decided against it at the last minute and I am happier for it. First of all (and if you know me at all) I was going to Boston on standby tickets costing only $75. But there is never a guarantee that you will make to where you want to go on time or whether you will make it home on time. As much as I love people watching at the airport (which is hands down THE BEST place for this past time) I would hate to be there all day waiting to see if I can get on the next Jet Blue Flight...so I stayed home. It was great. My sister was out of town on her annual St. Augustine trip with a bunch of 4th graders (God help her) so I took advantage of my 'alone' time. I cleaned out my closet, pulled some weeds, gave a huge bag of clothes (after it was inventoried) to Good Will, and made 2 of the most delicious meals I have made in a long time. The best part about experimenting is when the dish comes out better than you expected it would.
On Monday, I made oven roasted butternut squash and bacon risotto with grilled shrimp (in Italian seasoning, fresh parsley and lemon juice). I had to give the leftovers away because I didn't trust myself with them lingering in the refrigerator.
Last night was grilled tilapia with a fresh pineapple/soy/vinegar sauce topped with cilantro chimichurri and pineapple salsa. The sides were roasted fennel and fresh rosemary mashed potatoes topped with oven roasted Italian marinated vegetables.
I was really proud of myself, namely because I took inspiration from some recipes I found on the Food Network website, but really just made the meals my own with my judgement.

Tonight is is slow cooker Extra Lean Pork Tenderloin with fresh ginger, cabbage, onion, carrots, and the leftover pineapple sauce. The whole thing is going over brown rice. I am not too sure about this one, because there was no recipe and the crock pot is full to the top with food...

10.31.08

I kind of secretly enjoy and hate Halloween all at the same time.
I love to dress up. I hate what the holiday stands for.
I love candy, especially the little pumpkins that taste like Candy Corn. I hate the undead.
I decided a while ago that this year I would dress up as Billy Mays, you know the OxiClean guy, just because he cracks me up and the thought is that I would ultimately make other people laugh. Besides, it's cheap and I am ALL ABOUT cheap, I mean frugal. I do have one burning question though...Why is he always yelling? Whether is OrangeGlo, Kaboom, Steam Buddies (got that one off of Wikipedia) or OxiClean, the louder you try to sell me on it is not going to make me buy it more. Is his target market hearing impaired people? Just turn the volume down and everyone will be alright.
But wait, there's more.
Since I work in an office (kinda just like Dunder Mifflin in many painful ways) I am obviously not going to dress up as anything remotely outside the boundaries of the dress code. Besides, any excuse to draw a full beard and mustache on is reason enough for me. Well, I am not in the mood this year. There is no one FUN left to party with and again I really do not like what the holiday stands for. So all you pretty ladies out there who want an absolute sure fire way to not get asked out by anyone at any parties you may go to on the 31st, take my advice and be the legend, live the life of...
BILLY MAYS. If you call in the next 7 minutes, we will double your order.
You're welcome.

Fall...

Last night was the MOST beautiful full moon in the sky (I love them and how they light up the entire night) and it was breezy and just cool enough to get me into the season. Granted, I will never fully realize a true 'AUTUMN' unless I move north of Orlando, but it will do just fine. This morning it was even breezier and a little cooler. I just love it. It makes me daydream. Up north in Ohio (Aunt, uncle, cousin territory) they go to the apple orchard for cider and people tie dried cornstalks to their fences. I wish we could do something like that here. I am excited because I will be in NH this weekend and will hopefully get my fill of crisp, humidity free air. I will take pictures as well. Hopefully there are still some leaves left on the trees.

Hot chocolate anyone?

Getting away...

I haven't been on a trip since Mexico, and the only thing that comes to mind when I think about that one was passing out in a wheelchair in the lobby on the day we left. I am a real party animal, huh? My friend finally bought her first house (I am admittedly a bit jealous) in Exeter, NH last year and has been begging me to come see it for over a year. So she sent me a Jet Blue Buddy Pass and I am going to try to get on the 5pm flight this Saturday. I am starting to get really excited. At first I didn't want to go because it will throw a wrench in my routine, but now, as each painful moment at work passes by I become more and more ready. Say a little prayer that I get on both flights (gotta love standby travel) and that I find the black and white Red Sox cap for Jennifer (just don't tell her I am getting it).
Oh yeah...I really think I did well on the Chemistry test. I am such a geek, I actually like getting an 'A' in the class and I secretly battle the smarter than me woman who is getting a better grade than me. I know, I know...an 'A' is an 'A' right? But I want the BEST score.
Calm down Lauren.

Better Day....

Slowly returning to my old self. It feels really good. I will be back at the gym on Monday and I am more focused on what is happening right now. I am not dwelling on the former things...
Hopefully I will ace tomorrow's Chemistry test....

Blue...

is how I feel.
I still feel like I am floating through each moment. It is really quite weird. I didn't really realize how affected I was by this accident until I found out that the guy who hit me was arrested for DUI.
CRAZY...
I can't study for my test this weekend. I don't want to work out. I am not hungry. I don't want to speak. I just want to 'be'. I just sit here on the edge of thankfulness and tears replaying the scene over and over in my mind. I really just want to get over it, but it's not that easy. This could have played out so differently and not for one moment do I pretend not to know WHO orchestrated the ENTIRE thing. A friend told me this morning that I was 'lucky'.
Not even close.
I made a new version of my 'famous' (at least in my own mind) banana bread, complete with raisins, coconut, and chocolate chips and at least the house smells wonderful. That makes me feel better. Spaghetti with sauteed peppers and onions for dinner...better still. I pray tomorrow brings a new feeling. Thank God I don't rely on those.
It's raining outside and the sun is still up. It's weird because it feels like the middle of the night. There's something comforting in that, as off the wall as it sounds.
I look forward to the sunrise...

Covered

I really didn't want to go to the gym today. I wanted to sleep in and laze around until it was time to be at work. I decided against it and trudged my way east on 5-95 towards the I-95 S exit. I had just passed the I-95 N exit when...literally and instantly, a yellow Porsche was right next to me. As cliche as this next line will be..."It happened so fast", that I did not even have time to decide what to do next. He attempted to overtake me going at a speed of about 100mph (no kidding) and there was car in the lane to my left that was so close to my right front bumper that a motorcycle would have had problems getting through the space. The funniest thing (for lack of a better way to overstate the obvious) is that he NEVER SLOWED DOWN. This next part took all of 5 seconds to complete:
He just rammed the guy to my left and then proceeded to hit me and spin out behind me (engine catching fire for a moment...what?!), eventually hitting the concrete wall and landing in the emergency lane. $150,000 car...totalled. My coffee (which was in my right hand) splashed everywhere, but I managed to get it back into the cup holder (hands trembling). I was able to compensate my wheel just far enough to the left to keep my car from spinning out. I was able to pull the car into the emergency lane and put the hazards on and I kept my foot on the clutch so that I never stalled out. I did the obligatory "you're OK, you are not bleeding, the car is not on fire, you are safely pulled over" routine before calling in the accident.
I never doubted for a second the hand of God was on me this morning. My car ended up with very little damage compared to how hard I was hit. I drove it away from the scene. I am not hurt, not one little bit. No one in any of the other cars were killed...and that could have gone either way, because both people in the Porsche were hurt...3 broken bones is what was estimated. The kicker to end all kickers is that the guy that hit me was probably drunk. I mean, he was on his way home (at 7:10am) from the night before. EMS and the cop said he smelled like alcohol. No one can be up to any good with those odds.
WOW. Think about it and then just sit back in amazement.
100mph, 3 cars, 5 drinks, and I walked away untouched.
I am covered by the precious blood of Jesus and today my angels took charge over me and I was protected. In the midst of all that could have happened, I was at peace in my soul. And yes, my family flashed in front of my face momentarily when I first got hit and I have to be honest and admit that I am still shaken up over this. I don't even feel like I have been at work today, it feels more like a dream. I never did end up at the gym either. Next time I will just go and hope for something else.
Thank God for the people that put my little Honda Accord together. Thank God for not getting hurt. Thank God for my insurance company that has made getting these repairs done the easiest part of this whole ordeal. Most of all, thank God for the blood of Jesus that covers me every day and protects me mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and PHYSICALLY!
AMEN.