Back Update

I know, I know.  You're sick and tired of hearing about my most recent physical mishap.  Guess what.  I feel your pain.  Literally.
I went to the chiropractor on Monday.  Of course, I was all sorts of misaligned (duh.)  Well, I started to feel worse shortly after my visit.  On Tuesday, I was in tears and in my back brace all day.  I scheduled a doctor appointment for Wednesday morning where I got X-rays and my own personal pharmacy. Whether or not I take everything, we'll see.  Ya'll know I prefer wine over drugs.
ANYWAY, I took the X-rays right after my appointment and I'm seriously wondering...when did taking an X-ray become comparable to posing for an Olan Mills portrait?!?  The tech was telling me all sorts of stuff.   "A little to the right, now turn your shoulders to the left a bit, head up...hold your breath."  HUH?  I almost smiled a couple times and I KNOW I fixed my hair once or twice.  A girl has to look good, right?   Nevermind the fact that the picture is OF MY SPINE.  Details, people.
Well, the good news...there's no fracture.  The bad news...no one was expecting much from the X-ray anyway.  So now I need an MRI.  At least according to my Mom and my doctor.  I actually just sent an e-mail to my doctor requesting one.  Gotta love technology.
I got to work around 10:30 after my appointment and even after a pain injection, I STILL only lasted till 1:30.  My boss and co-workers kicked me out.  I don't blame them.  But I'm not going to lie, I'm worried.  The pain injection didn't touch me.  And of course, just because I have the BEST timing EVER,  I was sitting in my boss's office yesterday afternoon when I burst into tears.  She wasn't yelling at me and she wasn't being mean.  I'm just overwhelmed at work and adding this situation on top of everything else is just a bit much. 
I like to think I have a higher tolerance than most for back pain but maybe I'm just kidding myself.  I still can't go up and down stairs that well and I cried when the pharmacy texted to tell me my prescriptions were ready only to get there and find out only ONE was ready.  I know they felt bad because they gave me a $15 gift card and free bottle of wine.
I hope ya'll are having a much better week than I am.  This was not how I planned to close out my 30th year of life but what can ya do?  In case I don't get on here beforehand, I hope ya'll have a fabulous holiday weekend!  I'm SO ready for fall!!!

Hunter Hayes "Wanted" (Official Video)

I am OBSESSED with this song.  God Willing, one day, it will be my wedding song.  I could (and do) listen to it all.day.long.

Enjoy!!

Friday Confessions

*I'm cutting myself off from Wine Wednesday.  It's just too easy to rationlize 2-3 glasses because duh, it's Wine Wednesday and the next thing I know, I've had half a bottle and I'm telling my Dad I think I have ghosts...I think I'm gonna try Wine Thursday.  Doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Wine Wednesday.

*I saw a rat on my patio Tuesday night, long tail and all.  Ew, ew, EW!!  I always knew they were there (thank you neighbors for cluing me in), I just never saw one and obviously, nothing really exists until you see it with your own eyes.  Now I'm scared to go out there.  Or send Toby out there.  What if they eat him??

*I had big plans Tuesday night to do laundry until I saw almost everything needed to be hand washed.  Needless to say, it didn't happen.  Guess what my Friday night plans are??  Living large here people.  Living large.

*My sister sent me an e-mail asking what I want for my birthday this year and WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH can I not think of one thing??  I KNOW I saw things at the mall or online that I think would be a great present.  And now, of course, I can't think of one thing I saw.  Come September 2nd, I'll be full of answers. 

*I'm very tentatively car shopping and I'm seriously scared I'm going to get in a wreck.  Why, you ask?  Because I see a car I like on the highway and pay more attention to what it is than where I'm driving.  And these poor people probably think I'm the crazy lady darting across two lanes to get to them and I really just want to roll down my window and yell "I'm looking at the CAR!" 
PS-The good news is I very consistently like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Volkwagen Jetta.  So I think I can stop scaring people now. 


Happy Friday ya'll!!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend :o)

Recipes, Tried and True

Before I start on the real post, thank you for the concern about my last one!  I'm okay, I just tripped over Toby on the stairs, fell on my tailbone in a bad way and hit my head on Sunday.  My head is fine and as far as we can tell, there are no cracked bones on my vertebrae (plus, I think I would know.)  My chiro is just waiting for the swelling and tenderness to go down so she can work her magic!  In the meantime, my back brace, ice packs and Alleve are working wonders.  I swear...

SO!  It's been a while since I posted favorite recipes and I'm not going to lie...I've spent a bit of time in the kitchen since then.  It's become a stress reliever and a personal point of pride when I copycat a recipe I like!  So, here are the recipes I have found myself recreating time and time again this past summer.

*Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
**Amazing with seafood or chicken and whole wheat noodles.  If I'm splurging, I bake a whole wheat baguette and use this sauce for dipping!  Also great for making creamy tomato sauce with your favorite ready made spaghetti sauce (I personally use canned tomato puree and add my own spices.)  Yum, yum, yum.

*Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing
**I no longer buy Ranch.  I make this, at least once a week, and it's the best dressing I've ever had.  Cheaper too.  Once you start, you won't ever go back to the bottled version again! 

Chicken Pesto Pizza
**I don't make the dough, I buy it (yeast scares me a bit.) But this is good the day it's made, the day after and the day after that.  SO yummy.  Easy to make too.  I bake the ready made dough on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes at the recommended temp with garlic salt and onion powder before I add the sauce and toppings.  I make this probably once every 2 weeks.  It's THAT good!

Baked Pesto Chicken
*There might be a theme here...I love chicken and I love pesto!  This meal is cheap, simple to make and my favorite way to enjoy it is with brown rice and a sliced zucchini/squash combo.

Creamy Garlic Pasta
**I use whole wheat noodles (usually angel hair or thin spaghetti) and grilled chicken.  There are denser versions of this recipe but I prefer this lighter take.

These are nothing super creative but again, I find myself craving/eating them at least once every 2 weeks.  I guess that's a perk of being a creature of habit, right??  I hope you try and more importantly, I hope you enjoy!  Bon apetite. :o)

Only Me...

I need bubble wrap.  For me.  Not for packages or fragile things.  I need bubble wrap for me.  And possibly Toby. 
I won't go into details because it's the type of story that would make you cringe but I'll just say that little dogs and stairs are a bad combination and my back brace is getting more action than it has in a while.  And the pain...holy hell, the PAIN.  Thank you Lord for Alleve. 
I'm grateful it's not worse but ohmigod, WHY did I buy a house with stairs?!? 
Now, if I wanted to purchase enough bubble wrap to outfit an adult, where exactly would I go to do that?  Bugs may need a bubble wrap outfit too.  Or maybe I should just cover my house in rubber. 

I wish...

Is there one thing you wish you could change about yourself but you can't?  No matter how hard you try?
I wish I could change my level of sensitivity.  Well, that, and my height. 
I wish I was just 1-2 inches shorter.  I have tried slouching...it's not cute.  When I was little I prayed I would grow up to be 5'6 1/2"-5'7" (I thought it would help if I was specific.)  And I have tried to wear heels and embrace my height.  (It doesn't help that some refer to you as "big."  Hello, SHORT LITTLE PERSON, THAT IS RUDE.) 
ANYWAY, my sensitivity. I feel like it's something I could change if I really wanted to, but at the end of the day, I am who I am.  Being anything other than me is just way too much work.  And frankly, who has the time?? 
I've been told my whole life that I'm "too sensitive."  And in some instances, I certainly agree.  But I don't see bitchy people walking around apologizing for being bitchy.  So why should I apologize for being sensitive?  I know it hurts my loved ones to see me hurt but I'm a big girl and I can handle whatever is thrown my way.  I certainly have before and I will again.  And again.  And again.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?  (I won't lie, I change the station every time I hear that song.  Sometimes I even yell at the radio that "it", whatever "it" is, MAY actually kill me and then I won't be strong at all.  So take THAT Kelly Clarkson.)  I realize I may have some issues...  
I turned down a fostering opportunity yesterday and it is KILLING me.  I know I don't have the time or energy to devote to a puppy.  And at the end of the day, it's about what's best for the puppy.  But I hate that I can't help right now.  Please don't think that I think I can save every dog.  Trust me, there are a lot of people (thankfully) who do much more than I do in terms of rescuing animals.  But when I'm asked to help, it kills me to say no.  I feel selfish.  But I realize there will be other opportunities and 8+ hours a day in a crate is no life for a puppy (or any dog for that matter.) 
Is there anything about yourself you wish you could change? 

Top 6 reasons I love my job...

6. We have this sign on our designated food table.

5. I can whisper/quietly yell obsenities at my computer and no one thinks anything of it.
4. 2 co-workers (who will remain nameless) bet each other they were a better typer than the other and are now competing in a typing contest.  They're both determined to win.  I think they're idiots for competing in a contest with no prize. (Sorry, the title of best typer does NOT count in my opinion.)
3. We play trivia. (I only play if it's fun trivia.)
2. After I got back from running errands at lunch yesterday, the girls informed me we were going to start a zoo.  I'm in charge of getting funds.  (I realize this is a little out there but it entertained all of us for the rest of the afternoon so we'll just go with it.)
1. People ask me questions.  And every time I have an answer, I do a little victory dance in my head and mentally say "SUCKER" to the manager who called me a disappointment.

Funny, none of these things have to do with the actual work, obviously, except for #1.  I guess that's the perk of having an un-glamorous job...we work just as hard at entertaining ourselves as we do allocating merchandise. :o)  

Confessional Friday...

Let's get confessin'...

*Tuesday night I decided I wanted to redo my shelves in my house.  I was just bored with them.  (It's all about visual stimulation people.)  Well, apparently I'm either bad at it or just incredibly indesicive and every single thing I took off my shelves is still sitting on my living room floor.  #designfail

*Wednesday night I had to get a new IPhone because of a device glitch and found it incredibly humorous/annoying that I ended up waiting over 30 minutes because the store's system also had a glitch and canceled my appointment.  Ironic?

*I've been great about working out this week which makes me happy.  What makes me NOT happy is what I've been eating.  Who gets on a treadmill and dreams about Chinese food????  Or goes to Pure Barre and convinces herself she needs Pinkberry (which is conveniently located next door.)  Seriously?!?

*I'm so ready for fall and football season it's not even funny.  Can we please get this going??  I need some Mountaineer football in my life STAT and I'm seriously starting to have dreams about my Uggs.

*Last night I slept with an ice pack on my face because my sinuses were killing me and medication wasn't touching it.  I woke up at 2:30 to find Toby cuddling with the ice pack.  I'm guessing he was either hot and needed something cold or he wanted a pillow..#weirddog

*My coworker just sent me this and I laughed out loud. 


Happy Weekend Friends!!

Golden Oldies

Have ya'll ever looked at old pictures and thought, "omigod, what I was thinking???"  (Don't lie, you know you have.) 
I was on Facebook the other day and saw these pics my sister uploaded.  Holy Mother of Hannah (no idea who Hannah or her Mother is but it just sounded right.) What was up with my glasses??  And my hair??  Granted it was the 90s, but that's no excuse.  To this day, (no lie) I don't let a guy see my in my glasses.  NOW I KNOW WHY!!    

Happy Saturday people!  :o)

Me

I realize a lot of you read my blog without really knowing "me."  I'm very lucky to call most of you family or friends but just in case you stopped here on a whim (or by accident!) here are a few facts about me...some funny, some serious, all very real.  Enjoy!
*At 30 years old, I still think I'm adopted.  Since my parents deny this, I think I was switched at birth. I'm waiting for Lifetime to call.
*I'm actually very shy.
*I love to make people laugh.  I'm more than willing to make fun of myself to do so.
*I have a soft spot for kids and dogs and I think it scares people sometimes.  (Especially in public when I just want to sit and play and whoever was talking to me has to stop because I'm no longer paying attention.)
*I hate texting/calling guys.  I grew up not allowed to, and I still get nervous doing so to this day.
*My awkward stage lasted about 16 years...from 7 years old to 23.  It gave me character, but self esteem?  Not so much.
*My biggest fear in life is being replaced...and snakes.  I can't stand snakes.
*The worst thing anyone can ever say to me is "get over it."  Doesn't matter what the situation is, it makes me angry every single time.
*I really wish I kept up with dancing after high school.  I miss it and am terrified to start again because I think I'll be put in the little kid class.
*I don't believe in fate, but I believe in having faith.
*I love to cook.  It's a stress reliever (have you ever chopped a garlic clove after a long day?)  But I'm terrified to cook for other people.
*I have a bad back and there's no good reason why.  I danced in high school and fell a couple times but as far as an accident or incident, there isn't one.  I've been through every type of care...physical therapy, cortisone injections, chiropractor, wearing a back brace, etc.  I almost think I'd feel better if there was an incident.  But I'm grateful there wasn't.
*I'm maternal.  If someone is sick, sad or mad, I have to fight the urge to get involved.
*I believe in karma.
*I wish I kept in better touch with my college friends.  It makes me sad I'm not as close to them as I used to be.
*I can't stand cockiness or ignorance.  If ever come across it, half of me wants to get all Madea on those idiots and slap up 'em upside the head.  Note to self: if you are ever your own biggest fan, there's a problem.
I hope ya'll have enjoyed getting to know me.  If there's anything else you'd like to know, send me an e-mail at jchristensen03@gmail.com
Happy Wednesday!