Not much going on

Just wanted to say hello to everyone, especially you Mamaw :)

Not much going on here. It has been rainy lately. We are hoping for good weather next week. All three of Andrew's sisters are coming to visit us starting Saturday the 13th. We are soooooo excited to show them our town! Other than that, not much to tell. All is well in Lake Tahoe.

Lewiston Camping Trip

Before I went on my whirlwind family and work trips Andrew and I met up with some friends for a camping and fishing weekend in Lewiston California. This is one of Andrew's favorite spots to fish because we never leave without catching at least 100 fish each. They are tiny, but it is still fun. Monica and Ashwin met us there with there puppy Kaiser. So we all had someone to hang with. The boys would fish, the girls and pups would hike, then we would all relax by the camp fire at night. Perfect relaxing weekend. We found out that Lille likes to fish to. She will patiently wait by the shore until Andrew catches a fish then run and help him reel it in. She is too cute. Enjoy the pictures.

Just an update

Hi everyone!

I know I don't update this as often as I should, so I will try to be better. I have had a busy May so far. I was in Mississippi visiting the family, and I had a great time. As soon as I got home, I went on a business trip. I was a way from home for 20 days! I don't know who missed me more, the animals or my husband. I will tell you that when I got home, my dog had taken up sleeping on my side of the bed with her head on my pillows. Just like a little person. She is finally adjusting to sleeping at the foot of the bed again. He spoiled all of them while I was gone. Hey, but at least he took care of them. Andrew's sisters are coming into town in June. We are sooooooo excited to see them and show them where we live. -=0 (don't know what that is, but Cali just jumped on the keyboard and wrote it.) It can be very interesting when your only co-workers are animals. So back to the summer plans. Andrew's sisters are coming in June, Mom and dad are coming in July, Relay for life and Ashwin's wedding in August, and 10 year high school reunion in October. Busy, but exciting summer. Our doors are always open so if anyone ever wants to visit us in BEAUTIFUL Lake Tahoe, we would love to have you.

Relay For Life: Let's battle Cancer

Andrew and I are participating in the Relay for life this year in Lake Tahoe. I would like to dedicate my walk to my Aunt Barbara. She just successfully battled her second fight with cancer! She is a very strong woman, and hopefully someday there will be a cure so that more mothers, daughters, and sisters don't have to fight the same battle. Andrew is walking for a co-worker who just lost his battle with brain cancer. We have both set a donation goal of $500. Please help us reach and exceed this goal. You can see out Relay Page at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TRC/RelayForLife/RFLFY09GW?pg=peditor&fr_id=14781&px=10689588

This year, hundreds of thousands of people will hear the words "You have cancer", and there's a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. We have all been touched by cancer in some way ... and we all have the power to make a difference. That's why I have chosen to fight back right here in my own community by participating in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life®.

I want to invite you to join me in the fight against cancer by making a donation in support of my efforts. Further down in this message is a link to my personal Relay For Life® web page where you can make an online contribution. Every amount, no matter how small, makes a difference and provides hope. You can also sign up to join my team and learn more about Relay and how it's changing lives.

Relay For Life® brings more than 3.5 million people from across the country together each year to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against a disease that takes too much. This fun-filled, overnight event empowers everyone to help fight cancer by raising money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society's lifesaving mission.

Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will celebrate, remember, and fight back.

Prayers for our friends the Smiths

The best man in our wedding, Jason, is expecting another child. Unfortunately, little Anya is going to be born with Spinabifida, and club feet. The family is currently struggling to make ends meet. Please keep them in your prayers and check out Deinna's, the mom, facebook page for updates.

Here is the latest

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=606322846#/note.php?note_id=84007791076

Here is the group page for Anya. You can also keep up with updates here

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=606322846#/group.php?gid=73512405699&ref=share

The Smith's have wonderful friends and an amazing church family. Jason is a Police officer in Branson Missouri, and the PD recently held an action that benefited the family.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=606322846#/album.php?aid=226775&id=534515452

I'm coming to visit

It is official, I will be in Mississippi April 28 - May 5th. I am so excited to be going home to see the family. I am ashamed to say that the last time I was home was in October of 2006. I haven't seen mom and dad's new house or the new steeple on the church. Since I have been home last I have a few new cousins, a cancer surviving Aunt, relatives who have lost weight, cousins who have grown up, graduated, broke bones and I can't wait to see and hug them all. See you all soon!!!!

It's Snow Time

Just when we think winter is wrapping up, we find that there is another surprise in store for us. Andrew and I woke up to two feet of snow at out house this morning. I am sure the mountain has 4 to 5 feet of fresh powder. Andrew was excited because he was able to use his Snowblower. Lille was able to hop though the snow and play with her pal Lucy. And in true Tahoe style, the snow is done falling and it is a blue bird day. If I didn't know better, I would say the season has just begun rather than it is coming to a close. I have Saturday off, so I plan on getting up to the mountain and having a fun day.

No more cast!!

I got my cast off on Friday! My arm is doing good, a bit sore, but good!

Cast Update

Well, this was supposed to be a happy blog, but now it is one written in frustration. I was scheduled to have my cast removed today. I woke up early and went to the Dr. To my surprise, my Dr. wasn't in today (due to a family emergency), and no one called to tell me my appointment was canceled!!! Another Dr. was in, but after looking at my chart, he did not feel comfortable removing my cast. I asked the nurse if the other Dr. was a ding dong. After all, how hard is it to remove a cast, my dad took mine off when I was in second grade. She let me know that since my chart pointed to possible tendon damage, the other Dr. didn't want to get involved. Wow, now two surprises. No cast off, and TENDON damage??? Shouldn't someone have informed me of this.......say.......7 weeks ago! I have one of those Dr. who is more into talking medical terms than actually having the patient understand him. I do remember him saying something about blood and sheath and tendon and some other crap I didn't understand. I would have asked him to explain it, but he spent about two seconds in my room then had the nurse cast it. Not much for bedside manors either. So now I have to wait until Friday. I am trying to be understanding. After all he couldn't help that there was a family emergency. Another reason I am frustrated is because I was supposed to get my cast off on the 16th, but it was a holiday. So rather than schedule it for later that week (which I found out today could have been Wed or Thursday because he had availability), I had to wait a whole week. So now I am two weeks longer than scheduled in my cast, and to find out something may be wrong with my tendons when I get it off is very very very very frustrating. Frustrated is an understatement......I am pissed.

What's been hiding under wraps!

I couldn't stand myself. Once my finger turned blue and purple I had to see what the rest of my hand looked like under the splint. At first, Andrew was opposed to it, but once he saw the awesome "techno-colored" fingers, he agreed to help. Turn after turn revealed my lovely mis-colored fingers and new curves on my wrist! Once we checked it out and took some pics, we wrapped it back up. I see the ortho tomorrow to get the real cast if the swelling is down. Hopefully all goes well, I really don't want to have surgery. Broken arms suck, but getting pampered and getting out of chores is nice. Andrew even helped me fix my hair. The best part is not being able to put on my own clothes. Andrew had to help me button my pants last night at dinner. He said he is getting an idea of what it would be like to have kids. I miss being able to take showers...baths are getting old. I found a neat contraptions that fits over my arm and water-proofs the arm that will allow me to shower and not risk getting it wet! I saw it when I worked for the medical company in TX, my boss had one. I guess I'll be getting an early b-day present. Having a broken arm is not fun, but on the bright side it is six weeks, not a life time. Enjoy the pics, and I'll keep you updated.

Not on my 2009 resolution list....breaking my arm

If only my non resolution worked as well at not happening as my real ones d0! Last night I was talking to my mom, and I needed to go over some info I had in the garage. I didn't want to keep her on hold for to long, so I rushed to the garage. In my hurried excitement, I forgot about the step that goes into the garage, and poof, fell down, broke my left arm. Maybe if I didn't work from home and actually went into the garage on a daily basis it wouldn't have happened. Just one of the hazards of working from home I guess. When it happened, I stood up and thought I could shake it off. I made it about 10 steps before the pain set in and made me dizzy and very light headed. The Dr's at the ER were really nice. They put me in a splint, gave me some good pain pills and sent me home. I am bummed because it is busy season at work, and ALL of my work is on the computer, and I now have three season ski passes I won't be able to use until mid Feb. Oh well, I guess it could be worse. I broke my left wrist, so at least it isn't my writing arm. The follow up for a real cast is next Tuesday. I think I am going to ask for a bright, fun cast. That way it won't be as depressing when I look at it. They have to wait for all the swelling to go down first. Right now it looks like I have a freaky growth on the top of my hand. ER doc said that it looks like a clean break and doesn't think surgery is necessary. The ortho will be able to confirm this during my follow up visit. Luckily, I have the best husband ever! Andrew is taking very good care of me and won't let me do anything to further aggravate it. We will see how long that last :) On the bright side, I just got a pass on most household chores for six weeks. Andrew is wonderful!

Just a few photos from the family Christmas

Ready for Winter

Andrew and I spent 4 hours splitting and stacking firewood yesterday. We are both very very sore, but we will stay warm when the snow starts to fly.

Must try recipe.....

Andrew and I are trying to eat healthy and get in shapse. So I have been cooking out of the Southbeach book. This meal is delicious, healthy and just as good reheated for left overs.

Mexican Lasagna Serves 8 Ingredients:
Try this lasagna when you’re in the mood for Mexican.
1 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey breast
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 jar (4 ounces) chopped green chile peppers
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups salsa
4 whole wheat tortillas (6" in diameter), halved
1 1/4 cup (5 ounces) shredded, reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheeses

Instructions:Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13" X 9" baking dish with cooking spray.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat. Add the ground beef or turkey and cook, turning several times, for 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

Remove the ground beef or turkey to a medium bowl. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel. Coat the skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Add to the ground beef or turkey in the bowl.

In another medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, peppers, cilantro (if using), cumin, and salt. Mix with meat and onions.

Spread 1 cup of the salsa across the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange half of the tortillas evenly over the salsa. Spread half of the cheese over the tortillas. Top with half of the ground beef or turkey mixture. Top with 1 cup of the remaining salsa and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Repeat the layering sequence with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and ground beef or turkey mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining salsa and 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Loosely cover with foil if the cheese browns too quickly.

Yeah! We're Going to a Concert

I am so excited! I heard that the Trans Siberan Orchestra was coming to Reno. I thought it would be in December, but I looked it up today and it is on Friday. I used a pathetic puh puh puh please with Andrew and he is taking us to see them. I have always loved their CD's and can't wait to see them! This should be awesome!!!

Finders Keepers...

Well leave it to Andrew to find an abandoned motorcycle in the middle of nowhere. He was off roading in his truck and stumbled upon a motorcycle that had been partially striped and abandoned. With his superman power and excitement, he single handedly put it in his truck. His good friend Jason is a cop so he ran the vin numbers to make sure it wasn't stolen, and good news is it's not, and it hasn't even been registered since 1992. So now Andrew has moved from wood widdeling to wrenching. His plan is to fix it up and have a new toy. Here are some pictures.

The Newest "Andrew" Creation

Well, I told you Andrew spent a ton of time in the garage making things. His newest creation is a cat tree. This is a real tree that we added platforms too. He thought the cats deserved a place to play. The pics aren't that good because of the sunlight, but you should be able to get the idea.

As Requested

So after the initial shock, most everyone said they liked my hair, but said that it might need some highlights. So I added some. Here are some pictures. Let me know what you think. Oh, I also included one picture of the desk that Andrew built me for my office. There should be a total of four pictures. The system is being a little crazy, so you may need to wait for all of them to load.

Working out and loving it

So once again I have started working out. This time I am really enjoying myself. Now that I work from home, I am desperate to get out of the house each afternoon. When Andrew gets home, he wants a little quite time in his man cave and I want to get out of the house. It is actually perfect. He builds stuff, I work out. For those of you who know me you know I don't sweat that much. I have always thought that sweating was a direct correlation to how hard you worked out. But no matter what I do, I don't sweat. I finally found a way to solve this problem. Andrew bought me a neoprene workout waist band. I love it! I sweat like a pig, gross I know, but so cool. They make shorts and tank tops too. I now want all of it. I can be on the treadmill for 30 minutes and sweat like a maniac! It may be mental, but I feel like I am getting more from my workouts by sweating. Here's to working out and not being a Fatty McFat fat any more!

Survey Says.......

Well working from home plus being bored equals hair dye and a new look. Thoughts??