by the numbers

1 nasty infection =

4 surgeries
2 life flights
4 ER visits
2 ICU stays
1 ventilator
3 PICC lines
5 MRIs
3 Cat Scans
3 hosptial admittances
3 rehab admittances
5 blood transfusions
1 bone graft
2 rods
8 screws
30 pounds lost
endless pain killers
... 10+ weeks of hell

I hate you, MRSA.

Sandy Cay

I used to travel to this island with my family when I we lived in Honduras. It was our favorite place to go on vacation. Go figure, right?! It was beautiful. Off the north coast of Honduras was this little piece of heaven...Sandy Cay.

Sandy Cay was a small island. It was a little more isolated than the other the cays at the Bay Islands, and it was surrounded by spectacular corral reef. Sting rays, sea turtles, flounders, urchins, barracudas, sharks, angel fish, blow fish and every other fish in Finding Nemo. Other than the obvious amounts of swimming and snorkeling we did, we did other things too.



One thing Larry and I loved to do was hunt for and collect hermit crabs. We were fascinated by them. We would hope that during one of our 5-day visits that maybe one of them would outgrow its shell and seek another. I am sad to report that we never were so lucky as to witness a hermit crab out of its shell. We'd even put extra pretty and empty shells in there just to tempt them. It didn't work. Anyway, I was surprised to discover this photo tonight of one such collection. It made me laugh when I saw it. :)



Other activities we did were walk around the island and discover everything about it. We'd visit the other islands—all offering something unique and special. Fish. Eat sea food. Play games. Lay in the sun. At night we would laugh till we cried. Have bonfires, then count the stars in the Milky Way.



I'm thinking a lot about Sandy Cay lately. I have been thinking how I want to go back to feel the wind in my face we approach the island. To walk around and squish the sand in my toes. To swim in the ocean and taste the salt water splash up into my snorkel. And to listen to the lulling waves hit the shore as I fall asleep. Relaxation and isolation. You know, just check out for a while. Yeah, I could do that again.

The Office (inspried by true events)

THE OFFICE - APRIL 19

Everyone is working quietly. MICHAEL SCOTT is in his office, bored (as usual). He stands up and paces in his office. He is mumbling to himself and thinking. He stands outside his door and addresses the office.

MICHAEL
Tomorrow we are going to have an Easter Egg Hunt!

 PHYLLIS
(confused)
But Easter was three weeks ago.

MICHAEL
So, what! It will be fun. Not everyone got to find Easter eggs, and I want to make sure everyone of you gets a chance to participate in this holiday whether you're Catholic, Jewish, Indian ... or gay (looks at OSCAR).

Silence. 

MICHAEL
(to ANGELA)
Angela! Go buy 500 plastic eggs and come here at 4:00 AM to hide them.

 ANGELA
500, Michael? Isn’t that excessive?

 MICHAEL
(ignores ANGELA)

(to EVERYONE)
Everyone can only get one egg before 11:00. Then it's fair game. Oh! And there will be prizes. Candy, Money and (pause) a grand prize!

 MICHAEL SCOTT goes back into his office and shuts the door. 

 DWIGHT
(sitting back in his chair, smiling)
I wonder what the grand prize will be. I bet it's going to be AWESOME. Like an African safari

ANGELA rolls her eyes.

________

THE OFFICE - APRIL 20

EVERYONE is working. There are eggs "hidden" visibly all over the office. DWIGHT is the last to the office, and he walks in the door. He spies an egg on the floor and races over to it and grabs it. EVERYONE is watching him. He looks up then spies another one a few feet away and starts to go for it.

 ANGELA
(yelling at DWIGHT)
No! You can't take more than one egg until 11:00. Don't touch it!

DWIGHT
(frustrated)
Fine!

DWIGHT goes to his desk and sits down.

JIM
(to DWIGHT)
Why are you so late?

 DWIGHT
(not looking at JIM)
I slept in ... CRAP!

JIM smiles. DWIGHT opens his egg. He inspects the contents and starts eating the jelly beans.

 DWIGHT
(to JIM)
Hey, what did you get in your egg?

 JIM
(to DWIGHT)
I didn't get an egg yet.

 DWIGHT
(to JIM)
What!? Why not? They're all over the place. Look! There's one (he points to an egg). Look! There's another one (he points to another one). Man, whoever hid these did a terrible job.

ANGELA huffs and walks to the break room.

 JIM
Oh look. Here's one. Right by my desk. (he picks up a blue Easter egg and opens it)

 DWIGHT
(to JIM)
So, what did you get?

 JIM
(to DWIGHT)
Just some candy. Jelly beans and a Krackle.

(to PAM)
What did you get, Pam?

PAM
(to JIM looking inside her orange Easter egg)
Well, I got some candy too. Some chocolate, some jelly beans and this weird gummy thing.

DWIGHT
(to EVERYONE)
Did anyone get anything other than candy?

RYAN
(to DWIGHT holding a check card)
I got a $50 check card.

DWIGHT
What!? That's not fair. Why did you get that?! Is that the grand prize?

ANGELA
(she had walked back in the room. Annoyed)
No. That is NOT the grand prize. The grand prize is still unclaimed.

DWIGHT Talking to the camera by the window.

DWIGHT
(to the camera)
I'm going to find that grand prize. I have to. I'm sure Michael thought of the best prize ever, and he intended me to find it. So everyone else can stick it, cause it's mine!

The day continues. Everyone is working. DWIGHT is impatiently watching the clock for 11:00 to come. Finally, it is 11:00. DWIGHT races out of his chair and collects as many Easter eggs as he can, as fast as he can. EVERYONE else stays seated in their chairs and watches him.

JIM
(to DWIGHT)
You think you're going to find something real great?

DWIGHT
Yes! Of course I am. I am going to win the grand prize.

PAM Talking to the camera by the window.

PAM
(to the camera)
So, I have this really unclever idea. I'm going to write a note, stick it in my orange Easter egg, and then put it on Jim's desk as a joke. What should it say? Oh, I know! (pause) It'll make him laugh, but yeah—he'll totally know it was from me.

JIM and DWIGHT left for lunch. PAM takes a blue sticky note and with a sharpie writes a note on it. She stuffs it in the egg, places it by Jim's computer, and leaves for lunch. Turns out DWIGHT was hiding in the bathroom. He comes back into the office and starts scouring the office for unclaimed eggs. He sees the orange egg on Jim's desk. He looks around. JIM and PAM are gone, and no one else is watching him. DWIGHT sneaks over, picks up the egg and opens it. Suddenly his eyes get really big. He is so excited, and an evil mischievous smile creeps across his face. Making sure no one else is looking; he quickly swaps the orange egg with a little shiny green one. DWIGHT puts the orange Easter egg in his pocket, walks into the break room—still grinning—to eat.

PAM returns to the office and sits at her desk. She notices the orange egg is gone. JIM walks in the door, sits at his desk. He sees the green Easter egg, opens it, and starts eating the Hershey Kisses.

PAM
(to JIM)
Did you get the Easter egg from me?

JIM
(to PAM)
Oh, these are from you? Thanks!

PAM
(to JIM sounding a little confused)
No, those aren't from me. Did you get the orange Easter egg with the note in it?

JIM
(to PAM now he is looking confused)
Uh...no.

PAM
(to JIM surprised)
You didn't? (Her jaw drops. She smiles and she starts laughing.) Oh my gosh! (still laughing. JIM looks at her like something is wrong with her) I have to tell you what I did!

JIM
(to PAM)
Okay...

PAM
(to JIM whispering)
I wrote a note and put it in my orange Easter egg, then put it on your desk.

JIM
(to PAM smiling)
What did it say?

PAM
(to JIM)
I wrote... (she whispers what it said to JIM)

JIM
(to PAM laughing)
Oh my goodness. (pause) I wonder who took it...

JIM and PAM look over to the break room, and see DWIGHT smiling a little more than usual. JIM and PAM start laughing. 

PAM
(to JIM)
Should we tell him?

JIM
(to PAM)
No way. Let's see how long it takes him to talk to Michael.

 JIM and PAM start laughing. They eventually return to their seats. DWIGHT comes in and sits down at his desk, still grinning.

JIM
(to DWIGHT)
What's up? Why are you so happy?

DWIGHT
(to JIM)
Not telling.

JIM
(to DWIGHT)
(shrugs) Okay. (He turns his head over to PAM and they smile.)

A while later MICHAEL walks in the door happy and smiling. 

MICHAEL
(to EVERYONE)
How's the Easter egg hunt coming?! Everyone having F-U-N!? Finding eggs, anyone?
(to OSCAR)
Oscar?

OSCAR gives him a courtesy smile. DWIGHT bombards him all ecstatic and happy. He is holding up the orange Easter egg in MICHAEL's face. 

DWIGHT
(to MICHAEL)
I found it! I found it! I found the grand prize. I knew you wanted me to have it, Michael.

(to EVERYONE announces)
Just so everyone knows, I found the grand prize. (He holds up the note and reads it out loud.) "You won the Grand Prize of becoming ... the new Assistant Manager! See Michael Scott to claim your prize!"

DWIGHT is so excited, looking around, and everyone is staring at him. There is a pause.

MICHAEL
(to DWIGHT quietly)
That is not the grand prize.

DWIGHT
(to MICHAEL)
What!?

(to ANGELA)
Angela?

ANGELA
(to DWIGHT)
He's right. That is NOT the grand prize. The grand prize is a tent.

KEVIN
(to EVERYONE)
Hey, I won the grand prize. Look! That's what my egg says. (nodding his head) Awesome.

DWIGHT looks dejected and disappointed. He scans the room for any insight, but EVERYONE has gone back to work. Both JIM and PAM maintain straight faces. He looks at MICHAEL. MICHAEL shrugs and walks into his office and shuts the door. DWIGHT returns to his chair with his head down. JIM and PAM both smile.

The End.

What's Your Purpose?

Every once in a great while there comes along a movie that takes my breath away. I'm not a movie critic by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like. I watched "Hugo" last night. What a spectacular movie! Especially in a time when spectacular movies are few and far between. How much garbage is out there? It is so refreshing to watch something that is just good, beautiful and with substance. I would consider it a must see for, well, everyone!

My favorite quote from the movie comes from this determined boy, Hugo: "Right after my father died, I would come up here a lot. I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too."














The movie centers around this theme: finding your purpose. Perfect! It has made me reflect on what my purpose is. Like Hugo, I agree. We all have a purpose on earth. We're all here for a reason with specific things to accomplish, peoples' lives to touch, ways to grow and evolve into the person we are truly meant to be. Sometimes we forget how we fit in and are supposed to work. Sometimes we may get rusty and need some attention and care. Sometimes we just brake and need to be fixed.

...Sometimes that is someone's purpose.

I suggest to get a bowl of popcorn, a blanket, lots of fluffy pillows, a Pepsi (of course) and watch this film.

Then think: what part of this masterful machine am I?

No Soup for You

What do you write when you feel like you have nothing to write about?

uh...Broccoli Cheese Soup, of course! (didn't you know that?!)

So I am being very "un"clever today and posting a pic of my dinner like every other blogger out there. However, I am actually quite proud that I even made dinner. See, I'm alone tonight. No kids. Just me. So, what do I do? I make a ginormous pot of broccoli cheese soup. I guess the idea is to take some to work for my lunch (I'm obviously NOT counting calories right now), and feed my kids tomorrow night (again, I am not counting calories). I think it is safe to say I have enough to freeze for a couple future meals too. (sigh) I am so thrifty sometimes. It's amazing.

Sooooooo... have a look at my luscious meal, and remember NO SOUP FOR YOU!

:)















"I don't want soup. I can make my own soup."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJyGJQx2Fgk

How about some prose...

(by yours truly)

Freshly fallen snow lay soft and beautiful
sparkling, shimmering and dancing in the sunlight.
Once darkness and shadows lingered here,
But with the morning comes new hope.
Pure light permeates the room and soaks into my skin.
I am lifted.
My Spirit feels free.
I rush through the house to allow every room to transform.
Transform me.
This feeling is cherished,
Where for a moment I feel peace, serenity and light touch my soul.

for the love of brownies

Besides my unfailing love for Pepsi (as you read last week), those who really know me know that I have another true love. It's brownies. Especially "my" brownies, which I of course make from scratch. I have a killer recipe that is pretty much unbeatable.

However, I have been known to mess them up a time or two. Tonight was one of those times. Bummer. I was really looking forward to overindulging myself in the yumminess of brownies. Really, I have made these loads of times, so you would think that I would never break the cardinal commandments of brownie making:

#1
Thou shalt not use a box. Some box brownies are "alright," but the best ones are from scratch.
#2
Thou shalt not melt your butter in the microwave. It can't be frozen, but it also can't be accidentally melted in the microwave either.
#3
Thou shalt use the best cocoa. Sorry, but Hershey's is the best.
#4
Thou shalt not over mix. Overmixing brownie batter makes the brownies cakey. Not fudgey and ooey-gooey, like they ought to be.
#5
Thou shalt use a Pampered Chef stone. I know, I'm a Pampered Chef brat, but they really bake the best.
#6
Thou shalt not overbake. The center can't be batter, but it has to be a little wiggly.
#7
Thou shalt use frosting. Of course brownies need frosting! The only time a brownie doesn't need it is when you are eating one with ice cream and hot fudge.
#8
Thou shalt not put the frosting on prematurely. I don't know why. Trust me. It just makes them weird. Make sure the brownies are completely cooled.
#9
Thou shalt lick the brownie batter clean off the bowl...and spatula...and Kitchen Aid mixer thing. Salmonella? psh. I think someone made that up.

and finally...
#10
Thou shalt not let Danny cut out his own brownie. If you do, then this is what will happen - see photo below. (Actually, I'm a little proud—at least he used a spatula, and furthermore, he knows the center is the best part. I taught him well.)