One of My Favorite Meals

Doesn't it look delicious? It's so simple to make and is actually filling. It's the Asian Chicken Salad from Giada (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/asian-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html). Of course, I change it up a bit, but her recipe is great as is. Try it out. I promise you'll love it.

Alexander is 2!

Alexander turned 2 on Friday. He still doesn't get the whole birthday thing, but I like to think that he had a great birthday. Rose and Cooper (Ivan's parents) came up today and made Alexander's birthday even more special. I hope my mom (maybe dad) can come up this week to see him, too, but they did get to see him a week or so ago. All of the grandparents, and a couple of aunts, made sure to call him to wish him a happy birthday. Yay! Here's a picture of my 2 boys. You can't really see Ivan, but this picture is priceless.

I like that Ivan's parents brought me presents, too. hehe Cooper made them and they are magnificent! Here's a picture of the hollow form he made. Isn't it wonderful??

So far the weekend has been pretty awesome (as the year has been). I still can't believe my little boy is two. He's getting so big and has been the best little man ever. He makes our lives pretty easy and we try not to spoil him too much, but he makes it hard. He listens to us and does what we say even when he doesn't want to. And he's super sweet to us, espcially when we're sick or get hurt. I guess there's a reason we really wanted to name our first born Awesome (which is what we, and a few others, call him every once in a while). Here's to more great times!

Veggie Pizza

This week Ivan requested a veggie pizza for dinner one night. I thought it was an odd one since he hates when I suggest veggie pizza to share at restaurants. I didn't want to buy too much new stuff so I decided to top it with what I had. The only thing I really needed to buy was the crust, but I also decided to add mozzarella instead of the usual shredded cheese. It actually turned out great and even Alexander loved it. Yay! Although, as usual, he did just try to eat the toppings and not the crust. Since I make things up I really never have a recipe to go by later. For this reason I've tried to guess how much of everything I use and write it down. I only use recipes as a guide and go on the look of things (which is why I can't bake, I suppose), so even if I don't get things down exactly right it's good enough for me. I'm going to post this recipe in hopes that someone tries it and loves it. Here is a picture of the pizza right before it went in the oven:

Here's the recipe:

Veggie Pizza

Sauce

I prefer to make my own sauce, but store bought it fine. Here's what I used for this pizza:

1/4 c tomato sauce

1.5 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (if you don't have it mix together some of the following: oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and basil)

Pizza

Crust (I prefer Boboli for ease, but also like Publix dough from the bakery)

1/3 c baby portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/3 c kalamata olives, cut length wise in quarters

1/3 c red onion, thinly sliced 

1/2 small tomato, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp dried parsley (Fresh, if you have it. I love this stuff! Alternatively, you could use fresh basil.)

7-8 slices of mozzarella 

Preheat oven to 450° (or whatever your crust/dough calls for). Combine ingredients for sauce and spread on crust, leaving 1/2" border. Place vegetables and cheese on top (the above list is exactly how I placed mine). Bake for 13 minutes (or whatever the directions for your crust/dough say).

I thought I would need to saute the mushrooms and onions for this to be really good and was going to try it the next time we make the pizza; however, the veggies cooked perfectly. I may try to make a thicker sauce next time by adding a small amount of tomato paste, but we'll see if I remember. 

Here is the finished pizza:

Yum! If you try this and like it let me know and I may post my sloppy joe recipe. :-)

Remember to make this recipe, and any other, your own. I am a big believer in loving what you eat and savoring food and the company that comes with it. As Truett Cathy said, "Food is essential to life. Therefore, make it good." Enjoy!

Why I Chose to Be a Medical Librarian

A lot of people who know me (or don't, for that matter) cock their eyebrow when I tell them I'm a medical librarian. I never knew what I would do in high school and during college I had chosen an art marketing degree. A year or so after graduating I decided to become a librarian. I talked about it with Ivan and it seemed to be a natural fit. I love doing research, find it very easy to find information (obscure or not), and know how to format manuscripts. What was the biggest shock about becoming a librarian? I had to have a master of library science degree. What?!?! I obtained my degree after a year and a half took a job at a hospital. Not my environment, but thankfully I'm back in academics and I LOVE it.
People always seem to think that librarians are librarians because they love reading books. Such a false statement. As a librarian I never get to sit around and read books. When I do read it's to comb through information and condense it for others or to beef up my knowledge on a certain topic...and hardly ever does it involve a book. Don't get me wrong, I do love reading and own many books, but it has nothing to do with my profession. Research and technology are usually what's involved with being a librarian. It is a little different for public librarians and media specialists, but they still don't get to sit around and read.
Over the past few years, I have helped patients and families find information, did a few literature searches and obtained articles as research for a book a physician was writing, got information during a couple of surgeries while they were in progress, helped students find information, write, and format papers, retrieved literature for lawsuits (on both sides of the coin), and much more. Rewarding and fun...who could ask for more?
Why medicine instead of academic, school, or public libraries? I chose to go into medical libraries because of my friend Jenny. She was diagnosed with cancer and I hated that I couldn't just cure her. Things happen for a reason, but it doesn't mean you have to like or understand it, unfortunately. I know I can never practice medicine; not as a doctor, nurse, technician, or anything else. I just don't deal well with any of that or with people who won't listen to what will help them. I wanted to do something to help those in medicine, though. The ones who would become doctors or nurses. I had already chosen to become a librarian, but had no focus. Why not medicine?
Surprisingly, I found the coursework easy and had the highest GPA in my classes (especially medical research, in which I was the only librarian and everyone else was a nurse). This boosted my confidence in my choice and I knew I was on the right path. Nurses may not be good at research, but I was. I am definitely not good at any part of nursing, and nurses are, but I can research anything and find what is needed to answer a question. I knew that this was the right choice for me and I hope that I have helped plenty of people during my time as a medical librarian.
Just in case you're wondering I did not waste my undergrad degree. My main classes during that time were marketing, graphic design, photography, and weaving. I use marketing and graphic design constantly for my job and, occasionally, I use photography. I focused on technology in libraries while getting my masters and use that information, too. So, while my undergrad may not be what I have a job in, I do use knowledge from it every day to make my job easier and more satisfying. Who would have thought that an art marketing degree would fit so well with being a medical librarian.

Saying No

I find it really hard to say no to opportunities that come my way. I love helping others, volunteering (mostly work related), and just doing what I can to make things better and easier for others. I am on several committees, have been awarded a few grants, serve as secretary for a committee, am an editor for a national consumer health website, have written papers and presented at regional and national conferences, and serve as chair for another committee.
Next fall one of the organizations I'm involved in will be having a quad conference with other organizations in Baltimore. They need help for several committees and I want to help so much, but I have been reluctantly saying/thinking no and deleting the e-mails. I am notorious for my clean inbox (I store everything in folders or delete them) and only leave to-do items in my inbox. These e-mails have been staying there for more than a day before I delete them, which is very unusual for me. I really want to volunteer, but with all of my responsibilities I don't know if it'd be wise. I have a ton of stuff to do at work and am trying to increase the view/presence of the library across campus. I'm also working with other staff to implement outreach programs and creating an iPad loaner program. Saying no to the request for help is difficult for me, but I know others will step up. I really want to help, but I think it would mean that I don't give my all to something or I do and run myself ragged.
Do you have a problem saying no? Are there areas that you want to say yes or feel obligated to say yes, but know you shouldn't? I encourage you to think about it. Are you saying yes to something for your family because you feel obligated? Are you going to church out of obligation or because you want to? I try not to do anything out of obligation because I end up hating what I'm doing or resenting people. Although, others may hate that you aren't a yes person anymore it may do more for your mental health than you think. Say no. Try it. Say no and let things fall in place. Who knows what will happen.

Goal Progress?

Why yes, there has been some progress with my goals. Things are not going as quickly as planned, but it has not been discouraging...which is actually a little surprising. I haven't updated as much as I'd like, but there is usually only time for it on the weekend. During the week I am up by 6, if not earlier, and don't get home until 6. At that point I cook dinner, then play with Alexander, give him a bath, read or play a little more, put him to bed, clean up the dinner mess, wash or fold any clothes, then finally sit down for a breather around 9 or 9:30. Ivan and I both tend to nod off around this time so we head to bed. The weekend is a time just for us to be together, visit with family and friends, get groceries, and clean house. There still isn't an excuse because I could write something short on the weekends, I just don't feel like it. Boo me.
Even with all of that I am making progress on some of my goals. Luckily my new workplace has a gym so goal number 4 is easier than it was at the beginning of the year. I have lifting weights as well, so although I can't tell as much on the scale that I'm losing weight I can tell by the way my clothes are fitting (and the compliments I'm getting. Yay!). Ivan and I are also eating better and having great tasting food, too. I don't deprive myself, though. If I want dessert I get it, but I don't gorge myself.
Goal 9, painting my dresser, did hit a snag because of the way it was constructed, but I think I've found a solution. Time will tell. The dresser will become part of my studio as a storage piece, so it will need to be completed before finishing my studio (goal 8).
Paying off credit cards has proven to be the most difficult. Not because they're too expensive or we don't want to put money towards them, but because of other issues. Two very unexpected medical bills and 3 expensive car repair issues have prevented us from getting this done as quickly as we could have. Don't worry, we didn't put any of these expenses on a credit card; we paid directly out of our bank account. The problem: that money would have paid off all of one card and about an 1/8 of another. I think we can still get them paid off, though. We had another big chunk come out of our budget for a conference for Ivan. It will be very beneficial and help with his business (That's right! Ivan is starting his own business! I'm sure some exciting updates will happen because of this. I've linked to his blog at the bottom of the page).
Goal 3 is semi-started. I have ideas written and know how I want the story to go, I just need to put it in words. I am working on character designs now. I don't think most authors need that, but it will help me visualize better. I also see stories as movies in my head as I read anyway, so this will help. I have so much imagery in my head for this story. I wish I was better at getting what's in my head on paper. If I could do that then I'd make this a graphic novel.
Other goals? Number 2 needs to wait on Halloween to be fulfilled and I just haven't wanted to do the other goals (1 and 6).
I also realize that I haven't talked about or posted pictures from the 3 day trip, but I just finished getting them off of my camera. The card reader on my laptop was broken so I had to buy one.
So that's the progress. I have been busy; I just need to update more. Thanks for reading!

Ivan's blog: A Better Way of Business

My Path

As promised in my last post, here's a little bit of history about how I got to where I'm at.
Almost as soon as got my first job as a librarian I knew it was not the place for me. I worked with people that I liked and I enjoyed my job, but not the organization. That place may work for some people, but not for me (or the other librarian who was absolutely wonderful and received an academic position right before I went on maternity leave).
I have been applying and interviewing for jobs all over the place for about 2 years and nothing fruitful came of it. I did receive offers, but they were never quite right. I was beginning to lose hope, but found one last ray of hope: going back to school.
I applied to a PhD program and was accepted...with stipulations. I had to go through their masters program even though I already have a masters. When I asked why I had to receive one when I already had it I was told that it would help me learn to do research. I asked for clarification: research as in gathering information or in studying people. I was told I would need one to learn how to gather information. .... Really? That is actually what my entire first masters is all about! Also, there was no flexibility with the masters and it would take 2 or 3 years to get.
By this point I was very frustrated. I want a PhD, I have ever since I found out what they were when I was in fourth grade, and my temper flared when it was revealed that the university really just wanted me to get a masters from them. Surprisingly, my temper waned after only one day of declining the university's offer. I realized that if I didn't get in or didn't find the job I wanted that it was because God had other plans for me. But what were they?
I trolled the job lists and other resources after that, but still found nothing. I wasn't upset or frustrated anymore, but knew that I had to keep looking to do my part and I would know when I'd found what I needed. Just over a month after the PhD fiasco I found a very promising job opening. I prayed about it, applied, had an interview, prayed about it, was offered the job about 1 week after the interview, and prayed some more. I accepted and started the job 1 month later. I have been there for 2 weeks now and love it!
I find more and more positive things every day. I know there will be some disagreements and annoyances, but so far they haven't happened. I am in an academic library with some great people (who play videos games hehe), work closer to home, have better benefits that cost less, make more money, work less hours, have more vacation, and get to wear jeans every Friday (except during the summer when I get to wear them every day!). Those are just a few of the benefits with the job change. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and am already seeing the health benefits of being happier and feeling like I can be myself. I guess this is what happens when you leave things to God and trust that he will lead you in the right direction.

Update Delays

Of course there are tons of excuses as to why I haven't updated in, what, 2 months, but I will only delve into the important ones. I have accomplished 2 more of my goals for the year and they were big ones. The first was a 3 day weekend. We went to Charleston and had a great time, but discovered that it is definitely not a place we'd ever like to live. We do want to live near the beach someday and this was a possibility, but no more. I'll post more on this trip in a few days.
The second and most important goal was to follow my path. It's been a wild ride in terms of this goal, but I think I am on the right path now...one that God has led me to. I now have a new job. I really think it's where I'm supposed to be and I just keep finding more and more positive things with this new direction. I feel like a weight has been lifted and have realized that I was more stressed and unhappy with my previous job than I thought. I think Ivan's supposed to do something new, too, but I'm really not sure what. He's trying to find it out, but is trying not to make a rash decision at the same time. This paragraph will be another topic to post about in the coming days.
I thought I needed to finally post something and have done so. I hope to write more on the above topics soon. Until next time.

My Week

Well, in all honestly, this post is a week behind, but I’m sure you understand how life can sometimes be hectic. These are pictures from the week of March 14-20. I hope to do this once a month…random shots of what happened in my life during the week. Let’s see if I can keep it up!



Walking in to work.



Models for work. So much fun to put together. And my office now smells like one of those little kiddie pools. haha



Skeletons. A contest led to one being named Scooter, but we still call him Bones. The other is Indiana Bones. The names are too similar so we’re trying to think of something else. Perhaps one is a girl.

Picture taken during my run in the park.

Picture taken during my run in the park.

Picture taken during my run in the park. I use the pavilion as my cool down area. Nice and shady!

My desk. Why, yes, those are Mario characters. I use the mushrooms kind of  like Two-Face used his coin…they decide my chooses/reactions. ;-)

What I listen to at work. I really do love video game scores.

Cabinet that serves as another desk top. Lots of books to process for the day.

Dinner. Alice Springs Chicken with Green Bean and Rice Casserole. Nom-nom!

Raleigh making friends with our new office mates.

This looked like too much fun to pass up. I still don’t know if it’s more for Alexander or me. haha From Woot.

Attending a presentation at work. The students used library resources. Yay!!

Attending a presentation at work. This just looked cool and was actually a great visual representation of their topic.

Pretty moon!

Breakfast with my boys. It’s always a great start to our weekend!

Warrior Dash

A friend of mine mentioned something called Warrior Dash today. I had no clue what it was, but figured it was a 5k or some kind of dance routine where you dress like a samurai or crusader or something. It's actually an obstacle course that involves jumping over fire, tredding through water, climbing over ropes & cars, and God knows what else. Here's a link to the website: http://www.warriordash.com/ Since it also has you going through mud I'm not sure if I'll do it yet. Mud? I just don't know if I can handle being that dirty. Who knows, though, it could be really fun. I have a 5k in July and this could really help me prepare for that. Come to think of it, it could also help with my goal of losing weight. I have a few more weeks to decide, but think it needs to be before the wave that friends will be in gets booked. I wonder if Ivan would want to participate? We'll see.