Sunday/Monday

Well, the first quarter went by pretty fast. Can't say I did as well in math as I would have liked to, but I did get an A in my creative writing class, which makes me feel pretty good. :]

Roommates are doing good. We are having some slight chore issues and I find myself getting antsy and just doing all the chores if they haven't been done on time, but I can't stand living in a messy apartment.

Finally home for Winter Break and I'm pretty excited to just kick back and relax. I should be able to get to the eye doctors and see about bumping up the prescription on my glasses. Also hoping to get into the doctors for my tonsils :/ The other day they got infected or something and my throat swelled shut. I wasn't too worried until I started spitting up blood (gross, I know!) So tomorrow I'll try to get into the doc's or head to Urgent Care to see what's going on. I'm really hoping to just get the damn things removed.

Eddie's doing well. He loves the 1-2 feet of snow we have on the ground. As soon as I got home from school we ran out into the back yard and jumped around for a while. Lots of fun!

I'm hoping once this throat crap clears up I can work on some new recipes. I came up with a great honey mustard chicken. I just took chicken breasts and rolled them through flour, set them in some olive oil and brushed on honey mustard while they were cooking. I cut up some fresh green beans and cooked them with almonds along with a side of rice. Great meal and super easy! I have a potato soup in progress, but that's still in the works :]

Tuesday

Friday I head back to Columbus and move into my apartment with my friends Ryan and James! I'm looking forward to having a place of my own with my own room, but wondering what it will be like living with two boys... I'm excited though!

As far as news at home goes, Eddie is doing great! He is about 4 months old and a little spitfire! He just got his last round of shots so in 2-3 more weeks he can go on walks and play with other dogs! He has been able to hang out with Brewster from across the street, but Eddie likes to play a little rough... we think it's because he was the runt of the liter and being the smallest, he was the easiest target for his brothers and sisters. He is a little scrapper but he is also extremely affectionate when it comes to cuddling and being close to his new family. He is potty trained to the point of letting us know when he has to go out, but he is at the point where he can go into new rooms in the house without peeing all over, which is great.

I'm gonna be pretty homesick the first couple weeks. It's going to be so hard not having little Edders around because I spent to much time watching him and taking care of him this summer!

ttfn!

P.S. Here are some Eddie pics!

Thursday

As of Monday we have a new puppy! Eddie is 10 weeks old and we love him already.

Of course he is different than Maeve and Nellie, but that's ok. It's a nice change of pace to have a little boy running around the house. Although we still miss Maeve it's good to have Eddie because we have so much love to give.

I spent the last week at a residence camp for kids with special needs. At first I was a little nervous. While it was sooo much fun, it was also stressful, but I was able to go home at the end of the day and unwind and prepare for the next day. However, with residence camp I would be with the campers 24/7. The first couple days were a little rough. I had a hard time getting into the swing of things, but after a while I just let it all go and had a great time. The kids were great and even though it was stressful, I met so many new friends and really made a positive impact on the lives of these children. It's so emotional to hear them tell me that they would give up Christmas just to come to camp. That means a lot. Knowing that I am part of that makes me feel amazing.

Drinks at the end of the week weren't too bad either... :]

That's all for now :]

Sunday

Happy 4th of July!

It's been about a month since Maeve's passing. I'm home from school and back with the family. On the 26th we'll be getting a new puppy. He will be a little yellow lab. So far the name "Eddie" is first in the running.

Camp is going great, loving all my kids!

It's been an interesting summer so far, so let's see how things go!

Sunday

Well, it's almost been a week since Maeve passed away. It sure has been hard accepting the fact that she won't be there when I get home for the summer. There are a lot of things I just won't want to do because they were just so special when she was there with me. Maeve was one hell of a dog and I'm just so thankful for the 10 amazing years we were given with her. She was amazing and full of love. Memories live on forever, so until I see her again...

School is winding down. Finals week starts tomorrow and I have both of mine on Thursday, so that gives me a lot of time to study. I'm just hoping they all go well and I'm able to finish off the quarter in a good way. Summer will be pretty interesting this year and busy. I'll be working at Camp Sue again, helping Dad remodel the downstairs bathroom, and working on my friend's farm with their sheep and horses. I think staying busy will be a good thing. Before I know it I'll be back down here for school moving into my apartment and starting a new school year. So here's to new beginnings...

To My Best Friend...

Yesterday I lost my best friend. Maeve passed away after 10 wonderful years. She was such an amazing animal and I thank God for every second I was given with her. Although her passing is extremely emotional and hard to accept, I know that she brightened everyone's lives and was a compassionate, funny, loyal, talented, unique, loving, adorable, and outgoing dog. Maeve was my angel from above and although I know she is watching over us now, I wish I could have been there with her. I hope she knows how many people will miss her. The outpouring of love and sympathy from friends, neighbors, and co-workers has been overwhelming as we all mourn the loss of God's special gift that was the spot of sunshine in all our lives.

I miss you so much Maeve- you gave the some of the best times in my life and I only hope I did the same for you. I'll miss snuggling up with you, playing hide and seek, running around the house, playing tug of war with my socks, feeding you my food from the table, car rides, running up hills, going on drives without a destination, and your collection of rocks and sticks on the back deck. Most of all I will miss your love. Thank you for always taking care of me and being there to hold. I will never forget you. Someday we will be together again. Hope Nellie is taking good care of you--

Tuesday

Had a dream last night that I became the Miss Havisham of all my friends. Everyone else was married with kids, white picket fences, cooling pies in the window, and a dog. I was sitting at my dining room table in a moldy wedding dress. Gross.

On a brighter side, I can't wait to finish up this quarter and be at home where I can cook! The very first thing I'm going to make is gumbo!!!!! Gumbo is the best in any season, but I like it in the summer because you can eat it cold with a slice of bread and it's got just enough of a bite to match the warm weather. When I make gumbo I usually just throw a ton of stuff in a pot, mainly what I have in the fridge veggie-wise. Here is the basic recipe I use, but I usually go off of it and just change up the spice amount and use what's laying around.

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 lb. boneless,skinless chicken thighs
1/2 lb. chorizo sausage, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 lb. medium shrimp
1 cup long grain rice

Try it out! It's super yummy!

Ok, well back to studying!

Monday

Good Morning! (or afternoon...)

I decided to start this blog to not only track the progress of overcoming a traumatic brain injury, but to capture the whims and musings of a 19 year old girl. Life happens and no matter what I want to chronicle mine! So here it goes!

Today is gorgeous. The sun is out, breeze is flowing, and I'm about to jump in the shower and finally join the rest of the world outside. Yesterday I encountered concussion #5... not good news, but Mom insisted I go to the ER and I went. I guess it was good since my friend that drove me was concerned when I started talking weird... It makes me a little sad that I can't go out and play sports like I used to. I hate feeling so limited when all I want to do is just run. But as I've said before, life happens and I will roll with it where ever it chooses to take me!