Landscaping

As most of you know Eric and I recently bought a house here in Omaha. We are the first people to live in it which is amazing but it also means that we have some work to do. Next on the honey-do list.....LANDSCAPING.

One of Eric's co-workers had used a company where they come to your house take pictures and then complete a design for you. There isn't any cost in having it done and we wanted some advice in what to do.

So here is what we have right now.

By the way the random plants in the middle of the yard won't be there....he was just showing us some other plants that we could try.....that would be a bit random for us.

This is the second draft and we have made a few changes to this as well. Eric and I still have to discuss some things....but I think we are going to have them cut out the shape and till in some good soil and compost.....aren't you all impressed with my gardening vocabulary..... this is definitely something new to me but I'm excited to get my hands dirty....literally!

We just got back from a nursery to compare prices and so I could look at the real deal in person....I was OVERWHELMED....so many plants and varieties ect. GOODNESS GRACIOUS! I'll keep you updated as we progress on this project!

HAPPY FRIDAY TOMORROW!!

Two Weeks Notice

I've been dying to tell you all that I have been applying/interviewing for jobs however, didn't think that it would be the smartest decision to post it on the internet for my current job to find out. SO I can finally tell you all I gave my TWO WEEKS NOTICE to my job today. :-) My heart was racing and I was nervous/excited as I drove to the office this afternoon....after driving to Carroll, Nebraska.....2 hours away from Omaha (one way). But seriously this was my first job that I've actually had to quit. All of my other jobs ended at the end of the summer or I was graduating but this one not so much.

My last day will be Friday, May 7th. I will be taking the next week to transition and relax a bit. I'm very excited to be attending a conference on Healthy Aging, Evidence-Based Wellness and Treatment plans on May 13th which is perfect for my new job because........

On May 17th I will begin working at a Long Term Care Facility as their dietitian. I will be serving as the clinical dietitian as well as serving as the food service director. I'm excited that I will be working with older adults.....if you know me well you know that I have a secondary major in gerontology and have a special place in my heart for them. To top things off my boss was a K-State grad :-)

Just thought I'd share the good news with you all. Thanks for hanging in there with me as I know I was a little depressing at time when I wasn't so happy.

BUSY BUSY BEES!!

First of all, hope you all had a wonderful weekend....I know we did! Here is my suggestion of the day to all of you.....I know you're falling off your seats to get a teaspoon of my wisdom....haha!

If you need to get a project done around the house or just need an excuse to get some deeper than normal cleaning done.....have people over.

On Monday Eric and I decided that we wanted to have friends over from our small group on Saturday night....well this meant that we HAD (okay so we didn't HAVE to but I really WANTED to) get the office done. So Eric and I were BUSY BEES after work each night painting and doing touch ups. In all honesty we set up the office on Saturday morning/afternoon, no seriously we were picking up painting supplies, moving the plastic paint tarp to the basement the very day we were having people over. And to add to the excitement I had to a set-up for a patient after lunch which left Eric to his own devices for an hour or two.....Atleast we had cleaned the rest of the house the night before.

To bad we don't have before and after pics

Didn't Eric do a great job with his hanging projects! Yesterday afternoon before people came over he was just astonished with the space we had open in the office.....seriously it has been a mess since we moved in back in February.

I stopped at Hy-Vee on Saturday and found a great find....$1 bunches of flowers that were not seeing their best days....so I grabbed the 2 best bunches if I do say so myself and added a little color to the house! You can't beat that price!

One of our friends from small group brought us some lilacs from her lilac bush....so pretty!

We ended up having 3 sets of couples come and we had fun grilling out, playing games and just hanging out. I hope that we can become closer as we get more settled her in Omaha.

Well Monday is quickly approaching! Hope you all have a wonderful day!! :-)

Grilling Fools

At the moment, our entertainment for the evening....the neighborhood children..... have apparently built a fort in one of the play houses and have all trooped back over from their respective houses in their PJs.....I think they might all be on something their energy level is up a couple of notches from their normal enthusiasm. Let me tell you they are the best birth control.....they have SO much energy.....well onto to tonight's dinner!


You guessed it tonight we broke out the grill again. Can you blame me I've been "patiently" waiting to get one so we better break it in!

I've been dying to try a recipe for BBQ Bacon Grilled Chicken Sandwiches that Chelsie featured on her blog awhile back. She raved about the success of this recipe and Eric and I gave it 2 thumbs up.

Sandwich Fixings:

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed & ready to go
• 4-6 hamburger buns
• 4-6 slices of your favorite cheese
  
• Cooked bacon slices (2 slices per sandwich: We use Center Cut Bacon because its the healthiest type of bacon....not that bacon is healthy....and yes its better than turkey bacon)
• Desired toppings, i.e. lettuce/spinach leaves, fresh-sliced tomatoes, sweet or red onion slices, etc.
  

Marinade:

• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dry mustard
• few shakes of garlic powder
• shake or two of chili powder
• 1 c. of your favorite BBQ sauce (In case you were wondering my favorite is Curly's and Eric's is KC Masterpiece.....but since I prepared the marinade I chose my favorite :-)
  

Marinate your chicken breasts in the sauce overnight or several hours prior to making; reserve about 1 c. for basting while the chicken's grilling.

Grilling Instructions:

This is where Eric's help comes in. Fire up your grill. Grill chicken breasts until juices run clear now don't use the same utensil for the raw chicken as you do with the cooked chicken....I'm just saying you don't want to get sick. Take that 1 cup of sauce and baste both sides of your chicken breasts...just slather it all over until they're nice and covered! (I can't attest for this part because I forgot to save a cup and there was no way I was going to use the marinade that was raw chicken infested.....and neither should you! Now, go ahead and cook your bacon strips too. When chicken is very close to being done, go add your cheese slices until they're all gooey, melty, and delicious!

Well all....good night! Tomorrow is Friday in case you forgot....I didn't :-)

NEGATIVE!!

Well my TB test was negative today....PHEW!! I passed with flying colors; however, my boss had a few problems. He was leaving to go get his read and I asked if I could just ride with him and I looked at his arm and I was happy to see he had a similar reaction to me. When the lady ran her finger across his arm she was not happy with the bump that had formed.....well they ended up saying it was negative but not sure how I feel about there method of saying he was okay....a little sketchy.

We broke in the grill tonight! However, we probably should have tried something a little simpler for our first endeavor.

AND I finished painting the office today!! YEAH!

Feeling Grey....

No literally...we finally found a grey that we liked for our office. YEAH!!

It's the one on the last row 2nd from the left. I know...I know we only tried a "few" different colors right? Seriously I hope we don't have this many problems finding other colors for the house or we are going to be able to open our own Sherwin Williams Sample Paint Store.

So tonight after work I painted the largest wall and the wall that the door is attached to. Seriously people painting is HARD work, what an intense workout.

You may ask what was Eric doing while I was hard at work painting.....Finishing the grill that's what!!

Something that literally made my mood a little grey was my need to get a routine TB test for work. Well I wasn't worried going in.....I've had a few in my lifetime. However, throughout the day and then last night I started to get a "little" worried.

Yes that is where my TB test was administered...doesn't look so hot huh! Even Eric agrees the picture doesn't look as bad as it did last night! But good news its looking A LOT better today so hopefully tomorrow when I get it checked I'll pass with flying colors!

I was on the internet diagnosing myself as I was on the phone with my parents. I did learn that it has to be raised at the site and mine wasn't so much but I've never had such an adverse reaction to the test.

You can say I'm a little bit of a Hypochondriac....a little....

Beef Enchiladas

On Friday, Eric's dad was gracious enough to come over and share some of his Omaha Gro. He bought a truck load and shared some of it with us. When I thanked Alan for bringing the dirt he corrected me that is was compost......OOPS!


Well while the boys were hard at work I was busy in the kitchen making dinner.

Beef Enchiladas was on the menu! **Disclaimer**Not the healthiest meal that I've featured but it sure is good and is a family favorite.

Here's what you'll need:

• Tortillas
• 1 lb hamburger
• 2-3 cans enchilada sauce
• shredded cheese
• canola oil

I find its easiest if you form an assembly line. Heat up oil in pan in frying pan. Dip tortillas in oil an turn over with tongs. Dip both sides in enchilada sauce and then place beef and some cheese (I mix enchilada sauce with the beef to add a little more flavor) inside and roll. Place in greased pan. After all enchiladas are rolled sprinkle cheese on top. Cook at 350 and bake until bubbly.

Auction Time

***First off I would like to send my prayers to the Poole family, friends of Melody and the entire Stafford Community who are grieving the loss of someone so young. May everyone feel god's loving embrace and comfort during the coming days and weeks***

I've been gearing up for this weekend for awhile. You see our church here in Omaha was given all of the model home furniture from a builder here in town to auction off for a fundraiser to aid in sending kids on mission trips. The auction ended up being on Saturday and Sunday but I had already committed to going to a baby shower on Saturday so that left Sunday for me to peruse the selections.

Now growing up on the farm I've been to my share of auctions, ranging from cattle, machinery and an occasional estate sale. I rember going with my dad or Grandpa Fritzemeier and I was always scared to even scratch my nose as I didn't want the auctioneer to think I was going to buy something. When we went to the Pratt Livestock auction we always got to eat a Cinnamon Roll...YUM!!

Enough with memory lane. I had my eye on a desk for our office but that wasn't going to sell till later in the afternoon. I had to go by myself as Eric had gone to Manhattan for a FH event. So to kill time I decided to see what other treasures I might muster up.

My only purchase of the day. The desk went over what I was willing to pay. :-( I also bid on a fake tree and some greenery but I guess I was feeling cheap. I'm not happy to say that I think that Eric's "price consciousness" is staring to wear off on me.

I decided to replace the office lamp we had been using in the guest bedroom with a little more "grown up" lamp.

Since I didn't spend much at the auction Eric and I decided to go look for a grill.

You have NO idea how excited I have been to get a grill. I have never had a grill since I left home for college (unless you count the grill at Kappa) SO....a caterer I had been using struck a deal with us that for every $250 we spent on catering he would give us $25 Visa cards. So as you can see from above I had $125 saved up....before I quit using them. Eric once suggested we buy a used grill off Craigs List and I got a little upset. I'd been "saving" up for the grill and it was one of the few joys I've gotten out of my current job....sad I know.

SUCCESS!! at least until Eric starts having to put it together.....

As I type I'm watching the country music awards...I MISS NASHVILLE! Eric can we PLEASE move back!!!

Traveling with Boys....

First off I'm feeling much better today. Thanks for the well wishes!

As you know if you're a regular to my blog I traveled to Denver on Monday for some training on Hospital Sales Calls. This wasn't a training for dietitians but I think that one of my area managers didn't want me to feel left out......

SO...8 of us flew out of the Omaha airport...5 from Omaha, 2 from Lincoln and 1 from Fremont.....and yes I was the only girl. Now if you think about my background I'm a dietitian....are you thinking so what? Since graduating high school I've been surrounded by girls. Guys are the minority in dietetics but I was definitely the minority at the Oxygen sales meeting. Out of 25 people I think there were 5 women....I was the youngest by far. I can say that I cramped some of their style but what's a girl to do. I would just like to say that I carried on my luggage....I mean seriously people I was an expert by the end of my internship. I couldn't believe how many of the guys checked luggage.

Lincoln has a new rep and when we landed in Denver he came up to me and was perplexed at the number of people that rushed outside to get a lung cancer :-0 We work for an oxygen company and a large percentage of the offices smoke....I just patted him on the back and told him I went through the same shock...you'll get over it....but never stop thinking they are stupid.

Tomorrow is Friday!! Eric's dad is coming and staying tomorrow night to do some yard stuff....my contribution....Beef Enchiladas....Check back for the recipe!

Under the Weather

Well friends I'm a little under the weather today so short blog post for me.....I have lots to tell you about my trip BUT for now....

Our flight last night got canceled and we got re-booked for a later flight that night but that meant I didn't get home til 1:00 a.m. I slept in some this morning but I never felt good....but no worries I made my 10 sales calls but when I got home, I crashed with no plans to rise from my spot.

Eric has been doing a great job taking care of me though. He mowed the lawn, went to the grocery store, made dinner and even cleaned up. What a guy! What a guy!

I thought I made a simple request of Mac and Cheese (from a box with the powdered cheese...I'm very picky when it comes to my boxed mac and cheese) chicken nuggets (all white meat of course), and a piece of toast. (This is my sick food of choice....Eric claims he doesn't have a sick food....who doesn't have a sick food come on people)

My simple request however, proved to be a little complicated for my hubby. I looked up from my tv watching and found Eric with his hands on his hand. I asked if he needed help. "Yes I can't figure out the oven timer".....so up I went to help with dinner. Eric claims he was just struggling tonight in the kitchen....I think maybe he's getting a little rusty. Dinner was yummy and with a tiny bit of assistance I would say Eric hit a home run with dinner!

Don't judge me as a dietitian today I realize that all our food was yellow (if you don't count the ketchup) and yes no fruits and veggies....we'll make up for it tomorrow!

Wonderful Weekend!

AMAZING!! Describes our weekend here in Omaha!

Friday we went for a run/walk for over an hour in the gorgeous weather! Upon getting back I had multiple voicemails from the on-call RD and our local respiratory therapist....one of my patients out near Grand Island was completely out of formula.....lets just say that if I would have had to drive to Grand Island at 7:00 on a Friday night I wouldn't be working for my company on Monday. However, I got lucky and somebody was coming to Omaha and could pick up the formula from our house. So Eric and I went to the office (a much quicker drive than the 2 hour trek to Grand Island....one way)

Saturday we headed to Creston, Iowa to visit Eric's grandma who is on the mend from a couple of falls recently. Her jaw is broken and therefore has to eat a pureed diet....while we were there I got to go to the grocery store and then I made a batch of potato soup which I then put through the blender.

Sunday was AWESOME! We got up and went to church where the message was very practical and applicable to real life. Pastor Craig talked about how while god forgives us of sin that doesn't mean there aren't consequences to the sin we commit. Next, we did a run/walk in the neighborhood.

I really felt like an adult today because we went to Menard's (kinda like Lowes/Home Depot) and bought some grown up stuff for the house!

More on our purchases later this week!

I decided to strap on my medical gloves and pick up the cigarette butts and construction debris left over from the construction company!

This smile was short lived when I found this present in our window well.....

3 Blind Mice...See how they run...well okay...more like 4 dead mice...see how they lie. I'm totally grossed out and am making Eric bait the entire perimeter of our house to kill off any potential critters from wanting make their home in ours. We only need 2 living beings in this house.

No I didn't cook the mice for dinner. (GROSS) I made Chicken Lo Mein. I'll put the recipe up later this week! It was Delicious and Nutritious!!

And we finished off the day by getting ice cream at DQ! I learned from my husband who is a former DQ worker that their curl at the top of the ice cream cone is trademarked....he was not impressed with the swirl on my cone.

Well I'm off to Denver tomorrow night and will back late Tuesday night so no new blog posts till Wednesday for me! Check you later!!

A nice cold one!

BAD DAY #2

Not to be a debbie downer but seriously people....I'm only trying to help. I had a patient start screaming at me on the phone today because I had asked, "How do you feel about your weight loss?" I was only trying some motivational interviewing by using open ended questions......didn't think I'd set a patient off with it. After yelling at me using some colorful language she hung up on me. About 15 minutes later she calls back and lays into me a second time. She threatened to switch companies and I asked where she'd like me to send my notes. It won't hurt me any to have her leave and I'll have a heck of a lot more time on my hands.....

Well now that I got that off my chest on to better things.

I spoke at an ALS support group tonight about what tube feeding is and how it an improve quality of life. I really enjoyed visiting with the people in attendance and learned some more about the disease.

Eric and I met at Roja after wards, a great Mexican restaurant near our house and I was definitely in need of a drink. And my Budlight hit the spot!

YEAH for tomorrow being FRIDAY!!! WHOOP!! I am going to attempt to make Chicken lo Mein with LOTS of fresh veggies this weekend! Look forward to this cooking adventure sometime this weekend on the blog. I'm hoping to get in a good workout tomorrow afternoon after work if the weather cooperates. It will be nice to work out some of my frustrations on the pavement. :-)

Bad News Bears

Poor Eric.....I'm not in the best mood today and I'm feeling very torn about what to do in my career aspirations. Here are my considerations:

• Masters in Public Health
• Masters in Education
• Going to nursing school
  
• Going back to being a stay-at-home wife......Eric says NO!
• ????????????
  

A year ago Monday was Match Day otherwise known as the longest wait possible to find out where or if you are matched to a dietetic internship. Last year several of us went to the bars before the midnight posting of matches.....we even made shirts.

Here were our "I'm so nervous to find out faces"

Yes a fun play on the Nutrition Care Process (only RDs will find this funny) The front of our shirts said I "heart" Dietetics....but rather than using a heart we used a strawberry....I know I know we are corny but we love our fruit!

My twin and I!! Melanie and I were both Kappas and basically had every class together in college....and almost once a week we ended up accidentally wearing the same shirt as each other. What can I say great minds think a like. While I headed off to Vanderbilt, Melanie got into her first choice as well at KU Med.

I was so thrilled to get into my first choice at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. The internship met and exceeded all of my expectations and I got to see so many things that I never would have been exposed to in another setting. I got to see rare diseases and had the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds.

The match rate is less than 50% which means that more people are hoping to get into the profession of dietetics but there aren't enough internships out there to meet that demand. I spoke with one of my advisers from college today and he said that 4 of his students that he had no doubt would get an internship didn't match, which makes me feel incredibly blessed that I was matched and that I got my first choice.

All 16 of us near the end of our internship!

The 8 of us in my section

Nashville is a favorite place of mine and I would love to move back someday....of course it may also be partly that I miss my friends that are still living there. I'll continue to ask Eric if we can move back to the south :-)

Off to see the Wizard

Oh goodness we had a wonderful weekend in the land of oz.....otherwise known as Stafford, Kansas.

First off I got to see one of my bestest friends from college...Miss Anessa who is soon to be Mrs. Anessa Nation since she got engaged on April Fools Day :-) We celebrated by meeting in Hutch to get Pedicures.

Oh yes it couldn't be a trip home without the animals.....Dad giving the cats scraps from dinner and boy did they eat good this weekend.

Yes that's Ralph the dog eating with the cats....they are all the best of friends. A new addition is the lovely K-State cat/dog dish. Everyone in our house is a wild CAT! :-)

Eric and I are discussing when we will be adding to our family...no not a baby but rather a dog....my motherly dog instincts have much to be desired so I decided to practice on Brent's dog, Ralph.

Oh look, here's Ralph in our family picture!!

The whole Fritzemeier/Ladd Clan!

Celebrating Grandpa's 76th Birthday!

Yes, Eric, Dad, Big Cat and I watched the Amazing Race together on Sunday night. Wondering why we are all smashed together on the love seat well Big Cat is very particular about his seating in the living room as he is the King of the love seat. (Of course he's only allowed on my dad's lap or it's back to being an outdoor kitty)

I hope you all had a blessed Easter Weekend and got to spend it with family and friends.

We're OFF!!

Well I will be having a blogging hiatus....Check back Monday or Tuesday for your Longitude and Ladditude blogging fix!!

HAPPY EASTER ALL!!

April 1st

Well April 1st is significant to me for multiple reasons.

#1: Eric and I have officially been together for 4 years today!

We went to my winter formal and become "official" that night which just happened to be April Fool's Day we like to joke that its the longest running April Fools day joke!

Our very first date happened earlier in the semester when Eric asked me to a date party. I had to consult my calendar since I was in Human Body that semester and since I didn't have a test on Monday so lucky for us I said YES!

#2: Today is also my Grandpa Moore's Birthday! Happy Birthday! We will be celebrating this weekend on Sunday at Easter dinner!
Yes I did get FOOLED today. Eric gets up way earlier than me to go to work but always kisses me goodbye....today as I'm half asleep he tells me that the weather changed and it snowed last night. I was not a happy camper about this news but fell back asleep. When my alarm went off I checked by blackberry and I had an E-mail from Eric.....April Fool's it didn't really snow. What a Sneaker!! I don't think it should be allowed to do a joke when someone's half asleep! :-)

APRIL FOOL's DAY Everyone and Happy Anniversary to us!