Somehow at :45am I find myself on my blog.  I just got home from one of my Preceptor ship shifts at kasier and realized I may need to start becoming creative on what I sent my daughter to school with for her lunch.  She is the most picky eater I have ever met!  She refused a ham sandwich this morning (which is fine with me since I am a vegetarian) so I concocted a tasty avocado, apple slices, cheese sandwich.  It tasted GREAT the night before.  Well, her grandmother picks her up from                   school and Marsella

says in a sad and slightly disgusted tone,  "Mom took MY lunch and gave me HERS!"  Hehe little did she know she actually had the right lunch with contained: avocado spread with minced apples, and a slice of cheese on top.  I even taste tested it before making it her officially sandwich of the day.  Her sides included grapes and some string cheese!  Who doesn't like STRING CHEESE!  So I am working on redeeming myself by making her bacon (she'll like that part) and eggs (she'll hate that part but what she doesn't kowo won't kill her) muffins.  Perfect plan if you ask me.  We'll see how it works!

http://faithfulnessfarm.blogspot.com/2011/03/bacon-cheese-muffins.html

Lunch will be packed AFTER breakfast!!!!  One step at a time my dears.

Oh Summer, Summer, Summertime!

I'm ready!  Today has been the first day in about a week that the sun has been OUT!  Classes are out and I am ready for the summer.  What do I have on the agenda: plenty of Relaxing and maybe a little bit of CrAzInEsS!  What does the CrAzInEsS involve you may be wondering?  Running!!!  I signed up as an alternate for the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey run that is happening the first week of June.  It consists of multiple teams that are running a 178 mile course over two days.  I was sent a message about a week ago saying that one of the runners was injured and had to drop out so guess what?  I'm up!  And I am so pumped!  I'll be running three legs of the race totaling 17.1 miles.  No biggie!  I got this!  So far this week, I have logged a 5 mile, 7 mile, and 5 mile run.  Tomorrow morning, I'll be tackling another 7 to end the week.  Not to shabby.  I'm feeling so amazing lately.

Another amazing part of my life, I met someone.  Someone so special that accepts me for me.  I'm pretty messed up about my past and I've never tried to hide it.  Understandably, that scares people away.  I've been up and down the past 10 years and to be able to be completely honest with a man and not be looked down upon is a blessing.  I remember telling my brother that my perfect man would be a "Christian Conservative Running Vegetarian."  I found part of that. :)  He (my brother) also told me that I would never find a man being a vegetarian...*sigh*  Well, guess what!!  In your face little brother!!  Xoxo

On a more serious note, life in the fall is going to change drastically for Marsella and I.  She is jumping into Kindergarten and I'm off to Nursing School.  I am just in awe at how fast she is growing.  My little baby girl is far from being a baby anymore.  She amazes me everyday with the words she uses, her attempts to manipulate me into getting what she wants, and her ability to surprise me daily with her level of intelligence.  Today we were at a store around where the clocks were.  She says, "The little hand is on 2 and the big hand is on 12.  That means it's 2 o'clock, mom?"  Wait....what???  Shocker! I am going to treasure every moment this summer with her.

When nursing school starts, I know I am going to miss her so much.  My nose is going to be in the books for the next two years and I dread the hours away from her at school and at study groups.  I keep reminding myself that this is all for the better - - it's for our future.  I want to give her everything.  I want to provide her with an amazing life full of opportunities.   That is my ultimate goal.  Yes, I am doing nursing because it's what I want to do but a huge part is for Marsella.  She is the one that relies on me everyday for little things: get her dressed, drive her to school, feed her, etc.  As she gets older, the expectations will increase on both parts.  I am sending her though a private school education which is going to be very demanding both financially and academically.  She will succeed.  She's a little smarty.

So, our goals this summer:
1. Have fun!
2. Spend countless hours floating down the river.
3. Log hundreds of miles on the trails and start training for another half-marathon
4. Spend bunches of hours with my love and baby girl making wonderful memories! :)

Love

The ultimate Love - -
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight," --Phil 1:9

Running, Nursing, Drinks, oh my!

First off, I will begin by laying out my running adventures.  They have been far and few between with the semester getting all crazy on me.  I was able to squeeze in a 5 mile run this morning while Marsella was at school so that was nice.  I miss running by the lake...the hills, the birds chirping, the squirrels everywhere, the swarms of bugs!  Well, maybe not so much the later.  I'm a vegetarian so I tend to freak out when I end up with a little bugger in my mouth.  I freak and gag.  It's just horrible, I tell ya!  Besides the poor little guy that lost his life, my run was great.  I am certainly not as fast as I was last summer but just give me a couple of weeks and I'll be there.  On Sunday, I'll be running the Capital City Classic in Sacramento/10K.  Should be a nice one!  I'm really trying to register for runs that I have never done before.  For a while there, I felt like I was doing the same ones each year...that gets old fast.

Enjoying our AMF

Oh...dah dah dah...ready for the big news?  Are ya?? huh?  I got into a nursing program!!!  This came at an amazing time since the prior week I was frantically looking around at other BSN programs out of state to apply for before the deadline for Fall 2011 acceptance. The past semester has been hard for me - decisionwise.  I'm in a spot in my life where I have to start making some major progress toward establishing a career.  I feel like I have been in school forever and have nothing to show but a LOT of credits.  I have learned so much, don't get me wrong, and I would go to school forever if I didn't have a little one to take care of.   A couple of weeks ago, my growth group had a night of prayer and one of the things

Me (future RN) and my beautiful mommy (LVN)

we prayed about was my career path choices: nursing, forensic bio, lactation consultant.  At the close of prayer, one of my friends said "Hey Dayna, have you ever thought of applying to the police academy?"  Oooh no, not another pathway!  I never thought about it but once I did, I think I could handle it.  I guess God decided to stop me dead in my tracks by getting me into the ADN program at ARC.  I was at my mom's when I opened the email and I just couldn't believe it!  Me??  An RN??  In two years!!!  No way!!  I honestly give all the glory to God.  I have made some crazy changes in my life that I swear are being rewarded.  Not many people in the Sacramento area can say they got into a nursing program on their second try.  I'm one lucky chic!
So I attend orientation on May 13th to learn all the ins and outs and how things are going to start off.  I can't wait!  Marsella is one step closer to getting her chihuahua I promised here after I graduate.  She will not forget that one.

Over the weekend, my mom and dad took us out to Pizza Rock by District 30.  Service sucked but I think I succeeded in getting myself and my dad feeling PERRRTY good by the time the food arrived!

Marsella making Grandpa Bust a move while we waited to be seated.

Protein = PLANT-Based!

I am currently reading Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr.  It's jam-packed full of wonderful tips for a healthy lifestyle!  A lot of it reinforces how I have been striving to live for the past year.  Seeing it in black and white just gives me that extra bounce in my step. Knowing that I am giving my body the opportunity to live to it's fullest potential makes me feel so giddy inside.  I want to start sharing little tid-bits that I find helpful in the book.  I am often asked, "where do you get your protein?" when an acquaintance finds out that I am vegetarian.  Believe it or not, the Standard American Diet calls for more proteins than our bodies really need.  The USDA recommends about .36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.  What saddens me is that most Americans hear the word protein and think meat.  I hear protein and I think almonds, chickpeas, tempeh, tofu, and lentils.  We have to change the way we think in order to give our bodies a chance.  This body of ours, which God constructed perfectly, was not made to tear into the flesh of animals.  Consider this -- just maybe we were given molars and masticating jaws, to grind up all those high-fiber goodies. (p.67)

Ms Carr suggested starting your day off with a green juice.  I attempted that this morning but without a small piece of fruit to sweeten up my juice of cucumbers, carrots, romaine, and ginger, it was a flop.  Actually, it was gross.  So I have it stored in the fridge until I get home to add some fruit juice to it.  Instead I pulled out my Vega Sport!  I have never been fond of the taste of it plane so I added a banana, soymilk, and a spoon of peanut butter.  WOW!!!  Move over coffee because I have a brand new drink to get me going in the morning.  Of course this is served with a side of B12 and B6.

Cheers! 

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad (with the munchkin)

 

I chopped up a bunch of different fruits and made a "sundae buffet."  I think that if kids feel like they have their hands in creating the food they are expected to eat, they will be more likely to eat it.  This has been successful with Marsella about a handful of times.  I think I have the pickiest kid on the planet.  Thankfully though, she is getting better...along with my patience.

Banana
Grapes
Strawberries
Apples
Mandarin
Blueberries


I set a bowl of each of these out so that Marsella could pick and chose.  And guess what? She ate it!!!

Running. Beauty. Lemon Cupcakes.

I miss running.  I feel like I haven't been on a run in forever.  The people in my life have got to see a difference - - I keep experiencing periods of time when I feel like I am stuck inside a bubble and I can't escape!  My Sciatic Nerve felt like it was pinched for a while but now I can finally walk without hurting.  So I jumped on the treadmill Friday and gave it a go.  I am sad to say this but I got to one mile...that's it.  I stopped before I felt excruciating pain.  Healing is taking place so I refuse to push it.  I want to get out there with my running group very soon.  My goal is to meetup with them on Saturday morning.  Before that, I will go on a test run midweek to see how I do.  Lord, be with me!  I have been burning enough calories on the stair-master.  Yes, I'm seeing improvements in certain areas but there is nothing like a brisk 6 mile run...nothing!

John got into town on Friday.  It's so great to have him home from Korea.  Friday night was a long one.  I have to say it is pretty entertaining being the sober one in the group.  Mom, Dad, John, and I just hung out and took a peek at some old pictures.  A lot of them where from my Navy days. Those made me sad.  I had no idea I looked so bad.  I was fat.  Plane and simple.  Saturday evening, John and I went out for dinner and he said the sweetest thing to me, "Sis, not many girls get hotter with age! So stop freaking out about what you USED to look like."  How awesome is that!!

Church this morning was great!  We are working through the book of James with the theme "Faith that SAVES you, CHANGES you."  James is a powerful book and the messages that my pastors deliver just hit you so hard.  They make me really take a deep look at how I am living my life.  I like to think I am living the way God has outlined for me but the world is cruel and full of temptations.  I have some people praying for me because I have certainly been a lot stronger lately. :)  Without God, without those prayers, without the accountability of my friends, I would end up traveling down the road I was taking about a year ago.  I want more for my life and I know only God is going to open those doors for me.  I think He was just waiting for me to straighten up. 

I haven't done a lot of cooking this weekend since John has been in town.  Last week was pretty hectic at school, too.  So, I will leave you with an awesome Lemon cupcake recipe that I found on vegweb.com.  It's so yummy!!!

Lemon Cupcakes 
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour 
    2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon cornstarch
    splash nondairy milk
    1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use soy)
    2 tablespoons applesauce
    1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    5 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
    1 scant cup sugar (I used raw turbinado)
    1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan by greasing or lining with muffin cups. Sift together flour, arrowroot, and baking soda.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the corn starch and a splash of milk, until smooth.  Add the 1/2 cup milk to measuring cup, along with the applesauce.  Add enough water to make 1 cup of liquid.  Sprinkle in the zest.

3. In another bowl, mix sugar and oil well. Gradually add your wet and dry ingredients to the sugar and oil mixture, mixing gently. 

4. Finally, add the lemon juice to the batter. Spoon into prepared cupcake tin.  Bake about 20-30 minutes, or until the cakes pass the clean-toothpick test.

Serves: 12, Preparation time: 10-15 minutes