Pieces of Me

Last week I had a mole removed from my stomach because while it didn't look completely strange, it just didnt look "right". I had shown it to my doctor about three months ago and she said it was probobly fine, but agreed that it should come off, but that there was no rush in doing so.

I got some test results back from my doctor for a routine check-up and hand written on the paper was a reminder that we had talked about taking the mole off, and that I should schedule that appointment at my leisure.

I decided to finally make the time and go in to have it removed. I was a little freaked out about the appointment, because after all, having a piece of your flesh taken off with a scalpel isn't the highlight of most peoples' days. Michael assured me it would be painless, and of course, he was right. The doctor gave me a quick shot of something to numb the area. The shot didn't hurt itself, but it did sting a tad as it became numb. She then proceeded to cut off the mole. She sent it to the lab to have it looked at, which is common procedure. She told me to call in a couple of days for my results.

I called yesterday and they weren't ready, so I called this morning. The nurse looked at my chart and said "Oh, it says compound melanocytic nevus......" and then proceeded to say "I'm going to have the doctor look at this and call you back." Um...HELLO. Does she realize how much I started to freak out at that point. You don't tell a hypochondriac that you will "call them back", you put them on hold and don't give them an hour to surf the internet only to find no answers, and the only information you can find with the words "compound melanocytic" go on to talk about cancer. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING!

So they called back and left a voicemail, to which I had to return. I called in and she said "It was just a benign mole" and then "You're fine" I'm glad I'm fine...all I had to give for that answer was a little piece of my flesh.

"You don't change the plan on game day!"

We had a last minute change of plans for Easter. We were going to be having dinner at my dad's house, but because of an illness in the family I got a call that morning and rearranged the plan. 'Plan A' was going to be dinner at my dad's (including my step-mom, step-brothers, step-aunt) all of whom my boyfriend had never met before.

But, we ended up going with 'Plan B' which was driving to my dad's to drop off his Easter treats, and him getting to meet the boyfriend. Them driving to my aunt's house where her and her husband, two kids and brother-in-law and my mother were. So he got to meet all of them. Then we were driving home and I called Elaine to check in and she and her boyfriend were hanging out, so we stopped over there for a bit so Elaine could meet him. He survived it all beautifully, I was relieved and impressed. Afterwards we drove home and I took a little nap while he digested and played X-Box. It was a really nice day despite the change of plans.

:::jonny lang:::

jonny lang
Originally uploaded by Aspenchick.

Last Friday Erin & I saw Jonny Lang at the Moore theater. The concert was awesome. I have seen him many times before and he is always excellent. This was an acoustic show and he used a lot of different guitars throughout. He is actually from Fargo like I am and I remember him playing at weddings and what not as "Jonny Lang and the Big Bang".

Keri Noble opened up for him, and she is awesome. She is from Minneapolis, and a wonderful singer. They both sounded awesome live and it was a great night! Thanks again Erin for coming with me!

My New Phone

My New Phone
Originally uploaded by Aspenchick.

I got home to find my new cell phone waiting for me. It's fabulous! It's going to take me awhile to get used to navigating around it, and getting my address book loaded in, but it's great so far! I've already downloaded a real music tone so John Mayer will sing to me in his actual voice when you call me...how sweet is that!

Busy Girl

I just got back from North Dakota/Minnesota last night. I left on Friday and spent the weekend with family and friends, which is always awesome. I spent two days in Minneapolis for training. Tonight I'm going to clean the house and try to get some laundry finished. Tomorrow I have a work function and then dinner w/Mike. Friday Erin & I are going to the Jonny Lang concert (I cannot wait)!

Yoga...inverted

Heather and I checked out the yoga studio a couple of blocks from our houses last night. The room was awesome...we both agreed we'd like to just have it for an apartment, nice architecture. So we went through class and it was all good until our very nice instructor told us to go ahead and make a bridge...you know, like the kind you did when you were 10. Your hands and feet on the ground and your stomach in the air, head hanging upside down. Heather and I just looked at each other, giggled (yes, in the middle of yoga) and said YEAH RIGHT...so we just relaxed on our pillows and waited for the yoga junkies to come down off their bridge.

A morning stroll

I woke up this morning at five minutes to six and was wide awake. I put on my new white and pink tennis shoes, grabbed the iPod and headed out for a walk. It was so calm on the hill this morning, and it was the perfect weather for a morning stroll. I walked about 2 miles or so, went home, took a shower and was at work 15 minutes early. Maybe I'll make the morning walk a part of the routine...on days that aren't rainy of course.

2311.33 miles

I don't write about the boyfriend very often...some things in life should remain private. But, world & internet it has to be said. I love this man. I do. Yup, actually love. But there's a catch...always has to be a catch.

He's smart...a genius actually. Sometimes I'm in complete awe of him. I love when he geeks out an starts talking about experiments and muscle functions of animals at 8a.m. It's just cute. So with all of his smart he's goten his Ph.D. and thats awesome. Then he applied to medical school...multiple ones actually. He got into them all. Thats right...ALL of them. I'm telling you he's smart. So of course we're in Seattle, 3 miles apart from each other and he gets into UW, 5 miles away from him. SWEET!! Oh yeah...the catch...

Remember the 'other' medical schools he got into? Oh yeah...lets see, they are in Philadelphia, Ann Arbor, Detroit...anyway. So you know that awesome medical school 5 miles from our houses...HE'S NOT GOING THERE. NOPE! He's off to friggin' MICHIGAN!!! Yeah...do you know how far it is to Michigan?? Yep...you guessed it 2,311.33 miles.

So I'm happy for him, but I'm sad as hell. He's awesome, I feel awesome when I'm with him...I thought we really had it going on. But it's hard to have it when you're thousands of miles apart and he just doesn't strike me as the hopeless romantic, get down on one knee after a year with the "I love you and we'll figure this crazy life out together" speech.

So dilema...in this crazy thing called love...damn!

Martha's Release

I for one am HAPPY Martha is being released today. Now that's not to say that she didn't deserve to serve time, if she illegally traded stock knowing information beforehand, she did. She was a former stockbroker, she knew better. But, I have missed all of her 'Good Things'. Sure, its sometimes funny to see someone with so much wealth trying to teach all of America's housewives and stressed-out yuppie women how to dye Easter Eggs to looks like real marble, or make the perfect stuffing for your holiday bird. But she's been missed, and I love Martha, and I'm sure she'll bounce back from all of this, because how hard is it to forget 5 months of prison once walking back into your $13 million dollar home, onto your custom designed hardwood floors, your face slathered with 200 dollar face cream, and slide under your 800 thread count sheets for a restful nights sleep.

The infamous V of meat

The infamous V of meat
Originally uploaded by Aspenchick.

We went to Marrakesh for Marisa's 28th birthday party...and this picture is my dinner. Thats right...meat on a stick in a v-pattern...excellent! If you click on the photo you can see more fun filled pictures from our Moroccan feast and karaoke goodness.

Pogacha part Deux

Marisa and I went to lunch today to Pogacha. Her first time, my second there. It was awesome...again! I went online searching for a recipe to make that wonderful Pogacha Bread. I must try to make it at home, although it looks like a huge recipe...maybe I can half it, fourth it. Here it is:

4 pkg. dry yeast
8 eggs, beaten well
1 tbsp. sugar
3 cups sugar dissolved in 4 cups warm water
1 cup water
7 lbs. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 lb. butter
1/4 cup oil

Topping: 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. milk
Sesame seeds

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Heat oven to 200o and turn off. Prepare yeast with 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 cup water, stir and set aside for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, sift flour and make a well in the centre. (Set aside two or three cups for kneading. ) Pour butter, oil, salt and eggs into well; then begin adding sugar and water and yeast mixture, working in flour to make a medium-textured dough.Turn out on your work area and knead for 15-20 minutes, using extra flour if necessary. Cut through the dough two or three times with a knife to examine for air holes. When these are evident, the dough has been well kneaded. Set dough into a large roasting pan, which has been lightly greased. Grease top of dough very lightly with butter or oil, so that it will not develop a crust.Cover and place in oven until doubled in bulk, Punch down and allow to rise again. On a lightly oiled surface, dump dough out and cut into sections desired. This dough may be braided; or made into regular loaf pans, or large rounds which are customarily used for weddings. Place in greased pans, place in oven again to rise for about 1 hour. Brush loaves with egg and milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and bake loaves 1 hour or until done

A lack of blogging

Sorry internet...I've been slacking on the blogging. Not that there isn't a lot going on, because there is. There just isn't anything super fun or new or interesting to write about. I'm feeling uninspired, but I'm sure that will turn around soon. Marisa's 28th birthday bash is on Saturday so I'm looking forward to eating Moroccan food and singing Karaoke with good friends. I've asked my boyfriend to go along, although he hasn't let me know his decision yet. He hasn't met my friends yet, so that would be fun, although I'm sure us girls singing crazy karaoke isn't the most laid-back way to get to know a group of people...but if he goes, he'll have to deal with it.

Lunchtime Shopping

With Bellevue Square being so close, shopping over lunch can be more than a little tempting. I try to restrain myself, but today I went to Nordstrom's to pick up some moisturizer. I had been eyeing some other products for awhile now, and now that I'm debt free, I decided it was time to reward myself for my hard work (I also had a boatload of overtime last week that will eventually pay for all of this). I stopped at the Philosophy counter and purchased the following things:

Jump Starters Kit - which includes 4 different fabulous products

Oxygen Peel Kit - the coolest facial peel ever...your face is covered in white foam!

Hope in a Jar - the BEST moisturizer (but I'd been cheap until now...its $35 for 2 ounces)

The Supernatural - awesome mineral makeup in a super easy to apply bottle

**I dont normally drop that kind of cash in one afternoon, but I do believe in using good products and I needed a boost...so I went for it**

Days go by

Sometimes days go by without anything fun or exciting happening in them, and thats ok. Life doesn't always have to be one amazing experience after another, sometimes it's just the normalcy that makes us comfortable. Today however, was not one of those days. Today was BUSY! My job was filled full of tasks that I normally dont do, and I had a great time. Little projects here and there, and I've been energized and engaged all day...it's been great! While I don't mind the normal everyday, today was special and fun and it's hardly felt like work at all!

Valentine's Day

The boyfriend had to work so I celebrated Valentine's day by myself, which was o.k. considering we celebrated on Saturday. I did manage to sneak his present over to him so he'd have it yesterday when he got home.

Also what I did do yesterday was awesome!! I paid off my debt (except for my student and car loan). Thats right...debt free...it feels amazing!!!

Friends

sunelaine
Originally uploaded by Aspenchick.

I came across this picture today, I had forgotten all about it. Elaine, thanks for listening to me the last week go on and on about the boy. Also, thanks for taking care of the cats!!! I hope you enjoyed your North Dakota chocolate!

Yum

A new food find today in Bellevue...YUM!

Home

I just got back from spending a couple of days back home in North Dakota. Sometimes I feel that I'm never as calm or collected in Seattle as I am there, and I need to go back just to center myself again. I had a great time visiting everyone and thoroughly enjoyed:

Driving across the entire city in 20 minutes
Driving on a highway with only 2 other cars
6.5% sales tax
Knowing every road like the back of my hand
Finding out my friend is FINALLY pregnant...congratulations!
Spending time with a friend I haven't seen in years
Buying a ton of clothes...cheap
Chocolate Covered Potato Chips



I have uploaded some pictures of the trip such as a sunset, a drive-thru liquor store, a movie with my aunt and cousin, shopping, and drinks with a friend.

Yucky Love Stuff

So in response to Marisa's comment... The Jason Mraaz post wasn't a mushy love thing (I just think he's cool), but with Valentine's Day nearing close I guess love is on my mind a little. I made reservations at the restaurant HE and I first went to dinner at the night before V-day, which just happens to be exactly a year from the first time we went out (although ya'll know we haven't been together the whole time). So just to cement my current state of mushiness, below is one of my favorite poems by e.e. cummings titled i carry my heart:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fearno fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

It'll be a heat wave!

I'm travelling back to Fargo tonight to spend a few days with family and friends...I can't wait!! It is suppose to be a balmy 36 degrees on Thursday...although back down to 15 on Sunday (with a low of zero overnight). At least there will be no negative temperatures...I've become kind of a wussy with this temperate Seattle weather.