The Anniversary Edition

Allow me to tell a story. Why? Because I'm feeling sentimental today. See, today is my 4 year wedding anniversary.

I love my wedding band set. Dan did a good job. 

My story may seem a bit long because I want to tell every memory that I can squeeze in, because most every one of them sticks out in my mind......just like it all started yesterday instead of 8 years ago.


My story starts one day in 2004, when my brother told me that he was looking for an acoustic guitar player for his bluegrass gospel band. He told me how his band needed better balance, more drive, and just a solid sound in general......and it wasn't happening while he was playing guitar. He needed to be playing mandolin. So, the search began.
Honestly, I don't remember what time of year that was. I just know that a few days later, a fellow musician (a fiddle player, to be more exact) came in to the music store. He asked Russ how the band was coming along and Russ explained his current situation. The fiddler spoke to Russ about a young man he had met just that year. His name was Daniel O'Callaghan and he picked a flat-top like nobody's business, was 21...........and was a Mennonite. I wasn't there during this conversation, but Russ told me later how he had argued with the fiddler. How he told him that Mennonite people didn't play music, but had finally just shut up about it and arranged to meet the young man.
When the day came that "Daniel" was supposed to come up for an audition, I couldn't help but be excited. I was loving what Russ was doing with this band. I had just started getting into the bluegrass sound at this time, and the the fact that my brother was attempting to form a real bluegrass touring band was intriguing to me. Plus I was 16 (almost 17) at the time and there was supposed to be a 21 year old male musician coming around that evening. Why shouldn't I be excited?
Later that afternoon, I was teaching a fiddle student, when I needed to accompany them on one of their songs. I didn't have a guitar in the room with me, so I decided to borrow one from the wall out front. I picked a Martin acoustic that we had. In fact, it was the only Martin we had in the store at that time. After I grabbed it, I headed back in and finished up with my lesson. As I was right at the end of the lesson, I overheard Tyler talking to someone, explaining how a section of a song was to be played. He was here! I strained to listen, but I wasn't able to hear anything that he played. When I finished up with my student, I came out of the teaching room, I looked all around, but I didn't see anyone different. I thought maybe I had made it all up and he wasn't really here yet at all. No, he was here......in the bathroom. I stalled around a little, wanting to get a look at this guy before I left. I had tried and tried to imagine what he looked like since the minute I knew he was coming, and I'm afraid I had built up quite the story in my mind. I knew he wasn't a Mennonite because of playing the guitar, so I wasn't worried there. I had imagined him to be......"the one". I thought maybe we'd see each other and fall instantly in love. Then we'd date, marry, and live happily ever after. You know, teenage girl fantasies. Finally, the bathroom door opened and he walked out. He was.....not what I expected. He was just about my height, painfully skinny, and he wore these huge glasses. He was just wearing plain blue jeans, and a green long sleeved shirt. Hmmm. I shouldn't have built him up inside my mind. I just had a feeling that he was going to be something special, but I guess I was wrong. This wasn't going to be the man of my dreams. And it wasn't love at first sight. I mean, after all, he didn't look or act like I was expecting him to, so I just shut him out.....or tried to. Unsuccessfully, I might add. For the next few months, I thought about him quite often, and I was excited to go to any Mount Zion show just so I could see him. He was so quiet, and I was pretty backward when it came to men, so we never talked. But I could sit in the audience and look at him, all the while trying to figure out what exactly I was feeling for him.

This is what Dan looked like about a year into our relationship.
I would have loved to have found our first picture together, just so you could see how much we've changed. 

By June of 2005, through a series of Mount Zion shows, practices, and family events that happened during the time that "Daniel" was staying with Russ, we had actually started talking to each other a little. The more that I talked to him, the more I liked him. He had a really good sense of humor, he was sweet, kind, super smart, and the fiddler was right. Not only was he an outstanding guitarist, he was an all around amazing musician. I also learned that he hated being called by his full name, so that stopped immediately. From that point, he would forever be "Dan".

I remember one June night that year when we all gathered at mom and dad's (then my home as well) to watch a video of Russ and Skyla's recent trip to Alaska. Dan and I sat next to each other on the sofa, completely an accident of course, and ended up making fun of that video all night.
(Now, Russ and Skyla are reading this, I'm sure, and I do want to apologize for us doing that. It's not something we originally planned to do, but you gave us so much material to work with. "Here is our room.......here is our bathroom......here is our ironing board....." We just couldn't help ourselves.) It's still one of our great memories that we feel helped bring us together, and we still laugh about it today.
I believe it was the next day at the music store when Dan and Tyler started playing a little song. They had just written it, and Tyler suggested writing words for it. I, however, suggested it be an instrumental and how it should be named after me. A day or two later I received an email from Dan telling me about how my song should have a "dreamy and imaginative title......like "Nikki's Song". Being the dummy that I was, I took that as a compliment, and thought that he must really like my name. I came to find out later that he was being sarcastic. Oh, well. Sometimes we girls have to imagine compliments.
By the time July came around, we were chatting on a semi regular basis. He had asked me to be in a show with him and Tyler and we would form an acoustic trio of contemporary christian music. The "Acoustic Worship Experience", also known as AWE, would debut at the Garden Show in Mansfield MO in August, so we spent a lot of time working on songs for that show, and just generally getting to know one another.
My 18th birthday was July 23rd 2005. I was in town early that afternoon when my cell phone rang. It was Dan asking me to have mercy on him and come to Russ's and pick him up. When I asked why, he replied with just two words; Alaska video. Apparently Russ had company and was planning to show them the dreaded video that very afternoon. I agreed to come pick him up, and we decided it would be a great time to practice for our upcoming show. I had asked Dan to be at my birthday party a few weeks prior, so he would have been over that night anyway. I told him I was to have a Rascal Flatts cake, made in to the shape of the "dead dog" that was for so many years their logo. I told him that if he came to my party, he could have any piece he wanted. He said he wanted the little "x" eyes. I knew he was joking, but I never forgot that. At my party that night, I served his piece of cake first, before I even got one of my own. I'm sure you can imagine the look on his face when he received a piece of cake with 2 x's on it. After the festivities were dying down at the house, we decided to take a drive to the "Louisburg Picnic". A yearly event that always falls on or around my birthday. It's almost like a county fair, and it's just about 12 miles from where I live.
That's the night it happened. That's the night that we officially became "us". We were already a couple before that, but it was never really noticed......by us. Everyone else knew, but we were in completely oblivious.
We were watching the band perform on the stage, when this girl who was probably about my age got up to sing. One of the band members introduced her as "the most beautiful girl in the world.....inside and out.". I just kind of sat there making a face, when Dan scooted closer to me. I smiled and so did he. Later on, when that same girl started to come out in to the audience, I leaned closer to Dan and started teasing him about how some chick was after him. Then I said "Well, she's not getting you while I'm here!" and I reached out my right arm and linked it through his left. The first time we ever touched, and neither one of us wanted to let go. We held hands the rest of the night, and much of the next day, while traveling to and from church. Our official relationship wasn't determined so much that day, as it was the following Monday on the phone when we talked for 3 hours. That was the start of many.....MANY.....long conversations we would have over the next 2 years. Living apart was pretty awful, but I think it made us appreciate the time we were able to be together all the more. We talked about anything and everything, including that first day when I met him at the music store. He openly admitted his annoyance with me for "taking the only decent guitar in the place" away before he even had a chance to play it. I hadn't even seen him there, so I guess the love at first sight that I had planned on hadn't happened with either of us. I don't think that actually exists anyway. Love is something that develops and grows the longer you're together. But I guess that's a discussion for another time.

Even if I did have time to tell you every event that happened in the 2 years following that fateful night, I probably wouldn't. Let's just suffice it to say that we had a lot of good times, some bad ones, we fought, we made up, we went out, we ate in, and Dan ended up moving to Buffalo to be close to me on December 30th 2006. On my birthday in 2007, I was turning 20 and it was our 2 year anniversary. We had planned to spend the entire day together, starting with breakfast. I arrived at his apartment about 7:30 AM, if my memory serves correctly, and went inside to take his gift. I had actually thought we'd eat first, then come back to open the presents. I had only thought this because I knew Dan's stomach. See, he may have been painfully thin when I met him, but after being around me, mom, and our amazing cooking skills for 2 years, he had grown into a healthy boy. (And he actually grew in height as well, and is now a couple inches taller than me.) But when I went in, he wanted to open our gifts first. I thought it odd, but wasn't going to refuse. He gave me several things, including an MP3 player, and when I thought we were all done, he stepped over to his computer desk and picked up an envelope. He said there was "just one more gift" he wanted to give me. I somehow knew what was in that envelope. When I opened it, I saw I was right. It was a gold band with a single diamond on it. Right next to it was an empty taco sauce packet from Taco Bell. Now, if you've never seen one of these, they have clever sayings on them, such as "Ahhhh, we meet again." and "I see how you look at other sauces."
This particular one read "Will you marry me?" You may think this an odd way to propose marriage, but I loved it. It was completely Dan. I was in shock for just a few seconds, and I remember asking "Are you serious?"  I also remember Dan being so nervous that he replied with "NO! Not serious at all! This has just been one big, expensive joke!" I can laugh about it now, but at the time, I felt a little guilty for even saying what I said, even though I didn't really mean it. I knew he was completely serious. And I was thankful.
He was the one for me, and I knew it. I said "yes" and we both cried. We waited for a few weeks before setting the date for the wedding. I actually remember setting the date for August 23rd 2008, on August 23rd 2007. I knew it had to be a 23rd of the month when we were married, because that was our number, and we wanted to wait at least a year. It just worked out.

One of our engagement pictures.

Wedding picture! 

Thus our marriage began. It may not have been "love at first sight", but it has grown and blossomed into more than I could have ever hoped for. I've never once regretted being married to Dan. He's absolutely the best, and I couldn't have picked anyone better to share my life with. He is my rock, my strength, and my best friend. He's always there for me no matter what. We've had rough spots.....we've fought.....we've both said or done things we regret.....but we still love each other with all our hearts. Through all this sickness with mom, he's been there, standing beside me, holding me up because I was too tired and emotional to handle it by myself. I've been at mom's every day, and most every night, making it so Dan has to take care of himself. He does a wonderful job, but I miss being his helper. I miss my house. I miss going to sleep with him by my side. I miss him waking me up as he leaves for work. But this too shall pass, and I will be home with him again. Until that time, I just brag on him to everyone, telling them what a wonderful, understanding, considerate person that he is, and I mean it. He truly is the best, and I thank God every day for sending that not so skinny anymore, never was a "Mennonite", guitar player into my life.

This is us today. We've changed......just a bit. 

Thank you, Dan O'Callaghan, for everything you do for me, everything you are to me, and everything our life will be. Most of all, thank you for loving me the way you do. I love you more today than I ever have, but I'm sure I'll say the same tomorrow and every day for the rest of my life. I couldn't live without you, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to make sure you know it. 

Time to do the diet thing.

Alright, so I've been bad. I missed my goal of posting a blog every week. Shame on me.
I won't go into a lot of detail right now, but I do have a good excuse. Mom's pneumonia didn't go away, so we took her to a specialist. He said that mom's problem wasn't pneumonia at all, but the tumors in her lungs had grown. A lot. He said they were stage IV and there was nothing they could do and we should just call Hospice. 


That was over 2 weeks ago.


Since that time, she has started an herbal treatment and a very strict diet......and she's gotten a bit better every day. In a few months, I fully expect to be writing next chapter of her story in "God's Miracles----Part 3". I hope you all will come back and read that. I wish I knew when to tell you it would be, but everything is really slow right now. 


Meanwhile, I need to post a blog. So, I thought to myself "What's going on in my life right now that's different?" This diet! When mom started her treatment, dad and I promised her that we would be with her every step of the way. Although we can't take the tea that she's on (because you have to have cancer), we are following her diet to the letter. 


It's in no way a "fun diet". I don't know about you all, but I have never enjoyed dieting in any way, shape or form. I love to eat too much. Pizza......pastas......breads......sweets.......you know. All the stuff that tastes awesome but is't good for you in the least. 
Let me tell you a bit about me and the way I liked to eat. First off, you should know that I was a caffeine addict. Seriously. A year ago, I was drinking 3 or more 44 oz Dr. Peppers per day. I would drink about a glass of plain water once a week.....maybe. I thought it tasted horrible! I ate out for breakfast every morning, and some of my favorite things were McGriddles from McDonalds, Monster Biscuits from Hardees, Breakfast pizza from the convenience store, and Breakfast Burritos from Sonic. I got one of those things every morning. EVERY morning. Not because I don't know how to cook, and not because I don't like to cook, it was because I craved fast food. Mom and I would catch breakfast on the way to the store, so that put me eating breakfast about 9:30 AM, which was good, because my caffeine headache would have kicked in by 10. Then usually for lunch, I'd grab some tacos or a cheeseburger, and it was never at lunch time, because I wasn't hungry at lunch. It was at least 1:30 or 2 before I'd eat. Supper time came and I'd get home about 6:30 and either start cooking or eat, depending on whether or not Dan had started it. Normally we'd have some kind of meat, and either rice or noodles.
Now, I loved this diet. Loved it. I felt like I was eating all this wonderful stuff that I loved and I had nothing to worry about. But........in the 3 years that Dan and I were married, I had gained 30 pounds. I reality, that's only 10 pounds per year.......0.83 pounds per month......0.03 pounds per day.......Anyway. It's not a lot......but for an woman in her early twenties, it's a lot. Plus, I would wake up sick every morning. That was the main reason that I didn't want to eat until 9 or so. I seriously felt like I would throw up every single day. People would tell me that it was the way I was eating, but I paid them no attention. I was constantly warned about the trouble of drinking so much pop every day, but I ignored them. 
It really hit me about the first of the year about how much that I had gained and how that was probably really the cause of the problems I'd been having physically. So, I made a "resolution", if you will, that I would gradually ween myself off caffeine and I would only eat out once a day. And that's what I did. After that, I only had one 44 oz caffeinated pop per day for several weeks. Then, I went down to just one 44 oz pop.....period.....for several weeks. It was hard! And I had lots of pop cravings. But, I was determined and stuck with it. Then it went down to a 32 oz once per day and stayed there for a few months. 
During this time, mom got sick and we stopped eating out so much, and eventually we didn't eat any fast food at all. What surprised me about this, was the fact that after a couple weeks of eating no fast food at all, when I did decide to have a burger or something, it tasted pretty bad. And honestly, when I ate a McDonalds burger, I got sick to my stomach.....while I was eating it. That had never happened before. Something else that changed was that I wasn't sick every morning anymore. I was hungry within 15 to 20 minutes of waking up, and I wanted my meals on time. I was even being hungry between meal times.
I gradually went down to a 20 oz soda per day, and only ate fast food about once a week.....maybe. That wasn't an all the time thing. Just once in a while when neither Dan or I felt like cooking, or we wanted pizza. That I can remember, pizza was one thing that never got old or tasted bad. 
After mom had the brain surgery and started recovering, we ate a little more fast food than we had been. Not a lot, but a little. And when she got sick with the pneumonia, there were very few things that actually sounded good to her, so we'd give her whatever she wanted. Mostly, it was Chicken McNuggets from (of course) McDonalds. While I didn't eat them every time, I did eat more fast food than I had in several months. I started becoming sick again, though only on days that I had eaten fast food the day before. 
By now we're closer to the current time.........when the strict diet kicks in. Almost three weeks ago, when mom was told she had Stage 4 Lung Cancer, we heard of an herbal treatment that has worked for many people. The only catch is you have to completely change the way you eat for it to work. And I do mean completely.
When she agreed to take the treatment, I made her a promise that I intend to keep, and I have done it so far.

Here's the diet:

The "don'ts"

1. No meat.
2. No sugar. (That is white refined sugar. Honey is alright, so is a sweetener called "agave"
3. No dairy. (The exception to this rule is you can have straight from the farm goat's milk)
4. No breads.
5. No nuts (except almonds)
6. No jams, jellies, condiments or salad dressings of any kind. (except the "Bolthouse" brand)
7. No flour. 
8. No soda
9. No artificial sweeteners of any kind. 

The "do's"

1. All the vegetables we want. (Organic is best.) 
2. Certain fruits are OK, but nothing high in sugar. (Pineapple, Strawberries, etc)
3. Organic or Cage Free eggs are fine.
4. Organic brown whole grain rice is great for this diet.
5. Organic oatmeal with goat's milk, sweetened with honey or agave is wonderful for this.
6. Lots of water.

Now then. Does anyone see the issue here? There is no pizza or chocolate cake on this list. How will I ever survive?

I'd like to say right off, that, I'm sure some of you out there read this list and are saying exactly what I said when I got it; "Yuck." I never said that to mom. I am always reinforcing the fact that we have good reason for doing this, and it won't stay like this forever. We don't intend to go back to eating as unhealthy as we were before, but it will be more like normal than it is now. I've never been a big vegetable eater, anyway, so if we couldn't have eggs.....I probably would starve. Of everything, I think the thing that I was most resistant to try was the goat's milk. Milk is something I've always been very particular on. I like Hiland brand. End of story. So when dad told me he was going to buy goat's milk.......I wasn't very excited. I had pretty much decided I would just do without milk until mom was cured and thing would go back to normal. But when dad brought the milk home and we tried it, I was shocked! I couldn't believe it was so good. After that, things started getting a bit better. However, I do miss the bread.....and the meat......and the cold cereal......and the....oh, never mind. It's awful how when you're on a diet everything looks good. It's kind of disgusting......and annoying all at the same time. Sometimes I dread to even watch TV because the commercials make me hungry. And walking through the grocery store? Forget it. I have to keep repeating to myself what I'm in there for, otherwise I'll catch myself looking at something and thinking "Oh, that would be good!". I'm weak. I've been that way ever since I was 13 and went on my first diet. I've always been chunky, and sometimes just down right fat, but I've never had the restraint to keep myself from eating all the foods that I love. I will, however, make it through this time. Because I'm not doing it to loose weight (even though I am losing some), I'm doing it to keep my mom. And that is my strength.

As an aside, if anyone has any vegetable only recipes, I'd love to hear them. We're running out of ideas! lol 

Learning to wait.

Lamentations 3:22-25
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.



Isaiah 30:18
And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.



Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.


Psalm 37:9
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.




I really like those verses. Mainly because we've spent so much time lately waiting on the Lord.
Mom's pneumonia is slowly but surely getting better. We knew it would, but we had no idea it would take as long as it has. In reality, she's only been on her antibiotics for two weeks, and the doctor says it could take a month to 6 weeks before she's back up to par, and even then she could still be weak and winded. The Lord has been with her, and will continue to be with her through the recovery process. I sometimes wonder why she had to get this illness right after the things she's been through with her brain surgery and all........but I try not to question. It's for a reason, and one day maybe we'll know. Until then, I have to learn to "wait". After all, His ways are above my ways, and His time is not my time. So, what can you do? PBW. Pray, Believe, and Wait. As I've said before, we're not people who believe that you just pray once and then you're done. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says "Pray without ceasing", and there are many days that I am in, what seems to be, constant prayer. It's not out loud, but I pray from my heart. My true desires are there, and God hears me. 

• "Please, Lord, just make mom better." 
• "Please, Lord, help Dan and Dad at their jobs today."
• "Please, Lord, send some business our way if we're meant to keep this store."
• "Please, Lord, help Skyla at her interview today."
• "Please, Lord, get rid of Russ's headache because he has tons of stuff to get done."

Maybe some of you think praying for headache relief is silly. I don't. A hundred thoughts like that per day run through my mind. I'm sincere. I just want what's best for my family. They mean everything to me and I just want them to be happy and healthy. The praying is the easy part. The believing is harder, but all it takes is the tiniest bit of faith and it grows and grows. The waiting is the hardest part of the process.......but I must admit that my impatience is an inherited trait. 
Dad gets extremely nervous while waiting. When I talked to him last night, he admitted this fact, and said that sometimes he couldn't understand why Jesus made us wait. Back in Bible times, almost everything was immediate. He said "God never changes, so sometimes I wonder why miracles aren't still immediate?" I responded with "I know some of them still are, but Dad, Jesus also let some people die just so he could show his power and raise them from the dead.........we really don't want that happening now, do we?"
He agreed with me, said that however the Lord wanted to handle things now was just fine with him, and we changed the subject.
Mom is patient........most of the time. Though this pneumonia has really drug a lot of her "good nature and temperament" to the point of screaming on most days. I think sometimes if she would actually scream, it would help her to recover faster. I know what it's like to be sick, but I don't know what it's like to have something that makes it; impossible to go outside because you can't breathe, a two person job to get you to the bathroom, and you so tired that you want to sleep but can't because you have insomnia. I guess it's just miserable, and I can't blame her for complaining.
Russ, on the other hand is probably the worst of us when it comes to the patience department, especially when he's worried. I can understand that as well, because he feels as though if someone's sick, they need care as soon as possible, and there's not a moment to waste. Sometimes that just can't happen, and he doesn't understand why. He couldn't understand why mom wasn't better after 2 days of antibiotics. After 2 weeks, you can imagine what he's thinking. At least the past couple days mom has shown improvement. I would have Russ AND dad jumping down my throat if she didn't feel better. 
And what could I do? I could take after my husband and lecture them. That's about it. Being married to Dan for 4 years has taught me a thing or two about psychology, human thought processes through asking simple questions, and the art of a good lecture. 
My parents tell a story about me a lot. It's the story of when I was born. Mom and Dad were married not quite 2 years when Russ was born. When he was about 2-3 years old, they wanted to have another baby, so their kids would be close in and grow up together. But they couldn't get pregnant. It went on for years and they were beginning to face the fact that it wasn't meant for them to have another child. Mom had always wanted a daughter so she prayed, and prayed, and prayed. Nothing happened. Their only son was about 16 years old and mom had some female issues that worried her so she went to see her gynecologist. Her cycle had been terrible and hadn't stopped, and after an exam, the doctor told her the news. She'd had a miscarriage. It was heartbreaking for her. I don't know what she went through that day, but I know it had to be hard. Not long after that when Russ was about 17, mom's cycle stopped altogether. She was scared because of the previous miscarriage, and perhaps there was something wrong with her. She suspected everything except what was actually wrong with her; Me. 
They couldn't believe it. Their son was graduating high school and mom was expecting me. Mom never wanted to find out from the doctor what she was having. She knew that her prayer had been answered and she would have a girl. And obviously she was right. If you can't already tell, the reason for this story is I think that was a huge lesson to them about patience and waiting on the Lord. 
Something that is so hard to realize about waiting, is the fact that we can't see the future. I mean, if I had been born back when mom and dad first wanted me, there's no telling where I would have been when mom lost her arm. Or when the brain tumor hit? It's amazing to think about. I'm not bragging on myself by any means, but I am glad that I'm here close to help when they let me. I like my little comfy house, I love my husband, and I am incredibly blessed.
I think about that sometimes when I'm having trouble waiting. I can't change the past, I don't know the future. All I have is the present. And I'm not guaranteed that. So, we trust in the Lord.....and we wait.

Rants, Ramblings, and a Recipe!

I don't have much on the schedule for a blog post this week. So something with the 3 R's is always good.

I was originally just going to post a rant on how I currently feel about doctors.......but I don't want to just dwell on the negative right now, because that's way too easy to do. You see, right now, mom has pneumonia. Not good. The worst part was how she was diagnosed. She'd been not feeling well since Memorial Day, and when we took her to her normal doctor, they said she had bronchitis, gave her some sulfur drugs, a shot, and sent her home. She had a terrible cough, and, pardon me for being graphic, had coughed up a bunch of icky yellow/green mucus, and once or twice it had been laced with blood. Now, we explained all that to the doctor, and she still said bronchitis. She said she couldn't hear pneumonia in her lungs and mom didn't want an X-Ray. After 10 days of the sulfur drug, mom was still sick, but she said it wasn't near as bad. The cough, however had not let up. After about 3 days of being off the sulfur drug, she was worse. So we tried a different doctor at what they call "Urgent Care". It was the only place open besides the hospital on a Friday night after 5PM.
I don't know God's plan, but I know everything has a reason. There is a reason mom got sick, and there is a reason that this particular doctor saw mom on the night in question. But I doubt I will ever know the reason.
I hadn't gone with mom and dad that night, because they said there was no need. Mom had been told by countless people that she had  pneumonia, and after doing some research with my good friend Google, I had come up with the same conclusion. We were in hopes that another doctor would give her some medicine that  would actually clear it up, instead of just holding it back for a while. After the doctor saw mom, she said an X-Ray was necessary, and BEFORE she even found out the results, she came in and proceeded to tell my mom that she didn't have a virus, or pneumonia, or anything else.......her lungs were completely covered in cancer.
As I have said in my past posts, we are aware of some small tumors in mom's lungs, and she has an appointment in August to have them looked at, but this? No one was expecting. You can imagine the pain and shock that mom and dad were feeling at that time, and after hearing this story, I was upset that I had not been there with them. Anyway, this doctor was completely rude, and after she found out the results were indeed pneumonia, she didn't even offer as much as an "I'm sorry for putting you through this". Some doctors can be such scum. Thankfully we do have mom on 2 strong antibiotics now, and she has finally (after a week) started showing some improvement. Thank you, Lord! The final straw that made me not like this woman in the least happened the following Monday when mom went back for a follow up. Apparently this was not necessary (even though the doctor said it was), and the doctor was mad mom was there. When she got done examining mom, she said "Well, I'm still not convinced it's pneumonia". Boy, did my mom tell her the what for! Go mom! All I have to say is, what kind of a doctor does that? Not a very good one.

Thus ends the rant section of this post.

As for the rambling, I'm good at that. Just ask my husband. One of the big differences between us is the way we describe our day;

Me: "So, how was your day?"
Dan: "Eh. There were some good points, but it was still a rough one." 
Me: *waiting* *waiting some more* "Ummm.......OK, would you like to elaborate on that a bit?"
Dan: "Not really." 

End of discussion.
Reverse roles.

Dan: "So, how was your day?"
Me: "Oh, you know. About the same. I went over by to check on mom and when she fell asleep, I ended up falling asleep and I was afraid I'd get to the store late. I did get to the store late, but not because of that, it was because I had to follow some guy that apparently doesn't know how to drive because he was weaving all over the road and wouldn't go faster that 40 miles per hour, and after I got to the store Russ had to leave and help Skyla with some real estate stuff so I was there by myself and this nut-job comes in and decides to tell me his life story! I just kept standing there saying "uh huh, uh huh" but he didn't get the point."
Dan: "Uh huh." (Yes I'm aware of the irony)
Me: "So after an hour......an HOUR.....that guy finally walks out and I was ready to strangle Russ by the time that he got back. Then I had to make the virtual tour for the property that Skyla just listed and my computer kept freezing up.......I really need to clean that thing......and when I finally got it done I was 15 minutes late for my student, which of course threw me behind on all the rest of them. And then I get to hear the famous whine of "Why do I have to do it that way?" and "My fingers hurt". Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. I'm just glad to be home."
Dan: *nodding* "All right then." 

There are several hundred variations on that conversation, but it's pretty much that same conversation every day. Sometimes I don't know how he puts up with me. But he does, and I am grateful.

Alright, I guess that's enough rambling, so on to the recipe!

I've wanted to post this bread recipe for quite a while now, because I am a flop when it comes to home made bread. Seriously! But this bread worked for even me, so I know someone with bread making skills could do wonders with it. My dad makes the best bread in the entire world, no joke. He makes it out of a start that he got from another man about 4 years ago, who got his start from a man a year or so before that. So we just call it "man bread". Dad will not give the recipe or the starter to a woman because he wants to carry on the tradition. Oh well. This way I just get to eat it and don't have to bake it. lol OK, rambling again. Sorry.

The ingredients are as follows:

 2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons sugar 
2 heaping tablespoon or packet of yeast.
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups Bread Flour
2 tablespoons of salt 

Mix warm water and sugar in a largish mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let sit for about 5 minutes.
 Add the butter, 4 cups of flour, and the salt. Stir this together until it begins to hold together. Pour a cup of flour onto the surface you intend to use for kneading. 

Knead until it holds its own shape well, 3 or 4 minutes. Let the dough rest while you grease a bowl for rising. Return to your dough and knead a further 3 or 4 minutes until it's smooth

Roll the dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl.

 Put the bowl someplace warm and cozy. I like to put mine on the floor in front of my patio door, especially if I'm making it int the afternoon/early evening. This makes for a pleasant environment for the bread, because it's so nice and sunny. It recipe says to leave until it's doubled in size, but I let it rise for an hour.

After an hour dump the dough out on a floured surface and punch it down. Knead the bubbles out and form into two loaves. Place the loaves into lightly greased bread pans. Return to the floor.
 

Let them "rise" for another hour.

With the loaves sitting in the oven, turn it on to 350 degrees and leave them in for 45 minutes.

  Since your oven is probably different than mine, you should knock on the tops with your knuckles to check for a hollow sounds. That means they're done!

I always coat the tops of my bread with butter and cover with waxed paper and a towel. This way it softens up the crust. 

What I like about this bread is not only the taste, but how easy it is to make. Plus it is still fresh the next day, unlike a lot of home made bread. 

I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to post a comment about how your bread turns out if you decide to try it! 

The one with all the TV clips

Yes, that's right. Today's blog will talk about TV! And of course you can't talk about TV without talking about commercials.........really dumb commercials.

OK, maybe that last part was a little rude, but I have to say, the commercials that are on right now? Are really, and truly awful. I will say, too, though, that there are some that are really great. Although they are few and far between. Take a look;

                          Now be honest. Doesn't that dog's butt really make you want to eat a Starburst? 


I want to show you one that I actually like so you can see I do have a sense of humor. I like this so much that Dan and I catch ourselves trying to come up with our own scripts that sound like this;
They do have other commercials on these same lines, and I have YouTubed every one of them. I love them. 
Well, as much as you can love a commercial.

 For this next commercial, my husband and I have talked many times, and we can't seem to understand how all these people are able to afford these huge houses with new furniture and appliances, as well as be home in the middle of the day. Maybe you can explain it?

I have to say, they do make you want to buy the appliances. So, in essence, the commercials are doing their job.......but do they have to be so annoying about it?

Now, this commercial shows one of the things that I really hate: BAD OVER ACTING! I thought that was supposed to stay on infomercials?
I guess they did it on purpose.......but why?
The Crunchy Nut man isn't as bad as the guy eating the cereal. He's just plain goofy acting.

Alright. I guess I've bashed enough commercials for now. So on to the main event; TV.
I have always been friends with my TV. When I was much younger and still lived with my parents, I had a TV in my room that stayed on almost all night. It was good company for me and it helped me to sleep so I left it on. Sometimes I'd be pretty restless and wake up at 1 AM without being able to go back to sleep and I'd put in a movie to watch. Needless to say that growing older and the stress of life made that restlessness go away for the most part, so that doesn't happen anymore. It also helps to have Dan right next to me. So I pretty much sleep like a log now.
But I still like TV. Especially at night before bed and I have to say that I love British TV, and I think that develops when you start seeing how many American shows have ripped off British comedy. Sometimes you can watch the American version of something and think it's dumb, but you may love the British version. Or vise versa. Lets talk about some of my top choices in TV.

One of my favorite shows of all time is The Office (American version). Now, this show started off as a British show as well, and was written by Ricky Gervais, who also starred on the show. I think the main reason that I don't like the British Office, is because I don't care much for Ricky Gervais. Something about him gets on my nerves, so therefore I can't really stand to watch him in great quantity. I am thankful that he came up with this idea, though, because now I can watch things like this. And unless you've seen the whole series, that probably made no sense to you. But that's OK. You may be curious and want to start watching now.



Let's see. Where do I go from here? Ah, yes. I was talking about British comedy. There are so many good shows out there that it's hard to keep track. In fact, Saturday nights here at home are spent watching British TV. PBS airs 2 shows ever week that Dan and I rarely miss. One of them is Keeping up Appearances.

And the other one is Are you being Served?. If for some reason it's "pledge week" which seems to happen for about 3 weeks every 3-4 months (?), we will watch something else British on Netflix. It's hard to explain, but once you get in a routine of something, like watching a particular program on a certain night, it's hard to kick the habit.

I guess that's why when House was canceled, I not only wanted to watch that series on Monday nights, I wanted to watch A Bit of Fry and Laurie, where Hugh got his "big start". I don't think most people even know he's a British actor because of the great job he did playing an obnoxious American on House.

Speaking of, I'm actually surprised I liked that show. House, that is. I was afraid I wouldn't when I saw it for the first time, but I actually got pretty crazy about it by the time it ended, and now I get to go back and watch all the seasons and see new episodes since I didn't officially start watching until the end. Sometimes it pays to be behind.

As for this show, "Black Books", it's probably more of an acquired taste. I wasn't sure about it the first time I saw it, but I got attached to it awfully fast. Bernard is the character you love to hate, and Manny, played by Bill Bailey, is so very funny. I've watched a few of his solo stage performances, and his gift of humor is great.

The I.T. Crowd has a little computer humor in it, but you don't have to be "tech savvy" to enjoy it. I actually learned a thing or two from it, and now when I'm told someone has computer problems, my first question is "have you tried turning it off and on again?"
I'm actually kind of glad the American version of this flopped. It just wouldn't be right without Roy.

"Coupling". The British "Friends".
Friends came out first, but I watched Coupling before I really got in to the American version. Now, as was "The Office", I'm thinking I like the American version better.
As I said about Black Books, this is probably more of an acquired taste.

And now, "Friends". This was a show that, growing up, I was never allowed to watch. I can understand it would be a little to adult for kids, but for adults it can be really funny. When I don't want to think about a lot......I like watching Friends. It's easy to watch and understand.
I also like how their episodes are all named "The One With......" Hence the name of my blog post.

Speaking of American comedy, I had almost forgot my "newest favorite". The Big Bang Theory's title turned me off at first. I didn't think that I would like it because I was afraid it would be to scientific for my tastes. Turns out I was wrong. These people all work so well together and play their parts perfectly. And let's face it......who doesn't want to be friends with Sheldon for like.........2 minutes?

For my final clip (because I have to quit eventually), I will show Fraiser. Even though he seems snooty, I really like watching Frasier. I never really cared that much for Cheers, but Frasier was something I could follow. And they picked the perfect person to play Niles (his brother). They play off each other very well.

So, these, in a nutshell, are my favorite TV shows, with the exception of some of the old classics (i.e. The Andy Griffith Show, I love Lucy, etc.) I hope that I have introduced you to something that you like, or reminded you of something you used to like. Feel free to leave me a comment about your most loved or hated TV shows, as well as commercials. I'm always open to new things!