What is happening in this country?

I am completely enraged.  Please read this article and then you might understand why.

"Oklahoma, what have you done?"

As a health care professional specializing in neonatal intensive care, and a woman, I am completely shocked that a governing body can make a decision like this!  I know that I am a very opinionated person and I have very strong feelings about certain issues that may be contradictory to others, but I am always willing to listen to the opposing views.  I may completely disagree, but I will always listen.  One issue that I feel strongly about is the separation of government and religion.  I completely respect people who are strong in their religious beliefs, but the bottom line is that they are YOUR beliefs.  There are too many religions in this world for our country to have legislation passed that is based on a religious view.  There is much moral and ethical grey area, but if you feel your moral compass is straying then don't do it.  You shouldn't have the right to tell me I can't.  I could talk about this for a long time, but I won't right now.   Our country was indeed founded by Christians (Puritans), but they came here seeking a freedom to praise in whatever way they saw fit.  This is what our country seems to forget too often.

I know that the issue of abortion is very heated and controversial.  I am not here to discuss what is right in respect to abortion.  I am here to say that the Oklahoma legislature apparently has gone completely insane!  To deny a woman crucial information about her unborn child purely so she won't have an abortion is completely disgusting.  As I was reading this article to Shawn I was so disgusted and saddened that couldn't help but cry.  What is wrong with people?  How can this state decide that I shouldn't know that my baby has a disorder that could greatly shorten his or her life or will require much more care than a regular baby?  Too often I see babies born with problems related to trauma during the birth that could not be planned for and this causes a tremendous amount of stress compounding an already thoroughly stressful situation. Hou could you deny a woman that chance to plan ahead, or if she so chooses terminate the pregnancy?  Any physician that actually follows this law and actually withholds this information from a woman should have his or her medical license taken away!   I am so angry about this that I am sure I am rambling.   I am just so angry...and even more disgusted by the people of the USA right now. 

I probably doesn't help that the interview on The Daily Show last night was ignorant and wrote a book claiming that Obama is basically becoming Stalin.  I am just getting tired of this.

Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup

It's playoff time in hockey...and for Chicago Blackhawk fans that's a big deal!  Shawn and I are so excited!  The first round is over now and the Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 4 games to 2.  The series was great!  Here is a video of my favorite moment from game 5 of the series.

Lost Puck in Antti Niemi's Gear

If you haven't ever followed hockey before or just have gotten away from it, now it the time to get involved!  There is a really tight competition this year and all the teams left are really good!  The playoffs are into the semi-finals now with the Hawks playing the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.  We'll be watching!  The two teams that have been the toughest competition for the Hawks this season were the Detroit Redwings and the San Jose Sharks.  Luckily one of those teams will be eliminated this round because they play each other.   The biggest upset of the first round was Montreal's defeat of the Washington Capitals and the all powerful Ovechkin.  Good.  I'm glad.  He thinks way too much of himself.  Ok...now that I have that out of my system I can move on.  Anyway, if you're interested in what's going on you can check out the NHL's website.

National Hockey League 

Heirloom

As long as I can remember, my Grandma Lach had a large clock in her living room that I knew would someday belong to me.   The clock was purchased by my Great Grandfather, Zenon Lach, in New York City.  Since my grandma passed away we have been going through her house and although this clock rightfully belongs to my dad now, he does not really have space for it so it has become mine.  I brought it home and cleaned it up and decided to do some research on it. I just cleaned it with a wet rag because I am not sure exactly what it is made out of and I didn't want to damage it, but it was totally full of dust!

Here are a few pictures of the Lach Clock after I wiped it up.

On the face of the clock I found the words: "Manufactured by The Ansonia Clock Co. New York. United States of America."    Inside of the clock I found a trademarked symbol.  It is a capital A with a square around it and then a diamond around that, which I discovered is the trademark for the Ansonia Clock Co. which was patented in New York on June 14, 1881.  Online I found a website that lists many of the clocks that were produced by this company with their names and pictures.  I discovered that I have the clock called "Music & Poetry" (Ly-Ansonia No. 483) which was created in 1894.   I believe the statues and clock are made of some kind of bronze.  They aren't in the greatest condition, but I think that the clock could easily be restored.  It still works...although the gonging is loud so I will not be winding the clock!  I found a picture online of someone's clock that has been restored.  Mine could be this beautiful again someday...perhaps by the time I have a formal living room or dining room to put it in!

In Charge

Starting tonight I have to be in charge at work.  I have been kind of dreading this moment, but I knew it would one day come.  I had one day of training (last night) and tonight I will have someone to help me, but I will be in charge.  Yikes!

The Blind Side

Shawn and I have been waiting to get The Blind Side from Netflix, but it has been a long wait since so many people want to see it.  I am a sucker for any movie that is about football and based on a true story, so I have been anxious to see this one.  Plus, I have heard so many good things about it!

Well, it finally arrived today!  Shawn and I just watched it and it was really great.  These type of stories are so touching...and yes they always make me cry!  Just in case you haven't seen it, the basic story is about a homeless teenager from the bad side of town who happens to get a chance to go to a private Christian high school.  He is the only black student and due to his past he doesn't do well in the classes.  He has never had much of an education since he spent most of his childhood in many different foster homes.  Luckily he has a second chace at Wingate.  At first, it seems that he is going to fail once again, but the teachers finally begin to understand him and a wonderful family takes him in and makes him a part of their family.  They get him involved in sports and he ends up being a great football player.  He goes on to play football in college and now plays in the NFL.  Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. The cast also includes Kathy Bates and Tim McGraw.  The acting was great, especially the lead role of Michael Oher played by Quinton Aaron.

If Leigh Anne Tuohy is anything like her character is portrayed in the movie then I wish there were more people like her and her family.  This woman took in this boy and gave him a place to live, clothes and food and in the end gave him love and a family, something he had never experienced before.  They discussed briefly at the end how so many other kids that grew up in nthe neighborhood that Michael Oher did don't have the chance at life that Michael was given, or even anything close. They have the potential to be so much more, but are never given any oppotunities.  Not that all of those children are looking for something better, but many of them are.  They discuss in the film how so often children that are raised in an environment of drugs and violence, as Michael was, end up with extremely violent tendencies.  But not Michael.  He would rather do anything hurt another person.  It is just wonderful to see how one person can make such a profound difference in the life of another person.

I have told Shawn many times that I am going to bring home a baby from work one day.  He knows that I am kidding...now...but maybe one day.  There are so many babies that come through my NICU that deserve more than they are going to get out of life.  Everytime we send a baby into protective custody or foster care I wish I was in a situation to bring them home with me.  Hopefully more people will decide to offer good homes to children who need them.

Homemade Irish Cream

Bailey's Irish Cream is one of my favorite things to drink.  Several times I have been given the recipe to make Irish Cream at home and I thought I would share it.  It is delicious!!  I made some today because I had extra Jameson Irish Whiskey left over from Christmas.  Yummy!

Irish Cream

 1-3/4 cups Jameson Irish Whiskey

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup (1/2 pint) Whipping or Light Cream

4 eggs

2 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup

2 tsp Instant Coffee

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Almond Extract

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Store in container with tight fitting lid for up to 30 days refridgerated. 

No way it will last that long though!! Enjoy!

Memories of a Kick Ass Date Night...

Ok...so that title makes no sense at all, but here we go....

Shawn and I decided we needed a date night tonight.  Our schedules haven't really been coordinating well lately, so a night together seemed to be just the thing we needed.  Shawn got home from work and we headed out for the evening on Lake Street in Oak Park.  If you've never been to Oak Park and are in the Chicago area you definately should.  Lake Street between Harlem and Euclid is probably one of my favorite places in the world!  We walked around, window shopped, and shopped just a bit too (got something for Theresa for her birthday...hehe).   There is a really cute little shop that sells all kinds of weird, random things.  I got some candy cigarettes (remember those??) and Shawn got some Pop Rocks.  Plus they had these sweet ass glasses...

Then we stopped in to Flat Top Grill for dinner (yummy) and had a drink at Bar Louie before we headed to the Lake Theater to see Kick Ass.  I wasn't really sure how well I was going to like Kick Ass...I had seen all the previews (obviously I had...I live with Shawn!) and it looked good but I was not so sure.  I had heard some reviews on the radio about how violent it was and about the language.  Well, I really did like it a lot!  It definitely was violent, with lots of blood splattering about and some crazy guns, knives, swords and any other kind of weapon you can imagine!  Also the language was terrible, and most of that coming from the mouth of an 11 year old girl (who happens to be the most kick ass character in the movie)!  Throw in the sexual teenage angst and I definitely recommend leaving the kids at home!  Teenagers should be fine, but this movie totally earned its R rating!  It was really funny though, and all the characters were great (except Nicholas Cage...I really don't like him).  It actually did have a really good story line that kept you interested throughout...it wasn't just about the action and violence.  Definitely worth seeing!

I also found this picture on Shawn's phone when I was getting the funny glasses picture and I realized that we never posted it.  It is a picture of my car after the accident we had in May 2008 that resulted in my broken neck, wrist, etc and all the great experiences that came afterward.  Needless to say the car was totalled.  It is still hard to look back at this car and the pictures of myself from the week after the accident with my cast and neck brace and full body brusing, especially when I know that the stupid guy who caused the accident has basically been allowed to do all this to me without any kind of repercussions.  Well, I guess this is another soapbox...some other time.

I Love My Husband

I just wanted to say that.  I know he knows how much I love him, but I just wanted to say it again.  Today he surprised me with some flowers (pretty red tulips) and a card that says how much he loves me, must because!  Then he sat next to me in bed and rubbed my head as I let the benedryl (for my stupid allergies) take over and I fell asleep for my pre-work nap.  One of my best naps in a long time.  He is so wonderful :)

Shawn and I during the summer of 2007 :)

The Good, The Bad & Turning 30

You may know that I turned 30 in December, and I did not welcome this stage in my life graciously.  I was not at all happy about turning 30.  I have been 30 now for a few months and I have learned that there are some good things...but mostly bad.

The Good

- Cheaper car insurance.  State Farm lowered my premium because I am more mature now?

- No need to dress like I'm in college anymore so I can wear clothes that are comfortable. I don't have to wear heels unless I want to!  Basically I can dress in a more "mature" manner and I look appropriate!

The Bad

- More expensive life insurance.  I got a letter from the life insurance carrier for the hospital that said my premium will be increasing so I can changed my coverage to lower if I wanted to save that money.  Exactly what I need to do as I'm getting older, right?  Less life insurance?

- Gray hair...I know I've complained about this one before!

- Minor aches & pains...like my knees especially. 

I'm sure there are more good things and bad things, but for right now that I the stuff I was thinking about.   I have found more than anything else it is my biological clock that has felt the effects of turning 30 more than anything else.  I have always wanted children and now that I am 30, and my sister is having a baby soon (so freakin' excited!!), I want to have children more than ever.  I guess we'll just have to see what the future holds.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

Chelsea Handler, comedian and host of E!'s highest rated show (Chelsea Lately), was here in Chicago yesterday for a stop on her book tour across the country.  We have not bought the book (I will wait until paperback) but we did go to the comedy show.  Her first two books, My Horizontal Life and Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea were both hilarious!  She has been having a different person from her round table regulars open for her and it is always a surprise at the show.  We were lucky to have Heather McDonald (a.k.a. Heather Long Boobs) as the opening act!

It was a great show!  They were both hilarious and I can't wait until the Comedians of Chelsea Lately are on tour in the Chicago area.  Shawn and I are hoping to see Josh Wolf, Jon Caparulo, Jo Koy and Whitney Cummings (or any of the others...they are all great on that show!)  If you've never watched Chelsea Lately (well...#1 get with it!  It's awesome) you should check it out.  It's on E! at 10pm Chicago time.  Good stuff!  I'm so glad we went to the show!

They weren't allowing pictures, but we took one anyway :)

Why it SUCKS to sleep during the day...

I love working night shift...I am one of the few who I think really does prefer it.  BUT...I hate having to sleep during the day for 5 main reasons.

#5 Beautiful Days

You would think I hated sleeping during beautiful days because I wish I could be out in that wonderful day enjoying the weather (and this could be a beautiful snowfall perfect for making snowmen or having snowball fights OR beautiful sunny days with not a cloud in sight and just a light breeze)....Nope.  I hate these days because OTHER PEOPLE are out enjoying the weather making too much noise and keeping me awake!

#4 Miscellaneous Noises

Obviously, I know living in an apartment you are sometimes able to hear noises in adjacent apartments or in the hallway...this can also happen in houses that are close together.  I have in the past been lucky enough to live in a house where my bedroom window was 5 feet away from an outdoor play area for a home daycare center.  Lucky me!  Maintenance crews at apartments don't care if you're sleeping...they install the laminate flooring and repaint while talking loudly in the apartment across the hall anyway.  The cleaning crew loves to vacuum the hallways during my perfect sleeping time as well...nice.

#3 The TV

The TV really is only a problem when someone is home and the programming typically calls for loud voices.  Although I can't think of a time I needed to yell at the TV, but I guess March Madness is a different experience.  Anyway...it sucks for those who are trying to sleep.

#2 Outdoor Maintenance

I know that it is unreasonable to expect all the people who care for the landscaping in the vicinity of my bedroom window to consult me before starting their work...but it would be nice.  Lawnmowers are LOUD.  It really makes it hard to sleep when I can't open my window on a nice day!  This also includes winter maintenance...like shoveling show.  That makes surprising more noise than you probably think.

#1 The Phone

I hate when my phone rings while I'm sleeping.  Hate it!  I don't typically sleep long periods of time without waking up, so when I am in a deep sleep and my phone rings and it is a number I don't recognize and there is no message left....oh!  I hate this more than anything else!  I have no problem with someone calling and waking me up for a reason.  Even if it is just to talk...I like to talk and if you want to talk to me that is super.  I absolutely am not discouraging people from calling me during the day...I just hate when I am woken up by the phone and it is for nothing!

Anyway...not that I have vented I guess I should make dinner before I head back to work after having been woken up today by 2 of these 5 things.  Yay :(

Check it out!

For awhile now, Shawn has been posting notes on Facebook with his movie reviews and other "blogs" about things in the film and comic worlds.  People seems to really enjoy reading them, as do I.  I have been encouraging him to start writing a actual blog and finally he has!  I think it will be great for him to have a specific place to write his movie reviews and to comment on his weekly trip to the comic book store.  Now he has a medium to share his thoughts with hopefully a wider audience than he usually reaches.  You should all check it out!

Waiting For Wednesday

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

We had such a great time visiting with my family this weekend...it is hard to leave today.  Theresa headed back to South Bend yesterday early to have Easter with her family, but before she left we had an awesome game night!  Mom & Eric joined us to play Apples to Apples (a great game) then a round of Quiddler (my favorite word game).  It was so much fun!  Reminded me again how much I LOVE game night!

On Easter, Mom, Eric, Shawn and I went to an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse then we went to a movie.  We saw Clash of the Titans in 3-D.  It wasn't bad, but not great either.  The 3-D was really lame and not at all worth the extra money.  They should have released the movie when the originally planned instead of waiting to add the 3-D effect.  It wasn't anything special.  The plot was okay, but I was bored for more than the first half.  It did pick up and the end was pretty good, but they gave away too much of the good action sequences in the previews and didn't really leave anything else to wow you with in the movie.

Today Shawn and I are leaving to head back home with a stop off to have dinner with his parents.  It'll be nice to sleep in my bed tonight!

Thai Smile

is delicious....

that is all.

Already an awesome weekend...

 Shawn and I arrived in Muncie Thursday evening for a weekend with my family...and a visit from Theresa!  Theresa had to work Friday still, so she didn't arrive until dinner last night, but then we attacked Puerta Vallarta!  Amazing!  Thursday night Shawn, Mom, Eric, and I stayed up late watching tv and talking, which we all love to do together.  Friday morning, after Shawn and I did our laundry for free at mom's (like being back in college...haha) we ran some errands.  Shawn got some new work clothes for really great deals. He even chose a purple shirt (on his own!) and I found a really nice purple tie to go with it.  

After Theresa got here, Eric's girlfriend Rachel came over and we headed to Puerta.  Shawn, Theresa and I shared 2 pitcher's of peach margarita and then boy did we have a great time trying to play a game all together before Rachel had to go home!  We spent some time on the internet reading though a twitter account my mom found recently that is hilarious!  You should check it out...the guy just wrote a book called Shit My Dad Says.  We can't wait to read it.  We headed out for a night of recalling memories at The Chug (then realized we are getting old) and happened to run into our friend Josh Swihart on our way to get a Carter's hot dog before heading home.  What a great start to the trip home! 

Today we're heading out to Parker for a cookout with The Manning's.  It's currently raining, so we hope that clears up soon!

Wow!

I can't believe that it is April already!!  This year is flying by! 

Today is my step-dad's birthday (Happy Birthday Dave). 

Shawn and I will be heading to Muncie for a nice long weekend with my family :)  So excited!!  We're gonna eat at Puerta, have a cookout with the Manning's, eat out somewhere on Sunday (Mom will decide where), and play games with Mom & Eric.  Awesome.  So excited!  After the busy week I've had at work, I am sure ready for the days off!

Spent a bunch of money last night at work signing up to take the GRE (gotta get started on Grad School finally, I guess) and getting my CPR certification renewed.  Plus, I need to get my Illinois RN license renewed too...more money!  Geez...it's never ending!  At least all of these are fairly inexpensive.  The NICU certification exam I'll be taking in the next few months costs like $300 or something!  Not fun.

Well...this was a bunch of random musings.