Weekly video 7/10/09

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA SHIRLEY!

That's right. It's my Dad's birthday and Jake's Grandma's birthday as well. Tonight, Jake and I are heading down to San Jose to spend the say with my father and have dinner with family to celebrate. It will also be my Uncle Jeff's birthday on Monday, so we're celebrating his upcoming special day as well.

When the "wifey" rules!

August 8th is Jake's 30th birthday. After a failed attempt at a surprise birthday party, we decided to just have a birthday party, sans surprise. With the dilemma of having to organize the entire soiree on my own, I was pondering birthday gifts for the birthday boy. Jake is NEVER easy to buy for because I always plan ahead and ask him at least 3-4 months beforehand what he wants (this goes for Christmas too), and he ends up giving me his list a mere 2 days before the event. Not going to happen this time. I decided to venture out on my own and figure something out. And I did.

Those who know Jake well know he is a HUGE fan of the 80's big hair rock band. His 200 CD case is filled with artists like Dio, Van Halen, Scorpions, Cinderella, Sebastian Bach, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, Boston, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, etc. We saw Judas Priest at Ozzfest 2005, and ever since, I've been waiting for a big concert to take him too.

Metallica tickets and ACDC tickets are always overly (and by no means justifiably) expensive. But, to my luck (and glee), Judas Priest is playing with Whitesnake at the Concord Pavilion on July 31st. So, Jake got tickets for his birthday! Thank you Stub Hub! I got some decent seats right behind the mosh pit (aka, the hole of death or dismemberment to me). So I will be safely watching the show from a decent distance. Happy early Birthday hubsters!

Judas Priest

Artichoke Chicken

This is a recipe I recently discovered and tried a couple of times. It's really good.

Artichoke Chicken courtesy of allrecipes.com

1 (15 oz) can of artichoke hearts, drained

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 pinch garlic pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in greased baking dish and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.

3. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in preheated oven, or until chicken juices run clear.

Yields 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Devirginizing the Kitchen Aid mixer

For our first wedding anniversary, my parents bought Jake and I a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It was one of the larger items on our gift registry and one I was lusting after (my inner Martha Stewart wannabe was pining away). Unfortunately, our kitchen does not yield too much counter space.

Last weekend I went to Ikea, and purchase a kitchen cart. It's small enough to not take up too much room, but it was big enough to house our crock pot, George Foreman grill and a wooden countertop.

The Beckvam kitchen cart for a whopping $59.99. Made from solid wood.

Voila! Counterspace! Now I shamefully kept the beautiful mixer in storage while we were on the prowl for a kitchen cart. Now, the mixer is out and was given it's first job last night. Betty Crocker boxed chocolate cake. YUM!!! So the Kitchen Aid mixer is out, and now devirginized. I'm so glad I get to use it now.

Now all we have to do is figure out a name for it. (Yes we name our appliances).

Feeling sad

I just finished listening to "Baby of Mine" by Alison Krauss. Needless to say, I'm tearing up right now.

I know I'm not the most patient person in the world. I'm also very hard on myself. However, in 2 months Jake and I will be trying to have a baby for 2 solid years. That's a long time. That's 24 months of negative pregnancy tests. 24 months of everything from medications to IUIs, to doctors appointments, to taking my BBT every morning to using OPKs and the CBEFM. And most painfully, it's been 2 years of wondering if I'll ever become a mother. I also feel very alone through all this. I know my family has been so supportive and Jake has been wonderful; more than I could ever hope for.

I'm just sad. I'm sad just wondering if I'll ever get to see my child's face, smile, fingers and toes, eyes. So many people out there take children for granted. Hell, some kill them through abortion and just throw them away. It's gutwrenching to see some women treat what I'm working so hard for, like trash.

In a few days, either I'm taking another pregnancy test, or AF is going to show. I'm thinking the latter has a bigger chance of happening. It's also hard...very hard, to see other people around me get pregnant while I'm trying so hard and have been trying for so long.

I keep hearing things like "Your time will come." but it's at times like these where I just don't see that time coming. Ever. I'm trying to have faith, but what if God forgot about me?

Weekly video 7/3/09

Happy 4th of July everyone! I know I'm a day early, but I will be in Sacramento with family celebrating the holiday, so I won't be able to blog tomorrow.

This week's video is from one of my favorite TV shows on right now - So You Think You Can Dance. This was a hip hop routine by Philip and Jeanine. Philip is a "locker" which is a form of street dancing that involves moving one part of your body at a time. If you watch at the beginning of the dance where they are pushing their chests out then back in, watch Philip. That's a part of locking. Jeanine is a Contemporary dancer.

Enjoy!

It's a Thursday

Wow...a whole 3 days without blogging? What the heck is wrong with me? I apologize to those who read my blog daily.

I am happy to report that Jake and I both get a 3-day weekend this weekend. Happy days! Tomorrow, we are going to finalize our game contribution to the annual festivities held in Sac-town at Auntie Kevin's.

Also, I got a verdict on Tuesday from my PCP and the Endocrinology department at Kaiser. I am officially on Metformin now. I take my medicine in the morning with breakfast, and at night with dinner. I'm very happy that this medication will not only help with my health, but it will help my body be baby-ready. I was honestly afraid that the Endo dept would not approve me for the medicine. When I heard they did, I literally jumped up and down. I just hope it helps me.

I've been trying some new recipes, and some old ones too but I haven't had my camera at home, so I haven't been able to take pictures. I will try to improve on that, I promise!

I admit, I've been having a little trouble knowing I would've been almost due if our first IUI has succeeded last October. Coming to terms with something that I wanted so badly and didn't happen has been difficult. But then I tell myself that there's nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is keep moving, and keep trying because time won't wait for me. Jake has been tremendous in this whole journey and I really cannot imagine going through this with anyone but him. I'm so glad God chose him as my partner. He's honestly the best...well yes, I am biased. :)

I love you all!