One Helluva Day!

Yesterday I went into the doctor's office for my routine allergy immunotherapy injection. I've been doing this for almost two years now so I'd grown used to the routine. Sometimes I'd get sneezy, sometimes I'd get a huge hive in the spot where I got the injection, once my face even turned as red as a tomato but a little Benadryl took care of that. Yesterday, though, got a little crazy!

I waited the customary 30 minutes in the office after getting my shots but then I started sneezing ucontrollably, my face got hot, and my eyes got swollen. Since I was still at the office I asked to see the nurse but bumped into my allergist on the way. He looked concerned and ordered a shot of epinephrine right away. Let me tell you: that stuff is cray! They told me it'd make me jittery and they weren't kidding. Then they gave me Benadryl which makes me seriously drowsy. I had two nurses taking my vitals and the doctor listening to my lungs. Being prone to anxiety attacks I was worried at first that this Epi shot would send me into freak out mode, but the staff was very attentive and that helped. After sitting in an observation room for twenty minutes and my congestion still not subsiding the doctor gave me three Prednisone. That did the trick in ten minutes but the nurse warned that it would increase my appetite. My reaction: awesome (because overeating is exactly what I need to be doing right now)! I decided to take myself home since I wasn't sure what to expect from the combo of these three meds and I slept a good long while.

Luckily, I got up around 2, and although still feeling a little spacey I was able to bake the cake I'd promised for a friend's birthday. It was Cody's birthday and he, Jessica and I had decided to have a Scrabble throwdown. Super Nerds in the house! Jessica got together a special activity for us to do while snacking on our awesome Costco pizza:


(nevermind the religious overtones of this photo)

Cody got done with his page rather quickly, even though he added some pizzazz by adding an American flag and fireworks to the background (not pictured here). Although you can't see it clearly, but the beer Jarrett is drinking, Old Chub, became the unsung hero of the evening providing lots of good laughs by way of one liner advertisements that could work for the strong brew.



The Scrabble match was intensified. But Cody came out the winner narrowly edging me out of the top spot by four measley points. I decided to be a good sport about it since it was his birthday.

Madelyn, Cody's wife, was able to join us after her class and we all joined in for a round of Happy Birthday for Cody. Despite Jessica shouting in the middle of our Scrabble match that "The cake [was] gonna suck ass!" I think everyone agreed that it was rather tasty, so was the Napoleon ice cream. :) The birthday gathering really reminded me of something right outta 5th grade: pizza, soda pop, cake, ice cream, and Old Chub! Awesome!!!

The Ready Whip we busted out led to jokes about... You guessed it: Whip Its! Jessica yelled out, "Jarrett, we wanna learn how to huff!" Being the good sport that he is, Jarrett, or more accurately, Jarrett's brain cells took one for the team:


Which led to my favorite Old Chub ad of the evening: When life leads you to huffing, Old Chub!

Here are the mostly finished products from our Obama coloring fest:


Clockwise going from the top left: Jarrett, Cody, Jessica, and mine which Jarrett dubbed the Braveheart Obama.

Good times!

Game Night!

Last night the Roberts's hosted game night for a few of us. I love board games so I was way into it. I got there first so I went right to preparing some pizza dip for snacking:

Pizza Dip:
1 block cream cheese (I substituted Neufchatel to save on calories and fat)
3 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup Pizza or plain Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese

Add the Italian Seasoning to the cream cheese, mix well and heat in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Add the pizza sauce on top then sprinkle the cheese on last.
Put back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with crackers, bagel chips (I bought garlic flavored ones) or a French baguette. I think the crackers and the baguette were the biggest hits of the night. Jessica brought over some hummus, 'cause you know, that's a big hit among white people. Good call!

Tobi and Jessica got there shortly after and Tobi sat in for Madelyn on an intensified Jenga match. I love the Jenga and was there to help offer suggestions to both players. Jenga as a spectator sport is almost as fun as playing the game! I'm not sure who won, I just remember hearing the crash.

We then played a couple of rounds of Scattergories but the highlight of the night for me was Taboo. I LOVE THAT GAME! The match was pretty intense and our team ended up losing by two darn points. Le bummer! But, we're definitely scheduling another game night soon. And maybe next time I'll try my hand at Settlers of Catan, even though it seems like it requires too much strategery for my pea-sized brain.


(I'm really glad we're bringing Taboo back!)

A Question of Conscience

My brother asked me to be Aramelle's (my niece) godmother a while back. Only problem is I'm not eligible because I haven't gone through all the Catholic sacraments. Neither has my brother. So, I decided to sign up for religious initiation classes so that I could be confirmed. I thought it'd be a nice way for me to bond with my brother, who also signed up for the classes, and a way to get closer to my niece.

Wednesdays are Bible school night. And for the most part I've been able to attend classes and listen in a constructive manner. I've taken it more as a religious education class as opposed to what I assume most of the other participants are getting out of it, which is a deeper understanding and profession of thier faith. But, this Sunday we have to take part in an Acceptance Ceremony and go in front of the whole congregation and formally accept the Catholic faith as our own. While going over the schedule, one of the facilitators made a comment that sent me into freak out mode. She said, "so this is it, if this isn't for you, now's your chance to turn tail and run!"She laughed as she said it, and so did everyone else, but at that moment I saw myself not coming back to class. I felt like a fraud and questioned whether or not I could keep coming to class.

I've always had a "to each his own" standpoint when it came to religion. That is, if you believe in a God and follow a faith, then your beliefs are what follow you in death. Up until this point, though, I guess I'd classify myself as an agnostic. And now I fear that going up in front of this congregation, professing a belief in a faith (which I still don't consider my own) is now going to commit me to its tenets for all eternity. I know it's a little dramatic, but I'm having real question of conscience moment.

Making History

In the wake of a historic night, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what last night meant to me. All politics aside, last night marked a great moment in our nation’s history. Last night, America elected its first African American president to the White House. Was he my candidate initially? No. But, that didn’t make my goose bumps any less real last night as I watched news casters call the election for Barack Obama.

In comparison with Elections 2000 and 2004 where we kept our eyes glued to our TV screens til the wee hours of the morning, hoping for some glimmer of hope, last night’s call was made early and definitely. Instead of watching in despair, we watched with anticipation for the acceptance speech of our new president elect. While Obama's speech was reserved, he delivered it as a true statesman and while rejoicing in his victory, he still reminded us of the long road ahead.

As for myself, I watched with a bit of sadness while John McCain gave what in my mind was a valiant concession speech. Rejection is never easy, but he accepted his with grace. Despite being guilty of laughing at Sarah Palin’s gaffs throughout the election, it was difficult for me to watch the governor give that trademark smile while fighting back the tears in her eyes. And I can’t help but think that while the loss is a tough one, it must also come as a relief to someone who had taken on a burden much too big for her shoulders.

My biggest hope is that everyone who turned out to vote can retain the political zeal that this election has inspired in us all.