Congratulations, Dr. Dan

This is my baby, littlest, youngest brother, Daniel

This is Dan's adorably awesome family

Today, Dan graduated from Saint Louis School of Medicine.

I remember Dan's first day of kindergarten. He hugged me as I was on my way out the door to start my junior year of high school. I cried. If I were with him today, I'm sure he would hug me again. I'm sure I would cry again.

I'm so proud of Dan. I'm so proud of his family, too. Even though Dan is the one getting the diploma, his family also deserves an award. It's not easy to be an immediate family member of a medical student. I know from personal experience.

Their next adventure will be residency at the Mayo Clinic.

How to: Make ANY Member of Your Family Feel Comfortable

Some days a mom can just tell when a family member has had a rough day and needs a little TLC. Often being comfortable and snuggled in to one's favorite place can be just the ticket.

So, if you are ever faced with a day when you are called upon to make a family member more comfortable, here is some advice...

First, suggest to the family member that they go lay down. Don't give them a specific place to lay down. Let them make the choice.

Next, once they are settled into their favorite place, go and tuck them in--even if you completely disagree with the spot that they have picked to rest and you feel it ridiculous that you need to be tucking them in.

Finally, well I'm not sure what to type for finally because quite frankly, I was appalled at how comfortable this family member made herself.

The hardest thing she had to do that day was eat breakfast and take care of her business outside. I guess to be fair, it was cold and wet outside so she probably just wanted to warm up. When she came in, I told her to go lay down and my bed is the place she chose. She pretty much refused to get out. So what else could I do, but make the bed around her? I'm pretty sure she was still there when I stopped by the house on my lunchbreak because she never came downstairs to see me.

Sigh. At least she knows she is loved. And it was "change the sheet day" anyway.

Dear Windermere Half-Marathon

Dear Winderemere Half-Marathon:

I wanted to thank you for a good race today. Sure, there were some race logistics that could have been planned better. For example, where you had us get on the trail probably wasn't the most ideal location as the trail immediately narrows at that point. If at possible, it might have been better to have 3 porta-potties at the water stops instead of two as the lines were 2 or 3 people deep as I ran by. But all in all, a good race.

My time wasn't spectacular; matter of fact, it was almost embarrassingly slow. But I learned my lesson last year and since the temperature at the start of the race was already 65, I decided that a combination of running, jogging, and walking was OK for me. Giving myself permission to be slow today made all of the difference in how I felt about you today. Last year I hated you and I cried in between hyperventilating and hallucinating.

Today, I actually enjoyed you (mostly). I think those positive feelings helped me offer encouragment to some other runners who were struggling through their first 1/2 marathon. If I hadn't been jogging/walking, I wouldn't have been around to help those people. And as often happens when you help someone, they wind up helping you in the process. They weren't able to cure my hyperthermia, but they gave me something else to focus on and helped me make it to the next mile marker. All of them beat me. But it was so nice to see two of them when I finally crossed the finish line and to see how proud they were of their accomplishment.

Thanks again, Windermere Half. I think I'll be back next year.

Your friend,
Nurse Graham

Dave's Big Day

I'm interrupting my celebration of "National School Nurse Day" to talk about my husband's big day. It was a day I had been hoping would come for several years now. I had tried many things to make this day happen sooner, but it only came because Dave was ready.

HE WENT TO THE DENTIST!

Yes, there was some anxiety experienced by him this morning as he was preparing for the appointment. It didn't help that the teen-age daughter sarcastically responded, "Yeah, good luck with that," when Dave commented that he hadn't been flossing. "What did she mean by that?" he kept asking. How could I tell him that by not flossing for, oh the last 10+ years, he was in for a world of hurt at today's appointment? I don't care how careful and gentle the hygienist is, you just can't avoid pain and suffering when you haven't seen the inside of a dentist's office for several years. Heck, the kids don't think you can avoid pain and suffering at the hands of the dentist even if you go every 6 months.

After his visit, Dave decided that his fear of the dentist and the cleaning was completely unwarranted as his cleaning done today was done by a very nice lady and didn't hurt at all. I wonder if he will be able to convince the kids that going to the dentist doesn't have to be a painful experience? The dentist had good news for him--his gums were in really good shape and he only had 2 cavitities. One of the cavitities is in one of his top wisdom teeth so the dentist recommended that Dave just get his wisdom teeth pulled. That appointment will be scheduled for after school gets out for the summer so I can go with him. The appointment for the other filling will be in June. AND he went ahead and scheduled an appointment for his next cleaning in 6 months.

Everyone give a BIG CHEER for Dave amd his successful trip to the dentist.

He should also get a round of applause for the way he greeted me when I got home from work...he was lying down with a wad of gauze stuffed in his mouth. He refused to tell me what happened until I had kissed him on the cheek and offered him some comforting words. He is such a jokester.

A Ringing Endorsement

"There is nothing better in the world than poorly made chicken nuggets glazed in artificial orange sauce," mumbled Carson through a mouthful of Panda Express' Orange Chicken.

I Don't Wear a Cape

Today, in Sacrement Meeting, one of the speakers described mother's as superhero. To me, superheros are always there to save the day. Superheros seem to be able to do it all. Superheros are always fighting for the greater good. Superheros are kind, compassionate, and always looking out for the interests of others. Superheros give of themselves selflessly. The more things I list about superheros, the more I realize that I'm not even a superhero-in-training. I don't even get a "junior cape". And if mothers are supposed to be superheros, than it is amazing to me that I haven't completely screwed up my children.

The more I think about that--the fact that I have relatively well-adjusted, nice children--I truly wonder how that happened. What were the parenting skills (and where did we learn them?) that Dave and I employed to help Katelyn and Carson become the chilren that they are? Maybe it actually had little to do with what we did as parents, but was more about who Katelyn and Carson are as people--the personalities they came with.

Mucho Tastey

I'm not one who usually gets all "fiesta-y" for Cinco de Mayo, but yesterday it just felt like it would be fun to have a fiesta dinner. So that's exactly what what we had. This was the menu:

Shredded pork tacos with mango salsa

Lima rice

Flan

I know that's not a huge menu, but we aren't huge eaters. The pork tacos were super easy. I cooked the pork shoulder all day in the crock-pot with a sauce of Coke, green taco sauce, cumin, lime juice and 1 c of brown sugar. Oh it was moist and yummy. The mango salsa was easy-peasy to make. Cut up one mango (remember we aren't huge eaters so 1 was sufficient for the four of us), add diced red onion, 2 shakes of garlic powder, some diced chiles, and juice of 1 lime.

The lime rice was easy to make as well. It was 1 c water, 1 c chicken broth, 1 c rice, juice of a lime, some cumin all thrown in a pot to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer until water is evaporated.

My favorite was the flan. It was my first experience making flan and I'll do it again because guess what...it was easy, too. Melt 1 c sugar in a pot over medium low heat until it turns to caramel. Pour that into a pie pan that has been warmed in the oven (this keeps the caramel from hardening before you cover all the sides and bottom of your pan). Once that is done, set it aside and start on the custard. Beat 4 eggs in a mixer bowl. Then add 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can sweetened-condensed milk and 1 generous tablespoon vanilla. Pour into prepared and pop in the 350 oven for 1 hour. Don't forget to cover with foil (oops, like I did) or the top will get very browned. The flan needs to cool for at least an hour before you eat it.

Unfortunately, the flan wasn't quite ready last night. So of course, I had to try it for breakfast this morning. Oh my. I was in heaven it was so yummy. I couldn't believe it turned out so super-delicious. I think it was by far the best part of our Cince de Mayo feast, even though it was a day late.

Maybe next time I'll remember the pictures.

How to Have a Terrific Tuesday

Here we go. This is how to have terrific Tuesday.

First, wake up early enough to read your favorite blogs before you go to work. Because you were able to read the blogs you have to hurry to be ready to take your boy to the bus stop. But because it is going to be a terrific Tuesday, you beat the clock getting out of the shower and drying your hair and get the boy to the bus stop on time.

Second, because the sun is shining this morning, you remember how beautiful the world is. This reminds you of several Primary songs. And since you are now the only one home and it's shaping up to be a Terrific Tuesday, you sing those wonderful songs at the top of your lungs as you finish getting ready for work.

Third, get good news. It is music to the ears of a side-lined runner to hear that she can start running again! Texting your friend and running buddy to share the good news and getting a "YAY" in response to your text makes a terrific Tuesday.

Here's hoping that you, too, had a terrific Tuesday.