hand washing horrors

Not this kind of hand washing. Though I am curious; who really ever uses this much soap?

What could possibly cause me, an average American girl, to call “hand washing horrors”?

A broken down dishwasher. *gasp*

That’s right, folks.  For the past 2 weeks, my siblings and I have had to hand wash *all* the dishes for *every* meal, *every* day.  I never knew how much the dishwasher meant to me.  I never truly realized how much dishes can multiply through the day.  It doesn’t really seem like that much when you can just stick dishes in the dishwasher throughout the day.

We Americans in general sure are spoiled, aren’t we?  I recognize that not all Americans have dishwashers, and some people have them and don’t like to use them.  I am uber impressed by those dedicated individuals.  I have to admit, though, when I walked in the door yesterday, and saw a new dishwasher in the kitchen, I was ecstatic.  :D

Our old one broke down so suddenly, we didn’t have anytime to prepare or order a new one.  I had filled the dishwasher to its limits with tons of dishes, and happily closed it up.  I reached down and pushed the button to turn it on.

Nothing happened.

Slightly unnerved, I tried again.

Nothing.

By this time, I may or may not have been panicking at the thought of all the dishes I’d have to hand wash.

My dad checked it out, and sure enough, it was shot.  Let’s just say our hands have been more shriveled these past two weeks from dish water than they have been for a *long* time.

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Ok, on a more serious note, I do want to mention that being without a dishwasher really hasn’t been *horrible*.  Yes, it’s been hard, but not terrible.  We are extremely blessed, and are much more fortunate than several citizens even in my own city.  This time of not having a dishwasher has made me think of the “old days,” when they didn’t have dishwashers, or really any of our modern appliances.  We have it so easy nowadays, and even so we still complain about the little things we have to do.  It’s comical, really.  And I can say that, because I’m one of the biggest complainers, unfortunately.  Yes, it’s something I’m working on.  :)

God has truly blessed us.  By us, I’m referring not only to my family, my state, and my nation, but also the world in general.  Just to think of how far we’ve come in engineering and sciences…. It’s mind-blowing.  Just yesterday, I attended an air show at our local airport.  As I watched airplanes fly in formation, I couldn’t help but think of how much Leonardo DaVinci would have given anything to see it.  Most people know of DaVinci as a great painter, but he was so much more.  He was a mathematicion, an astronomer, chemist, scientist, engineer, and in a nutshell – a genius.  Of course, when he drew sketches and introduced the idea of airplanes, he was laughed at, and the ideas were forgotten.  I think Leonardo would love to see airplanes fly, and see just how much we rely on them for daily transportation.

One last thing: my family and I saw The Avengers today.  Can I just say “epic”?  It was kind of awesome.  I loved it. Especially Tony Stark – though you guys probably guessed that from my post on Iron Man.  Still, I really loved it when Captain America said, “There’s just one God – and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that.”  Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Have a great week!

-Tia

Yes, I’m still alive.

Ok, I’m just going to state the obvious here.  I haven’t quite been in the blogging mood for the last few months.  All of you, my lovely and faithful readers who I’ve cruelly abandoned, have probably noticed.  In case you were wondering, yes I am still alive (no, this is not coming to you from a zombie, vampire, or other creepyness), and yes I still appreciate all of you!

I’ve been super busy…and then when I haven’t been busy, I haven’t exactly felt inspired to write (well, blog posts, that is).  A lot has happened these past few months (things which, formerly I would’ve written individual blog posts on), but I won’t give you a boring review here.

Ok, maybe I will do a tiny review.  First off…. *drumroll please* I finished my book!  That was as of April 1st.  So yeah, it’s been over a month and I haven’t shared it with you!  Shame on me, I know.  It’s not ready for the publisher yet, what I meant by “finished” was that I finished all my long and tedious editing strictly on my own, and sent it off to a wonderful proofreader.  I should have her full comments and insight back any day now, and then I can finish editing.  Then it’ll be off to the publisher.  Who’s excited???

Secondly, after saving up 6 months, I bought myself a black, 32 GB iPod Touch.  Yeah, it’s pretty much the most amazing electronic I own.  I’m really enjoying it so far!  I just need to buy a case, and a screen protector and I’m good to go.  Oh and new headphones.  My old ones went out, so currently I’m borrowing my mom’s.  I want these.  Can I just say Skullcandy is the best???  A little on the pricey side, but they are the absolute best quality earphones.  Oh and I also need a new iPod dock….. But that’s not an immediate need, so I can do without for a little bit.  Case and screen protector first.

Moving on!  How To Train Your Dragon.  I don’t think I even need to comment on this.  But I will, since you guys have missed my ramblings *so* much.  ;)  This movie is incredible.  I saw it last summer and was like, “eh, it’s ok.”  Then I recently bought it, and when we watched it, I was like, “Whoa!  This is awesome!!”  I love Hiccup.  Probably because he’s sarcastic and clumsy and down to earth like……yours truly.  So, needless to say, I can relate.  Oh and the Night Fury is epic.  Also, I love the movie because Gerard Butler voices Hiccup’s father.  And we all know who Gerard Butler is……. The Phantom of the Opera.  You probably knew that was coming, though.

One last thing: my literature class is ending in two weeks.  I am extremely sad, and I think I’m the only one in the class who is sad.  What can I say?  I love writing, I love literature, and I’ve loved this class.  I’ve been doing it nearly every week for 8 months, and I’m sad to see it come to an end.  It’s been very fun acquainting myself with my classmates, and learning sides of them that I never knew they had.  I guess all good things on Earth must come to an end… I’m just not ready for it yet. :’(

You may have noticed that I wrote “all good things on Earth.”  The reason for this being that, God is good.  His glorious love never comes to an end.  He’ll never stop forgiving us.  It may seem like at times that He’s forgotten us or His comfort isn’t there, but at those times, we need to evaluate our relationship with Him, and see whether or not we’re the ones who’s truly forgotten Him.  The goodness of Heaven will never come to an end, and our loving Savior will never leave us.  Hebrews 13:5, “…I will never leave you or forsake you.”

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post!  That’s basically what’s been going on in my life…. Except that I’m going to be starting up piano lessons again sometime in the near future.  I’m both excited and slightly nervous about that, taking into consideration that I haven’t had a piano lesson since summer of 2010 – before everything with my shoulder went downhill.  However, I believe I’m ready to start up again, and it’ll be so fun to master songs and feel confident to play them!

I’ll try not to be gone too long this time, dear readers.  Also, I’d really appreciate hearing your comments!  It will probably motivate me to come back sooner….

-Tia

Um, Slightly Amazing Voice

Here’s a video of a 7-Year-Old girl singing the National Anthem.  Her voice is incredible – I wish I could sing like this!  Prepare to feel patriotic.

It’s at this point that most people would write “God Bless America.”  However, God has greatly blessed America time and time again.  By God’s grace, I say America Bless God.  It’s our time to give something back.

Enjoy!

Also, here is a video of the same girl singing Amazing Grace.  Can anyone say “talent”? haha

I have to say, I like the National Anthem one better, but this little girl is definitely blessed with an amazing voice.

-Tia

Graduation Day

Friday was really special for me.  I had my last physical therapy appointment. It was graduation day!!

After 2 years of physical therapy, pain, injections, doctor appointments, medications, pain creams, TENS units (an electronic device that’s used to help manage pain), ultrasounds, and exercises….  I’m done.

It’s been a LONG two years.  It has drastically changed my life, and my view on medicine/doctors. I’ve learned that the general view of our advanced medical knowledge is extremely far-fetched and exaggerated.  Medicine isn’t near what it’s cracked up to be.  If you have an ailment/injury, and you go to the doctor/physical therapist, there’s a high chance of hearing “I don’t know” – a lot. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this over the past 2 years.  It’s been said by orthopedic surgeons (who spend a minimum of 8 years in medical study), physical therapists, PT assistants, hospital personnel, etc.  I’ve lost count of how often I’ve heard it.

My life, in general, for the past two years has been all medical appointments. And now I’m done with it. Sure, my shoulder still hurts, and it’s still sore. There are certain things that I still can’t do. I know that my shoulder will never be the same as it was before I injured it, and there are things that I won’t be able to do again. However, it’s liveable. I can deal with it. If the pain becomes too bad, I know how to conquer it. I know what exercises to do to release some pressure. And I know Who to ask for help. My latest physical therapist is also always there to give me advice. By the way, he’s the only one who out of everyone I’ve seen who hasn’t said “I don’t know”.

I have seen so many different medical people during the past two years, that it’s unbelievable. I went into this with complete doctor-phobia. I remember feeling extremely nervous (almost to the point of throwing up) just for my first appointment with my orthopedic surgeon. Yet now I’m comfortable around doctors. Maybe it’s because I went through every procedure they could think of and had available for my injury. Physical therapy, closed MRI’s, dye injections, cortisone injections, pain patches, ultra sounds, and surgery – you name it, I went through it.

At the end of it all, I only started actually healing once I went to a Christian physical therapist. All the science and meds in the world didn’t do it. It was slow, gentle hands. Willingness to work through problems slowly and not just push through it. I came to intensely dislike the phrase, “No pain, no gain”. That is one of THE most deceitftul things I’ve ever heard. Pain is your body’s warning sign, and you can’t just push through it. You need to identify bad pain and good pain, get to the root of the problem, and work SLOWLY through it. Patience is the key – also something I’ve had to learn through this process.

In conclusion, I still don’t know why God allowed me to go through these two years of pain, depression, and fear, but I do know that He did have a reason for it, and one day I will know what it was. These two years have had a great impact on my life, and if for nothing else, I can better relate with others who are suffering.  I can’t say that my faith took leaps and bounds through this journey.  I want to; I wish I could.  But it would be a lie to say that it did.

The truth is, these past 2 years have been severe testing of my faith.  I have failed time after time again.  I’ve made huge mistakes.  I’ve gone through depressive stages.  Several times it seemed like my prayers were just bouncing off the sky.  However, I’ve come to the realization that He never left me.  He was always there for me.  And I need to remember that, even when it doesn’t seem like He’s there. God seems distant at times, but He’s always there. Always.

This graduation day was very special to me.  It has brought back a lot of memories – good and bad.  It just feels so weird not to have another appointment scheduled.  My life for the past 2 years has pretty much been medical appointments.  And now…. it’s done.  Over all, I’m pretty happy.  I feel like I’ve accomplished something of great significance – something so great that I can’t even comprehend now…and that most people probably won’t understand.  One day, I’ll look back and see it.  One day.

-Tia

By the way, my latest physical therapist’s name is David Fukumoto, and his email is: DaFuk@msn.com, in case you’re interested.  I highly recommend him.

‘An actor without a playwright is like a hole without a doughnut’

“Cops have a grudge against all that is not a doughnut.” – Dedrick D. L. Pitter

“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll.  The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist sees the hole!” – Oscar Wilde

Um, yum?

I like doughnuts. I mean, who doesn’t, right?  Well, I guess some people don’t.  But overall, doughnuts are a cherished delicacy.    ;) When it comes to regular doughnuts, I’m pretty sure that Apple Fritters are my favorite.  However, the best of the best, the most amazing, the most yummy, the most rare and sacred doughnuts are: Krispy Kreme. Oh my goodness. Krispy Kreme doughnuts just melt in your mouth and they have the most exquisite taste.

Wow. I can’t believe I just used the word “exquisite” in reference to doughnuts. I’m quite passionate, aren’t I? haha

Now, some of you may argue that Dunkin’ Donuts are the best, but I’m here to tell you – argue away.  It will never change the fact that Krispy Kreme tops Dunkin’ Donuts any day.    :D  I have some friends who would definitely argue this fact with me, so I just had to mention it. But seriously, take a plain glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut, and microwave it for 9 seconds on high.  It’s absolutely perfect, and will totally melt in your mouth. Yum!!

Anyway, doughnuts are delicious.  And thanks to Rach @ This Italian Family, I now have a recipe to make homemade doughnuts.  This recipe is super easy and super fast.  And when I say something is easy and fast, I mean it.  I personally prefer to spend a maximum of one hour in the kitchen at a time. You know, I have other things to do, people to see, and blog posts to write.  I’m happy if I can get my cooking done in under an hour.  ;) But, if it does take over an hour, I will oblige…just not as happily as if it were under an hour.  ;)

These doughnuts took about….20 minutes, max. And I’m including preparation in that.  Plus – they were super delicious!  This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I plan on making doughnuts again soon.

–

Melt in Your Mouth Doughnuts

Ingredients:

• 1 ten-count can home style biscuits (or whatever you prefer, just not flaky layers)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 stick margarine (or butter), melted
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Pour oil into skillet to the depth of a little less than 1/2 an inch and heat on medium to medium high for about five minutes. In a bowl, melt margarine. In a seperate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.

2. Using a plastic bottle cap, cut the center out of each biscuit. Drop dough into hot oil, watching carefully and turning when golden. Once doughnuts are golden on both sides, remove to paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all dough is cooked, including doughnut holes.

3. Dip both sides of each doughnut into melted margarine, then press both sides into cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

–

These are amazing doughnuts!  And seriously – they don’t taste like biscuits at all. It’s amazing.

In other news, here’s your verse of the day:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

Isn’t that refreshing?  Those of us who are in Christ Jesus are set free from sin and death. Of course, we’re still humans, and we’re still tempted with what everyone else is. However, the difference is, that as Christians, we do not have to pay the price for Eternal Life. We’re set free – saved –  from that requirement, because Jesus Christ paid it for us when He died on the cross and rose again 3 days later. There’s no way that I could possibly ever be thankful enough for what Jesus did for me. He’s awesomesauce.  

Well, have a great week!  I’m crazily busy trying to write a Literary Analysis Essay due next week for my literature class.  *insert pulling my hair out* I’ve never, ever done an essay like this one before.  However, I love writing, so it’s not that bad…I just have a lot of homework to somehow get done this week. O.o

And….I’m gonna go now. Ciao!  ;)

*title quote from George Jean Nathan

Oh when the French fries march on in! oh when the French fries march on in….

Um...delicious? Pass the ketchup, please.

I love French fries.  Next to chocolate, pork, Italian everything, Johnny Depp, Lord of the Rings, writing, (insert awkward pause)…ok, next to a LOT of things, they are the most amazing thing to grace this planet. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And I have – which is why I’m writing this post.

So remember when I wrote that we had to go down to Tucson for my uncle’s funeral? Well, we had quite the interesting time on the drive down.  See, it happened to be on a certain day when Burger King had their grand opening for a new style french fries they made.  On this special day, everyone who came in could get a small sized French Fry bag to try the new fries for free.  Sounds, great right?  :D

It was around 8:30-ish in the morning when we made our first stop.  Since there are 6 in our family, we all soon had our own hot french fries.  We were still in our hometown at that point, but soon we were on the freeway.  Little did I know how many french fries I would be asked to ingest that day.

We stopped at Camp Verde and got more French fries.  I actually hadn’t finished my previous ones yet, so I had some extra to still work on.  Driving on, a little while later, we stopped at a Burger King in Phoenix.  I was in trouble by now because I had several French fries leftover. When we reached the other side of Phoenix, we stopped for more French Fries.  At this point, my family was starting to get a little upset that I was saving my French fries instead of eating them.

We stopped at some place between Phoenix and Tucson (I can’t remember the name for the life of me), and surprisingly found more little treasures.  And, finally, we stopped in Tucson for more.  By then we were begging not to stop.

By the time we reached my aunt’s house, we were totally and completely French fried-out.  Just looking at the French fries turned our stomachs.  My mom kept telling us to look on the bright side – we’d picked up about $20 worth of French fries for free!  I know it was a great bargain…but I’m pretty sure I could’ve done without a few of those fries.

However, I have to say, my anti-French fry stomach didn’t last for long, because later that evening I found my cold fries and ate all the leftovers.  Yes, the grudge between me and French fries is gone, and I will gladly eat them for breakfast again.

Now, how to connect French fries to God? Well I guess I could write something humorous about not being a glutton, but….I’m sure you all saw that coming. Rather, I think I’ll take an unexpected turn and give you this verse to ponder:

Matthew 6:25-27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

In our day and age, it is very easy to worry. To stress. To be anxious or nervous.  But like the verse says – does it add anything to your life??  Of course not!  In fact, it’s scientifically proven that stress and worry causes health problems.  So why do we worry so much?  I think it’s because as humans, we want to be in control.  It’s in our nature.  To just give a problem up to Someone we can’t see is humanly illogical.  Yet – God’s logic is completely different than ours.  Many things that God asks us to do don’t make any sense at the moment, but in the end, it makes perfect and complete sense – and often in ways hard for us to imagine.

Did you know that the words “do not worry” are recorded in the Bible 366 times? That’s one for every day of the year – plus leap year!  Isn’t God amazing? He wants us to happy and healthy – can you imagine how much happier and healthier we’d be if we didn’t have any worries?  :) And that’s exactly how we’ll be in Heaven.

Well, I guess I’ll sign off now.  I hope this post has given you some laughs, some thoughts, and some awe for our Creator. Oh, and one more thing: yes, I am nerdy enough to make a parady out of “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In” to compliment my French Fry post.  My mom and I actually came up with words to the whole song one night when both of us were starving (and yes, the words were all food related – can anyone say “awesome”?)

Au Revoir! (Speaking of French)

In which I write about listening to amazing music…

Guess what came in the mail on Friday??

The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack!!  It’s the 2 disc special edition.  Not only does it have all the main songs from the film, but it also has a lot of dialogue included in it – it’s almost like watching the movie itself.  Just without video.  Ok, maybe it’s more like listening to an audio book.  I don’t know, I just know that I’m loving it!

I actually haven’t listened to the whole thing through yet, but I’m working on that as I’m writing this.  Ahhh this music is so amazing.  I love the full orchestra…the talented voices..etc.  One of the most amazing parts of it is that Emmy Rossum (and other talented peoples) can sing those ridiculously high notes – without going into falsetto.  Now that’s amazing.  At the end of the them song “Phantom of the Opera”, Emmy Rossum actually reaches a High E – which is like super amazingly high if you take a look at it on a piano.

The songs included in the soundtrack are:

• Madame Giry’s Tale/The Fairground
• The Swordfight
• Prologue
• Overture/Hannibal
• Think of Me
• Little Lotte/The Mirror
• Angel of Music
• The Phantom of the Opera
• The Music of the Night
• Magical Lasso
• I Remember
• Prima Donna
• Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh
• Why Have You Brought Me Here
• All I Ask of You
• All I Ask of You (reprise)
• Journey to the Cemetery
• Wishing You Were Somehow Here
• Masquerade/Why So Silent
• Wandering Child
• The Point of No Return
• Down Once More
• Learn to Be Lonely
• Don Juan
• We Have All Been Blind

Several of my favorites are the “Overture”, “The Phantom of the Opera”, “The Music of the Night”, “All I Ask of You”, “Masquerade”, and “The Point of No Return”.  I guess that’s most of the main ones…haha.  But I love all of them – especially the dialogue.  It’s overall really amazingly cool and I’m so glad I bought this CD.

What songs do you like from the Phantom of the Opera?  Well, I guess that depends if you like the Phantom.  If you don’t, what are some of your favorite songs otherwise?

In other news, at church today, the sermon was about persevering under tribulation.  It was basically talking about staying joyful in times of trial and still give God the glory.  The pastor was also saying that we shouldn’t think that our situation is a “special case” – therefore meaning we have an excuse not to rejoice.  Every situation is special, and in every single one we should still thank God for it, because eventually it will be for the better.  Still, really, who wants to rejoice when you’re under tribulation?  No one, that’s who.

However, James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

I believe this means that we should be joyful in trials because it will eventually shape our character for the better.  This is super hard to remember (especially in the moment), but nevertheless, we should all try to remember this.  It would be helpful if we pray ahead of time about letting us remain cheerful in times of trial – before we are actually in them.

And I am now going to continue listening the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack.  Later, peoples!