If you were given the opportunity to choose to be any object, what would you be and why?

While cleaning my office at work, I came across this little gem. It is my college admissions essay, which means it was written most likely in 2001, probably right around this time...ten years ago. Wow. I hope you enjoy it even half as much as I do! Personally, I think 17-year-old me might have been onto something :)

Question: If you were given the opportunity to choose to be any object, what would you be and why?

If I could chose to be an object, I would be a camera. As a camera, I would photograph the items and events that occur in life. Some situations that are photographed can never be experienced again, but as a camera, I would be able to capture that moment on film and immortalize it. People would use me for my ability to take pictures they would cherish for years to come. I would contribute to the happiness of the people who love my photographs.

If I were a camera, I would travel the world and explore the wonders of earth. I would be responsible for creating the memories that allow people to remember the places they visit. On my journey, I could be in the United States one day and end up thousands of miles away overnight. I could visit all of the places that I can only dream about in reality, such as the Roman remains in Italy, or the wildlife of the African Steppes.

As a camera, I would use my flash to brighten the gloomiest situation; it would illuminate even the darkest room with a split second of light. The light would give people a reason to smile, even if it were just for a few seconds. My flash would be a spark of energy in the lives of other people. The flash symbolizes the brilliance and luster that I would be to the lives of people that I meet.

I would use my zoom lens to keep life in perspective. The lens would allow me to focus on the big issues in life and give more concentration to situations and problems that need serious consideration. At the same time, my lens would let me relax on smaller conflicts in life and keep less important obstacles at a distance. This depth perception would let me maintain balance and control in my life.

Also, the lens would grow with me. Just as professional photographers add lenses to their cameras, earning my lenses would be a growth process. In my early expedition as a camera, I would have a tiny lens that would not notice small details. As I age as a camera I would add more lenses that would observe the missed fine points from the earlier years.

Although people enjoy and admire cameras, the actual picture a camera takes deserves the credit for captivating people's minds and imaginations As a camera, I would sit back and watch people find pleasure in the photographic memories I had helped them create. I would be able to be modest, yet have personal satisfaction knowing that I made the photographs; however, people would not have to give me any thanks at all which would be just fine. I would let a different object enjoy the praise and admiration.

Another reason I would be a camera is because I would be a part of journalism. Journalism is what I really enjoy doing. It's a major part of of my life and being a camera would allow me to be involved in journalistic activities on a daily basis. I would get a first-hand look into the action at athletic events and world-wide events. My pictures would be published in major sports magazines or on the covers of weekly magazines. The photographs would be able to tell the stories by themselves and would evoke so much passion and emotion in people that the people who see my photographs would want to see more.

The idea of being a camera is intriguing and I would better the loves of others by capturing the emotions and memories that they experience. My life would be incredible. It would be full of the experiences I can only dream about, from meeting famous people to capturing the emotions of the roller-coaster ride of life.

And besides, if I ever needed a break from being a camera, I could stay in the camera bag. I would keep my lens cap on and think about everything I have experienced in my life, as a camera.

Week Two Recipes!

Week two is underway and I’m going to try and be better about documenting my recipes as I go, but we’ll see what happens. This is the week where Peter will be home for dinners, so I get to experiment a little more.

Sunday was a lot of fun! I didn’t make a big batch of meals for the week, but instead made some meals and snacks for the day.

It’s football season, and who doesn’t like chips and wings? Well, to satisfy those cravings, I made kale chips and baked chicken wings – YUM! The wings may just be one of the most restaurant-tasting, delightful foods I’ve made. Also, who doesn’t like fries? For dinner, I made sautéed kale and cumin-garlic-parmesan fries. I wanted to be adventurous and it paid off! What didn’t work out so well? My flourless, semi-awkward peanut butter cookies. Peter said he liked them; I thought they needed some improvement but this was a recipe I made up so that was kind of fun.

I apologize in advance for my lack of proper measurements…

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips

· Bunch of fresh kale – I used about half of the bunch and used the other half later

· Sea salt, to taste

· 1 tbsp vinegar

Directions:

· Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

· Tear kale from the ‘rib’ of the stalk; wash and pat dry

· Place kale on a pan lined with aluminum foil

· Spray kale with non-stick spray (Note: You can also drizzle with olive oil. I don’t have an olive oil mister which I think would make using olive oil in this case easier.)

· Sprinkle with sea salt

· Using a brush, drizzle with vinegar

· Bake approximately 10 to 15 minutes until kale looks wilted and crunchy (Note: The vinegar will make the kale a little soggy though it tastes delicious!)

Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

· From bag of chicken wings, I used 8 for the spicy wings but you can use more; bag yielded 20 wings

· Salt and pepper, to taste

· About ¼ cup of hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)

Directions:

· Preheat oven to 425 degrees

· Rinse wings in cold water

· Lay on paper towels and pat dry

· Season with salt and pepper

· Place wings in a large bag

· Pour hot sauce in bag

· Marinate in fridge for 2 hours

· Bake for 25 minutes, flip, bake another 10 minutes

· Broil for 5 minutes on high

Parmesan-Garlic Baked Chicken Wings (adapted from Steamy Kitchen)

· I used about 12 chicken wings from the bag that I purchased

· 3 tsp dried oregano

· 3 tsp fresh rosemary

· 1 ½ tsp cumin

· 3 tsp kosher salt

· 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

· ½ tsp season all

**Note: The recipe called for 1 tsp oregano, rosemary, cumin, salt but I used a lot of seasoning as a rub for the chicken which I think made them extra yummy.**

Directions:

· Preheat oven to 425 degrees

· Mix rosemary, cumin, oregano and salt

· Rinse chicken wings in cold water. Lay on power towel and pat dry

· Rub rosemary, cumin, oregano and salt mix on both sides of the chicken

· Bake on foil-lined cookie sheet for 25 minutes, turn wings over and bake for another 10 minutes

· Broil on high for 5 minutes

· Mix oil, garlic, season all and parmesan cheese

· Place cooked wings in a large baggie

· Pour in oil, garlic, season all and parmesan cheese mixture

· Toss to coat

**Note: The wings called for a Dijon mustard/blue cheese dip using 1 cup of blue cheese dressing with 1 to 2 tsp of Dijon mustard. I may try this next time, though the wings are absolutely delicious on their own!**

Sautéed Kale

· ¼ cup onions, diced

· 1 large garlic clove

· ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

· I can’t believe it’s not butter spray

· 1 tbsp vinegar

· ½ bunch of kale

· 1/3 cup of water

· Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

· Tear kale from rib, rinse

· Cook onion and garlic in a pan

· Add kale to onion and garlic

· Add water and vinegar

· Cook on medium-high for approximately 7 to 9 minutes until soft

Cumin-Garlic-Parmesan Butternut Squash

· 1 – butternut squash

· 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

· Kosher salt, to taste

· Cumin, to taste

· Garlic powder, to taste

· Approximately ¼ cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

· Cut off top of butternut squash and cut off round bottom

· Using the long, lengthy part of squash, peel the squash

· Cut into ‘fry’ strips

· Place strips in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil

· Season, to taste, with cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt and parmesan cheese (I’d say I probably used about ½ to 1 tablespoon of cumin, garlic powder and kosher salt?)

· Toss butternut squash fries with tongs and cover with aluminum foil

· Refrigerate for approximately one hour

· Preheat oven to 400 degrees

· Bake for 15 minutes, flip, bake another 10 minutes

· Broil on high for 5 minutes

**Note: YUM. Will make sautéed kale and fancy butternut squash fries again asap. Sometimes my experiments work out well.**

And for the experiment that didn’t turn out so well…

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

· 1 cup peanut butter (I happened to have ‘crunchy’ on hand)

· 1/8 tsp baking powder

· 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

· 1/8 tsp nutmeg

· 1/8 tsp cinnamon

· ½ tbsp cocoa powder

· 1 tbsp Splenda brown sugar

· ¼ cup Splenda granulated sugar

· ¼ cup egg substitute

· Pinch of salt

Directions:

· Preheat oven to 350 degrees

· Mix all ingredients together

· Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil

· Roll into approximately 16 peanut butter cookie balls

· Bake for 10 minutes

I’m not sure if it was the baking powder, the cocoa or what, but these just didn’t make me happy. I tried these again with just creamy peanut butter, Splenda, egg and baking powder and liked them MUCH more than the first batch. Also? If you let them sit for 10-15 minutes they taste better.

On the menu for the rest of the week? Brown sugar salmon, parmesan asparagus, spaghetti bake with tofu noodles, meat loaf, South Beach Diet mashed ‘potatoes’ aka cauliflower and meat pizza! Stay tuned for more recipes!

Weight loss rewards? Yes, please!

Weight Loss Rewards

Pounds need to lose and Reward

10 pounds: Birthday dinner

15 pounds: Eyebrow waxing

20 pounds: Buy a jewelry accessory

25 pounds: Take a bubble bath

30 pounds: Can use wine Groupon

35 pounds: Clinique Make-up

40 pounds: Buy new work pants

45 pounds: Buy new work top

50 pounds: Buy new jeans

55 pounds: Buy a cute dress

60 pounds: Manicure/Pedicure

65 pounds: Buy new, cute shoes

70 pounds/goal: $200 shopping spree

Workout Rewards

Exercise 3x wk/4 wks: 10 songs on iTunes

Run 1 mile: New running socks

Run 2 miles: New sports bra

Run 5k (3.1mi): New exercise top

I’m quite the bargain shopper, so once I reach my goal weight, I will need to be creative in finding new articles of clothing to replace my wardrobe. I’ve started a “weight loss rewards” envelope and each week, I hope to put in a few dollars to fund my rewards along the way.

My birthday is in a few weeks, so I want to have lost 10 pounds before being able to go out with Peter and enjoy my birthday dinner. Also, ‘can use wine Groupon’ references this awesome Groupon I bought that allows me to get $40 worth of wine at a local vineyard. I paid $13 for it, so that is a great deal! It will also make for a lovely wine tasting date, so I’m very excited to get to that 30-pounds lost mark. At 35 pounds lost, I will be halfway to my goal and either at or just about at the under-200 pounds mark so I figured that called for a mini-makeover for new make-up. This process isn’t just about losing weight; it’s about feeling better and being happy with myself and my appearance.

Week One Recipes

Week one went really, really well! I was surprised, but more on that later.

This past week was one of the weeks where Peter has to eat both lunch and dinner at work due to his schedule, so my plan for us was to have salads most days for lunch and then a chili or stew for dinner. Also, I wanted to try making a tomato-basil-mozzarella salad as a tasty snack.

For the salads, we made variations of the Greek salad.

For the chili, I made my slow-cooker turkey chili and for a stew, I made a variation of a Betty Crocker slow-cooker jambalaya.

Side note (1): Notice a theme? I LOVE my crockpot!

Side note (2): Jambalaya is an oddly spelled word. It sounds like it should be JUMB-a-laya.

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

· Family pack of ground turkey meat (approx. 3 pounds)

· 2 - 28oz cans of diced tomatoes

· 1 - 8oz can of tomato pastes

· 2 cans of light kidney beans, drained and rinsed

· ½ an onion

· 2 to 3 cloves of garlic

· ¼ cup of chicken broth

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 1 ½ cup of water

· 1 tbsp chili powder

Directions:

· Brown turkey meat using onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and ¼ cup of chicken broth

· In crock pot, mix turkey mixture with tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans and chili powder

· Cook on low for 4-5 hours

I like to top with cheese and sour cream. Yum!

Slow-Cooker Jambalaya (adapted from Betty Crocker)

· From a two pack, use 1 cooked turkey sausage

· ½ a green pepper, diced

· ½ an onion, diced

· 2 celery stalks, diced

· 1 – 28oz can of diced tomatoes

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 1 to 2 garlic cloves

· 1 to 2 tbsp hot sauce

· ¾ pound shrimp, peeled and seasoned with Old Bay

Directions:

· In crock pot, place turkey sausage, green pepper, onion, celery, tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, hot sauce and can of tomatoes

· Cook 2 to 3 hours

· Add shrimp approximately an hour before jambalaya is finished cooking

· Continue cooking until shrimp is pink

Tomato-Mozzarella-Basil Salad

· 6 Roma tomatoes, diced

· 1 container of basil, chopped

· 1 container of mozzarella balls

· 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

· Mix all ingredients, enjoy!

Remembering September 11, 2011 - 10 Years Later

I don’t remember the tiny details. I don’t remember what I was wearing nor do I remember the weather that day, but I do remember walking to newspaper class (Gavel) where I was editor.

I remember walking with a classmate in the hallway, asking each other, “did you hear what happened?”

I remember my first thought being, “oh wow, that’s so awful about the plan crash! I wonder if the plan malfunctioned or if the weather was bad in New York?” A terrorist attack didn’t even cross my mind, until a few minutes later when the second tower was hit and the media began stating that this was an attack on America.

Side note: Sadly, when we had the earthquake a couple weeks ago, my first thought was a terror attack. Sad how different our mindset has changed in ten years.

As we were watching the footage, we watched in horror as the towers fell. I remember thinking, “did we REALLY just watch that happen?”

While my heart was breaking for New York, the events really hit home when we started hearing that the Pentagon was hit. In high school, it was a running joke that we had friends who had parents who worked for the government but that their families didn’t know what their job actually entailed because they weren’t allowed to tell anyone what they really did. I was worried about my classmates – were their moms and dads safe?

Then I started wondering if we should be concerned in Winchester. We were about 80 miles outside of DC; had a bomb or something with wide-spread destruction hit DC, we certainly would have felt the effects.

As we are reflecting on what that day meant 10 years ago, I am humbled by the stories of all of the victims and first responders. I am also in awe of the passengers of Flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

To think that those people – “ordinary, everyday” men and women – took it upon themselves to sacrifice their lives and safety to keep as many people as they could safe? That’s truly the American spirit. Thinking of our fellow citizens before thinking of ourselves? That’s heroic, beautiful and something that I will never forget.

To those who serve an exemplify that kind of selfless-ness daily – either as a firefighter, police officer, a member of the military both civilian and especially those on the front line – I don’t think thank you is adequate, but they are the only words that I have: Thank you. To think that there are those who risk their safety and their lives every single day for the freedom and well-being of their country men and women fills my heart with so much gratitude and pride.

To those who serve that I personally know, I am thankful to know such amazing men and women. Our country is better simply because you are willing to make sacrifices that many of us can’t even fathom.

To those who are hurting today, it’s ok to hurt. It’s ok to cry. To make sure those deaths are not in vain and to ensure that evil does not prevail, it’s important to reflect and remember. It does not show weakness; it shows resolve and compassion. It’s important to remember those feelings – good, bad, sad, happy – so that we can grasp the extent of the event.

Remember what’s important. Remember to be thankful. Remember to say I love you. Good can only defeat evil when love fills our hearts. Don’t wait for another tragedy to come before you start living your life.