Tampa

John and I went to Tampa in early March.  He spoke at a math conference at the University of Southern Florida on Sunday (and attended the conference on Saturday).  We flew down Wednesday after work and spent a couple of nights on Siesta Key.  We were out on the beach all day on Thursday...it was beautiful!

On our way to the beach

I love the beach!

Yummy Siesta Key pink lemonade at the Sniki Tiki

John: "Do you want to go see the sunset? It's happening in five minutes."

Our clams...they were pretty good...but not my favorite!

Friday morning, after I ran 3 miles on the beach (my first outside run of the year), we ate at an adorable little breakfast place that was previously frequented by Dickie V!  Then we drove up to Tampa and spent the afternoon at Busch Gardens.  I was beyond excited to see that there was a McAlister's Deli right next to our hotel...and talked John into taking me there for dinner even though he's not a big fan.

We got to watch them feed the elephants...it was pretty entertaining.

My favorite animal, the giraffe

A real giraffe!  The safari train ride was pretty cool...almost on par with Disney's safari.

The most awesome roller coaster I've ever been on...the Cheetah Hunt.  It had three "speed bursts" and was just awesome...very smooth and not too much spinning...my kinda ride!

Mmm...McAlister's sweet tea, how I've missed you!

My usual, the McAlister's Club

Saturday I met my Uncle Mark and Aunt Trina for lunch near Orlando.  It was really good to see them again...but unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures on my camera.  Hopefully I'll get to see them again this summer...or sometime soon!

Sunday John and I went to Plant City to visit some old family friends...Mary and Tom and their daughter Jess.  Luckily, Jess and her husband Darren were home for a wedding that weekend.  It was SO good to see them and to meet Darren...I hadn't been to their house since Jess graduated from high school almost 9 years ago...and I think I'd only seen Mary and Tom once since then back home in Wisconsin.  It's really amazing to have friends like that...who you can just pick up with like you saw them the other day.  Mary fed us a delicious lunch...and we got a tour of their llamas.  I'm lucky to have such awesome friends!  (But, unfortunately, no photo evidence.)

Cooking

I've been doing a lot more cooking lately...trying quite a few new recipes thanks to Skinny Taste and Pinterest.  Here are a few of my creations...

Sweet potato fries...John wolfed these down!  These were pretty much my own creation.  I didn't want to add too much to them for the first time so I just used a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano.

A delicious pasta with spinach and cherry tomatoes...and asiago cheese!  See the recipe here.

Just some rice and beans with green peppers and onions...and Lizano salsa...yum!

I made sweet potato tacos without meat when my mom visited but wasn't sure John would like those so I tried them again with ground beef.  Delicious!  Basically, it's ground beef, onions, green peppers, sweet potatoes, and black beans...and some of that delicious Costa Rican Lizano salsa.

Skinny Green Tropical Smoothie - I made this 3 times this week (2 servings per batch) and it was delicious...until I decided to add wheat germ to it.  From now on I'll leave the wheat germ for the granola and oatmeal!

I also made Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp, Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Soup, and Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole for suppers as well as Arugula Salad with Penne, Garbanzo Beans, and Sun Dried Tomatoes for a potluck at work.

The Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp was really good but made a really big batch...I'm going to have to work on cutting that down the next time I make it because we were both a little sick of it by the time it was gone...and the shrimp only tastes good for so long.

The Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Soup was good...and a little less greasy than the recipe I usually make.  I only made it once because it got warm pretty early this spring (actually, it wasn't spring yet) though it's chilly again now.  I have a few ideas for ways to make it better.  I added vegetables to it (carrots, green peppers, celery, and onions) like my old recipe but I didn't put them in at the right time.  It will be better next time!

The Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole was absolutely delicious...even as leftovers.  It was pretty time intensive though so maybe next time I'll make a double batch so I can freeze some for the following week.  I also made shredded chicken in my crock pot which was super easy...and tasted much better than canned chicken (which I honestly didn't know existed until I saw it in a recipe a few years ago).

The salad was also good...but it made too much for my potluck and it sat out for hours so I had to throw it out.  I think it would be better in a smaller batch or for a party/holiday.

I have a few more recipes on my Pinterest recipe board to try...and I get daily updates from Skinny Taste.  I still need to work on planning ahead though...I'm hoping to come up with a bi-weekly rotation or something so that I don't have to think about ingredients every time we order Peapod or go to Mariano's.  I'll get there!

Chamberlain

Wow, I hadn't really realized that I've only posted about my job a couple of times...weird...and good too, I guess!

There have been a lot of changes at work in the last few months.  Starting in late December, Shannon took over as the manager of the Center for Academic Success, the department that I work in.  The transition was a little rough on her since she was still working her other position, teaching pathophysiology, as well...but she did it very well and we've made a lot of positive changes to the CAS.  It's really amazing how well Shannon and I get along...and how "on the same page" we are.  At the end of last semester we had an off-site team building day at the Shedd Aquarium with two of the peer tutors...it was awesome!

Jellies make particularly excellent photography subjects.

 

Shannon and I topped off the day with a trip to the Old Town Aquarium where we rescued this red lobster, since named Scooter, from it's tank with the blue lobster.  Scooter was missing his front claws, presumably snapped off by the blue lobster, so we felt he needed a new home.  He has since molted and grown...and seems to very much like being in his own tank in Shannon's office.

I know I referenced awhile back that we went to Sky High Sports, a trampoline gym, and said I would post pictures.  Here they are:

Me and Jeff, Chamberlain's registrar

Trying to coordinate it so we're all jumping at once.  Jeff is the ringleader.

The whole group

This was a Chamberlain staff/faculty event and it was so much fun!  I couldn't believe how sore I was for the next couple of days though...must have burned a lot of calories!  There are actually trampoline fitness classes at this place which I think would be lots of fun...too bad it's out in the 'burbs.

Recently, there were also changes at the President level on the Chicago campus.  Patrick, who opened the campus, finally agreed (after three offers) to take a position on the national level...and his assistant left with him.  We had their going away party last week and it was a very tearful affair...I don't think there was a dry eye in the room.  It's amazing how much the Chicago campus has grown just since I've been there...I can't imagine what it's like to build it from the beginning.  Right now we have an Interim President who is supposed to lead another campus once it opens this summer.  I like what I've seen of her so far...she's very open, knowledgeable, and gets things done.

Shannon is back to teaching pathophysiology as of Week 4 of this session (two 8 week sessions make up a semester at Chamberlain) so it's been a little crazy in the CAS lately.  She's doing a great job though!  Her birthday is this week so we had a surprise party for her at work on Monday and then a surprise dinner (she thought it was just going to be her and me but the peer tutors were all there too) on Wednesday.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures...but it was lots of fun!  Shannon's on her way to Japan now for a week-long vacation...and she certainly deserves it!

Recently someone asked me how John and I were liking our jobs and thought we were so lucky to both really enjoy our jobs.  I suppose it is pretty rare...and I'm so grateful!  I've found a really amazing group of people at Chamberlain...and hope to be a part of it in some way for a really long time!

Workouts: Weeks seven, eight, and nine!

I did pretty well in Week 7, really got back into a routine...but then fell way off in Week 8 mostly because I worked 9 hour days so I could leave work early on Friday...not the best decision for keeping up with my workouts.

Week 8 was fabulous and so far I'm doing pretty well in Week 9 too.  The nicer weather is definitely helping...as is taking public transportation to work and walking 1.76 miles/day in addition to any workouts.  I walk fast too!  (And wear my Pumas.)

I'll probably stop posting these weekly snapshots after the Crazylegs 8K on April 29th...they're getting a little boring to me...and probably to you too!

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

~John Burroughs

Workouts: Week five

I did a decent job during Week 5...but not a great job.  This was hampered a bit by visitors over the weekend...and I'm not sure what else.

I did much better in Week 6 but didn't log my workouts soon enough (we were in Florida for 4 days) to get the fancy picture emailed to me.  I did 3 workouts for 11 miles that week.

Week 7 has already been better...but I'll wait until I get my fancy picture emailed to me tomorrow before I share. :)

Workouts: Week four

Woo!  Another good week.  The miles are lower this week...but I still met my time goal thanks in large part to a work outing at Sky High Sports, a trampoline gym.  (More on that once someone shares pictures with me!)  Last week was finals week for the students at work so it was a long week for me and I missed a couple of my usual workout days...but I made up for it on the weekend!  We shall see how this week goes...no miles yet...but did a great yoga session tonight! 

Valentine's Day baking

This post is a little overdue...but I did some baking for Valentine's Day for the first time ever.  I took sugar cookies and peanut butter kisses to work just before Christmas and the students and staff loved them...and one student requested I make them again sometime...so I made Valentine's cookies.  It's a good thing I sample one at home...I didn't even get one at work!

Peanut butter cookies with Dove heart chocolates

Sugar cookies - My cousin bought me the Valentine's Day cookies cutters!

Ooh, and another batch of pumpkin granola.  So yummy!

Workouts: Week three

Last week was great for working out.  I was able to stick to the training schedule exactly.  This week is not working out so far though...I had to be at work early this morning...and again tomorrow.  But, hopefully I will be home in time to go to yoga tomorrow evening...and then I can resume the morning workouts on Wednesday.  I did get a few good stair workouts today going to all of the different classrooms to set up the final exams though! :)

Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it.  Success is shy...it won't come out while you're watching.

~Tennessee Williams

Little Women

Last Saturday we went up to Oshkosh to watch John's littlest sister, Natalie, perform in her high school musical, Little Women.  Natalie was Meg, the oldest March sister.  She did a great job...they all did!  It was really a wonderful show.  I even had tears in my eyes during the sad scenes...which surprised me.

Here are a few pictures that my mother-in-law sent me...I'm not sure if they're hers or courtesy of the Oshkosh Northwestern. 

Marmee, Meg (Natalie), Amy, and Beth

Mr. John Brooke and Meg (Natalie)

Marmee, Jo, Meg, and Beth

Mr. John Brooke proposing to Meg (Natalie)

Natalie's spot in the program...so cute!

Winter in Chicago

We've had a very mild winter so far this year.  We've only had three significant snowfalls...the first of which I missed.  The storm on January 20th left us with at least 6 inches of snow...and it all melted two days later.  We got a few more inches last Friday but that was gone in just a couple of days as well.  I was kind of hoping for another Snowmageddon this year...but it's not looking like that's going to happen.  I can't really complain...the unseasonably warm temperatures and abnormal number of sunny days certainly have been nice!

On my way to the bus stop during my first snowstorm in Chicago...so glad I decided to take public transportation that day!  1.20.12

Lots of snow!

John and I in the snow

Michigan Ave looked so pretty with the snow!

Brr!  1.21.12

A beautiful, sunny winter day - 1.27.12

Luminous Field at the bean...on another snowy Friday. - 2.10.12

A gorgeous winter evening - 2.12.12

A beautiful winter sunrise - 2.13.12

Alternate reality

A couple of weeks ago Grey's Anatomy did an alternate reality episode.  Most of the characters were still surgeons...but some of the relationships, etc. were very different.  It was an interesting episode...but it didn't feel quite right.  I didn't consciously think of my own alternate reality...but I did dream about it a night or two after watching the show.  It was very interesting.

It's amazing to me how many decisions I've made (and how many things have just happened) for me to get to where I am today.  While I'm sure I would be happy in other situations, I can't imagine being any happier than I am right now.  Life is good!

Workouts: Week two!

 

I didn't do quite as well as the first week...but I blame that on being out of town for the weekend.  I guess I could have tried to work out while out-of-town...but I figured I'd be OK missing that last workout.  :)

To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.

~Edward R. Murrow

Workouts: Not a routine, exactly...not yet!

Last week I worked out every day but Friday (the rest day on my 8K training program).  I got up early to work out before work Monday through Thursday.  I'm not gonna lie...it wasn't easy.  In fact, on Thursday I really had to talk myself in to getting up that extra 35 minutes early to get my butt down to the gym and run 2 miles.  But, I reminded myself how good I felt all week...and that got me up!  I did a little extra above the training plan on Saturday and Sunday so I could make sure I got in my doctor's recommendation of 3 hours of cardio.

This was a good motivator in my inbox this morning.  It spoke to me...keep it up this week!  We're going to be out of town this weekend so I probably won't work out on Saturday or Sunday (though maybe we'll get home early enough so I can).  This week, I'll be content with working out Monday through Thursday (and Friday if I don't have to go in early to make up for leaving early).