Dinner Sunday night

Zack went and played ultimate Frisbee today and I knew that he would be hungry when he got home...I also knew that it was unlikely that I would have time to make dinner between work and small group on Monday. So, I decided to make a good dinner for Zack and I tonight so that we would have leftovers for tomorrow. I made Teriyaki pinapple pork chops....well, I should say that I prepared/marinated them and Zack grilled them. They had really good flavor, a good mix of sweet and savory. We paired them with baked potatoes and green beans. Zack loves Pineapple and so, when I found this recipe, I knew that it would probably be something that he would like, and he did! :) We will have to try this one again sometime.

remembering Martha...

This weekend is Mountain Day, which is a big alumni weekend at Zack and I's Alma mater, Berry College. We try to go back to Berry every year at this time...hoping to catch up with old friends and spend time reminiscing and reliving some of our old college experiences.


This year, Mountain Day ended up being a little bit disappointing for me. I LOVE the talent show on Friday night. It has always been one of my favorite things about Mountain Day. I had been pestering Zack all week about it and about getting tickets for it. He had called about tickets and was told that they would go on sale an hour before the first show...so, when he showed up there at 15 minutes before that, we thought that there would still be at least 2 tickets left...WRONG! They had apparently been selling tickets earlier in the week/day and Zack had somehow gotten miss information...needless to say, I was BUMMED!


The other thing about Mountain Day that was kinda disappointing was that not many of our friends were able to come this year. So, while we saw a lot of people that we recognized, we only saw a few of our college friends. This was a little surprising to us since this year was Zack's 5 year college reunion.


We did still have a great time experiencing the traditions of Mountain Day and seeing the few of our friends that were there this year.

Thursday night dinner at the puddle

I have been trying to make myself continue to try new recipes despite the new demands on my time...It was one of my goals for the year to try at least 52 (1 new recipe a week) this year. I would hate to mess it up so close to the end of the year. So, tonight, when Zack got home, I had him grill up a pork tenderloin so that we could try out a recipe for Chipotle BBQ Pork Sandwiches.

Zack really liked these sandwiches and he thought that they tasted like his favorite BBQ sandwich at our favorite local BBQ place. I thought that they were really good, but SPICY!! :) We paired them with some leftover sweet potatoes and added some corn. Hopefully as a I get more comfortable at work I will feel like I have more time to do things around the house, like cooking, sewing, and keeping it clean.

I've been called out!!

Last week, while at work, I went into a patient's room to examine them before going back in to see them with Dr. D. I came out and told Dr. D about the patient and said..."well, you really should go in and check behind me because we both know that I'm not very good at hearing that yet." Dr. D. looked at me and said, "where's your confidence today Paula?! It is down here and it needs to be up here!" (she scribbled little lines to emphasize her point...yeah, point taken!)

It's not a new thing for me really...lack of confidence. It's something that I have struggled with pretty much my whole life....I am my own worst critic. I get in trouble for this a lot with Zack and he will frequently call me out on it and say things like, "quit beating up my wife!!"

It is a little crazy...I have had the appropriate training, I made good grades throughout school, I passed the certification exam...yet, despite all of these things that should bring me confidence, I tell myself that I am lacking in some way or another...

I'm not really sure what it is that causes me to be like that...perhaps its genetics...perhaps it is from my brother teasing me when we were younger (like pretty much all brothers do)....or more likely it is out of fear...fear of failure...fear of doing something wrong, fear that I don't know enough, or fear of disappointing someone. Whatever the cause is, I hate that I am that way, and I admire those people who can charge into new situations with confidence, seemingly unaffected by self doubt.

I generally gain confidence little by little as I get more comfortable with what I am doing. I am hoping that that is the case with my current situation...as I acclimate to my surroundings, hopefully I will gain the confidence that I need.

I saw patients on my own today...it was uncomfortable, I often felt unsure of myself, but I made it through...and hopefully, tomorrow will be a little more comfortable...and I will have a little more confidence....baby steps.

I guess in some ways I could look at my lack of confidence as a lack of faith... I should be more like Abraham as he was described in Romans,

“He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.”

Didn't God promise that He would never leave or forsake me? That he had plans to prosper me and not to harm me? That He would equip me to do what He had called me to do?

If I really believed that wouldn't I approach life with a whole new outlook, with a confidence that comes from knowing that He that is in me is capable and reliable?...oh ye of little faith!

Please be praying for me as I continue to struggle to give this part of my life to Christ and as I learn to rely on His strength and wisdom instead of my own!!!

H1N1...the craze continues

I have seen this little video a couple of times in the last week, and I thought that ya'll might enjoy it. The CDC did a competition asking people to send in videos to spread awareness about H1N1 and this was the winning video...I thought that it was kinda cute.

Tuesday night dinner

I have been going to different orientations the last two days and have not had a chance between that and spending some time at work each day to make dinner. Tonight, Zack was at a conference and did not get home until late...but I had some chicken in the refrigerator that I needed to use. So, I made a big dinner for myself tonight. We have leftovers for a couple of days now. I made 2 new recipes, Chicken with Rosemary Butter Sauce and Peachy Sweet Potatoes. Both recipes turned out well. Although, I think that the potatoes would have been better if I had used a little more sugar. We will see what Zack thinks when he tries them tomorrow for dinner. The meal ended up being a little monochromatic, but Skye, who stopped by while I was eating, said that it was very "fall-ish"....so, I guess that that makes up for lack of color somehow! :)

Dinner for Gina and Brandon!

Sunday night, Zack and I got to bring food to our friends Brandon and Gina who just had a baby girl. We were really excited to get to meet little AC for the first time. We brought them what has kinda become my standard. I made a pork tenderloin, 4 cheese mac and cheese, Italian roasted potatoes, potato soup, tossed salad, and a strawberry apple pie. I felt a little nervous, because some of our friends had been talking up the meals that we had brought them!! It's always a little scary when someone has expectations of you...hopefully our meal did not disappoint! AC was beautiful and Momma and Daddy seemed to be adjusting pretty well to life as parents!