Life Lessons from Marshall

This post was inspired by two cute posts from PB Fingers and Carrots N Cake about life lessons they have learned from their dogs. Here is what Marshall could teach us :-)

Take time to rest.

Take time to be silly!

If you need something, don't be afraid to ask for it!

Belly rub please, Mommy!

Mommies know best.

  

 Grandparents are great!

Grandma

Grandpa

Don't take things that don't belong to you.

Take care of your things.

Friends are a real treasure and not to be taken for granted!

Marshall and Jake

Marshall and his old best friend Hazel (R.I.P.)

Madchen (pronounced May-Chin) and Marshall

Marshall and Hazel

Marshall and Court

Marshall and my grandparents' Miniature Schnauzer, Annie (best buds!)

Car rides can be fun!

What has your pet taught you?

Sorry!

I'm SO sorry for not posting since March 4th. Yikes! A lot has been going on. What has been going on since my last post, you ask?

• Had my grad school interview on March 10th. I should know my admission status relatively soon (within another week or two) and am chomping at the bit! I seriously check my email so many times a day now (they said the admission letter would come via email)!
• Suffered from insane allergies- hello allergy medications that are so strong they make you woozy and dazed!
• Drove to Sedona, Arizona on Spring Break vacation with my mom and a family friend...and of course Marshall!
• Got a 24 hour stomach virus that made me miserable for part of the vacation
• Gave my mom the stomach virus 3 days later :(
• Drove to the Grand Canyon and took some amazing pictures! (will post them next time)
• Went on a jeep tour through the mountains of beautiful Sedona
• Drove home and am back in the good ole state of TX!
• Got a pedicure- my feet look awesome now!
• Went on a couple dates with Court- I missed him so much!
• Saw Hall Pass last night- a must see!
• Had a revelation about my food choices when I was sick (I thought it was food poisoning at first, but since my mom got sick the same way I was 3 days later I guess it was a virus- sad face)- will make a whole post about that another day (or perhaps later today? depends on if I get time)

So as you can see, I have been a busy bee! I don't know how some of my favorite bloggers (see Blog Roll) make time to post TWICE a day while working full-time jobs and caring for their loved ones. I work full-time and by the time I get home from work I'm too tired to do anything except relax or maybe cook dinner! Props to you bloggers who can work full-time AND post twice a day. Perhaps if I had access to a computer at work I could make more time to post, but working with 1st graders leaves no time for computers, haha.

How has everybody's month of March been? Anything exciting going on?

The Starfish Story

I love this story! I first heard of it from my dad, who is pretty much me in the form of an older male. We have the same goal- that is always to make a positive difference in someone's life, even if it's just one person. It doesn't matter what I end up doing in life- I could be a garbage collector and would be happy as long as I made a difference in someone's life. My goal and purpose for being here has always been to help others in any way I can (at least, I feel that is my purpose for being here).

This story is just a reminder that even if you make a difference for one person, that person could possibly make a difference in someone else's life just because of what you did for them. See the cycle? This reminds me of "Pay it Forward"- do something nice for someone, then they do something nice for someone, and so on. The cycle never ends! You should never think you're doing something in vain if you're selflessly working to serve someone else's needs :-)

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adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

What are your thoughts on this story? How does it feel for you when you make a difference in someone's life? Are you always working to make someone's life better?

Mexican Lasagna

Let me preface this by saying sorry this does not have a picture. Next time I make this recipe, I'll edit this post and include a picture! But just imagine the goodness as I share this knock-out recipe.

I came up with this recipe from a daydream I had in my head. My mom, grandma, and me all cook the same- we dream up these recipes that always seem to come out well. And oh, it turned out amazing! Here's how to make the amazing-ness. I call it Mexican Lasagna because it's structured like a lasagna (sort of) but using Mexican food ingredients instead of Italian :)

Ingredients

• 1 pound 96-4 ground beef (96% lean, 4% fat)
• Cumin, cayenne, and garlic (to taste)
• 1 (7oz.) can green chiles
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (you could use Rotel too, but I didn't want it to be too salty)
• 2 regular sized cans of enchilada sauce of your choice (I used medium level because I like it kind of spicy!)
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can fat free refried beans (if you want more beans you can add another can)
• 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
• 12 corn tortillas

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Heat a nonstick skillet on about medium-high heat and add EVOO
• Brown beef and season with cayenne, cumin, and garlic
• After beef is browned, pour in the can of green chiles and half a can of enchilada sauce
• Spray nonstick cooking spray in a casserole dish and pour the other half of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish (this is like the equivalent of pouring pasta sauce on the bottom for an Italian lasagna)
• Layer approximately 6 corn tortillas on the bottom, overlapping them so that the whole bottom is covered (this is like the "noodles" if you were making a classic lasagna)
• Spread on the can of fat free refried beans all over the tortillas (this is like the ricotta mixture in a lasagna)
• Pour on beef mixture (just like you would when making a lasagna)
• Sprinkle the cup of diced tomatoes
• Layer on the other 6 tortillas
• Pour the other can of enchilada sauce over the tortillas
• Cover the top with 2 cups of cheese
• Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden
• Wait a few minutes before serving so that it sets and cools

Seriously. Make this now. Your whole family will thank you! My family loved it! When I took my leftovers to lunch, my coworkers raved about how good it made the room smell. It will only please, not disappoint! :-)
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On another note, today is my boyfriend's birthday and he is 23 years old! I can't believe it. He was just about 3 weeks short of turning 20 when we started dating and now he's 23. I was 18 when we started dating and I'll be 22 in a few months! I know the both of us are still young but it's hard to believe. Here are a couple pics of when we first started dating (literally about a week into the relationship). I knew even then, before we fell in love, that he was the one I'm meant to be with :-) I am so very fortunate to have found someone as great as him!

Awwwww, puppy love stage. We look so glowy!

The lighting in his apartment really sucked, haha. More "puppy love" glow. Awwww!

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My grad school interview is in exactly a week! I can't wait, I am itching to get it done and make a good impression to earn my spot in the program of my dreams :) My boyfriend has been talking with professors and advisors to start grad school for a M.S. in Math (I think he would start January 2012 since he graduates with his B.S. in Engineering Physics this December 2011) and he has found a way to become a graduate assistant and go to grad school for free! I am so proud of him. I'm excited for the both of us to get our Masters degrees (well, mine will be a Specialist degree- higher than a Masters and not quite as high as a PhD).

Well, it's time to get ready for bed. Goodnight!

Don't mess with Texas!

175 years ago, the men and women of Texas stood up against Mexico demanding independence. Texas became a republic in a little over two months after declaring independence from Mexico in 1836. Nine years later in 1845, Texas became the 28th state in the United States. This upset Mexico who declared war on Texas and the U.S. This led to the U.S. conquering New Mexico an California and overtaking Mexico City which led to the Mexican Cession.

Moral of the story: Don't Mess With Texas!

Happy Independence Day, Texas! God Bless The Lone Star State!

Speaks for itself, right? ;-)

March goals

I can't believe it's already March! Seems like just yesterday it was February 1st and we got some snow that would last for around 4 days. Anyway, here are some goals I would like to accomplish in March.

• Kick butt in my interview to hopefully earn my spot in grad school! (T-9 days to go)
• Make better choices with food- not always perfect choices, but at least eat healthy foods more often than unhealthy foods
• Stop overeating so often! Overeating is a big problem of mine- it almost seems comfortable to overeat, even though the too-full feeling afterward is FAR from comfortable
• Post on here more!

That's about all I have for March. If I come up with more, I will update!

What are your March goals? How did your February goals fare?