Why in the world would Lou Admundson think he could prank Shaq Diesel and get away with it?!?!  The man is a beast.  He’s one of the greatest prank artists in professional sports, and he will get revenge.

Lou’s prank

Shaq’s revenge

Lou’s Hair

Lou’s Eyebrow

Lauren and I love quirky, cute independent films. At least 50% of the time we find ourselves watching some indy flick late at night, we are greatly disappointed. However, Sunshine Cleaning was everything we hoped it would be and more. I knew very little about the plot going into the movie except for the fact that I love Amy Adams and Alan Arkin, and I’d hate to spoil your movie going experience. So I’ll just say prepare for raw shrimp, tons of blood, and two amazing sisters. If you have the chance, go see it! It’s worth the $8 to walk out of a theater after watching an indy flick feeling good.

This is one of my favorite student workers. I have no idea what she was doing or thinking (it sounds like Beyonce’s Halo in the background), but whatever you do today watch this video from 1:45-2:00. It’ll make your day.

Yesterday was my first Easter that I didn’t spend with at least one member of my family. In order to make my own traditions and keep from being too homesick, I decided to make one of my favorite non-traditional comfort foods. It’s simple and easy, and the best part is the leftovers.
Curried Chicken with Veggies

* Mild Curry Paste
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch cubes
* Bag of frozen green beans
* Bag of frozen crinkle-cut carrots
* 1 can of coconut milk
* 2 Tb vegetable oil
* 2 Tb fish sauce
* 2 cups of jasmine rice

Begin by rinsing rice in cool water until water is runs clear through rice.  Cook rice  according to package or following these instructions.  Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and add chicken to 1 Tb of hot oil in wok or large skill.  Cook chicken completely.  At the same time reheat vegetables in an additional pot until veggies are cooked through.  Combine veggies into chicken and add fish sauce, coconut milk, and curry to taste.  (I usually add 1/3 to 1/2 of jar.)  Cook for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and coated chicken and veggies.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

I give you … The Peep Show.

How sad is it Britney will make millions this year… and this women won’t.

I love working with college kids, but they have the most germ-ridden people on the planet.  I know it comes from shoving hundreds of them into a dorm, reducing their sleep, increasing their stress, and introducing various pathogens into the mix.  Yet despite the gallon sized hand sanitizer we keep in the office, they’ve gotten me sick twice this semester.  No matter how I try to avoid the sickies or ones recently out of quarantine within two to three days I’m just as sick as they were. Pretty soon I’m going to build a bubble around my desk Jake-Gyllenhaal style. That’ll show them.

I’m not sure if it’s genetics, stress, that one time when I rolled a pickup truck and was hit in the back of the head with the car jack, hormones, or that men’s discus that hit me in the head during practice one day in high school, but for the last 5-6 years I get a migraine every other month or so. It’s taken quite a while to pinpoint what triggers them and how to get them under control before I’m stuck in bed for 25-30 straight hours.  Just in case you find yourself in similar circumstances,  I thought I’d share a few tricks with you.

1) Sleep… sleep… sleep… sleep – If sleep is not an option, head to step #2.

2) Excedrin Migraine – Never before has there been in OTC drug that is as phenomenal as this one. Acetaminophen, aspirin AND caffeine in a gel coated gift from above.

3) Water – Most days I try to drink at least a gallon to gallon and a half of water, but when my head feels like it might explode, water is a necessity to survival.

4) White noise- Back in college Sarah introduced me to David Miles Huber’s Ocean Voyages.  Since that time, every iPod I’ve ever owned always has this soothing 2 track album on it.  Whether I’m at home or work, I pop my headphones in and let the ocean sounds soothe my brain.

5) Darkness – Curtains and sunglasses are my best friend when the light is too much to handle.  Sure, I might be made fun of, but I’d rather wear sunglasses inside than be puking in my work trashcan.  It’s a simple choice, really.

I’m not sure why or what caused it. But from the moment I woke up until my head finally crashed onto the pillow, I didn’t feel like I mattered. It’s might be cliche, but it was such a “Something’s Missing” day. There was no reason to feel forgotten. I have a family who loves me, some of the greatest friends a girl could ask for and a wonderful boyfriend. But sometimes there is a short circuit between your brain and your heart. No matter how logical and sensible your brain is, when your heart hurts… your heart hurts. And no amount of reassurance and verbalization of your acceptance and belonging in this life can heal the self-perpetuated heartache known as insignificance.

These are the days where you pray for rain and a day off from civilization. Instead, it was a normal work day. A day where I had to interface with all of the usual people while wondering if I meant something to them. It’s morbid, I know. But who hasn’t wondered how people would react if you weren’t around. Now don’t get me wrong I wasn’t pondering jumping off a cliff. I’m just being overly dramatic…typical.

So here’s to hoping tomorrow will be better. That once again my brain and heart will talk to each other and leave the rest of me out of their battles.

After my mom served this cake for Zac’s birthday bbq, Cory decided he wanted it for his bday. I’ll warn you now… the icing is difficult to get on the cake (because it’s a tadbit runny and tastes so good you wanna just eat it out of the bowl).

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) 2 layer cake
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2cup vegetable oil
1/4cup water
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Garnish: sliced fresh strawberries
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 round 9-inch cake pans.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 4 cups
1/4cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream sheese,m softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners’ sugar
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.
Note: For pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.

Since it has been almost seven weeks since I had had a spare moment to kidnap my favorite munchkins and take them out for an afternoon on the town, Cory and I headed over to the King household this afternoon after church and grabbed the girls to go see Monsters VS. Aliens for J’s birthday. I should have known that every experience with them has some amount of drama, but today took the cake. From the start the middle munchkin had her nose out of joint and refused to smile or even look at Cory. (She’s quite the jealous 4-year old.) Instead she stopped singing and just scowled at him, every time he turned to look at her in the car.

Once we got to the theatre, she decided to turn her wrath on me because her dad and I had decided they didn’t need popcorn. It took everything within me to not laugh at her when she told me, “I’m so mad at you that I can’t even look at you right now.” Wonder where she’s heard that? But once the movie began, she quickly forget her anger and crawled up in my lap. After this minor, popcorn-free meltdown in the movie theatre, I thought we had survived the worst until I found our lil miss thing was ordering Cory to ‘go home’ every time I wasn’t within earshot. Apparently, when I’m not in the room, she’s the boss. Let’s just say her mom and dad were not thrilled with her treatment of C, but by the end of the evening, she had decided to like Cory again and all was right in the world. Just in case you’ve wondered how mean a 4 year-old could possibly be… I’m including a photo of the look she was giving Cory. She’s quite a stinker.

Two Christmas ago, one of my favorite gifts was a year round quilt that my mom had mad for me. The quilt is one of the coolest I have ever seen especially for an apartment because there are twelve smaller quilts that can be hung in the frame of the large quilt depending on the season. So far I have seven of the smaller quilts and as mom finishes each one it becomes my new favorite. Today, she sent me a pix message sneak peak of my newest spring quilt. I can’t wait to get it! Don’t you love the hot pink rain boots?!?!

He may not be my favorite, but I can’t stop listening to this version of one of the best songs ever written.

Sunday on the way home from Cory’s mom’s house, we stopped my my favorite Phoenix family’s place to meet the newest addition to their precious family, Bella.  The thing I love most about this family is how comfortable you feel as soon as you walk in the front door and how much like family they feel like to me.  M and A (the parents) have three beautiful munchkins that are more than a handful, especially the middle munchkin Mad.  This lil girl is one of the most adorable toddlers I have ever met, but don’t let her curls fool ya.  She’s the big girl in charge of this family (a place I understand).  You never can tell if she’s gonna cuddle with you or throw a football off of her brother’s forehead.  She’s a perfect combination of mom and dad, and I can’t help but adore her.   Without realizing it our hour visit had stretched into a over four hours, and it was time to head home.  We said goodbye and promised to see each other soon… a promise I plan on keeping.

Meet my new best friend, Lucy the Labradoodle. Lucy and I met and fell in love this past weekend when Cory and I headed to the valley to spend time with his mom and sister and celebrate his birthday. I had heard horror stories of Miss Lucy, but who couldn’t love a sweetheart like that?!? During our weekend we found time to relax, played (and was destroyed in my case) the family favorite card game Down You Go, watched the newest Bond movie, and just enjoyed each other’s company.  Plus, his mom made the most amazing birthday cake with this mocha coolwhip and toffee pieces frosting.  Can you say Ahhh-Mazzz-Ing!  Birthdays are meant to be spent with those you love, and it was great to spend his with his family.  From the first hello until we said goodbye, we had a phenomenal weekend and it was hard to say goodbye, especially to my doggie bff. But we’ll definitely play catch again soon.