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Elaine’s Fruit Salad (and Toaster Waffles, YUM!)

Emi — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 05:42:19 +0000

Originally Posted on Foodies Unite December 28, 2009 by Emi

OK, so I know Fruit & Jello salads are maybe best left in the past, but like all things there are always exceptions. This salad doesn’t require a mold or any weird combination of fruits and shredded vegetables, so go on give it a try, hey you might just try it on the kids too!

Pineapple Cranberry Salad

Originally published by my Mom Elaine in Edible Gems: Recipes from the Treasure Valley

1 (20 oz) Can Crushed Pineapple in juice undrained

2 pkg. (4 serving size) Raspberry Jello

1 (16 oz) Can Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1 Medium Apple, cored and chopped

Seeds from 1 Pomegranate

2/3 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough water to pineapple juice to measure 3 cups; pour into large saucepan. Bring to boil; remove from heat. Add Jello; stir at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce; stir until well blended. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours or until partially set. Stir in pineapple, apple, pomegranate, and walnuts. Pour into serving bowl. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Makes 14 servings.

Try this instead of plain cranberry relish with your next chicken or turkey dinner, any leftovers are excellent on top of whole wheat toaster waffles spread with cream cheese! Bet your kiddos will finally eat their fruits!

Filed under: Foodies Unite Tagged: confortfood, dessert, favorite, foodie, fruit, how-to, momsrecipes, oppings, salad, simple

My Mother Has Supernatural Pastry Abilities :)

Emi — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:43:53 +0000

Originally Posted on Foodies Unite December 23, 2009 by Emi

So, here I am in Middleton (Boise) Idaho, visiting my Mom for Christmas. After a lengthy discussion of her supernatural pie crust making abilities – no really, they’re legendary – we got on the topic of brunch, so of course being the Foodie nut I am, I immediately suggest going to Stumble Upon to find a great pastry recipe. This awesome post care of the BrokeAss Gourmet (ummmm, possibly the best name ever??) was what we found!

We, of course modified it a bit to include goodies from her summer garden, but I’ve included the original here, unmolested, for you to enjoy!

BREAKFAST EMPANADAS WITH BACON AND SWEET POTATO

Prep Time 0:30

Cook Time 0:15

These crisp little pockets of deliciousness are the perfect brunch item (though I like them for lunch and dinner as well). Filled with savory bacon, soft scrambled eggs and sweet potatoes, they’re an easy crowd-pleaser. In a pinch, make them with store-bought pie dough.

Note: this is a great recipe with which to switch up the ingredients. These can easily be made vegetarian. They would also be equally delicious with chorizo and red potatoes in place of the bacon and sweet potatoes.

Ingredients
2 cups flour plus more for dusting and rolling Pantry
1 tsp salt Pantry
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces $1 for a stick
4 eggs, beaten, plus 2 eggs, lightly beaten, divided (for dough and egg wash) $1.50 for 6 eggs
1/4 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar $1.50 for 12 oz.
3 slices thick-cut bacon $1
2 cups spinach leaves $1
1 small onion, diced $0.50
1 small sweet potato, scrubbed and diced $0.50
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese $3 for 12 oz.
salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $10

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine flour, salt, butter, vinegar and 1 lightly-beaten egg in a food processor or in a bowl, using 2 forks to mash, until the mixture resembles small peas. Slowly stream in ice water (you may not need it all), just until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a floured surface.

Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough out into a large circle, about 1/4” thick. Use small bowls or large cups to cut 5 or 6” circles out of the dough. Place on wax or parchment paper until ready to use. You should have 6-8 circles.

Heat a large ungreased frying pan over high heat. Cook bacon for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until quite crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Lower the heat to medium-high and cook the sweet potatoes and onions for 4-5 minutes, or until sweet potatoes begin to soften. Add spinach and 4 beaten eggs. Cook until eggs are set, stirring frequently. Crumble cooked bacon over mixture and stir in cheddar cheese. Scrape mixture into a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Once mixture has cooled, scoop 3-4 tbsp mixture onto each dough circle, and fold over, pinching to seal. Gently press a fork along the seam to create ridges along the edges.

Combine the remaining lightly-beaten egg with 2 tbsp water and use a pastry brush to lightly brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Transfer empanadas to the floured baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until empanadas are golden brown and glossy.

Makes 6-8 empanadas.

Original post can be found here!

Filed under: Foodies Unite Tagged: brunch, comfortfood, momsrecipes, pastries, simple

GO TO PEOPLE: WHAT EVERY ORGANIZATION SHOULD HAVE

Emi — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 06:58:21 +0000

Original Posted on Ivey Business Journal 2007 by Jeffrey Gandz

Jeffrey Gandz is Professor, Managing Director, Program Design, Executive Development, and Program Director,Ivey Executive Program, Ivey Leadership Program, Richard Ivey School of Business.

In sports, he or she is the player everyone else on the team wants to have the last shot to tie or win the game, the player who makes everyone else on the team feel like winners. As in the world of sports, so too in the world of business organizations. But who are they and how do you find them in large and small organizations? This author has the helpful answers.

“You know”, said the newly appointed CEO of a large company, “I have more than 1000 people in my head office organization; 900 can tell me something’s gone wrong, 90 can tell me what’s gone wrong, nine can tell me why it went wrong, and one can actually fix it!”

While the statement above may be an exaggeration, the essential point comes across: Every organization has a few people — very few people — who are its “Go-To” people….those to whom you can turn when you want a difficult situation sorted out, who will get the job done on time and on budget, and who won’t come up with a dozen reasons why it can’t be done but will discover how to do it.

Who are these “Go-To” people? What is it they do? What makes them so effective? And how do you develop more of them in your organization? This article will answer these questions.

Go-To-People

These “Go-To” people – GTs for short — are different in many ways from other people in our organizations not necessarily because they have unique skills but because of the ways these skills are configured and associated with other leadership characteristics.

They know how their organizations work and how to work their organizations. They have what we might recognize today as both emotional and social intelligence – a keen understanding at both intellectual and intuitive levels of the people who make decisions in organizations, what motivates them, what skills and capabilities they have and, therefore, what levers they can pull as change agents to get them to do what needs to be done.(Both “emotional intelligence” and “social intelligence” were coined by Daniel Goleman). They understand that they have the ability to help people achieve what they want to achieve – they are great enablers, they clear away road blocks, they resolve impasses and deadlocks that are frustrating people. And they use those skills to build support for required actions.
They are politically astute without being corporate politicians. They understand that large organizations are political entities driven by individuals and coalitions with their own interests and ideologies. They know that they have to build multiple coalitions of the willing in order to effect change and sometimes overcome resistance to change by skeptics. They understand how to help people see how to achieve their own goals by going along with the required change even though their motivation for doing so may not be the purest. In this way, they are political back-room operatives, welding together a critical mass of supporters and holding them together through the change process. It is sometimes a bit like making sausages – doesn’t look that pretty, but in the end they taste just fine. But unlike many political operatives the GTs are seen as dedicated to the goals of the organization, rather than feathering their own nests. This leaves them with the reputation for being politically astute rather than being labeled with the stigma of being a corporate politician.
They know how to use power when it’s needed but seldom use it, preferring to influence and persuade others to get-with-the-program (1). G-Ts recognize that people tend to be influenced by people they like, so they work at being quite likeable rather than overbearing, demanding or abrasive; they recognize that people are often influenced by expertise, so they bring that to bear either through their own expertise or by recruiting experts who can support them; they recognize that people tend to be influenced by “people like them” …so they build coalitions of like minded-people with whom resistors to change want to be associated; they recognize that people are persuaded by those they, in turn, can persuade so they open themselves up to inputs, suggestions and recommendations from those they are trying to persuade; they recognize that people want most what they often have least of in organizations – recognition – and they reward people who get-with-the-program with recognition for doing so.
They are consummate negotiators but getting it done is non-negotiable. They understand both their own and others’ objectives, resistance points and best-alternatives to an agreement and they use all of the tools and techniques of skilled negotiators to bring people into zones of agreement and forge consensus on ways to move ahead. They are adept at seeing situations from others’ perspectives, separating people from principles, building bridges between positions, bringing people to their senses rather than their needs, the other skills inherent in Getting to Yes and Getting Past No. Like all skilled negotiators, they recognize that getting the right kind of agreement from people is often a matter of timing. But they are laser-like focused on project completion and never sacrifice deadlines for compliance. Strangely, perhaps, Go-To-People often seem relaxed because they are not driven by artificial deadlines.
They use networks of reciprocation rather than deals. G-Ts always seem to have people they can turn to for favors! That’s because they have learned the value of reciprocity in the art and science of influencing people. However, these exchanges of favors are usually not elements in conditional negotiations. They seldom take the form: “If you support me, you will get this.” Rather, the reciprocity is usually based on having done someone a favor without requiring anything in return. It is often motivated not by future consideration but by a genuine desire to help someone else. There is no ledger of who-owes-whom but, rather, a subtle appreciation of organizational guanxi. (Network of reciprocal obligations built up over time).
They think out of the box while acting inside the box. Go-to people are creative people who are constantly looking for different ways to get things done. Barriers are challenges, obstacles represent opportunities for innovation, the words “can’t do” register as “how can we do.” But their creativity is exercised in ways which bring people onside rather than alienate them. They use the culture to change the culture, they know how to use channels effectively and when there are no channels they create new, legitimate ones rather than acting as revolutionaries and mavericks. Unlike mavericks and rabble-rousers these go-to people are smooth operators who leave positive feelings in their wakes and make people comfortable feel good about having achieved program results. How they have done it is likely to leave a legacy in the organization of a new way of doing things rather than a trail of organizational and personal debris.
They are analytical and intuitive, aggressive and patient, confident and humble, deliberate and decisive. (2) These sometimes paradoxical characteristics of highly effective leaders are present in abundance in G-Ts. They are aggressive in the pursuit of goals, yet patient in recognizing that many people will have to change what they do in order to achieve them; they are confident that they can achieve their goals yet have the humility to acknowledge the perspectives to others, to listen to their ideas, and to give them the credit for having achieved results; they are deliberate in their approach to complex problems but don’t fall victim to the analysis-paralysis that often goes along with major, multi-faceted decisions. They escalate what needs to be handled at a higher level and don’t feel that they have to resolve everything themselves. In fact, being a G-T often means going somewhere else for assistance, support and reinforcement.

Where ARE the G-Ts?

G-Ts may be anywhere in your organization. Some are engineers, some are accountants, some are administrative assistants, some are MBAs … others have few formal qualifications. Some are organizational veterans; others might be fairly new to their organizations. But it is likely that they have a number of things in their backgrounds or current performance that help to identify them.

While many resumes portray people as leaders, they are heavily weighted toward “initiators”, those who started things and developed new ways of doing things. Few talk about completions – driving things that they have initiated through to conclusion. In your interviewing of people for “Go-To” roles or assignments, ask the question: “Describe a situation where you either initiated or inherited a project that ran into trouble and that you had to drive through to completion. What did you do to get-it done or, if you failed, why did you fail?” Then look for the seven characteristics of G-Ts described above.
Look for the talent within! Organizations tend to have little difficulty identifying their “stars” – the bright, innovative, originators of initiatives – and they reward them accordingly. But this is often at the expense of overlooking those who glitter less yet have a more enduring impact. As you review your talent pool, be on the alert for these people, ask your lower-level talent managers if they have people who fit this profile and clearly identify their value to the organization.
Challenge new graduates with the kinds of projects that bring out these characteristics. In many cases, organizations task new graduates with very short-term assignments that use their analytical skills to the full but don’t task them with anything to do and work through to completion. In many ways, and sadly, this is a continuation of their post-secondary educational experience. MBAs in particular have great reputations for analytical insights but not for being able to design and carry a project through to completion. But, often, this is a bum rap since they have never been tasked with doing so. If you can address this early in their organizational careers, you may well have a significant impact in helping them define the need for developing this dimension of their capability profile in ways that will both further their careers and prove personally satisfying.

Nurturing Go-To People

The great thing about G-Ts is that they not only tackle complex challenges but that they seem to thrive on being perpetually challenged! They are natural high achievers and sometimes the biggest challenge is keeping them challenged. The secret is to never let the GT’s run out of challenging assignments. When you do so, you stand a real risk of losing them.

If there is a problem with G-Ts it’s that they are sometimes used within organizations without being adequately recognized and rewarded and, over time, this use turns into abuse. While others get recognition and promotion and build careers, the GTs may labor in relative obscurity. When they give credit to others for getting things done, they are often not credited with this. When they follow Lao-Tzu’s principle of leadership – the effective leader makes people think that they have done it – they may do it at their own expense. They may not be vocal about these feelings – in the same way that they eschew the glory of being the visible achievers, they may not be aggressive in claiming the rewards.

This puts the onus on organizational leadership to recognize the value of getting things done and build this into an important dimension of organizational culture. The G-Ts must be identified, recognized and rewarded if they are to be examples to others and feel good themselves. Who knows, with such an approach there may be more than one-in-a-thousand who turns out to be that highly valuable “Go-To” person!

1. (Harnessing the Science of persuasion, R.B. Cialdini, Harvard Business Review, 79(9): 72-79, 2001).

(2). The Leadership Role, J. Gandz, Ivey Business Journal 66(1):5.

Filed under: All Posts Tagged: affirmation, business, go-to people, news

Thanksgiving Comfort Food, Turkey Noodle Soup

Emi — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 05:56:16 +0000

Originally Posted on Foodies Unite November 27, 2009 by Emi

Turkey Noodle Soup:

Makes 8-10 Servings from a 10-12 lb Roasted Turkey

2 lbs Turkey meat

Strained Turkey stock

1 lb Bag narrow egg noodles

1 Head celery (with leaves) roughly chopped

1/2 lb Carrots cubed

1 Large yellow onion roughly chopped

6 Cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tsp Dried thyme

1/2 tsp Dried sage

Chicken stock to add if necessary

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

To prepare Turkey Meat and Stock using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving:

Remove and discard the skin and place the turkey in Large Stock Pot. Cover with cold water. Add 1/2 head celery, 1/4 lb carrot, 1/2 large yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp salt, pepper, and a small amount of any additional herbs if desired. (marjoram, thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary, etc) Bring to a rolling boil. Boil on High for 10-12 minutes until meat begins to soften, cover and reduce to med-low heat. Maintain a slow boil for 2-4 hours, adding additional water to keep meat and bones covered during cooking and skimming off any foam that accumulates. Turkey stock is done when the meat is falling off the bones and the cartilage is mostly dissolved.

Let the stock cool for 45-60 minutes. Strain the stock by pouring the bones, vegetables and cooking liquid through a large mesh sieve into a large pot or bowl. Set the liquid aside. Now the fun part… Carefully pick as much of the meat as possible from the bones left in the sieve, placing the small chunks back in the Stock pot, and cutting the larger pieces into 1/2 inch cubes, before adding back to the pot. This is messy and a bit tedious; you have to be sure to not include any of the bones in your soup! Once you’re done you should have about 2 lbs of turkey meat. Discard the bones and cooked vegetables. Any excess meat can be frozen in a zipper bag for up to 6 months.

To prepare Turkey Soup:

Add the remaining 1/4 lb carrots, 1/2 head celery, 1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, thyme and sage to the stock pot with the meat. Add the liquid and bring to a boil. Cook until the carrots are soft adding additional chicken stock and salt and pepper only if necessary. While the soup is cooking, cook the egg noodles separately until tender, drain and set aside.

To serve:

Spoon a 1/2 cup of egg noodles into a large bowl, ladle hot soup on top, enjoy!

Stores best in a covered glass container in the refrigerator for up to three days, and can be reheated in the microwave (store noodles separately and don’t microwave!) Individual servings can be frozen in storage containers or zipper bags for up to 6 months. You could even give some to a neighbor or friend, sharing is awesome!

Filed under: Foodies Unite Tagged: comfortfood, how-to, simple, soup, thanksgiving

Garlic Crouton Recipe

Emi — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:52:00 +0000

Originally Posted on Foodies Unite October 30, 2009 by Emi

I found this recipe several years ago after an unfortunate bug-filled, store-bought bag of croutons nearly ruined a dinner get-together. Since then I’ve had Homemade garlic croutons anytime I’ve felt the need for a bit of crunch with my soups or salads. Croutons are supper easy to make and even easier to modify to suit your personal taste or level of health consciousness.

Homemade Garlic Crouton Recipe:

makes 8-10 handful size servings

ONE loaf day-old French or Italian bread (baguette or other firm crusty bread)

I tend to buy these fresh, use what I want, then freeze the rest in a zipper bag for a couple days, usually a half-loaf at a time.

Half head of Garlic (more or less to suit your personal taste or mood)

I always insist that fresh crisp real garlic is much better than the “elephant” garlic or the jarred chopped kind, but you can certainly use what you have available.

Three tablespoons to 1/2 cup good flavorful Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I tend to use more because I like my croutons really crispy, but I have used an oil mister to lightly spray the bread for an even coating and that works just as well if you’d like to use less.

ANY herbs or cheese you’d like to add to spice things up – in moderation of course, the garlic and oil should always be the focus of the flavor!

I like to add a bit of thyme or oregano. Occasionally I add a bit more salt or herbs after baking to complement a soup, and I always add freshly grated Parmesan for a Caesar salad.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Coat the bottom of a very large skillet or fry pan with about 1/4 inch of EVOO, warm on low heat.

Cut bread into one inch cubes, or as small or as large as you feel suits your dish.

Place cubes of bread on large baking sheet and dry in oven for 8-10 minutes ’till dry and firm but not browned

In the meantime crush a half head of garlic (six or seven large cloves peeled and roughly chopped) with a teaspoon of Kosher salt.

You can do this using a mortar and pestle, but since mine fell to it’s death, I just chop the garlic add a bit of the salt and use to side to my knife to smoosh the garlic and salt together, then add a bit more salt and press and drag the mush along my cutting board, using the blade I scrape the mush into a pile, add the last of the salt, smoosh, drag and scrape, ’till pasty.

Add the crushed garlic and salt to the warmed oil to infuse the EVOO with all that garlicy goodness.

Remove the bread from the oven, carefully and quickly drizzle the infused oil over the cubes tossing with a spatula or you hands to evenly coat all pieces.

Raise the heat on the skillet to medium high, working in small batches, add a bit more EVOO to the bottom of the pan and quickly fry the croutons ’till just barely brown and crisp all over, place on a parchment lined baking tray and pop back in the oven (on low) to keep warm.

Once all the croutons are fried turn the oven up to 350 and toast, turning frequently ’till heated through and evenly toasted, about 5-8 minutes. YUM!

Add to your favorite soup, salad or just eat them straight from the baking tray – although the last isn’t so good for your girlish figure!

Suggested alternatives include:

Adding fresh thyme, basil, oregano, or rosemary to the warmed oil to infuse with herby goodness

Strain the infused oil with cheese cloth, pour into a non-aerosol mister, evenly mist the cubed dried bread before frying in a non-stick pan without extra oil (not quite as much crisp and flavor but tasty if you use really good bread)

You can skip the frying after coating all-together if you are impatient (which I am from time to time) and go right to the baking ’till toasty, but you lose some of the flavor and crunch in the process.

Of course don’t forget the cheese! Lightly grate on Parm, Romano, or even Sharp Cheddar after toasting. Mmmmmmm,

Store in a zipper bag or other air-tight container for up to a week. (This only ever happened once!)

I can’t even begin to estimate the caloric content, but I’m sure they taste so good it cancels out all the bad stuff Enjoy!

Filed under: Foodies Unite Tagged: garlic, homemade, how-to, simple, toppings

This is the first day in the rest of my hmmmm……

Emi — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:02:09 +0000

I’m starting a new life and new career here in Utah. It’s something like volunteering for the witness protection program, but with mormons instead of mob members.

After several weeks of wondering what the heck I would do to make money so I can continue to provide for my family and pay my bills, I have decided to form a partnership with my roommate (who’s also struggling with the economic downturn of her industry) creating blogs, twitter accounts and the like for Utah businesses. It’s potentially a position that provides a paycheck without the expense of a vehicle or a professional wardrobe. I mean what does an out-of-work real estate agent, who now has no real estate or even a vehicle do? I’ve also decided to listen to my friends and family and to go back to my first love which is veterinary medicine. I have registered for classes at U of U starting in the fall and plan on moving to Colorado in three years to complete my doctorate at CSU.

Of course, now that I seem to spending all my free time and all the rest of my time online, I’ve sort of dedicated myself to learning everything about online marketing, commerce, and all the “new” social media….I don’t really have a choice, all the means of marketing I knew as an agent have become obsolete, and so it seems I have as well.

I have to say, since this whole new way of communicating, “networking ” and marketing has sprung up overnight, I feel compelled to jump in head first, hold my breath, and hope I make it to the other side without getting eaten by the alligators… but of course I’m not in Florida any more, am I.

Filed under: All Posts Tagged: Blogging, Girl-Friday, Life, Marketing, new beginnings, Social Media

You Can Change Your Life, Really You Can!

Emi — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:47:13 +0000

Be the change that you want to see in the world.
Mohandas Gandhi

I want to tell you that you can change your life. I work every day to do that very thing. I examine what isn’t working well, figure out why it isn’t working, and then try to come up with realistic ways to make positive change. I’ve been doing this more and more in 2009, but in 2010 I want to be very intentional about it and to start articulating what I’m doing.

In order to change anything, you first have to:

1. Acknowledge there is something that needs to change.

2. Want to make a change.

3. Understand what you need to do in order to change.

4. Apply yourself diligently to making change happen.

It all starts with you. This shouldn’t sound simplistic. It should sound logical. We are so used to giving up our power to be who we believe we can be – who we want to be – and letting others make decisions for us or affect us in negative ways. Why do we let that happen? Fear, maybe.

Regardless of the reason any of us are in a situation we don’t want to be in – job, relationship, headspace, whatever – we are the fuel to power positive change in our lives.

Acknowledge, Want, Understand, Apply. I want to change the way I split myself into many different people instead of being my whole self. I want to be accepted as the multifaceted person I am instead of having to cut off some parts to be other parts. Example: ignore my business side to be a wife and mother. If I want my family to celebrate my business side, I should find ways to share that with them in a way that they can be a part of it rather than separate from it.

I Acknowledge That. I Want That. I Understand What I Have to Do. I Will Apply Myself to Doing It.

What do you want to change about yourself in 2010 and why?

Posted in All Posts Tagged: 2010, Life, new beginnings, new year

Twenty years later – Totally 80′s forever!

Emi — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:13:03 +0000

I’ve made a conscious effort lately to look up old friends from elementary and junior high on Facebook, it must be that mid-life, moved away, Saturn returns, wondering what it all means thing, that we 30 somethings seem to do. Fortunately I’m not alone! I’ve found a wonderfully enabling blog that allows me to vicariously re-live all of my fondest childhood memories and feel connected once again to all those little kids I still remember twenty something years later … totally 80′s forever!

see more Epic Wins from the Past

Ohhhh the 80′s awesomness……

Posted in All Posts Tagged: 80's, Facebook, memories

This Veteran’s day..

Emi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:11:27 +0000

I remember the first Veterans Day that actually meant anything to me. I was 8 years old and my Grandaddy had died in December the year before, he was buried in Arlington the following January, and it occurred to me that particular November 11th that he wouldn’t be there to fire off his little cannon in the front yard like we did every year in salute to the Veterans.

He was British and my Great Grandma had scorned him for leaving his home to become an American, but he loved her and America just the same. He fought for our country as a pilot in WWII and again in Korea. He finally retired from the Air Force as a Colonel, shot down during combat over Vietnam, wounded and missing in action for several days. He received the Purple Heart and recognition for being one of very few three-time War Veterans, but was still ready and willing to fight for our country.

He spent his time after he retired as an Instructor to the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base and as a consultant to NASA’s pilot training program at Kennedy Space Center. He loved his family, all his family, in and out of the services and I miss him just as much this Veterans day as I did 25 years ago.

Please take a moment to remember all our Veterans this November 11th the ones that fought years ago to defend the world, the ones who have spent their days and nights in the desert defending us, as well as the women and men that died on American soil while their fellow service men and women defended them at Ft. Hood.

Thank you for all you do with all my love and admiration.

Posted in All Posts Tagged: family, grandaddy, veterans day

Entry for January 27, 2007

Emi — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 10:19:00 +0000

Aries

Overview: You can go far right now, especially with the stars working as your own personal PR team. You know you’ve got what it takes; now you need to make sure that the right people see just what you can do.

Daily extended (by Astrology.com)
One of your close relationships has gone as far as it can, and it may be time for the two of you to admit that fact. This doesn’t mean that the two of you have to get out of each other’s lives — it just means that the roles you play will have to change if you are both going to be happy. You might have an easier time accepting this fact than the other person, so be prepared for some resistance — even if this ‘breakup’ wasn’t even your idea.

Im frightened to see what comes of this…….i dont ever want any of my friendships or relationships to change but i guess thats just the nature of these things.