43. Learn to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies

Over the past year of being married, I've tried to become more domestic. I've tried to use all of the kitchen gadgets I received as wedding presents and I've attempted to make several things. Unfortunately, every time I feel the need to indulge in a warm chocolate chip cookie with milk, they just don't turn out right. My cookies are never as chewy as I like them or I'll try and substitute Splenda for sugar and they just aren't good. Sometimes they taste like baking powder and sometimes they taste too sweet. I always make a huge mess in my kitchen and end us with nothing to show for it.

The past two times I've made cookies I've followed the Nestle Toll House recipe to a T. Exactly measuring. Using all of the said ingredients. Buying the "baking version" of the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". And guess what? They turned out pretty darn good. Good enough that I felt I could share them with my office and send a bag with Ross for his trip to Tampa.

I made these again for my sister's graduation two weeks ago- but I used half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose white flour. They turned out really great in my opinion. Alittle more rustic and hearty-tasting (does that make sense?)

The only thing not so perfect? The way my pants fit and my blood sugar looks after enjoying a couple of these right out of the oven.

Capitol Hill- Type 1 Diabetes Research Hearing

On Wednesday, I got the opportunity to attend the hearing on Type 1 Diabetes research in the Dirksen Senate Building. I'm very fortunate to get to attend some pretty awesome events here in the DC area because of my job and was really happy I got to hear the great testimonies live.

Dressed in my suit, I headed down to the building over an hour early and when I arrived and got through security, I was sent to a line of full of teenage girls, Capitol Hill interns, and staffers. My first thought was "Oh gosh, I hope someone doesn't think I'm hear to only see Nick Jonas" as I straightened my suit jacket and motioned to my work badge. We were ushered into the room and I was happy to find a seat next to two moms of Children's Congress delegates. The ladies were so nice and one shared their son's scrapbook with me. I pointed to my black kit in my purse and told them I had type 1 also and was happy to be there with them.

The hearing started with opening remarks from many of the senators (and screams from the girls as Nick entered the room), some of which have an extremely close personal connection to type 1 diabetes. The celebrity panel asked to testify included Mary Tyler Moore, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, head of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Dr. Griffin Rodgers, and Nick Jonas. Mary Tyler Moore, JDRF International’s Chairperson gave moving testimony on living with type 1 diabetes for the last 40 years, including suffering from diabetes complications including retinopathy. She talked about the struggles that she has experienced and also about the new advances in diabetes technology that she wished had been around when she was first diagnosed.

Dr. Griffin Rodgers told the group that even though the incidence of type 1 diabetes is rising, NIDDK is hard at work researching a cure. Dr. Rodgers highlighted advancement in research including the TEDDY study (The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young) which looks for the causes of type 1 diabetes, as well as the development of continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) and the artificial pancreas project. I felt like Dr. Rodgers' presentation was so balanced- yes, we're working on a cure but these are some of the tools that we are developing that will assist you in your care while that is happening. To me, that totally made sense.

Boxing star Sugar Ray Leonard spoke about diabetes impact on the entire family and explained that the cost of diabetes (and how it affected his family) is what lead him to professional boxing. He knew that if he went to college after coming home from his Olympic gold medal win in 1975 his family would be consumed by the debt from his father's medical costs. That's when he decided that if he went pro he would be to make money to help his family---and that's exactly what he did. I thought Sugar Ray had a great metaphor (fyi, I love metaphors- give me a visual, I understand!) about living with diabetes: Each day we go into the boxing ring with diabetes and sometime we put up a really great fight. Other days, we want to be like Leonard's opponent, Duran, during his 1980's fight and run to our corner and say "No Mas" (No more). But together, and with the help of Congress, we can look forward to "knocking out" diabetes once and for all.

Pop superstar Nick Jonas told his diagnosis story and explained that he focuses on the simple wins with his diabetes. Nick said that he believes all dreams can be accomplished, no matter the hardships of type 1 diabetes. He read the lyrics of his song "Alittle Bit Longer." After a brief break, the second set of panelists began to provide testimony. Hannah Ryder of Maine, Patrick Lacher, and Asa Kelly all shared their stories. Mrs. Gould, a mother of 4 children with type 1 diabetes, emphasized the importance of participating in medical research: it can't just be everyone else's job to find the cure, we must all participate and help wherever and whenever.

Hats off to JDRF for an amazing Children's Congress. Seriously, this was the first one that I got to see a piece of and it was really awesome to see the families and kids. I mentioned to my mom that thing that seemed to affect me most was seeing two girls (probably around the ages of 5 or 6) sharing their scrapbooks with each other and talking about their diabetes (one was running high and sipping water) and nodding about when they were diagnosed. Mixed emotions ran through me- I wanted to scream because I hate how this disease affects kids who don't have a choice. I wanted to cry because I kept thinking about how I hope someday those little girls don't have to talk to their boyfriends about dealing with diabetes. I wanted to smile because I saw how this disease brings people together.

(photos courtesy of JDRF's website, since I was so far back that the only shots I got were of Senators Collins and Lieberman and they are blurry)

Graduation

This past weekend, my little sister graduated from high school. Sitting in the stands of her high school stadium, I got to thinking alot about my high school graduation just six years ago. I wish that I would have known a few things then that I know now (isn't that always how it works???). I've tried to impart some of those tidbits of knowledge on Beck in hopes that she won't be sitting in around in six years writing the very same post. Yes, I love my life. No, I would not change things. But knowing that she possesses some of the same hangs up I do, I hope she has what it takes to overstep any adversity that comes her way.

1. You are the only one holding yourself back from doing your heart's desire.
2. Once you get to college, no one really cares what you got on your SATS, if you took the AP exam, or that you were the star of your high school football team.
3. Do not spend a ton of time on stupid girl drama.
4. The grades, they don't matter as long as you pass. Just always try your best.
5. People love and support you more than you will ever know. You do not have to struggle with feeling alone.

What words of wisdom or advice would you offer to a newly-minted high school graduate?

45. Try one new restaurant a month- Sette Bello

This past Sunday, Ross and I celebrated our 1st Anniversary with our families in the morning, then decided that we should forget about cooking and head out somewhere in our neighborhood for dinner. After a quick scan on Yelp, I decided we would venture a few blocks to Sette Bello, an Italian eatery and wine bar, near our local dog park.

For the record, I wish I was Italian. Both of my best friends are and in college I fully took advantage of the leftovers they would bring back after a weekend home. I love good Italian food. (I also love not-so-good Italian food, like the Olive Garden.) Sette Bello had pretty good Italian food.

We started off with calamari. The breading on those babies was awesome. Light and heavenly. The sauce was also pretty great, albeit lacking a dash of salt or two. The greatest thing about the calamari was that the lemon they brought on the side had this awesome cover that kept all of the seeds in (yes, like a lemon condom of sorts). It was great!

Ross had some sort of seafood pasta with mussels and clams. I'm not a huge fan of mussels or clams, but he said it was awesome and it looked pretty.

I had ravioli with spinach and ricotta. The pasta was dense and you could tell it was homemade. The menu said it was served with "tomato sauce" so I thought it would be more of a marinara, but I was happily surprised when I saw big chunks of tomato in an olive oil sauce. It was delicious.

The service was good and who doesn't enjoy eating on a beautiful patio?

We skipped dessert, since we had cake to eat at home.

34. Learn one new G-Rated joke a month

Q: Why does Snoop Dog carry an umbrella?

A: Fo' drizzle.

101 Things in 1001 Days

I'm finally getting around to posting this, but I started my list on May 15, 2009. I hope to complete my list by February 10, 2012. Alot of the posts on this blog will pertain to this list.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

The Key:
Things that have been completed are in BOLD with the date that they were completed
Things that are in progress are ITALICIZED

Personal Health and Wellness
1. Establish a weekly workout routine
2. Run another half-marathon
3. Run in three competitive races per year Disney Princess Half Marathon (3/09), Accumen Run for a Cause 8k (11/09)
4. Have A1C less than 6.5 (6.6 on 7/15/2009)
5. Be able to do 25 perfect push ups
6. Drink 8 glasses of water a day for one month January 2010
7. Donate blood
8. Try a spinning class (October 8, 2009)
9. Go a week without fast food

Travel and Entertainment
10. Visit Italy
11. Visit France
12. Visit Tring, UK where my great grandpa was born
13. Take a tropical vacation
14. Visit my grandparents in Montana with Ross July 23-31, 2009
15. Visit Boston, MA October 17-19, 2009
16. Visit Las Vegas, NV
17. Visit New York City
18. Attend a performance at the Kennedy Center
19. Attend a festival
20. Go on a picnic
21. Attend a concert
22. Visit all of the DC monuments
23. Visit all of the Smithsonian museums
24. Go to a hockey game
25. Go sing karaoke
26. Attend a blogger meetup
27. Go skydiving
28. Visit a winery

Creativity and Education
29. Audition for a role in a community theater production
30. Decide what I want to get my master's in
31. Take a photography/art class
32. Take a web design class
33. Learn and use new word every month for a year (0/12)
34. Learn a new G-rated joke every month for a year (2/12) Lady Gaga, Snoop Dog, Skeleton, Frostbite,
35. Learn to drive stick shift
36. Learn to play "Radio Song" on Guitar Hero with my eyes closed
37. Learn the "50 Nifty United States" song
38. Have a piece of my writing published
39. Learn to play poker
40. Learn the rules of football
41. Learn how to create the perfect smokey eye
42. Become better-educated about wine

Culinary Skill
43. Learn to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies completed June 20, 2009 Learn to make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies
44. Create a signature drink
45. Try one new restaurant a month for a year (2/12) Ray's the Steaks (06/09), Sette Bello (06/09), Faccia Luna (7/2009),
46. Bake a pie from scratch
47. Make a pizza from scratch October 31, 2009
48. Order groceries online
49. Create a family cookbook
50. Host a dinner party
51. Make atleast one recipe from a cookbook atleast once a month
52. Learn how to make curry
53. Plan a weekly menu for 2 consecutive weeks
54. Learn proper knife technique

Purchases
55. Buy new artwork for the den October 2009 (bought DC and London prints)
56. Buy and take care of a house plant
57. Buy a DSLR camera

Organization and History
58. Create a birthday calendar for everyone member of my immediate and extended family
59. Write down the story of how my grandparents and parents met
60. Create a family tree
61. Finish my college scrapbook
62. Scan old family pictures and make a photobook
63. Document a "day in my life" in photographs
64. Scan all of my medical records (especially those pertaining to my diabetes diagnosis)
65. Send out Christmas cards to arrive in time for Christmas Completed Christmas of 2009.
66. Organize my closet
67. Transfer all CDs from my middle school years to iTunes
68. Organize my iTunes music collection
69. Organize all of my photos
70. Frame and hang my best photos

Random
71. Enter a contest
72. Mail a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calendar
73. Send my sister (Sent September 2, 2009) and sister-in-law a college care package (sent January 20, 2010)
74. Send Valentine’s to my friends
75. Finish a crossword puzzle from each day of the week, but not necessarily from the same week
76. Attend church services for a month
77. Get involved with another organization that is important to me (not diabetes related)
78. Read one new book every month
79. Organize a flip cup tournament
80. Get a tattoo completed on May 31, 2009 La Dolce Vita
81. Enter DC's Artomatic
82. List 101 things that make me happy
83. Finish paying off my student loans
84. Organize a girls weekend for my mom, sister, and I
85. Stop apologizing for things I shouldn't apologize for
86. Get my passport
87. Write a living will and have it notarized
88. Throw a birthday party
89. Write a book proposal
90. Change jobs
91. Take a train somewhere
92. Get in the habit of writing thank you cards for even the most mundane things just to blow people’s minds
93. Read the entire Bible
94. Buy my own domain and host my blog there
95. Take Tucker to a retirement home to entertain people
96. Find a mentor
97. Become a mentor to someone
98. Write a handwritten letter 4 times per year
99. Establish a blog and write consistently for 6 months
100. Participate in NaBloPoMo
101. Inspire atleast one other person to start a 101 things list

366 Days

This weekend was more hectic than most. After returning from a funeral in Pennsylvania, we headed south of the city to see my grandparents who are in town for my younger sister's graduation on Saturday. Yesterday, Ross and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We had brunch at the club where our reception was held last year and spent a ton of time talking about how the past year has really flown by. A year ago yesterday, we walked down the aisle to "When I Fall in Love" and celebrated with our dearest family and friends.

And last night, we cut into our somewhat frozen stale cake and enjoyed a slice together.

Ross, thanks for an amazing first year of marriage. If this was supposed to be the hardest year, then I think we did pretty great. I love you all this world.

Why working in the IT Department is completely dangerous

(Hat tip to one of my best friends, Jamie, who told me this story through e-mail)

"Thought you guys would get a kick out of this story from this morning at work.

So today my friends Matt, Paul, and I were trying to figure out what the lunch menu would be today. We have a lunch program here that is only $4, but it is kind of hit or miss. I was saying that I really hoped it wasn't tilapia, which I normally like but I don't really like here and they have it every week.

So Matt sends me the email below, but he did his this little IT trick that made it seem like it came from our executive chef, Eric. I freaked out at first sight until I realized it was Matt, and responded back to the email saying, "Oh my god, I freaked out when I read this...etc...". Little did I know that when I replied back it actually sent that email to Chef Eric.

Then Matt had to run over and get a favor from one of our other IT guys so that he could remove that email from Eric's inbox before he saw it. I tried recalling it but it didn't work.

2 morals of the story: 1. Replying to emails without thinking is a
stupid thing to do. 2. Working in IT has tons of advantages!

-----Original Message-----
From: [The executive chef at her company
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 10:45 AM
To: [My best friend Jamie]
Subject: Stop complaining!

It has recently been brought to my attention that you don't appreciate the Tilapia I serve as part of the lunch program. Keep in mind that many people around the office LOVE the Tilapia and you are getting a great deal anyway for $4. So in short, keep quiet and just eat what's put out in front of you.

My coffee mug, or "How my life is like an episode of The Office"

(Disclaimer: I wrote the following post a few weeks ago, when I was developing this new blog. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my Tweets about this very subject and if you don't follow me on Twitter, you should...Brook2ar, hollatcha girl. Just so you know, it took one week to get my mug back and I believe the alleged mug stealer may have taken the mug home over the weekend to use it. Finally, one of my beloved coworkers stole my mug back the day I was out sick, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and left it in an empty flower pot on my desk. Yes, it was that bad. Enjoy the following post, and leave me a comment! I'd love to hear how you like the new design, or if you have any blog pointers for this girl.)

So, this week I'm "off" coffee. I had one cup on Monday morning (a sugar-free, extra hot, skim, caramel macchiato), but then decided in my attempt to eliminate the few pounds I've gained since the half marathon, to only drink water at work. I'm fuller, refreshed, peeing like a race horse, and feeling generally better. But yesterday, 2pm struck and I was bored. I decided since I'm "off" coffee, I could still be "on" tea and headed to our kitchen to get my coffee mug that I had put in the dishwasher and knew was in the cabinet (I have two to rotate out- the other mug is my Disney Princess mug with all the Princesses on it). I got there and realized that my mug, my freaking Disney Princess Half Marathon mug, was gone. It's pink and pretty and every time I use it I think of how awesome it was to run a half-marathon in DISNEY WORLD!

As I sulked away from the kitchen back to my desk, I caught a glimpse of pink on my coworker’s desk. And low and behold, there is my freaking MUG! Enraged and confused, I walked swiftly back to my cube only to learn none of my friends put there coffee mugs in the dishwasher because this coworker is a known mug stealer. She will hijack a mug for DAYS and not wash it and uses other people's mugs as opposed to the generic office mugs or paper cups that are provided.

Now, I understand that I'm paritally to blame for allowing it to be put in the cabinet in the public domain. But A) with the swine flu and everything, I don't really want any other people using my mug even if you disinfect it a million times over B) If you're going to use someone else's mug, be SNEAKY! Don't put it somewhere that I can see it C) Why would you think you could use my half marathon mug? Did you run a half marathon that I didn't know about? Did you run the one in DISNEY WORLD? Oh, you didn't? Than get the hells off my mug.

So I had high hopes that today, I would come in to find it in the dishwasher and I would hand wash it and steal it back. But, when I came in, it was STILL on her desk, probably gathering coffee sludge or something.

(This is where in The Office, they would cut to a scene of the person sipping away, using my coffee mug and then would shoot back to me making a face like I wanted to punch the girl).

La Dolce Vita

This morning has started off kind of rocky (I may or may not have broken into big 'ole alligator tears at my desk). Trying to hold myself together and simply make it to 5pm when I can go home and go on a long walk with Tucker, I thought I would share something big that I did this weekend.

In the past 12 months, honestly, I've pretty much gotten everything that I've ever wanted and done some things I've always wanted to do. Sometimes when I'm in my kitchen or walking my dog, it hits me like a ton of bricks that I have to be one of the luckiest and most blessed people in the entire would. My Nana Hazel says that I'm spoiled, but I feel like alot of the things in my life are things that I've worked hard for. I worked hard to have the relationship I have with my husband and I work hard at doing my best at my job. Overall, I'm really living a very sweet life.

This past weekend, my sister (aside: I am completely obsessed with my little sister. When you spend 3 years throwing a penny into a wishing well at the Great Falls, Montana mall, wishing for a baby sister, you would be as thankful as I am for such an amazing person in your life. Seriously. She's wise beyond her 18 years and I'm not sure you could be more proud of a person, than I am of her) and I decided that we were going to get tattoos. I've always wanted a tattoo but have struggled with what to get (people don't think you're very smart or serious about it when you say you would want a miny Olive Oyl from Popeye on your hip) for several years. Two weeks ago, I decided as a graduation present for my sister, I would pay for us to get tattoos.

You probably are asking "why" and here it is: Everyday, I put something on my body that I don't really have a choice about. (Yes, I could take insulin shots instead of wearing an insulin pump and I could not wear a CGMS, but my control would be awful) And with a tattoo, I got to make the decision. I got to choose what it would look like and what color it would be and the size of it.

We decided against matching ones, because both Beck (that's my sister) and I were attached to different phrases. But we marched in with our family (my mom, husband, and Beck's best friend in tow). Determined to not be a wimp in front of everyone, I went first and then tightly held onto a hand I've been holding onto for the past 18 years as Beck got "Carpe Diem" etched onto her skin.

Me? I got "La Dolce Vita" because at that moment and even right now, when all things are said and done, my life is incredibly sweet.

The funny things about our neighbors is that we don't know their names

My husband and I have lived in our current apartment for a year now. For the first six months, we didn’t know a single person. The guy across the hall from us would smile occasionally if he saw us on his way out to walk his dog, but otherwise, the only person that really talked to us was the conceige, and frankly, that’s his job.

Then, Ross (that’s the husband) and I decided to adopt Tucker, a 10 week yorkie-bichon mix (or Yorkchon). Suddenly, we were shuffling in and out of our third floor apartment on an hourly basis to the dog park adjacent to our building. Truth be told, this is where all of our neighbors were the first 6 months. While Ross and I were playing Wii and watching Netflix, and going out, our neighbors were drinking beers in the park, throwing balls to their dogs, and trying to keep their mutts from clawing the rest of the pups.

Because Tucker is the cutest, and smartest dog in the whole world, he made friends very early. Several of the dogs have become his very best pals. As Tuck grew, we’d let him off of his leash to be chewed on and chased so that he’d sleep through the night. While our dog was running amuck with the others, we’d talk to the other owners about what they did, where they worked, and how long they had been puppy parents.

But, we didn’t really know anyone’s name. In fact, a typical conversation between Ross and I would go like this:

Me: Did Tuck play with anyone?
Ross: Yeah, Eli and Bailey.
Me: Sweet.
Ross: ...Yeah, and I was talking to Eli’s dad and he’s a huge Caps fan
Me: Eli’s mom was out there earlier and she said they’re moving next month.
Ross: Man, Tuck is going to miss Eli.
Me: His parents are so nice!

So, now it’s awkward because we know every dog, but don’t know any of the owner’s names. We joke that you should have to wear a nametag for your first few weeks in the park (something like “Hi, my name is Allison, and Tucker is my dog, Yes, I know he’s adorable) to avoid the awkwardness that comes with asking someone their name when you know what they do, where they were born, and that they’re dog prefers to go to the bathroom in the left corner of the dog park.