Driving Across the Desert

We made it! I am in Burns with my sister and my family. It is so nice to be back home for a little while.

The drive was long and boring, but at least the snow did not stop me like I thought it would. There was 136 inches across the pass. Now that is a lot of snow!

Driving, Driving

Today, I have to drive across the mountains to Burns to see my family. I don't particularly like the drive, and I really don't like it when it is snowing over the pass.

It looks like the pass will be clear until I get over it, I just hope it will be safe to return next Saturday.

I am taking Daphne with me, and I am taking a lot of things for my sister for her new baby. The car is STUFFED.

See you in Burns.

Nothing is Better than

Spending time with friends who truly understand you and appreciate you.

Thanks for taking me out today and keeping me busy, Robin.

Rodelinda

I entered one of my photos into a photo contest at PSU, and wouldn't you know that I actually won!

My prize was two tickets to the opening night of Rodelinda, which is an opera.

We got grandpa James to babysit, and Jared and I trudged off to the opera in Portland last night. We actually had a great time. He gave me a lot of guff about not wanting to go. Apparently he did not know that 1) operas are typically more than 3 hours long 2.) they are never written in English and 3.) they are 100% singing. He seemed really reluctant to go.

We actually had a REALLY great time. The opera was really nice, and the story was pretty fun. Neither of us really liked the LONG airas that lasted forever where the person said the same thing over and over, but other than that, it lovely. I felt very redeemed at the end.

As a side note, the woman who plays the title role Rodelinda was sick yesterday. Apparently the Portland Opera has people that they have stay with them for 2 years who work to learn roles and fill in when people are ill. The woman who stepped in did a fabulous job for her first performance, and she actually received a standing ovation.

This is the synopis of the opera from the Met opera site.

Rodelinda

Composer: George Frideric Handel

Bertarido, King of Lombardy and Milan, has been attacked and deposed by Grimoaldo, an ally of his estranged brother, Gundeberto. Gundeberto was killed in the battle and Bertarido vanished, leaving his queen, Rodelinda, and a young son, Flavio, in the power of the victorious ally, Grimoaldo. As a reward for defeating Bertarido, Grimoaldo was promised the hand of Bertarido's sister, Eduige-therefore gaining a legitimate claim to the throne at Milan. Eduige and Grimoaldo fell in love, but she would not marry him while mourning two brothers-one dead, one presumed so.

From abroad Bertarido has sent word of his own death, intending to return to Milan in disguise, rescue his wife and son, and escape to an anonymous life far from the vagaries of politics and the burden of government. The news of his death has devastated both Rodelinda and Eduige. Grimoaldo, intent on gaining the throne, weighs his options, counseled by two advisers-Garibaldo, his closest aide, and Unulfo, a member of Bertarido's cabinet who maintains intimate ties with the royal family and is the only person who knows that Bertarido still lives.

ACT I. Rodelinda and her son are being held in a sparsely furnished room in the palace in Milan. Grimoaldo enters with Eduige and his advisers and announces his wish to marry Rodelinda, thereby gaining the throne. The outraged Rodelinda refuses him and storms away. Eduige is appalled at Grimoaldo's overture to Rodelinda but despite the rules of mourning offers him her hand, heart and throne. Grimoaldo, however, is still stung by her previous postponements, and though still in love with her, fiercely declines Eduige's offer. Now Garibaldo makes overtures to Eduige, hoping to gain the throne for himself. Eduige, furious with Grimoaldo, does not discourage him. When he is left alone Garibaldo reveals his passionate ambition for the throne.

Bertarido arrives at the stables, where Unulfo has left a soldier's uniform for his disguise. He finds in the cemetery a memorial built in his memory by Grimoaldo to appease those loyal to him. Bertarido yearns to see Rodelinda but knows he cannot yet reveal himself. His reunion with Unulfo is interrupted when Rodelinda brings her son to plant flowers at the memorial. Unulfo succeeds in restraining Bertarido, who wants desperately to reach out to his family. Garibaldo appears with an ultimatum from Grimoaldo, to which Bertarido must also be silent witness: either Rodelinda agrees to wed Grimoaldo, or Garibaldo kills the boy. Rodelinda is forced to agree. She takes back her child, lashes out at Garibaldo, and rushes away. Bertarido cannot see past Rodelinda's surrender to Grimoaldo's demand. Unulfo promises to find some resolution to the dilemma. Alone and disconsolate, Bertarido grieves over Rodelinda's seeming loss of faith.

ACT II. In the palace library Garibaldo again offers his services to Eduige in exchange for her hand-he will kill Grimoaldo if necessary. But he sees from her response that Eduige loves Grimoaldo still. Rodelinda appears with her child and reassures Eduige that her son's future is her greatest concern. Eduige shares with Rodelinda her confused anger over Grimoaldo's rejection of her. Grimoaldo enters with Garibaldo and Unulfo, and Rodelinda presents him with an ultimatum of her own: she will marry him on one condition, that he personally kill her son before her eyes. Her gambit works-Grimoaldo backs down; but he is very taken with Rodelinda's courage and constancy and feels that he might actually come to love her, though he cannot forget his feelings for Eduige. Garibaldo and Unulfo are left alone to debate Grimoaldo's options. Garibaldo believes power should be seized and ensured at any cost. Unulfo, musing alone, decides to take Rodelinda to Bertarido and finds a breath of hope.

Walking near the stables, Eduige happens upon and recognizes Bertarido. She is overjoyed to find him alive. She assuages his fears about Rodelinda's constancy, and they move away deep in conversation as Unulfo brings Rodelinda to the stables. Unulfo goes off to look for Bertarido, who soon returns with Eduige to be reunited at last with his wife. When they are discovered together by Grimoaldo, he orders Bertarido taken into custody and, enraged, bids them take their final farewells. Bertarido will soon die.

ACT II. Eduige sends a servant to the dungeon with a concealed weapon that is to be given to Bertarido. She and Unulfo plan for Bertarido's escape: Unulfo, who has access to the prison, will lead Bertarido through a hidden tunnel from the cell to the palace garden, where Eduige will wait with Rodelinda and the child. From there they will escape. Grimoaldo enters with Garibaldo, who advises him to kill the prisoner or lose the kingdom, but Grimoaldo's conscience prevents him from taking this action: he is caught in a web of conflicting feelings-fear, suspicion, love, and remorse.

Bertarido is reassured when a weapon is dropped through the bars of his prison cell. In the darkness he strikes out at what he believes to be an assassin-but it is Unulfo, come to help him. Even though he is wounded, Unulfo manages to get Bertarido to change out of the clothes he has been seen in. As the two men escape into the tunnel, Rodelinda and Eduige arrive-Rodelinda has insisted on rescuing Bertarido herself but finds only his clothes covered with Unulfo's blood. She imagines the worst.

At the foot of Bertarido's memorial Grimoaldo's internal struggle continues. He ultimately acknowledges his cruelty and guilt. Exhausted, he falls asleep. Garibaldo attempts to assassinate Grimoaldo, but is stopped, and killed by Bertarido, who gives himself up to Grimoaldo. Following Grimoaldo into the library, Bertarido dares him to condemn his own savior. Grimoaldo is himself ready to surrender and restores wife, child and throne to the rightful king. His apology to Eduige goes unheeded at first, but eventually she forgives him. With reason restored, the survivors can envision and celebrate a happier future.

Midterms are DONE!

This past week has been midterm week, and to tell you the truth, it has stressed me out to no end. I am proud to say:

I TURNED MY LAST MIDTERM IN TODAY!

Truth be told, I wrote more than 30 pages worth of text for these midterms. They were essays, which I had never experienced before. It was a lot of thought, and a lot of hard work, especially considering that I was behind on the reading for the classes by about 200 pages total.

I will be making arrangements to get out of two of the three finals by doing a presentation. Presentations are more fun, less stressful, and don't contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome.

School Decision

After a lot of deliberation and data gathering, I decided that I AM going to finish this degree. I am going to stick it out. If I don't do it, I will regret it. I am operating with a grant right now, so I am getting help. I may as well do it while I have the chance, because if I pass up the opportunity, I may never forgive myself.

For some perspective, I always refer to something a friend once told me. She said that in 4 years either I will have done it or I wont. Which will I choose? This is apparently what got her through college despite all odds. I DO want to do this, and I will.

Part of my optimism may stem from the fact that I just turned in my last midterm.

Home Birth Attack

The following is a horrendous article attacking homebirth. This is why, even though it is a risk for my life, I would not want to be in their care, they are narrow minded, and downright evil.

Taken from: http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-06-08-2.cfm

ACOG Statement on Home Births

Washington, DC -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) reiterates its long-standing opposition to home births. While childbirth is a normal physiologic process that most women experience without problems, monitoring of both the woman and the fetus during labor and delivery in a hospital or accredited birthing center is essential because complications can arise with little or no warning even among women with low-risk pregnancies.

ACOG acknowledges a woman's right to make informed decisions regarding her delivery and to have a choice in choosing her health care provider, but ACOG does not support programs that advocate for, or individuals who provide, home births. Nor does ACOG support the provision of care by midwives who are not certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) or the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB).

Childbirth decisions should not be dictated or influenced by what's fashionable, trendy, or the latest cause célèbre. Despite the rosy picture painted by home birth advocates, a seemingly normal labor and delivery can quickly become life-threatening for both the mother and baby. Attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) at home is especially dangerous because if the uterus ruptures during labor, both the mother and baby face an emergency situation with potentially catastrophic consequences, including death. Unless a woman is in a hospital, an accredited freestanding birthing center, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, with physicians ready to intervene quickly if necessary, she puts herself and her baby's health and life at unnecessary risk.

Advocates cite the high US cesarean rate as one justification for promoting home births. The cesarean delivery rate has concerned ACOG for the past several decades and ACOG remains committed to reducing it, but there is no scientific way to recommend an 'ideal' national cesarean rate as a target goal. In 2000, ACOG issued its Task Force Report Evaluation of Cesarean Delivery to assist physicians and institutions in assessing and reducing, if necessary, their cesarean delivery rates. Multiple factors are responsible for the current cesarean rate, but emerging contributors include maternal choice and the rising tide of high-risk pregnancies due to maternal age, overweight, obesity and diabetes.

The availability of an obstetrician-gynecologist to provide expertise and intervention in an emergency during labor and/or delivery may be life-saving for the mother or newborn and lower the likelihood of a bad outcome. ACOG believes that the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets the standards jointly outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers.

It should be emphasized that studies comparing the safety and outcome of births in hospitals with those occurring in other settings in the US are limited and have not been scientifically rigorous. Moreover, lay or other midwives attending to home births are unable to perform live-saving emergency cesarean deliveries and other surgical and medical procedures that would best safeguard the mother and child.

ACOG encourages all pregnant women to get prenatal care and to make a birth plan. The main goal should be a healthy and safe outcome for both mother and baby. Choosing to deliver a baby at home, however, is to place the process of giving birth over the goal of having a healthy baby. For women who choose a midwife to help deliver their baby, it is critical that they choose only ACNM-certified or AMCB-certified midwives that collaborate with a physician to deliver their baby in a hospital, hospital-based birthing center, or properly accredited freestanding birth center.

New Dinner

When I was in Austria visiting a friend of mine, she made a pasta dish that was really wonderful. I never could figure out what it was, and I wondered about it from time to time.

Last night as I was putting Daphne to bed, I heard them talking about a dish called spaetzel. I knew immediately that it was the dish that I have pined for for more than a year.

And so, I found a recipe for it on the food network site (I used Tyler Florence's rendition), and I made it for dinner.

I made a sauce that was hamburger, sausage, cottage cheese in a kind of light bechamel. It was really lovely.

I had steamed broccoli with it on the side. I love broccoli as much as chocolate--I really do.

Cheerios

I said I would resist the urge to get Daphne Cheerios to eat as a finger food.

I gave in to the urge. She is quite happy. Oy Vey. What am I to do now?

Food Tastes

A few weeks ago, I made fried okra as a side dish for dinner, and Daphne really liked it. She liked it so much in fact that she practically demanded more when the first batch was gone.

I thought it was a rather strange thing for a baby to like to eat.

From Crawling to Standing--No Help

Daphne learned how to stand up on her own. Though she has known how stand up for a long time, it has always required that use use something to pull up with. She was never able to stand up from a sitting position and start walking. She now has this skill.

It is really cute. She will toddle down the hall and trip and fall and pick herself back up again and walk. She used to have to crawl over to something to pull up on and then start walking again.

Jared insists that this is old news, but I am thrilled with it, and I think that it is wonderful.

Does this mean that she is a toddler now and not a baby?

The Frankenstein Walk

It was my understanding that when babies start to walk that they walk like Frankenstein with their arms out in front of them and their legs all stiff. I was looking forward to watching her do this, and maybe even making fun of her and playing with her.

However, it only lasted for a day. I only got one day of the Frankenstein walk before I got it no more. How sad. She is on to walking steadily by herself with just straight legs and a sway to the side. Maybe this is her Frankenstein walk of her very own.

College Update

I finally got an answer from my college counselor on what to do about getting a degree. Apparently, the BS in Social Science is not as far away as I thought it was, so I am back on to complete that degree. I only have 40 credits flat to do that, I may even be able to get it down to 38. That just means that I WILL be a college graduate at this time next year if I just keep chugging along.

The down side is that I am having a really hard time in my classes right now. Keeping up with a baby and trying to do college is not easy, not even a little bit.

I got my midterm assignments today, and I have a full 20 pages of reserach that needs to be written by the end of the week-a major pain in the butt.

The good news is that it is all downhill from there, I am just a little frazzled about the whole thing.

So the BS is on again, and I've got to get excited about doing some crazy classes here.

Object Motion

Now that Daphne has become much more mobile, things have started to move and migrate around the house more.

I am starting to find things that were in one room 5 minutes before in a room clear across the house. The funny one I discovered today was that she had pulled a measuring cup out of the dishwasher, and without my knowledge, it ended up in the office.

Car Dents

The other day, I was backing out of my friend's driveway, and I ended up denting my other friend's car. It is not a big deal at all, and it should be easy to fix. While I was looking online for something car dent related, I ran into this article.

http://www.wisebread.com/remove-car-dents-quickly-and-cheaply

In summary, applying dry ice to a car dent will cause it to spring back into place. You apply it for some time every 5 minutes until it works. Additionally, if you warm the door with a hair dryer and then use an air duster can held upside down, it will get the same result.

I think that is pretty cool!

Dinner-Yum-o!

Yes, I am posting about dinner again. See, I have started to take pride in what I make for food, and with the help of some meal planning and some TV watching (Thanks, Food Network!) I am on a "make it yourself" kind of kick. I have done a really good job so far this year not going out to eat and not eating prepackaged foods.

I had a "cooking day" today, which basically means that I spend several hours in the kitchen cooking things of all kinds.

Here is what I made

1.) yogurt
2.) granola (2 kinds, one for Jared and one for me)
3.) almond milk
4.) vanilla ice cream
5.) strawberry ice cream
6.) fresh bagels (as in I cooked, boiled and baked them)
7.) baked potatoes
8.) Basil pea soup

Many of these things are staple items for us that I make on a regular basis, but the bagels were a new experience. I usually make vanilla ice cream, but I took half the batch and put strawberries in it. It was REALLY good just as a base. It is hardening up now, and I will try some a little later.

The pea soup was the highlight. I had seen it on the Food Network earlier in the week. It struck a cord because I had some spare peas lying around that Daphne decided she did not want, and I needed to do something with them.

It was so simple, but it was amazing. I may be making more soon because I do have some more peas. Here is how I did the recipe.

Sweat 1 onion for 8 minutes until it is soft then add 2 cloves of garlic.

Immediately dump in about a half a bag of frozen peas and cook for 2 minutes.

Take the mixture to the blender and add 2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable). Blend until smooth.

Return to the stove and add 2 cups of milk (you could even do rice milk, and this could be vegan).

Heat through, add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and serve.

It was amazing!

On a side note, I did start the stove on fire during all of this cooking. No one is perfect right?

Fighting Children

It is only 20 because I'm short with short arms. How unfair.

20

College--Again

I am still undecided on what to do about college, and it is getting a little ridiculous.

I have written my college counselor, and he is not writing me back. In fact, I have heard nothing since before Christmas from him.

My greatest fear is that I am working my butt off with no real end in sight.

I've got a tough decision. Spend a year driving in to Portland to go to classes to get the degree I want and have been working for since 2002 (NO WAY!) or lose a year and finish a degree that I could care less about, but that I can finish here in Mcminnville?

I really can't decide. I think that I will probably end up continuing on with the degree that I don't want and at least get a BS in Social Sciences. I then plan to apply to the nursing program that I can do in Mcminnville, and spend a year doing the classes that I need to do to become certified as an RN.

At that point, just a little bit more work, and I've got a BSN (BS in Nursing). From that point, becoming a midwife involves a masters degree, but I could do it if I wanted to. The most important thing being that I have a Nursing degree and could practice nursing of some sort.

I really don't know.

For now, I know that I have to make it through midterms next week, which is a real challenge with a baby hanging off one leg.

Dinner Tonight

For dinner tonight we had

Turrijata (a taco, burrito, fajita). They were incredible. They had onions and peppers and cheese and meat. Yummm. I am glad there is some left over for tomorrow.

I also had an artichoke. I haven't had one in years. I am so happy that I ate it. Daphne enjoyed chewing on the leaves.

Have you wondered yet why I have not lost all of the baby weight?

The Dinner Menu

The dinner menu was

Appetizer: Roasted asparagus in lemon and olive oil

Entree: Mussels and angel hair pasta in a reduced cream wine sauce

Dessert: Sliced pear

I drank a glass of Yellow Tail Merlot to go with it all. Needles to say, it was wonderful, and I am satisfied.