Near Death experience

Nothing like a near death experience to open your mind and realize that life is too short to dwell on small things and live life to its fullest potential.

Yesterday was my near death experience that has made me thankful that I'm alive. I'm still shook up from it and am very happy that my experience didn't cause any harm to me. It was an extremely close call is what it was.

I was heading to work. It was wet and gloomy out. I have to be at work for 6 AM and so with that said it means it was also still dark out. The sun was still sleeping behind the mountains. There was no standing water to cause an accident such as hydroplaning or fishtailing. I'll explain in a moment as to why I brought those two up. 

I never trust semi trucks and often avoid them like a plague. Yesterday morning, I tried, but the traffic didn't allow it. I was stuck on the right side of the truck, side-by-side. I was heading north and about to hit the west bound exit when the trucker last minute put his turning signal on. I was hoping he saw me and then he'd wait to get behind me, but he didn't. 

What the luckiest part of this whole accident is that the trucker realized he hit something and immediately went back into his lane. 

The next part was extremely upsetting for me. I see it as fleeing the scene, but the hwy patrol gave the trucker the benefit of the doubt. The trucker said he took the eastbound exit because he was looking for a place to pull over. I followed him until I could get his plate & truck # info. I called my husband from the call features the car has and had him write that information down in case the guy kept going. 

Finally he stopped and I was able to get the hwy patrol to report this.

The whole thing could have been worse. I could have lost my life and the car could have been totaled. I walked away without a scratch, just shook up enough to flare my asthma. The car just has a small tear in the skin of the car by the left back tire. Very minor repairs needed.

Today, I'm very grateful to be alive. It has opened my eyes to realize how short life really is. I need to spend as much time with the people I love so much that I haven't lately. I need to tell those I love how much I love them and let them see it. I don't want to leave this world with any one of those people not knowing how much I appreciate them in my life. 

Today I will start appreciate everyone I have in my life and do whatever I can to spend time with them. Even though yesterday was the most scariest day of my life, I'm grateful that it happened. It opened me up. 

Strawberry Habanero Jam

Yes, that's right. I decided to try my hands at making a jam. My husband makes this amazing chicken waffle sandwiches and I wanted to make a condiment that would give a little bite, as well, as sweetness to it. He dips his chicken in waffle batter and then deep fries it. He puts a homemade cheese sauce that gives a little saltiness to the sandwich.

So I came up with this strawberry habanero jam that is to die for. It doesn't have too much heat coming from it, but it has enough to know it's there. The jam doesn't have too much sugar, making a perfect balance between sweet & spicy.

The jam is made up of:
16 oz strawberries
3 habanero peppers (sliced and seeded)
1/2 c sugar
1 orange zested and juiced
1 T instant pectin

Cook it on the stove on a medium light and turn it down when it starts bubbling. Let it cook for 1 hour.

Let it cool and take out the slices of the pepper. 

Blend it until it is smooth. 1 Tablespoon of instant pectin is all that is needed to thicken this lovely jam.

Pour into the jars or containers you plan to keep the jam in. 

It should yield no less than 3 8oz jars.

Enjoy!

Simple King Cake

There isn't anything like a good king cake to kick off a non-stop party like Mardi Gras. This year I decided to try my hands on making a simple one. The original one is make a nice yeast risen dough. Definitely quite an airy and tasty treat.

This cake is made of:

3 cans of Grands Cinnamon Buns with the icing

purple crystal sugar

gold crystal sugar

green crystal sugar

1 jars raspberry preserves

1 1/2 cream cheese blocks (8oz each) -- room temperature

Mix the preserves and cream cheese together until smooth. Place the mix into the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.

Make each can of buns into one roll and open to spread the cream cheese mix into it. Roll up the buns and attach each end to the other big rolls making a large ring. 

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. The rolls will be a golden to darker golden brown color. Let it cool completely before icing it and decorating with the colored crystal sugars.

It can easily serve 12.

Enjoy!

Stress

Today I'm going to change up this entry. It deals deeply with a huge health issue. It's mental health mostly, but affects all parts of health.

Let's discuss something that everyone deals with every day...STRESS! 

It is a very nasty word that can hinder your weight loss goals. It can make you loss weight by having no appetite or making you gain because you eat your emotions, trying to bury them under a big plate of down home mac & cheese with the gooey warm cheese. It is like a blanket of pure love and understanding right there. 

This last week I have been hit hard and completely stressed. When something you depend on for living your life shows to be not a stable thing to rely on, it makes for a serious stress and deep concern. 

As most who know me, I live at work. I work tons of overtime and am known as a reliable person in case someone doesn't show up to work. I'll stay late and work on my days off. I like knowing that I can be counted on when things happen. 

BUT...this last week, I found out from the agency I work for that my job might be coming to an end. The contract to keep me working may not be renewed even though I have been working for the company a year and a half. I know it's not a huge amount of time, but I feel it is a good amount of time to prove I'm devoted.

So all of this last week, I've been pulling my hair out of my head as to what to do. I absolutely love my job and would like to keep it, but if the contract isn't renewed, there's nothing I can do to keep it going.

I have to admit one thing. I absolutely don't like looking for a new job. I even dislike more the interviewing part. I am so clumsy trying to remember event of 18 years experience to best answer how I did this and how it made me feel kinds of questions. Honestly, I sometimes don't remember the simplest things in life and to remember that is even harder.

I made it through and decided it is time to take my agent's suggestion on looking for a new job before the contract expires. 

I looked at the Post Office which has a crazy test to take. I give a hands up to all those Postal workers who past that test. My head hurts still trying to practice for it. All I can say is WOW!

I also submitted to Netflix. I did their video interview and was asked to come in today at 5 PM for an in-person individual interview. I'm super stoked and finally the stress filled week I had last week is slowly dissipating. 

Let's just say that last week's stress gave me an excuse to not do the things I should have. I gained 4.5 pounds. I'm back to 279. 

This week I'm looking forward to pushing past this and doing what I need to get back on track. 

Let's do this!!!!

Positive verse Negative

I could start off with how I missed every day this week going to the gym. How I am very disappointed that I didn't make the time to go at least three times as I stated was the goal this last week. 

BUT...here's the thing, I rather focus on what positive came out of the week and learn how to overcome the negative to push me to be more motivated on continuing down a healthy road for myself.

Positive things that I saw this last week were: 
1) I was able to get my sugars down to 182 this week. A huge kudos to myself for sticking with taking my diabetes medication. 

2) I didn't gain this week. I'm still 274.5. Anything, but a gain is a huge positive in my book. Of course, I'd rather have a loss, but no gain is still awesome.

I'm excited to see how this week turns out! Anything is possible!

Change is coming

Gym is my next step to changing my life. It will help me get healthier and be able to go on the hikes I have been missing for the last few years. It will give me more stamina to climb the 3 flights of stairs to the front door of my apartment. My lungs and diabetes will become better. Change is what I need and to fear such change is to stay in a life where I will eventually not be able to be me. I must take the next step to changing my life forever and that is to go to the gym. Work hard to lose all the weight that has been weighing me down for years. 

I lost 1.5 pounds this week. I'm down to 274.5. I'm happy with my results for this week even if I didn't make it once to the gym. I will make it to the gym this week at least 3 times. 

I have decided that if I need to force myself to go, I will. It is the only way to start a habit that will stick. It takes 21 days to make a habit. I will start the making of a healthy habit TODAY! In fact, for the first time in my life, I'm actually excited about starting the gym habit.

In May, I'm planning to go hiking again. I miss the outdoors so much. The gym will help condition my body to be able to hike again. YEY!!!

I'm not giving up anything except bad habits that eventually lead to death. I want to live and enjoy my life.