Cooking Streak

I'm not sure what has gotten into me, but I have been on a bit of a cooking streak lately. There's something about fall that makes me want to cook, and I've found all sorts of fun new recipes on Pinterest (seriously, if you are not on Pinterest you should check it out). One of my favorite new recipes so far is crockpot honey-sauced chicken. It originally came from this blog. It's so good and so easy! Even my super picky roommate loved it! I think it tasted even better the second day. It's sweet with a little bit of kick. So, if you feel like experimenting I highly recommend trying this recipe.

3/4 pound chicken (of your choice)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)
1/8 cup ketchup
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve
over rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

Sacrifice

Every once in a while, I read or hear something that "changes my life." A few weeks ago, my cousin posted a link on facebook to this article (click here to read - you'll be glad you did). It talks about Jimmer Fredette and the sacrifices he made to become a professional basketball player (if you're not a Jimmer fan, don't worry - the whole article isn't about him). After reading this article, I came away with a greater perspective on what it truly means to sacrifice. Sometimes I get so caught up in the rush of day-to-day life that I forget what I really want out of life. I think we also live in a generation of instant gratification that teaches us we should be able to have whatever we want whenever we want it. However, I think to get the things of greatest worth to us, whether they be relationships, talents, etc., we have to prioritize and sacrifice to make it happen.

Someone once told me that Roger Williams (a famous pianist with crazy skills) was told by a fan that they wished they could play like him. He responded by saying something like "I'm not sure you really do, or you would be able to play the piano like me." I don't know if this conversation actually happened since I don't have the direct source of the story, but I think it illustrates a good point. The only difference between Roger Williams and his fan who wished he could play like him is that Roger Williams made the sacrifice to put in the blood, sweat, and tears to become the pianist that he is. Of course, we all have different talents that we are naturally born with (and things we are not so gifted at doing), but even the talents we are born with will go to waste unless we make the sacrifice to practice and develop them.

Anyway, I feel like I am rambling, but I just wanted to share this "life-changing" article with all of you.

The Hiatus is Over

I'm not sure if I even have anybody following my blog any more since I sort of stopped posting over a year ago, but today I woke up with the random urge to start blogging again. Who knows, maybe some of you still have me in your Google Reader feed. :)

It's been an eventful year so far. Here's the short version of what I've been up to this year:

• I got to go on my first official business trip in February. I jokingly made a comment to my wonderful boss about how she should send my colleagues and me to the national school psychologist convention in San Francisco. I thought there was no way she would send us (which is why I said it jokingly), but she totally did! I've decided it never hurts to ask for what you want. The conference was fantastic, and it was nice to go on a trip where I didn't have to spend every second thinking about how much it was costing me.
• My car died. :( I decided the cost to fix it wouldn't be worth it, so I bought this beauty. I haven't been able to bring myself to get rid of my other car, but if you know of anyone who wants a 2001 Chevy Malibu that barely runs, let me know.

• I finished my first official year as a licensed school psychologist! This year was much easier than my intern year, so hopefully it will only get better from here. Working for a smaller district has given me opportunities that I don't think I would have in a larger district, so I've been forced to stretch myself and grow...a LOT! I'm even presenting at a brain injury conference in October (which I'm starting to freak out about).
• I've thoroughly enjoyed the main perk of working for a school district - SUMMER VACATION! I took a trip to California in June and a trip to Canada at the beginning of this month. Both trips were fantastic! I'm not really looking forward to going back to work at the end of this month, but it will be good for me to have some structure in my life again. Plus, I guess I have to do something to earn money for my traveling addiction.

Well, that pretty much sums up the highlights of my year so far. If I feel really ambitious, I might even do some posts that go into more depth, but I'm not making any promises.