Finally feeling back to normal after the Indy 500

This year marked the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.  To be honest, I am not a racing fan but I do love history and any excuse to have fun over a lot a couple adult beverages with friends.  The Indy 500 is the largest event held here in Indiana that attracts almost a half a million people to the West side of town.  I live only about 5 or so miles from the Speedway and had Neil Carr Van Services (317-414-6842) pick myself and my friend, Lindsey, up around 7:45am.  It took us 3.5 hours to get there but just in time for the opening ceremonies:  the National Anthem performed by Kelly Clarkson, Seal, David Foster; God Bless American sung by Florence Henderson; the fly over from the B12 Stealth Bomber (awesome!); the introductory laps;er and of course, Jim Nabors.  It was a very nostalgic moment that brought chills to myself and many of my friends.  The crowd chanted USA! USA! USA! and it was just such a special time to be at the track. 

I met up with my friend, Macy, who was in town from California, and her friends from Logansport.  When the drivers made their first official lap past Turn 3 (where we were stationed) they shook and sprayed their beers wildly in the air.  Lindsey and I stood from a far distance. 

Celebratory Beer Spraying to kick off the Race

Macy got soaked!

I decided to channel my inner derby girl with my attire but it paid off in the long run because at the end of the day, I wasn't fried and didn't have the annoying tan lines.

Me!

Lindsey, Steph, Macy and myself



Linds and I

 Here's a sample of the hilarious attire seen out in the infield.... 

Channeling the 80s

Mullet action!



Buns of Steel!

 I wish I had taken more pics because there were plenty of awesomely crazy looking people.  I met up with a few more friends before the end. 



Old buddy of mine, Jeremy!!

 

Hello, Leon!

I had a great time and can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!

First Day of Orientation! Easy, breezy!

I am starting a new role in the health care industry and I couldn't be more excited about it!  Now, I'll be working closer to the patients (not direct patient care) but enough to play a major role in their experience and helping to facilitate their care.  Although, my journey into adulthood started in the fashion and retail industry, I don't regret my decision one bit to start over completely.  Goodbye 5-day work weeks; HELLO three-12s.  I can't wait to be able to get things done on my 4 days off (i.e. laundry, house work, errands) and then taking time to enjoy ME!!  And the cherry on top is the uniform: SCRUBS!! Who doesn't wish they could roll into work in pjs?
Today was short and simple.  I am working at the same place as my previous position so a lot of what we went through was company policy and basic procedure.  I can't wait to get into the nitty-gritty stuff, the simulations and of course, up on the unit.  I still have 6 more intensive days to go so I probably won't be much in the blogging mood especially after spending 8 hours staring at a computer and powerpoint presentations. 

What I'm Cooking: Southwest Turkey Chili

My Southwest Turkey Chili simmering in a pot

One of these days I'm going to buy a nice camera and hone in on my food styling and blogging skills, among many other projects.  I promise you I am capable of more appetizing pictures.  Until then, I am going to continue to bring mediocre pictures of the foods/meals I make and you are going to love them anyways.

Last night, I cooked an easy one-pot meal that surprised me beyond expectations.  I had seen a similar recipe but decided to disregard and use my own culinary skills and just improvise the meal.  What I created was warming with robust flavors but light enough for a Spring/Summer day as well as a balanced blend of salty and sweet (from simmering the tomatoes, onions and corn). 

Here's how I did it:
-2 tbsp canola oil
-Onions, raw, 1 medium
-Bell Pepper, Red, Raw, Slices, 1 cup
-Garlic, 5-6 cloves
-Ground Turkey, 1 lb
-1 14.5 can Stewed Tomatoes
-Bush's Black Bean (Reduced Sodium), 1 cup
-Yellow Sweet Corn, Canned, .5 cup
-Campbell's low sodium chicken broth, 1 cup
-Chili powder, 2 tbsp
-Paprika, 1 tbsp
-Garlic powder, 1 tbsp
-Cumin 2 tsp

Makes 6 1-cup servings

In a med-high saucepan heat up canola oil and add the first 4 ingredients.  Cook until the ground turkey has browned. Mix in the dry spices. Stir in the black beans (drained and rinsed), corn and stewed tomatoes. Pour in the chicken broth and bring pan to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 45 mins, stirring occasionally.

Easy-peesy! Super yummy!!  You can even top with light sour cream, shredded cheese, scallions or cilantro.

And finally....

Cal: 269.3 Fat: 13.1 Carbs: 21.1 Protein: 20.1

From Mar 24: An idea to ponder

"hell is something freely chosen that already exists on earth, in everything from war to abusive relationships"

I read an article about a new book by Rob Bell, Love Wins. It discusses his theory on the heaven and hell argument and a particular sentence (above) struck a cord with me. I don't have the energy to go into my own personal religious beliefs (I'll save that for another time) but the quote made me question myself and my life.

So many times in my life, I have created hellish situations on my own or perpetuated a problem and wasted valuable time dwelling in my self loathing. I have felt so low that I could easily infer that I was in a living hell. Some people like to bitch and complain about their lives to me or anyone who will listen and I am also guilty from time to time. We wallow in the misery and surround ourselves with other miserable people as if to maybe be one-up on at least one other person. We chase after failing relationships and hold on to old friendships that serve no real purpose. We stick with jobs that make us want to pull our hair out instead of looking for a career that is purposeful. We live very masochistic lives where we like to hurt ourselves (and sometimes others) just to feel something, anything. When I am depressed, I get down on myself: I hate my life, my job, my body, my boyfriend, my family, my friends, my financial situation. Derek Sivers wrote an excellent post explaining Kurt Vonnegut's take on drama. I guess it really doesn't help that our parents plant such fantastical ideas when we are young and then wonder why we are the way we are. Girls become dependent, damsels in distress searching for our Prince Charmings and boys become competitive, cavemen looking for that dragon to slay. When our real lives fall short, we create and fester in our own drama.

Ultimately, I know I hold the control almost 99% of the time: "Choose your Attitude". So I try to make a conscious effort to change. I ditch the self pity-party. I figure out ways to change my situation. I take on hobbies to build self confidence and achieve goals, even if they are small. The bottom line is that I choose to walk away from my personal hells and create the life I truly want. I am well on my way there and couldn't be happier.