Lemon cookies for spring

Now I know lemon flavor is not for everyone, but I think this little recipe may hit the spot for some of your spring taste buds. My body wash from philosophy is called "Lemon Cookie". Every time I have showered with it the past couple months I read the recipe for Lemon cookies on the front and my saliva glands start working. Today I decided to endulge....I hope you will too!

Philosophy Lemon Cookies

Ingredients: 18.25 oz Lemon Cake Mix, olive oil, 2 eggs, lemon juice, and powdered sugar

Mix together lemon cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup olive oil, and 2 tsp. lemon juice. Pour some powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll dough into a ball and coat with powdered sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet at bake at 375 degrees for 6-9 minutes!

YUMMY!

I'm a grateful girl!

What is on my mind this week? PETE! I love this man! I am continually amazed by his patience and his selflessness. I rarely hear him complain and he just has this contagious passion for life.

These last two weeks, I have been absolutely crazy busy with school and clinicals. Pete has helped out in a big way-laundry, errands, taking the car in, walking the dog, making dinner, and more. I don't think I could be a full-time student and wife-if he wasn't so understanding and giving of his time. He does it all with a smile. So tonight as another week winds down, I am very grateful for one of my biggest blessings in life...Peter Thomas Moormeier!

"LOVE IS LIKE SWALLOWING HOT CHOCOLATE BEFORE IT HAS COOLED OFF, IT TAKES YOU BY SURPRISE AT FIRST, BUT KEEPS YOU WARM FOR A LONG TIME!"

-Unknown

COURAGE

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

The last couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about courage. Courage is something that does not always come easily. There has been plenty of times where I wished I had more courage to face daunting obstacles and even the day-to-day hurdles of life.

This past year there has been two people that have truly amazed me with their courage. I am a volunteer for the Children's Cancer Association (CCA) and last July I was paired with a 5-year-old little girl battling leukemia. Her courage and the courage of her family blew me away. They fought her leukemia with every last ounce of their being. Today I am happy to say that the courage she displayed has led her to remission. Secondly, I am a caretaker for a woman who had a stem cell transplant for her leukemia. She has almost made it through the crucial 100 days after the transplant. This has been a trying time for her as she has no immune system, constant fatigue, and endless precautions. She is a fighter and determined to make it through for her children. Watching her battle through with a fierce spirit has astonished me.

I believe courage allows people to do the unthinkable and gives strength when weakness overcomes. The two courageous heroes I encountered have mirrored for me the beauty of facing your challenges and moving forward. Their feats are unbelievable and put the joy of living into perspective for me.

I believe God has given each of us courageous spirits for living. For me personally, sometimes all I need for my courage to come out is a little encouragement. SO I encourage all of you to be courageous in whatever situation you are facing. Believe in yourself and that you can achieve what you never thought you could.

2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

Aloha Adventure!

Vacations can never come too soon and they can never last long enough! Pete and I have been counting the days until March 18th ever since we booked our trip to Kauai in January. It was a busy week leading up to our trip and we left in a scurry trying to get everything done in time. I had a bad cold and was packing up until the last minute. The second we stepped off the plane and inhaled the fresh Hawaiian air, it was like we entered a dream-a dream that we never wanted to end.

We enjoyed island life-beach hopping, hiking, ziplining, a boat tour, seafood, tropical drinks, sun bathing, and more. It was an adventure to say the least and we fell in love with the island of Kauai. The best part about it all was the endless time together. We were talking about it with some of our friends upon arriving home and vacations like this one make you remember all the little reasons you got married in the first place. :)

Whether a week long tropical vacation in the sun or a weekend camping trip 50 miles from home-I strongly believe one-on-one vacations with your spouse is a must on the marriage check list. It gives you time to really appreciate each other, relax, remember, and look forward. My only problem is when the vacation has to end. For as long as I can remember I get a big knot in my stomach on the last day of a great vacation dreading the end of something soo good. My mom told me this quote a few years ago and I always remember it after a memorable trip. . .

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened!"

-Dr. Seuss

Student Nurses who love Babies

March of Dimes is an amazing organization that raises money for babies. The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

When we lived in San Diego, I raised money and did one of their walks. It was a wonderful expereince! I have decided to do it again this spring in Astoria, OR on May 1st. I started a team called "Student Nurses who love Babies". I truly do love babies and I hope to go into a field of nursing that strives to help babies and keep babies healthy.

Please check out the website below-join the team if you want to come out and walk (it will be so much fun) or donate to this cause! Thank-you for your support!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1385458

GOLD SILVER BRONZE

One of the highlights of this month for us was going to Vancouver, BC the same night as opening ceremonies for the WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES 2010. We took the sky train into the city and it was a rush of excitement to see the athletes running into the stadium and to watch as the Canadians celebrated this big event happening in their country. We went with our good friends Jeff and Kelly and my parents. The six of us had a great time eating dinner at Earl's (an yummy restaurant right in the city) and watching the ceremonies on a big screen TV. We even walked outside in the rain to take everything in and see all the people. We saw people from many different countries. We had a large group from Russia on the sky train with us. It was powerful just to see people from all over the world coming together like that.

Pete mentioned the other night how much he enjoys watching the olympics-he has been following it almost nightly. He brought up a good point that it doesn't happen every year and that in our life time there will only be so many olympics especially ones that are held so close to home. I wish I could have watched more these past weeks and I am sad to see it ending this weekend. The events I did watch were so emotional. It is so amazing to see someone win a medal. Gold, Silver, or Bronze. . .What an accomplishment. You think of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into that and it is truly unbelievable.

So KUDOS to the WINTER OLYMPICS 2010 and all of those who participated. We felt more connected to it this year as we cheered in the heart of Vancouver opening night. :) Can't wait to watch in 2014!

Health Tips: Folic Acid

Being in school for almost 7 years now (working towards my nursing degree), my mind is starting to fill with lots of healthy tips. So I thought every once in awhile I might share a tip that I find interesting or healthful :)

Folic acid has been on my mind because I recently started taking it. Folic acid is a very important B vitamin and it does numerous things for our bodies such as assisting in the formation of nucleic acid, it is essential for growth and reproduction, and it stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. I recently had a check up with my Dr. and she said it is important for every woman of the child bearing age to be getting 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid a day.

WHY? Folic acid helps develop the nervous system of babies and is very important during times of growth. Even if a woman is not planning on getting pregnant-folic acid is advised. This is because folic acid is needed during the first weeks of pregnancy to prevent birth defects. Half of all pregnancies in the US are not planned, therefore if the mother is on folic acid before hand the baby will be receiving it from conception. Breast feeding mothers are advised to be taking 500 mcg of folic acid as well.

HOW CAN I GET THE RIGHT AMOUNT? Most daily vitamins have 400 mcg of folic acid (check the back of the bottle to make sure) and then you can take an additional 400 mcg pill of folic acid. They can be bought over-the-counter at any drug store.

SIDE TIP: I find it works best to take my daily vitamin and folic acid pill in the morning with breakfast. I did not like taking it on an empty stomach because it made me feel full.