Fabulous Fettuccino Alfredo

I'm always looking for new recipes that are healthy and taste good. I came across one that uses yogurt to make Alfredo sauce. Since Alfredo sauce is one of my favorites, I decided to give this a try. To my surprise, it is pretty good, especially if you let it sit a couple of days after you make it. I got the recipe from Stonyfield; check out www.stonyfield.com.

Here is the recipe.

1.5 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound of whole wheat pasta or other pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, pressed
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Regglano cheese
1 cup Stonyfield Farm organic milk
1 cup Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste and garnish

Cook pasta al dente in salted water for 4-5 minutes then drain. Add olive oil and garlic in large skillet for about 1 minute. Add pasta and 1/2 cup of cheese and toss well. Add milk, stir and raise heat to medium-high for about 2 minutes. To prevent curdling, mix yogurt with 1/2 cup pasta mixture in a separate bowl. Return mixture to skillet and mix well. Turn off heat and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and pepper. Cover and allow pasta to absorb all the liquid for 12 to 15 minutes.

Yields: 6 servings (approx. 1 cup of pasta per serving)

Coffee Break Devotions-latte

I recently picked up a book entitled "Coffee Break Devotions-latte" I couldn't resist this book since I'm always taking coffee breaks and spending time with God. Of course, the book grabbed my attention and I couldn't wait to pop open the cover and begin having my "coffee devotion" time with the Lord.

The scripture for the first devotion is Isaiah 65:24: Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I hear. The first devotion is titled "No Waiting."

No Waiting

When we've made a telephone call, many of us have had to punch our way through the maze of unfathomable pathways, only to be put on hold while listening to an inane repeating message. What if it were like this to reach God?

We might hear something like this:

Thank you for calling Heaven. Listen carefully-our options may have changed.

Press 1 for requests.

Press 2 for thanks.

Press 3 for questions of faith.

For all other matters, press 4.

Next you might hear:

I'm sorry, but God is busy helping other people. Your call is important to us, so please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received. Estimated wait time: two hours and twenty minutes.

Most of us would hang up in utter frustration, but those facing crisis might hang on. Thankfully, we don't have to endure telephone bureaucracy in order to reach God. Yet some of us approach God as if we do. The truth is, God is ready to hear you-anytime, anyplace, regardless of the frame of mind you happen to be in. Talk to Him. It's easier than picking up the phone and much less aggravating. God is waiting to take your call, no waiting required.

I'm so thankful that God is waiting to take my call and that He is available 24/7. I know that there have been times in my life where I needed to talk to someone and because of either the time of day or other circumstances, God was the only one available. In retrospect, these were the toughest times of my life, but God was there and saw me through them no matter what. I think He orchestrated for no one to be available so that I would be totally dependent upon Him. I'm thankful for this because my faith increased and my relationship with God is much deeper now.

Eel Ladder

I must admit that my job offers me many different learning opportunities in the environmental field. Last week I got to visit an eel ladder. You're probably thinking "eel ladder, what is that?" Check here to learn more.

The eel ladder is located at the New York Power Authority dam, which is located in Massena, NY. The ladder spans over a 100 feet and allows the eels safe passage over the dam's turbines into upstream waters in the St. Lawrence River.

Our tour began with us climbing down a 20 foot vertical ladder. At the bottom of this ladder were stairs that we took to two more 20-foot ladders, which eventually put us at the bottom of the dam near the water's surface. The eel ladder is enclosed and runs along the side of the stairs. Our tour guide opened the lids on the eel ladder at several different points along the way, but no eels were found. He explained that most eels use the ladder at night. After our 15 or 20 minute conversation at the bottom of the dam, we all had to make the journey back up the ladders and stairs. We were 100 feet down and had to go back up. It was a good fitness test for us all.

We weren't able to take pictures due to security reasons, otherwise I would have some pictures to share.

When we got back to the top, I looked across the top of the dam and noticed the American and Canadian flags flying in the center of the dam. This signifies the US-Canadian border; yes the border bisects the dam - half in the US and half in Canada.

Happenings

I had time off last week and got to do many things that I enjoy. July 4 I ended up going to a friend's house that is located on Higley Flow. We went boating, fishing, and swimming. These were all done with thunderstorms/showers threatening on the horizon. Fortunately, these storms held off most of the day and we were able to enjoy our outside adventures.

On Thursday, I went to Cornwall, Ontario with other friends to go shopping; it wasn't exactly my usual shopping trip since my friends needed to pick up fencing supplies at the Tractor Supply Store. We also went to Canadian Tire and I ended buying a new tackle box and tackle. I introduced my friends to the atmosphere of East Side Mario's for lunch. They were all excited about my stories of eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor. Little did I know that East Mario's discontinued this practice some time ago-I guess I need to go more often to be up to date. We all had fun and even got to tease the waiter when he called us all ladies; he overlooked the 11 year old lad that was with us.

I traveled to Utica, NY on Friday to help another friend decorate for a wedding that was held on Saturday. I truly enjoyed the fellowship and the work too. I got to see some old friends at the wedding and socialize with people that I see on a weekly basis. The wedding was beautiful and the food was great! Here are some pictures from the wedding.

The newly married - Colin & Ann. Looking forward to seeing you when you return from your honeymoon.

My Cats

I recently found my cats napping together in my recliner. Here are some pictures of their lazy time; Shadow is the black cat and Angel is the white cat.

Restoring

God continues to restore things that once were lost in my life. I don't always understand what the Lord is doing at the time, but I know that He is touching the deepest parts of my soul and restoring them.

This past week I felt God's presence like I never have before. He opened my eyes more to the fact that He created me to be a joyful, loving, and caring person; He deposited a deep joy, love, and care in my heart as a child. Satan tried so hard to steal these things from me, but was unsuccessful at stomping out God's flame that kindles deep in my soul; a flame that keeps growing and gaining momentum as God continues to restore my soul.

Wildlife in the Cabin

I've had a few wildlife vistors to the cabin over the past few weeks.

A week ago my cats were going frantic early in the morning. They were running up and down the hall and jumping over my bed. Initially, I thought that they were very playful early in the morning, but then I sooned realized I had an unwanted visitor in my house: a bat.

The bat was flying through my hall and then around my bedroom and back down the hall. I'm not sure why the bat was interested in keeping this flight pattern, but he sure was persistent in staying on course.

I finally made my way downstairs after dodging the bat a few times. I promptly got my broom from the bathroom and headed out to find my little flying vistor. My flying vistor was no where to be found. My one cat (Angel) was laying on the floor in the living room, but my other cat (Shadow) had disappeared too. I concluded that if I found Shadow I would find the bat. I began to venture back upstairs and sure enough the bat was hanging on my wall. Shadow was sitting on my dresser and staring the bat down. One whack with the broom caused the bat to fly around again. The bat made the mistake, though, of landing on my bed. I hit him again, flopped on the floor, and laid there motionless. I wrapped him up and threw him outside for his next adventure.

A couple nights later my cats acted up again. This time there was a small mouse running around my bedroom floor. My cats chased it downstairs and corned it. I was able to nab it with a paper towel and threw it out where the bat was; I hope they kept each other company.

Dreaming

Last weekend I attended the Women of Faith Pre-conference and conference. The theme for the pre-conference was God has a dream for your life. The speakers were Shelia Walsh and Dr. Henry Cloud.



The words that Sheila and Dr. Cloud shared pierced through my soul and God spoke to me about it is time for me dream about my life. Dreaming about my life was a foreign concept since life circumstances in my childhood prevented me from dreaming about my future; I had all I could do to survive from one day to the next, let alone think about my future.

I've been doing a lot of dreaming in the past week. I must admit that I've had fun thinking about my future and seeking God's dreams for my life.



God spoke to me in 2000 that "the book on yesterday is closed and I will live in the grace and refreshing of the Lord your God." Through my dreaming, I've come to realize the freedom that I have in Christ and I truly feel that the book on yesterday is closed for me; meaning that my identity is no longer rooted in past events of my life and I'm free to live to be the person that God created me to be and do the things that He designed me for. This is a place that I've dreamed about being, but never thought that I could get here. I'm so thankful to the Lord for His healing work in my life and praise Him everyday.

Women of Faith

Later this afternoon I'll be leaving with three precious friends and traveling to Rochester, NY. We will be attending the Women of Faith Conference. I'm looking forward to the trip, the conference, and spending time with my friends.

I usually go to conferences with no idea what the Lord will do in me, but I always come back with a testimony of God's furthering work in my life.

I remember the very first conference that I attended: September 1996, CFC WIM Fall Retreat. I went not knowing that my life would be transformed and changed forever. You are probably wondering what happened - right? I can share: I became born again and surrendered my life to the Lord. I've never been the same and God has healed me from past hurts and wounds that I never thought I could be set free from. Thank you, Lord.

What will happen to me this weekend? I'm not sure, but I know that my God has a plan and purpose and I'll rest in His loving arms, continuing to enjoy His work in my life.

Back to Balance

My favorite expression for the past few days has been "back to balance." The expression describes my life as it is today.

My life hasn't been balanced since April 1. Traveling was the primary reason that it wasn't balanced. Since April 1, I've been to California, New Mexico, Lake George, and made many trips to Syracuse. Most of the traveling was work related with the exception of the California trip. Although I like to travel, I must say that I'm glad I only have one more trip planned and it is a personal one to a Women of Faith conference next weekend. I'll be traveling with special friends from church and get to see other friends (the Neville's) that I truly enjoy being with. I am looking forward to the trip.

I requested the assistance from my brother, who happens to be a professional photogragher, to help me purchase a digital camera when I was in California. He took me shopping and checked out the new Nikon Coolpix camera for me. It passed all of his tests and recommended that I buy it. I did and he now has one too since he liked mine so much. Here are some of my first photos.

Enjoy and I hope to post more often now that my life is back to balance.

My brother taking advantage of a photo opportunity with a mother goose and daddy goose.

Mommy with little ones. Before our photo shoot was over, I was feeding the mother goose bread from my hand.

Practicing taking close up shots. I took this picture with the flash on and liked how the camera picked up the detail of the sky. It was the middle of the day when I took the photo.

Going Home

I'm sitting at the airport waiting to board my plane. I've enjoyed my time in New Mexico, but I'm glad to be going home.

In the past month, I've traveled west twice. Once to California by car and then this trip to New Mexico by plane.

I like to travel, but I think I'm approaching my traveling limit. This is unfortunate since I have another trip next week to Lake George, NY.

I'm glad that I can sleep on airplanes. I see the gate attendant is getting ready to call passengers to the plane. I guess I need to sign off for now.

See you when I get home.

Going West Again

In a few hours, I'll be packing for another trip west. I will be flying this time and my destination is Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I'll be speaking at this conference.

I'll be returning home on Thursday night, will be home until Sunday, and then I'm off again on another adventure to this conference.

Life in the garbage business is certainly interesting and never dull.

Signs that Spring has Arrived

How does one actually tell if spring has arrived in NNY? Here are some signs to look for:

1. You spend the whole day raking your lawn and work up a sweat;
2. The temperature is above 50 degrees;
3. The snow banks are gone;
4. Flocks of geese fly overhead in the North direction;
5. You can open your windows to get fresh air blowing through the house without the worry of your furnace turning on;
6. The sun comes up before 7 AM and sets later than 8 PM; and
7. One goes kayaking for the first time since last fall; this was me yesterday.

I'm glad that spring has finally arrived in NNY and replaced the 8 inches of snow that I had in my yard last weekend. I just hope spring stays around until the hot days of summer come.

What will be My Next Adventure?

I returned home last night after helping friends (Jong & Jiwon) drive to California. I'm glad to be home and truly enjoyed my trip. I miss my friends already, but I know that we'll stay in touch through emails and frequent phone calls.

We spent 52 hours driving across the country last week in reaching our destination. I have a great sense of accomplishment for this achievement. I wonder what my next adventure will be: perhaps a road trip to Alaska. Anyone want to join me? If so, here are some tips that will help you along the journey:

1. Pray & ask God to before you and with you;
2. Don't give up the goal even during times that you think you can't make it;
3. Be willing to sleep in any position that the car you're travelling in allows;
4. Schedule regular bathroom breaks and don't try to hold it too long;
5. Travel with people who'll accept you even after spending 52 hours with you in the car;
6. Compose music even though you're not a musician - makes the journey more interesting;
7. Stay in touch with family and friends through instant messaging on your Blackberry; this makes the trip more fun.

Okay. That is all from this one adventurous traveler.

We Made It to California

We crossed the AZ/CA state line about 6:15 PM and arrived at my brother's house at 11:45 PM. Other than being tired, we are well.

The moving company will be delivering Jong & Jiwon's household items tomorrow morning. They are both excited to see their new apartment in the morning. I'm excited too, but I'm going to sleep in and catch up with them later in the day.

The drive across NM and AZ was beautiful. I recommend doing the drive if you ever get the opportunity since the mountain views will take your breath away.

I'm off to bed now.

California - Our Next Stop

We are at my sister's house in Albuquerque, NM getting ready for our next leg of the journey. We arrived here after 13 hours of driving from Joplin, MO. The drive was great and we drove through Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The drive through Texas was the most uninteresting since it was flat and you could see for miles. We did come across some tumbleweed along the highway in Oklahoma.

We are planning on departing for California around 8 AM Mountain Time with an expected time of arrival in CA around 8 PM Pacific Time.

For those of you in NY, the temperature here is 71. It was nice getting out of the car and feel the warm breeze and not the cold winds that we've had in NY.

Marathon Driving

After 26 hours of driving and riding in the car, we've arrived in Joplin, MO. This city is located on the MO and OK state line and is about 1.5 hours east of Tulsa, OK. We originally wanted to reach Tulsa, but decided to call it a night and check-in to a lovely Hampton Inn. We plan on leaving at 7am and head to my sister's house in New Mexico. Tomorrow's drive will be a mere 10-12 hours; this is nothing compared to the 26 hour marathon that we just completed. I'm off for a shower and catch some sleep.

Road Trip

This evening I'll be leaving with two dear friends and heading west. I'm helping my friends drive to southern CA.

The plan is that we'll depart this evening around 8 and drive all night and tomorrow. We hope to be in the Tulsa, OK area by tomorrow night. Thursday we'll be spending the night in Albuquerque, NM with my sister and then arrive at my brother's on Friday night. My brother leaves near where my friends are moving to.

Please pray for our safe travels and that our travel plans go smoothly. I'll post when I can to give you updates.

Grocery Bargains

I'm always shopping for a bargain and I found an ad tonight that caught my eye. It read: "Yes, here is the catch of the season. At Loblaws" Here are some of the prices:

1. White bread: 2-1lb, 2oz loafs for $0.15
2. Bananas: 5 lbs for $0.25 (sure beats the $0.59/lb I paid earlier in the week)
3. Beef roast: $0.17/pound
4. Del Monte coffee: $0.19/pound (I wonder if this coffee will ever be served at CFC's canteen?)

Now these are bargains that seem too good to be true. They are since they were advertised in a 1940 paper that I saw at the 1844 House restrauant tonight. Check the ladies room out if you every dine at this establishment and you'll find lots of interesting information from the 1940's. The information is contained in newspapers that serve as wallpaper in the ladies room. I wonder what wallpaper is in the men's room?

Snapshot of my Life for the Past Month

Wow, I can't believe that my last post was on March 5. Here is a summary of what I've been up to since then.

1. My mom became ill on March 8. She wasn't aware, but she had gallstones and was hospitalized for a week. She had her gallbladder removed on March 14 and then came home with me the next day. She is still staying with me for RR. She has a Dr's appointment on April 3 and I'm sure that she will receive a good report. Until then, she is enjoying her time at the cabin with me and my cats. I love having her around and will miss her when she goes.
2. In between driving back and forth to the hospital and going to work, I got my first head cold since last year. I took advantage of having mom around the house and asked her if she would make me her secret cold remedy that she used to give to me as kid. She did and I was back in action two days later. Thanks mom.
3. I'm also preparing for my cross country drive to California. I'll be leaving next Wednesday and driving across the country with two friends that are moving there. I'm looking forward to the trip, but will miss my two friends when I return from California on April 10.
4. I've been watching the ice melt from the rivers in anticipation of the upcoming kayaking season. I can't wait to get back out paddling. I bought a wet suit this past fall and I'm sure I'll try it out when I return from California.
5. I've been coaching a girls basketball team. The team is part of the Upward Basketball program that is held at church. This is the third year that I've coached and I experience great enjoyment working with the girls. We have our last practice tomorrow night with our last game on Saturday.

These are the things that have occuppied my life for the past month. I hope to be able to post more often now and especially as I travel across the country next week.