It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life and I'm feeling good.

I started running about three years ago for a few reasons. I have gotten so tired from struggling with asthma from a very early age up until recently. The majority of the time I am at work, I’m sitting at my desk. The ultimate reason is because I want to be as healthy as possible for Laura and Lila.

I didn’t realize just how far I have come with running until now. It’s just starting to dawn on me that I ran my first of many Spartan races. As a matter of fact, I am already registered for the next race in June of 2013. Three years ago, I would have to take a preventative medicine for my asthma about an hour before I would run five-hundred feet. I would basically have to cater to whatever my body would need. Now, I have come to a point where I tell my body what’s up, where I have control. Whenever I want to run, I just go out, stretch then run. Despite what my doctors think, I don’t need an inhaler or a proventil and it has been this way for about a year.

Another modification that I have made to my life is my diet. I used to go out with my co-workers for lunch all of the time, some weeks every single day. There is virtually nothing out there that is healthy. Thanks to Emad, Bobby and the documentary Forks Over Knives. My wife and I have decided to take on a vegan/vegetarian diet. In no way is our decision to eat healthier intended to benefit animals like most vegans. I could really care less. Instead we want to live a longer, healthier and happier life. So far, so great. We have been going for three weeks now and we’re doing very well. I love the meals that Laura has been putting together and I really don’t see myself reverting back to the old and unhealthy ways I used to eat. Of course, this is all easier for me to say because again, my wife has been doing all of the cooking. But I love cooking and this is really important to me so I’ll get my ass in the kitchen too.

God is so good. God has completely healed my spirit, mind and body. Through Jesus stripes, I AM HEALED.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life and I'm feeling good.

This ones gonna leave a mark

           Originally I had planned on keeping this blog updated with what goes on from here on, not to write about my past. However driving to work this morning, I realized that someone made a big impression in my life and so I should write about it.             My brother Pete had invited me to a Joe Bonamassa show. For those of you who are not aware of whom he is, he is a blues/rock musician who not only sings well but plays the guitar like no one that I have seen in my day. He’s worth looking up if you’re not familiar of his work that has been around for a good while now.
            Music is a very, very big part of my life. I sometimes listen to it too much, meaning it can be one of my idols. My favorite is heavy rock but now blues rock comes to a very close second. So when I have music that I enjoy, there is absolutely nothing better. Now don’t get me wrong, I have been listening to blues for a long time but this concert that Pete took me to, gave me a whole new appreciation for the genre. I have even listened to Bonamassa before the show and liked him a lot but I had no idea just how much yet.
In the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that someone made a big impression in my life and I have been talking about Bonamassa ever since, Well, Pete is actually the one who left the impression. Pete was actually the one who introduced music to me at a much younger age, even metal (however, I was scared of metal then).
           Now blues? Is it now that I have experienced some life and now I can truly appreciate the art? Is blues an aquired taste? I originally thought that I’m getting older now and was thinking that I’m falling away from heavy rock/metal but that isnt it either. I just got back from a rock show with my bro-in-law Bobby and that was one hell of a show too so that ain’t it. I just think it’s rare to see someone with so much talent these days. Joe B. was the headliner for the show but he had some incredible guests as well. One guest that I really enjoyed is Beth Hart. Beth Hart’s cd My California is such a great album from front to back, thats a whole nother blog post though.  The show that Joe played was just unbelievable from the very beginning to the end. This was November 5, 2011 and I remember it so vividly even right now on my couch. Have you ever been to such a good show that you wish you could relive it or just experience it again? Well for those of you know Pete; you know he is a hell of a gift giver. Pete got me the DVD set to that very night. Are you freaking kidding me? I can already see myself showing Lila when she’s older or my other kids (God willing) the DVD and I’ll be able to say, hey- I was there! Can you think of any great moments in your life that just leaves a permanent mark?
           In retrospect, I think both my brother and my love for music is from our father. If there was one thing in our bloodline that was passed down, it has to be our appreciation for quality music, to play it, to listen to it, to live it and love it. Really, my whole family is incredibly talented with music that people used to say we were like the Partridge family (only exponentially cooler). The reason why I am thinking of my Dad is because I already find myself sitting in the living room or wherever, rockin’ out to music at an unreasonable volume just like him and I don’t plan on changing. RITA!!!

Yum-Delish Appetizer

Today we had a BBQ at our place so I grilled the usual, burgers, dogs & corn. However both Laura and I were inspired when we were in South Carolina last week. I was looking online for a good seafood place and the only place that I was able to find with only good reviews was Bonefish Grill. We have some in NY but in Poughkeepsie, the closest one is in Jersey. Fish, from Jersey? I'll pass. Anyway, back on topic. Bonefish has a killer appetizer called Bang Bang Shrimp, I'm sure if I have been in your company since our last trip to SC you have heard me talk about it. Well today was the day where I would re-create that magical moment between the shrimp and my mouth. I used a recipe that I found online and it was pretty dang close except I forgot to put the cornmeal on before the deepfryer. Laura grabbed the shrimp before they were all the way cooked and breaded them then re-dunked them but the cornmeal didn't stick as well. I would also add more than three drops of siracha next time, I just wanted to be considerate of the company we kept.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
  Dry cornstarch
  oil for frying
  lettuce
  chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS:

Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

The end result:

Wow, how time has flown

It’s funny to me how fast time has flown.

The last time I posted on this blog was three days before Lila was born. Two and half years later, a lot has changed; this is where I will try to briefly sum it all up. We moved out of Holbrook to move into a bigger apartment into Selden. We lived there for a year and moved back to Holbrook to an even bigger apartment which is where we currently reside.

            Lila after all of the false claims from her former doctor (I am ecstatic to say former) she is a very healthy & happy little girl. We dropped her old doctor like a bad habit for collective reasons. The Dr. was always saying that she had an ear infection every time she had an appointment which led him to tell us that she needed a drainage tube for her ears so that in the future, they would drain properly instead of collecting like he thought her ears were doing which would lead to all of her infections. He also was certain that she had hydrocephalus so when she was only months old, she had to get an MRI. She went through the procedure like a superstar. Mommy & Daddy on the other hand were practically inside the MRI with her overwhelmed with concern. After anxiously awaiting for the results of the test, we found that she was perfectly normal. I wish the doctor would have listened to us or at least looked at my large nugget (head), couldn’t he see that Lila’s head was purely genetic and that we are both effortlessly healthy?
There was yet another reason why we dropped her old doctor. He wanted her on a special formula because she was allergic to conventional milk which would give her very bad reflux. Ok, so we have to get formula that is available in our local stores right? Wrong. He didn’t want her on formulas such as Enfamil or Similac. Nope, we had to give Lila Neocate which is exponentially more expensive. We’re talking $300 a month in formula. Long story short, we were in South Carolina on vacation and we ran out of her formula at the end of the vacation. We had no choice but to buy her formula over the counter. Laura picked up a Similac Soy formula which is a hypo-allergenic formula and also helps with gas. This formula was an instant winner and we started saving mucho dinero overnight. Moral of the story, her former Dr. sucks.

            Two and a half years later, Laura is well into her job as a registered nurse in the cancer unit at Good Sam. She works nights and somehow manages to stay awake to care for our joyful two-year old when she isn’t in daycare. I finally got back into school, an online University for my four-year degree in business management. I still plan on pursuing my dream; so my major doesn’t really matter, I just need the credits. The whole business aspect is what I do now as a profession but it also serves as a plan b for my career. Plan b? Yeah, you know me.

            A lot of other things have happened like Laura my sister got married to Eric, the birth of my second niece, Leah Elisabeth Feeley. Laura Elisabeth is also very close to having their second child, a baby boy. Jill & Bobby had a boy (their second, Talon). Another awesome fact, Candice and Tim are expecting their fourth child. Boy or girl? TBD. And Mary and Emad had their fourth, Micah. I love my enormous family and wouldn’t want it any other way. One of the main reasons why I keep a blog other than having the ability to remember what goes on is that I don’t often get to see my family as all of our schedules are insane so I can share what goes on in Laura, Lila’s and my life in the interim of when we are apart.

I plan on keeping up on this blog, I know that’s what I and everyone always says but I’m gonna try my bestest. There are big things planned and I wanna have it all on record, things that I know of and things that only God knows.

Waiting

I know all of you know that Laura and I are eagerly awaiting the birth of our beautiful daughter but I can't stop thinking about it. When I'm at work I  try not to make it obvious that I'm thinking about my wife and future family every five minutes but I can't help it. Laura is going in tomorrow for her amnio, this test will tell the doctors if the baby is ready to be delivered. If the test comes up the way we want it to, Laura could be induced then and there or the first thing Friday morning. The doctors always leave hints or winks and smiles reassuring us that the baby is indeed ready. However Lauras OB is I guess extremely thorough, and well precautionary measures are always important when it comes to such important matters like this. My problem is I'm constantly on the edge of my seat, my mind is always flooded with our future with our beautiful baby girl. I sure hope Christmas comes early this year:)

-J

The waiting game

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. Laura & I are certainly blessed. Thank you everyone for all of your generous gifts given at Laura's baby shower. We have more then enough of everything and are ready and eagerly awaiting the birth of our beautiful baby girl!

The little things in the house make us happy, like the scent of all of Lila's baby supplies all setup on her baby supply shelf. Or seeing her own little section of clothes being hung up in the closet, sooo cute. Seeing her crib all made up with her lovely ladybug bedset along with her ladybug mobile just makes me so excited to have her with us. We are so incredibly blessed.

I'm sure all of you saw the last sonogram picture which was amazing. Now there is a newer one which really shows Lila's adorable cheeks. I wish I was there to see it live, Laura said she saw Lila's straight face turn into a smile while she was moving her little hands around.

-J 

Lila @ 30 weeks

Not bad for a Monday

I finally feel atleast 95% better healthwise so waking up this morning wasn't a problem.  The rest of the day was even better!
Lets go back though and catch up.

Last night was also the first night of Laura's new job position at the hospital. She was informed that she was chosen for the job she applied for by letter...the day before her first day! The job entails working nights which basically is less work for more money (night differential). Laura basically answers the call lights that the patients light up one by one. Whereas when she worked in the morning she would have 7-15 patients and would have to do soooo much more work including the work the night shift left behind! As long as she can handle the hours, so far it's been pretty good but the changing of hours is definitely difficult. Laura also has a lot more cooperation with her new supervisor vs. her last super, yes the one who talked to her today saying, you are no longer a part of the D unit then abrubtly hung up the phone on her.

This morning was pretty nice, I got to see Laura come home from work right before I had to leave for work. I also woke up with pep in my step so I had time and didn't have to rush.
Work was great, the best Monday that I have had in a long time. Because it was the first Monday that I have worked ever in my "order taking" position.
Here is what made the day, Laura & I went to "The Spare Rib" for dinner in Commack. It was so much better then I ever expected! At first when I heard that the place was in Commack I immediately was like ehh.. but it's a nice part of the town. We went thinking we were going to partake in an October 5th dinner sale where they have prime rib, salad and two sides for $11.00. When we got there though we saw that it was only a lunch deal. No big thing though! this place isn't that expensive. Laura chose prime rib with a baked potato and creamed spinach. I picked the sky high meatloaf which came with mashed potatoes and a salad, for which I chose creamy garlic dressing. Everything was deeeelish, however I have had better mashed potatoes time and time again but they weren't bad. As soon as I saw the waiter bring my entree, I knew instantly why they named it the sky high meatloaf. This thing was high! The first flight was mashed potatoes, the second was meatloaf in a savory gravy. The sides of the meatloaf were wrapped in bacon! YES! then there were delicious sauteed mushrooms and to top it all off? fried onions. I also ordered the house brewed root beer which was so so good. I intentionally didn't eat it all because I wanted to have it for lunch tomorrow! I know, I know it's the curse of poverty and I HATE IT! I'll post the pictures below but I'm tellin you now, they don't do the food justice.

Here is the prime rib and creamed spinach that Laura ordered. This was really really good too, perfect actually.

This my friend is the skyhigh meatloaf, I just ordered the meatloaf cause it's sounded good. I wasn't trying to order something ordinary, I soon found out at that I didn't!

Here are the salads, very fresh and delicious:)

-J