if i were a billionaire...

if i had all the money in the world and was building my dream house there are lots of things i'd like to do. for example, having grown up with three brothers i would like a bathroom that has a separate sound-proof toilet area with a giant air vent at the top (like the hoods in the lab that suck out all the chemicals) and a walk-in shower with two heads and lots of pressure. and, my study would be decorated with dark wood and have floor-to-ceiling bookcases a la beauty and the beast.

here is what i would have in my dream gym to go with my treadmill:

endless pool. counter-current pool that you can adjust the speed

precor 100i. it is touted as "adaptive motion" which pretty much means you can use it as an elliptical or a stairmaster

expresso bike. it is an interactive bike that i am completely in love with. on the screen you can set your scenery, race other riders (or yourself if you've done the route before); the handlebars move side-to-side for more real-life experience/steering; you can shift gears up and down to change your power/resistance; sync your heart rate monitor


on a more practical note... here are two things that i would love to have in my kitchen:

fully automatic espresso machine

kitchenaid mixer

life right now

days like friday make me really like living in boston. although i technically live outside of town, i can totally see myself as a city dweller (minus the fact that i'm not sure i could ever give up my car, i hate winter, and i may have an issue with having to take public transportation to go to the grocery store). i love the hussle and bussle and crowds and the ability to walk everywhere... anyway, the weather was an absolutely gorgeous sunny and seventy with a slight breeze so trupti and i walked to mike's pastry on our lunch break and i had a wonderful espresso cannoli. then on the way back to the office we stopped by the farmer's market and i picked up an eggplant. after work we went over to marilyn's rooftop and hung out. seriously, nothing beats the boston skyline at night. very relaxing. then we went down to the st. anthony's festival going on in the north end and had regina pizzeria for dinner before watching trupti compete in an iron chef competition.

speaking of food, the other day i came across a pasta salad recipe and was immediately drawn back to when my mom used to mix up a huge bowl and leave it on the counter as an every-man-for-himself sort of meal. ever since then i've been dying to make some. i invited some friends over for lunch today and decided it would be the perfect time to try my new recipe. i was a little nervous since i pretty much just put whatever i wanted in there and i made it the night before which i've never done. anyway, i was happy with the way it turned out, so i thought i'd share...

here is my recipe, as much as i can remember (a mix of mom's and smittenkitchen): whole wheat pasta, zucchini (it calls for sliced, but i grated mine), toasted slivered almonds, red onion, black olives, grated pecorino romano cheese, dressing of juice from a lemon mixed with olive oil and pepper.

p.s. this wasn't the only thing on the menu. i also made spicy oven fried chicken and chocolate cake

life is good

the way things are

This story kind of epitomizes the how things work at my job.

To get down into the basement where I work you have to badge in through two sets of double doors. Since there is no way to see through these doors, frequently people get hit by the door when they’re trying to badge in while someone else is coming out. I’ve been hit in the face on numerous occasions and had my coffee knocked out of my hands before. Management acknowledged this was a problem and that someone was going to get hurt. Instead of actually spending a little bit of money and replacing the doors (or cutting a small window for viewing), as a solution, they printed off a piece of paper that says “Please open door slowly, someone may be on the other side” and taped it to the door. Awesome. I love when we acknowledge problems or issues but instead of fixing it the proper way we take the low cost solution and put a band- aid on it.

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

Megan passed this weight watcher recipe on to me and it is not only easy (and fairly quick if you don't count the 25 minute baking time) it is delicious!

there aren't really any measurements because it all depends on how many servings you're going to make

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken
Preheat oven to 400
Spray broiler pan with Pam

• Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash (we use hot and spicy)
• Mix 1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Spicy Seasoning with bread crumbs or corn meal (I used Italian Style Bread Crumbs)
• Coat chicken in bread crumb mixture
• Dip in Buttermilk (we use the powder kind you keep in the freezer)
• Coat in crushed corn flakes
• Put on baking pan and lightly spray with Pam

Bake for 25 minutes

it's a God thing

every so often something comes along to remind me that God is in control.
today's example:
my back has been killing me lately (this isn't anything new, i've had issues for years, but lately it's been unbearable) so wednesday i broke down and decided to finally find a chiropractor here in massachusetts. i got on the blue cross blue shield website and found a promising choice- a practice that has three board certified chiropractors and that is less than a mile from my apartment. however, when i called their voicemail said they were closed until friday. doubts immediately filled my mind - what kind of business (besides small family owned dry cleaners and restaurants) just closes in the middle of the week? i left a message with my name and number but then decided i would call another chiropractor that was actually open. however, things got super super busy at work and i never got around to looking up another chiropractor. this morning i got up, showered, packed a lunch, caught the early train into work, visited the emergency department and did some work for them, decided i really just didn't want to be in the office (i had a ton to get done and figured i'd be much more productive without the distractions of the office- besides, it's been a long week) so i ran to the train station and barely caught the last morning train back home so i could work remote. during my train ride home the chiropractor that i had completely forgotten about called (seriously, i had to ask them the name of the doctor and what their address was) and said they had appointments available for today. had i not decided at the last minute to work remote i never would've been able to go. but, see, God knew all along and had the situation completely under control. thanks, God. glad you know best.
side note: i was moderately worried about an office that has last minute appointments but i actually really liked the guy and my back feels much much better. so does my ankle. definitely a successful visit and i will be going back.

memorial day brunch

note: the pictures for the next three posts were all stolen from angela. :)

it's time to meet my friends.
disclaimer: this post sounded good in my head a few hours ago, but i got tired so comprehensive thoughts are eluding me right now.

this is rachel. she's eating a delicious scone made by nicole. rachel works as a nanny in wellesley taking care of three little girls.

this is angela (blond) and nicole (brunette). angela is from california and is currently working on her masters. nicole is from washington and will start her masters in biblical counseling in the fall in north carolina at southeastern.

she's so pretty!!

group shot graciously taken by angela's mom. not the best as we are looking directly into the sun. the joke is that whenever someone says "let's take a group pic" we all just get in a line. it is a good thing we don't have more friends or we wouldn't all fit.

me, ben, eduardo, nicole, angela, rachel, randall

eduardo is responsible for the next set of pictures. consequently, that just made me realize he doesn't have a cameo. eduardo goes to yale and is getting his masters in divinity. he also does some part time preaching at our church.

this is ben. ben works at starbucks and is going to plant a church.

this is me. you know me. i work for dell.

candid laugh from nicole.

randall does not promote shirtlessness. and, in case you were wondering, this is the appropriate shirtless distance apart for two men to be when conversing.

this is randall and rachel. they will be getting married in california on july 24th. randall currently works in the financial aid office at boston baptist college. eventually randall and rachel will move to pakistan and be missionaries.

God has provided me with such a great group of Christian friends.

memorial day church bbq

i love this face:
wanna race?

mal was being sweet and brought me a brownie then sat in my lap to eat it

these next two pictures are two of the best ever. hannah's face is priceless! whit kept stealing the ice out of hannah's cup, sucking on it, then spitting it out and putting it back in hannah's cup/

"oh, no, you didn't!!"

this picture is completely josh (pastor's youngest son). he is 100% all boy. rough, rowdy, and out of control (but sweet when he wants to be).

the sawyers (shown here with angela) are our small group leaders. i am incredibly blessed to have them in my life. they not only open their home to college and career kids every sunday, mrs. sawyer also cooks for us every week.

the sawyers and nicole

pastor, nicole, and kim (pastor's wife). once again, i am incredibly blessed. i have a pastor who is unashamed to boldly preach the Bible. not easy to find up here in boston.

angela and nicole:

nicole and eduardo