Tracie's World

Yes, it's that time of year again - the day I dread and don't look forward to, but is a necessary evil. The annual MAMMOGRAM.  So this morning I went in for my yearly smashing.  For the most part, it was a fairly normal appointment.  After being handled, squished, pressed, contorted and clamped, they let me go with one last parting shot.   Screener Lady: "Have you lost weight since last year?"   Tracie: "Why yes, 20 pounds". (Said with more than a hint of pride)  Screener Lady: "I thought so. There's not as much tissue as last year." Ouch - there's nothing makes a girl feel good like being told her boobs have gotten smaller.

Funds have been pretty tight lately, and I've been doing a lot of contemplating about how to cut spending and save more, etc.  It hasn't helped that everyone's talking about the "Fiscal Cliff" we're all supposed to fall off of.  Over the years I've managed to learn a few things, but I've never been one to budget and really keep track of where my money is going.  When it comes to financial matters, you could say I'm not the smartest tool in the shed, although I'm not necessarily the dullest. While I was out and about the other day, I happened upon a hand out for a financial education program put on by the FDIC - of all people, the Feds.  It's called "Money Smart", and is a free program available online. You log on and it runs you through several different lessons, designed to teach you the basics of handling your money and finances.  I listened to the first lesson today, and I learned some good things.  I plan to work my way t

Tonight the whole town got together for the 2nd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.  Hosted by his honor the mayor, we all gathered for cookies, hot chocolate, and carols sung by kids from one of the Elementary Schools. After a few rounds of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", the guest of honor himself arrived, with the assistance of the local Fire Department.  At that point, we all counted down, the switch was flipped, and Holladay's Holiday Tree was all aglow.  The Christmas season is officially underway!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and since I wasn't able to join any of the family this year, I was thankful to be invited to join Inge and some of her other Indonesian friends for their Thanksgiving get-together. This of course meant that the dinner wouldn't be quite so traditional, at least American traditional, as I would normally be used to. But I was excited at the prospect of trying something untraditional this year, and I was not disappointed.  The buffet was a mix of traditional Thanksgiving foods, as well as Indonesian. Here we have Indonesian-style sweet potatoes, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, meatballs, and Indonesian noodles.  None of them like mashed potatoes much, so in place of that, there was plenty of rice. Here we have whole roasted Tilapia. I'd never seen it in it's actual form. It was very tasty. My plate's the one on the top - I tried a little bit of everything and really enjoyed it. Mung B

Spent this weekend in Utah's Dixie, aka St. George and vicinity.  The reason being that my youngest cousin got married yesterday. It was a joyous occasion, and a great opportunity to get together and visit with my cousins, who I don't get to see very often.  They are all great people.  She was married in the St. George Temple, and it was a very sacred experience to be there in the temple with their family and extended family. In the midst of this happy time, I'm aware of friends who are dealing with sorrow and difficulty right now - trials such as death, disease, and discouragement.  I'm reminded that God's plan is for there to be opposition in all things, and how we can't understand joy unless we have to pass through sorrow. This was brought home to me driving home from church today.  We were having a bit of a rain shower, and as I turned the corner, I looked up ad there in front of me was the most beautiful brilliant rainbow, right on the side of the m

An alternate election worker is like an understudy. You have to know everything the star of the show does, and be prepared to go onstage at a moments notice.  You need to attend all the training sessions (rehearsals), and you need to be ready to drop everything at a moment's notice, as you could be deployed to anywhere in the county on Election Day.  As the Election was Tuesday, I spent most of Monday preparing.  We were told we needed to be available from 5:30 AM Tuesday, and be prepared to work until 9:00 PM.  So I charged all my devices, I prepped for snacks and drinks, and I made sure I reviewed my Poll Worker manual.  I even showered on Monday night and tried to get a good night's sleep. Alas, nervousness did me in on that last bit, so I didn't sleep quite so well. But by 5:30 Tuesday morning, I was ready to go, bright-eyed and bushytailed.  In not-so-eager anticipation, I waited for the phone to ring.  And...it did not ring.  So I sat there, taking a few minutes

Drum roll please...Tracie heartily endorses...the new Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Blizzard!  (You were thinking this would be a political post, right?  WRONG! ) I know I've gone on quite a bit about my efforts at good health this year.  My appreciation for vegetables and my avoidance of a lot of dairy products.  But there's something about this time of year, where I develop a sudden craving for all things pumpkin.  Cookies, bread, pancakes, soups, you name it.  So when I heard about Dairy Queen's new blizzard, it was pretty much a given that I would be standing in line for it at some point. Some days, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and today was one of those days. Besides, tomorrow is Fast Sunday, so I can afford to indulge myself.  There is a dearth of DQ's here in the Salt Lake Valley, but thankfully I decided to buy a house just up the street from one.  So off I went to the local DQ and stepped up and ordered myself the new blizza

Had a great Halloween! Halloween is my favorite day of the year at work.  We get to dress up, and most people participate and get into the spirit of things.  Here is a picture of me in all my gangsta rap finery.  I even wore a pair of boxer shots and hung my baggy pants down.  I find it's best to be as authentic as possible. Work also invites everyone to bring their kids in for trick-or-treating, so I got to see a bunch of cute kids. I didn't get any trick-or-treater's here, but later in the evening, I got to visit with several of my nieces and nephews by phone and by video chat.  It was great to hear about their activities and costumes, and see some of them dressed up.  Video chat is a terrific invention.