Tracie's World

A couple of months ago, my pal Angel mentioned a supplement to me, which was supposed to help with anxiety, by promoting a calm and relaxed mood. She is very much aware of my dealings with anxiety, so recommended I check it out. I don't typically go in for supplements, unless recommended by a Dr. But I did a little research on 5HTP online, and what I found didn't seem to be concerning. It's basically a plant-based tryptophan, and is supposed to help increase serotonin levels. This is what makes it useful for anxiety and sleep. I've been taking it for a couple of months now, a couple of tablets every morning, and for me, it seems to be making a noticeable difference. I have been less anxious, less stressed, and I've been sleeping better. I've also dropped a few pounds that I had gained over the last year. I recommend checking it out. Note: I purchased this bottle from Costco, 150 tablets for roughly $20.

I made pancakes for breakfast this morning, and had the brilliant idea to cook Hagel Slag in with the pancake. Topped it off with a sliced banana and some homemade syrup, and voila! Muy bien!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the sudden thought that I should log into the Relative Finder app, and see who we might be related to again. I'd done this before, so I wasn't expecting there to be any new information. HOWEVER...this time around, I discovered something new. Seems that through our Eastman line, we are descended from a man named Degory Priest, my 12th great-grandfather. Degory Priest just so happened to be a pilgrim who had moved from England to Leiden, in The Netherlands in the early 17th century (I've ridden through Leiden on the train, and it's gorgeous). In Leiden he married a young widow named Sarah Allerton and had two daughters with her. In September of 1620, having left his family behind (intending to send for them later), he embarked from Plymouth, England aboard the Mayflower. Yes, that Mayflower. After an arduous journey across the north atlantic, the Mayflower docked in Plymouth Harbor, where our illustrious ancestor also signed the Mayflower Co...

Toby has been feeling uncomfortable lately. His ears are bothering him, and he's been congested and had a cold in his eyes. I took him in to see Dr. Pratt and the girls at Holladay Veterinary Hospital, and the best guess is that he's got allergies or herpes virus. Poor kitty. They prescribed some ear drops to give him, but unfortunately, His Highness is not a good patient, and he is still rather miserable. He fights me and runs away with every attempt, and basically outwits me at every turn, so needless to say, I haven't tried real hard. All he wants is pretty much near-constant adoration and snuggles. Sigh...such a pill! Getting his temperature taken - a little traumatized Even with a cold in my eye, I just want to be loved and adored His Highness sitting like Jabba on his throne

As of Thursday night, my first semester of this Graduate School journey is in the books. My team for my Enterprise Architecture class finished our final project and turned it in earlier in the week, and then Thursday night I submitted my final exam for my Project Management class, and finished up the Project Simulation with my team for that class. Thus far, my Penn State experience has been a little stressful, but definitely worth it. I have enjoyed my classes, and working with my fellow classmates, and my professors have been terrific. Now, I have two weeks off until my summer class starts up. Loving the grad student life and proud to be a Nittany Lion!

It's been a couple of months since I've made it to the temple. What with one thing and another, and still feeling kinda bad about no longer being an ordinance worker, I just haven't done what it takes to get there. But, feeling in need of a little extra spiritual help this last month or so, and knowing I have a Relief Society lesson coming up, I took Friday off, and made my way to the temple. Being as it was Good Friday, what better way to celebrate than go to the temple. At first, as I arrived downtown, things did not look promising. The city was more crowded than usual, the temple parking lot was full, and I had to park in overflow parking a block or so away. I was about ready to give up and go home. But nevertheless, I parked and made the short hike to the temple. Thankfully, it was a little less crowded inside. As I sat in the Assembly Room waiting for the session to begin, I was thinking about the events on that Good Friday two thousand years ago. And I thought a...

For several years now, I've been on a quest to make a decent loaf of bread. The desire is definitely there, but my ability to make that happen is usually a combination of fear and failure. Yeast dough sort of frightens me, and my attempts at rolling it out and forming a loaf generally meet with failure. I've had multiple friends share recipes with me, but alas, I just can't seem to get past my issues. My youngest sister seems to have found success by mixing the dough in her breadmaker, then forming it into a loaf and baking it in a loaf pan. I've tried this before, but the rolling it out and forming a loaf have usually resulted in disaster. However, yesterday, based on some tips from her, I was able to produce the following. It's a good sturdy loaf of bread - nothing soft here. But it tastes good, and it turned out pretty well, all things considered. I even sliced some up to make french toast this morning, and it turned out totally delicious. Of course, I did top ...

Ever since Toby came to rule the roost at the Holladay Inn, I find I can't get enough of all things "CAT". A couple of weeks ago I spent most of the day bingeing on "Small Animal Hospital". Last week it was a trip to the Broadway to see the Turkish Documentary "Kedi" (all about Istanbul's street cats), and this weekend it was a binge-a-thon of "Psycho Kitty" (sort of a kitty whisper show). I also might as well buy some stock in Petco, because I find myself there most Saturdays.  This is most evident by the number of pictures of Toby that are now on my phone. As evidence of my affliction, I present the following: The look I was given after I opened a can of tuna and didn't share its contents. I was in the proverbial doghouse most of that evening. I call this one - "You wanna piece of me?" Saying nighttime prayers I came out of my room one morning to find he has a new hiding place... Watching genera...