Friends, followers, and fellow bloggers. I apologize for my disappearance from the face of the earth. I was admitted to the hospital with some somewhat serious health issues and have not been able to post. “Round the Bend will be on a short hiatus as I take some time to focus on my health and regain my strength.
Thanks for your patience and I’ll be seeing you soon “Round the Bend!
A favorite for me because it’s quick, easy, and so packed with bold flavor that I don’t even miss the richness of the egg yolks. I adapted this recipe from one that Jay Robb published in his book The Fat Burning Diet Made Easy. Jay Robb is a clinical nutritionist and former body builder. He also happens to sell the best tasting, and healthiest protein powder on the market. No, I’m not crushing on Jay Robb, but I have done my homework over the years.
Back to the omelet; there are three keys to making this omelet perfect.
1) A good nonstick pan (have I mentioned how much I love Scanpan?).
2) Quality organic coconut oil.
3) Medium heat.
You don’t need to go out and buy an omelet pan to make good omelets. I, for one am not into single-use items taking up precious space in my cupboards. A good nonstick 8” pan with a good bottom is just fine and happens to work well for a single burger, a single grilled cheese sandwich, two or three over easy eggs, well, you get the picture. What do I mean by good bottom? Better pans such as Scanpan, Swiss Diamond, and All Clad will have a nice, thick, and heavy bottom. This distributes heat more evenly even if you are working on an electric stove such as the one that I am unfortunate enough to own (once your use gas you never want to go back). Of course you still need to have the right fat to cook your eggs.
Egg whites are very sticky and no matter how nonstick a pan is, a little fat ensures they aren’t going stick, tear and generally be uncooperative. But which fat should you use? Butter? Nope. Olive oil? Nope. Vegetable oil? Nope. The problem with most fats we use for cooking is that they break down into unhealthy compounds when heated. True, Olive oil and vegetable oil have a higher tolerance for heat, but olive oil’s tolerance is probably lower than you think and vegetable oil is surprisingly toxic to your body. The best choice ends up being, of all things, coconut oil.
Coconut oil was widely used up until the late 50’s when the powers that be decided that saturated fat was bad for us. Now that we have come full circle, it turns out that coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils on the planet, especially for cooking at medium to medium high temperatures (keep the olive oil for the salad dressing though because it’s still heart healthy that way). Go figure. Not to mention they make sticky egg whites slide around in a pan like a dream, but all this is for naught if you have the heat set too high.
I have found that this egg white omelet cooks best on medium-low heat. This allows the eggs to cook thoroughly but not browned or tough (unless you’re like my husband and you like that sort of thing. Eww.). This is also the perfect temperature to melt the cheese once you flip the omelet. Yes, I said flip, and I am aware of how omelets are usually made. Believe me, it’s not that hard, in fact you can do it with a spatula if flipping eggs in the air isn’t your thing. So without further ado, here is the recipe for the bold, the extraordinary, the spicy, the ultra-low carb, egg white cheese omelet with green Chile sauce!
Ingredients
3 egg whites (large)
1tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 ½ tsp Lemon Pepper
1-2oz sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 tbsps. 505 Green Chile Sauce (warmed)
Instructions
Heat an 8” nonstick pan over medium heat. Separate eggs (you can save the yolks in the fridge for a day or two to use in another recipe). Add lemon pepper to egg whites and beat with a fork until bubbly. Add coconut oil to pan and swirl around to coat and return to heat. Pour egg whites into pan allow them to set for a few minutes until the edges are white and they are about half cooked.
Flip the egg whites over with a spatula or, if you’re really talented or want to learn a new skill, flip the egg whites over by tossing them in the air and gently catching them in the pan (it is not recommended that you do this over the burner…big mess…huge). Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of omelet reserving a tablespoon or two for the top. Allow cheese to mostly melt as the omelet finishes cooking.
Slide omelet onto plate folding it over with the cheese in the center, which will now finish melting under the residual heat of the egg whites. Pour 505 Green Chile Sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.
To make this a proper breakfast for a diabetic we would need to add carbs. I would suggest fresh fruit, which would offer a cooling contrast to the spiciness of the Chile sauce and gives a boost of vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants, depending on what fruit you choose. I tend to stay away from breads and cereals except oat meal for the most part.
A word of caution here, please be sure to cook your eggs thoroughly to avoid very unpleasant illnesses caused by nasty little microbes like salmonella (says the woman who loves her eggs over easy).
Anybody else out there with great-tasting diabetic recipes they’d like to share? I hope to be sharing more recipes for diabetics in upcoming posts. Having been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome a few years ago, I have had to change the way I look at food, but that doesn’t mean that I have to eat drab and boring meals or that I can’t indulge in something sweet. Stay tuned for more diabetic friendly (and maybe not so friendly) recipes.
Holy cows eating muffins in the barn on a Sunday! I am a humble recipient of the “One Lovely Blog Award!” Thanks so much to Amy, writer of Afternoon Popcorn Snack for the nomination! Amy’s blog on life in Oklahoma, simple recipes and photography is awsome! Love it! Being so new to this whole blogging thing I am truly honored, and blown away, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share some great blogs. Thanks to my family, friends and fellow bloggers who comment on my posts. It’s so nice to know I’m not just talking to myself out here! 🙂
Rules of acceptance (as mentioned by other bloggers):
*thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post
*share 7 things about yourself
*nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire
*contact your chosen bloggers to let them know (this might take me a few days so please bear with me)
7 new things about myself
In all honesty, I’m so new at this I wasn’t sure that I would be following enough blogs to pull off a sufficient list, but I do…barely…and I’m adding to it all the time. So here’s some blogs that I have found to be inspiring, innovative, or just plain fun! Everyone has something to say, few have the courage to say it out loud. Thanks so much to the writers of these blogs (and many more I don’t know yet) for choosing to be courageous!
Barely Poppins Creative Noshing Danny’s Kitchen Living Simply Well
Happiness Stan Lives Here Five Spoons Kate’s Creative Space
Domestic Diva, M.D. eatates sierralei A Modern Christian Woman
The Local Tourist – Colorado Bucket List Publications
Teaspoons and Tinsel catchcarri Travel Monkey – The Adventures of Kongo
Did anyone else’s mother ever utter these words, or was it just me? What a concept. Life seems to expect us to be busy, busy, busy all the time, but what about purposefully being still? What? You mean meditation? Who has time for that? Perhaps this is part of what’s wrong with the world today. Many of us are buzzing around at light speed noisy and constantly focusing our attention on things outside of ourselves, our jobs, other people, grocery shopping, how badly the dog needs a bath, the kids are due for vaccinations; you name it, never taking the time to check in with what is going on inside. I know. I used to be one of those people. If more people spent just a little time being introspective, the perspective of the whole world could change. No, I haven’t been into the punch. It’s true.
Being still (meditation) is hard. Being still is not about activity; it’s about noticing, listening, breathing. It’s not about control; it’s about letting it all go. It’s not about thinking; it’s about being. It’s definitely not boring, but you do have to get out of your own way. You literally only have to sit still for five minutes every day to make a profound impact on your life and the lives of those around you. I’m pretty sure most people can make time for five minutes, but five minutes is an awfully tiny amount of time to keep track of, or is it? Heck, back when I was a lot younger and worked at Pizza Hut you could get a personal pan pizza in five minutes. That was when I first learned that five minutes was a lot longer than I thought it was. I could get a lot accomplished in five minutes. I could wipe down the salad bar, check on a couple of tables, and drop off some dishes in the kitchen, all well within five minutes.
So how come it’s so danged hard to sit still for five minutes. Well, what happens when I try to sit still is all these thoughts come rushing at me from all directions. Shoot, I still have a load of laundry in the dryer to fold, did I send off that email to mom, my boss, a coworker, writing ideas, my nose is itchy, where did I leave my water bottle, what am I going to make for dinner, what do I want for lunch…all flying at me at once. Trying to send them away only makes it worse. So I don’t send them away. These thoughts are only rushing at me because I’ve become quiet enough to listen. Each time a thought goes by I acknowledge it and say “okay” and go back to my meditation.
Meditation requires 6 easy things:
When I was first learning to meditate and was only doing it for five minutes (and believe me, five minutes is plenty to start off with, work up to where you’d like to be in five minute increments). The first four minutes or so went something like this: Okay, breathe. Intention: feel the love… Momdaughtersonlaundryhusbandshoppingguiltyaggrivateddiabetesyuckyfeelingwarmfeelingohthat’sbetter breathe…what a mess! This is why meditation requires daily practice if you want to get results. I got better at letting go of the thoughts that weren’t my intention focusing on my intended target and my breath in a relaxed way. I was training my mind that it was time to meditate and telling ego that it was time to step aside and that I was in charge, not it. Soon I was meditating for much longer periods and/or more than once per day.
Some of the benefits of meditation for this average human include:
There are lots of different meditation techniques and yes, there’s an app for that. Most people find it easiest just to start with concentrating on their breath, in and out, in and out and going on from there. Go on, try it. As a mother, I’m asking you, “Can you just sit still for five minutes?”
What are your experiences with meditation? Have you tried it? If not what do you think about it?
So Stephen King set out to write a book he didn’t even really want to write just for us floundering newbie clownfish swimming around in the shark infested waters of the writing world. I’m so glad that he did because it has become my favorite book on writing. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great books on writing from the perspective of the craft, not to mention technical precision. Another one of the best on craft that comes to mind is Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. Of course what serious writer doesn’t have Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style somewhere nearby? If you don’t, and you are a writer, you should, but I digress.
King’s book is special to me because I felt like he really let us into his personal world of writing. He showed his flaws, his unrelenting, raw passion for the art/work, how it got him into trouble, and how it works for him. He talked openly about where he had trouble writing. I never knew that The Stand almost didn’t happen. What? Really? King even goes so far as to include a snippet of his own rough, first draft of another story followed by revisions.
King tries not to get into the mechanics of writing too much although he did include a brief overview. He seems to want to focus on anything but, which is well and good because there are plenty of books and other outlets out there for that purpose. He focuses more on his own process of writing and makes it clear that if you think writing is your thing, you better be doing for the right reasons. You better be doing it because you love it, have to do it, and are passionate about it rather than for fame and fortune, and he’s right. There are plenty of writers out there working a full-time “day job” while they spend any spare time they have hunched over a computer or notepad beating out the stories that are rattling around in their brains just dying to get out. Most serious writers will have the same advice for new writers like me “Don’t quit your day job.” It’s not a dig at a writer’s skills. It’s just a testimony to how hard it is to make a living at it and the big unknown about what will stick and what won’t.
Along with the craft of writing, King has some things to say about the business of writing as well. He talks about how to find the right agent, submitting stories, and dealing with rejections to name a few. He gives us his opinion of what a good pitch letter looks like and shows an example. Once again, real examples make King’s book on writing stand out, open and honest.
Toward the end of the book, King gives the harrowing account of his terrible car accident in 1999 that nearly forced him to retire. I, for one, am glad he chose to soldier on. King is a true writer in every sense and at a time when anyone can self-publish a book (whether it’s actually good or not) King is one of those that still has tremendous pride and passion that shows in the quality of his finished, albeit, creepy products. I’m not saying it’s the definitive end all, be all on writing, but it is definitely worth the read.
It’s recipe day!
My mom is a phenomenal cook! She makes the best of everything, cookies, pies, cakes, candies, soups, breads, main dishes, you name it. If I were forced to, I would have to say her style is traditional. She uses real butter, no nasty fake margarine stuff, real sugar, no low fat, no fat, fat free stuff will be found in her cookbook (Oh yeah, she has a self-published cookbook…and it’s goooood). That means that as a diabetic I have to take much of mom’s food in small quantities (assuming I can muster the willpower to do so). Today I wanted to share one of her more diabetes friendly recipes, but you don’t have to be a diabetic to appreciate how yummy it is. This quiche is easy to make and perfect for a spring brunch!
Basic Crustless Quiche From My Kitchen to Yours, Tana Archuletta
½ cup butter 10 eggs ½ cup flour 1tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. Salt 1 lb small-curd cottage cheese 1 lb Monterey Jack cheese (shredded) 2 green onions (tops only) 1 4oz can of diced green chilies or 3-4 fresh roasted green chilies
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking glass baking dish. Melt butter and cool. Whip eggs until light and fluffy; add the flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, green chilies, melted butter, and half of the Monterey Jack cheese. Place the mixture into the baking dish; top with the remaining cheese and decorate the top with the green onion tops set in a wheel pattern (or chop up and sprinkle like I do). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for about 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool and cut into cubes for appetizer tray. I usually serve this with salsa and sour cream.
Note: This also makes a great breakfast meal served warm. You may add other ingredients such as bacon, fried onion, etc. It also reheats well in the microwave for the next few days.
What’s your favorite springtime recipe? Did you get it from a family member or friend?
I wrote this short story based on a picture of a boy sitting by a chain link fence, knees pulled up, head resting on his arms on top of his knees like he was sad or tired. I saw the picture in an online writing contest. The contest parameters were to write a short story of 2000 words or less based on the picture, newly written for the contest and submitted on time (I would have had less than 1 day to write a story, if I would have been eligible to enter the contest).
Track and Field Day
By Kim Olgren
Toby loved track and field day. Spending the entire school day outside on the playground running, jumping, throwing balls, and basically fooling around was just about the best thing he could think of to do on a warm, sunny day like today. He could see the events set up around the playground and in the park next to it. He would be making his way around a big circle starting with the sprint race, relay race, sack race, and three-legged race. Then off to the softball throw, the rope climbing, and the obstacle course. There were water stations near each event and teachers everywhere fussing over this student or that. He was nervous, proud, and excited all that the same time because he knew his mom had taken off work to come see him compete today.
It was hard for mom to get time off from the place where she did other people’s laundry. She had missed his school play this year because she couldn’t get out of work. Mom did the best she could since dad was gone. Toby’s dad had been killed by a roadside bomb in some desert where he was fighting overseas and Toby really missed him at times like this. He wished he could be here so he could show him how fast and strong he was. He wondered if his dad would be proud of him.
Suddenly Toby’s grief overtook him; it had only been six months since his dad died. He sat down by the chain link fence, and put his head down on his arms, propped up by his bent knees and cried. No one came to fuss over Toby and Toby didn’t notice that he’d already missed his first event. All he could think about were the tears that stung his eyes and how much he wished his dad could be there, giving him one of his great big bear hugs and telling him how much he loved him.
Toby had been sitting there, quietly grieving for his father for quite some time when he noticed a pair of boots, military boots, standing in front of him. For a moment he thought maybe the stories were wrong. Maybe his dad was still alive and standing here in front of him right now. Maybe his mom didn’t even know yet. Toby’s heart was racing and he was having a hard time gathering the courage to look up at who might be the owner of the big black boots. If it was his dad would he be ashamed of him if he found him sitting here by the fence crying? His thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice that wasn’t his dad’s. Toby’s heart crashed and burned and his chest felt like someone was squeezing all the air out of his lungs.
“Are you okay, kid?” said the man in the boots.
Toby looked up for the first time at the man in the boots, blinking the tears out of his eyes. His mother had taught him never to talk to strangers, but this was a soldier. Wasn’t he supposed to be able to trust soldiers? His dad was a soldier.
“I’m fine.” Toby replied, sniffling and wiping the tears off of his face. He straightened out his legs and stood up straight looking the soldier square in the eye. He was embarrassed to be caught sitting by the fence crying, but his dad had taught him to stand up straight and look a person in the eye when he talked to them so that’s what he did.
The soldier regarded him for a moment, and he tilted his head as a thoughtful and solemn gaze came over his face. He knew that look on Toby’s face, he’d seen it before – in the eyes of any one of the kids in his group.
“I’m Sergeant Joseph Mortensen.”, said the soldier as he reached out to shake Toby’s hand.
Toby looked around the soldier at the nearest teacher, Mr. Finnagan, who waved at him from one of the water stands. Sergeant Mortensen waved at Mr. Finnagan too and Mr. Finnagan waved a second time. He looked back at Sergeant Mortensen.
“I’m Toby, Toby Jorgensen.” He said as he shook the Sergeant’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Toby. Are your parents here today?” He knew one of them wasn’t by the look he had seen on Toby’s face.
“My mom is supposed to be here, but I haven’t seen her yet.” Toby said.
Joey Dempsey came running up to them grinning from ear to ear. “Hey Sarge!” Joey said. “I won the sprint! I mean, we don’t keep score or anything, but I won!” Joey beamed with pride.
“Great job!” Sergeant Mortensen said high-fiving Joey. “I’m proud of you!”
Joey scampered off to find his next event.
Toby quietly took the double blow. One, that he had missed his first event, one that he would have probably won if he’d been there, and the second not having anyone there to tell him he’d done a good job anyway. Toby focused on an ant pulling a seed across the gravel in front of his feet.
Sergeant Mortensen turned back to Toby, “Toby, I’m sure your mom’s around here somewhere, maybe she’s a little lost in all this chaos. Let’s see if we can go find her.”
Toby nodded and they set off across the playground. He didn’t think much about the fact that Joey and Sergeant Mortensen’s last names were different. That happened all the time, but he still wasn’t sure what their relationship was. They found Toby’s mom by the volleyball courts surveying the playground shading her eyes with her hand even though she was wearing sunglasses. Sergeant Mortensen’s steps quickened and Toby rushed to keep up.
“Mrs. Jorgensen, I presume.” Sergeant Mortensen said.
“Uh, yeah” was Toby’s mom’s curt reply as she eyed the stranger standing there with her son.
“I’m sorry ma’am, you probably don’t remember me. Your husband and I were stationed together a few years back at Fort Carson, Colorado. He brought this hungry new kid home for dinner without informing you first.” the Sergeant said, placing his palms on his chest. “I’m Sergeant Joshua Mortensen, I was only a private back then.”
Toby’s mom’s eyes grew wide with recognition.
“Josh! Oh my God, is it really you?” Toby’s mom said.
“Yes, Miss Karen, it’s me. Still haven’t learned how to cook.” Sergeant Mortensen joked.
The rest of the day was one of the best in Toby’s life. Sergeant Mortensen and Toby’s mom cheered him on in his remaining events and yes, although they didn’t keep score, Toby did very well. Toby’s mom invited Sergeant Mortensen over for dinner that night and he told Toby’s mom all about his program for boys who had lost their fathers in the line of duty. He helped them with the grieving process and gave them healthy outlets for the anger and frustration associated with losing their dads.
Toby joined Sergeant Mortensen’s group that week. He and Joey became best friends. Joey was not Sergeant Mortensen’s son, but one of “Sarge’s” group members. Toby learned that missing his dad was nothing to be ashamed of, even if it made him cry sometimes. He also learned camping and survival skills and went on field trips on the weekends.
Toby’s mom asked Sergeant Mortensen why he started the program. Sarge explained that he’d lost not just one, but two fathers in the line of duty. He thought losing his real father would have killed him, but then he lost his step father who was also a great man. Sergeant Mortensen just wanted to give back. After having two terrific dads who died for their country he felt that it was the least he could do.
Toby’s mom became Mrs. Sergeant Mortensen a year later and Toby couldn’t have been happier. He still really missed his dad and sometimes he felt bad about liking having Sergeant Mortensen around, like he was betraying his dad somehow. Sergeant Mortensen was quick to say that he could never replace Toby’s dad because Toby’s dad was the greatest and no one could replace him. That night, laying in bed waiting for sleep to come, Toby thought, maybe dad would be okay with Sergeant Mortensen helping out while he was gone. Yeah, he’d be okay with that. Toby drifted off to sleep with a soft smile.
What kind of stories do you like to read? What was your favorite story as a child?
No pretty pictures, no filler, just the straight up truth. Quitting is good!
When I was 17 I had a boyfriend that I thought was super cool and…he smoked. All his friends smoked too. Then came the drinking then came the pot. I couldn’t figure out what the big draw was and I really didn’t want to go in the direction we were going in, so I broke off our nearly two-year relationship (two years is a long time in 80s teenager time). Shortly thereafter he fell off a car urban surfing also known as car surfing and entered a coma that he would never wake from and eventually died years later. He was 17 at the time of the accident. I went a little nuts, I wanted to know what was so damn cool that he would have rather died partying than keep his girl and tone it down. So I did my fair share of partying over the next year. This was when I started smoking. I was 18 years old. Traumatized.
Fast forward about 22 years later. Like many smokers, I’ve been thinking of quitting for a long time and had tried and failed at least once. I also remember the day when I’d finally had enough. I vividly remember frantically racing to the ladies room and out for a smoke during a five-minute meeting break and thinking to myself how absurd it was that this little inanimate bunch of leaves wrapped in paper was running my life. Everybody who seriously and successfully quits has some kind of epiphany, followed by a motivational concept that is deep and true for them. For me with smoking, it wasn’t the obvious health issues, the smelly invisible fog that followed me everywhere and permeated every fiber of my car and my home, the cost that was swiftly rising toward outrageous or even the death of a family member or friend. Nope. For me it was the fact that I was sick and tired of letting that little butthead run my life. I don’t take kindly to people, or in this case things, that try to control me. I was tired of planning my whole world around my next cigarette. If you smoke and you don’t think you do this, you’re in serious denial. Epiphany! Duh! I had never looked at cigarettes as something that “controlled” me. This became my motivation. So I set out on a research campaign, determined to make a plan to quit. Here’s what I came up with.
Come to think of it, you can apply these simple steps to a lot of things you might need to let go of or “quit”. Say, drinking, a bad relationship, the past, that weight that has been creeping up on you for a couple of years now, to stop road raging, getting healthy, or that job that makes you want to crash your car on the way to work so you don’t have to go there, to name a few.
These days I find myself surprised at how grateful and free I feel when my hubby has to stop for a cigarette or can’t have one when he needs one, and I realize I have no need for it, nor do I feel it’s draw. Freedom feels good. Give the negative things in your life the boot and see what shines through the opening you’ve created.
At first, writing my first blog post made me as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I procrastinated for a week thinking of all the things I wanted to 
say, what should take priority, and what should I let go for another day. You’d think I was trying to write a Pulitzer Prize winning presidential address! Yes, I realize that’s not possible – that’s the point. Everything I read basically told me “don’t worry; your first blog post will suck. Everybody’s first blog post sucks.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this shouldn’t be that hard. After all, I’ve been writing stuff since I was a kid, poems, short stories, reports, journaling, etc. What makes writing my first blog post any different? I’ll tell you what…nothing except the possible millions of people who might read it or even worse, the resounding echo of crickets filling my page with their songs. Ouch.
So without further ado here we go. I’m going to use the K.I.S.S. method here (Keep it Simple Stupid).
I have three major general fascinations in life. One is people. People fascinate me because of the myriad of things that they do and why. Most people are fascinated by people but they just don’t know it. You need look no further than the last run of “People of Walmart” photos sitting in your email box or plastered all over Facebook to understand this. First we say “Oh my <insert favorite deity here> would you look at that!” Then we inevitably end up saying “What the hell was s/he thinking?” See what I mean? Everyone is fascinated by people. I love to write all kinds of things about people. Of course they’re fictitious people…mostly.
Then there’s food. I love good food! I like to eat it, I like to make it, of course I like to write about it, I even like to photograph it. So much happens with people around food. This is a photo of a dinner I had at the Marine Room in La Jolla, California while we were on vacation a few years ago. I just had to snap a shot because the presentation was so beautiful. My camera work doesn’t do it justice.
Who could complain about this exqusite dinner served in front of floor to ceiling windows, at sunset, with the high tide coming right up to the windows? Best dinner ever!
I come by my love of food honestly, my mother and my granny are both great cooks and bakers. When you grow up eating the home made good stuff, things like macaroni and cheese out of a box are just unthinkable, especially when cooking can be so simple.
Last, but definitely not least, is my fascination with the arts. Particularly music and writing, I memorize most songs the first time I hear them and rarely forget them and I devour books like a bunch of piranhas feasting on an unsuspecting swimmer. Too graphic? Oh well. I’ve reached that point in life where chasing the almighty dollar just doesn’t do it for me. Sure, money is nice, but it don’t buy happiness…or love. I think Joseph Campbell really had something when he said when you follow your bliss… doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else. Life is too short to be worrying about who’s going to die with the most money or the most toys. I want to die knowing I lived my life doing something I love that enriches others in the process.
So to that end, I’d like to share with you my journey in hopes that it might inspire or help 
you along your own path. Right now my journey is going in a new direction – writing. The goal of this blog is to hone my skills as a writer, give me some material to show, and hopefully help some others along the way. This is my experiment in following my bliss. Feel free to join me ’round the bend.
K.A. Olgren Stories 'n' More 