30 Years!

Today Kurt and I celebrate 30 years of marriage.  It just doesn't seem that long to me.  Well, I guess there's some days that it seems waayyy longer than that...LOL!!

Thirty years ago today started out cloudy and raining.  By noon, the rain had stopped and pretty soon the clouds parted and by the time we got married it was a beautiful fall day!

I had flowers put in church yesterday for our 30th anniversary.  Aren't they just beautiful?!!?  $15 for that gorgeous bouquet!  The only problem with having flowers in this house is that if we leave them anywhere that certain critters can reach them, they EAT them!  So, unfortunately, we always need to put them on top our entertainment center and they're just not as visible up there.

I was able to clear my calendar this evening so we could go out for dinner.  We weren't sure where to go, so I put the question out there on trusty old Facebook and got tons of suggestions (I want to go to all of them...LOL!).  We ended up choosing a restaurant on Main St. in Bethlehem called Corked.  The food was fabulous!  Thanks, Fiona, for the suggestion...we loved it!

My martini, Valley Sunset.

We each got their French Onion soup, which was delicious.

Our wedge salad that came with our meal.

My Filet Medallions Au Poivre.  It was delicious!  That's mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts with it.

A selfie as we were leaving :-)

Thirty years ago!  I like to call Kurt my 'Stevie Wonder' in these outdoor pictures!  I don't think we really even thought about his stupid photo-grey lenses when we did these pictures outside!!  

And, of note, Mom made my wedding dress for me :-)  I think the material cost all of about $150 at the time!

Here's a recent pic of us during our Fall Foliage tour last weekend!

The Job.

I just celebrated my three month anniversary with my new job.  I'm to the point that I don't come downstairs in tears any more at the end of my work day ;-)  It's actually getting better.  I didn't think I'd ever be able to say that!  I'm getting more comfortable with the tests that I am trying to authorize and the criteria for these tests.  I'm learning about brains and lung nodules and sinuses and neuromas and ankles and knees and wrists and gallbladders and ligaments and rotator cuffs and so on and so on and so on.....I'm getting used to people not always being so nice on the other end of the line.  When that happens, I try to be just that much nicer to them :-)  I've gotten over being called a MORON by one physician shortly after I started taking calls by myself.  That didn't sit well with me, I was so upset I couldn't say a word and ended up crying while I was on the phone with the caller...LOL.  Thanks, VKS.  Not.

I'm supposed to do at least 70 cases/calls per day.  I'm hanging around 65 most days. I've had a few days that I've done 73-75, but not regularly.  Once I get to 70 per day on a regular basis, they will move me from an hourly pay to a per case rate.  Word on the street is that some of the Clinical Reviewers do up to 80-90 cases/calls per day.  I can't imagine me ever being able to do that many!  Obviously, the more calls one can take, the more money one can make.  I'm perfectly fine with not making more money...LOL!

I hate, hate, hate, HATE, working full time (did I make my point?!?!?!)  I so totally miss having off my Thursdays!!  And it's even worse being a new employee and not having much/any PTO accrued!  I don't have any time off until the end of November. Yuck.

I do miss not having anyone to talk to during the day, although, it's probably better, cuz if I had someone to talk to, I don't think I'd be able to 'make productivity' as they call it.  I think once it gets cold outside, or it snows, or we have ice, I'll be MUCH happier with the job ;-)  If you know what I mean.....

So, overall, the job is OK, it's not my dream job,  I totally miss my nephrology patients and my transplant patients.  I still have dreams about the practice and the physicians and think about it more often than I prefer.  I still cry.  I try not to, but it happens.  I've had all the physicians from the practice, except for TWO of them (anyone care to guess which two??), ask about me and say they are sorry for what was done to me.

And now, if only Samson could talk...... ;-)

Amish Yumasetta Casserole

My pictures don't look the prettiest, but this was a pretty good casserole and I'll definitely be making it again.  I got it from an Amish Facebook page I belong to.  Ok, I can hear you now..."the Amish are on Facebook?!?!?!"  No, I don't think they are, what I've been able to figure out thus far, it's mostly people who love the Amish, people who have Amish neighbors and those who used to be Amish.

2 lb hamburger
salt and pepper
Brown sugar
2-3 onions
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup (I messed up and got cream of mushroom soup instead, it was still good!
16 oz egg noodles
8 ounce processed Velveeta cheese

Brown beef and onions, drain.  Add salt, pepper and brown sugar to taste.  Mix with cream of tomato soup.  Combine noodles with cream of chicken soup.  Layer hamburger mixture and noodle mixture in 9x13 pan.  The cheese goes inside the layer, not on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.