The Earth's Core

Sam had to do a 7th Grade Science Project that entailed 30 quantity of any kind of "baked good" that depicted the four layers of the earth's core. (Love how these projects always seem to be more a FAMILY project than a student project. Seriously, a 7th grade BOY do all the planning, purchasing, and actual assembly on a baking project?!) Sam considered round layer cakes (my vote), cupcakes, etc. but he decided to do the project as if he's looking DOWN on the sliced open earth -- so he decide on decorating a sugar cookie.

So he decided to make the different layers made out of white, butterscotch and chocolate CHIPS and the core out of a colored MARSHMALLOW. 

He did do all the assembly and baking himself...He ended up trying a couple of different 'layouts' of the accessories/layers, (scooping out the center of the cookie, leaving just the chips in the middle -- or building up walls of the cookie to hold everything in) but they still didn't exactly look right after baking. :o) the "layers" sort of spread apart and didn't really melt together as planned -- but hey, it was a science EXPERIMENT PROJECT, not a perfected process, right!?

All in all it was a success...he said his cookies were definitely unique. Glad we didn't do like everyone else and bring round layer cakes or cupcakes -- sheesh! He and his lab partner also created a 'board game' with 30 questions on flashcards about the Earth's Core. We're waiting to see what his grade was...I thought he did a great job!

Aren't They The Cutest??

Have to take a Grammy-Brag moment...

 

Can't wait to see these sweet ones -- and their parents, of course -- at Christmas!! (which, BTW, is only a couple of months away! Hooray and YIKES at the same time!)

Nashville Rescue Mission

A few of us from the Corizon corporate office went to the Nashville Rescue Mission today to volunteer for a few hours. The food was all prepared when we arrived, and we dished up and served lunch to about 350 men at the mission, and then they gave us a tour of the facility. Much of the food is donated by local grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and industrial suppliers -- and it looked and smelled delicious! (I was the dessert lady :o)

(first guy wasn't with us)  Corizon crew: Marc Baird, Jennifer Chambers, Janet Vogelaar, Jennie Latimer,
Lizbeth Abad, Me, Shaun Lewis 

This HUGE, privately funded facility is a faith-based organization that helps take care of Nashville's homeless population, builds their hope & faith through regular Bible study and devotionals, houses hundreds of men (women's shelter is up the road), as well as helps them with detox programs, get their GED, learn job skills, prepare resumes, find health care, and a variety of other services to help the homeless transition back into the community. We were very impressed with the programs they offer! The place seems to run like a well-oiled machine!

Learn more at: http://nashvillerescuemission.org/

We had a great time, felt very appreciated, and all came home counting our many blessings. We hope to go back and do this again around Thanksgiving -- and take our kids!

Business in Atlanta

To film more nurses for CorizonTV, I got home from Idaho on Tuesday night, then left the next Monday morning for Atlanta, to go to another jail.

Since our Chief Nursing Officer, Becky Pinney and I are good friends, she invited me to stay at her house since she lives in Atlanta. (Click HERE to see more more Becky fun.) Her sister, Barbara and husband Lawson live in Atlanta, too, so Becky treated us all to dinner at this "fancy-schmancy" restaurant called "Empire State South." The incredibly expensive food was fabulous, and the presentation was sublime!

Fabulous Meal: (appetizer) In Jars Toasted French bread pieces to dip in a variey of  "jars" of deviled ham, trout mousse, pickles, pimento cheese & bacon marmalade, boiled peanut hummus.  (my favorite was of course the one with BACON.) My dinner was Darby Farms Chicken Roulade - Rolled chicken in garlic broth: cranberry beans, smoked tomato, mustard greens. My dessert was Szechuan Chocolate flourless chocolate cake, ganache, red currants, almond milk granita, szechuan brittle, chocolate smear.  The other photos are the other desserts at the table...

Becky (flowered shirt) and I with Barbara & Lawson Thomas

The next day I went to film another CorizonTV segment called "A Day in the Life of a Corizon Nurse" at the Gwinnett County Detention Center in Lawrenceville, GA. We worked with a great group of nurses and detention staff and got some wonderful footage! This will be a very cool segment, launching October 1st.

Just a few of the Gwinnett team we filmed that day, with Mike Martin (videographer)

My drive home from Atlanta was gorgeous!

 

 

Back at home in Tennessee, we filmed some more nurses from the TN DOC last week.

 

 

Some other goings-on recently, Corizon just launched an innovative new "ReEntry Website" to assist inmates who are being released and entering back into the community by providing resources for employment, medical care, housing, etc. We are being featured in magazines, on industry talk shows, etc.  The two guys behind the website were in Nashville recently for some training, so I had to get a photo of them.

Ralf Salke and Dr. Mark Fleming -- Um...they're a little bit Cuh-razy!

The fun just NEVER ENDS at CORIZON...

Idaho



I had to go to Idaho for work, and was very excited to spend time with my parents and lots of other family while I was there! It started with a lunch with my fabulous SIBLINGS at Cracker Barrel after leaving the SLC airport to drive to Rexburg.

We got thinking about it, and don't think we've EVER done that before! We've never gotten together as just siblings and gone to lunch. We had fun catching each other up on the goings-on in our families, with our kids, grandkids, etc. And then we all got some good laughs listening to Dan tell us about some of his recent "cop" experiences. With the stress of that job, I'm glad the "stupid crooks" do some things that bring laughs once in awhile!

We went a little snap-happy!!

Then I drove about 4+ hours to Rexburg, Idaho, and enjoyed spending the evening with my parents. We all got up at the crack of dawn the next day (literally -- see photo below!) and headed out to Boise to do the filming for my work. It's a 5 hour drive to Boise...

Beautiful sunrise over the Teton mountains from Dad & Mom's back porch

We went to a Corizon Regional Office and filmed some interviews of a few of our nurses for CorizonTV. It was fun! Mom & Dad came with me to watch the process.

At lunch before the filming

Corizon Crew

 

 

We drove by the beautiful Boise Temple, currently under renovation.

 

Then we had dinner and headed back home. That 5-hour drive home was filled with horrible RAIN, "light up the WORLD" LIGHTNING, DARKNESS and CONSTRUCTION! (The construction didn't seem half as bad on the way, in the daylight!)  I was a nervous wreck, and my hands were frozen in the driving position by the time we got home just before midnight. Mom & Dad couldn't help me drive because of the company rental car.

The next day we slept in, had a big breakfast, and we visited for awhile, I helped Mom & Dad on the computer, helped Mom learn her way around Facebook, helped them understand some things in Word, and updated Mom's blog.

She's made the most adorable baby blankets!! We took lots of pictures, and got them up and running on the blog where she already sells watches & bracelets. CHECK THEM OUT at:  'bangletime.blogspot.com'   I would never have the patience to put the THREE layers of hand-embroidery around the edges of a yard-square blanket & burp cloths like she does, but they are absolutely beautiful!

 

 

On Sunday, I sang in their ward's Relief Society, which was fun. I sang "Not Too Far From Here," a favorite song about reaching out and serving others (to see another post with partial lyrics CLICK HERE). It fit in well with their visiting teaching lesson.

 

Sunday and Monday were filled with family visits...

 

Clockwise: Mom & sister, Bertina; Mom & I with Verle's wife, Maxine, and Bertina; Verle's daughter,
Tenia (my cousin) and her son, Bryan; Me & Mom with Verle & Maxine, mom's cousin Wylene
and her daughter Tamara and kids; Mom & I with Bertina, Me with Uncle Verle, Mom &
I with her oldest sister (85), Carol.

One night while I was hugging "me widdo muddah" goodnight, Dad went to get a step stool, so I wouldn't have to bend over so far to hug HIM good night! BAAAHAHAHA!

 

 

Mom & I went shopping and girl-timing on Monday. First we took some shots outside with her beautiful flowers.

 

 

Of course Dad wanted me to RIDE the 4-wheeler around, but I just sat on it and called it good...

 

 

Monday night we went to GRINGO'S, a Mexican Restaurant in Rexburg, for a little late-anniversary dinner to celebrate Mom & Dad's 53rd Anniversary (Aug. 28th)!

 

 

We took this photo and texted home to the guys to say "HI! Wish you were here!"

 

The Rexburg Temple and grounds are so beautiful!

 

LOVE those purple flowers with the yellow bulb center -- called "cornflowers."

 

 

I left early Tuesday morning to drive back to Salt Lake City and catch my flight home that afternoon. I was exhausted, so I sat by the window (which I never do) so I could rest on the way home. But before I drifted off, I caught this BEAUTIFUL sunset from the plane window...!

 

 

Great ending to a great trip!