Thankful

I was about 2 seconds away from death (or at least serious injury) today.

I was walking from work up to Notre Dame to catch my bus. I was on the side of the sidewalk where I was walking with the traffic flow, and had to cross Notre Dame. On the second half of the road, where there cars were going towards my left, there was a semi in the closest lane to me that had stopped in the pedestrian area, and so I went to walk around in front of it.

ZOOM!!!

A van in the next line goes zooming by, going through his red light.

Had I been even just two seconds earlier, he would have hit me. Having to already walk around the front of the semi, I could not see any oncoming traffic. But seeing as how their light had turned red and I was already halfway across the street, it's not like he was trying to run through a yellow and I was just darting out into traffic.

He just went right through his red light.

I can only assume he didn't see that it was red. It didn't seem like he was speeding, and there were no cops or anything coming after him, so it's not like he was running from something.

I don't want to make any assumptions, because it happened so fast that I didn't even see the driver, nor did I catch the license plate. I don't even remember what kind of van, or even what colour it was.

Two seconds.

I'm even getting shaky again just thinking about that.

There's no doubt in my mind that God had a hand in making me that two seconds late. It's funny, it was just this afternoon that I put in my Facebook status, "Stacey has read a bunch of different statuses from a bunch of different friends about trusting in God instead of myself... Ya think God's trying to tell me something???"

And Alisha told me that for some reason, she felt like she needed to pray for my protection today. That gives me shivers. She did pray how the Spirit was leading her to, and I'm so glad she did!

Two seconds.

That bothers me a bit, actually. I can't explain why, because I know that it was God that saved me today... But I can't get it out of my mind: what if I had been two seconds later?

It's got me thinking about my life. Am I where I want to be? Where I should be? Where God wants me to be?

Have I made sure people know how I feel about them? I know things can be applied and taken for granted, but when's the last time I actually told the people that I love, that I love them?

I called my mom tonight. I did have another purpose to call her (my neighbour had boxes in the hallway, and I wanted to check to see if my mom wanted them for her friend that's moving before I went to my neighbour to ask about them). But I really just wanted to hear her voice.

I don't really like to talk on the phone. But it's amazing how comforting my mom's voice can be sometimes.

I love my mom. And I told her so tonight.

It's a start =)

Mango Salsa Spaghetti

Oh my goodness. Best thing I've had in a loooooong time! In fact, I'd almost say it beats coconut rice and stir-fry!

This recipe is from Metro (where else? =P), and I kinda tweaked it to what I had...
-I didn't have a "box" of spaghetti because I keep it in a container, but I just used up what I had and it worked.
-I only had 1 mango and 1 red pepper, but again, it worked.
-I didn't have large shrimp, nor did I have skewers, so I just used the small shrimp, tossed it with the specified amount of dressing, let it sit for the 10 minutes, then cooked it in a pan. Yes, it worked.
-I don't have a food processor, just a blender, so I used that. The salsa's a bit more pureed than it should be, but the flavour is still as delicious, I'm sure, so, it worked =P
-I left out the jalapeno peppers. I learned my lesson last time. And also, I didn't want a spicy dish.
-I forgot the coriander... Haha whoops...

So without further ado, here ya go:

Mango Salsa Spaghetti
1 box (375 g) whole-grain spaghetti
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp finely grated lime zest
2 tsp honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb peeled, uncooked large shrimp
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, chopped, and divided
2 red peppers, chopped
3/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, whisk lime juice with oil, lime zest, honey, and garlic. In a separate bowl, toss shrimp with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Let stand for 10 minutes. Thread shrimp onto 6 large wooden skewers that have been soaked in water to minimise flare ups.

Meanwhile, place remaining dressing mix and one mango in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining mango, red peppers, onion, jalapenos, salt, and pepper; pulse until coarsely chopped.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions; drain well. Grill shrimp skewers for 3 minutes per side or until pink all over. Toss hot spaghetti with mango salsa mix and coriander. Garnish each portion with a shrimp skewer.

Serves 6.

Oh Snap

So, I haven't posted many favourite trolls lately... Sorry 'bout that guys, here's a velociSNAPter...

Coconut Rice

I don't know why I've never made this stuff before. It is absolutely amazing!!! Especially when mixed together with my Asian stir-fry, yum yum!!! =D And it's pretty much the easiest recipe ever!

Coconut Rice
2 cups soup broth
1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk (398 ml)
2 cups uncooked jasmine rice

In saucepan, bring the broth and coconut milk to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Ta-daaaa!!!! So simple! And sooooooo delicious!!! =D

Sorry though, I didn't take a picture. I was too busy chowing down on the deliciousness. =P

Mountain

Tonight I was listening to the radio, tuned to CHVN 95.1 FM, the Christian radio station in Winnipeg. One of their features is Blessings From the Bible, where they basically just quote a Scripture verse. One that was played tonight was Matthew 17:20, and this is how they read it: "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to your mountain, 'Move!' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

"Say to your mountain, 'Move!'"

If I have faith as a grain of mustard seed, I can say to my mountain, "Move!" and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for me.

My mountain...

Trying to get over it is tiring. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually. I am exhausted.

But Jesus Himself just told me tonight that I don't have to worry about trying to get over the mountain.

Because I can just tell it to get outta my way.

So mountain, MOVE!!!

Happy 101

My friend Alison has blessed me with the "Happy 101" blog award, right on! =) So because I don't think I actually did this last time she gave me a blog award, I'm making sure to do this right away so I don't forget! =P

Here are the rules:
1. Copy the award image into a post.
2. List 10 things that make you happy.
3. Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.
4. Put in a link to their blogs.
5. Notify the award receivers.
6. Recipients should link back to the sender’s blog.

10 Things That Make Me Happy (in no particular order...):
1. Jesus
2. Deep relationships
3. Alisha
4. Long hugs
5. Someone telling me to my face that they love me
6. Being goofy with my kids at work
7. Visiting my mommy
8. Music
9. Cooking for other people
10. Trying new recipes

10 Bloggers Who Brighten My Day (in no particular order...):
1. Alison - it's great to get almost daily updates it seems, whether it's how her day went, recipes, or pictures, always a great read!
2. Alisha - what an amazing woman she is =) I enjoy reading her updates and poems, as well as seeing her pictures.
3. Sherrie - I can't link to her blog because she has her privacy set up that only those she invites can view it. But I love reading her blogs because she is not afraid to say, "this is who I am, and I am proud of me, whether you like it or not."
4. Melissa - I love reading updates from this gal, and her kiddo says the darndest things!
5. Tammy - she posts about her life journey, often with interesting insights from her kids =)
6. Jaclyn - she posts on her journey through life as a Salvation Army cadet, and now lieutenant! =D
7. 1000 Awesome Things - Seriously, it's the smallest things in life that seem to be the awesomest!
8. PostSecret - Every week, I find my own secrets sent in by other people, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone.
9. Books of Adam - Fantastic for a good laugh, and great pictures too lol
10. Hyperbole and a Half - Another one for a good laugh, though currently she seems to be on hiatus working on her book that's due for release in autumn 2012, exciting!!! =D

Dentist Visit

I would like to point out that I love going to the dentist. I grew up loving the dentist, it's just never been a frightening thing for me.

What I do NOT like is getting cavities filled. It's not the filling itself, it's not even the noise of the drill. It's the freezing. I hate having half my mouth frozen for a few hours... Especially when I'm thirsty and I can't drink because I can't keep my mouth on the glass, and then I can't keep the water in my mouth before swallowing.

Never mind food... I am so hungry, and having trouble eating this coconut rice... Lol actually, it's pretty funny... But NO PICTURES FOR YOU!!! (imitating the Seinfield soup nazi...)

Avocado Banana Bread

I personally did not care for this recipe, but I'm not a big fan of banana bread. But for those of you who love it, and would like a bit of a twist on it, this is for you! =)

This recipe is from the Metro Winnipeg, exactly how it is in there, I was pretty excited to see that it calls for whole wheat flour, and honey instead of sugar!

Avocado Banana Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 pureed avocados
2 mashed bananas
3/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the avocados, bananas, honey, and vanilla. Fold the dry mixture into the avocado-banana mixture. Spoon the batter into 8 greased mini pans, ensuring you spread it evenly.

Bake the Avocado Banana Bread for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle of each loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool then run knife along edges and invert onto wire racks.

Sorry, I did not take a picture of it...