Chef Boyardee

My husband has never been number one in anything, but he excels at just about everything he sets his mind to. For example, a while ago he posted a blog about his delicious pizza. Since then he has been trying to perfect that pizza little by little. This last Saturday he may have made it as perfect as its going to get. On top of that he made his first cheesecake and it turned out pretty darn good for his first attempt. Just take a look at the pictures. All in all I am pretty impressed how he manages the kitchen. For crying out loud, I should be the one in the kitchen. But it makes sense. In the two and a half years we've been married I've realized cooking seems to run in the Sajovic blood. J's whole family seemed to have inherited the cooking gene. It all comes so natural to them, unlike me.

Do you know what I was doing while he was whipping the pizza and cheesecake together? Talking to my sister on the phone. What a great husband I have who will cook a fabulous dinner when I am not in the mood.

Not only is J a great chef, he is also great in so many other different ways. First off, he is the cleanest person I have ever met. He has also inherited this gene from his mother which I am extremely grateful for. I am also amazed at how well he has been doing in Chiropractic school. When I hear the alarm at 6:00 every morning I think to myself I feel so sorry that J has to get up that early. He does that every day of the week and never complains. He is so responsible and never lazy. He works so hard in school and is constantly studying, unless there is a Mariners or Blazer game on. Can you blame him? All in all, I am so proud of J, and I am so lucky to be married to him.

Here's a few pics to enjoy.

PS- you can also tell J's taken a few photography classes in his day.

I look really cute enjoying the cheesecake...ha ha!

Watch out Papa John, Little Ceasar, and Papa Murphy,

J's got a pizza here that will give you a run for your money

Yummy!

Dr. Sajovic...

...OK not officially yet, but I got my doctor bag from school and in it contains all kinds of gizmos and gadgets. It's about time since I've been paying for it for the last three terms (and it wasn't cheep).

T says I have a long ways to go before I am finally a DC and it proved to be true when I tried to take her blood pressure and totally fouled it up. She knows more about the toys in my bag than I do because of her health screening job. She basically gave me a crash course on how to do everything...that was embarrassing since I'm the one in school.

Speaking of T, I might as well mention it since she never blogs. She's doing extremely well at personal training. A few months ago she had the highest amount of personal training sales in the Oregon/Washington region for Ba.lly To.tal Fit.ness. And lately she's signed a few more clients. She's really helping the clients she has lose weight and better their health and she has received many comments by people who have been watching her and have been impressed by her work. I hope she knows how proud I am of all her hard work and her success.

Are you Serious?

I have got to have the worst luck when it comes to getting the cars registered/re-registered in the State of Oregon, and it all has to do with my bad luck at the DEQ. I'm not sure if all states have a DEQ so I'll explain what it is. DEQ stands for the Department of Environmental Quality. The purpose is to make sure your car is running in such a way that it falls under their standard and has a minimal effect on the environment. Basically, it checks to make sure your car does not pollute too much.

When T and I first moved here we had to register the Ford in Oregon and to do so it has to pass the DEQ tests first. A day or so before I went to the DEQ I noticed the "check engine" light had come on. I didn't really think anything of it (mainly because I didn't know what it meant), so I took it to the DEQ and, of course, it failed. The guy, kindly pointed out that the "check engine" light was on and hinted that I was an idiot if I thought it would still pass with the light on. I really had no idea what the big deal was until I got home and read the car's owners manual. Apparently, the "check engine" light is an indicator that the emissions in the car are too high. (Should have read that before I went and saved myself the awkward moment with the DEQ attendant.) At that point I was pretty annoyed because waiting in line at the DEQ is no short event. It always seems to take forever; and on top of that, I would have to get some one to fix the car so it would pass DEQ. How much was that going to cost?

Plan A: Pay out the butt to get the car fixed and get it passed at the DEQ so I could register it.

No thanks!

Plan B: Take the car to an auto store and get a diagnostic tool, plug it into the car, and erase from the cars computer system whatever it was making the "check engine" light come on.

Success!

Second part of Plan B: Take car, now with the light off, back to DEQ and see if it will pass. Good plan right?

Failed! As I was pulling into the DEQ the light came back on. I dropped a few expletives and turned the car around not allowing the embarrassment of going though the DEQ with the "check engine" light on, again...I've learned not to do that again.

Plan C: Wait and see if the light ever turns off and get that beast into the DEQ ASAP.

Success! About two months down the road T tells me one day, "Did you notice the 'check engine' light went off in the car?"

"What? When did that happen?" I didn't even wait for a reply before I was in the car on my way to the DEQ. Oh yeah, it passed...with flying colors.

So, that's just the first bad luck story, trying to get the Ford through DEQ. That was all around Christmas time. Just recently I got the form in the mail letting me know it was time to re-register the Honda. I was sure this one was going to go much smoother because I check every possible problem and found nothing before I took it in.

The morning of I went to the bank because the DEQ only accepts cash these days. Then I headed to the DEQ. Of course, I waited in line. As I neared the front of the line I notice an oil smell but figured it was the big truck directly in front of me. And then I noticed the oil light flashing on my dash. My first thought, "Are you Serious?" Because I was already in line I might as well finish the test; if you don't pass you don't have to pay, so what the heck. I pulled into my assigned bay and got out of the car (a typical procedure so the attendant can look around the car without you in the way). I could still smell the oil but I acted like nothing was wrong so I didn't give anything away.

The attendant went through the test and somehow the thing passed. When it was over I was out of there. On my way home the light was flashing like crazy and I knew something was wrong. I pulled over in an LDS church parking lot and referred to my Honda's owners manual (this seems familiar). This indicator light means the oil pressure in the car is low. If the oil pressure is low that usually means the oil is low. Funny thing is, I just had the oil changed 3 days before. I finally got out of the car and looked under it. Yep, a big 'ol puddle was forming.

Let me clue you in on how ironic this situation is. Here I am going through the Department of Environmental Quality and my car just happens to spring a oil leak...and a big one for that matter. As in, big enough to drain 4 quarts of oil in a matter of a few minutes. And this had to happen while at the DEQ. So, the place that is supposed to stop all pollution against the environment from automobiles is totally covered by the oil from my Honda. Luckily I got out of there before I was busted. I guess that's pay back for not passing the Ford the first time a few months ago.

Just so you know, the Honda broke a pretty important seal on the side of the engine and it had to go into the shop. It's back now and driving as good as ever and without any other pollution to the environment. Sorry DEQ.

Oh, and PS-the "check engine" light has yet to come back on in the Ford...weird!