Days 19 through 23

So I haven't managed to keep up with this every day, but I'm not doing too bad.  Here are a few days worth of answers to catch me up!

Day 19 - a talent of mine
I'm pretty good at quite a few things, but I don't know that I have one specific talent that stands out.  Kind of that jack of all trades, master of none thing.  I am relatively musical, I am a decent athlete, I can cook and bake pretty well, I am okay with a camera. 



Day 20 - a hobby of mine and how it changed since my loss.
I don't know that this is really a hobby, per se, but since I don't get paid for it, we'll call it a hobby.  My involvement in the fire service, and how I look at and approach everything has defintiely changed since losing Gracie.  I am suddenly not nearly as excited to run into a burning building as I once was, I think primarily because I can no longer say 'that won't happen to me' about anything in my life with any certainty.  So the possibility of being injured, or worse, while fighting a fire suddenly seems very real.  I also look much differently at the people we help.  I used to have a 'disconnect' switch that allowed me to disconnect my emotions when dealing with critically ill or dead people, but now...not so much.  It's still there, but it's harder to reach the switch. 



Day 21 - a recipe
I found this recipe online and it looked really good.  I had it for a while before I made it, because I had trouble finding raspberry vinegar.  It is a good blend of flavors...even my husband liked it, and he's not big on chicken.  Reviews and the original recipe can be found here. 

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Fresh Strawberry Salsa

• 4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons raspberry wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
   
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup sour cream

1. Pound the chicken breast halves with a meat mallet until 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and place into a resealable plastic bag or small baking dish. Whisk together 1 serrano chile, garlic, chili powder, and 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until incorporated, then pour the marinade over the chicken breasts, squeeze out excess air, and seal. Place into the refrigerator, and marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
2. While the chicken marinates, toss the strawberries with the mint and sugar in a bowl. Cover, and refrigerate 1 hour, then fold in the remaining serrano chile, red onion, and 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the salsa stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.
4. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook the chicken on the grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve with the strawberry salsa and a dollop of sour cream.

Day 22 - a website that has been meaningful since my loss
During the first week without Gracie, I found a few online support forums for those working through infant and pregnancy loss.  I spent the most time in a few forums on babycenter.com, and from there found my way into the BLM blogosphere.  Interestingly enough, when I got pregnent with Jenna and joined some pregnancy groups.  I found the women in the pregnancy groups/forums to be ridiculous and caddy, and ended up steering away from BCC all together.  Because of that and time constraints, I haven't been to the loss forums in months.  I feel bad about it, becuase there were so many women there to support me in my early days, and I woul like to be there for others just starting out on this journey. 


Day 23 - a youtube video that makes you laugh.
Yeah, I've got nothing on this one.  There are a couple videos that I can think of off the top of my head; I have searched for them for a few minutes and cannot find them.  All of the others that come to mind are not overly appropriate for this type of forum.