Skry's The Limit: October and November 2012 Archives - Wandtv.com, NewsCenter17, StormCenter17, Central Illinois News-

11-20-12

Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pie... who's hungry? I was going through past pictures from Thanksgiving and my mouth is salivating. Here's Ryan and I last year as we hosted 14 people at our home in Boise.

I LOVE Thanksgiving. I also absolutely love cooking the massive meal for friends. You see, I haven't been home in years for Thanksgiving. Because of the news business, it's tough to take enough time off to travel back to San Diego. Instead, I invite friends to join us...and over time, a lot of my friends have turned into my "family". As I've mentioned before, I like to think that I take after my mother in the kitchen. Not only do I cook for an army like her, I spend weeks planning the shopping list and prepping the dishes I'll be making.  Ryan and I make a great team in the kitchen. He's an excellent cook and makes the perfect turkey---soooo juicy and delicious!

This year our table will only be set for 4. A lot of our friends here in Illinois have family near by, so it will be more quaint and cozy at the Skrysak household. But, even with less people, I'm still making mass quantities of food. The reason--leftovers are the best! On the menu, turkey stuffed with a sage and sausage challah stuffing. If you haven't tried challah bread, you should. It's a braided egg bread. I picked mine up at Meijer, cubed it, and let it sit out to get stale. We also make a cornbread and jalapeno stuffing (Ok, my stomach is now grumbling). The other dishes-- maple pecan sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry horseradish dressing and garlic mash potatoes...I'm beginning to think that my suit jacket won't fit come Monday.

As you're busy in the kitchen or visiting family this week, make sure to take a moment to appreciate your surroundings. I'm so thankful for an amazing husband (who puts up with a lot from me!). I'm thankful for the wonderful friends I've made this year in Illinois. And I'm beyond thankful for the amazing opportunity that brought me out to WAND News. I consider my coworkers close friends, if not an "adopted family" and I'm so thankful to be able to say that I thoroughly enjoy coming to work each and every day. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

If anyone is in need of delicious recipes, just email me or find me on Facebook. I'd be happy to share!

E-mail Stacey: stacey.skrysak@wandtv.com

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11-14-12

What's your outlook on life? I think I'm a pretty positive person, but I wonder if my outlook would change if I was faced with life altering moments. I wanted to share a conversation I had this week that really has me looking at life in a whole different way.

I met a man who has cancer. When he was diagnosed, he was given very little hope of any treatment actually working. That didn't stop him from trying. A year and a half later, he's still alive, but he has recently taken a turn for the worse. The cancer has spread and he's extremely weak.

Mr. Skry and I were talking with him this past weekend and he's facing the reality that his time on earth is very limited. For many people, this would be a time to curl up and think "why me"? A time to just give up on life and spend your final days moping. Well not this man. He has a certain peace when he speaks about his life. He's able to look at the amazing things he has accomplished in life, like raising a family. He's able to appreciate the outpouring of love and prayer he's received from people across the country. With his diagnosis, he's been able to make the most of the last year...planning trips with his family and friends, making memories that will last long after he's gone.

It was tough to see him talking about his life ending, especially seeing his wife in tears. But the bottom line: this man is OK with dying. Maybe he's too young, maybe he didn't get to do everything on his bucket list. But, he's able to accept his life and appreciate the time God has given him. It had me thinking a lot about how I spend my life. I'm so thankful for everything I have in my life and I continue to be amazed by little moments each and everyday. Talking with this man made me realize you can't take life for granted. His outlook is an inspiration. After talking with him I have vowed to start living my life more like him. Appreciate everything you have and will have down the road...and continue to touch people along the journey of life.

E-mail Stacey: stacey.skrysak@wandtv.com

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10-22-12

I feel like I've been gone FOREVER! Ok, so it was only a week off from work, but it sure was a whirlwind of a week for me. I left Mr. Skry behind and headed West to visit my family in San Diego. While it was great to see my parents and brother's family, the main reason to visit was this:

Check out my adorable niece Sarah! She was born over the summer, but I just haven't had a chance to get back to California until now. Needless to say, a lot of my week was spent "oohing and cooing" over the adorable little Sarah. This is my brother and his wife's first child, which means first grandchild for my parents and first niece for me. My brother and sister-in-law are complete naturals. It's so special watching the two pour their hearts out for this child. I don't think I had ever seen my brother change a diaper, even baby sit, when we were younger. Not to worry, he sure learned parenting in a jiffy! And my parents, well I may have shed a tear or two just watching them hold their grandchild (Ok, I may be tearing up as I write this!). There is SO much love in our family and this little bundle of joy adds to it.

After San Diego, I hopped on the plane off to my next adventure: meeting Ryan in Phoenix! The main reason we were there was for a friends wedding. Doesn't Mr. Skry look handsome in a tux?!?!

It was a great weekend, filled with so much laughter. Ryan has an amazing group of childhood friends. While the guys are spread out across the country, it is weekends like these where they pick up where they left off. And over the years, the wives have all gotten to know each other. I know, I always look forward to these weekends because we all have so much fun together! We even got the gang to sport Oregon Ducks gear for the ASU game (Despite some heckling from those angry Sun Devil fans)! So, there was my weekend in a nutshell. A whirlwind of fun, but I'm glad to be back home. There's something about sleeping in my own bed and waking up with my "child" Riley....sure did miss that dog!

E-mail Stacey: stacey.skrysak@wandtv.com

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I'm counting down the hours until the weekend. Why, you might ask? I'm heading back to my hometown of San Diego for the first time in about a year and a half. I'm extremely close with my family, but life gets in the way, so I haven't been home as much in recent years. (But not to worry, my family visits me often!)

Anyway, along with meeting my new niece (the first in our family!), I get to catch up with my family and friends. I've talked a lot about them in my blog, but had to share my recent experience with my childhood best friend. Caroline is one of my oldest friends, we met in the 4th grade. Last weekend, she made the trip out to Chicago for the first time and I hopped on the train to meet her.

Even in a massive city, we managed to find the "Oregon Ducks" bar to root on my college football team. No, she's not an Oregon alum, but she was a great sport with my obnoxious cheering and screaming. My trip was a quick 24 hour jaunt up to the Windy City, but I can't believe how much ground we covered in that time (both literally and figuratively). You see, we hadn't seen each other since I was in San Diego a year and a half ago, but we sure didn't skip a beat. Our conversations bounced back and forth from what's going on in our lives today, to memories of our early years, think awful 80's attire and gawky looks (As I'm typing, an elementary school project involving California missions made of sugar cubes comes to mind!).

When I first got to town, she didn't believe it had been so long. The reason--we talk ALL the time on the phone. You see, it doesn't matter how many thousands of miles you live from your friends, a simple phone call will do wonders. We haven't lived in the same town for well over a decade, but we make a point to pick up the phone. Not once every few months, but every week or two. Ok, you're probably thinking, "What could they possibly have to talk about"? These aren't long phone calls, they are usually a quick 5-10 minutes to check in on life. Everyone goes through ups and downs over the years and it means so much to know that your friend truly cares about your well being.

The moral of the story--Don't wait for a friend to call or email, make the effort to connect. It seems like a common theme on my blog, but it's true--We all get so wrapped up in life, it's easy to forget about our friends and family. Even if it's a quick email to say "hi", letting that person know you are thinking of them really warms the heart. By the way, my best friend and I won't be going another year and a half before an in-person visit...I'll be seeing her this weekend as I head to San Diego!

E-mail Stacey: stacey.skrysak@wandtv.com

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