Yummy

Are these not the most scrumptious looking cornbread muffins you've ever seen?! I made them myself!

Yummy

One of my favorite meals is Sunday Brunch. There are the usual suspects - Sabrina's, Morning Glory - but I've been looking for other places to go so I can have a nice variety. Those who know me know how I love my food so I was pleasantly surprised when I came across Rembrant's in the Fairmount area. I had the Sambal Chile Chicken Wings (it's never too early for wings) and the Brioche French Toast which comes with spiced rum whipped cream (mmmm...) and some of the best turkey sausage I've had in a while.

A day in the life of...Jordane

Jordane Jolley is a friend of mine from NYC who is a powerhouse in the Social Work community. She was recently recognized by the National Association of Social Workers for voicing the struggles she sees in her work environment and providing sound advice to those experiencing the same. Here's her excerpt:


Sustaining the Passion That Drives My Success as a Social Worker Through Community
Jordane Jolley, MSW
When I graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice in 2007, work experience was preferred. In fact, experience without licensure was so well regarded; it guaranteed you employment with a livable wage plus benefits, and career advancement. Those were the “good ole days.” Oh I how I miss them. There was a leniency towards getting your license. Keeping your job was not contingent on a time frame of if and when you became licensed. A social worker’s level of ability was measured by his/her productivity. However, I will be remiss, if I do not acknowledge the value of a having a license to practice and its use as a tool to professionalize and merit the field of social work.
As a result of our present-day climate, newly minted Master level social workers face challenges when trying to launch a lucrative and fruitful career. A paramount difficulty is one that also acts as a discouragement to many. It is the proposition/insult of minimal pay for maximum work. We, as social workers, need a livable wage to sustain livelihood!
To counteract discouragement from the challenges I may face as a social worker, I maintain a community that serves as a refuge. Friends, family, and colleagues constitute my community - a place where I can easily discuss social issues, engage in extracurricular or other service activities, re-energize, and progressively move forward. This approach allows me to allay threats and compromises against the passion that drives my success as a social worker.
It is imperative that we, social workers, know that we are not alone in our struggles. Our individual challenges in the work place are not so individual, but a shared experience of social workers in various settings. In our daily lives as professional change agents, we encounter many issues. For example, lack of supervision, lack of respected role/position in the hierarchy of interdisciplinary team work, and limited affordable options to develop our skillsets specific to our current practice focus or expand our knowledge in areas unfamiliar to us. To combat these issues, we need to discuss and create interventions to create resources for professional enhancement.
Camaraderie and community are the most impactful benefits I have gained as a member of NASW. When I relocated from Pennsylvania to New York, my initial transition was fraught with a sense of isolation. I moved into an environment where I was a stranger. Then I had an “AHA moment” and decided to join NASW. Becoming an active member has fulfilled my social (developing friendships) and professional (job networking) needs.

A Day in the Life of - Lisa

I get to work with the one and only, Ms. Lisa Lewis, who is an assistant professor at UPENN and is doing amazing things in the Family and Community Health Department. One of her most recent amazing thing is !MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA! to talk about women and health care.
*She's the cute one in the blue blouse.
Here's the CNN media clip - http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/06/politics/campaign-women/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5 
For the entire speech click here -  http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2012/04/06/president-obama-speaks-white-house-forum-women-and-economy

Oh Happy Day!

I got married! Here's my new, official family waiting at City Hall to be called in by the judge. More pics to come...

Happy Birthday Bob!

Bob is 2-years-old today!