Happy Labor Day

Today is this great holiday in America- Labor Day. It is a day no one actually celebrates, but everyone enjoys their day off work. I on the other hand went into work. Just a small glimpse of how work has been the past month. Beyond the fact that I worked today, it was a rather enjoyable Labor Day. I got to work while most of the company was not there, so I got a lot done. I got off at a decent hour. And I made it to a dance class at the gym, also wonderful because few people were there. Its crazy how on Labor Day people assume everything is closed.

On a side note I cannot believe I actually blogged again- so I apologize if I have little to say. Usually I bottle it all up for my once a month summary, so this twice a week thing is leaving me rather speechless.

I'm Back!

As you can see, I've been gone awhile. I wish I could say that I had a good excuse, but alas I am speechless. I am back though, like the prodigal son- so please welcome me with open arms. It is the first of the month! That being said, you all are probably wondering what on earth our "challenge" is this month. I mean we have already conquered the world (food, crafting, athleticism). This month is going to be a month to redirect, to get back in the swing of things. What better way to do that than to go back to the basics- blogging. We are going to focus.

Now for the breakdown of focus. Focus has been a theme of my life in the past few months (although not with the blog- clearly). I have been questioning a lot in life, as most young adults do. Where is my focus? While I do not have the answer to that, hopefully expressing feelings and all that mush will move me closer to the right direction by the end of the month.

Hopefully you will hear from me soon (and a couple of days soon, not months).

Whoops

So I realize the title gives it all away, but that is about all I can say about this month- Whoops. Whoops that I failed on the giving up of caffeine and whoops on never blogging. To give myself a little credit I stuck with no caffeine until June 22. So I guess I made it through the majority of the month. For those of you that do not know me I should fill you in on 3 of the best items ever: Chocolate, Coffee, and the best of all Diet Mountain Dew. Just for the record, I do not know how I made it 22 days.

Let me try and paint you a picture of the point of no return. I am leading a high school work camp trip to Savannah to roof. We meet early on Monday morning and naturally I had to wake up super early to pack. I make it to the van, deal with paperwork, and load up all the kids- with zero assistance from caffeine. Go me! I manage to make it though countless gas stations (how teenagers have such tiny bladders- I will forever be baffled) without a Diet Dew or a candy bar- its basically heresy. So we wake up the first morning and head to our job site to roof a house. At this point- I'm still doing good. We get off the roof around lunch and I notice this bag of sodas, and of all the sodas that could be in that bag- there are diet dews. But they are warm. So I am still doing alright. We get near the end of the day and the sodas have managed to find their way into the bag of ice. We hop back in the van after a 9 hour workday roofing a house in the heat and the dews are screaming at me....I cave.

So it was all she wrote... I had coffee the next morning, sweet tea at lunch, and all the chocolate I could find, including a few trip to the DQ. I handed over the challenge rather quickly. If I were to make excuses I would claim that unlike vegetarianism- I do not see any ultimate value or lesson learned in giving up caffeine. I am forever grateful that I was a vegetarian, but the no caffeine never changed me as a person. Oh well...until next month.

No Longer Running on Dunkin'

This month we are trying to go "caffeine-free" for 30 days. Six days in, and I'm already suffering. Let me just be clear...caffeine free means no tea (unless fruit tea), no coffee (no decaf either), no soda, and no chocolate. If we manage 30 days, it will be quite the feat.

There are several reasons why this challenge is hard for me...1) I can see a Dunkin' Donuts from my doorstep, and it is very tempting. Last week, I went in there for a bagel and managed to leave without a coffee for once. 2) I work really long hours. Most of my work days are 12-14+ hour days. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I was super crabby at work, and my energy levels were definitely depleted. Almost everyone at work lives on caffeine as a way of life. 3) I *love* Trader Joe's chai latte mix. At one point last month, I had three containers of the mix in my cupboard. You can have it iced or hot, and it's so delicious. 4) I come home from work sometimes and eat chocolate after an especially tough day. Or my co-workers and I sit in the staff office after a hectic night and binge on chocolate chips while we consider all the craziness that went down that evening. 5) Dunkin' Donuts are EVERYWHERE in the north east! Like I said, I have one I can see from my doorstep, I pass another on my way to work, and there are two others in my town. Their damn commercials make me crave coffee. Ughhh.


Unfortunately, I already have a confession to make...on Friday, I went to NH to get a new laptop (Hurray!), and I planned to see my 94 yo great aunt (she's awesome, by the way, she gave my family a 6' tall British solider one year for Christmas). In between those tasks, I went to the beach, and I can't go to the beach without ice cream afterwards. I was totally not thinking when I ordered my ice cream, and half way through eating it, I realized I was eating chocolate chips. Oops. AND then yesterday was Free Ice Cream Day at Friendlys, and I took a couple kids from work. The Reeses flavor sounded so good, and I could not resist (and the guy serving the ice cream was staring at me lovingly and I felt pressured to make a decision because our interaction was getting awkward). Sooo, I guess I have already screwed up this challenge because I had two scoops of ice cream which included chocolate.

The bigger challenge will be the no coffee, TJ's chai tea, or Diet Coke. Help meee.

Victory

Hi Strangers! I know I know, before you begin fussing- it has been far too long. On another note, this past month we continued running. You would have been so proud- JMo and I completed a 5k. While I will not reveal our time- we met our realistic expectations of being under 40 min! It was our first 5k and all.

So prior we get a good nights rest, wake up early, make eggs, and dress in matching tye-dye. We hop in the car and drive to the Y, only to immediately get freaked out by all the people that legitimately look like runners. After a few minutes of positive thinking, we rush to the registration to pay our entry fee- so that we cannot back out. Briefly we get really excited about our free t-shirts, then we see these women running around- warming up. How on earth can you waste your running ability before the race? We walk a lap, and decide we are ok.

Standing in the back of the crowd, the whistle blows, and we are off! We run and run and attempt to drink water while running (way more difficult than it looks). While we remain near the back of the pack we finish! The second to best part of it was coming to the finish line and have these kids yelling- Go 4-1-4! You can do it 4-1-6! I almost burst into tears. We come near the finish line, and the lady tells one of us to pull in front of the other. Being the wonderful honey she is, JMo said- I wouldn't dream of it. So we crossed the line together.

The first best part was that JMo and I tied in our age range, and now have the first and second place trophies sitting on our kitchen shelves. (I'll leave you to figure out that puzzle)

SUCCESS!

On Sunday, I completed the 5k! :-) It was really exhilarating and I'm so thrilled that I was able to reach my goal. I managed to run all three miles too for nearly 30 minutes. And even though the 5k is over, I went running today...we'll see if this continues. But for now, I feel so pleased that we are accomplishing goals and following our plans. Jesse and Jmo are running their 5k in K-ville on Saturday - you can do it ladies!!! I'll cheer you on, even from hundreds of miles away. :-)

Counting Down

In six days, I will run my first 5K. I say run because I am hopeful that the training I have done for the past six weeks will pay off and there will be no walking involved. This morning, I realized that the 5K might be easier in some regards than the training...I will be excited, there will be other people there, two of my friends are running with me, it takes place on a beach. These are all things that might get my adrenaline going more than just running by myself.

The first several weeks of this running gig, I followed the plan from Runner's World well. First week - I ran two minutes, walked four. Second week - I ran three minutes, walked three. Third week - I ran four minutes, walked two. However, since week three, I have diverted slightly from the training plan. The fourth week I was running five minutes and walking one, which made logical sense to me, but afterwards, I realized the training plan has you gradually ease into that amount of running. Last week, I started doing seven and eight minute intervals with two minutes walking in between. I just got back from running and I ran two 13 minute intervals. This is progress, and it feels good.

My boss has run several marathons in recent years, and on Friday, I told her that I was running my first 5K on May 16. Her advice to me was to listen to my body. I'm glad I heard that advice, because on Thursday I had taken the day off as my knee was starting to bother me. I researched a little online and realized that I was feeling my patellar tendon, just below my knee cap. I decided a day of rest and ice with elevation might be a good idea. Unfortunately today while I was running, my knee felt the same way, so I will be icing it soon.

So that's the update. We still have not decided our challenge for May, but seeing as we are all doing 5Ks maybe it will be an extension of April running to reach our goals.

Part of an Elite Group

So unlike the past two months, my lack of blogging does not properly indicate my participation this month. I have been running! Albeit less than expected- I had been aiming for 4 times a week, yet sadly the first two weeks I ran 3 times and last week I ran twice. While it doesn't take much time to run, I am a girl and have to factor in showering and fixing my hair afterwards. It is crazy how much my stamina has increased. I am only at 5 minutes running, but hey better than what I started at. At this rate though it will still be a miserable marathon.

Funny story- today JMo and I just felt crappy and tried to go out and run. We ran our first 5 minutes (almost died), walked, dropped down to running 3 minutes, and then gave up and walked home. I just cannot make myself do something I don't want to - and I am also really good at convincing people they do or do not want to do something. Hope nobody saw that failed attempt.

The coolest thing about running is not that I am getting in shape, or that my butt is getting tighter, rather it is the feeling that I am one of "those" people. I am in an elite crowd of the dedicated runners. Never would I have ever thought of myself one day being in the running club, but here I am. Sort of- I guess I'm one toe in. But still... The other day JMo and I went to the track by my house to run, except when we parked we realized all these soccer practices were going on. We are definitely not at the running in front of people stage, we we opted for running down the road to a neighborhood. I felt so legitimate running on a road that had lines- it was exhilarating. Everyone should try it once.

Motivated...

I never thought I would find myself motivated to run. Seriously. I used to be athletic in high school, and now being able to run for 60 minutes straight in a soccer game is a dream. The fact alone makes me sad. I know that I can reach that level of fitness, but it's definitely not going to occur with me sitting on my ass.

I am motivated to run now because I'm doing a 5k next month with two friends. The event will take place in South Boston, along the beach, in aid of a charity called Horizons for Homeless Children, for whom my friend Jaimie volunteers. Everyone I've talked to about the event says "Oh, three miles, that's nothing". I guess they don't understand just how unfit I am!

Admittedly, I took a good week off this month because I had a friend in town, and other things seemed more appealing then! I have only run once so far this week, because I have been "couch surfing" for the past several days, as my landlady decided to displace our house of six people to refinish the floors. It has been a huge hassle, and so inconvenient. I'm fortunate to have various friends in the area to help me out. But I will be running on Sunday without fail, as I work for 14 hours tomorrow, which is every waking hour of the day in my world.

Sunday will be my first day running for five minutes, walking for one minute. The past two weeks have been running for two, walking for four, and then running for three, walking for three. So this is progress, albeit slow.

Athletic April

So as Lady L explained- it is the month of running. I know off bat this month is not looking good, because if I were completely honest with myself, I am 1 for 3. I never failed with being a vegetarian for the month of January- and to this day I rarely eat meat. As far as crafting and meditating I did not do so hot. I mean simply looking at our numbers you can form these assumptions yourself (13-7-4). I mean thus far on the 5th day in April we are halfway to our last month. I think I meditated 4 times- not enough to write about. Enough stats- I mean it wasn't my best college class.

Running- that is a word I rarely say. I think I have said that word more the past few days than I have the entirety of my life, unless of course it was followed with 'for food'. I mean I walked the mile I was suppose to run in middle school- yes I was in the gaggle of girls chatting and walking at the back. Guess much hasn't changed. But JMo and I did force ourselves to get up early and go run at the beach this weekend. We ran 2 days in a row! Already breaking my life record of running. We are preparing for a 5k in May. While many of you may say oh 3 something miles- piece of cake. I would rather have the cake- which is probably why I am panting and nearly collapsing at 3 minutes of jogging. Our running plan has us running 30 minutes straight after 9 weeks! Clearly they do not know me- maybe they have met their match. I am running 3 minutes straight right now intermixed with walking, and by next week it should be up to 4 or 5. Baby steps.

For now I have run twice the first week, with two more to go. Having a roomate on the same schedule definitely helps, but this month will be a true test. If I make it through alive that is.

Month of the Marathon

April 19. The day after my birthday. But also the day of the 114th Boston Marathon- the oldest marathon in the world! Marathon Monday here in Boston. I hope I can have the day off, so I join the crowds on the streets, drinking beer and cheering on everyone who is way more athletic than me! There is no way I could ever do a marathon with my lack of physical activity currently. But, we can try our best to achieve some sort of goal by trying out running for the month of April.

April 1: I pondered the idea of going outside...but I never made it. At least I thought about running?? I managed to find some interesting and useful websites about beginners running though. I decided that I am going to follow this training schedule over the month and see where it takes me. Ideally, I would like to be able to run 25-30 minutes by the end of the month without stopping. Yes, I have a goal. I also bought a stop watch so I can keep track.

April 2: Again, I thought about running, but I never made it. Admittedly, I felt a little defeated. BUT I did have a follow up phone call for this research study through Brown University in which I am participating. Basically, the study is trying to figure out whether generalized online information or personalized online information regarding physical activity is more useful to get people active. I had to wear a little pedometer thing last week, and I will have to do so again at three months and six months. They are paying me $120. I think I decided to do it for other reasons though - more than the money. I was excited when the person told me that I was in the individualized fitness group. I have access to their website where I can record physical activity, ask questions to the researcher and other experts, set goals, read about places to do physical activity around Boston, etc. I think this is a good motivator.

April 3: I finally made it out! Hurray. The weather is 70 degrees and beautiful here. I went on the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway - running for 10 minutes and walking for 20, just as the training schedule said. I ended up walking an extra 10 minutes to cool down and stretch afterwards. The Bikeway goes from my nearest subway station 11 miles north west of the station. Tons of people use it to commute to work, hence the name. I feel accomplished.


I plan to run again on Monday. I hope I follow through...Jesse and I have been known to let down our crazy fitness regimes!

Silent Participation

Despite my lack of posting this month, I have been following our idea for Meditation March. I have continued to read my book and/or meditate on a close to daily basis. Sometimes my shifts at work go from 9a-11p or 10a-11p, and on these days, I find it very difficult to stay awake at night to meditate or read. However, otherwise, I have made a conscious effort to follow through.

I think I am motivated because I have read a multitude of scientific studies that show that meditation is beneficial to one's health and well-being, and I know I can only benefit if I put in the time and effort. For example, there is this article from USA Today which highlights the benefits: Mindfulness Meditation Being Used in Hospitals and Schools. And there is this article from UCLA: Mindfuless Reduces Stress, Promotes Resilience. Additionally, the book I have came with a CD, which has guided practices, so I do not feel totally lost. I have downloaded the tracks to my iPod, which provides flexibility.

At work I deal with girls who have some really troubling mental health challenges. So often I think to myself how great it would be if they were able to slow themselves down before they acted on their thoughts or feelings, and although I try so hard not to bring work feelings home with me, it's much easier said than done some days. I usually do not get home until 11:30 pm or later, and sometimes I find it tough to wind down after a crazy night. Meditation can be helpful to gather my thoughts and settle for bed, because usually I do not get to sleep until after 1 am on nights I have worked. Getting to bed later means I wake up later, and I hate to waste the next day! Mindfulness meditation is a practice which can enable individuals to strengthen their minds and bodies against mental illness, so I see this month as a preventable practice as well.

I have not been blogging about my experiences, in part because I feel like it is difficult to put mindfulness meditation and practice into words. I definitely do not feel "enlightened" or anything along those lines, but I believe that meditation could be beneficial with consistent and structured practice. It's worth a shot, if nothing else.

Something I have found useful is to think about the five senses. I randomly ask myself what do I see, hear, smell, taste and touch in a given moment. It's pretty crazy how much we just go about our daily lives and never stop to appreciate how amazing our bodies and minds can be. I think it is incredible that we are living beings with so much talent and intelligence, but we rarely take the time to consider these attributes. Maybe meditation can put us into greater sync with our mind as to how the world actually works and not how we perceive things to be? I'm not sure, but I will continue trying with this meditation gig.

I recently re-discovered StumbleUpon. It is such a genius invention. I found these useful websites in relation to meditation: Free Audio Meditations and Sounds to Promote Sleep and Relaxation

Easy Way Out

So surprise surprise, I also suck at meditation. And sadly enough that is probably not much of a surprise to most, or anyone that knows me beyond a first name. My first few days of waking up early to sit in silence succumbed to extra sleep nearly as quickly as it started. I have not yet looked into the flame of a candle or chanted any relaxation mantras. While I did not stick to my idea of a set amount of time (complete with my alarm clock), I have managed to sweak by with some ideas/stories/successes of meditation.

Normally I steer clear of gyms and exercise in general...I typically break out in hives. And while I did just join a gym, I have yet to go for the month of March (what a waste of money). So anything related with working out usually elicits a frown. The idea of yoga especially so, because you can't talk and you don't even break a sweat to feel like to achieved something. But I have done yoga at work twice this month! Earth-shattering -- I know. I have relaxed and left the stress outside the room for the half hour. While I do not notice a long lasting change, it has not been a horrible experience. And of course I get to be the butt of some jokes at work.

What is one thing girls love a lot? (Mind out of gutter please) Massages. Well since I am your most untypical girl, it should not be a shock that I have never had a professional massage. I just have always felt they were a waste of money. Boy was I wrong. I had one this week and it was one of the most relaxing experiences ever. I have been sold. I know this is the easy way out to count this as meditation, but give me a little break?

The past week, I have had the privilege of being in Mexico City with a group of friends, painting and working in an orphanage. I love Mexico City so much (I may start referring to it as my second home), and this week I got to experience something I hadn't the last time. We went to the Aztec pyramids and climbed to the top. I didn't get too much alone time as I was with a bunch of loud people, but I did get some time to marvel in the beauty while at the top. In between gasps for breath, I was able to see for miles and miles from top of the ancient pyramid. Something about being that high and seeing for so far just makes me feel closer to that which is bigger than life. I felt so connected to something bigger- what a way to put life into perspective.

I'm pretty sure I will not get to climb another Pyramid of the Sun this month, but I am going to morph my meditation into a time of introspection. A time to sit and reflect, journal, and pray.

Ignore the Madness...

As I mentioned, I work in a mental health facility with teenage girls. My days at work are incredibly hectic and very stressful. When I talked with a friend last month about ideas for this month's challenge, she suggested meditation. I think meditation has some strange stigma...I know initially the image of some monk sitting Indian style with his hands on his knees humming comes to mind. I took a Mindfulness Meditation class my final semester in college. Admittedly, I did not meditate nearly as much as I was supposed to outside of the class, but I enjoyed it, and it certainly opened the door for further exploration. Some of my girls at work use meditation as their "self-control strategy", which is meant to help them when they feel an adverse emotion. I know that meditation can have awesome effects, and I am more than willing to give it a try. Unlike our failure of artisans last month, I think this month could have a very positive effect on my life, but I have to stick to it. After our February failure, I feel that I need to recommit to this idea, so I'm going to try much harder this March.

Yesterday, I tried to find some books about meditation at my local library. I could not find any with guided CDs that were available. But I saved a book I used in the meditation class because of my interest in mental health issues and psychology in general. Last night I took some time to read the introduction of The Mindful Way Through Depression, which I never did while in my actual class. The introduction talks about using meditation to cultivate patience and acceptance of one's thoughts and feelings. In the class, the professor used to have us imagine our thoughts and feelings as leaves floating down a river. We did not have to catch those leaves and examine them, we could just let them float by. It reminds me of the concept of "This, too, shall pass" when facing something unpleasant in life. Meditation is actually used as a medical intervention in the form of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) for pain, chronic illness and stress. Research has shown that meditation can change the pattern of brain activity, too.

I'm not entirely sure how I want to structure this month of meditation. At the very least, I want to read this book in full, as I never did before. I think I will have to start meditation on some sort of schedule, too.

In the meantime, on the last day of our meditation class, our professor sent us the following email. I think the story that is mentioned highlights the basic nature of meditation...

When Jack Kornfield (an American Psychologist who spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia) was returning to America, he met with an elderly monk who had been living in the US and asked him if he had any advice for him as he came back to the West. "Only one thing, said the monk. When your running to catch the subway and you see it leaving without you, don't panic, just remember, There's always another train." It took me a while to appreciate how applicable this comment was to emotional situations that seemed to bear no resemblance to catching a train. The monk did not suggest indifference to the subway leaving the station, but he pointed to where control is possible. "Don't panic and go running after it, he suggested. Rather than letting disappointment turn into anxiety or self-pity, learn to see the disappointment clearly while restraining the action. Stay with the original feeling longer. Cultivate patience." "There's always another train," became a metaphor for me for how resistant I was to enduring frustration...I found that I did not have to go running after every lost opportunity. In fact, I discovered an important, if latent, capacity. I could wait.

Meditation March

So there it is- I gave it away right off the bat. We are doing meditation for the month of March. While some may think this is boring and will not elicit many funny blogs- I will make it my month goal to prove you wrong (so I don't want to hear it- haters). So I have been meditating for the past 3 mornings, for 10 minutes a morning. I actually despise waking up 10 minutes earlier at this point, but hopefully once I find the benefits of meditating I will gladly wake up.

By meditating, I don't really know what that means yet. I sit in one room of the house, where the door actually shuts, so Mannie does not come and drool on me (she pees on JMo and drools on me- I guess I got the better end). I just set my alarm for 10 minutes and sit there with my eyes closed. Today I actually focused on breathing in and out (tough I know) and one sentence. When the alarm when off and scared me to death, I realized I was thinking about something completely different. At least on Day 3 I was thinking about something when the alarm went off instead of thinking I fell asleep. Maybe I will get the hang of meditation.

Epic Fail

So I bet you all have missed me terribly and you are probably wondering what sort of things I have accomplished since I have last written. On my list of left-to-do, I had 6 pillows to make and a cross stitch to finish. Well if you noticed the title I bet you could guess that I have done nothing since the last blog. (Not going to call anyone out- but I do not think I am alone in this epic fail). By nothing I mean I haven't touched anything- I don't even know where my pillow fabric is anymore. (Joshua- I will try to finish this cross stitch before you outgrow your crib). You maybe wondering why I am such a slacker, and for that I am glad because I am going to tell you.

I guess I will go ahead and get this one out of the way- I have been busy (story of every one's life right). But I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend with all my girls from Wake. And I secretly love staying busy (maybe its not so much of a secret). I just managed to make my schedule busy with things far from crafting.

The main reason I failed is my inability to do anything I don't love. This has roots deep into my childhood. The sheer list of everything I have tried would blow your mind. I have tried every sport- from gymnastics to basketball (where I scored my first basket in my second season championship game...I got a standing ovation- embarrassing). I have tried singing in public- to which my mom told me I should never do that again. I have tried to learn the fiddle- I got bored. I tried to learn all the presidents for 20 bucks from my papa, and I gave up. I have even tried making bread- my supportive dad actually bought me a bread machine (who knows why), and I think I made 1 loaf in my lifetime. I even tried Biology in college and barely passed because I didn't study or do homework.

While the reverse of this is also true- the things I love I do well and put everything into. I will not bore you with the giant list of all that I do well, just know it is much longer than the previous (with modesty being on there of course). But it is also bad news that I cannot stick to a month of something if I don't like it. Lets hope I like the next 10 months. I guess this blog will have more impacts in my life than I thought it would- hopefully it will make me better at sticking to things. Even though it did fail in February. I will not let this slack happen again (lets hope that wasn't a white lie). So you can start looking forward to many more posts and exciting events to happen in March.

Are we there yet?

I apologize if my blogs are getting less and less creative. I have drained all my creativity on cards- gag. Alright so I have quickly remembered why I never stuck with any craft ever...I get so bored. I had intentions to make around 15 Valentines Day cards. So it is a couple days after the big day and I am still mailing a few cards, and I also only made 9. I apologize if you were expecting one- it does not mean I did not think of you-- rather it means I saved you from an off-centered card. I feel that crafting to me is not relaxing or fun, rather it is stressful and seems like work. I love being creative and think I have a good imagination but when the rubber hits the road- I fall short every time. I have a partially done cross stitch and a TON of leftover Valentines Day paper to show for my efforts- depressing if you ask me.

So above you see a selection of cards (you also have to turn your head 90 degrees to the right, or your computer 90 degrees to the left to see the cards right side up). I also apologize about this-- blogger was not being cooperative, or maybe it was the other way around.

I am moving to something different this week- sewing pillows. (I know this week has already started-- yet I first have to learn how to actually sew) Whoa I know- I mean if I cannot manage cards out of paper, how can I cover pillows? At least if all else fails, I know JMo can and will make the pillows, in 20 minutes flat. So I will have a picture of a pillow and you will have to guess who made it. Should be relatively easy to tell the difference.

This month so far has been more of a pain than it has been fun, interesting, or enlightening. I am not crafty, so making myself do this was similar to making myself write papers in college. Something I did begrudgingly 3 hours before due. Since there are not really due dates for crafting, just self-imposed expectations, this will likely not be my shining month. I mean we all know that discipline is not a strong point of mine.

Flat Packed Furniture

So, admittedly, I have been slacking on my precious paint by number. I have made progress, but even after hours of work, it does not look like progress on the canvas! I am determined to finish it, but I doubt that will happen by the end of the month. Here is proof that this paint by number is not for a three year old...


I have been back to my knitting though. It is much easier to keep up with it, because I can take it to work and make progress when the kids sleep (if that happens on my shift..). My roommate taught me how to combine the next ball of yarn, and it's coming together well. Hopefully I will finish with some extra yarn to make another project. :)

Does putting together furniture count as being an artisan?? Because if so, I definitely caught up on hours yesterday! Good lord. I went to the amazing Ikea with my roommate, because he needed furniture. He lives in this awesome loft in our house, with tons of space, but he has been neglecting the space without any furniture. So, we descended on Ikea yesterday...five hours, an encounter with a drugged up employee named Jeff, $1200, multiple curse words, and many trips around the store later, we left with a sofa, two bedside tables, an easy chair, an ottoman and a tv stand. We arrived home around 7:30 last night and put together furniture until 10 pm for a dinner break. We continued until 12:30 this morning. We put together everything but the sofa and the easy chair (which is arriving today). I'm excited for him because it's going to look incredible when it's all done. I think I have had enough of Ikea for quite some time.

My exhaustion and delierum was demonstrated by our quest for Starbucks on the way home. We used my GPS to find the nearest Starbucks, but when we arrived at our destination, we realized it was Starbucks inside a Target store. This was not your average Target. There was a parking garage below the Target, and escalators to the shopping floor once you enter. There was even an escalator for your shopping cart! Anyway, we were in desperate need of caffeine, and I was not fully coherent. I saw an escalator and walked towards it, but suddenly I noticed I was not moving anywhere. Of course, I had tried to up the down escalator. It was quite the sight. I quickly ran to the proper escalator while dying of laughter, and I'm sure other people were wondering what the hell had happened to me. Oh, wait, I had spent five hours in Ikea...

Moral Dilemmas

Just a tiny update on the crafting: I spent a week crossstitching, and sadly did not get very far at all. I spent the majority of my time trying to get the three large pieces of string through the tiny tiny pin hole of the needle. Joshua- this crossstitch maybe hanging on your wall a bit later than planned. This week I am moving on to card making- Valentines Day cards to be exact. So I am setting off with a large supply of paper, stamps, embossing materials, and lots of love to see if I can get a decent number of cards made in time to mail Friday. JMo and I also went to the fabric store, and I have a ton of stylish fabrics ready to make pillows galore. I had aspirations to make curtains, but when I figured the cost I sadly realized I could buy curtains that are guaranteed to look good for much cheaper. I will post a pic of a finished VDay card soon- or if you are lucky, you will receive one in the mail.

You may have started off reading the title and saying how on earth is there a moral dilemma with crafting? Could it be refraining from shouting obscenities everytime I get a knot in my string while crossstitching? Or battling between which color combo best suits a pair of jeans in the crossstitch? Or getting over the guilt from spending way too much money on crafting supplies, specifically paper? (At least being a vegetarian was free)

Well you are right, there is not a moral dilemma in crafting (thus far). My moral dilemmas harp back onto last month. First, lets set the record straight, unlike the others- I have yet to eat meat. (I win!) Who would have thought I would be 'that' girl? To be honest, I haven't decided what I want to do and until then I am refraining.

Dilemma 1: Post-January (ie February) my mother just up and leaves for Miami one day (fyi my parents are way cooler than I am) but calls to tell me to go get the chicken out of the frig. She had laid it out for dinner, but then since they decided to leave work early and head to Miami- I needed to eat it so it would not go bad. Here was the dilemma- I didn't want to eat the meat, but at what point is it a worse decision to throw perfectly good chicken into the trash than to support mass produced chicken? PS- I did not eat the chicken.
Dilemma 2: Our church chili cook-off. This was only a dilemma because I LOVE chili and all forms of it. And I got a call asking to be a taste judge (quite an honor). While I turned down this judging position and chose not to consume any of the chili, I was still sad to loose the authority in being a part of the competition and honor of choosing the chili bowl champion.
Dilemma 3: Today at work I find a stick of beef jerky in my mailbox. A gift from heaven? I think so, or just a really nice person. For those of you who do not know, I also LOVE beef jerky. So because of the wonderful combination of great kindness and a ridiculous love of beef jerky, I will probably indulge myself. I mean its bought, am I right guys?

Tales from the Craft

I consider myself a very crafty person. I've sewn quilts and placemats, knit scarves, tie dyed t-shirts, made jewelry, painted, embroidered--you name it, I've probably tried it. I've had a few failed crafts over the years I must admit. Like the time I decided to make flip-flops out of construction paper...those didn't last very long outside, sadly ruining my hopes and dreams to become a famous paper shoe designer one day.

But alas, this month should have been a piece of cake. But I managed to forget that I also work full-time. Hence the challenge. Usually by the time I get home, I'm exhausted and don't feel like doing much of anything, least of all be crafty. Herein lies the challenge.

I kind of laid low the first week and didn't get much done (read: nothing). But Saturday, Jesse and I went to fabric store and I was overwhelmed with creative desires. (Sounds hot, right?) So Saturday night, I made 4 cloth napkins that match some placemats I made a few years ago (pictures to follow). It was fun "getting to know" a new sewing machine--Jesse's from childhood. I also got materials to make a few throw pillows and curtains from my room. Not to mention some ideas for beading, knitting, and other ideas I have floating around. So anyway, I should be busy for a while. Pictures to come!

Throwback to My Childhood!

I am so relieved our month of vegetarianism has come to an end. I found our January challenge really tough. There is no doubt that I enjoyed the journey, though, and I certainly will be changing my eating habits as a result of my experience. I will only be eating meat from free range, organic and grass-fed animals. As for the fish side of the story, I have yet to decide. My dad catches lobsters in the summer in Maine, and I know those are totally free range without hormones and all that. I think I will have to give in! I am celebrating the end of vegetarianism with a delicious grilled hamburger tonight...I could dance I am so excited! I bought the beef from a local butcher who supplies his meat from a local Maine farmer. This meat has not been through a mass-processing plant, and I am *so* relieved to have that knowledge.

One month down, 11 to go!

As Jesse said, this month we get to be crafty, artsy folk -- a throwback to my childhood! Growing up, I learned to cross stitch, made friendship bracelets, created sand art, played with Fimo clay, made play dough, and all sorts of other projects. I am looking forward to this new way of life. This artsy side has quietly resided in me over the years, and I am excited for its re-development!

My first project will be a paint by number...yes, I am not kidding. I know it may seem like I am cheating, but it still takes skill to paint in those tiny areas and patience to follow all the individual colors. To prove that I am not doing something by a three year old, I will take a picture and post it before I begin.

It's Not in the Blood

Officially the month of being a vegetarian is over! Some would be relieved, thrilled, gnawing on a giant beef stick right now...and strangely enough a month ago I would have predicted myself to fall in that 'some'. While we are moving on to the next month and the next challenge, I am still processing the month of January, and while I am processing I have yet to eat meat.

So I know you all are reading fervently right now wondering when oh when am I going to spill the beans. So here goes...(da da dum) we are going to be craftsy, artsy people for a month- like the I'm going to sew pointless stuff, paint, make messes.... While that may sound anticlimactic, if any of you know me- you will know this is going to be way more difficult than it seems. You see I come from a long line of women that do not sew or craft. My grandmother didn't sew or craft- the only crafty thing we did was making chain links out of boxes of ribbon and then taping them all around the house. My mother definitely does not sew or craft- my father is the one that sews the buttons on when needed. Legit we have a pile of clothing for him to mend. And I definitely do not sew or craft.

Now I thought at one point in early high school, "How cool would it be if I could make my own clothes?" (I actually said those exact words) So what would a 14 year old need? A sewing machine of course- and it topped my Christmas list. My mother said hell no - we don't sew, but my dad (the supportive one of the bunch) went out and bought me a sewing machine. I decided that before I can bust into making jeans, coats, and purses - I should try something easy. Placemats (no offense roomie- I do love our hand sewn placemats) should be easy enough, right? Well one horrible horrible placemat later I decide well maybe mom was right. This fact was confirmed when I came home from school a week later to find my dad sewing on my machine making a boat cover.

So here I am 8 years later, going to my parents house to reclaim the infamous sewing machine ready to whip out something beautiful. (I'll be sure to post pictures for amusement). I will first state the one stipulation JMo, Lady L, and I have on this month- we must work on our craft or crafts for at least 5 hours a week. I personally am going to try for an hour a day (because I know I will fail at least 2 out of the week) and without deadlines, I will sit on my bum.

Another drumroll please- to start with I am going to cross stitch (I swear I am 22 not 72). I was expressing to my friend (who just had a beautiful baby boy) that I had started a cross stitch 5 years ago for my pregnant friend and never finished (and I think the 5 year old is a bit old for a Precious Moments cross stitch). So she told me to finish it for little Joshua, and that is what I will begin with (easing in lightly). I started this cross stitch when I used to work selling Catholic school uniforms (I am so cool) and we had approximately .5 customers a day. So we sat in the back, ate, watched seasons of 24, and cross stitched. And yes the place closed down after my one summer there. So hopefully I will have a pic of my wonderful cross stitch (finally completed) soon.

Bottom of the Ninth

So somehow the final week of the month, actually the final days are approaching fast. I don't know if I am quite ready for a full-blown reflection, but I do owe you a little (all 9 of you who read this). Especially since the next month starts Monday- with a brand new challenge and lifestyle. All things considered I have gotten used to being a vegetarian. While I still have rough days (ie when lunch was provided at work and it happen to be barbecue). I'm pretty sure I was visibly drooling watching my mom eat her giant piece of chicken. I also think I may have cheated just a tad- I ate some baked beans. Why is that bad you may ask? Well they were cooked with bacon- and I knew this, but my cravings for baked beans overwhelmed me.

Regardless, over the month I have found some secret satisfaction in being a meat-snob. (That's what she said) Discussing why I think local meat is better (the joke continues) has become a strange pastime. I feel much more educated and cultured when talking about where meat comes from, and I enjoy discussing such things. My soap box may have just gotten a bit wider. So since Sunday (the last day of the month) is here, I might as well make this my signing off blog for vegetarianism.

I should be struck with lightning for saying this but my habits from the past month may stick to some degree (I hope you still love me Caitlin). I used to eat meat with every meal and never ever felt bad about it in the slightest. Now seeing meat always makes me think twice, and I do not know that that feeling would ever go away. I really want to try to only eat local meat where the animals lived wonderful, healthy, and natural lives. But, since this meat is clearly going to be more expensive, I will just have to consume less, and by consuming less I will enjoy the meat I do have that much more. The sad part of all this is eating meat out at restaurants and fast food, because I do not see locally grown grass-fed cow burger on the menu at Wendys (not yet at least). So looks like I am becoming a vegetarian while out, and a meat-eater at home. If the purpose of this month was to become aware- well then it has succeeded. I will never laugh at a vegetarian again.

What am I going to do if every month "sticks"? (Stay tuned for the next challenge)

Don't have a cow

0010010110110!

(That's "Hello" in Internet-speak)!

This last week of definite vegetarianism has been an interesting food experience. But today, I think I may have accidentally cheated. I ate a french fry that was sitting dangerously close to a burger. It kind of tasted like a burger. Is that cheating? (But it's not cheating if you get away with it, amirite guys?)

But in all seriousness, I really do think I'm going to try to keep this up for a little longer. I feel really good about myself, and I'm very proud that I could do something and actually stick to it. Most of my motivation stems from the fact that Jesse would probs kick me out if she ever found out I cheated, and I don't feel like having to set up my bedroom on the back porch. It's winter after all.

Anyway, it has kind of inspired me to make other important life decisions--like join a gym! Anyone who knows me knows that I'm basically allergic to exercise and anything sports-related. So this is a big move for me. But seriously, I put on a sports bra and I basically break into hives. If someone throws a frisbee at me, I run the other way. No joke. And a big plus for joining the gym is that I'll get to take hip-hop dance classes from a lady/stripper named Velvet!

So yeah. Other highlights from this week include the vegetarian chili Jesse and I made on Sunday with this weird fake ground beef/vegetable protein. It looked sorta weird, but it was delish. Om nom nom.

Remember the Food Pyramid?

...yeah, I do, too. But you know, it changes when you're a vegetarian. Due to my picky eating, I've definitely not been following its guidelines for the past month.

This weekend I got really sick (like nasty stomach-bug-sick). Unfortunately, I had to call out of my 14 hr shift at work yesterday, and when I talked to my co-worker, she expressed concern that being vegetarian was part of why I got so weak so fast. My roommate was worried, too, and the only way she could get me to eat protein was to make me french toast. Until this weekend, I did not realize how much my body may have been suffering from vegetarian eating habits. Of course, I can not blame vegetarianism on getting ill, but I'm sure not getting the right nutrients heightened my susceptibility to illness. I could not eat the soup I had in the house yesterday because it contained chicken broth - laaame.

Anyway, now that I'm on the mend, I decided to look up nutrition stuff on vegetarian diets. According to the USDA, most vegetarians lack in protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12. When I look at the list of protein-rich foods, the only items I consume on the list is nuts. I definitely do not drink enough milk, so I'm lacking in calcium as it is. As I said before, I do not eat eggs or beans, so that rules out a lot of zinc and vitamin B12 other vegetarians may acquire without hassle. I guess there is a reason why my roommate fed me a vitamin and iron supplement yesterday! Good lord. I feel bad for my body now.

In the final week of definite vegetarianism, I owe it to myself to try soy based products that are meat substitutes. I actually bought tofu last week, but I have been avoiding eating it. I think that will be my goal for the coming week - to try tofu again and hope that it has grown on me!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

While I feel strongly about the movie Food, Inc., and while it has caused me to reconsider a lot, I now choose not to beat the dead horse so to speak. Just know I pretty much agree with Lady L and JMo. Last week I went through how I was feeling about being a vegetarian, but to be quite frank I'm sick of thinking about feelings and emotions (I'm a dude- I know this). So I am going to return to the basis of being a vegetarian and what it revolves around- the food. Being a self-termed food critic is one of my favorite pastimes, so I will tell you about my good meals, bad meals, and ugly meals thus far.

Good:
Well usually you save the best for last, but then that would ruin my clever title- and I can't have that. So the best meal has thus far been (hold your breath) a salad. Yes, I did say a salad- and yes I know I have always said how much I despise salads. So here I am at Mimi's (where I adore their Brie Chicken), and I am searching the menu forever. At first, I was nervous because about the only options for me were on the Healthy section- meaning they were smaller portions. Since when did being a vegetarian imply that I eat less? False. I felt like a weirdo asking for a Chicken Salad minus the chicken, but let me tell you a little bit about this chicken-less chicken salad. It was a bed of greens covered in dried cranberries and feta cheese with balsamic vinegarette and a beautifully sliced strawberry on top. (I am starting to wonder if my true calling in life is with writing food blurbs in menus.)
The next 'good' meal was at Red Robin and that is simply because in very very tiny writing at the bottom of the menu are the words 'You can substitute a Boca burger for any of our burger options.' Thank God I found that tiny writing because I felt like I was actually enjoying a burger. For the first time I was able to enjoy reading every entry on the menu with an option of eating.

Bad:
I had to travel to Chicago on business for a day last week, and while the food was good, the timing was bad. So here I am with co-workers at a quick pizza place on our way out, and lo and behold the clients are actually here as well. So of course this in essence continues our meeting, and I had ordered a veggie calzone instead of pizza (never again). Always go with the flow. So everyone gets their slab of meat-covered pizza and I am just chillin waiting for the calzone. As everyone finishes their last bite of crust I get a giant calzone, and by giant I mean the client guy goes 'you going to be able to eat all that?'. I couldn't actually enjoy my food because everyone had to sit there and wait on me to finish eating, rather embarrassing.
Spinach Out-Of-A-Can quesadilla was quite possibly the worst taste in the world, even drenched in cheese and bean sauce and washed down with beer, the overwhelming taste of canned spinach prevailed. Therefore, moral of the story- spinach from a Mexican restaurant is NOT real.

Ugly:
Thai tofu- I love thai food, like love love. So I even love tofu curry, but here comes the problems with communication. So usually I get chicken brown curry, which is chicken, potatoes, onions, and peanuts. I tried to order this exact same thing with tofu instead- the problem is that when you order tofu, you are also asking for more veggies. So when I said tofu only- I actually didn't really mean that at all. So when my food came I had a giant bowl of tofu in curry sauce. While it was a good meal, it falls in the category of 'ugly' because a plate completely full of tofu so unappealing.
A Southern Baptist Church Covered Dish- While this in reality is one of the most beautiful sites ever, looking through green colored glasses (get it?) it is not so much. I made it nearly half way through the line with a very sad empty plate because every dish contained meat. By the end of the line I had clear space on my plate that basically contained concoctions of fruit- a really really ugly plate, especially compared to my usual plates. You are not meant to see the actual plate through the food.

So cheers to the good list growing, the bad list shrinking, and the ugly list continuing for good stories!

Food for thought?

I watched Food Inc. tonight, and I feel enlightened, yet frustrated. The documentary was an eye-opening account of food production in America, and it highlights the extent to which food has become removed from its sources of production. Meat production was one of the key features, and now I feel like I don't want to eat mass-produced meat ever again. The producers visited slaughter houses and packing plants, and the images were so graphic, I literally could not watch. The treatment of the animals and the workers is just inhumane. When we pay for the cheapest foods, this means we are pay for cheap labor, and employees are exploited. I remember at Wake Forest, I attended a seminar about conditions at meat packing plants for employees. I have no idea what to do now...Do I continue to eat meat like usual? Do I only eat locally produced meat? Do I eat fish again? What about hormones and GM foods? There are a lot of questions in my head, but if something is certain, I know that I need to re-think my food.

I have made vegetarian dishes the past two days, and it did not feel like such a strain. I guess being a vegetarian just means I have to think ahead about what I want to eat. Last night, I made Thai rice noodles with ginger and cilantro sauce. Tonight, I made peppers stuffed with Spanish rice. Both meals came out well, and I did not feel like I missed meat too much.

I have no idea if this vegetarian thing will continue after the month is over. If the purpose of this challenge has been to re-think our usual routines and decisions, well then we have succeeded.

All veggies, all the time.

Howdy, Internet Friends!

So, two whole weeks into this thing, and I think being a vegetarian might stick. There's something kind of fun about telling people you're a vegetarian, and even though I'm still a "baby veg" I feel much healthier. I know people usually become educated/enlightened before they decide to be vegetarians, rather than doing it as a 'dare' with your friends, but I seem to have come about this from the opposite direction. Jesse and I watched the documentary "Food Inc." last week, and I don't ever have a desire to eat meat ever again. Watching how it's processed, how poorly they treat the workers and the farmers, and seeing those chickens with the giant, genetically modified boobies that are so big they can't even walk (kind of like Pamela Anderson chickens I guess) I have no desire to eat that shiz ever again.

Growing up, my dad raised rabbits and chickens. They served the dual purpose of pets and food. "Know your meat" was his motto. I think I agree. If/when I do add meat back into my diet, I want to know where it came from, how it was treated, and know that it lived a good life before it kicked the proverbial bucket.

So anyway, some vegetarian highlights from the past two weeks: I couldn't eat any canned soup because pretty much all of it is made with chicken stock; one day I ate a foot-long veggie sub from Subway--a first for me, and I ordered collard greens at Sagebrush Steakhouse and they were covered in bacon bits.

The end.

The Upside of Down

After being home, I find being a vegetarian much easier. We (roomie and I) have discovered a new line of food options, black bean burgers and vegetarian sausage. While it is not a replacement in my book, I definitely have more food options, for when I return to the meat-eating world. While life at home is easier, life at work is not. Ordering from my favorite restaurant Mr. Wonton's seemed easy enough since only 1 option on the menu did not contain meat- an option called Vegetarian Delight. What does that even mean? While I still do not know, I can assure you it is not quite a "delight" as I expected. I felt as though I was eating simply to survive, not eating to enjoy. The next day I had to settle for Cheetos and a Snickers which isn't much better. Being a healthy vegetarian requires planning and thinking ahead....two traits I am not especially known for.

As Lady L mentioned, I am going to read a couple books to better my understanding for why people choose this lifestyle. I have yet to get my new books, but hopefully that will add some passion and reason behind why I am now a vegetarian. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not especially fond of animals- I will pet them and say awh, but I cringe when they jump on me or lick me or rub against my leg leaving masses of hair. Hearing the horrible methods used to raise animals for producing food does make me sad and for a brief second does make me reconsider supporting this inhumane act. What a nice world it would be if animals were treated in a humane way? How nice would it be if you could bite into a Chick-fil-a sandwich and know that the chickens were treated respectably and not shoved into a tiny cage and force fed?

Yet, somehow once a nice juicy steak is put in front of me, all those thoughts are out the window. I do not think of the cow when I am eating the steak. Right now my brain is compartmentalized, and I am hoping soon these two ideas mesh- so that I become aware of what I am eating while I am eating it. While reading these books and doing the research maybe a risky endeavor (because heaven forbid- what if it sticks?), I owe it to myself and the blog to actually try and understand why this is a lifestyle of many.

-Church

One week down, three to go

Even after just seven days without meat or fish, I suddenly realized how frequently I relied on these foods in my diet. As I sit here writing this post, I am eating wild rice and steamed broccoli for dinner. My plate looks bare, and I feel like I do not know how to eat balanced meals without meat or fish. I keep thinking that chicken would look really appetizing on this plate.

Today I went to the grocery store and spent longer there than usual. I tried to think of ideas for meals. I have trouble anyhow because I always cook just for me, so keeping fresh fruit and vegetables in my house is tough because things go bad too quickly. I wandered to the frozen food section, but I did not dare consider Lean Cuisines, as I lived off of those in college. I feel like Jesse and I always had a huge stash in our apartment freezer. I looked at other options but quickly got frustrated when 90% of the options contained meat or fish. Furthermore, I am a picky eater. I will not eat tofu, chick peas, eggs, eggplant, avocado, bananas, mushrooms, spicy food, among other things. Tonight when I prepared my dinner, I felt annoyed because I realized that one of the two frozen meals I purchased contained tofu as a main ingredient. I might have to return it, because I just can not bear tofu. It tastes like sponges. I've talked to my friend, who is vegan, for some advice. She has given me some ideas, but because I don't like tofu again I get frustrated. Arghhh. Thank God we did not try to be vegans or else I would have been on a weight loss plan at this rate.

After the grocery store frustrations, I went to the town library hoping for some inspiration. I got a couple vegetarian cookbooks (after paying my $9 in fines!), so maybe I need to try these options before I complain too much more. I guess I just never realized how reliant I was on meat and fish before this experience.

Maybe I should stop whining about this challenge and educate myself about the reasons why some people voluntarily choose vegetarianism for the longterm. Jesse ordered the book called Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows, and I plan to go back to the library to get some books similar to this one. I think I need to replace my frustrations about food with something productive to understand why some people make a conscious choice to be vegetarian or vegan.

In the meantime, I love cookies. I made these coconut macaroons last night. Maybe I should just bake sweets all month long instead of worrying about normal food...

Month of Hunger?

I believe I just experienced one of the most difficult things about being a vegetarian- traveling. Not the flying and arriving kind of traveling, but the riding in a car for 6 hours and making countless stops at fast food and gas stations kind of traveling. And you are looking at a girl that loves nothing more than a big fast food hamburger and a bag of beef jerky from the gas station- a trip would not be complete without it. This is the girl that was dared to eat a quad stack burger with liquid cheese and bacon that contained so much grease the buns became translucent- and did it just for the sheer glory. Since fast food does not offer quad stacked veggie burgers- I settled for countless baked potatoes and mandarin oranges from Wendy's along with tons of sweets from the gas station.

I have been at a conference in Atlanta for the past 4 days, and they were nice enough to provide lunch everyday- a turkey sandwich. I returned back to an elementary school mindset and started trading my lunch around- a turkey sandwich for a candy bar?, what a wonderful trade for a 8 year old. I have been struck with the realization that I am going to be more unhealthy (if possible) after this month is over. Everyone on the trip also loved lightening the mood by catching me in mid-bite and then announcing 'hey you know there's meat in salsa right?' 'hey you know there's meat in that candy bar' 'hey you know there's meat in water' While being the butt of jokes hasn't changed any from pre to post vegetarian- it is no longer about eating large quantities.

Thank goodness I have no more trips (the driving kind) planned in January because I just do not know if I can handle another baked potato with oranges- or another 4 days with my tummy continually growling. I am one of those that loves to eat and loves to eat a lot. But I am proud of the fact I survived the conference without listening to the lovely pieces of meat shouting out 'eat me'.

(I also apologize I left out any 'thats what she said jokes'- I am just not good with the delivery yet but will be working diligently on that, so until then I will leave them to JMo.)

New Year, New Me(at)

After making it an entire 4 days with no meat, I don't think this month is going to be so tough!

Okay, I take that back. Let me start again:

After making it an entire 4 days with no meat, it has been more of a struggle than I anticipated. But something's not worth doing unless it's hard (that's what she said?...). Or so I'll pretend. As a former Meat Enthusiast (not in the adult sense) and Barbecue Ambassador, making this decision was fairly difficult, and yet I was quick to jump on the bandwagon. When some of our other college friends became vegetarians last year, I laughed in their faces and threw meatballs at them as I hypocritically said to myself "I love meat too much ever to do something like that!" while chowing down on a turkey leg. Now, following in their food-conscious footsteps, I have to constantly remind myself that meat is no longer an option, least of all the center of a good, Southern meal as God intended. Vegetables are pawns of the devil--unless they are covered in butter and bacon bits of course.

Anyway, I think this month will be a forced opportunity to evaluate the food I eat, the groceries I buy, how I plan my meals and think about food. I already feel like I'm eating healthier too. But for example at work (at the ever-exciting Andy Griffith Museum) if I forget to pack a lunch I can't just run out for fast food anymore, so I have to make a conscious effort to plan ahead. Which saves time, and money, and calories, and makes for an overall better J-Meezy. Holler!

But for the month of January, I do have one regret: that I couldn't enjoy the Swedish meatballs (that's what she said?) on my first trip to Ikea this past weekend. But what I lacked in meatballs, I made up for in stylish home decor.

A new year, a new me(at)!

New Year, New Ideas

It's 11:31 pm and I’m just writing this post. I have been at work, where I had to turn down our dorm meal of chicken with vegetables. I was annoyed because it looked really good. It was toast with peanut butter at 10 pm instead.

Anyway, so here’s to a year of trying something new each month for 12 months straight. This is a big commitment, and honestly, a little overwhelming. I work in a mental health facility with teenage girls, and pretty much every shift something crazy happens. (Like today, this girl put herself in a cage and read a book??). My hours are sporadic and draining. And for some reason, I decided to join the bandwagon on this project and make life even more hectic.

This vegetarian thing is going to be tough. I wanted to eat meat twice today alone, and I am already wondering why we can’t have a “freebie”. I’m just glad I have people to hold me accountable to this challenge.

I should go to bed. I have to be back at work in eight and a half hours for a 14 hour shift. Oh the joys.

New Years Resolutions

I'm not going to lie, I have a few butterflies in my stomach as I step out on this journey for a year and as I write my first blog post ever. The idea started from wanting a blog, but not just a blog about my semi-normal typical life- I wanted a blog that involved a task/challenge and one that a few people may want to read and follow. Thankfully JMo and Lady L have decided to jump on ship as well so here we are doing it together (increasing our chances to have a funny enthralling blog). The journey ahead is a year of trying new things, one month at a time. We will each take on a new persona every month and tell you all about it.

For the month of January we have decided to become vegetarians. My roomate (JMo) and I during our New Years Eve party- instead of worrying about watching the ball drop or counting down to 2010, we were consumed with having our last bit of meat- a wonderful beef stick at 11:50 last night. Pretty eventful needless to say. Starting this month off I have been talking how easy it would be to give up meat for a month- I mean what's a month? To immediately debase my ideas of how easy this would be on Day 1- JMo and I were trying to figure out where to go for lunch- I realized how difficult this may become. Chick-fil-a- Nope, Sushi- Nope. So we settled for Thai with tofu- not quite as appetizing as chicken curry, but was still good. I hope this journey will provide many funny and interesting stories so stay tuned.

New Year, No Meat

So after eating our last meat at 11:59 pm last night, Jesse and I (roommates and former meat lovers) welcomed in the new year by swearing off meat--and fish--for one month. Meanwhile, in Boston, Laura is doing the same.

I didn't think giving up meat would be that tough, and I kinda want to do it just to see if I can, but I think it will be a little difficult to remind myself daily that meat is off limits. For example, today Jesse and I ran out to run some errands and grab lunch. Without thinking, I suggested Chik-Fil-A without even realizing that pretty much everything on their menu would make us break our pact a mere 10 hours into the month. Next up? Sushi. Before I quickly realized we'd given up fish too. So tofu it was.

Good thing Jesse and Laura are around to make me stick with it, but I think it's gonna be a long month....