You can find me at the juice bar

I hate vegetables.  Much like a toddler, my palate is limited and I primarily enjoy vegetables that taste like dessert (like sweet potatoes).  Then again, I love truffles and foie gras so I guess I save any sophisticated tastes I have for rich and fattening things.

Anyway, it seems like part of growing up and improving myself would have to be improving my diet, which would certainly mean extending the vegetable food group past mac n cheese and cinnamon apples (if you didnt know those were vegetables you need to get to a Cracker Barrel, stat).

Naturally I am not going to begin eating broccoli or brussels sprouts or anything crazy -but, I did get a juicer! This way, I can drink my way healthy... kinda like when I drink my dinner, which typically involves alcohol and is, well, different... 

Anyway, juicing is supposed to be really good for you so I decided to give it a try.  I went to the Farmers Market on Sunday - 

                                  {as a side note, while walking with Ollie to the farmer's market, I managed            

                                   to lose my ATM card somewhere between the ATM and 50-feet-away-  

                                   from-the-ATM and later a homeless man found it in the garbage can  

                                   and turned it in to my apartment, which is nearby, in hopes that it 

                                   belonged to someone who lived there.  I believe this, of course, to be 

                                   good karma due to my good deeds with the poor.  I also have 

                                   told this story the last two times I used my debit card, as it doesn't really 

                                  work that well anymore when you swipe it.  The story has so far been 

                                  met- twice- with disgust, which I didn't anticipate, but makes sense when 

                                  you are telling a story about your card being found in the trash by a 

                                  homeless man to the person holding the card and yah...}

-and picked up supplies for a week's worth of juicing - only $20 (and it did last me the whole week, for one juice a day).  This is confirmation that you don't have to be a wealthy Whole-Foods-its to do the juice thing.

I found my juice recipes here:

Yummy yummy juice recipes

So far, I have tried Greens and Strawberry Field. 

Greens was, well... green.  It was kind of fun walking around with juice this color for shock value and all.  The truth is, it was pretty delicious and I couldn't get over how many fruits/veggies were in this one drink.  I used green apples because those are my favorite and it definitely added a tartness to it.  I did leave the skins on and my juicer is a Cuisinart, for those who have asked.

Strawberry Field was also good - I used extra strawberries just because I had them- and the carrots produced so much juice.  I think I forgot how large carrots really are since the only ones I ever buy are the baby ones I dip in hummus.  I cut the tops off the strawberries and the carrots.

And this is my juicer... you can see the pulp on the left and the juice on the right.  One thing I did learn from my test run is that although the process of juicing was actually relatively easy, it is the clean-up that is kind of annoying.  I think in the future I am going to try to juice on Sundays for the whole week and just put them in water bottles or something so I don't have to do it every day.  I did find that the drinks filled me up pretty well with all the fiber and although I wasn't trying to make them meal replacements, they easily could be.

In other health-nut-bandwagon news, I managed to work out three days this week... an all-time record... for 2013.  This yoga class I've been going to is definitely the hottest yoga class I've ever been to, which is kind of intense.  It's the kind of thing where you really want to go in just a sports bra and tiny shorts because it is so so so hot, but you look at yourself in the mirror before class and you're like... hell no, not in public.  And then, in the middle of the class, you're so hot, and so in the namaste-sweaty-moment that you think you can take your shirt off... and then you do your first forward bend and see part of your stomach hanging over with all those six-packs around and you just thing.... ok-no.  Yesterday I actually had a dinner date with Ben after class because we had a Groupon that needed spending before its expiration date... so I brought extra clothes with me and jumped in the shower at the yoga gym... and realized I forgot to bring a bra.  My sports bra was drenched thanks to the sweatygoodness of this yoga class, so I definitely went to dinner without.  

I just thought I should end this post by announcing that I am writing this post about my temporary health-nut status while drinking bourbon on the rocks.  I didn't say I became not fun.

Things That Make Me Happy Make Me Tired

It is funny how finding what makes you happy in life is only half the battle to getting to your happy place... it's actually making time for those things, making them a priority... and actually doing them that becomes the real challenge.  It is weird that it is the happy, fun, nice things, and not the unenjoyable, unpalatable things that I tend to put at the end of the list.  I mean I guess it's the crappy things - laundry, dishes, work, bills - that take priority because it's sort of difficult to get by without doing those things unless I want to end up on Hoarders, or in the food stamp line or something.

Still, the disagreeable details only take up so many hours in the day... leaving me with plenty of time to engage in some of the more pleasurable enterprises life has to offer.  The thing is, I tend to spend a lot (if not most) of that free time in front of the tv (or sleeping, if that counts as a hobby).  In some ways, I do get a lot of enjoyment out of watching real housewives and fake celebrities, but more than entertainment value, I think it's just the mindlessness of it all that helps me to decompress after a stressful day.  I do find that my vast knowledge of terrible television makes me more interesting at parties and makes awkward conversations with people who are otherwise boring me a little more tolerable, so there's that fringe benefit as well.  I do kind of just love doing nothing, too.  If "being lazy" was a hobby, it would probably be one of my favorites.  Nonetheless, there are several other activities that I find ultimately more enjoyable than television-watching (and sloth), but the real problem is they just require more effort.  And I'm tired... so tired.

So, one of my goals this year is to make more time for the things that make me more happy (and more better).  It's sort of a win-win.

I made some progress this weekend.  First, something easy.  I find that coffee and I don't get along that well.  It makes me feel jittery and anxious -- but it also makes me feel high (in a good way) and energetic, and I just love the smell and the warmth and just all of its general coffee-goodness.  Mmmm.... coffee.  

I have found, over time, that I can get a lot of these same benefits, without the drawbacks, from drinking tea.  Plus, tea is full of antioxidants and all sorts of things that people say are good for me - and I choose to believe them.  Recently, I have fallen back on the coffee wagon, so I really wanted to be back on the tea team.  My parents bought me some really nice tea from Teavana (you can find them here), which is such a fabulous place if you have even a marginal interest in tea.  They sell theirs in loose leaf form (not in a bag) so I had to buy something to make it in.  I ended up with this new gadget that I'm super obsessed with as of yesterday.

You can see here that you steep the tea leaves in the water in the thingymabobber on top and then let the tea steep in the hot water -- once it is done, you put the thingmabobber on top of your new, neat, Monty-Python-quote-baring mug, and it just pours fresh tea goodness right into your mug.  Best thing ever :-)

And, I suppose I should state the obvious, which is that, yes, I do realize that making and drinking tea may not seem like much of a hobby and you thought I might say that I was going to run a marathon or something actually exciting... you can now see that when I say I decline to do things that make me happy although they require minimal effort, you can now see what I'm talking about...

However, I did throw in some physical activity this weekend too and went to yoga for the first time in a long time.  I have had a couple of yoga phases and I always loved the way that it made me feel.  Of course, yoga costs money (sometimes a lot) and certainly requires the exertion of energy -- so yoga and I haven't been that tight in recent times.  But, I have a good friend that I haven't seen much of in awhile and we are trying to get back in touch -- and she happens to be doing a lot of yoga lately...  so, it was kind of perfect.  We went to Orlando Power Yoga, a place I had never been before but a style I am familiar with.  I paid $40 for 40 days unlimited, with the idea that if I pay for it I will go, although this exact line of reasoning has failed me many times (it turns out that laziness just always wins over everything, even money).  It pretty much kicked my ass (and a girl in the class straight passed out -- so gangster), but it felt good to be back in the namaste groove.

Anyway, I feel great today and am definitely motivated to continue doing things that make me happy.  I know, like that's hard...

What's in an Outfit?

Do you ever wake up in the morning and pull your hair back in a pony to wash your face and somehow end up with the perfectly-done, effortless-looking updo?  Or maybe wake up with the ideal tousled wave to volume ratio?  Every time that happens to me, I inevitably engage in a self-to-self debate over whether I could really go to work with unbrushed hair... But, the moment I do brush it and try to recreate the look in a more pulled-together kind of way... it is totally ruined.

I was thinking that when it comes to my work wardrobe, I am always walking this fine line: I'd like to look professional, because Im in court and all... but also cute because that makes me happy while at work... but not too cute because I am, after all, dealing with inmates and going to jail.  Today, for example, I chose an indigo shade of striped tights... and I find myself wondering if the clients I meet look at me and have any faith in my maturity or competence.

<--- Yah, I'm wearing these to court.

I was thinking about this, not only because I have taken to blogging while I take the bus to work and people are staring at my eccentric outfit as I type this... but it also brings me to a funny work story.  I recently had a video chat with a client (we can video conference with clients at the jail) who clearly didn't recognize me as the person he had met the month before, which I am basing on the comment he made that I am "much prettier than the girl that he saw the first time" (yah, that was me).  I really started thinking that either I need to start  a webcam business or that I really need to think about how I look at work if from day to day I am that unrecognizable from good day to bad.  

Actually, Ben and I went to look at more rental properties today and I was a little late and texted the realtor that I got held up in court.  That was the absolute truth, but I realized when I arrived he would likely take one look at my Punky Brewster outfit and begin to doubt that I had been anywhere near a courtroom (enter joke about Fashion Police here).

Nonetheless, in other news, I had a good ending to my work day (a sentencing that I was nervous about that went better than expected) and after an unusually trying week of work, this Friday is ever-so-welcome.  

I just got a text from Ben that he is picking me up for a date at 7:15 and to dress nice.   That is ironic based on the theme of this post.  I will update later if I get any more looks.

Happy Weekend All

Resolutions were made to be broken? ... Already

In Resolution news, I have nearly ruined any progress my 7-day cleanse may have initiated.  We went to Dylan's Cafe yesterday for lunch - and how am I to go to a French restaurant and not eat ham, bechamel and cheese... Ok, and a crepe for dessert (they made it with Nutella annnnnd white chocolate... Seeeeriously???) 

                           Check out Dylan's Deli here for further temptation... 

And, I havent worked out once in 2013.  This is why people dont make resolutions.  In case it matters (and I tend to believe that it does), good food may present a threat to my resolutions, but it also makes me so so happy (and isn't that important too???)

I did actually attempt my first workout of 2013 today... a friend of mine invited me to meet her at a workout class and then do drinks after.  Ok, social time followed by booze - you've sold me, and I'm working out.  Unfortunately she had to cancel, but I decided to go anyway, primarily because I paid in advance.  

                           This is the class I almost made it to... Barre workout (super fun)

So, I stayed in the office until 6:45, brought workout clothes, changed at work, and went to the class on my own.  I, in true Lori fashion, got lost (going somewhere I have been approximately 50 times), and was late to class.  In further Lori fashion, once I was there (five minutes) late, I refused to go in due to the likelihood of embarrassment -- and so I turned right back around and went home.   I guess I could have gone straight to the gym in my building... instead, I poured a drink and turned on the telly.  Better luck next time...

Ben and I have been looking for houses (to rent -- more about this later), which has become us looking at houses and then going out to lunch every day.  Ben regularly dines out for lunch but I'm pretty good about eating in... the issue is, I am fine eating in and having the same thing every day for lunch.... but, the minute you get me out at a good restaurant (see prior words regarding French delis), I refuse to accept a salad as an acceptable meal.  Today, we landed at the Italian Beefstro.  You did not read that incorrectly.  

It is this little gem of a place

<-----------

... full of sandwiches recognized for their deliciousness....

Featured in Best Sandwiches Article

And I had something like THIS....

                 Sigh... anyway, tomorrow is a new day... pretty sure I know how to make it to the Barre class for now so we will hope we are disaster-free and can maybe be less than a total embarrassment to our own resolutions...

Back to regular life... and regular food.

It has been a little while since my last post and it's not because there's been nothing to talk about.  The last week has been a difficult one.

First of all, I'm home sick today.  I am not sure if it's the flu or what, but I don't really feel I have a day of work to spare at this point which is always a frustrating time to get sick.  I mean it though, after I get over this bug I WILL get a flu shot (I have been saying this for awhile...).

I did finally finish my cleanse on Tuesday night.  It was better than I expected it to be and I felt great by the end.  So great, actually, that I did something I wouldn't normally do... I always look at people who weigh themselves on those giant scales at Publix and think it's something I would never do - either you humiliate yourself or you're showing off...  I see no middle ground - unless, of course, I was a man.  I don't own a scale (for good reason) and I don't belong to a gym (not as defensible) and I was feeling light and fit after my cleanse, so I took off my shoes in the middle of the store and hopped right on.  Unfortunately, the results weren't quite what I'd hoped and I heard a big "WAH-WAH-WAAAH" reverberating in my head.  Nonetheless, I felt great and I'm pretty sure my body liked it because I fell ill the moment I started eating real food again.  Then again... I love eating real food again.

Part of the purpose of the cleanse is to eradicate cravings for foods you shouldn't be eating - which, in large part, actually worked.  But there was one thing I just couldn't get out of my mind... Over Christmas break, my mom and I were watching Rachel Ray and she made this chicken dish I have been wanting to try since then.  So, I decided to make it the first meal I cooked after my cleanse.  Part of my culinary goal this year is to try finding more dishes I can make without having to look at a recipe, so that I have more things in my kitchen repertoire.  This dish was delicious and is perfect for that list.

First, I learned to roast garlic.  I guess it isn't that complicated but I always skip over that step in any recipe.  It just seemed complicated and adds an hour to any recipe.  When I realized A- how easy it is and B - that you can do it days in advance and it will keep, I decided it is my new favorite thing.

(cooking talk to follow - skip if this bores you)
                I preheated the oven to 400 and cut the tops of the garlic heads off, drizzled them with olive oil and salt and then wrapped them in their own individual foil pockets and roasted them for 45 minutes.  When they came out they were still pretty hot so I just took them out of the foil, wrapped paper towel around them and then squeezed them into a bowl.  The paste comes out pretty easily.  This makes your house smell delicious and you could probably just do this and then cater the rest if that's more your style.  It still looks impressive.
                Ben is always hungry way before dinner time so I am starting to try to make appetizers a little bit before (if I don't, he will go downstairs to the 7-11 under my building and buy chips and dip, which always annoys me while I'm making a big dinner!).  So, I toasted some Italian bread I bought for dinner and drizzled with a little olive oil and spread some of the garlic paste on there.  He LOVED that.
             Anyway, then I took some chicken (I used chicken breast - you were supposed to use a half chicken which, in retrospect, would have been more delicious, but the breast was obviously healthier and was good anyway), drizzled with more olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put it in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes.  When the timer was down to 5 minutes, I started making the sauce.  The sauce was 1 1/2 c. chicken stock, 1/2 c. white wine, rosemary/thyme, the garlic paste (from four heads), and 2 tbsp. butter.  Whisk that altogether and then pour over chicken in the roasting pan and roast another 20 minutes.  That's it!  Then, I served it over the bread (I toasted it a little because mine was too fresh and not crusty enough) with arugula underneath.  Of course, we poured the sauce over and I had extra bread for dipping (that's our favorite).  This was a favorite and is something I just type from memory which means it is perfect for my easy-cooking resolution.

Recipe over.

So, it's Friday already and the weekend is upon us.  We don't have many plans, which is good, considering my sickly state.  We may go to dinner tonight if I feel up to it, but just to the restaurant under my building.  Ben's sister is in town this weekend which is exciting, so we have family dinner.  Other than that, I'm trying to crack down on my to-do list.  I know I haven't shared much about what excitement this year holds, but I have some plans and I am working on some things that cannot yet be revealed... all in due time, my friends.  I am trying to break myself out of my procrastination habit -- I'll let you know how that goes.

Until then, happy weekend :)

Just a bump in the road...

After a solid four days of 2013 with an incredibly (and uncharacteristically) optimistic attitude, I hit a road block... on day five of the year.  I woke up at 6:30 this morning with no issue, went to Publix at 7 AM (and, as a side note, realized that a whole world exists of people who grocery shop on Saturday mornings at that hour - and it was kind of nice), got bananas and milk for Day Four of the cleanse and headed on to Maitland to take my GRE.  After a brief, heart-dropping-into-stomach moment of panic when I thought I had lost my wallet at Publix, I found it under the passenger seat of the car and headed inside.  Then, as I stood in front of a throng of gawking strangers, I was denied entrance to the exam because I accidentally registered as "Lori", when my ID says "Loriann".

At that point, I had nothing to do but go back to my car and try to see the light, which may be that I have more time to prepare -- but as I drove home, I stewed, thinking of the $175 fee that undoubtedly they will steal and make me re-pay -- and then realized that I cannot re-register until February -- and I was driving in towards downtown O-town pretty bummed.  As I fantasized about crawling back into bed with Ben and Ollie, I realized that sleeping beauty (Ben) had kept my keys so he could get around while I was at the test... and would not answer his phone.

My bumm-age multiplied as minutes turned to hours and I sat alone (and looking a hot mess in my "test-taking comfy clothes") at Starbucks, which turned into a shopping trip to Target.  Eventually, as I was driving home, intent upon just knocking on the door or perhaps even kicking it down, Ben woke up and I arrived at home intact.

As we sat there discussing my morning, I became increasingly depressed - I feel there are so many obstacles to changing my future this year that I can barely cope - so this one small road bump seemed like so much more than that.  I began to fear that it was a sign that maybe this was all wrong.  And, while we were trying to decide how to spend my now-totally-free day, all of the things that came to mind involved some food and some drink.  And, as usual, my moment of self-pity almost turned into a moment of self-indulgence as I considered just giving up the cleanse and giving in to food and booze.

I am accustomed to making big plans for myself and for my life -- and, of course, as much as anyone else -- am also used to roadblocks on the way to these plans.  Typically, at the first sign of failure or first  shiver of doubt, I abandon ship.  And, here I was, wanting to slide back into my old ways (and so soon), like a comfy pair of sweatpants.  This is exactly the habit I'm trying to kick.

Ultimately, we settled on taking Ollie to the dog park, which was great -- beautiful day, and of course Ollie had fun and is all worn-out (like most dogs, that's when he's at his best).  Then we watched the Bengals lose their play-off game, which, just like that old pair of sweatpants, felt a little too familiar.

And, for Day Four of the cleanse update... the website said I would stop having cravings today and that really was true.  I was able to sit in front of Ben and his friends as they ate chicken wings and not even feel tempted.  I was allowed eight bananas and didn't even feel like eating all of them.  I did cheat and have two vodka/water/lime drinks, although they were sandwiched in between about 8 glasses of water.  Ultimately, it made me feel weird -- and I came home, had two bananas, and felt like going to bed.

Hoping for a better day tomorrow~!

Today, my dreams are made of pepperoni...

I must say, that after a long rainy day at work, the only thing I wanted to do was come home, put on sweats, and eat something yummy with a glass of wine in my hand and watch The Real Housewives of ANYWHERE.  But, I'm on Day 3 of my cleanse (today was fruit and veggies day), so I came home, put on sweats, turned on the Housewives (of Miami, Reunion, Part II), and ate a huge bowl of green beans... wahwahwah!

As far as the cleanse goes, I will say I feel fantastic - physically and even emotionally.  My energy is great and I have been in high spirits while everyone else has been a little gloomy this week (returning to the office after the holidays will do that to anyone!).  But, I am also realizing how much I really do love to eat.  It's not just about the food, but I've been missing spending the time with friends and even Ben (who is ordering a pizza here right now and I want to KILL him) while we eat, drink, and generally be merry and bright.  I have seriously considered quitting on at least 100 occasions in three days, but I think what started as an experiment in detoxifying for the New Year has become a huge exercise in self-control (and babyjesusknows I could use more of that).

So this is what my grocery cart looked like the other night... and if you know me at all, you know that it is a bit of an unusual sight.  All veggies/fruit and NO PASTA.  For shame.

As the saga/torture continues, I will keep updating as to how it goes, but tomorrow is pretty much the strangest day of them all.... banana and milk day....

Speaking of tomorrow, it is another big day in the continuation of my follow-your-dreams plan, as I gear up to take my GRE.  For those of you that don't know, the GRE is a trumped-up SAT basically, which means it is full of high school math questions, essentially.  When I initially decided to take the GRE (back in November), I bought a study book at Barnes & Noble and was so excited to dive in (again, those of you who know me know that I have always thought of these kinds of tests as almost a hobby).  Unfortunately, it didn't take long until I realized that my math skills aren't quite what they used to be -- and I became really overwhelmed.  Right as I type this, Ben is out in the living room, eating pizza and watching Ollie while I take a break from studying right isosceles triangles and eating rabbit food.... yeah.  Anyway, although I totally forgot that exclamation points were even used in math books, I'm learning it again the best I can and am going to throw caution to the wind tomorrow and go take this test and see what happens.  I met with the professor today who is in charge of the department I want to apply to (at UCF - the largest university here in Orlando for those non-Floridians) and she was encouraging and exciting - so I'm really hoping this part of my plan works out as I want it to.

I am going to be a good - ok, decent --- errr, subpar but acceptable? -- studier and go back to staring at my "cheat sheet" full of symbols I haven't seen in awhile until they all start to blur together into the shape of a hot dog (mmm.... pork...).  I just wanted to end this post with this piece I came across on Etsy that is on my wish list.... but for now, I am just keeping the .jpg to look at from time to time.

.... and with that, good night!

Like every other person I know, I woke up not wanting to get out of bed today.  In part, because my cold had not yet improved (you know those things are always at their worst in the morning) and in part because I just didn't wanna!  Waaaah! :-(  Nonetheless, I did what I had to do and dragged myself out of bed and cursed the name of all of those on my Facebook feed who were proudly proclaiming that they were glad to be back at whatever they were doing.  Oh, yah, and the ones who went out on their runs today -- I curse you too.

Speaking of short-lived New Years Resolutions and my general crankiness today, I am in the middle of (read: optimistically stating 1/7th of the way through) my very first cleanse.  I have always wanted to do one of those but I always (shockingly) talk myself out of it.  One thing I didn't mention in my prior posts is that I got a new computer for Christmas, which is part of what is facilitating the frequent blogging in 2013 (a gift to me, yet a gift to the world).  This development has also led me into frequent Pinterest-ing, which brings me to the Pinterest cleanse.  So here it is.... And it came with this picture which I'm pretty sure means we will be in visible-ab-land in about six days....

                                                       

                                                                      Source: health-heaven.tumblr.com via Lori on Pinterest

Anyway, today was the first day of my cleanse and I was only allowed to eat fruit... and required to drink 10 glasses of water.  I actually really love fruit but I have to say... I am hungry.  The days do seem to improve (tomorrow I get to have a baked potato for breakfast), so fear not, it is not a starvation diet - and the website claims I will not only be 10-17 pounds lighter in seven days, but, more importantly, I will feel detoxified, energetic, and overall have a better disposition.  I'll let you know... but as for now... I'm HUNGRY.

The other big news for the day is that I had a phone interview for a part-time teaching position that I am pretty pumped about.  As I sort of implied in my prior blogs, I have been considering some shifts in my career and one thing I realized I really enjoy is teaching.  I will probably blog more about how I came to this decision at another time, but it is something I never considered earlier in life but am pretty passionate about now.  Earlier in 2012 I got my teaching certificate in Florida (for 9-12 Social Studies) but have had a hard time figuring out how to make a transition.  My friend Carrie (also a Second-Acter), helped me through it quite a bit and is still mentoring me now.  Anyway, I was terribly nervous about the interview because there were tons of those "tell me about a time when..." questions that you really don't have to do in the legal wor

Ringing in the New Year... And Feeling Older by the Minute

Well... it's here... 2013.  So far, it doesn't feel much different, although I'll let you know when I have to go back to work tomorrow after 11 days of vacation!  This week is a short one but a big one in terms of making some serious moves for the future plans I've been alluding to, so I'll be updating about that.

As for the past few days, we have been away in Tampa celebrating Ben's birthday.  It is only our second New Years together, but we decided at some point last year to do a weekend trip every year so that we could focus more on celebrating his birthday than getting entangled in the drama of making plans for NYE.  It has actually been really nice, being able to do our own thing for a holiday that for me, in the past, has been full of disappointment (created by unusually high expectations).

We picked Tampa because Ben has been wanting me to try this restaurant, Berns.  If you are a Florida person, there is a good chance you've heard of it - for everyone else, click here to see the amazing-ness.  Ben has been there several times but was excited for me to see it so we had a wonderful dinner and then did the tour of the restaurant (and the wine cellar, of course), and then had dessert in the special dessert room (I had pineapple upside-down cake; Ben, something chocolate, of course).

<------ This is us in the dessert room.





The next day we spent most of the day on St. Pete Beach, which is about 30 minutes outside of Tampa.  It is where Ben went to law school and is also one of our favorite places in Florida.  Ben decided to be "spontaneous" (which never happens -- this was pretty special) and we stopped at a few different places to have drinks and just enjoy the beach.

 

These photos not only summarize our day, but also pretty much everything in the world that makes me happy.  The weather was perfect (in the mid-70s) and was the kind of weather that I enjoyed in a sweater while the tourists paraded around in shorts and tank tops.  Ben and I always talk about how much happier we feel we are by the water and sat around making plans for the distant future to spend more time by the water.

That night we met up with some of Ben's college roommates, most of whom I was meeting for the first time, and their girlfriends and friends who live in Tampa.  We had a great time, did some drinking and some dancing, toasted champagne, and all of those things you are supposed to do on NYE.  Ben and I came home early (around 1:30), after realizing we are too old (or too boring, or both) to hang out in crowded bars far past midnight (new years or not), and went back to the hotel room and tried to order pizza.  Obviously not the wisest thing (both because of the holiday and because of the time), but we settled for Cheetos from the vending machine and went to bed.

I have been fighting a cold ever since I got back from Ohio and it finally caught up to me this morning. I woke up feeling terrible and Ben had to go to breakfast by himself and bring me medicine instead.  I have been resting all day, hoping to kick this before returning to the office tomorrow.  We were supposed to have traditional New Years dishes with our friends Sean and Jill, but I slept through the whole thing.  Later on I did muster the strength to prepare some sauerkraut, kielbasa and mashed potatoes for Ben and I.  After talking to some Florida friends, I realized not everyone knows about this tradition, although I grew up doing it and have spread it to some of my friends here.  There are a lot of different culinary traditions for the New Year - pork and sauerkraut beginning with the Pennsylvania Dutch - and is said to bring good luck for the year.

Anyway, despite my run-down state, I am looking forward to getting 2013 underway.  I can't wait to share with you all what is going on this year... and hope to stay in better touch with all of you this year too.

Happy New Year!