Pictures and weekend in review

We finally got our patio furniture on Friday night - got it home at 9:30 and put it together till 11pm - we were going to eat dinner on the deck Saturday night but it got a little windy and chilly.

My Star Magnolia tree is about to bloom any day now. We saw some small ones at Lowes that were already in full bloom but figured they were shipped up here from a warmer state. I can't wait to enjoy all the pretty spring flowers at the house this year!

We went to a new park in Columbus on Sunday - The Scioto Audobon park. It was pretty neat but not done yet so there wasn't as much to see as we thought. We found this neat water tower with viewing platforms and a place to launch the boat but it was nice to be outside and enjoy the warmer weather!

Also this weekend: Andrew started to work on my Volvo, a few other issues were discovered and he had to order another part so it will be another week before its done. My herb seedlings have started to sprout and in a few weeks I should be able to pot them and introduce them to the outside. The diet has been going well - Friday we went out for wings and last night I made shrimp/chicken/veggie kabobs on the grill and brown rice! Tonight we are having Rock Cornish Game Hens in the crockpot!

A new day, a new opportunity

As some of you might know, I haven't quite finished my college degree. After several attempts to go back and some personal issues, I needed a break. I needed to work and pay on my loans. I decided after a year or more away from the academic world that now just seemed the time for me to get back into school or at least start thinking about what I was going to do to finish. Transferring didn't seem to be an option since I didn't have much time left to go but I was still unsure of how I would pay since I was out on my own and with my dad not working I was left without a co-signer.

Then I was presented with a fantastic opportunity - Andrews family said they would pay my tuition so that I could finish school! If I can get done and I graduate with good grades, Andrew also promised that we would finally...........GET ENGAGED!!!!! I mean who wouldn't want to finish their schooling if they had all of these things going for them?!?!

If all goes to plan I will be enrolled and taking two classes this summer - which would start June 14th. I could be done as soon as the beginning of winter if everything is offered within that time frame that I need to take (2010 fall/winter classes aren't out yet). My college is going to semesters in 2011 and it would be great if I could get everything completed by then since the schedule for semesters would be totally different. Things are definitely going to be difficult during this time but I just have to do this for myself and for a lot of other reasons!

If I could turn back time....

It was a chilly January night - I was sitting in my car blabbing away on my cell phone trying to watch for his silver Impala to pull into the parking lot. I could feel my voice starting to shake as the time got closer to 6pm - then a text came into my phone.

"Hey, I'm here where are u."

I quickly hung up the call with my friend Jessica and scurried to shut off my car and find him in the parking lot. He was a few cars down, standing out in the parking lot with a tan hoodie and jeans on and suddenly I was even more nervous. He walked towards me and instead of going to hug him I started blabbing on about being too early and we started to walk to the door of the restaurant. He looked better than his picture and his good looks were 90% of the reason I was so nervous.

This was the night I met Andrew. After months of talking online, in texts and on the phone we were finally going to dinner. We had planned to meet a few weeks before but oddly enough got sick at the same time - him with strep and me with a sinus infection. I suppose I'd like to relive this night because my memories of it are somewhat blurred. I know that we talked the whole time and there was never an awkward moment. He never made me feel uncomfortable and we had a lot in common. After months of dates that sucked, this one seemed like it was the real thing. Maybe the two margaritas I had made me feel differently but it was wonderful. I knew that eventually I was going to find that "instant connection" with someone and I would love to go back and relive all the moments when I felt that way with Andrew - comfortable, well liked and loved. I knew on that first date that it was meant to be.

Andrew later told me he was sad that I didn't hug him, but he must have liked me at least a little bit since he stuck around for the rest of the date.

I still don't care that we met through online dating, no matter what anyone says it worked for us and for millions of other people according to those E Harmony commercials. I didn't want to get my hopes up after that amazing dinner that he would call me but the next day he texted me and asked me out that weekend and as they say the rest is history.

I'm participating in Writers Workshop over at Mama Kat's and I chose prompt one: If you had to relive a day in your life what day would it be?

These girls....

Are my best college friends and the greatest women I know. From left to right - Megan - who is headed off to Physicians Assistant school this fall and works in Alzheimer's research; Andrea - who is getting married in September and is such a fashionista; Me - well I'm not going to brag about myself, other than I love the jeans I have on here; Sarah - Who is the married lady of our group, a wonderful listener and going to Grad School in the fall for Marketing. We don't all get to see each other as often as we did in our years at college, but when we do its always a great time! We went to our fave Mexican Restaurant El Vaquero and hit a few bars downtown after dinner. We all met living together on the first floor of our dorm when were 18 and we've been the best of friends ever since! I can't wait to see what happens with all of our lives this year!

And on another note: We started the step down vegetarian diet this week and its going well. Monday I made turkey meatballs, homemade pasta sauce and whole wheat pasta; last night was fish, garlic green beans and perogies and tonight I'm making a spinach salad with lots of veggies. I figure if Andrew gets sick of it he can cook his own food on the grill! I'm still on the hunt for great recipes and thank you to everyone who commented on my last post! I did check out a lot of those places!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Writers Workshop!

My vegetarian adventure

I have completed another book in my adventure into becoming a vegetarian/healthier eater. It didn't take me long to get through this one because half of it is recipes but I think I took a good deal away from it anyways. I'm pretty much convinced now after reading about five books on different diets that I am not cut out to be a Vegan and that a lacto-vegetarian diet is probably a good fit for me and Andrew as well! They still eat cheese, milk and eggs and fish and occasionally have poultry as well. I didn't know much about that particular diet until I read this book.

I learned a lot from this book about planning meals and even planning meals if everyone in your household isn't ready to venture into the vegetarian way of life. They suggest you start with one meal a week, probably dinner since you will eat it everyday. When you start shopping for your food pay attention to how many vegetables and fruits you are buying and read the labels on everything you purchase. We are going to get started by cutting out pork and red meat, so this week I purchased catfish filets, ground turkey, frozen chicken breasts and lots of salad ingredients. I also got fruit which we can cut up and have for a snack instead of chips or something equally fattening (okay I'll admit we do still have two boxes of girl scout cookies). Obviously once we start eating this way our body is going to have an easier time digesting our food since carbs, fruits, veggies and unrefined grains are easier to digest than fatty meats.

There is only one thing in this book that I don't think I can do - give up coffee. Its like my life blood during the week and sometimes on the weekends. I already rarely drink pop and I suppose candy will be a hard one too. I'm a dessert person and I like to have something sweet after dinner. They suggest mixing plain yogurt with fruit instead of having chocolate or a piece of pie.

There is also a really great section in this book that breaks down what vitamins you can get from various foods. I never knew that Vitamin E could be found in eggs and sweet potatoes or that whole grains were a good source of Magnesium. I say if you're ready to start thinking about going vegetarian or just cutting certain foods out of your diet, then this is the book to read first. I wish in a way I would have read this one first instead of Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman because I didn't take a lot of what he had to say seriously.

I will keep posting about our vegetarian or lacto-vegetarian adventures as they continue!