Spring?

This photo reminds me of everything good in life :)  I would like mother nature to take note.
I'm ready for spring now, thank you!


I've been reading one of my favorite books, The Rose Cafe. It's a story told by a man recounting his time spent in Corsica (an island on the Mediterranean) as a college student. He worked for a summer on a visa, circa 1960s, escaping the draft and looking to find inspiration for his writing career. He works at a cafe overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and tells about his adventures with the people and his experiences with the island (and the water). I love the way he quietly observes and describes everyone he sees; you really get a feel for the identity of these people he's describing that lived there some 50 years ago. It's one of those books I go back to every time I want to get out of the scene I'm in and enjoy a perspective that couldn't be more different than my own. Italy, Italy, Italy.. If only I had a reason to go there and someone to go with ;) Yes someday, but for now, I will just enjoy my book.

True love

       

True love for these girls and this place

       

Dieting

I feel like everyone has been ragging on me about my diets. Seeing as how I have a lot of studying to do, I am going to blog about them for a bit.

The no-sugar diet

This is a personal favorite of mine. Not in that I enjoy it, but more that I frequently resort to it. For me this means no processed or extra sugars. Yes I still eat fruit and I still eat yogurt and the like, but even organically I try to choose low sugar alternatives.

Average lasting time:
2 weeks










The gluten free diet

Blah.. This I more do when I am feeling bloated or when I get the sneaky suspicion I am wheat-intolerant. (I'm not) This diet pains me in that I crave bread a lot more than I normally even eat it.. So I think I gain weight stressing about wanting bread and not being able to satiate said wants. I really don't eat all that much bread anyway though. This lovey is worthy of breaking ones diet:

Average lasting time:
10 days?
















The Vegan diet    

Really the grand-daddy of them all. I miss eggs. I haven't been a real stickler about this one, I guess because I respect it the most. As backward as that sounds. I don't want it to be a fad with me, I really think there is huge value in us looking for alternative sources for getting our protein. I do still drink milk, and I worry about true-blue vegan women and their increased risk for osteoporosis. But we eat too much meat and this leads to higher demand for livestock..overgrazing..increased opportunity for cruelty towards animals (YES! I said it) Officially a hippy. I have eaten meat though.. It's hard not to when you know anyone who is of the male gender, boys love that stuff.

Average lasting time: 
strictly?- 4 days
loosely- hopefully a lot longer 











 The Cleanse diet: 


This is more of just a helper or an add on and it is nasty. I heat water and cayenne pepper in the microwave or stove top then add lemon juice, honey and apple cider vinegar. 

 
















Note: And this is important I do diets to be healthier and as a challenge for myself to be more creative in my food prep. (cough Courtney cough) Not because I think I'm fat or ugly or lame :) I actually think I'm kinda cool
 .......
Started my new job at-

It's great and I love protecting families but I am going crazy not having any time for random weird projects. Or school. Or basketball watching

The day of no rest

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
We attended a Hindu temple session tonight. If I was into worshiping idols I think I'd be more down with it, but I want to go back. I really was into the Indian culture that was going on. They were friendly, much better at meditating than I and the chants we did evoked a lot of emotion; great experience. I hear they practice yoga there some night out of every week.

No sugar March begins tomorrow! A day early because thankfully we got rid of the most massive batch of cookies you've ever seen and not a minute too soon. Sooooo good but not worth gaining any more weight. Food baby tonight for sure.

Food is the word

I spend enough time watching the food network, following food blogs, reading huff post food articles and just eating in general that I have reached a point where I consider myself well-versed in the food trends of our time. THIS was a fun find.. I just wish they had a collaboration that included all the individual states together.

Check it oooout!

Also.. Foodily.com is a good way to waste an afternoon. If you're into wasting afternoons

Spring's a tease

Judging by the sounds outside and the wind rape I got walking home from the testing center, our little hiatus from winter is over for now. I am happy to say I rung as much Vitamin D as I could out of it, dusted off the bike and played outside. This morning I did some trail running up by Y mountain and had a terrifying experience. I was running back towards the parking lot but still about a mile out when I saw this man about 400 yards away, dressed in business attire and stumbling down the trail towards me. I panicked and thought through my options which were as follows: roll down a really steep cliff for a 10 minute fall, run the other way towards the canyon, or act big (bear attack?). Act big FOR SURE.. I took my i-touch out of my shorts, unplugged it and pretended like it was a phone. Then I had this conversation with myself, "Oh you're already there? Well I'll be where you are in like 10. Oh you're running towards me? I guess we will meet in like 5." I'm pretty sure he was just weird, and I am fine. But you never know! And the moral of the story should be don't run up there by yourself but I just love that trail

Journal entry

Weekend was a blast.. highlight has to be going crazy, dancing for 3 hours in a plane hanger at the Provo airport. Homeboy we were with DJs and it was his office or something. And that is how a first date should go.. Dinner, dancing and.. whatever. Haha. For real though, I love when you just get along with everyone like you've known them for years. I feel like that's how life should just be naturally.. AND we have slipped out of our momentary ice age and back into the 30s and I am loving it. Nothing like -10 to make you appreciate 35! Lowlight of the weekend.. noooo sleep and early meetings this morning! Oh and maybe the super bowl. Yaaawn

Yay Cougars. Fun game.