In color

A few May photos...

Little flowers in the woods

New wind-chime in the yard I like :)

Hi.

Chilly ocean

Just a picture I liked

Bamboo forest in Rhode Island 

Best white sangria I've ever had 

Irises lookin' all pretty 

I really, really like this tree

<3

Happy Friday!

Just wanted to do a quick (warning: it's not quick) post since I have a little more time before I go into work today.

• The new job is going well. It's been an exhausting week to say the least but I am really starting to love it there. Whole Foods is seriously a pretty awesome place to work. And the people I work with and around are great.

• I hope they like me. I worry about that. I haven't worked with other people in like 12 years.

• I can now make any drink they offer there. I love making lattes the most and had a customer tell me yesterday it was the best one they have gotten there so far. 4 days! Whaat.

• Today is my last day at the coffee bar before going to train in the cheese department. I think I am going to miss it. But I'm pretty excited to eat lots of learn about cheeses.

• After today I have 3 days off! OMG. Heading to Rhode Island for the weekend for some time with friends, fun, and relaxation.

• I forgot to mention, I found out I am not actually an official Team Member yet. The deal is, you go through your training, and then after a period of time your team takes a vote as to whether you become one or not. The average time is two months for part-time. I am definitely trying my best, so hopefully they will all see that.

• So the cleanse.

• Today is Day 9. In my opinion I have freaking nailed it thus far. Aside from a few cheese samples at work (it's my job guys!) and a couple other tiny samples (also at work) I have stuck to it one hundred.

• I originally said 7-10 days and didn't throw in the towel right at day 7. That's something I tell ya.

• I estimate a loss of 5 pounds so far. I didn't weigh myself when I started. Oops.

• I still want to lose 5-10 more.

• So I will keep up the super healthy plan, but not be so strict. Not ever going back to artificial sweeteners, or dairy in my coffee.

• I have had two KIND bars in my kitchen for three days now. They're the lowest ones in sugar I could find, but still would be like a candy bar for me right now. And I haven't eaten them. Whoa.

• I made a new dressing for my salads. It needs some tweaking but it's pretty good. Avocado, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, a pinch of kosher salt and a couple tablespoons of olive oil and water. Blended it in the bullet and added water until it was a good dressing consistency. Next time I will use less lime juice and the whole jalapeño. Mmm.

• This is officially the most boring thing you've ever read. My apologies.

• Oh! I made tofu this week! And it came out so good I made it again the next night. Nasoya brand is Non-GMO Project Verified too. Important.

So before I start talking about how my hands are all dry from working and it's making my nails even more brittle than usual, I will leave it at that and here are some photos of the aforementioned tofu and a couple other things I have eaten recently.

Cubed tofu cooking in a pan. I marinated it in tamari, hot sauce and ginger, then added some sesame seeds after it got a little crisp. I bought the pre-cubed thinking it would be easier, but it's a little annoying to try to brown all sides of 50 tiny pieces. It tasted great however.

Yummy

The next night (last night actually) I bought just a regular pack of extra firm tofu, cut the block in half then sliced it into about 1/4" (?) pieces and put them between paper towels. I put a box of kosher salt then a heavy pan with two new boxes of "milk" in it on top and let those press the water out for like 10 minutes. Then I sliced them all into strips and marinated it (about 15 min) in tamari, cumin, coriander, chipotle, and a little hot sauce (when I say hot sauce I always mean Frank's) for my Mexican Tofu Salad.

Romaine, tomatoes, black beans, jicama, avocado,

 scallions, cilantro and the tofu. With the dressing I mentioned above.

Another salad. With beets.

Oatmeal with banana, blueberries, ground flax and cinnamon.

No matter what you do oatmeal will never look pretty.

When I make this I mix a tablespoon of the flax in, along with a heavy shake of cinnamon. Then add the hot water. Then add a diced up banana. Then microwave it for 30-45 seconds. It warms and softens the banana so it mixes in nice and sweetens it up a bit. Makes it reminiscent of banana bread. Ohhh I should get walnuts.


I hope everyone has a lovely and safe Memorial Day weekend!

*Yawn* (and other goin'-ons)

I'm tireddd.

And busy. So busy. Bahh.

I had orientation at Whole Foods Friday, followed by two days of hardcore training Saturday and Sunday. Between my two days at my old job and the new job I'm working 8 days in a row. My next day off is Saturday. It's ok. I'll be ok.

Today is not a Whole Foods day so I feel like I can breathe for a minute. (Don't get me wrong, I think I will really like this job, but it's hard guys. It's so much to learn and remember and do and standing. Oh the standing. I'll get used to it.) After work Nick and I are meeting with a realtor so he can tell us things, and we can begin the first steps of house hunting. Then I come home and go to bed to wake up with the birds and be at WF at 6am. *cry*

So, because I like torture, I also decided to embark upon my own version of a cleanse. Stress-eating found me last week and I was reminded of how tired, bloated, and gross I feel when I eat crappy carbs and bad fats and sugars. I also gained back a few of the pounds I lost. It probably wasn't the ideal time to do something like this, but just being in WF is actually quite inspiring. I just have to ignore the fact that the pizza station is right next to the espresso bar. Mmm pizzaaaa....

Where was I?

Oh right. So today is Day 5 (going for like 7-10 I think) and the first 4 days were pretty successful. Which is amazing considering:

No Dairy. I still have coffee in the morning because please, I'm not a total masochist. It's organic coffee though, so it's ok. I actually care more that it's fair trade, I like that. And you should too. So anyway, I usually put half-and-half in my coffee, because it's delicious. So far I have tried (all unsweetened) coconut milk (fail), almond milk (not bad), and a blend of almond, cashew, and hazelnut (winner!). When at work I can make an almond milk latte and that is very nice. I am definitely getting used to the change already.

No Artificial Sweeteners. This is something I have felt bad about for so long. I have tried many a time to ditch Splenda and put stevia in my coffee. I go back every time. Never again. I just can't keep putting poison in my body if I plan to reproduce someday in the near future years. It's over. I started with agave nectar and then experimented and in the end I think I have perfected it. One teaspoon agave and one packet stevia. I know, this is riveting reading. I also tossed the Crystal Light.

No Meat. Yup. No chicken or fish or eggs, nada. So along with no dairy, you got it. It's vegan. I wanted to focus on it being really plant-based, so I figured it best to just cut out meat altogether. Plus it takes much longer to break it down and digest so it really wouldn't be a cleanse if I was eating it.

No Alcohol. Horrors. I could have gone for a glass of wine after work the last couple days like nobody's business.

No Wheat. As much as the Gluten-Free! fad irritates me, I am also aware that it's pretty rough on your guts, despite the fact that bread and cake are delicious. I will never in my life claim to be GF or swear off baked goods forever. Just for this, and then go back to keeping them at a minimum. I guess I could also mention here that I am also avoiding rice and potatoes for a minute. I did get GF oats though, and beans are definitely ok with me.

So here are a few examples of the things I have been eating, in pictures:

Starting purchases

Some green cleansing juice. It's not horrible.

Smoothie made with banana, strawberries, ice, and coconut milk.

Yum.

The GF oats with cinnamon, raisins, flax meal, and toasted pecans.

Salad. Romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, sprouts, radish, avocado and 

chickpeas (baked with spices). Dressing made from lemon juice, fresh basil, 

a clove of garlic and a bit of olive oil.

Yes, that is a mixing bowl.

This is water with fresh rosemary, mint, and lemon slices.

It tastes nice!

(And looks pretty too)

So yeah. I have to admit I feel pretty fantastic, in spite of the fact that I am utterly exhausted from starting the new job. I really believe it will all balance out and by this time next month I will feel better overall, and be settled into the job nicely.

Sorry this post is so boring.

But I leave you with this last little bit and it's pretty great.

Yayyy

Wildlife

"Ohhh you live in Rockville? Oh I'm sorry."

Which is what some people definitely think about my current residence. In fact, I even had someone ask me how I sleep at night. Yes, to my face. And then a Facebook friend was looking for suggestions in the area and was told to Stay The Hell Away from here.

I get it. There are definitely some shitty areas and some dumpy looking parts. There are kids that play basketball in the street, but at least they're outside. There are also apartments I wouldn't ever want to live in. So guess what? I don't live in them!

Sorry, it just bothers me a little I guess.

My landlord is actually quite safety conscious and installed motion lights around the house so that when I arrive home and it is dark, they turn on as I make my way to my door. This is especially helpful in warning me if there is a...(murderer? burglar? rapist? not quite)...skunk in my backyard.

I have a lovely backyard

I am terrified of skunks.

I have been hissed at. I have been tormented while trying to get in my car to leave one night (and was so scared I thought it better to go all the way back inside to think about how to escape). I have seen one several times when pulling in the driveway at night, luckily my headlights usually scare them away.

The light near my door has also alerted me at 3am to a chubby raccoon having a neat little garbage snack on my porch because I was too lazy to take it down to the wheely can. She saw me, we stared at each other for a minute, and then she walked away so slowly it was actually comical. I happen to find raccoons adorable.

We also have a woodchuck (this is what I am told she is) who resides under the shed in the back and comes out each morning to chomp the grass. She is very fat yet RUNS away when she hears a noise or sees a person. Her name is Lily. I have been told Landlord would like her to relocate (to put it nicely), but Landlady will hear nothing of it. I'm on her side.

So back to the light. One of the neighborhood birds has decided it is the perfect place to build a nest. I got home on Saturday afternoon and discovered this:

Not altogether impressive, but I got really excited for the potential of having a bird lay eggs right outside my door and for tiny bird babies. I immediately wanted to find this bird, introduce myself, and let her know I will not disturb her nest, and protect it if I can. Needless to say I was very happy to see yesterday that she worked overnight to improve it:

Sorry for the quality of that photo, the sun (!) was shining bright yesterday. But as you can see, there is much more nesting material here. The top of the light was now covered (it's not in the first picture) and looking closer to being ready for eggs. And then this morning:

That probably looks the same, but it is much more built up and is really starting to look like a nest from the top.

I realize this is a terrible attempt to show the top. But I have to stand on a step stool and its a bit awkward and I just snapped it quick. I will be keeping you posted on this situation for sure. (Ohh I just noticed Panda sitting by the door very quietly staring in it's direction so I went to investigate and have now confirmed it is a robin's nest!)


So yeah, Rockville. It's wild up in here.

Sun Safety

Sephora's Sun Safety Kits are out and I am so lucky to have such a nice (and equally beauty-product obsessed) friend to have gotten me one!

If you have never seen (or heard of) these, let me just tell you they are AWESOME. And very exciting. This year's holds 16 trial/sample size sunscreen (ranging from SPF 15 to 50) and bronzing products to keep your face safe during those wonderful sunny days of summer. I am especially excited about the Supergoop foamy oil sunscreen and Sugar lip treatment. No new wrinkles for me this summer!

Now all I need is that warm sunshine to show up. This Spring has been quite cloudy and rainy thus far.

I mean, can you even? 

Thanks Kiley!! :)

Twenties Vs. Thirties

•In my 20s, I could spend hours looking at clothes online that I wished to own, and fantasizing how I would look in them. Now I can spend hours on Zillow, thinking how I would improve a room, and shamelessly judging people for their paint color choices.

•In my 20s I drank cheap beer. Now I am much more refined, and drink cheap wine.

•In my 20s, being healthy was not eating cake. In my 30s being healthy is still not eating cake, but also keeping stress at a minimum (which would be easier, say, with cake).

•In my 20s I cared about having a job that was good for the present. Now I care about having a job that will be good for the future.

•20s = sunburns. 30s = sunscreen.

•In my 20s I thought it was better to have lots of friends. In my 30s I have realized this is definitely one of those times where quality > quantity.

•In my 20s I was jealous of my friends' nicer cars or nicer clothes or better hair. Now I'm just jealous of their babies.

•In my 20s I imagined the Perfect Guy would have movie-star looks, be full of romantic surprises, and always say the right things. Now I know he is drop-dead adorable and will make good-looking children, that movie romance is basically bullshit, and he says the right thing when I really need him to (and it means much more).

•20s ~ "Does this moisturizer fight pimples?" 30s ~ "Does this moisturizer fight wrinkles?"

•In my 20s I could stay up until 3am and think nothing of it. Now, if I'm up at 3am it's only to pee or because the cat is being an asshole.

•In my 20s I would shower and put makeup on before even a quick trip to the grocery store. Now I'm lucky if I put a bra on, much less fresh clothes and makeup.

•In my 20s I went to several concerts and got smashed at all of them. A friend and I are going to see Lana Del Rey tonight, and will be damned if I spend $10 on a plastic cup of warm Bud Light (football and baseball games are different, the beers are cold and large and it's part of the experience). I imagine singing along is much easier also, when you can remember the words.

•In my 20s I didn't really worry about my future because I honestly couldn't picture having one. Find the perfect guy for me and have a house and a family and all of that stuff? It just wasn't meant for me and I pretty much accepted it that way. It was easier that way. No big deal. Then I met Nick. It took a while to change how I thought and to believe in it for me, and that maybe I could Have It All too. And when I lost my brother last year I made a promise that I would do my best to have that life, not only for me but for him too. Now, it's all I think about and am very much looking forward to every bit.

So at 32 (and-a-half) I may still be just starting my thirties, but for the most part so far, and with what should be to come, they're putting my twenties to shame.

HIRED

Whole Foods Market
Speciality Department Team Member

I got a job!

Shortly after posting on here this morning, I got a call from Whole Foods asking me to come in for a second interview. Within the hour. So after taking the world fastest shower, and quickly making myself presentable, I zipped down to the store.

Met with the General Manager (or "Store Team Leader"). He was super nice and asked a few basic questions about me, and how I am as an employee, etc. I think he was surprised by how enthusiastic I was, but I was so excited to have gotten called back I couldn't help it. I have been applying to this company for over a year. After about 15 minutes he asked me to wait there a minute, and then the two ladies I met with yesterday came out and sat with me. They said they loved me, loved my energy and offered me the position! Balloons fell from the ceiling and all the shoppers and employees threw confetti as a marching band made it's way through the store. Ok maybe that didn't happen.

So what is the Specialty Department? Coffee. Chocolate. Beer. Cheese. So pretty much the coolest part of the store. If only stores in CT had wine! OMG. So I will be learning tons about their products, most of which will probably be the cheese section. They have the most amazing cheese selection, if you've never seen it. I'll learn how to roast coffee. I'll learn how to make beer recommendations. I'll eat pounds of chocolate. I'll cut the cheese (hehe), weigh it, wrap and label it. I'll create glorious displays. I'll also be cross-trained as a barista. I'm excited to learn as much as possible.

de Mayo

It's May! One of my favorite months (along with July). Actually it's May 5th already, Happy Cinco de Mayo tortilla and tequila lovers.

So far, May has been pretty ok.

Get this! I met my goal of losing 5lbs by the 1st. *confetti*

I did some form of exercise every day last week including Pilates. I slacked yesterday, but had an interview which I'll get to in a minute. Today is nice so I will be hitting the trail in a bit.

I still have plenty of weight loss/fitness to accomplish, as evidenced by the jeans I put on yesterday and ripped.

As far as the rest of my goals for April, I have to say I think I did pretty well. Definitely at least 60% success as promised. The biggest thing I failed at is not getting a job yet, but believe me, I'm still trying.

It's been warm enough to have the windows open during the day sometimes, and I have learned that although I do curse from time to time (not in inappropriate situations or anything though), the kids that live next-door to me make me seem like an Amish Mormon nun (I know, I know). Holy sh*t. It's like The Maury Povich Show in their backyard, only not censored by what I can only imagine is a person after 75 cups of coffee (I stopped even trying to watch that show after the bleeps started interrupting the reading of the lie detector and paternity test results, sheesh).

A couple long distance friends had an adorable baby boy on Friday, he just looks soo perfect. I am very happy for them. Yesterday, Nick and I visited a couple more local friends and their baby, who will be 6 months in just a few days. He is seriously one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Especially his drumstick thighs. And so happy. (By the way, they have a story on "Motherhood Methodology" on The Today Show as I type this) Also cute? My Florida friend's baby girl, 1.5 months now. OMG. She is just. The Cutest. I can't really form an opinion on my favorite pregnant friend's baby based on the blurry pics I saw at the ultrasound I accompanied her to about a week ago, but I just know she will be super cute too. So yeah. Babies and more babies. I'm very lucky Nick is pretty patient with my impatience. Thanks babe.

Flower trees make me happy.

I had my interview at Whole Foods yesterday, which was quite different than the last two I had. Really the only similarities were that it was 1.) an interview, and 2.) the first of possibly two. It lasted only 15 minutes and was with two ladies from the department for which I applied. The Team Leader, and who I assume was the assistant leader. They both seemed very nice, though I could not tell if they liked me at all. I was really nervous too and they could probably tell. Oops. The questions were pretty basic and I probably could have answered a couple of them better, but did ok. I was just so nervous! Anyway, I walked away from it feeling less than confident in my chances to get called for a second interview. Which sucks because I usually nail interviews, I just haven't been hired due to circumstance, not because I wasn't the best for the job. I'm rambling. They're supposed to call me this afternoon to let me know if I have been selected to come back for Round Two.

OMG like 8 ladies just surprised their moms Live On The Plaza with the fact that they are "Pregnant!". WTF.

But hey, I lost my 5 pounds. Sigh.

In memory of Eddie from El Sombrero's