a post of updates.

I've had a serious lack of posts lately. I just recently received a promotion and I now work at a different location. The new position cut my commute in half – woohoo! And I have my own office and everything. It’s like I’m a grown-up or something! So I thought I’d take this opportunity to give a few updates on recent posts.

First of all, the garden. It started out a little rocky in late May with my tiny little seedlings holding on for dear life. They actually grew to be ridiculously large and healthy plants (thank you homemade compost!), but I didn’t get to harvest anything until early September. Being a veggie garden newbie, I’m not sure if this is normal, but my bell peppers didn’t get a chance to grow to full size before I had to pull them for frost and freezing temperatures. Oh the joys of living in Michigan. Next year I’ll definitely start the garden sooner. Anywho, take a glance at the photo below and you’ll see everything I’ve had to harvest. I’ve already devoured several tomatoes, and have probably given away around 20 of ‘em. Quick! I need tomato recipes! (I did consider chucking a few at a house in my neighborhood sporting an Iowa flag after the Michigan football game last Saturday night… dang Hawkeyes.)

Now for the beloved topic of running. Brad and I still have the goal of completing the Thanksgiving Day 5k in Toledo, however, we’ve been slacking a bit. So starting yesterday we will be hitting the gym hardcore for the next 6 weeks. And if we visit the gym 15 times in the next 6 weeks, we’re going to totally reward ourselves. Maybe some Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream? Mmmmm.

It has also been 6 weeks since my Mom and I decided to halt our shopping for one full year. It actually hasn’t been hard, probably because I’ve been avoiding my favorite stores. Next week I’m traveling to Brooklyn to visit my good friend for a few days. One of my favorite parts of visiting NYC is going to Canal Street and seeing all of the vendors selling great knock-off bags and accessories at bargain prices. No Canal Street shopping on this trip to the big apple. Maybe I’ll just have a looksie… must. be. strong.

Happy Hump Day, y'all!

27.003

Yesterday was my birfday! I am now one year older... actually one day older, but who's counting. I had a great day, despite the very humid, cool, rainy weather. Lunch and shopping with mom, pizza and wine with husband, and lots of phone calls, cards, and messages from friends and family. Perfect.

I also L.O.V.E. this idea: reward people for purchasing local veggies! This is going on in Madison, WI, where people are getting rebates on healthcare for joining their local CSA (community supported agriculture). Genious!

the little veggies that could

Well, I've been quite worried about my fragile little seedlings that I planted over a week ago. I somewhat expected them to take off and grow quickly after planting them, but have yet to see such progress. Out of the 6 tomato plants, I'm hoping at least half make it. They've developed a few more leaves, but at this rate I'm expecting to finally have tomatoes around... let's see... Christmas? Mmmm.... a yummy Christmas tomato pie.

I was fortunate to receive a few onion bulbs from someone at work who had extras. The morning after planting them, one turned up on top of the soil, so I'm assuming a little neighborhood critter dug it up and decided onions weren't for them.

Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out, and hoping to have lots to harvest and share!

:)

What a great weekend!

Kicked off Friday night with a movie - Angels & Demons. Saturday morning had the Race for the Cure and I beat my goal time by 16 seconds! Finished in 31:44, which is my best time ever. It was a great experience to share with 30,000 other Michiganders, and it gave me chills to run by all of the pink ribbons with people's names on them. I hung out with my Mom Saturday afternoon in my new favorite place - our finally finished screened in porch. We went to a Cuban restaurant downtown Royal Oak for dinner that we've been wanting to try. I had cornmeal cakes with herbed goat cheese and pico de gaillo, with mashed boniatos and spinach. Wonderful! Friends came over Saturday night for drinks and Red Wings hockey. Today I spent the majority of the day planting my vegetable garden.

I planted tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions, so hopefully I'll get some great veggies. I also met a friend for lunch and now another hockey game. Just an all-around awesome weekend. Looking forward to many more great summer weekends!