the labeler

so i bought a label-maker. i have wanted one forever, and with this [eventual] move i wanted to get my life organized! so i broke down and bought one for myself....and it's my favorite purchase OF ALL TIME! besides our new house. and my piano. and my camera. and my bicycle. ok.

i have been a labeling fiend! i labeled everything in our file cabinet, fire-proof safe, i am making labels for all of my books [especially the ones i take to school], our plastic storage containers, the list goes on...

i recommend this purchase for anyone who is an organizational nut like i am. see how beautiful my files are?! if anyone needs me to make a label for anything, let me know.

"family" cookout

every summer, friends from our church get together every few weeks in a downtown park to grill dogs and burgers, snack on chips and desserts, and play soccer or frisbee. we drive around the hangout spots downtown to invite local lawrencians and the homeless to join us in a "family" cookout. we started doing this 3 years ago after making friends with a couple that was homeless and hearing them describe how it feels to be looked down on, or worse, overlooked; to not have friends, or even friendly conversation; and to never be touched. my good friends casey, jon and i decided we may not be able to do much to thwart poverty and hunger, but we could at least be friendly and welcoming to people who don't often feel welcomed among friends. hence, the cookouts. here's a group of us last saturday. even though it was stinking hot, we had a good time!

more on the cleanse

ok...i've learned a lot about my habits, like eating because i want food, not because i'm hungry, or thinking i'm eating healthy foods but not keeping track of how much "extra" stuff i'm adding (sour cream with black bean quesadillas, or tons of cheese and croutons on a salad).

i've also been present in a lot of situations where i normally would have indulged with no hint of self-control yet passed up the chance to eat my normal favorites (like popcorn at the movies, enchiladas and margaritas at a dinner my mom had for Dale's friends, soda and junk food at a favorite restaurant, etc). i thought i would have to just avoid these situations altogether during the cleanse, to avoid temptation; it's nice to know that i can turn down my favorites.

as part of the cleanse, i also don't eat after 7 pm which hasn't been as difficult as you would think and has actually helped me turn down some of my previously mentioned "favorites" because it was already too late in the day.

i'm cranky, though. i want bread. and cheese. and tacos. it helps me to know this is only for a short period of time. i don't intend to go back to totally over-eating and junk food. but it's nice to know that at the end of this i can eat a taco.

the cleanse

so, i decided to do this "cleansing diet" because i need to kind of start over. i need to start with the bare minimum food and give my body a break from all the crap. so, for a week it's just fruits and veggies for me (and a handful of nuts here and there). next week, i'll add in beans, whole grains, rice, and tofu.

first thing i noticed, i really am not that hungry. i'm eating a lot less but i'm not hungry. which means that i can get by with a lot less than what i was eating before. i knew that i was eating a lot more than i needed, but couldn't distinguish between "needs" and "wants." you get used to thinking you "need" to load the plate up, you "need" that extra bread (with butter), you "need" a combo meal instead of just a sandwich or a taco. after a while you stop thinking of those things as extras, you start to believe you will be hungry without them.

second thing i noticed, i can't look at erika's blog. she's got amazing pics of good foods she's cooking up...none of which i can have for now!

one more week to go. i'm going to live a little next friday, eat what i want on fridays, but i think i'll probably stick with the week 2 diet other than that.

is it strange to talk about my food intake on my blog? oh well. that's what is going on with me right now.

the house

Here's the house that we are trying to buy. I know it looks like it's in the country (with all the trees) but it's one block off Mass. St. and only a few blocks from both Kirk's office and Lawrence High School (where I work).

As soon as we get in I'll post interior pictures...we're going to do some work in the kitchen and eventually the bathroom; they're outdated.

Meet Kirk

Two things to note about Kirk...his love for coffee and his fascination with the word "poop" (which was lovingly penned on this mug for him by his niece, Kinzie.)

help me

Notice the picture of my cat, Cecil. I can't figure out how to turn it. AARGH! Less than a day into blogging and I suck at this already!!! Erika, Tiff, you guys have tons of pictures, all right side up...How do you do this? Help me.

Mendy

The last to crack

I finally broke down and started a blog. I feel so out of the loop of my friends' lives...so I've gone and done it. I think I should win the "held-out-the-longest" award.

There's a lot of things going on so this is going to be an easy way to let you in...

First, we are buying a house. The closing date is up in the air. The seller has been difficult...I am going to try to figure out how to post pictures so you guys can see the "before" shots.

Secondly, I started graduate school in the spring. I am getting my masters in Special Education. I took enough classes over the summer to renew my teaching license so I am eligible to teach this fall. I have applied for a teaching position at LHS and will probably interview in the next week. I'll keep you posted...trying not to get my hopes up too much.

Ok. That's the big stuff. More later.

Mendy