A Venture into Vegetarianism

On my 30 before 30 list (no, I haven't forgotten it...just haven't really worked on it much), one goal was to be a vegetarian for a week. I am appalled by many of the slaughter practices here in the US and am frequently grossed out by the look of meat, but convenience has hindered me from making the switch in the past. I'd hate to be the one that made menu planning so much more restrictive. And in all honesty, I'd really be a pesceterian...but since the hubs is allergic to shellfish, that severely restricts the things we could eat together. Friday evening at dinner, though, I realized I hadn't had any meat since Thursday at lunch. I figured this was a good time to go ahead and give this (pesco) vegetarian thing ago.

Thus far, it's been fine. I haven't missed meat at all. The hubs's birthday is coming up on Tuesday, and we had some people over for dinner tonight. He grilled steaks, but I had enough roasted veggies and and broccoli casserole, I did not want for any meat. Yesterday, I was out shopping with my mom and sister, and I've never been more thankful for Wendy's baked potato and side salad.

For the rest of the week, I've got leftover spanakopita, veggies and hummus, and greek yogurt for lunch. Dinner is up the air right now...I have three different performances I'm involved in this week, so it's going to be a bit frantic, but have enough on hand that I can throw together some quick dinners.

So what's the point of this? To prove I can do it, if to no one else buy myself, and to see how restrictive this type of diet really is (or isn't). After this, I've talked to the hubs about cutting back on our meat consumption and when we do eat meat, make sure it is organic/humanely slaughtered meat. So we shall see just how this influences our eating habits.

Edit: I did it! I made it through the whole week.

My Weight Loss Confessional

I have always hated my body. As a teenager, I was tall, but with ample hips and thighs. It's genetic, looking at my family, I knew that was the way I was made. It was harder to deal with, however, as I was a dancer. I hated facing myself in the mirror everyday; and I hated even more being told if I wanted to be a professional dancer, I needed to lose weight. What I already hated about my body made me afraid I'd never achieve my dream. I understand where my dance teachers were coming from, and they were right, to be a professional dancer, I needed to be thinner. To the nondance eye, I looked fine. I got sick my senior year of high school, and ended up taking off about 5 lbs or so. I loved it.

That's me...the tall skinny one on the far right. May 2000

Then came college. I loved college. I had a great time. I decided I didn't want to be a professional dancer any more. I complained about wanting to lose weight around the other dancers, but I watched as my weight slowly crept up. By the end of college, I had put on the 5 lbs I lost when I was sick, and another 35 on top of that.

Senior Solo, January 2004. Photo Credit: Rick Foster

I graduated, got a job, got married, and the next thing I knew, I had gained 98 lbs over the span of 10 years. I was so embarrassed. There are very few pictures of me during this time-I claimed I was camera shy, but I really just didn't want proof of my weight.

 August 2010, my 10 year reunion

I was so angry after seeing how awesome all my former classmates looked at the reunion, I vowed this would be year I lost weight. I started using Spark People, and lost about 10 lbs over 2 months. Then I stopped. I don't know why, I just did. A friend at work started an initiative to get a Weight Watchers at Work group going. We met on Wednesdays after our meetings. It was a convenient, non-judgmental setting-until we didn't have enough people to continue.  Our meetings ended in April, and I started going to a Weight Watchers center for meetings. Summer came, along with vacations...I became a meeting vagabond. My weight loss slowed down, but persisted.

With the commencement of the school year and marching band, meetings were no longer and option. I kept my monthly pass, but participated in Weight Watchers online. In December, just in time for the Hoidays, I started going back to meetings. I hit my goal weight on December 8, at  home, but did not maintain it that evening at my meeting. My weight was a struggle during the holidays, either gaining a little or maintaining and the losing not quite enough to get back to goal. This week, I finally met my goal (again), and am ready to start the maintenance phase of Weight Watchers. If I can maintain my goal for 6 weeks, I'll become a lifetime member and (finally) stop paying for the plan. (I love the plan and am super thankful for everything it has done for me, but I'm really sick of paying for it by now.) Make no mistake, there are still parts of my body I'm not thrilled with, and I'm working on changing those. I've lost a total of 82 lbs with Weight Watchers, a total of 90 lbs including my pre-Weight Watchers loss. No, I'm not exactly what I was when I was in high school-about 10 lbs heavier- but I'm happy with where I am. And I am making a promise to myself to never gain any of it back.

My 29th Birthday, July 2011

The Hubster's 10 Year Reunion. Did I mention he joined the plan, too? Oct 2011

Raggedy Ann Baby Shower

It's funny the people you become friends with...and stay friends with. Waaaaay back in 1993, my family moved to a new area, and life as we knew it started over. I saw an ad in the local paper about a youth ballet company which was having open auditions, so my 11 year old self called the number listed, found out all the details, and made my mother take me other to the auditions. To this day, I am still an active member of this organization. I have gone from dancer to student choreographer to faculty/resident choreographer.

You make a lot of friendships throughout your lifetime, but it's always interesting to me the friendships that keep over time. On that fateful night back in 1994, I met Rachel. She was already a member of the company, auditioning to go from an apprentice to a senior member of the company. I'd love to say that from that point forward we were BFFs, but that's not the case. For most of our middle school careers, we were acquaintances. In high school, we became better friends, but we didn't get especially close until our senior year of high school. We maintained close contact throughout college-she was an art ed major, while I was a dance ed major. I made a valiant attempt to attend her senior art show; unfortunately, this was before GPS was commonplace. I got so lost and car sick all at once-I never made it there. We were participants in each others weddings, and now, we both teach at the studio where we first met. When she announced she was expecting her first child, I was thrilled to offer to throw her a baby shower. When she announced it was a little girl, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

We danced a piece called "The Doll Shop" for what seemed like forever. We rotated different parts, but Rachel was always the rag doll. That was a signature piece-she loved performing it and audiences loved watching her do it. I was bound and determined to throw her a Raggedy-Ann inspired baby shower. 

 I found these invitations from Nichole at Olive+Star on etsy. I knew they were perfect for my idea. Nichole was so awesome to work with-very professional and efficient.

 Nichole even created these baby wish cards to go along with the invitations. We put them at each place setting.

I was co-hosting with the studio owner, and both of us live a bit away from most of the guests, so we opted to host the shower at the studio. That meant we had a huge open room to figure out how to decorate. We decided to use leftover gingham material from some costumes as table coverings, and in an attempt to avoid watching ourselves eat, we used the creative movement parachutes as a bunting to cover the mirrors.  

We used card tables for guest tables. Center pieces included a small vase of carnations, baby blocks, and glasses of jelly beans and beans on each table.

 

I used scrapbook paper, ribbon, and a healthy dose of rubber cement to create this pennant banner. 

The food table...Raggedy Ann and Andy had to be our centerpiece, backed up by our lollipop favor tree. The banner on the wall consisted of letter templates from Martha Stewart, and more scrapbook paper, ribbon, and rubber cement. 

 Cheese, rainbow fruit skewers (thank you, Pinterest!), crabmeat dip, and yellow cupcakes with strawberry filling.

 Strawberries with sweet cream cheese filling, spanakopita bites, chicken salad cups, veggie platter, and more cupcakes.

 Yummm...Spanakopita bites!

 The drink table. One thing Rachel made me promise was that there would be some sort of wine or alcohol at the shower. In her words, "Just because I'm forced into sobriety doesn't mean every one else should be." Other drinks included coffee punch and water.

 The gift table. We used the creative movement mats to cover the "business" of the studio (i.e. stereo, CDs, portable barres, props for children's classes). This also was the gift table. I wish I had gotten a picture of it covered in gifts.

It was a fabulous shower. We invited about 20 people, and ended up with 15 in attendance. We were all close, and everyone was extremely comfortable with each other. We did not play any games-just lots of good conversation, food, and wine. I was so happy to be able to do this for Rachel, and cannot wait to meet her little girl.

Espiral Vinho Rose

Wine:Espiral Vinho Rose
Store: Trader Joe's
Price: $5.99 (I think)
"A refreshing, light, fruity rose wine, Espiral Rose is delicious on it's own as an apertif or with all fish dishes, shellfish, white meats, and salads." ~Back of the Bottle

I know I said in my last post, I'd post more. And I haven't. Oops. Well, I have some exciting (to me) things coming up, and hopefully, I'll be more interested in posting. Part of the problem is, ever since I got my super exciting iPhone, I hang out online in on that in the evenings, rather than on the iMac where I can get to blogger.

At any rate, on to the wine. I love this wine. I have made no secret that Espiral's Vinho Verde is one of my all time favorites, and certainly is my go to wine. This is a nice addition. I have not been a fan of blush wines for quite a while. Most are very bland and uninteresting. The light effervescence in this makes it the flavor more interesting. In general it is sweet and fruity, with just a touch of tanginess. I enjoyed this wine by itself this evening, while getting in some cleaning, but I would love this with a light pasta dish with either chicken or shellfish. This wine is not for every one, but I really am enjoying it.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Our New Addition

So this year, when we went up to the in-laws, we ended up bringing home an unusual gift. I'm excited to introduce to you Miss Velma Kelly.

 

Velma, originally named Molly, was a stray found by my brother in law. Turns out he couldn't keep her, and well, I'm a sucker for sweet faces.  Her name comes from Bebe Neuwirth's character in the musical Chicago, one of my all time favorite musicals.

 

She's a super sweetheart...approximately 1 year old black lab mix. Clean bill of health from the vet.

 

She and Sassy get along very well...and she has even learned that the cat is a force to be reckoned with. 

 

The one downside: She is currently in heat. I'm not such a fan of dealing with this, and as soon as she is through with this and it is safe, someone is getting spayed. 

 

I've been wanting a second dog for a long time, and we are so excited that we happened into this situation and were able to take on Velma. 

The Importance of the Weekend

I hate fall. That's a lie. I actually love fall-it's one of my favorite times of year. Unfortunately, my schedule is super sucky in the fall-especially this fall. I am working a third job (working with the marching band), which is a huge time commitment in the evenings and weekends, and I've working overload on my primary job. Two weeks ago (and into last weekend), my schedule was horrid. Mondays and Wednesdays I leave school to go directly to the studio; Tuesdays and Thursdays are band practice in the evenings.

Friday, I worked straight through the entire with in a frazzled fury of energy to go directly to my marching band job (practice and then a football game)...finally getting home about 10:30 that evening.

Saturday we had a parade, which meant I was back up at school by 8AM.

Parade was rained out. Ran home, straightened things up a little in order to get ready to go out again.

Niece's first birthday party (2PM)

Military promotion party (4PM). Take too many shots, have an emotional break down before leaving, rough ride home, and stumble into bed.

Sunday morning-lots of bread and water...feeling too rough to do much, but the hubs wants to go. So...

Off to the county fair.


Wait for FIL to stop by.

Run errands.

Wait for FIL to stop by.

Run to a friends house to do some laundry as our dryer was broken.

Realize FIL isn't going to stop by.

Frantically get ready to start the week again.

This week was even worse as I had auditions scheduled after school in addition to the band practices. There was one saving grace, though. The dryer repairman was coming on Friday, sometime between 8AM and 5PM. That meant someone had to stay home and wait for him, and as luck would have it, it was me.

I truly needed that day off. I feel so much better and refreshed. We had another band event that was rained out yesterday, and then nothing I had to do today...that was 3 days in a row to do what I needed to for myself. What a relief.

I know that weekends like this are few and far between, but I've got to make sure that right now while my schedule is super crazy to take a little more time for me. I feel so much better prepared for the week now that I have had some time to recuperate from last week.

The A to Z of Me

Nothing like going a month without blogging, and coming back with a silly meme. More fun stuff to come later.


A. Age: 29...looking forward to turning 30 next summer!

B.  Bed: Queen Size...which according the hubs I hog, and according me, he hogs!

C.  Chore the you hate doing: Putting away laundry...second only to putting away dishes from the dishwasher

D. Dogs: Right now, only 1: a hound mix named Sassy who is approximately 7 years old. She was a rescue from the SPCA. We've had her a little over 5 years...the vet estimated when we got her that she was about a year and a half old. We also run a kennel for friends and family. My sister's dogs, Lucky, the dauschand, Daisy, the beagle/lab mix, and Rufus, the golden retriever, are often frequent flyers over here. We also just finished keeping Willow, a Siberian Husky who caused us much strife, for a friend over seas. We thought we were getting a new puppy after Marching Season is over, but now that doesn't seem to be happening. I still really want another dog.

E. Essential to Start Your Day: Coffee. I think it's more a hot beverage than caffeine that gets me up and going in the morning.

F. Favorite Color: Probably red, although I realized my wardrobe was primarily reds and pinks, so now it's much more saturated with purples and blues. I really do think every color can be beautiful when given the proper attention.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver all the way.

H. Height: 5'10"

I. Instruments you play: I leave that to the hubs. He plays them all. I wish I played piano...apparently, when I was little, I was asked if I wanted lessons, refused, so they got my cousin to play. He no longer plays,  and I wish I did. I also played around with the idea of playing the flute in middle school, but decided I was better to stick with singing. I do sing-I still dream of being a broadway baby. I studied voice privately in college, but (obviously) never went anywhere with it.

J. Job title: Teacher. How boring. I did make up my own title, though, and they let me use it on my signature line: Associate Director of Dance. I'm also the Visual Ensemble Director and Calendar Guru at school. I have also been referred to as the Princess of Awesomeness (seriously).

K. Kids: None right now. I think we're going to start thinking a little more seriously next summer about it...if I decide to forgo my masters for now.

L. Live: Southeastern Virginia...in an area known for being a bit ghetto, and everyone famous from here is a bit notorious. Funny, if you go 20-30 minutes away, it's a much different atmosphere. I'd like to get there some day.

M. Mother's Name:  Ann...although to me, she's just Mom.

N. Nicknames: Hopey, Hopester, Hope-ifer, Action.

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: None-except for when I was born.

P. Pet Peeves: Stupid people. Seriously, just get over yourself and do what you know is right. Whistling. The obnoxious high pitched sounds my husband thinks is funny.

Q. Quotes from Movies: 

R. Right or Left Handed: Right

S. Siblings: 1 sister, 3 years younger than I am. We were not particularly close (though no bad blood either) till she had my nephew. Now we are significantly closer.

T. Time You Wake Up: I hate waking up...During the week, the alarm goes off at 5:15, and I'm out of bed by 5:45 (some mornings earlier than others). Most Saturdays, I'm up by 7 as I probably have to be somewhere. If I don't, it's usually around 8AM. I actually tell Sassy she can't wake me up before 8AM. We sometimes bargain in the mornings over it.

U. Underwear: I wear a variety of bikinis, lacy boy cuts, and g strings. It all depends on my mood and what I'm wearing.

V. Vegetable you hate: There are not many of those, but last year we got a whole bunch of Kale through our CSA. I now hate that vegetable. Don't bring it around me.

W. What makes you run late: Chores. "Lemme try to get one more thing done real quickly before I leave..." Although, honestly, I'm not often late.

X. Xrays you've had: Ankle, knee (multiple times), bladder (not fun at all), and my shoulder at least twice.

Z.  Zoo Animals: I love big cats. Lions, tigers, panthers...you name, I am in awe of their beauty.