VICTORY

Tonight was the final night of Basics 101 Cooking Class. I made the following:

* Homemade Applesauce
* Rice Pudding
* Tabouli
* Potato Latkes
* Chocolate Ravioli (from scratch)

This class has really given me confidence that I can make things, and much of cooking is not as complicated as it looks. I've learned how to make intense flavors...flavors that I've rarely had outside of fine dining restaurants. I've met some really nice people, and we've had so much fun about two-thirds of the class is continuing on to the Advanced Training course.

My student teacher is doing his five day solo as required for his university grading, he made the funniest comment, "Mrs. F I now know why you sit down when we go to recess in the gym at the end of the day....it is tiring when you are running the whole class."

New Hair

Here is a picture of Jerry and I. I really like my new outfit. (Operation Stop Dressing Like a Vagabond...I've been getting lazy with what I wear to work, and it is sad because I have lots of nice clothing.)

Self-Portrait....HH is away, but it shows you my hair.

Tree Trunks in a World Full of Tooth Picks

Yesterday was very taxing on my mind. The scale is up some, my jeans fit tighter, and my mind was on mental overload. My thighs felt larger than the tree trunks of the Redwood Forest, and every where I looked I kept seeing women with these toothpick legs. It really was taxing my mind. I tried not to focus on it, but I couldn't help it.

I'm also mad at the system right now. A dear friend of mine is really burned out, she is one of these teachers who is amazing...yet the system has a way of breaking and wearing down these teachers. I have been in her shoes before. I'm going to have dinner with her tonight, and I hope to provide some encouragement.

Dr. Oz

Dr. Oz is having a show today in honoring his 100th episode by having people who have lost 100 pounds. It is very inspiring. He was talking about how the body starts to repair itself as you lose weight, which was encouraging to me....he was showing how your knee cartilage can tear apart, but how it can repair it also. My knees are an area that I have been concerned with. I don't want to be my mom, and need a knee replacement early in life.

I have struggled with squatting, because I couldn't do it with so much weight. When I started losing weight I "could" squat, but it was still painful and also awkward. I had not tried it in a long time, but today when I did it, it was not painful, but it still feels awkward. That makes me think that maybe the cartlidge in my knees is repairing itself.

Jamie Oliver's TED award speech.

I love me some Jamie Oliver!!! Great message!

Snow Day

We have a snow day here. I am taking HH to the airport shortly, and have decided to make the most of the day. I am going to get my hair cut and colored, and I'm also going to try to get inwith my PCP, instead of waiting for next month's appointment. I could make a big deal about having the day off, but why do that at all? I might as well enjoy it. :)

Letters to God Official Theatrical Trailer

I cannot wait to see this movie!

Valentine's Day: Part III

We went to Lynn's for our "Relive Your Prom" experience. Rachel brought homemade cupcakes that were decorated very festively.

GREAT FRIENDS!!!

Rachel made my necklace, bracelet, and earrings.

Fun, festive decor....always a Lynn's staple

The corsage that I made the big hype about....yeah, I FORGOT IT in our fridge. I felt so bad.

Here is a "picture of the picture" they took of us at Lynn's.....Prom King and Queen. :)

We've had a very festive evening...now it is time to relax.

On Love...

"You know you are in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss

Valentine's Day: Part II

This note was to make sure that HH didn't open the fridge to find the heart shapped pizza I cooked for him. No, this wasn't made from scratch, it was Papa Murphys. It was the first time I had their pizza, and I bought it strictly for the novelty, but it was pretty good.

This is not a great picture, but there are lamps lighting the walkway to our destination.

My fine dining companion:

Not too bad of a picture of me:

Holding the rose each lady was given for the evening:

Our event: An Evening Under the Stars. I wanted to do this last year, but it sold out by the time I learned about it.

Fun decor:

HH out on the dance floor bustin some moves. We first danced to a song to find out who was the oldest married couple. We were obviously out in the first minute, but the final couple had been married for 41 years. After that, we finished our dessert (it was supposed to be romantic and you share the dessert, but I am a total dessert girl, and wasn't down with the sharing. HH is so sweet, and let me eat most of it). The first dance song was "Billie Jean" by MJ, and Ben and I made a mad sprint heading to the dance floor.

Random piece of art I made HH stand by:

Yeah, he is that cool....

I got this dress today at Dress Barn, and I am really loving it!

Acting silly, pretending to bite the rose:

A man took this of us together, we will also get a professional portrait in the mail.

My favorite of HH and I:

HH is acting tomorrow at KidStuff, and because of pending weather we moved our dinner reservation up to four. That way we should be home when the bad weather hits.