Healthy = Happy

As most students know, eating on the cheap does not lend itself to healthy eating habits without a little forethought and effort. After my first few months on my own, I quickly realized cooking, and cooking well, was going to be a necessary part of life. Since my sophomore realization, I've really challenged myself to not only learn the basics of cooking, but to learn how to be a savvy eater on a dime and to enjoy the process. Part of enjoying the process has been grocery shopping, coupon clipping (believe it or not, I subscribe to CouponMom.com and regularly nab the Sunday Dispatch if only for the coupons) and seasonal eating. Cooking, and more importantly eating, has become a hobby of mine during my college years, and this post is dedicated to recent foodie adventures, in the kitchen and out.

Since living with my temporary roommates (the parents) I've been able to spend a little more time in one my favorite places, my mama's new kitchen. With many more ingredients at my fingertips and a much more expansive grocery budget I've been trying to work some wonders. Last summer I watched Forks Over Knives and Food, Inc. which got me thinking about what I was putting in my body and what I could proactively do to develop and healthy and happy body. I challenge you to check out your food labels. What are partially hydrogenated oils? What is xantham gum? Natural and artificial flavors? Food dyes? It's been long overdue that we investigate what food labels are really telling us. My rule of thumb is that if there are ingredients I can't pronounce, it's not going into my cart.

I'd say that my diet is probably 80/20 vegetarian, but I'm interested in learning more about veganism, so if you have any experience or suggestions leaning that way please let me know! I've made the switch to non-dairy milks and attempt to eat as close to nature as possible. I'm no saint, and I still enjoy Five Guys on occasion, so I'm not one to espouse changing your whole world view, but even the smallest adaptations can make a huge improvement in the way you feel. A natural love for vegetables has proven advantageous for me, but I'm just not sure about giving up cheese. A girl's gotta live a little.

Due to my short-term unemployment (more like month-long-leave-of-absence) and lack of necessity to accomplish a daily to-do list, I've been trolling Pinterest and healthy eating blogs. Greenplaterule.com has been an excellent resource for me. If you're looking for easy ways and recipes to incorporate more vegetables and natural sources of protein into your diet, this is definitely the site for you. It's a great first-step into the world of conscious eating. Below are some recent pics of my smoothie obsession. I've blending various combinations or almond milk, bananas, spinach, and chia seeds like it's my new job. This particular day I made the Banana Cinnamon smoothie, recipe found here. Super delicious, low in sugar, and chock full of good-for-you-ness made this recipe was a winner. I'm proud to say Dad's daily fix has moved from coffee to smoothies. Sara-1, Caffeine Addiction-0.

We're ready to blend!

Finished product. Eagerly finished these in just a couple minutes.

Thankfully, my parents understand my irrational and persistent love for produce, and therefore kindly took me to Central Market, the Foodie Mecca this week. Now, I love Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, don't get me wrong, but CM is a whole new world. I was unable to snap any pictures inside (apparently that's against the rules...) but I did get some exciting photographs from outside. Look at the joy on my face! With produce, spirits, and natural beauty products out the wazoo I definitely was a happy camper to browse for a few hours. 

Even their bags know we're all really into food.

Now this, this is joy.

I plan to try out more exciting vegetarian recipes this week, so wish me luck! The foodie adventures are only just beginning. 

Home.

I gratefully received many donations to the "Sara-is-now-a-poor-graduate-student,-please-help" fund post-graduation. These wonderful gifts from loved ones require a little piece of gratitude, the always necessary thank you note. I strangely enjoy writing and sending these notes because I am truly so thankful to have such outstanding people in my life and I often do not take the time to express how much they mean to me. Something necessary for said notes, however, is the return address. Simple enough. You write down your home address and you are on your way. But what if you don't have a home address? Or better still, what if you don't know which address to put down because you have more than one home?

I've come across a few people who say that home can only ever be one place. A single place? One space to call home? While perhaps most people have that sole address to use as their home, not all of us fall so neatly into single-space dwellers. On the search for what home really means, I decided to consult an expert. Merriam-Webster defines it this way:

Main Entry: ¹home 
Pronunciation: hm
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English hom, from Old English hm "village, home"
1 a : the house in which a person or family lives b : ¹HOUSE 1
2 : a family living together in one dwelling
3 : the place where something is usually or naturally found : HABITAT <the home of the elephant>
4 a : a place of origin <salmon returning to their home to spawn> b : the country or place where one lives or where one's ancestors lived
5 : a place for the care of persons unable to care for themselves <old people's home>
6 : the goal in some games; especially : HOME PLATE
- home·like  /-lk/ adjective
- at home : relaxed and comfortable 

I don't have anything to say for number 6, but I can address the rest. Fortunate enough to dwell in a few places, my families can now be found in houses in Grove City, Ohio and Fort Worth, Texas. As it says in number 3, I am "usually or naturally found" in the home I've made with my best friend/ sister/ soulmate Bailey in our apartment, lovingly called "608". My place of origin, the place I am technically "from" is Springfield, Ohio. All these places are unique and special to me, not for the structure but for the individuals within it. 

^^^The last picture taken at my Springfield home

Saying goodbye to 3417 Ventura was hard this week. We all shed a few tears, and when we pulled out of the driveway for the last time, I was a little overwhelmed with nostalgia. For the years of baby pools and swingsets, for the backyard barbecues, for the middle school birthday sleepovers, the front-porch break-ups, the skinnydipping, and lightning-bug capturing. But leaving that brick ranch wasn't the difficult part, it was the people: the neighbors who became family, and the friends who supported me in my darkest moments. I often naysay Springfield, complaining about what it lacks and how I would change it, but that place made me who I am today. The county fair, the icy country roads, the reservoir and bike path... all of that is part of my story. 

I'm sure I'll have an entire blogpost dedicated to leaving my apartment when the time comes, but thinking about 608 and the moments that have filled that little space hardly allow me to call it anything but a home. It's where, over the last 3 years, I've lived out most of my days and figured out who truly I am. Many deep thoughts, popcorn, and tears and laughter have found themselves between those walls.

On the verge of moving to the Columbus suburbs, I'm almost ready to call Grove City a home. I'm thrilled to wake up every morning to eat breakfast with my baby sister, to run around the block with my father, and to have movie nights with my stepmom. More to come on all of that this fall.

And finally, there's a new space for me in Fort Worth, where my mama and daddy and little brother are settling in with our pups. We've already christened  this new place with laughter and a couple spills, so it's definitely feeling like home. The next few weeks here are certainly going to be an adventure. 

I'm thankful to have so many places to call home, places to dwell filled with people I love and who love me more than I deserve. Each  has come with its challenges and lessons, but something I've learned along the way is that anywhere those you consider family are, so too is your home. 

Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (2009)

Collecting Moments

The past week feels like a blur. A sea of chaos. A shared graduation party with my brother, the transport of much of my life from the home I've grown up in to another, an attempt at organization (which included more purging than organization, to be honest) and goodbyes to wonderful people. 

The conclusion I've drawn over the past week is an aggregate of these experiences. I have spent much of my time and money collecting things. No, I don't actually collect anything nifty or have a hobby revolved around finding special pieces. It's just a bunch of junk. Receipts, magazines, clothes that have never and will never fit, trinkets (the worst), and an assortment of useless doodads. Removing the unnecessary excess has been therapeutic. Cleaning out and starting fresh is something I have long been looking forward to. 

I'm not sentimental, but there were times I didn't want to throw something out, to just tuck it away once again. And I think this is a rut we all get ourselves into now and again. Could I repurpose it? I might need it someday. But such-and-such gave it to me 5 years ago... If it doesn't mean enough to remember that I even have it, it needs to go.

Which leads me to the realization. Things are just that. Objects taking up space. Some we love, few are essential, and a lot of it is just clutter. How wonderful would it be if we let more people take up space and less stuff? We often long to keep so many inanimate objects, but don't take the time to work on keeping our relationships.

I've spent a lot of my time, energy, and money recently on people. At this turning point in life, many of those I've spent late nights, early mornings, and long days with are going to be gone. Off onto new and wonderful adventures: graduate school, careers, traveling, and the like. Some are even finding themselves getting hitched. Life happens fast, and instead of sitting in my room admiring all the pretty things (or truly lack thereof), I have pushed myself to get out there with people. Meals and coffee/tea runs, drinks, and late night rendezvous are the collection of memories I'm growing. 

I am overwhelmed by the love and kindness of others, especially the surprise visitors and thoughtful words. The outpouring of support and generosity always astounds me, but it shouldn't because I am surrounded by such quality individuals. From a kind note, a graduation gift, a meal, a beer, a listening ear, or a helping hand, I'm appreciating the intangible things in life more than ever.

Sure, I'm a little more sleep deprived than normal,moving and life changes are a bit stressful, and my wallet is a little leaner, but the conversations, smiles, and laughter I'm committing to memory are well worth it. Thanks for being a part of my story.

Day 1. The beginning of an era.

I never thought of myself as one to blog. Why waste my time in front of a screen sharing my ramblings with the interwebs (thanks, Stevie, for bringing that word into my vocabulary...)? I don't journal, and I prefer to share my life happenings with people individually. However, I am often weeks and months behind on sharing the biggest moments in life with those I love. So here we are, on a beautiful summer day post-graduation and I find myself wanting, needing, a place to reflect on the wonders of my life. 

With all the transition - emotional, physical, geographic, and otherwise - I have decided to use this as my medium to share my moments, good and bad, with my friends and family. If nothing else, it will be my record of doings and a collection of thoughts throughout the next phase of life. I strive to share laughter and love, good news and bad, surprise adventures, delicious recipes, DIY projects gone awry, good books, and my meandering mind.

I've got a list of goals for this summer of change. I'm a list-maker, I'm task-oriented, but also a procrastinator. Hopefully this list will challenge the stubborn little girl within to grow up and get a grip on things. Life's a-changin' and I've got some stuff to do. Publishing this will help hold me to it, right?!

1. Participate in the "Run Like A Girl 10k" in October (I have some preparing to do for this one...)

2. Organize. I'm starting on my own and my life is cluttered. Clear out the junk and move on.

3. Clean Eating. Cooking is one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling parts of my day, and I'm excited to share fun and easy recipes.

4. Read more. I've been putting this on the back burner for so long, and it's time to clear the cobwebs from my Want-To-Read list on goodreads.com

5. Watch more documentaries. Let's be honest, so many movies are trash and there are people out there who are trying to share the stories of real people doing really amazing things. And who doesn't love learning something?

Now that I've shared my Top 5 (this list is significantly longer) and started a blog in one day, I'm going to call it a good day's work. Here's to what's next. Cheers.