My Cravings/Food Aversions

Soooo...............being pregnant has certainly changed my palate! What I once considered very yummy foods, I now think on with disgust and near nausea. I can't talk about cooked meats, except for ones I rarely have. Mom's roast still sounds good to me, though, so I must still be me! :) But chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken just makes me want to hurl. Period. I'm ok with bacon (though I think it gave me heartburn or something the other night), and Slim Jims. Yeah, I know--those are full of fat and bad stuff. But since it's dried and I don't have it often, it doesn't turn me off. Also, at this point my sisters have told me to just eat what sounds good. I've been eating a lot of fresh vegetables. And pickles--with everything! Yes, here was my dinner the other night...

Looks good, right? Mmmm hmmm! Hashbrowns and bacon, complete with a pickle! Somehow Clausson pickles go with everything these days for me! I think it helps balance the blandness of the raw vegetables. I like how juicy they are! But I've also been eating fresh fruits and berry and yogurt smoothies after my runs, so that's good. It's hard to know what I'll like, though. For instance, the other day I bought a bunch of tomatoes and some salad fixings. Well, wouldn't you know? I don't want to eat tomatoes! So... I gave them (along with my once yummy avocado) to my neighbor. End of story. I may end up giving her the lettuce, too, if we don't eat it up soon. It's not that I'm revolted by the idea of a salad, but I've had a lot lately, and I think there's really something about the dressings I have that turns me off. I dunno.

Something else I've been craving.......

Ice cold water with a slice of lime in it! So refreshing. :) Thanks for the suggestion to get a lime, Denise. :)

Ok, so that's all I have to report today. Super interesting. If anybody has some creative ideas for different things to eat, please let me know! I have a hard time thinking outside the box.

Ta ta!

Race Schedule

So the other day Joe came up with a list of races for us to do together as we prepare for my first half-marathon. They are as follows:

March 10 - Run with Trish 5k for Team Hoyt
March 17 - Run for Education 8k (my first 8k!)
April 21 - 44th Annual Chickamauga Chase 15k (my first 15k as well)
And then finally.......
May 19 - Viola Valley Half Marathon (WAhoo!)

So there it is. A schedule of races to help me train and boost my morale and continue to strive to go farther. :)

Hullo, World!

Well, this is a first for me. I have never ever written a blog before, but I finally felt it was time to do it. Maybe it's because of the recent monumental changes in my life that I have given in to this. I thought about creating a blog years ago, but I nixed the idea, thinking that just writing about me would be too self-focused. Now, however, I have someone other than myself to write about, so I can't get too self-absorbed, can I? Also, because I'm living away from all my family and nearly everyone I know, I feel it will be a good way to share with others what's going on in Our Life here.

Sooo...that all being said, I'll proceed to do what I promised to do--write about our life here in Signal Mountain! It's...different. It's good. And most importantly, it's where God wants us--no doubt about that! It has forced both Joe and me to stretch and grow in many, many ways. Joe is a fantastic teacher at the middle school about three miles from our apartment. He continues to impress the principal and other teachers with his leadership, creativity, and enthusiasm. He's pretty much "blown some people out of the water." I'm very proud of him for how hard he works to provide for us and how well he does it.

As for me, I hate my job. Period. I know it's bad to say, and I should be grateful (and I am!), but seriously! It is SO NOT what I thought it would be. I basically sit with two kids after school and try to help them with homework/entertain them/keep them out of trouble until their parents pick them up. That can take up to two hours, people. TWO HOURS! I dunno, maybe I'm being a big whiner, but it's been a lot tougher than I thought it would be.(I've had more kids than this in the program, but some have moved, dropped out, etc.) Also, every  kid that has been in the program except one has had some kind of disorder, which is fine, although it has made it even more difficult for me to know how to handle the myriad of situations that have come up. I basically feel useless, uninspired, and a little embarrassed. Ok, not completely useless, but kind of like, "Really? Do you really need someone to do this job???" It's not what I thought it would be and it's certainly not what I want it to be, but I believe God put me here for specific reasons. Mom pointed out that this is good for me, because it is preparing me to better interact with kids and parents when I start up my studio. That's true. And it's certainly led me to pray for several students and their families, because it's opened my eyes to the hard life that some of them have. However, I cannot wait till summer break and I am done for GOOD!!! The "Hallelujah Chorus" will be playing as soon as I step out that front door!

So yeah...that's a very basic overview of our life here. More details to come... :)