six months...

And here we are, almost exactly six months since I've posted a thing. I have an excuse. Actually, I have plenty of excuses, but none of them are nearly good enough. Suffice it to say, I went through a bit of a lack of creativity.
But here we are in December. And not only should I have more things to say about school, but I should also have more creative and good things to say about my wedding planning. Yes, legitimate wedding planning. For my legitimate wedding. This wedding will occur on June 16th, and I will be marrying my best friend and love, Andrew :)
So friends, I plan on blogging much more. I plan on blogging about school and about my students and about my adventures during my first year of living on my own and most importantly, I plan on blogging about my wedding and my planning and how great and stressful that will be.
I am so excited. But for now, I will merely post a picture of myself and my fantastic Andrew.

This photo was taken at a Halloween party. He was dressed as Ron Swanson (of Parks and Rec) and I was dressed as a Capitol Citizen (from The Hunger Games).

10 reasons i can't wait until fall...

 1. legwarmers...

2. tights...

 3. cardigans (backwards...










and regular)...

4. oversized sweaters...

5. hats...

6. layers...

7. socks...

8. jackets...

9. scarves...

10. and, my most recent fashion discovery that i haven't been able to try yet: tights and shorts!...

making a grocery tote.

i've been thinking for a while that i need a reusable grocery bag, and as a knitter, i have wanted to make one of those awesome knitted grocery bags. so today i did some research and found three patterns that may be possible for me to make, considering my limited knitting skills. all three also look purty nice too :)

this is actually my favorite looking. the pattern
can be found here

this is my second favorite
and the pattern can be found
here

of the three this is my least favorite
looking. additionally it does
not seem like it would be as effective
because the handles are ribbons,
which would make me extremely
nervous. but this is also the
easiest as far as stitches, etc.
the pattern is here

i would like to make a decision about which one to make before tomorrow night so that i can run to the store after work to buy the supplies to get started. but i can tell you now, i think i'm going to take a risk and try #1, just because it is so gorgeous :)

wondering...

so...here's what i've been thinking about lately:
since i'm moving to canton in a few months, i will be very close to places...within walking and bike riding distance of places.
i've been thinking for a while about getting a bike and riding around to work and school every so often. but also having a car in order to have the freedom to drive places whenever i need to. like my parents house, which is a half hour away.
but today my dad came in to talk to me about this idea. he suggested that i invest some money in a good bike and take some bike safety courses RATHER than buying a car.
i honestly love this idea for a variety of reasons.
firstly, riding a bike everywhere would help me stay in shape...it would be exercise that is included in my necessary daily routine.
secondly, i don't like being reliant on oil companies for my transportation.
thirdly, biking is good for the environment
fourthly, i'd save a ton of money by doing this...not buying a car, paying for insurance, paying for gas, etc.
fifthly(?),  i would very much be reinforcing everyone's view of me as a hippie :)

so now some downsides:
firstly, weather...what about the days when the weather is really crappy? (my dad suggested just riding the bus on those days...which would be better than riding the bus all the time, which i was considering for awhile).
secondly, what about when i want to visit my parents (for food) or my grandparents (for free bread)...i guess i could always bum my boyfriend's car from him whenever i need to do something and he doesn't need it. i don't know. only if he lets me.

so...what should i do?

OR.....

fairest of them all...

yesterday my parents took my siblings and i to a water park. it was great fun, especially since i hadn't been to a water park in several years. it was a lot of fun, really. here's the thing: i have extremely fair skin. the last few weeks i have been trying to get some color on my legs by just not putting sunscreen on them. so yesterday, although i put sunscreen on my back, arms, face, etc. twice, i didn't put any on my legs. every safety break, i would lay on my stomach to try and help my legs. this plan probably would have been alright, except that i accidentally took an hour-long nap...

now the back of my legs are super, super red. and on fire. i don't think i have ever had a sunburn this bad. i'm literally hobbling around my house like an old woman. i know this is gross, but i feel like i have giant scabs on the back of my knees, which makes stairs and sitting incredibly painful.

this said, i'm trying to find some natural relief for sunburn. i usually trust aloe with my life, but when i used it this time, my legs stuck together. unsticking them was so, so, so painful.

just to let you know, googling natural relief for sunburn is rather confusing because there are far too many things to choose from. the two things i settled on: black tea and this weird mixture of water, vinegar, lavender oil and tea tree oil (found here), which smelled SUPER weird. i'm really not sure how well either of these things worked. my legs are feeling slightly better right now, but still not great. i think i'm going to try avocados tonight. maybe. for now i'm just sitting in bed trying to not move excessively. i'm really sad that i can't run or really do many other productive things today, but it is really not fun to move. and of course, i have to work tonight.

oh well. at least i'll have some color on my legs now :P

SUMMER TO-DO LIST

1. make some moolah!


2. get a job for the school year.


3. pack up my stuff (down-size too!)


4. make purty things:

make a gorgeous maxi dress

a crocheted shopping bag...

a ribbon necklace

earring hanger

paint chip calendar...dry erase!

glue and fabric flower pots

5. buy a super awesome vehicle.

6. buy college textbooks.

7. sell college books

8. start an online store!

9. spend some wonderful time with arch-man :)

10. visit New York 

11. BLOG MORE...

best friend.

Best friends: they are awesome. Louisa and I have known each other since we were 5, and have been best friends since a little bit after. The stories are different on both sides...I thought she was my best friend by the time we were 6, but apparently she hated me until we were 10 :P

Regardless, we have been friends for a long time. When she moved to Montana when we were 14, right before our freshman year of high school, it was the most heartbreaking time. Ever. 

Since she left, she has visited Ohio several times, and I have been to Montana once (wow, I suck). And hopefully she will be visiting again this summer. And today is her 20th birthday. 

It's crazy to think that we are both 20 now. Time has flown by so quickly. I wish that we could have spent the last 6 years together, but I am incredibly thankful for the times that we have had together, as brief as they may have been. Long distance relationships are always really difficult, and we've certainly had our good times and our bad, but no matter what happens, I always know that you will be there for me. Every time we talk on the phone or anytime we see each other, it's as if you never left. 

I hope against hope that you will be able to visit this summer. I can't wait to have sleepovers again. And eat toilet paper. And stalk Mitchell Davis. And go on roadtrips. And most importantly, I can't wait for you to meet my other best friend, Andrew. 

I love you and I am blessed to have such a best friend as you. Thanks for the insane memories...here's to 20+ more years of those crazy times!

one of our very first wonderful sleepovers :)

the two of us before we sang a duet of "red river valley" together
at a co-op program :)

louisa's first visit after she moved away. according to the
date on the bottom of this picture...summer 2007

we were pretending to be queens...?

a scanned photo from louisa's childhood scrapbook.

i think this was before she left? regardless, we had just had
hot chocolate from muggs, which was really thick and kept
coating our teeth with brown gross-looking stuff. so what
did we do? spent the entire time trying to freak people out
by smiling at them....

summer of 2009

january 2010

summer 2010, our excursion to zacharyland :)

A Month Later...

Haha...I'm apparently really bad at keeping up with the blog.
Since my last post, a few things have happened:

1. Jesus rose from the dead! Pascha was gorgeous. It was wonderful to

see all of my newly-illumined brothers and sisters experience the

absolute joy of the day for the first time. And, it is so wonderful to still

be singing "Christ is Risen". For some reason this year, the Pascha

service felt shorter than it ever has, and the 40 days following have felt

way longer than they usually do, which is nice. I like singing "Christ is

Risen" and "The Angel Cried" for such an extended period of time. It's

helpful to remind all of us about how important Christ's resurrection was and still is.



2. ANDREW'S HOME!

That was something else that made Pascha absolutely

incredible. Here we are the night that he got home. This

picture was taken several hours after he got off his flight from

England, and after he had only had about 2 hours of sleep in

24 hours. Poor guy...he was totally exhausted. But it's so, so,

so wonderful to have him home again. Of course, now that it's

summer and we both have to work a lot, we aren't really able

to see each other a lot, but it's still great to know that he's only

a half hour away :) I love this guy like CRRRRRAZY!

3. Chorale tour. We wandered through various places in Ohio,

went to Rochester NY, and finally ended up at Niagara Falls.

Although the actual places that we visited tended to be kinda

lame (except for Rochester and a small town in Ohio called

Granville), it was wonderful to spend so much time with such

a fantastic group of people. I miss everybody a lot. Especially

my tour roommate and wonderful friend, Alex (who is actually

in Italy right now...). I can't wait for Chorale stuff next year :)



Since getting back from tour, very little has happened. Just work. And housework. And for some reason no blogging...which is going to change. Happy summer!

Burp-day

Yesterday was my 20th birthday. As I mentioned in a previous post, I really don't know how this happened, but it is rather intimidating. And exciting. An exceptionally wise gentleman at my church keeps telling me that I shouldn't be afraid of this, rather I should be so excited, because I will have so many great experiences and adventures in my 20s. So, what I approached before as something that was frightening and intimidating, I am now approaching as an opportunity. An opportunity to get a few steps closer to the person I am meant to be and the person I have always wanted to be. In fact, every day truly is an opportunity to do this! Life is so scary and SO exciting!
And I do have so many adventures ahead of me. I'm so excited to see what happens in my life in the next few years :)
Since my family and I were not able to have cake yesterday, we had some today for breakfast.

Got a lot of comments from my siblings about the amount
of fire that was on my cake this year :P

I directed my family in singing a medley
of birthday songs. 

Applauding my family's singing capabilities

I took my time in taking the first bite of cake.
I just like making my family suffer as they wait
to eat theirs :P

DEE-licious, as always :)

Mama and daughter enjoying some birthday
deliciousness

So there you go. Happy day everyone! It's trying to snow here in Ohio and that is not especially pleasant for my sandaled feet (I wore them  because I was greatly wishing that it would be nice today. Apparently the weather does not pay attention to my wishes...). May your life be treating you beautifully today!

Counting Things

So many reasons for Hallelujahs today!
1. 30 minute presentation in Language Development and Differences (the equivalent of our final exam in this class) is DONE! It was a full half hour all on my own. I got to be the first one to present, which was ridiculously nerve-wracking, but it's amazing to know that I am done. The only thing that I have to do in this class in the next 4 weeks is to sit and listen to everyone else and then eat the lunch that our professor brings in during our final exam period :) :) :)

2. We're at 11 DAYS until my Mr. Archer comes home to me. Today, 11 (my favorite number) means something even more than it usually does :) I cannot wait to see him, hold his hand, hug him, go to church with him, have coffee with him, go on walks with him. Just in general, I'm so excited. So, so, so  excited. All I want to do right now is just sit down and smile for a long time...I am so unmotivated to do my school work.


3. 1 cup of coffee. I definitely love going to Muggswigz onTuesdays. I will certainly be keeping this up when school is done. I love being in Muggs so much :)

4. SIX more days and I will be 20.
Oh tomatoes...when did this happen??
I still feel like I should be 12. Since when
am I almost into the double decades?
Yeah man....this is some crazy stuff here.

5. Pascha (Orthodox Easter) is in 12 days. I am so pumped, both for Pascha and for Holy Week. Holy Week is the most incredible experience, in which one, through the services of the church, walks with Christ as He approaches the Cross. We spend at least two hours a day in church during Holy Week, starting with Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday). On that day, 5 of my wonderful friends are gettin' "Orthodoxed", and I am so happy, happy for them!

More on Holy Week and Pascha later :)

yummy yummy.

Yogurt...it's absolutely delicious, super healthy and......i just learned how to make it by myself!!!
It was actually surprisingly easy, and since I'm generally the person in our family who eats the most yogurt in an attempt to be healthy, my parents decided that I will have to make yogurt for myself from now on.
So here is how it's done:

STEP ONE: Pour 1 gallon of milk into a pan.

Turn the stove to medium heat and heat the milk

to 180 degrees. When making yogurt, watching

temperature is the most essential thing. Bacteria

can only grow in certain temperatures, and yogurt

is all about the bacteria. Be super attentive to the

thermometer throughout the process.

I did some homework while I waited :P

Stir occasionally so that the milk doesn't stick to

the bottom. Now it's just time to sit and wait.....


STEP TWO: When the milk reaches 180 degrees,

turn off the heat. Put the pan in the sink and fill it

about halfway with cold water. If there is a desire

to speed things up, one could drain the sink and

refill. Again, it is essential to watch the

temperature for this step...the goal is to take it out

of the sink when it reaches 115 degrees.

*this is crucial: when it reaches 115 degrees add 1 cup of plain (we usually use whole milk, organic)

yogurt. This is called the starter. My dad uses pre-made cubes of frozen yogurt. About 4 of them when

the milk reaches 120 degrees. Either way...ADD YOGURT STARTER!

STEP THREE: Once the pan is out of the sink,

put it in jars. Put the jars in a cooler. Fill the cooler

3/4 of the way with warm water (around 115

degrees). At our house, we can just use the hot

water from the tap and it turns out to be about that

temperature. Let the yogurt sit in the cooler for 6-

8 hours (overnight is ideal). When you take it out

of the cooler, you can eat it immediately if you're

okay with warm yogurt. It's definitely best to put it in the fridge in the morning.

Needless to say, I am incredibly excited to have delicious homemade yogurt for breakfast tomorrow morning!

you are my light.

this afternoon while i was sitting at muggswigz drinking coffee and reading for my class, a young man started up a conversation with me. he was a fascinating, enterprising guy who told me all about his 4 rap albums that he had produced, the several books of poetry that he had published and his plans for the future books that he plans to publish. we had a great conversation, truly. and then he asked me whether i write or not.  told him that i did, but that i was not entirely confident in my ability to do so. when i told him this, he explained that he likes teaching people to write, and that he would like to try an exercise with me. so we wrote together. we wrote alternating lines of a poem, 8 lines each. and it had to be the first thing that came to mind. it was honestly very fun, which i was not expecting. and then he told me that he would like to publish it in his next book, which would feature a lot of collaborations like this, between himself and many other people. so...as soon as i email him with the poem, he will include it in this book, and i will be a published writer.... :)
so, here's our collaboration (it's not great, but it's something and it was fun)

You Are My Light
Today is the loveliest of lovely days
I'm so thankful that I see blessings my way
Thankful that the day is fast approaching
So much to do, so much to look forward to
So much, so, so much to do...but this is almost over
The day flew by like the breeze in the sky
And that bright day is so close I can taste it
Smell it, feel it, can you believe the beauty of nature
The flower in my hair smelled so alive
My eyes are radiant, my vision is clear as I focus into the light
The light of everything that we have ever been, ever will be and always are
The light that inspires me to keep moving on
The seal-like laughter echoing in my memory
In this life, there are many things that I hold dear to my heart
You are my favorite...the sweetest thing I have ever known and ever missed this much
So to love you in my life is the best thing that ever happened to me and I love you very much

my newest favorite television program is the show "new girl". it's about a quirky teacher (zooey deschanel) who, upon walking in on her boyfriend with another woman, moves into an apartment with three ridiculous guys. the show is sweet, as they all learn how to deal with the quirks that each one brings to the table. but mostly the main character, jess, is just to cute. in so many ways do i want to be her when i grow up. here are a few of my favorite clips:



 this one truly shows how ridiculous and quirky she can be (the teeth!)...she just seems like she would be such a cool teacher.

 

this one reminds me a lot of myself...hating horror movies, ruining movies because i talk during them and getting easily distracted by ice cream...

 

 the awkwardness in the clip just made me want to die laughing.

 

 and...the ribbon hat. best ever.

there are also several jess quotations that i just love...

-in a rant to a woman who does not like her, jess says:
"I brake for birds, I rock a lot of polka dots, I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours, [...] and I find it fundamentally strange that you’re not a dessert person. That’s just weird, and it freaks me out. And I’m sorry I don’t talk like Murphy Brown, and I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it, or something to make it just slightly cuter....I’m about to go pay this $800 fine, and my checks have baby farm animals on them, bitch!" (of course if i could have actually found a clip of this, it would have been way better, but this is still great...)

-to the same woman:

"If I acted like you at work my students would turn in really weird, dark dioramas."

-"Are you sure you're okay? You're walking like a Disney witch. Let me drive you to your doctor."


-"He's so soft, like a towel."

-Jess: "$550 for the TV?! Seems a little steep. I'm gonna write down a figure, and this is as high as I'll go."

Pawnshop dude: "You drew a smiley face."

-"Jess: No! I can't call Spencer I haven't talked to him since he cheated on me with that ho! Actually, that's not fair. She might be a really nice ho."

-"I have to get to school cause it's astronomy day and I'm dressing up as Galileo, so I have to put on my beard."

-Schmidt: "I'll take you through the whole thing. I'll be like your guide."
Jess: "Like Gandolf through Middle Earth?"
Schmidt: "Probably not like... Okay, first of all, let's take the Lord of the Rings references and put them in a deep, dark cave, where no one's gonna find them. Ever."
Jess: "Except Smeagle. He lives in a cave."


OH, and she sings. all the time. about everything that she's doing. she even made up her own theme song. anyway, i just really want to be her when i grow up. because apparently my life is centered around TV :P

"i fear i shall never get enough of you, my dear

this was written and posted on my old tumblr on november 19, 2010. it's lovely to read back through all of the posts that i wrote as i was falling in love with andrew. this made me want to cry because i miss him so much.

darling friend,

it’s been a few months since the music indoctrinations began. since the library walks started to become a routine. since we established our shared love of cardigans/sweaters.

somehow, while we were walking, singing, driving, climbing (trees!), skipping, puddling, crunching, reading, shopping, eating, etc, i fell for you.

i try to look back and see that moment when exactly i knew that i wanted to stay by your side for a long time (possibly forever).

it may have been when you tried greek dancing with me.

or maybe our 1:30am trip to waffle house.

was it when we were picking out all of those great old man sweaters at salvation army?

maybe when you met my family and they loved you and you loved them right back?

maybe it was when you made me laugh so much that i fell in a bunch of leaves.

was it all of those times that you looked at me with those lovely brown eyes and laughingly told me how ridiculous i was?

or maybe that morning 6 days ago when we decided that this would be official?

how about the time i randomly decided that i was hungry for egg rolls, so we bought some.

or when you were going to surprise me with an umbrella…it is the thought that counts…

what about the two shiny pennies and the wishes in the dark?

or last night when you texted me that i am “the finest example of a woman i’ve ever had the privilege of knowing…”

the more i think about it, the more i become awed by this situation. i honestly don’t think it was any specific event that made me fall for you. it was always being with you. knowing that i have your support. always being able to rant to you if i have the need to do so. sitting in silence while doing our homework. feeling your hand touch my knee for a split second before you go back to reading. loving life with you. being your best friend more than anything.

i think dreams really do come true.

you make me feel like a princess, a proper lady, a little girl and an old woman all at the same time =)

thanks for being such a pal. for being the best boyfriend ever. for being all that i ever hoped and dreamed for. you’re so good.

i can’t wait to see you at dinner tonight. and tightly hold your hand. and smile up at you. and feel the butterflies in my tummy.

sincerely,

bailzebub

andrew, whenever you read this...i love you with all of me. happy 1 year and 4 months today :P

studies have shown...

-students who use flash cards will do better if the card is round. a circle is the most recognizable shape and students can focus better because the round shape is less distracting than squares or rectangles

- movement is the only experience that unites all brain levels and integrates the left and right hemisphere of the brain in young students.

- thematic instruction improves learning by helping students to identify patterns and build on prior knowledge

-analogies, similes and metaphors enhance learning by linking abstract concepts and visualizations.

-the brain is not wired for long attention spans. attention is focused in short bursts. the optimum sustained attention span is roughly equivalent in minutes to the child's age.


YAY holistic classrooms and student-centered teaching! i love when scientists figure out that humans are totally not designed to learn primarily through rote memorization and drills, etc.
creative teaching!
thanks to my textbook (Characteristics of and Strategies for Teaching Students with Mild Disabilities).
i thoroughly enjoyed reading this section...

wishing i had my camera....

today has been phenomenal.
first off...i'm wearing this great new jacket for the first time:

 secondly, this weather is just...sigh :)
because of this lovely day, i was able to eat my lunch in the park, walk through the mud barefoot and read my favorite part in catching fire while i was sitting in the sun, sun, sun! (p.s. my favorite part is when her dress turns into a mockingjay. cinna is just one of the most phenomenal characters.

and now? now i'm sitting in muggswigz drinking coffee and attempting to write a paper. 

and i just got off the phone with someone from giant eagle who informed me that i get to move to the next step in their interview process :)

what a grand day.

days like this remind me of how beautiful God is and how wonderful He was to bless us with such a wonderful world.

also, this weather makes me miss andrew a lot more than usual. if he were here, we would walk to the library or in the pretty neighborhood or to the park. it would have been a great day and i would have had some company. as it is, i'm having a pretty great day, just solo.

now about this paper...

how awesome is this...

oh, one more thing...
I HAVE A WEDDING DRESS!
i don't have an engagement ring or anything else that would be essential in the planning of a wedding. but i do have a dress. because my grandfather found this:

while we were in oregon, i saw this picture and i fell in love with the dress. i asked my grandpa about it and he told me that they had donated it to a university drama department about 3 years ago. i asked him if he could look for it, but i didn't get my hopes up, because i was not at all expecting him to find it. but several weeks ago my grandpa facebooked me to tell me that he had found the dress.

so now i have a wedding dress, one of the most essential things in planning a wedding. it is so weird to think about that. i haven't yet tried it on, because it is still in oregon, and i'm expecting it to need cleaned and altered, but it is still SO EXCITING!

on being old(er)

In less than a month, I will be turning 20. It is strange to think about being an adult, which prompted me to start reading some of my old journals. Most of them are so boring...silly prattle about boys that I liked at the time. It's slightly annoying how much I wrote about that.
But here are some funny excerpts from my journals...warning: I was super weird.

January 16, 2002
Dear Diary, 
Today we heard terrible news. Father David has resined, it means he will never be our priest again. Dad has told us not to talk to our friends about it


July 17, 2002
Dear Diary, 
Today the Wilkinsons are leaving for theire trip :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( 
They are going to be gone for 3 weeks :( :( :(
The other day at the library, Ethan, Mommy and I learned to paint ourselves like clowns. Then mom suggested that we be clowns in Dormition Fest (but I hav'nt called Fr. John yet.) So Sophie, Justin, Ethan, Louisa and I are going to be clowns.


November 14, 2003
...On my way to basketball today, mom told me she is PREGNANT! It'll be 6 kids! Since tomorrow is the beginning of the Nativity fast, mom told me so that I wouldn't get suspicious when she ate meat or cheese. I could hardly speak when she told me. I want it to be a girl named Cassia (haha, YES!) When the baby is born, we will be in the new house, which means as soon as the baby gets out the the newborn baby thingy, it will either sleep with Ethan (if its a boy) or with me (a girl).
So much has been happening lately. We put our house up for sale, we are going to have an open house on Sunday, we started basketball, mom's pregnant, Aidan is 2, we will be moving soon, whew. I guess I can look forward to some pretty busy months ahead. 


April 23, 2004
Today was not a good day (morning at least.) Well, I had an order of cookies for the Bailey's, and I had to finish them this morning. After awhile of baking, Mom and Dad began yelling at me, so finally dad left and then I kept spilling things. I cried and cried.


August 16, 2005
Hello!
The Wilkinsons got back from their annual month-long trip today. I missed them so much...
I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to see them. (Well really the only person I was happy to see was Weezer, noone else.)
We talked for ages, walking around the block, eating pizza. We swapped cute boy stories, talked about sex, boys, periods, and next school year....
I MISS THIS!!!!!!


April 11, 2006
This is the worst day of my life.
Well, I have lots to say about my birthday and Ben, but I'm not going to. I have to say this first. Louisa called this morning and told me that they are moving-to Billings, Montana. 
On my B-day, she gave mea card~I didn't read it before she ripped it up, but she told me that she would tell me later. She dropped a few hints all day, and by last night I kind of guessed it. I was really hoping it wouldn't be true. But it is.
We've been friends for 8 years, they've lived here for 9. Over the years, our friendship has gotten so much richer and more wonderful. I can't stand it that she's leaving. Mom has given me 1 hour to cry before I start school. I am so depressed. Hoe can this happen? I can't write any more.


April 15, 2008 
Well, my obsession with U2 and Larry has decreased, but only a bit. I try to keep myself to only liking Andrew (Kantzos), and I do like him. A lot, and I constantly talk about him, however, he's not the one that I constantly think of. I hate myself for obsessing over a 50 year old rock star, but I can't seem to stop...Catherine and Hannah (El and Sophie) are going around giving special friends special names. I'm Jane, for instance. I have been asking Cath...er...El to help me think of a name for Andrew so that I can talk about him, even on Myspace and he'll never know. 


I would keep writing, but I need to get on with other things, so I'm not really feeling the re-typing of things. There will hopefully be several more of these posts, because there are so many more journals...hilarious journals. I am so happy that I found them!

more healthy stuff..

Kombucha tea..tonight I got to try it for the first time. It is a beverage the ancient Chinese called the “Immortal Health Elixir” and it's been around for more than 2,000 years. It has a rich anecdotal history of preventing and fighting cancer, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases.
The taste was...interesting. Not unpleasant, at least. So then my dad told me all about how awesome kombucha is and now I'm totally hooked. It may not be the best tasting stuff in the world, but it has so many benefits:


*Probiotics – healthy bacteria
*Alkalize the body – balances internal pH
*Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood
*Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine
*Improve digestion – keep your system moving
*Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism
*Cancer prevention
*Alleviate constipation
*Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue
*Reduce blood pressure
*Relieve headaches & migraines
*Reduce kidney stones
*High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer
*High in polyphenols
*Improve eyesight
*Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin
*Prevent artheriosclerosis
*Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact
*Help clear up candida & yeast infections
*Aid healthy cell regeneration
*Reduce gray hair
*Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating
(http://www.kombuchakamp.com/)

Thanks to my recent health kick, I have decided to drink it daily. Dad recommended that I start small...maybe a shot glass or so a day, and then eventually ease my way to drinking a pint a day. When it is first made, kombucha smells and tastes kind of like carbonated vinegar. My dad made it slightly tolerable to drink by flavoring it with fruit. He added a small handful of frozen blueberries to the bottom of one of the bottles, causing it to taste like a strange combination of beer (the carbonation made it taste like that) and prune juice. Like I said, it wasn't entirely unpleasant, and considering all of the other diet changes that I am making, this is nothing.

Kombucha is made with sweet tea, SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast...you can buy those online) and kombucha starter liquid. Set in a warm space, and let rest for a week. The result is this healthy drink :)

SCOBY is the pancake-looking things
in these jars.

One thing...the SCOBY is gross looking.......................................
I call it an alien or an alien disc. It looks slimey and like it could possibly be alive. Just don't think about it while you're drinking it.

So...Bailey is working on being healthier, meaning drinking vinegar-y tea, working out and trying to eat almonds. Miserable for a few weeks, make stuff a habit, have a healthy life? suree :)