Let me start by saying there have been many a thoughts and many a conversations since the last post. We still aren't in a routine and that makes it hard to blog regularly. Here are just a couple of things that we've been up to...

- Chuki got neutered and is signed up for his first private lesson training session to try and figure out what makes his crazy with other dogs and with the vet. We're both really hopeful and just me, I'm a little nervous.

- Ryan had one interview last week and has another one this week. He's still applying and looking so if anyone knows of anything out there, he'd love to hear about it! We're keeping our fingers and toes crossed.

- We picked the first actual thing from our garden, besides just herbs. It's a pepper and we're going to use it to make Green Chicken Curry tonight. We had to put up a fence around our garden because the little rabbits ate all of the snap peas. But now we've got some room to plant a couple of more things so we're headed to the store soon (we keep saying today, but then today comes and goes).

- The big conversation that we've been having lately is about food and what is important to us and then how that fits into our budget. For example, does 100% organic really matter, and if it does what can we afford to buy/week. We're really happy with Anderson Organics and we're really happy with the eggs that we're getting from the Griesbachs! We've been doing a lot of chicken research lately. I mean what do those labels at the super market really mean? What's the difference between cage free and free range and free roam. Or all natural and pure. We finally decided on a chicken to buy from pure chicken. Check out the company it looks pretty legit. We can't afford to shell out $20 for ONE organic chicken but $8 for a healthy chicken sounded better. We'll let you know how it tastes.

- Wedding planning is going well. We're getting there, slowly but surely. Our Wedding Elf, Sarah, has been a HUGE help in the creativity department (seriously she's amazing!). We've got about 8 or 9 venues in the Seriously Possible column and a whole heck of a lot in the I Dont Think So column. So I'm feeling not-so-overwhelmed and actually really excited about the wedding. I know I'll feel REALLY excited once we have a venue and date but that will come. We're having engagement photos taken next week when dear, dear Brad is in town! So we're moving in the right direction.

- As far as social life... We went to our high school friend's wedding on Saturday and that was a TON of fun! Ryan has seen the guys a couple of times, I've seen Amy a couple of times. Hannah and Brian came up for the weekend which was SO much fun! We had a PERFECT day this past Sunday that ended in a grill out with great friends and a camp fire with s'mores.

- Things we're looking forward to... Visiting venues, going into Chicago this Friday to celebrate Hannah, Brad coming to town, the 4th of July, going to watch my little cousins in their Track regionals, family reunions on both sides, and lunch with Jenna, amongst many other things!

MULUB,
Taylor

Mint.com

As part of our financial learnings we signed up for mint.com. Does anyone else out there use it? I don't think it's very easy to use/user friendly. We actually signed up for it back in Ecuador but because we weren't using our cards EVER it didn't really do anything. We're trying to use cash for things back here in the States too, so I don't know how practical it is for us. I do like that it reminds me when payments are due, when accounts are low, and the goal feature. But I don't like that I can't set up payments with it. Anyways, does anyone out there have a good budget tool for cash purchases too? I wish I had a smart phone that could download those cool apps, because I've seen some good ones for budgeting cash!

?

When we say we don't have a date yet (for the wedding) the number one response is: look of confusion accompanied by a disappointed 'oh.' Why is that?

Adjustments

It's been a hard adjustment living back in the USA for me. Harder than I expected, that's for sure. Everything is changing but everything isn't new. I'm a different person, we're both different people, but in an old setting. It's difficult.

We went to a wedding tonight. It was the first wedding that we'd been to as an engaged couple. I was really excited to look at the wedding from a different stand point... to look for ideas and such. The wedding was beautifully reflective of the couple and that I really appreciated. But there, in the middle of this huge wedding, instead of thinking about wedding I felt so much anxiety, a sure sign that I'm still adjusting. 

It's strange because I've never really posted on church before. I've written many a posts about it, but never published them... But here goes. So the wedding was at our church, our old church. Ryan and I were both really involved in church during high school and the first two years of college. Like really involved. Like, I didn't go away to (my dream) school because I was doing an internship at my church. I don't really know how to write about tonight without a little bit of back story. 

So we both invested a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of emotions and relationships in our church for six years. We worked there, volunteered there, worshiped there, were mentored there, were members there, etc. It's taken me five years (and counting) to piece together my time there into something understandable, instead of just something spiritual. Anyways, we were there tonight, right back in the middle of the things and the people that were so formative during those six years and we were both really disheartened, really anxious and mostly, disappointed. Maybe this is silly and juvenile, but no one misses us, very few people recognized us, even fewer said hello and only 2 people asked us about our lives. Now granted we did our best not to talk to many people, I won't even pretend that we didn't. It just stinks to think that all of the good that you thought you were doing doesn't matter to those that you did it for once your gone. (And yes I realize the intrinsic flaw in this statement, but as a high schooler you do things for people.) 

Some people talk about dreading their high school reunion because it will bring back all of those old feelings and insecurities like not being pretty enough or popular enough. I've never felt that way about high school but boy did I feel that way tonight. I love the life that Ryan and I have created for ourselves. I think it's pretty baller and impressive and fun and amazing. I love the people that we have become. We have depth of interest and perspective, we like to talk about things, not just people. We're pretty awesome. But there, at church tonight, I felt uncool. Like I would never be cool enough to be accepted as a friend and equal by these people. How does that happen at church? And this is the crux of my adjustment issues... In Ecuador we dealt with these things on a philosophical level because we didn't have to confront them face to face, but here in America everything is head on, in your face, here I am, let's do this. And I just don't know how to reconcile my philosophical stance and my reality. 

What Ryan and I have realized through many conversations with each other and the two wisest people we know is that we had it all wrong before. But still it just stinks to leave our church and feel worse about ourselves than we have felt in almost two years. That's a crappy feeling, made only crappier because of all that it entails. 

So while the wedding was beautiful and emotional, we both needed a glass of wine when we got home! Of course, my dad was up with Chuki (long past my dad's bed time). Someday he'll learn to just put him in his crate! 

One thing I did love from tonight was this statement (or something like it): Find the most generous explanation of someone's behavior and choose to believe it. 

So while these people and this place hurt us, I have to believe that they don't realize it and they don't do it intentionally and that it's just a byproduct of the megachurch and then be done with it. 

Oh ya know...

We've been busy and the 'To Do List' is growing! We went camping at Kettle Moraine for one night. It was nice, not my favorite campground but still nice to get out into nature. We did it cheaply (hotdogs and potatoes) but still ended up spending about $20 more than our $50 budget which meant Ryan couldn't go see the new X Men movie like he had hoped. 

We also went to the GLEE concert. It was super fun! Our dear friend Roz gave us free tickets! We went out to dinner before hand at a yummy Mexican restaurant. We still ended up spending about $50 between dinner and gas. Geeze Louise! 

Now we'll be home for a while to restock the cash piles =) I had wanted to go into the city tonight for a party with high school friends but it's just not in the cards. Plus there are TWO parties this weekend for another  dear friend's birthday but sadly, they also aren't in the cards. 

We have a wedding to go to this weekend and still need to buy the gift! I'm really excited about the wedding! It will be the first wedding that we're going to while we're engaged! So it will be fun to pay attention to all of the details in a new way. 

It's a whole new learning curve for both of us in terms of self-control. We're having to pick and choose our social outings. Where as in Ecuador we didn't go out much to begin with so we weren't saying no to a lot of things. And then also when it comes to eating. My parents graciously cook/buy for all of us but it's usually not the healthiest of options. We need to start cooking dinner more regularly so that way we're eating healthfully. Oy vey! 

In other news, we went out to the Anderson Organics farm yesterday for the first time to pick up some surplus greens. SO GOOD! We'll be going out to the Rockford Market (or whatever the heck it's called) on Friday to pick up some more. We're super excited about our shares this summer. Plus we picked up some eggs from the Griesbach's. Good things happening in the food department (when we choose to cook). 

Today will include more rock moving (wahoo), working outside, cleaning, laundry, dishes, and organizing. It's taking a lot of time to really get situated but it's worth it because there's NO RENT PAYMENT! 

MULUB, 

Taylor

Chuki's Life in Illinois

Oh The Chukester Bear! We haven't really updated how Chuki has been adjusting to life in Illinois. I don't know what other way to describe it besides HE LOVES IT! Chuki is in heaven here. First of all, we have a yard which is AMAZING for both us and him. Second of all, everything is new for him. New smells, new sounds, new people, new food. EVERYTHING IS NEW! Plus, it's HOT here and HUMID here and that tires him out so quickly. And lastly, he's spoiled rotten and loves having all of the attention. You thought we spoiled him, you should see my Dad! (I know you're reading this Dad =) One pathetic look from Chuki and their in the gym or outside or playing rope in the kitchen! Chuki's already had a couple of ham bones, a pigs ear and gobs of cheese!

In short, Chuki loves life in Illinois. We love having a yard where he can run around. Plus all of the new people he meets everyday really helps him learn how to greet people. Long gone are the days of jumping on everyone!

I'll have to post some photos soon, but for now, just take my word... He's in heaven!

31 May 2011

The Food Journal Returns -


Yesterday we both worked for a couple of hours midday but before we left we made time for breakfast. Stonyfield Organic French Vanilla Yogurt and homemade Granola. Mine had a banana in it too.

I ate shortly after at work. They had leftovers from their Memorial BBQ. I had a chicken strip (maybe it was a breast cut in half?) and a little bit of pasta salad.

We stopped at the Matson's and we're gifted about 5 pieces of candy, which we both ate up immediately!

When we got home we did a lot of yard work and at about 6:30 hunger hit me. I had a small piece of pizza while I was making dinner. We ended up eating leftovers but they were fabulously repurposed: jasmine rice, cauliflower and green beans, and a hamburger crumbled up. It actually was pretty good.

For dessert we had Culvers custard with a pint of strawberries. Sinfully delicious.

And then we were hungry again around 9 and so we each had a piece of pizza.

As you can see our eating habits have changed drastically. We're working on curtailing them but it's hard. We're certainly learning self control!