One Year Ago

One year ago in September I opened our mailbox to find a large envelope addressed to me from my Doctor. I knew some form of communication was coming from him, but my heart still raced as I was unsure of what the communication would say. I felt unsettled as I ran to the house. I stood on the porch and contemplated if I should open the envelope. Once opening it I knew my life would be different, although I did not know how. But I had to open it.

As my fingers trembled, I opened the envelope and read the note. Dear Amanda..... What came next, I could not even decipher because I was in shock as I read the words. The letter informed me that I had Celiac disease and that I would have to start a strict gluten free diet immediately.

I opened the door and walked in the house to John cooking Pad Thai (with wheat noodles nonetheless) and I burst into tears. Concerned, he ran over to me asking what was wrong. I handed him the letter and he read. I knew my life was going to change. I am accustomed to changing my diet as I had done it twice before. Once at the age of 14 when I became vegetarian and then when I became vegan about three years ago. This was different though, this wasn't because I wanted to save animals from a life of torture and suffering. This had nothing to do with a personal conviction. This was because I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

I did not even want to eat that evening because I knew that our dinner was what was making me sick. John tried to convince me that I should take gradual steps towards gluten free to help ease the transition. Those of you that know me know that when I make a commitment to something I go all in. This would be no different. The next day, I started my gluten free journey.

The good news was that despite having a disease, I did not have to take any drugs. I could control this through diet. When I put it into perspective, it did not seem as tragic as I first thought. I was not being given a death sentence, I was being given a chance to live. I was told that if I did not follow the diet, there was a possibility that I could die early from cancer or get osteoporosis and/or other issues. I am a fighter and I would fight this and win. I would not let Celiac disease defeat me.

It is now a year later and I have lived virtually gluten free for a whole year. I have had a few incidents where I accidentally consumed gluten unknowingly, but I have not once eaten it purposefully. While the feat may seem small to most, this is something that I am proud of myself for accomplishing. I have had many occasions where I have drooled over people enjoying vegan confections, breads, sandwiches, pizza etc. and I stayed strong. I have many flaws and shortcomings, but will power is not one of them. When I set my mind to something I stick with it and having a disease with consequences makes it even more important for me to stay on track.

This past year has been a challenge and I constantly realize areas of my life where I will always be different from others. I identify most with compassionate vegans, but still feel different from them- they can consume gluten. So I find myself in a strange and often lonely category- a Gluten free vegan. It becomes painfully obvious how different I am when folks (usually omnivores) say to me "what the hell can you eat?" I try to spin it in a positive direction.

Most of the people in my life have been supportive. Some of the people in my life have been nothing short of amazing in my journey. John has willingly removed almost all gluten from his diet at home as to make the kitchen a safe place for me. My vegan and vegetarian friends always consider me in making sure there is something gluten free for me to enjoy. My Mom has learned how to bake both gluten free and vegan. This is touching as she is neither gluten free nor vegan. Then there is the amazing blogging community which has shared so many recipes. Without the loving support of John, my parents, and friends I am not sure that I would have made it to a year of success.

Thank you to all of you who have been there with me this past year and have helped me through my journey. Thank you for not making me feel like an outcast and accepting this new version of me. Thank you for listening to my struggles, tears, and successes. I appreciate all of your open ears and hearts and for loving me.

Happy one year.

Asheville Weekend Continued- Laughing Seed

Post number 9 for VeganMoFo.

Every visit that I have ever had to Asheville has included a trip to Laughing Seed Cafe'. It was among the first all vegetarian restaurants that I had visited. From the first bite, it didn't disappoint. There is usually a wait to be seated, so I'd say they are a pretty popular place. In thinking back through all of the meals I have had, I cannot think of a time where I disliked my food. In fact, I can only remember loving it!

This particular visit was no different and we had a delicious meal. My only complaint is that they have a couple of items marked on their menu as gluten free that are not acceptable for those with Celiac Disease. I plan on sending them a friendly email to inform them of this so that none of their gluten free patrons get sick.

Now that is out of the way.....our meal this past weekend was awesome! John ordered a local beer and I ordered a juice for our drink. The cafe' had several appetizer specials and we ordered the sushi fresh vegetables. With the sushi, they served a homemade pickled ginger. John and I both agreed that it was the best pickled ginger we had ever consumed. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water! Unfortunately, we forgot to get a picture of the sushi before we started chowing down.

For our entrees, we ordered the Sloppy Jo which is a sweet and tangy tofu bbq with a tahini mustard sauce. They put the sourdough roll on the side for John and served it with a salad, pickle, and tortilla chips. We also ordered the Shiitake Corn Cakes which are made of organic potato, shiitake mushrooms, corn, and cashews served on a bed of greens with a basil-vinaigrette, hericots verts (green beans), and toasted almonds. This is all topped with their smokey tomato jam and cashew cream.

We had not ordered in the past and our conclusion was that we would order them again. We loved them! I especially enjoyed the corn cakes with the cashew cream and vinaigrette. And I can't forget the toasted almonds. I think I could eat their cashew cream every day! John's favorite was the Sloppy Jo. He liked the tangy bbq flavor and the heartiness of the Jo.

I can hardly wait until our next visit to Laughing Seed!

Asheville Weekend- Firestorm Cafe'

Post number 8 for VeganMoFo.

Our weekend trips to Asheville are always focused on fitting in as many vegan/vegetarian restaurants as we can during our stay. The city has an abundance of all vegetarian restaurants and even if we ran out of options, many of the omnivore restaurants have vegan options. I am continuously amazed walking around the city and seeing so many restaurant boards that will have *vegan* highlighted.

In an effort to eat in as many of the vegetarian restaurants as we could, we prioritized the places we wanted to visit and it just so happened that we had to miss out on some places. High up in our priority list was Firestorm Cafe' & Books. The fare is mostly vegan with the only non-vegan option on the menu as a dairy milk creamer. Everything else is cruelty-free! They also can serve most of their menu gluten free because they make their own gluten free bread in-house. Yum!

The cafe' carries ome gluten free desserts and we ordered several of those. Oddly enough, we forgot to take pictures of them. Instead they were devoured! We ordered a blondie with chocolate chips and a blueberry coffee cake. They were just heavenly!

As for the meal, we ordered two sandwiches and split. We had the TLT- Tempeh, Lettuce & Tomato and vegan mayonnaise served with salt and pepper chips and the Maple BBQ made up of maple baked tofu, spinach, red onion served with a small salad with Goddess dressing.



They were both scrumptious, just like the menu said they would be! It is hard to say which one I liked more. I love a TLT and I also like baked tofu. The sandwiches were too different to compare. My recommendation would be to order both of them during your visit.

Plant- Vegan Awesomeness in Asheville

Post number 7 for VeganMoFo.

John and I decided to have a weekend away in Asheville, NC. We found a green B&B that understood vegan/gluten free food and was close to downtown. We booked a room and headed to Asheville on Friday morning. We took our time and left later in the morning. We were not in any hurry to rush. It was our weekend and we wanted to relax. Our first meal in Asheville was dinner on Friday night and we decided that it was time to try Plant, the new vegan restaurant that opened in Asheville in late summer. I had contacted the restaurant in advance and learned that many of their dishes were gluten free. With that confirmation, we were off to have a nice, relaxing evening of delicious cruelty-free fare. I could hardly wait!

The restaurant was easy to find and had a nice modern decor inside. The kitchen was open, so you could see the chefs working tirelessly on their vegan creations. Every seat in the restaurant was taken. We arrived right before the rush and avoided waiting, but I'd recommend reservations in the future. The hostess seated us and provided us with a one page menu and a corresponding drink list.

Now it was on to the good part- VEGAN FOOD! John ordered a local beer and I ordered an iced mint tea. As a starter we ordered the cheese plate. It was composed of the homemade almond cheese with herbs sprinkled on top served with black garlic oil and vinegar, apples, olives, pea shoots (or some kind of small green), and shredded carrots. We were both impressed by the cheese plate. The almond cheese was soft and spreadable. It was delicious on the apple or eaten with the olives. The cheese is versatile enough to be eaten with a sweet or savory accompaniment.

For dinner I ordered the black pepper tofu which came with a jasmine rice and kaffir lime cake and a saute' of zucchini, and exotic mushrooms with spinach on top. I do not know the name of the mushrooms, but I had never had them before. To date they are my favorite mushroom. They had a nice chewy texture and a smooth flavor that is hard to describe. I asked the waitress the name and of course forgot it since. The rice cake was crispy and flavorful and I could have eaten a dozen of them. Luckily, they only put three on my plate!

John had the sweet corn risotto. It was a grilled tempeh with a green chili cream sauce, and a zucchini, cremini, red pepper, and okra mixture (which they called risotto) with spinach on top. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors in his dish. The creme sauce was rich, yet not over powering. It worked well with the "risotto" mixture. He absolutely loved it and wished he had had a full other plate of the delicious entree. I wished the same for mine.

The portions were not large, but we left feeling satisfied and happy. We decided to pass on dessert as we had picked up raw, vegan, gluten free macaroons as the co-op that we wanted to try. We headed out to a local coffee shop and enjoyed a hot cup of apple cider and enjoyed our raw dessert.

The night was a delicious success. I will recommend Plant to vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. It is a place for anyone who would like a bit of upscale dining with a lot of flavor and creativity!

Pickled Sunchokes? What's a Sunchoke?

We have been buying sunchokes, also known as a Jerusalem artichoke, from our farmers market. It is a small root vegetable that looks like a cross between ginger root and a potato. I recently learned that it is neither from Jerusalem nor is an artichoke. The sunchoke is native to the United States and is a knobby tuber that comes from the root of a plant called Helianthus tuberosus. This tuber is healthy as it is rich in vitamin C, phosphorus, thiamine, iron, and potassium.

As a child, my Mom would buy sunchokes and we would snack on them raw or in a salad. This tuber has a very different flavor raw than it does cooked. When eaten raw it resembles the flavor of jicama, although not as watery, and a sweet turnip. When cooked, it resembles the flavor of a white potato. It is delicious!

Over the years, my Mom would bring up the sunchoke and I searched for the choke with no avail. When I came across sunchokes at the Durham farmers market, I was ecstatic to have them back in my life again. Piedmont Biofarm, one of my favorite local farms, had them in their booth one warm Saturday. I was so delighted to see the root after all of these years. John had never heard of them, but was willing to give them a taste.

We both loved their flavor and continued to buy them and add them to salad for a bit of crunch. Piedmont Biofarm was even nice enough to suggest a new way to eat the sunchoke by sauteing them with some olive oil and onion. We followed their advise and were not disappointed.

Recently, I came across a recipe to pickle the choke. I like cucumbers, okra, beans, and peppers pickled and I thought a sunchoke would be just as delightful pickled. I didn’t much care for the recipe that I found so, I used the recipe as a guideline and made up my own.

• Sunchokes (about a pound and a half to two pounds)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
• 1 ¾ cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
• ¾ c water
• ½ Tbsp of whole mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ½ onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

Mix the lemon juice in a bowl of cool water (the sunchokes will rest in here, so make sure the bowl is big enough to hold the chokes). Peel the sunchokes and cut into rounds. Transfer as cut to lemon water.

Bring vinegar, salt, water, mustard seeds, turmeric, and cayenne to boil in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Cool brine to room temperature.

Cook sunchokes and onion in a large pot of boiling water for several minutes until tender. Drain and let sit to cool. Put vegetables in a glass/ceramic bowl or Mason jar and pour brine over them. Make sure that the veggies are submerged and chill. Stir once or twice a day and allow them to marinate for at least 1 week (to allow flavors to develop). You can start snacking on them whenever you like, but the longer they are in the brine, the better they will taste.

The end result is a homemade, crunchy pickle that makes a great snack!

Chocolate Lavender Cake by Wholesome Chow

It is a new year and over the past four months, I have become a new me. More like an improved me. I hope to change my blog up a bit with a redesign, fresh image and logo, etc. One of the changes is to add a review of vegan and gluten free products. I am not sure a blog is the best place to do this. Maybe I should start a dedicated blog for this? Or maybe even a website?

I don't want to wait to make a decision before I highlight an awesome company that I came across last year. The company is Wholesome Chow and they make vegan decadent baking mixes. They use all-natural and organic ingredients. They are allergen friendly by excluding eggs, dairy/casein, and peanut/nut from their products. They even have a gluten free line of mixes!

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this company, but I am delighted that I did! During one of their sales, I purchased three gluten free baking mixes. Below is a picture of their new package design. I love the design and the best part is that their packaging is compostable!

John's birthday was in early January and I decided to make him a cake. Normally I would make a cake from scratch, but GF baking is still a bit of a challenge and an experiment. I have realized that it is ok to have help from mixes. Especially ones that don't contain chemicals, additives, coloring, high fructose corn syrup, and animal products. I can stand behind organic, vegan, and gluten free. So, why not?

I made the Chocolate Lavender cake and a homemade rich chocolate frosting. I served it to John (of course!) and my parents (who aren't vegan). My Dad would not try it because it was the dreaded v-word! That just meant more for me, John, and my Mom. Good thing for us because we all loved the flavor and consistency. The cake was light in texture, rich in flavor, and moist. The lavender was a perfect pairing with the chocolate. I had never had the combination before, but I most certainly want it again. The most exciting part was that the cake did not taste GF at all. Instead, it tasted like a normal and delicious cake! This may not seem like much to most, but many GF baked goods taste nothing like the original baked goods they attempt to mirror. They taste grainy, starchy, and crunchy. This cake was nothing like that and gave me hope. Maybe GF, vegan baking isn't so bad?

The only thing I would have changed was the flavor of the frosting, which was all my doing. It worked well with the cake, but a vanilla lemon icing would be perfect for this cake. I could see the chocolate, lavender, lemon, vanilla flavoring at a summer or spring gathering. I think I'll have to buy this mix again and try my icing idea.

Lucky for me, I have two more mixes to try. Now, I just need a special occasion to try them- OR- maybe not! :-) If you are looking for a GF, vegan cake mix (or just a vegan cake mix), I recommend stopping by the Wholesome Chow website and placing an order today!

Thanksgiving Visit From Family

I have mentioned before that I love being an Aunt, but I'll say it again. I love being an Aunt! We currently have five nephews and one niece. They are all such wonderful kids and we enjoy spending time with them. We are in the great position of getting to have all of the fun without all of the work!

It is a true delight any time we get to spend time with them. This Thanksgiving my brother David, his wife Rhea, and our niece Helena came for a visit. We were fortunate enough to have a full week with with them.

Every time I see Helena, I amazed by her ability to make everyone smile. She greeted us all with a hug and kiss. It had been a year since she had seen us, but she acted as though we saw her everyday. She warmed my heart. The whole week of the visit she passed herself back and forth to all of us to be held and hugged.

The sweet echo of her voice pronouncing my name will forever be ingrained in my memory...."Minda."

Counter Culture Coffee

Blog #21 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

It is the last day of the challenge and I met, and exceeded, my goal. I promised myself that I would post 20 blogs during the month of November to support the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge and I did it! Today is blog number 21.

In my last MoFo blog, I am focusing on coffee. There is an awesome roaster headquartered in Durham, NC called Counter Culture Coffee. They roast sustainable, organic, fair trade, and direct trade coffee. They go above and beyond most other roasters. They spend time with the growers on their farms to build long-lasting relationships. Through this they encourage ecologically responsible cultivation methods and excellent working conditions. They pay a high price for their coffee so they can get the best organic beans. In addition, they care about their carbon footprint by purchasing shade-grown, certified organic, and sustainably produced coffee and have also set goals for carbon neutrality by 2015.

Unroasted coffee beans

As if all of that wasn't enough, they also make the best coffee I have ever tasted! They pay special attention to the way in which the bean is roasted and brewed. Every detail from the type of machine used to the filtration of the water is important to them. And, it shows!

A friend works at Counter Culture and she informed me of the cuppings that they hold every Friday at 10am. I recently went with John, my Mom, and brother and found the cupping to be fun and informative. If you are in Durham or near any of the other training centers, I highly recommend that you attend a cupping to learn more about the nuances of roasting, brewing, and tasting.

Mom, bro-David, and John at the cupping

Me, be-David, and John at the cupping

The Counter Culture folks are crazy about coffee and it shows. This is the one thing that I enjoy every day and I want the time and attention paid to the beans that I drink. They have made two new customers out of me and John. I can't possibly imagine buying any other coffee after knowing what I know about the practices they use and the taste of the coffee! Lucky for us, Whole Foods carries their coffee in Durham.

Free shot of awesome espresso. Underneath it is my cupping form.

Check to see if a local store near you carries their coffee. If you can't find it, you can also order coffee directly from them on their website! Happy sipping!

Sugar Free and Raw Cranberry Sauce

Blog #18 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

A friend told me about Dr. Furhman's recipe for raw cranberry sauce and I decided to give it a try the day after Thanksgiving. I watched the YouTube video, giggled a bit, and then made the sauce.




The preparation for the sauce made the house smell lovely and reminded me of fall. I love cranberry sauce and am always looking for a new recipe. I was enticed by this one because it has three ingredients, is raw, and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.

I got out all of the ingredients and put them into our food processor. Note that this can be a bit messy as some came out the top of the processor.

The end result was a vibrant and beautiful sauce for our family to enjoy. My Mom liked it but, felt that there was too much orange peel. John and I loved the sauce! It was fresh and bursting with flavor. I agree with my Mom's suggestion and plan to make it again with only using about half of the peel that I used. My niece, Helena, loved the sauce. She had several scoops of it. Upon first bite, she made a strange face, but then begged for more. It is a bit tart, but the tartness is what I love and expect from a good cranberry sauce.

This is the type of sauce you can feel good about. It is raw, has few ingredients, is sugarless, gluten free, healthy, and full of vitamins!

Bulll City Vegan Challenge-Toast

Blog #5 for the vegan MoFo 2010 Challenge!

It was nearly the end of the Bull City Vegan Challenge and time to try our last restaurant. There were a total of ten participating restaurants, but we could only eat at five. The others weren't willing to make their dishes gluten free or never responded to me.

Toast was kind enough to offer for me to bring my own gluten free bread and offered to wrap it in foil, so it did not touch the panini press where wheat had touched. In addition, they asked for suggestions on good gluten free bread to buy. Unfortunately, I could not pass along any suggestions because I have not come across good gluten free, vegan bread. So, I brought with me the only gluten free, vegan bread I could find and tolerate.

We got to the restaurant and were greeted by one of the owners. I was so impressed by her willingness to accommodate me. John and I both ordered the vegan panini containing roasted butternut squash, greens, pickled onions, and other veggies. I honestly don't know what was on this sandwich, but it had so much flavor and it all worked together! It even made my crappy GF bread taste good. I don't know if it was from the pickled onions or the toasting of the panini bread. Whatever it was, it worked! As a side to the panini out table shared an order of warm olives. They were drizzled with olive oil, pepper flakes, and citrus. This was a delightful side to our panini.

My panini on gluten free bread


John's panini on regular wheat bread

When we finished eating, we were still a bit hungry and had been eying the soup of the day listed on the chalk board. The soup contained lentils and peppers- both spicy and mild. John and I ordered a bowl to share and we were not disappointed. We loved the lentils and the flavoring of the soup. It would be perfect for a chilly evening.

We ended the BCVC on a high note. It was a great way to end a month of delicious food in Durham. Our hope is that the BCVC event will have accomplished two things.

1. That the community will realize that there is a need for a vegetarian (preferably vegan) restaurant in Durham. In my first blog about the BCVC I discussed all of the interest in Durham and my fingers are crossed that a local entrepreneur will pick up on the need.
   
2. The participating restaurants will also recognize the need and make vegan options as permanent staples on their menus. If vegan options are placed on Durham area menus, we will come out to dine! (Disclaimer- it does have to be tasty)
   

Thanks again to Eleni Vlachos and Chef Shirle' for an AWESOME challenge. I am so excited for next year!

Bull City Vegan Challenge- Aliva's

I was so impressed by the first Bull City Vegan Challenge restaurant we tried, that I had high expectations for the remaining places. It is unfortunate that I started on such a high note, because I want to be fair in my assessments of the other participating restaurants. It would, however, be hard to match the level of taste at Beyu Cafe'.

It was time for restaurant number two, so my Mom, John, and I met for dinner on a Sunday night and decided to try Alivia's. I had already contacted the restaurant and found out that I could eat both of the dishes. Alivia's entered a salad and entree into the contest and we were pleased that the two dishes were listed on the first page of the menu for all patrons to see.

• Salad- Mango, avocado, and mixed greens
• Entree- Mediterranean vegetable platter with roasted red pepper salsa
  

John decided to get the entree and I ordered the salad. The plan was to share our dishes. Our food came out rather quickly and they got John's order wrong. They brought two of the salads. The waitress was very kind about it and said that the kitchen made a mistake and that John's order would be out shortly. The kind also let us have the salad for free because it would be discarded otherwise.

As we waited for John's entree, we started on our salads. The salad consisted of spinach and other mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, mango, and avocado. Neither salad had any dressing and we thought it was odd. I don't want a mountain of dressing, but I want a little something. The salad had a good combination of fruit and vegetables, but it was not worth the $9.50 or so that was listed as the price. I love eating salads as a meal, but I like them to be hardy. My recommendation would be to add dried fruits or nuts and please add dressing!

Mango salad- pic taken from BCVC page

We finished our salads and were still hungry. I started to wonder if I should have ordered the main dish in addition to the salad. John's entree finally arrived to the table and it was not like the picture on the menu (see below). John received half of the portion in the picture. I only took two bites because I knew he would be hungry. Heck, I was still starving! The vegetables were cooked well and the salsa/sauce had a pleasant flavor, but this dish needed more to it and less olive oil! We would have liked the dish more if it contained more of the salsa/sauce, less of the olive oil, and steamed brown rice/wild rice.

Entree- pic taken from BCVC page

I need to add here that the dish was $11.50. I don't mind paying that much for a complete entree, but this should have been an appetizer with a reduced price! If you add the entree price to the salad, you are looking at a dinner of $21 per person. Again, I don't mind paying that price, but not when we were given only about $5 worth of food. Needless to say, we walked away hungry.

Afterward, we went home and had popcorn, had rice crackers and dip, and John made himself a veggie burger. The only thing that made this dinner worthwhile was the lovely wait staff at Alivia's. They were so kind and accommodating to us. John ended up getting his entire meal for free!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this dinner as a 5. The food had taste, but lacked substance and completeness. The price was extremely high for the ingredients, preparation, and portions provided.

I don't want to dissuade anyone from visiting Alivia's. They are part of the vegan challenge and should be supported. With constructive criticism, Alivia's can turn their dishes around and provide healthy and satisfying dishes! Please, don't forget to vote!

Flowers On A Saturday

Last week, I had a work trip planned for Madison, WI. I like Madison, I like the my client that meets in Madison, and I look forward to this trip every year. I worked hard preparing for my meeting and was ready to leave on Thursday morning.

When I arrived home on Wednesday night, I received some health news from a medical procedure I had the week before and it put a damper on my trip. Suddenly, I did not want to go to Madison any longer. I had to pull myself together and leave for the airport the next morning. (In addition to my own problems, we have been worried about our nephew and an extended family member who has been sick. When it rains, it pours!)

In the span of two weeks, my life had changed dramatically. Through it all, I have had the loving support of John, family, and friends. The sympathy and empathy that they have shown me has been touching. I have learned a lot about the people in my life who care about me and feel thankful to have so many I can lean on. I'm not kidding, some have been in contact with me non-stop, checking in on me each day, calling me, praying for me, thinking of me, and providing support. I only hope that I have been and can be as good of a friend to each of them.

And then, there's John. He has been by my side every step of the way and has provided exactly what I need. When I was terrified to face my appointment, he was there with me to hold my hand. He laughed and cried with me and hugged me when I needed it most. When I returned home from Madison on Saturday, he had these waiting for me on the kitchen table.

He went to the farmer's market that morning to get them for me. I am not a huge flower person. I never ask for them or expect them, but when I get them I absolutely love them. Best of all, they were locally grown by a farmer at the market. He knows me so well.

Thank you to John, thanks to my parents, thanks to family, and thanks to my friends who have treated me with care. I appreciate the venting sessions, the calls, the long emails, and the general care for my well-being.

Some people equate wealth to money. I equate wealth to friends and support, and based on that I am a wealthy person!

Snow Days

The weather had been predicted, the forecast set. Snow was on its way. The local media was creating a frenzy with the impending snowstorm. The stores were out of the essentials and everyone seemed to be freaking out. (For those of you that live in cold climates, you need to understand that North Carolina is not equipped or prepared to handle snow. We should be scared, the roads become treacherous and everything is forced to shut down.)

The snow began on Friday night and continued through Saturday and at some point turned into falling ice. John and I hate staying inside all day, so we decided to venture out by foot. We put on our gear and stepped out into the yard. We first checked the situation in the front yard and down our street. They were pure ice. It was safe to say no one was going anywhere, for a while.

Our yard looked pristine and I almost felt bad clumping through it with my big footprints. Almost. As I ventured to the back of our yard, I noticed little footprints. I followed them to a sweet little rabbit cuddled under our deck trying to stay warm. John and I decided that when we got back, we would raid our fridge to see if we had any decent fare to offer our furry friend.


We walked through the golf course and to the road that led out of our neighborhood. The walk was about a mile, but it was the toughest mile I have ever walked. I had wind and snow blowing in my face and was fighting over six inches of iced over snow with each step. When we made it to the road, we then had to fight slick and crunchy ice, uphill. I slipped and slid around, but I didn't fall. We finally made it to CVS, without incident.

After purchasing several things, we headed back home. The walk back was just as tough. When we made it back to our yard, I was ready to go inside and flop on the couch with a hot cup of tea. I could not veg out without forgetting about our bunny friend. She had already hopped away, but we knew she would be back. So we checked our fridge and found several parsnips to share.


As if Saturday was not difficult enough, we decided to do it all again on Sunday. Only this time we walked further to Food Lion with a shopping list in hand. We carried four reusable bags, knowing that was the amount we could safely carry back. Our shopping list included ingredients for several nights because we did not know how much longer this would last.

On our way back, we checked the deck. Sure enough, our bunny friend was there. This time we got carrots and offered those to her. I got a little close and scared her away, but I knew she would be back. Throughout it all, the birds were chirping, flying, and hopping around. We put out handfuls of bird seed for them and they repaid us by eating it and dancing in front of our windows as we watched.


Between the wildlife in our yard and the outdoor exercise, being snowbound was not so bad. I can handle this once every couple of years- just not again this year!

Graduation and Walk Down Memory Lane in Greensboro

As usual, I am behind on my blogging. I have many blogs to get too, but this one seems to jump to the front of the stack. I am sure you will agree.

On December 17th, John (my husband), me, my parents, his parents, his sister and family, and his other sister and husband all met in Greensboro to celebrate John's graduation. This was not just any graduation, this was the day he was officially awarded his PhD in Clinical Psychology. This was a special day because it has taken much time, dedication, and hard work. John is the hardest working person I have ever met. He also loves what he does more than anyone I know, and that deserved a celebration.

(John and Rosemary)

John has been finished with classes for more than a year now. His last couple steps included finishing his dissertation, getting licensed as a Psychologist, and finally his residency/internship at Duke University Medial Center. He finished this all in June, but had to wait until December to actually walk. Since June he has been in a post doctoral position at Duke in their medical center, specifically in their ADHD clinic (and no it is not ADD any longer. It has not been called ADD since the 80's).

This is a major accomplishment and needed to be celebrated. After graduation, we headed out to lunch with the family and John's adviser, Dr. Rosemary Nelson-Gray. It was a nice way to celebrate John because he so rarely takes any credit. After lunch, he made a small request to go to his favorite coffee house to have a celebratory cup of coffee. So, we headed Tate Street Coffee House.


So, what is it about Tate Street Coffee that is so special? Is it the amazing cup of coffee or the eclectic decor? Yes, and so much more. This place holds significance for John because he spent many afternoons studying, writing papers, and doing research in this particular coffee house. It is located near the UNCG Psychology building and it was a way to get in a short walk and his caffeine fix each day. John stopped here almost every day to get a cup of coffee in his reusable Tate Street mug. He claims it has the best coffee he has ever had.


Normally, I would disagree with buying something every day that you could make or bring from home. This was different, I never said a word. I understood how important a trip to the coffee shop was for him. Sometimes he worked over twelve our days in the psychology clinic and doing research and he had an hour drive too and from work. This was his only break and only sanity in a long and hectic day. How could I be against that? And besides, we could handle this small expense.

(John and Me)

John is a determined and intelligent person. Since I met him, I knew I wanted to be like him. His dedicated example turned me from a C student to a A student and motivated me to go to graduate school. In his short time in Psychology he has accomplished so much. He has a publication and research list that is impressive. His credentials and hard work have landed him a position at Duke University.

He should be proud. His family is proud of him and I am proud of him. John does not like to talk about or make a big deal about himself. In fact, I wanted to hold a party with family and friends and he just wanted his family to come to graduation and go to lunch. If it was me, I would want a big bash and would make everyone call me "Dr. Newman."

We all deserve a little celebration and I am going to call him Dr. Mitchell at least for the next couple of weeks.

Congratulations, Dr. Mitchell!

(John's vegan celebratory cake from Dharma Bakery in Durham, NC)

Sushi, Miso, and Ginger Dinner

Ever since I heard of sushi, I was on board. Only the vegetable kind, of course. (Vegetarians don't eat fish.) About 10 years ago, I saw a demonstration about how to make sushi and I was sucked in. I bought a bamboo sushi set and tried it out. It was not hard! I put my own little twist on it, so it is not traditional, but we like it.

John and I were craving some of the ricey goodness, so we decided to have a sushi night. To go with the sushi, we made miso soup and a ginger salad. This is one of my favorite meals to get at a Japanese restaurant. Not all miso soups made are vegetarian, so sometimes I substitute the miso part of the meal with edamame.

Instead of white rice, we used brown rice. I know it is not traditional, but we prefer to eat brown rice. In the sushi we used avocado, carrot, cucumber, and pickled diakon. For the salad, we used red leaf lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers. We bought a ginger dressing from the store and it we liked it. Nothing is better than the ginger dressing from my favorite Japanese/Thai restaurant, but this dressing was good enough (by the way, if you know of a way we can make ginger dressing from scratch like you would find in a Japanese place, please send me the recipe). For the miso soup, it was simple. Water, miso paste, tofu, wakame, and scallions.

I was less than impressed with the miso soup. I will keep trying. We loved the sushi and the salad though! We did not the sushi into slices, because we need to get our knives sharpened and it ends up turning into a mess. Since it was just the two of us eating, we kept it in form of a roll and ate it whole. It is a little challenging to dip it in soy this way, but it still tasted like we wanted it! Yummy!

Writing about this and thinking back to sushi night, makes me want sushi again. I think I see another sushi night in our future. Guess I better get out my chopsticks and bamboo sushi set.

Christopher's Christening

This post is me officially meeting my goal and blogging before the week ends! Woo Hoo!

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Ft. Hood, Texas to spend the weekend with family. John's brother (Paul) and his family is currently stationed there. The special occasion was the Christening of our nephew, Christopher. John and I are very blessed to be the Godparents to sweet Christopher.

To see the pictures, check out my album on Picassa.

Christopher's Baptism and Visit to Ft. Hood, Texas

It was great to see everyone all together and spend time as a family. The nephews were fun to watch together in action and Christopher brought a smile to everyone.

I cannot wait until the next get together!

Helena's Visit

It has been a while since I have blogged. This is not because I do not have stuff to blog about. Other things have been taking up my time.

My brother, his wife, and their daughter (David, Rhea, and Helena) came to visit at the end of July/beginning of August and I FINALLY got around to posting the pictures from their visit. I am not sure why it has taken me so long.

The visit was interesting and there was a bit of drama, but all I care to remember or take away from the visit is Helena. She is the sweetest little girl I know. She is loving, funny, easy going, and happy. What more could I ask for in a little niece?

I see so much of myself in her that at times I felt like I was looking into a mirror of me as a baby. When out in public, people came up to me and asked me questions about "my daughter." They were surprised when I said she was not my child. I probably enjoyed this more than I should have. :)

My brother and his wife are so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl. She has brought so much joy to me, my parents, and my brother and his wife. I love her to pieces!

A Tea Themed Excuse for Creativity

With moving, family events, work, etc, I have not had a chance to do anything creative lately. Correction, I have not taken the chance to create lately. I think I have been in a rut and focused on getting our house together. I have always found an excuse as to why “now was not the time.”

John’s youngest sister, Julie, is getting married and his oldest sister, Mary Catherine, and I are bridesmaids and we decided to throw a shower. I used this as an opportunity. I love to paint, especially with watercolors and this shower had given me a chance and an excuse. I decided to commit myself to making the invitations based on our tea themed shower.

As I thought more about the invitations and my ideas, I decided to have two types of themed invitations. Some that were wedding dresses and some that involved the tea theme of the shower. As I thought more, I decided that I did not want each invitation to be exactly alike. They did not have to all be completely different, but I did not want them all alike. I can copy the same design over and over again, but I thought it would be more fun to make them different.

The inside of the invitation was printed out on pink paper with scalloped edges. Those of you that know me are probably wondering why I chose pink. Well, Julie likes pink and the shower was supposed to be Victorian inspired and pink was one of the main colors. The shower, after all, was not for me and my color likes and dislikes do not matter. And besides, I can be open-minded aboutthe color; I just do not choose it for myself. :)

In the end, the invitations might not have been the best or even the cutest,but they were homemade and I put a lot of time into them. I spent several nights in my craft room painting my heart out! I knew they were not perfect, but they were from me to Julie. I saved several for her. I have a scrapbook of all of our showers and I thought she might like to do the same. Maybe not, but now she has something personalized. She liked them and so did the guests! It makes me feel like I did my job.

Painting makes me happy and I wish I did it more often. I need to open myself to find the inspiration that I found so freely in the past.