Three Things Thursday: Life Lessons

I woke up yesterday thinking that it was Thursday. I then spent all morning working on this post. And you know what I realized just before I published it? It wasn't Thursday, after all; it was WEDNESDAY. So, the good news was that Thursday's post written. But then I had to work on Wednesday's.

I chose this topic because November 1st was Marks actual birthday, and since I learned so much from him in the final months of his life, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the lessons he taught me (without realizing it). Here are three things that I learned from my friendship with Mark...

1. Be grateful for everything.

Mark was, without a single doubt, the most grateful person I've ever known. By a long shot. Living in a group home for men with special needs, he had very few possessions--I believe he was only given a small "allowance" from the money that was given to the home by the state for his care--but I never once heard him complain about or even ask for anything.

My dad actually met Mark because he'd frequently see Mark walking around the neighborhood looking for empty cans and bottles so that he could collect the 10 cent deposit on them, which he used for "pocket money" (he liked to buy cigarettes).

On his birthdays, we would like to get him a little something; it didn't matter what it was, he would open it and exclaim that it was just what he wanted. He went on about how great it was. If it was a shirt, for example, he would put it on immediately and feel proud to wear it.

When he was in the hospital and a nurse would come in to give him some sort of medication, he would always say, "Thank you, thank you so much." Even if it was a shot!

When he received hundreds of cards from my blog readers, he was grateful for every single one. I read each of them out loud to him. And in the ones that contained a gift card or some money or a gift, he couldn't believe that a stranger would give him something like that. When the nurses or cleaning staff came in, he'd sweep his arm in a gesture across the walls where his cards hung, saying, "Look at all these people that care about me!"

Another big one was coffee. Mark only drank instant coffee (the kind that you scoop into boiling water and stir around until it dissolves). Well, I'm pretty sure most of us would agree that it's, well, far from appetizing. The first time I offered to bring him a fancy coffee from Starbucks, he waved his hand and said, "Oh, I already have coffee right over there. I don't need anymore coffee."

Still, coming from a world that he wasn't really aware of, I wanted him to try something he'd never tried before. I bought him the most ridiculous coffee on the menu, all the frilly so-and-so mix-ins and toppings. (I'm not a coffee person so I am clueless when it comes to all the words I hear in the movies of people ordering coffee, hahaha). Mark was blown away! He was still more than happy with his instant coffee, but he was excited each time I brought him a "fancy" coffee as well.

I try to keep his grateful attitude in mind when I find myself thinking something negative. I think the fact that he grew up with nothing made it easier for him to be grateful for the small things in life; and since I grew up in a middle-class family, I find it harder. However, I do try to see things from his point of view, *especially* when receiving a gift from someone. When people put any sort of time, money, or thought into a gift--I don't look at the gift itself but at the person's thought and meaning behind it. It's impossible not to feel grateful that way!

2. Embrace the outdoors.

This one is hard for me. I've never been an "outdoorsy" person; I like to stay inside, out of the sun, and have control of the temperature, the lighting, the sound, etc. I get very distracted by certain things, especially noises; and birds drive me CRAZY. It's so hard for me to concentrate on anything at all when I can hear birds. I know that many people love the sound of birds; I am just not one of them.

Mark loved the outdoors. He would prefer to be outdoors more than anywhere else. Being in the hospital and group home was torture for him, because he couldn't leave as he pleased. In his group home, he could go for long walks outside or spend time working on the grounds at the home. My dad would take him fishing in the boat sometimes and Mark lived for those days. The staff told my dad that he couldn't have gotten there soon enough, because it was all Mark could talk about.

I believe this is from a time that his brother brought him camping

I will never forget the last day that I saw Mark, when he was propped in front of the TV at his nephew's house. Mark's eyes looked kind of empty and I felt terrible. I knew he'd rather be outside. When I asked about it, his nephew said that it was really cold outside. I decided that the next time I went, I would bring some warm clothes with me to bundle him up and take him for a walk outside (although he passed away before I could do that).

After that, I started going outside more frequently to try to see what Mark loved about it so much. That's about the time when I discovered just how much I enjoy squirrels. Sitting outside on the back deck and watching the squirrels was actually pretty entertaining! I started to think of them as pets, and they became more and more tame as I fed them "the good stuff" (walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans in the shell).

One of the greatest feelings (to this day) is seeing how the squirrels came to trust me. I've never once tried to scare them in order to see them jump and race up the tree. I've always been patient and kind, and I speak in a soothing voice so that they get to recognize me and that I won't hurt them. Knowing that they trust me brings me so much joy.

Sitting outside and watching/feeding the squirrels brings me the happiness that I think Mark got from being outside. He enjoyed walking all over the place (and especially fishing with my dad), and while I do occasionally like a long walk when the weather is great, I prefer sitting on the deck or even around a fire at night.

3. Don't take time with people for granted.

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't *truly* get to know Mark until after his cancer diagnosis. I always looked forward to seeing him on Halloween and on the occasion my dad would pick him up to go fishing or just come hang out at the house. It never occurred to me that having interaction with my family meant SO much to him.

Mark didn't have any family (that we knew of). He was orphaned as a child, and his brother died a long time ago. We didn't know about Mark's nephew until after he was sick. So basically, other than the staff and other residents in the home, we were what Mark had as far as family/loved ones.

This hit home for me one day when it was my duty to pick Mark up from the home and bring him to the park where we had a surprise 60th birthday party for my dad. When I went to the home, the owner told me that she was so worried that nobody would show up to get him because he hadn't stopped talking about "Reggie's" birthday party. For days!

He felt so included that day. The fact that he was *invited* to the party and we wanted him there. I think he had a great time just fitting in as part of the party. A lot of the people who attended were people who knew of Mark because they lived in the neighborhood where he walked. And they knew my dad befriended him, and that he was important to my family. He wasn't ignored; people talked to him and I think that meant a lot to him.

I think of this frequently in these post-pandemic days, when people seem to want nothing to do with getting together with people. For the people who crave interaction, like Mark, the only way they can get it is with other people who enjoy interaction. And with so many things being online now, it feels like we never see people in person anymore.

I am very much an introvert and making plans with people is super hard for me. I usually don't want to do it, right up until I'm actually there! But I am almost *always* happy that I go, and that I talk to friends and remember just what it is that I enjoy about interacting with them. There are so many things that you can't do over the internet or via texting or even talking on the phone. Being with people in person is something that can't be modernized in every way. I feel sorry for people whose love language is physical touch!

Jerry has said that the pandemic has made him more introverted, which kind of scares me. He has always been my opposite; when I didn't want to make plans, I would go ahead and make plans anyway--knowing it was best for him. And then I always enjoyed going! So now, I've been pushing him to make plans with friends before he stops doing it altogether.

Mark knew nothing about computers or smart phones, or texting... his only interaction was done in person. As terrible as it sounds, I can see a little bit of good in the timing of his death. Yes, he was young when he died. But if he was around much longer, he would have had to be around during the pandemic when he wouldn't have our visits to look forward to. And he wouldn't have understood why that was.

We were able to visit him very often while he was sick, and for that I'm very grateful. I know it meant the world to him. He loved his interactions with people--even the staff at the nursing home, who weren't exactly the friendliest--and without that, I think he may have lost his spirit. And Mark's spirit was the brightest I'd ever seen!

And a bonus... The words "I love you" have SO much meaning.

I'll keep this part short, but it's important. Since Mark was orphaned so young, and his brother died years prior to Mark's death, he grew up in a group home setting. On the last day that I saw Mark, just before we were leaving, he still had that sad look in his eyes while he was in front of the TV. I gave him a hug, then looked him in the eye and said, "I love you". It was the first time I'd said it to him, but if it was going to be the last time I saw him, I wanted to make sure he heard it.

At that moment, his eyes sparked to life. I can't explain it, but the physical change was like a light switch turned on and his eyes lit up--it was very noticeable. And it occurred to me at that moment that Mark had probably never heard those words, at least since he was a child (or possibly from his brother). My heart felt like it was breaking and I wished I'd told him that sooner.

Ever since my kids were babies, I've *always* made sure that I tell them "I love you" several times a day. Every single time they leave the house. Every single time we hang up the phone. Every single time we end a text. At the end of every argument. They know that I love them; but I want them to hear it all the time so there is never any doubt. I want it to be the last thing they remember me saying.

Everybody should hear those words from loved ones--partners, kids, family, and friends. Even when overused, it really does mean something. Mark taught me just how important it is to hear those words out loud.

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Three Things Thursday: 19!

Well, today my first born turns 19 years old. I don't know why, but this is hitting me harder than when he turned 18. I think I'm just dreading the day that he moves out (he doesn't have plans to yet, at least until he's done with school). And the older the boys get, the less I see them at home.

It's something you don't really think about as a parent until you realize that the kid(s) have become super independent and don't really need you anymore! I should also mention that raising teen boys of this age is SO MUCH HARDER than I ever imagined. However, I am super proud of my boys, and I wanted to write a few things about Noah since it's his birthday today (and it happens to fall on Three Things Thursday).

I thought it would be fun to pick a few categories and list three things for each of them...

Three Things I'm Proud Of:

1. Taking college classes in high school and graduating with 60+ college credit hours.
2. Saving up his own money to buy a car--he did all the research, the inquiries, the financial stuff, etc.
3. He's very self-driven and I've never had to push him to do homework or anything like that.

Three Random Things I Remember From The Day He Was Born:

1. Jerry almost passed out from emotion and the nurse made him go sit down.
2. I was so surprised at how warm Noah's body felt when they set him down on my belly right after birth.
3. I fell asleep while standing up when the nurse was trying to explain things to me--I was walking from the bathroom to the bed at 1:30 AM after giving birth, and I don't know why she thought I could keep my eyes open, hahaha.

Three Things That I Loved Doing With Him:

1. Running a long run with him riding next to me on his bike.
2. Running races with him.
3. Walking him to the bus stop before school and being there when he got off the bus after school.

Three Funny Things He's Done:

1. On Eli's first day of pre-school, Noah colored all over him with Crayola markers.
2. Emptied an ENTIRE bottle of baby powder in my living room while I was taking a shower.
3. He was such a good sport about our impromptu "senior photos" session--I laughed so hard at some of his cheesy poses.

Things I Loved Teaching Him:

1. How to knit when he was four years old.
2. How to straighten his (newly long) hair when he was 18.
3. The names of the bones and organs in the body--he was very interested in anatomy from age three! (I've always loved anatomy, so it was fun to teach him.)

Things Noah Has Taught Me:

1. What a "poker run" is. (You can find the answer on this post)
2. What the word "salty" means (as slang, not seasoning)
3. How to use a DSLR camera ("taught" is a loose word--I'm not good at it, but he showed me all sorts of cool things!)

One of my favorite photos I took! I was WAY out next to right field when I took this.

Three Sweet Things Noah Has Done:

1. He took cake decorating lessons and he made me a birthday cake all on his own.
2. He's come to some of my races with signs to cheer me on.
3. He's always been sweet to Eli--from the time they were babies until this very day.

Three Things I Miss About His Early Years:

1. His "Bambi" laugh (his laugh was very high pitched and giggly).
2. Asking questions about *everything*.
3. When he and Eli would wait in front of the living room window when I told them daddy would be home from work soon. They got SO EXCITED when he came in the door!

Noah, Eli, and their friend Kaden waiting to see Jerry's car turn onto our street :)

The day that Noah was born, I had absolutely no idea what kind of person he would grow into. It's kind of scary as a first-time parent; you have no clue what to expect and you just do the best you can with the knowledge you have. I know for sure there are a lot of things I would have done differently as a parent, but I can say without a doubt that I am so proud of who Noah has grown to be in the last 19 years! And I look forward to seeing what's in store for his future :)

And because Noah LOVES Shrek, I'll close with this photo...

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Three Things Thursday: Jaw Droppers!

I had this idea for Three Things Thursday in my mind for a long time, but I had a hard time coming up with a third item. I wanted to write about three things that just blew my mind when I saw them--in a good way--but not things that were very obvious or things that are recent enough that they are still on people's minds. Today, I thought of a great third one--just to be sure, I watched the YouTube video of it and naturally, got goosebumps and then the tears ;)

So, here goes... three things that gave me all the feels (the one that hit me today, the one to complete the trio, is actually listed as number two here. I did them in order of favorites (the third being my very favorite). 

1. A surprise flash mob for Oprah.

[First, I have to preface this by saying that one of my secret pipe dreams is to be involved in a flash mob--I don't care whether I'm a participant or I just witness it, I think it would be SO COOL to see.]

When the Black Eyed Peas were performing on stage outside in Chicago in 2011, there was a huge audience (over 10,000 people) there watching. So, when I watched this episode of Oprah back in the day (I loved The Oprah Winfrey Show!), each time more people got involved in the flash mob song, I got more and more goosebumps. My jaw hit the floor toward the end.

It was the most amazing sight to see over 10,000 people involved in a flash mob to surprise Oprah. I cannot even imagine the choreography and planning that went into this event. It was STUNNING and I still think about it every so often. Here is the video:

2. Watching the livestream as Eliud Kipchoge ran a sub-2:00 hour marathon.

Running a marathon in two hours would mean running under 4:34 minutes/mile for 26.2 MILES! (2:50 per km). (I've never been able to run that fast for even 10 seconds). There is a long story surrounding this event, and *technically* it didn't even count for the world record. Kipchoge does hold the world record for the marathon, but the official time is 2:01:09; his 2019 sub-2:00 was not done on a "record-eligible course", which is why it technically didn't count. He ran the "official" record-breaking 2:01:09 marathon just this past September 2022 in Berlin.

Aside from that controversy over his official time, the point is--HE RAN 26.2 MILES IN 1:59:40. Read that again. Essentially, he strategically had ALL the variables on his side that day in October 2019 in order to break 2:00 hours.

Watching the race was awesome--but the final couple of minutes, I had a big lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, waiting for them to pour down my face. The final stretch before he crossed the finish line in 1:59:40 was one of the most exciting moments I've ever witnessed. Here is the video (obviously not the entire marathon--just the final stretch):

3. When Susan Boyle auditioned for Britain's Got Talent.

I saved my most favorite for last. I've watched this countless times, and every time, it makes me ugly-cry. Susan's performance was SO unexpectedly mind-blowing--and you could tell that the entire audience, as well as the judges, were preparing for an uber-cringy disaster. It almost seemed like they were making fun of her when they asked her some questions before her audition, and I felt bad for her.

So when she finally opened her mouth and started to sing, the chills I felt *cannot be described*. I've never seen talent show judge Simon Cowell so speechless and stunned, which says a lot right there.

There really isn't more to say about this except that you have to watch it to truly understand. If it doesn't blow your mind, I'm pretty sure nothing will. With 262 MILLION views on YouTube, you know it has to be something special...

And there we go. I hope you got all the feels I did--goosebumps, tears, the throat lump, full body chills--while watching them! :)

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Three Things Thursday: Attraction

I have a million topics in my head for Three Things Thursdays, but when it comes time to write them, I just can't think of the three things to write about each topic. Today, I asked Jerry and he said I should do "3 Things I Hate About You"--meaning "you" as in people in general (not a hateful post, but in a fun way). I feel like I've written too many negative things lately, so I decided to do Three Things That Attract Me To You.

By "attract", I don't mean romantically (or even physically). I just mean in general--strangers or friends--people that have attractive qualities. So here goes... three things that attract me to you...

1) Good listeners.

This is HUGE for me. If I was to write a list of the best attributes people can have, being a good listener is at the top of the list. It's such a general term, though... what makes someone a "good listener"? These are my thoughts:

*They don't get a far-away look in their eyes when they are "listening"--you can tell that they are actually absorbed in what you are saying.

*They aren't thinking about what they are going to say next rather than listening to what you are speaking at the moment. (This reminds me of a sign I saw recently and I liked it so much that I wrote it down:

"Don't listen to reply. Listen to understand."

*They aren't distracted by their phones. This is probably my biggest pet peeve--I think it's so rude to be on your phone when in the company of others! It's rare for me, but I've been guilty of it before--just last weekend, I was at a get-together and Jeanie called me and was really desperate for some help formatting a PDF to send to her realtor--she and Shawn just sold their house to move up north--and I would have felt terrible making her wait until the next day (which is when it had to be emailed by). So, I spent some time working on that. I did feel very rude, though, and I normally wouldn't have done that.

*They don't turn everything into a story about themselves when you are trying to say something.

*They make you feel like what you have to say is important (whether they think it is or not).

*They don't interrupt or talk over you.

There are probably more I could list, but these ones are important to me. My love language is "quality time"--this includes feeling heard and listened to and like what I have to say is important. I'm a quiet person in general, and I really don't like it when I finally start to say something and get interrupted.

Truly good listeners are few and far between. The first person that comes to mind for me is Becky (Luke and Riley's mom). She has all of the qualities I've listed above, and she has this way of making you feel like you are the most important person in a room full of 100 people. Since meeting Becky and observing her listening skills, it made me want to be a better listener--so I've been consciously working on it continuously.

I had no idea what picture to use here, so this is just a pic of Becky and me

2. People who perform random acts of kindness to strangers and *don't* share about it on social media.

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I'll witness a very sweet interaction strangers--maybe it's as simple as buying a coffee for the person in the drive thru lane behind them, or writing and hiding anonymous KIND notes for people to find, or cutting your neighbor's grass when they have a busy week. I absolutely love people who have compassion for others, even strangers (and especially animals!), and they help others by second nature--they don't have to think about it and they certainly don't have to tell people on social media.

(I really can't stand it when people take videos of themselves giving money to homeless people or paying for someone's entire cart full of groceries or something like that, and then posting it to social media. Sure, maybe it's a "feel good" thing to do, but that kind of defeats the purpose. I think it's exploiting the people who didn't ask for that.)

Anyway, doing something kind for someone else (a stranger or a friend) can cost absolutely nothing and there is something so *good* about people who choose to do something nice without worrying about what they will get in return.

3. People who are kind and good to public service workers.

I'm talking about restaurant staff, hairdressers, customer service in stores, cashiers, and jobs like that. Noah has a job at Lowe's and he spends most of his shift loading heavy bags of mulch into people's cars/trucks. You would be amazed at the number of people who get mad at him for taking too long or who yell at him for not having the kind/color they want, etc. It's ridiculous! He's working an entry-level job that is full of sweat and heavy lifting--be nice! Be patient! (Loading mulch isn't even technically his job--it's a courtesy for those who need help.)

One thing I will never understand is how people can be so mean--especially to strangers. And especially to strangers who are just doing their jobs! When I see people being exceptionally nice to service workers, it warms my heart. I've worked as a server (in several different restaurants), a hostess, a pharmacy technician, a cashier, a bagger/cart collector, a video store clerk, and probably a couple of other service jobs. Having experienced how terrible people can be, I take extra care to be kind and respectful to service workers. I have a ton of respect for them--the patience you have to have to deal with rude customers is mind-blowing.

Back to the point of this, when I see someone treating service workers with extra respect and kindness, I think it speaks volumes about that person.

Eli at his restaurant job, clearly screwing around ;)

There you have it--three things that I find attractive in people. There are some personality traits that speak a LOT about someone's whole personality (such as the one I listed above). Of course, this isn't always true, but it has been in my experience.

If any of these three things applies to you--thank you! Whether it's with words, money, or time, you're doing a great service and possibly making a big difference in someone's life!

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Three Things Thursday: What I Would Do Differently

I don't really like to think about what I *should* have done in certain situations because it just makes me feel regretful--and that's not a happy feeling. But there are some more light-hearted things that I would change if I could go back in time. Not regrets, but just making different choices...

1) I would have eloped rather than have a wedding reception.

I never really had dreams of a big fancy wedding, but it was kind of a given that what we were "supposed" to do (back in 2003, anyway) is have a wedding with lots of guests and a reception (dinner/drinks/dancing). I definitely did not do "fancy", but it was relatively large). It was great that people came and celebrated with us and the whole event turned out really nice, but I spent the whole evening making the rounds mingling and thanking people for coming, trying to ensure everybody felt welcome and had a fun time--I didn't even eat my wedding dinner, cake, or have a single drink! 

Planning a wedding takes so much time (and money!) and it's over with in a flash. If I'd had dreams of a big wedding it would have been worth it, but I honestly didn't really care about that.

If I were to do it all over, I would skip the whole big ceremony and reception and just plan a trip somewhere. We could have a quick ceremony at a simple location and then enjoy our vacation. Jerry and I didn't go on a honeymoon because of the expense, so rather than spend all of the money on a reception, it would have been fun to go on a nice trip.

I don't feel regretful, but I would definitely do it differently if I knew then what I know now.

2) I would have stick-built our home.

Jerry and I had plans of a "starter home", so we bought a lot in this neighborhood, hired a contractor to build a foundation, and ordered a manufactured home (a.k.a. trailer) put on the lot. Manufactured homes have a stigma but we really liked it. And we LOVE living across from the marsh. So, we ultimately decided to stay here.

At the time, we had no idea what we were doing--we knew nothing about owning a home--so over time, we discovered little things that were more difficult to replace because they weren't standard--things like the thickness of some walls (a standard door jamb is a little too wide). Nothing terrible, and we've certainly been able to personalize everything to our taste, but it would have been easier to build a house here and make everything standard sizes with upgraded materials. (I have no desire to have a bigger home--ours is the perfect size for our family--but I would change the layout a bit. However, I didn't know what kind of layout I wanted because I had never lived on my own!)

When I did the big renovation a few years ago, I upgraded a LOT of stuff (simple things like the molding and light fixtures and door slabs). The cost of everything (the lot we bought + our home + our renovation) wasn't any cheaper than building a house. We really like where we live and the updated home, so it worked out in the end. However, if I'd have known we were going to stay here, I would have planned things out much more carefully and customized it.

3) I would have traveled a bit before settling down.

My first time in the PNW--and my first hike!

This sounds silly, but it never occurred to me that I could move anywhere I desired when I was ready to live on my own! I don't regret getting married so young (21 years old), or having kids so young (I was 22 when I had Noah and 23 when I had Eli). However, it was just sort of a given that Jerry and I would live close to where our parents live. We never even talked about moving somewhere else.

If we were able to go back in time, I would have liked to see some other places in the country and then choose where we'd like to settle down. I *love* the Pacific Northwest and probably would have chosen to live there. On the other hand, our families live in Michigan and it's nice to be able to see them anytime we want. My kids were able to grow up less than a mile from my parents, so they rode their bikes over there frequently. I also developed a closer relationship with my parents because of it.

I've made sure to tell my kids that they don't have to settle down here just because they grew up here, though. I'd love for them to explore a bit and find a location that they enjoy. It would be great to live near them! But I wouldn't be sad if one of them settled in the Pacific Northwest, either--I would just have to go visit often ;)

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So, those are three things I would do differently if I had known then what I know now. Like I said, I don't feel regretful about them; I didn't know any better at the time! I started an "adult life" (a home and marriage and kids) relatively young, so I've learned quite a bit since then. And I can help my kids discover that they have lots of options in "adult life" and they don't have to make quick decisions!

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I'm That Many Years Old

I saw a post from Bored Panda today that had 50 memes about the Generation X-era and feeling old. I could relate to ALL of it! Having been born in 1982, I was right on the border of Gen X and Millennial. Some call it "Generation Xennial"--when born between 1977 and 1983. I definitely relate more to the Gen X characteristics than I do the Millennials.

Anyway, reading through those memes had me nodding my head, laughing, and saying "YESSSS" out loud more times than I can count. I won't post all the memes here (you can find them on this post at Bored Panda) but I thought I would write a little about a few of them that spoke to me...

• The card catalogue at the library. Not that long ago, I was in the library looking for a book and I asked the librarian if they had it. She pointed toward the back of the library and said I could check the card catalogue. (The library isn't very big and it's all on one floor.) I walked around where she'd told me, but I couldn't, for the life of me, find the card catalogue. I was too embarrassed to ask, because duh--a card catalogue is huge and how could I miss it? I never did find it! And I later learned that the "card catalogue" is now a computer. Why does this intimidate me but I would feel totally comfortable using an actual card catalogue?

• My kids have reminded me on more than one occasion that I was born in the 1900s.

• I used to have probably 20 phone numbers memorized when I was a teenager. (Interestingly--or not--I still remember the phone numbers of several childhood friends... and I don't even know the numbers of my kids' phones!)

• My brain automatically adjusts years to relate to the year 2000--I don't know why. If something was 20 years ago, I think 1980. The 1960s were 40 years ago. The 1990s were only 10 years ago. I absolutely cannot wrap my brain around the fact that 1982 (my birth year) is as far removed from today as the year 1941.

• The year I was born is when eight-tracks were phased out and replaced by cassette tapes. I've seen it go from cassettes to CD's to MP3's. I can still remember using blank cassette tapes to record my favorite songs from the radio. And on not one, but TWO occasions, someone broke into my car and stole the entire collection of my CD's (which I kept in a book).

• One of the memes is an elderly woman who said that the "internet used to come through the phone and it sounded like screaming robots". I can still remember EXACTLY what the dial up modem sounded like. And how frustrating it was when someone picked up the phone and it disconnected the internet! I can't remember when the last time I had to use dial up was, but a quick google search leads me to believe it was right around the time I started college in 2000.

• When my kids' school is canceled for something like a snow day, we get an e-mail, a text message, and a phone call at 5:00 in the morning or so. When I was younger, we had to sit and watch the bottom of the TV screen on the morning news to see if our school was closed. Likewise, we had to watch the TV Guide channel scroll through like 100 channels in order to see what was on. Or we had to look at the printed out TV guide. When you realized you missed the channel you were waiting for, it was the WORST.

• Being a huge Friends fan, my jaw dropped when I read a tweet that said the actors on Friends are now younger than the youngest "Golden Girl" was when that series started. 

• I really love the subreddit r/WhatIsThis. I nearly died when I saw that someone posted a picture of a phone jack on the wall and asked what it was. I feel a million years old after seeing that!

• Watching shows on TV and learning that the character is 30-something years old. It's crazy to me that I'm older than them! When I look at them, I think of them as being at least 15 years older than I. It's the same with sports--Jerry has the Tigers game on right now and the players are SO YOUNG. In my mind, they are still a couple of decades older than I.

• I can remember my sister used to play "travel agent" to plan trips when she was a teenager. She would take out a paper map, a phone book (yes, a book with thousands of phone numbers--they used to exist!), a notepad (actual paper), and the phone (that was connected to the wall, obviously). She would lie on the floor, call Northwest Airlines (now called Delta) and ask about destinations, ticket costs, and schedules. This is HOW IT WAS DONE before the internet! I was too young to plan my own trips, so I only remember booking travel online. But I can't imagine the patience you would need to be a ticket agent for an airline.

• When I was a kid, we used to ride in the back of my dad's pickup truck all the time and nobody batted an eye. I'm pretty sure social services would come knocking if we did that now.

• Whenever I would go to the Henry Ford Museum for my kids' field trips (I don't know why every teacher chose to go there once a year--I could probably give tours myself now!), I thought it was so interesting that several things I remembered from my childhood were on display IN A MUSEUM. The computers we used, the phones we had, toys we played with--it was only 20 years ago, you know--1980 can't be museum worthy, right? ;) 

• When I try to sell my kids on a movie, they don't know who the most popular actors are--you know, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Nicolas Cage, Drew Barrymore, Matt Damon, Cameron Diaz, Kevin Bacon, Leonardo DiCaprio... my kids look lost when I drop names! And I honestly have NO idea who the popular actors--or celebrities in general--are these days. To me, they are still the names I listed above.

And finally... there is a thread on Reddit: "My old person trait is..." and people list things that they wish were like "the olden days". A few of my "old person traits" are:

*Missing the days when you didn't need an app to order food. I tried to get Taco Bell for Noah and Eli one day recently and I couldn't figure out the goddamn app! I finally just gave up and left. I also really don't like that you have to use a kiosk to order food at places like Panera. It takes so much longer than just actually speaking an order to an employee. I don't eat out, so I'm sure I'm further behind than most people.

*I miss the written/typed instructions for things--something like a board game (now you have to visit their YouTube videos to learn how to play). I *really* dislike videos for instructions--I much prefer to read a manual or even a website. I tried to troubleshoot my sewing machine a few days ago and every google search led me to nothing but YouTube videos. (YouTube was very helpful when I was DIY'ing the house renovation, but I still much prefer written instructions.)

*I REALLY miss the internet pre-social media. For a million reasons. And I do realize it's ironic, considering I'm a blogger.

*NO VERTICAL VIDEO. Please. ;) 

*I refuse to use "the cloud" to save anything. I realize that my hard drive could fail at any moment and I could possibly lose 50,000 photos, but I just can't bring myself to save photos to... where? Outer space? (I do have a couple of back-up hard drives just in case one fails. I just hope I don't have to give up the hard drives someday when technology is too far gone for me.

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I constantly find myself doing or saying things I *never* thought I would. Jerry and I always thought we would be the cool parents who kept up with modern times and never ask our kids for help using technology. But my kids have said that we are "five years ago cool"--hahahaha! And I've certainly asked for help with tech stuff.

But hey--what do I know? I was born in the 1900s. ;)

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Three Things Thursday: Food!

It seems like over the last few weeks, I've said on multiple occasions, "This is the best thing I've ever eaten!"  I'm not sure if it was just because I was very hungry when I ate them or what, but I figured I would write about three of them before I discover even more recipes that are "the best" thing I've ever eaten.

None of the three that I'm going to write about were actually never-before-tried recipes--I've made them before. But for some reason, they were just so good recently that I called them the best. It's hard to narrow it down to three favorite recipes! So these will be three of the recent things I've made that I consider the best...

1) Sweet Korean Lentils

I never, ever would have guessed that I would love these lentils so much! I found this recipe in a cookbook I have from Sam Turnbull at It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. Her recipes are usually hit or miss for me--not much middle ground. But these lentils are SO good and perfect when I need to come up with something quick and easy to make--without a bunch of ingredients I don't happen to have on hand. When I have green onions, I add those as well.

I'm glad this recipe is also online, so that I can share the link here. I probably never would have tried this recipe if a reader hadn't suggested it (I cannot, for the life of me, remember who it was--but thank you!). This is made with red lentils which are softer and cook faster than brown lentils. I like the texture of them better, too. We eat this over brown basmati rice; if I have rice already cooked in the fridge, dinner can be ready in 15 minutes!

2) Tofu (or Chickpea) Tikka Masala

I don't have a picture of the tofu version I made, but it's the same as this chickpea version--only with tofu instead of chickpeas.

I had never heard of Tikka Masala until about five years ago when I tried this Chickpea Tikka Masala recipe from The Iron You--and I was immediately in love. I had never tried Indian food and when I made it, I was skeptical--I had never even tried garam masala before. (When I was growing up, we never really ate ethnic food.)

I really loved the chickpea version but a couple of weeks ago, I saw that we only had one can of chickpeas (it calls for three) and I decided to try to swap tofu instead. I pressed the tofu well so that it would soak up a lot of the sauce. I used one and a half blocks of tofu, but I think using just one would work out well, too. When you add the coconut milk, it looks VERY thin, but after adding the small amount of cornstarch slurry it's the perfect texture.

To make it with tofu, I followed the recipe as written, but instead of adding the chickpeas, I skipped over them. I cut the tofu into bite size pieces and added them to the sauce, stirring in gently so they didn't break apart, then let them cook over low heat in the sauce for about 15 minutes before adding the cornstarch. (I added about 1/4 cup of water with the tofu because the tofu made the mixture thicker than when using chickpeas.) I cannot even describe how good this is! It makes a very large amount (probably six servings) and the leftovers are just as good. We ate this with brown basmati rice.

3) Firecracker Tofu

I am absolutely sure this is one of the highest-calorie recipes I've ever made, but it's kind of a pain to make--so I won't be making it often. It is absolutely 100% worth making once in a while, though! If you like the fast food-type takeout (like Panda Express), you will love this. It definitely hits that craving for junk food takeout.

I actually posted a review of this on my blog, which you can find here. Reading it over just now, I saw that I didn't love it the first time as much as I currently do--I'm not sure if that was because I had only recently started eating tofu at the time or what, but in the recipe that I typed out, I wrote "adapted from" Vegan Travel Eats--so I probably made a few small changes to reflect what I wanted after trying it as-written. Unfortunately, the site that I got this recipe from is no longer online, so I will share the one I typed out here.

The only change I made most recently (which is reflected in the one I typed) was that I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar (my attempt at making it *slightly* healthier). I also tossed all of the tofu at once in the cornstarch, then added the soy milk + vegan mayo mixture and gently stirred (to batter the tofu pieces) before frying. The original recipe said to do one piece at a time, but that wasn't necessary.

I absolutely recommend using parchment paper when baking this because the sauce gets VERY sticky (which is part of what makes it so good!). It's not ridiculously spicy, so if you like things to be on the spicy side, you may want to add more red pepper flakes. Serve it over rice--I've been loving brown basmati for everything lately.

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Problems and Solutions

Lately, I've been feeling like there is ZERO time to get things done and I've been putting a ton of pressure on myself. I'm not going to turn this into a whiny post about having no time; we all have 24 hours in a day and we all have things to do in that amount of time. Rather than feel sorry for myself and complain about it here, I'd like to work on solutions to what I can. (Sometimes just writing things out like this helps me figure it all out.)

Here are issues (I don't know that "problems" is the right word to use here--I'm just referring to the things that have been stressing me out lately) and possible solutions...

Problem: Right now, my house is a disaster. I've been working on getting Jerry's and my bedroom done from the remodel. It's certainly livable, and I don't *have* to work on the cat shelves I'm making--I just feel like it's not finished until the shelves are done and everything is arranged how I want it. Jerry and I both really love how it's turning out (and the cats couldn't be happier to have shelves to run around on) but the mess is everywhere.

Solution(s): 1) Put it all aside in the garage and work on it later, maybe after baseball season.

2) Cram it all in and get it done in a couple of days so I can finally get all of the tools and stuff out of the house and back into the garage.

3) Work on it a little each day until it's done.

I don't like the third solution because that's what I've been doing and it's hard to have to stop what I'm in the middle of and clean up before each baseball game (or whatever else is going on). I like the idea of hammering it all out in a single weekend, so I will try to figure out a couple of days to do that soon. Otherwise, I'm going to have to go with the first option and put it all away until June-ish. There is no baseball tomorrow, so maybe I'll spend the day working on it.

Problem: Cooking dinner. I've mentioned baseball several times lately because it tends to take over the entire duration of spring. I love going to the games, but it takes a good chunk of time out of the day that I would normally have to work on (fill in the blank here). Especially the days when Eli has double headers (which are more often than not)--if you figure the driving time, each game with a break in between, and the drive home, half of the day is just gone. And it flies by!

The time of day that his games fall is right when I would normally cook dinner before Jerry leaves for work; consequently, I haven't made dinner at all this week. I feel terrible that the kids are eating convenience food and Jerry and I have just been eating what we can--bagels, seitan, cereal, tofu, stuff like that. (Not real "meals", in other words.)

Solution(s): 1) Utilize the slow cooker on game days. I always have intentions of doing this, but I haven't yet explored making vegan recipes in the slow cooker. So, I can spend some time in the evening before bed looking up some recipes that sound good and giving those a try. I have a lot of dried beans in my pantry that I've been wanting to use (I'm terrible at remembering to soak them the night before!) and beans are a staple in vegan cooking.

2) Batch cooking. I can pick a few recipes and spend a non-game day cooking up batches of meals to freeze. This would be ideal because it would be so nice to come home, throw something in the microwave, and eat dinner just a few minutes later. Again, I can spend some time in the evening looking at vegan recipes that would freeze well. (If you have suggestions, please share!)

Problem: Returning phone calls/emails/texts/messages/comments. This is something that I am really bad at, and I know I've mentioned it a hundred times. It's not that I'm trying to avoid doing these things--I enjoy it! But I always think to myself that I will work on it later, when I have more time (I like to give thoughtful responses, no matter who or what I'm replying to, rather than canned replies). I feel like my friends and family probably think I'm just being lazy about writing back, and that is honestly not the case.

Solution(s): 1) Set aside a particular time each day to reply to as much as I can. Even an hour, uninterrupted, would help a lot. I really wish I was good at using my phone to type (I use just my index finger and it takes forever) because I could use the time between baseball games for this.

2) I just recently started using the voice-to-text option and I'm trying very hard not to correct errors, hahaha. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to texting, so after I speak my reply, I read through it and make corrections--which takes just as long as typing with one finger! I need to let go of the minor errors (you know, like the word that always gets autocorrected to "ducking"?). As long as people get the gist of what I'm writing, I need to be cool with that.

3) Reply as soon as I get a message (whatever kind it may be). I really like this idea and I would feel great if I could be disciplined enough to do it. It would relieve a lot of anxiety (I have bad anxiety about replying to things so late because it makes me feel bad; I don't want people to take it personally when I don't reply in a timely manner). The hard part is that I tend to read everything from my phone and then tell myself that I need to remember to go back and reply later.

Problem: Personal stuff that I'm dealing with.

Solution(s): There really isn't a solution, but I can practice self-care and hope that will help emotionally. I haven't been running at all (I feel like there is no time, but in reality, I'm sure I can work a short run into my day). If I can't or don't want to run, then I can at least go for a walk. Exercise really does make me feel better once I do it. I think this is something I will have to schedule into my day and make it non-negotiable. I also think I'd feel better if I could get more sleep--I am always saying this, I know, and I do try. My psychiatrist suggested that I get a sleep study done, so I may end up doing that.

Problem: Anxiety over everything. I constantly feel like people are mad at me or that I did something wrong or that something bad is going to happen and it will be my fault.

Solution(s): This isn't something I can just stop feeling, of course, but I'm reading the book that my psychiatrist suggested ('When Panic Attacks' by David Burns) and I feel hopeful that it will help alleviate my generalized anxiety. Since reading usually makes me tired, I can make it a point to read before bed--then hopefully I'll learn some techniques for managing anxiety and I'll be tired enough to fall asleep.

Writing all of these out seems like it's all no big deal--like, what am I stressed about? But when I add it all together, it has me completely drained emotionally and physically. I think that rather than just writing out "problems", writing the possible solutions is actually pretty helpful. (You know I love lists.) Actually, writing out a to-do list would probably be helpful right now. It's so satisfying to cross things off.

Okay, I just got home from Eli's game and it's 9:00--I'm starving. I think I'll eat, read some of my book, and then hopefully my brain will feel tired enough to fall asleep!

(By the way, I've gotten a lot of great advice from you all lately and I appreciate all of it. Again, I have intentions of replying, and hopefully I will do that soon. But I do read everything and it gives me new perspectives on issues I may have going on. So thank you for that!)

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Spring Cleaning

I think I write a post like this every year, but this is the time of year where I get very antsy waiting for the weather to break--so that I can start spring cleaning! So fun, right? ;)  There are so many things I want to work on but it's too cold to be washing windows outside or cleaning the garage with all the doors wide open.

Today in particular, I really wanted to finish weather proofing the windows (I did half of them when we had a few nice days outside). To do that, though, I have to remove the bottom half of the window--and with temps in the SINGLE DIGITS over the past few days, there is no way that I'm going to be opening the windows.

Instead, I walked around the house and made a list of all of the things I want to do this spring. Housework things. Aside from cleaning, I also want to touch up paint, hang pictures, and stuff like that. I'm sure my excitement to spring clean will wane after a couple of days of actually doing it, but I figured I might as well make a list while I feel motived. I'll be so glad to get things done.

So, for what is quite possibly the most boring post of the year, I'm going to list the tasks that I hope to get done before summer. It's a long list, and I likely surely won't get everything done, but here goes...

TO CLEAN:

*Vacuum all of the air vents.

*Clean the living room sofa.

*Clean the kitchen cabinets, inside and out. Touch up paint where it was chipped from moving furniture and things.

*Wipe down all of the walls from floor to ceiling. Today I noticed the dust up by the ceiling and wow--I really need to keep up with it.

*Clean the appliances--stove, refrigerator, dishwasher--really well.

*Wipe down all of the floor molding. I didn't realize just how much dust that would collect over the winter!

*Clean the blinds. Worse than grocery shopping! ;)

*Clean and organize the garage. It's never ending--every time I do a project, it's a disaster again.

*Power wash the exterior of the house. Someone egged our house in the fall and threw the eggs really high (near the top of the rise of the roof). Spraying it with the hose did nothing. We like to power wash the house every year before the "bug guy" comes to spray in the spring (to prevent spiders!).

*Go through closets and donate, sell, or throw away what we don't want or need.

*Clean the things that get ignored most of the time--the top lip of the casing around doors and windows, light switches, washing machine (the exterior), behind the TV console, things like that.

This is 100% how I do things, haha

TO REPAIR/REPLACE/ADJUST:

*Replace a small section of floor molding in the dining room. I removed it when I thought I wanted to put a cabinet there, so there is no molding in the corner.

*Fix or replace some of the interior doors. That was the first thing that Jerry and I did when we started remodeling and we had no clue what we were doing. We didn't do it correctly, and I really want to fix it.

*Replace the bottom sill of one of the windows in the living room. It's gotten a little warped over the last year so I want to fix it before it becomes a big problem.

*Rent a carpet cleaner to clean the carpet in the boys' bedrooms.

*Adjust the towel holder in the bathroom (to make it smaller).

*Replace the thermostat in the hallway. It hasn't been very consistent and I think it's just old.

*Replace the felt pads on the chair legs in the dining room. They tend to collect pet hair over time and the adhesive wears off.

MAINTENANCE:

*Re-caulk the boys' bathroom.

*Level and weatherproof the patio door. I really don't want to have to replace this anytime soon, so I basically want to give it a tune-up.

*Stain the back deck and the stoops. (Jerry and I have been wanting to do this but we're so intimidated! We even bought the stain last summer but we never started.)

*Flush the tankless water heater with vinegar. (We do this once a year)

*Landscaping! My nemesis. Now that I have a blank canvas after the work I did last year, it's time to plant some stuff. Low maintenance stuff.

Okay, that list is long! I would say that it's overwhelming, but I'm actually looking forward to tackling it. (I say that now, but we'll see how I feel when I've been working on it for a while, haha.) Some of the stuff I can obviously do now; today, I replaced the door knob/lock set of the garage. Our key kept getting stuck in the lock and I didn't even want to lock it because it was hard to get back in! So I went to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store and bought a nice replacement knob. (I love that store for when we need things around the house! Whenever I have to replace something, I like to check there first.)

My favorite part of spring cleaning is going through closets and choosing what to keep, sell, donate, or throw away. And then organizing what's left! I'll probably work on that this week while the weather is still cold. And as soon as we have some nice days outside, I plan to start doing the outdoor stuff.

Does anyone else look forward to spring cleaning like this? No?

I saw these "Monica clean" spring cleaning tips and I thought it very appropriate--as you know, Jerry and I are huge Friends fans. And as much as I hate to admit it, I am very much like Monica!

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One Year Vegan, Part 2: Tidbits, Staple Ingredients, Positive Changes

This is continued from One Year Vegan, Part 1, where I wrote about things I wish I knew before becoming vegan as well as tips (that would have helped me in the beginning) for vegan-curious or new vegans. (You can find Part 1 here.)

Again, I didn't write this post to try to "covert" people, nor do I guilt trip or write about the ethical issues surrounding using animals for food or products. It's simply about my own experience over the last thirteen months of doing something I never thought I'd do!

Interesting tidbits I've learned:

Vegan and plant-based are not the same thing. When I first became vegan, I used the words "plant-based", because I assumed that was the new term for vegan (I see it everywhere now). A reader actually emailed me and helped me understand the difference. Vegan is to avoid all animal products and animal by-products mainly for ethical reasons, while plant-based is dietary (no meat, dairy, eggs, or honey--the typical things you imagine with a vegan diet). I chose to become vegan for ethical reasons regarding animals, factory farming, and the environmental impact of factory farms.

Cashews are a wonder-nut. I had NO IDEA the magic that happens when you blend cashews and water in a high-powered blender. Depending on the ratio of cashews and water, you can get everything from cashew milk to a thick cashew cream. And it's tasteless! You can add your own flavors to make it sweet or savory, or you can use it to add creaminess to all sorts of things from pasta to soup to vegan cheese.

Cashews + Water + Blender

White sugar is not technically vegan. What?! I was shocked by this. There aren't any animal products IN it, but white sugar is stripped of its color by filtering with animal bone char--so it's more of an ethical issue, rather than a plant-based one. Brown sugar and powdered sugar are usually made from white sugar, so they aren't vegan either. Now I buy raw sugar so that it isn't processed with bone char; and I can make my own brown sugar (vegan sugar + molasses) and powdered sugar (vegan sugar in a high powered blender). 

Aquafaba is the liquid that is left over from a can of chickpeas. And this liquid can be used as an egg replacement! I had never heard of aquafaba, let alone cook/bake with it. You can even sweeten and whip it into a vegan whipped cream. I've only used it a few times (like in a pumpkin pie that turned out amazingly well), but the last time I opened chickpeas, I saved the liquid and poured it into an ice cube tray. Once frozen, I moved them to a freezer bag. Now, when I need an egg substitute, they are waiting in small portions in the freezer.

Vegan does not mean healthy. There are hundreds of vegan junk food products--french fries, non-dairy ice cream, Sour Patch Kids, Oreos, Skittles, and a lot more. It's even possible to be vegan without eating a single fruit or vegetable (not that I'm advocating that!). 

BROWNIES!! These were amazing. Not at all healthy, but very tasty.

Gelatin is in a LOT of items you wouldn't expect. (Gelatin is produced from boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones, usually from cows and pigs.) Even medicinal pill capsules are made with gelatin! There are several items that I guessed were probably vegan but when looking at the ingredients, I could see that there was gelatin in it.

Ingredients I NEVER would have imagined would become staples:

Nutritional Yeast- While the name of it makes it sound disgusting, nutritional yeast is called for in SO many vegan recipes. It doesn't look or taste like the yeast you put in bread or anything. You know the look and texture of fish food flakes? Well, nutritional yeast looks and feels like that, except it's a mustard-yellow color and it tastes nothing like fish food (or at least I don't think so).

I use nutritional yeast in almost all of the seasoning blends I make, pasta dishes, cashew cheese, pretty much anything that typically has cheese in it. When I read about it, people always mention sprinkling it on popcorn and basically using it as a condiment. I literally gagged when I tried eating popcorn this way--it was an ingredient I wasn't at all used to, an ingredient that tastes like nothing I've had before. Once I started adding it to things, I started to recognize the flavor and I'm not at all grossed out by it now. I buy this in bulk on Amazon--it's so much cheaper than the grocery store!

Turmeric- I don't think I'd ever used turmeric in my life until I became vegan. Then it seemed like I was using it all the time (for recipes). I've gone through 3-4 jars of it, so I recently bought a bulk-sized container that I refill my spice jar with. Turmeric is used for yellow color in a lot of vegan recipes.

Cashews- Like I wrote above, cashews are amazing. I buy these from Amazon as well.

Tofu- I can't even describe my obsession with tofu. I was missing out for 40 years! I keep silken tofu on hand in my pantry (I use this for tofu scrambles, desserts, and making seitan). I keep extra-firm tofu in my freezer and always have a couple of packages in my fridge. I use the extra-firm tofu for lots of dishes--but my favorite is to marinate it, then bake for about 45-50 minutes until it's crispy on the outside and kind of meaty on the inside. Then I heat a sauce (making an Asian-style sauce is SO fast and easy in a mason jar) until it thickens, stir in the tofu, and serve it over rice or another grain. I like to add vegetables when making the sauce--usually peppers or broccoli, but I just consider whatever I have to use before it goes bad.

This is so accurate for me. Before I started eating tofu, I saw it as the top picture!

Vital Wheat Gluten- I had never heard of this before, and the name of it makes it sound like it may cause cancer in the future or something, but it's used to make seitan--a faux meat that is actually pretty healthy! AND it's been around for centuries. Despite the "wheat" in its name, it's actually low in carbs (although we all know I don't avoid carbs) and has as much protein as meat. 

Miso Paste- I'd never heard of this before, either, but I use it SO frequently when cooking. It's described as adding a savory umami taste to things. I use it mostly in dishes where cheese is typically found.

Soy Milk- I used to buy almond milk when I was counting calories way back in the day because it was so low in calories compared to cow's milk. However, I decided to try soy milk for a few reasons that I won't get into, but I liked it so much more! It's thicker, like comparing whole cow's milk vs. skim, and possibly a little sweeter? I buy plain, unsweetened Silk brand soy milk and use it everywhere that I would have previously used cow's milk.

Pure Maple Syrup- This one was very surprising to me. Maple syrup is used to sweeten things and I use it everywhere from sauces to desserts. You can't taste the maple--it gets blended with more powerful ingredients--but it sweetens like sugar. I've also discovered that I get bloated when I eat regular sugar, but maple syrup doesn't bother my digestive system at all. Even when recipes call for brown or white sugar, I almost always replace it with maple syrup (since baking is so finicky, I don't substitute anything there; then again, I rarely bake).

Soy Curls- I'd never heard of these until I discovered Plant Power Couple, who raves about them. While a name like "soy curls" sounds like a very processed fake food, they are actually very minimally processed--they are even compliant with a Whole-Food Plant-Based diet. Soy curls are a meat substitute that are made of just whole soybeans that have been cooked, pressed, and dried--soybeans are the only ingredient. I use these anywhere that I would normally use chunks or strips of chicken. My favorite is in a stir-fry. When I get down to the really small bits at the bottom of the bag, I prepare them with barbecue sauce and it reminds me so much of pulled chicken or pork.

Black Salt- This is very common in vegan dishes that are meant to taste like eggs. I use this in tofu scrambles (the seasoning mixture that I make flavors the silken tofu). It absolutely reminds me of eggs--I would never try to fool someone, because it's not *that* similar, but I used to eat scrambled eggs frequently, and I don't miss them at all. A tofu scramble with veggies and toast with vegan butter makes a perfect meal when I'm on my own for dinner.

A few positives I've noticed from becoming vegan:

Lipid Profile: My LDL cholesterol dropped by 57 in eight month, and my HDL increased by 8! High cholesterol runs in my family, and by continuing to eat vegan, I'm hoping to prove that it can be lowered by diet alone.

My chronic fibromyalgia pain is gone. That happened within a few months of eating vegan--probably less than two months. I still keep waiting for it to come back, because it seems too good to be true, but so far, it hasn't flared back up.

When sweetening foods with maple syrup rather than sugar, I don't get bloated and gassy. It must have something to do with the unprocessed, natural maple syrup not being so hard on my body to digest.

I have an overall sense of wellbeing. It's hard to explain, but I just *feel* healthier. Even when I eat a relatively heavy meal, I don't feel gross and tired. I have more energy in general.

I've started really paying attention to the products I buy, and I learn new things all the time. I've switched brands of things like shampoo to a "cruelty free" brand (the product hasn't been tested on animals). I haven't gotten rid of my clothing and household items that have been made with animal products or by-products, because I feel that would be wasteful, but I will no longer buy them. I don't think I'll ever be a total extremist, but I do like to make positive changes wherever I can.

Going from omnivore to vegan made me love cooking again. There are SO many cooking techniques that I'd never heard of, ingredients that were totally unfamiliar, and flavor profiles that I enjoyed but couldn't quite place; I also started using my blender nearly every day, if not twice a day. And there is a vegan version of just about everything you can think of. I don't think I've ever come across a non-vegan food that there wasn't a vegan recipe for. I've used more spices and dried herbs than ever before! Each new recipe I make is an adventure--I haven't felt like that while cooking in at least a decade.

Eating vegan eliminates a LOT of the junk food I used to eat. Namely ice cream! Yes, there is vegan/non-dairy ice cream (and some of them are delicious!) but where I live, good luck finding vegan desserts. If I want something sweet, I generally have to make it myself. Being vegan also eliminates a lot of junk from menus at restaurants. There are definitely unhealthy vegan foods--a lot of them!--but it's nice to have some boundaries now.

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If you've been reading my blog for a while, you can see that my diet has made HUGE changes over the last year. It's hard believe it myself sometimes! I don't always eat healthy, but my choices are much healthier than they used to be.

This past year (I started a vegan diet on January 30, 2022) has been a huge culinary adventure and learning experience for me--and I hope that I continue to learn and experience more in the upcoming year as well :)

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