I hate making soup. It typically requires patience. Or some special "knowledge" that I do not possess. I mean, how do you know how how much water to put in? That right there is the root of my fear. I do not know how much water vs. how many veggies vs. how many spices I need to get in there to make it work. Yes I know the recipe book tells you, but I want to be able to make it like my mom does from thin air. Thin air, because she knows everything and I want thin air knowledge....

I feel compelled to share when I recently witnessed two young girls truly encompass today's "strong not skinny" trend, which left me with an overwhelming feeling of joy. 

 I was at the gym and there were two young girls working out and I would say they were either high school seniors or maybe freshmen in college. They were primarily on their phones, doing a few workouts here and there. Normally I would be slightly annoyed and think to myself why are you here? I mean our gym mostly consists of 50+ old men getting their work out on, so there is no one to impress, meaning their standards are not that high, plus they are very focused on their need to get fit for the senior social party they are sure to be attending (OMG my mother will kill me if she reads this). Anyways. I am in the middle of some back workout when I see them posing in the mirrors. Snooping in on their conversation I hear one of them is trying to get a good angle to show off their arm/back muscles. It was so refreshing to witness and made me realize how great it is that this generation and just the current day world is putting more emphasis on being fit then being skinny.

I have been anticipating this day for the last month. I had a few gift certificates laying around from a site visit we did ofWhiteface Lodge a year ago and they were expiring today. So with my $75.00 worth in certificates, plus a Therapeutic Thursday deal of 50% off, I booked myself an 80 minute massage. I love going to the Lodge because they have the nicest sanctuary with a sauna and steam room, plus you have access to their fitness room and pool. I didn't venture to the pool this time since I went solo, but it is indoor/outdoor with three separate jacuzzi's. I

The weather did not hold us back from heading into Saranac Lake to check out the Derby race for Daffest with some friends. As you can imagine, there were no blooming daffodils, but a number of kids and adults came out for the Soap Box Car Races. Plus, I got a chance to see one of my best friends. Even took a picture. Subtle right (Creeper!!)

When Andrew and I started our cleanse the initial purpose was to replenish our bodies with nutrients we felt we missed from our trip to South America. Secondly, it was to kick start our motivation to hit the gym and get our bodies Summer ready. 

This weekend I watched my brother play his first tennis match . Sure he played a few tournaments when he was younger, but since I was already away at school and then with my move up north, I never saw him play. So, this was the first time I sat on the sidelines. I was itching. I wanted so badly to go out there and play.

oday was a great day.

Andrew was at my hotel today for some meetings, so we decided to get together for his lunch break. We headed into town for some vegetarian goodness at the Good Bite (more on this later) and then sat by the library to get our sun on. On our walk back, guess who we run into?! My dog friend. Well, I would like to be friends with him but he is a little to cool for me and I am afraid of the owner's restraining order (there isn't actually a restraining order but you never know). So, I see him coming from afar, although with my lack of glasses and his skinny frame I questioned it for a second. I play

When we first became vegetarians Andrew bought me a cook book by the name of The Everything Vegan Cookbook by Jolinda Hackett and Lorena Novak Bull (yes me, I was mildly offended, but then realized if I left Andrew to cook we would be waiting F-O-R-E-V-E-R to eat). I should explain that this was also when Andrew was trying to stay away from all types of dairy, including eggs. Eggs are in a lot of delectable items, which means we needed to find a really good alternative for all the breakfast dishes we enjoyed on the weekends. Enter Bananas

Post Cleanse I have been incredibly conscious of the food we are eating and making sure I control as much of it as possible, which means nothing pre-packaged, if I can help it, and no eating out. Our grocery bills have been a bit higher than usual due to all the trips, but I figure we even out since we are not eating out and eating everything in the fridge (which means no waste, yay!).

So after seeing all the fantastic photos of everyone with their siblings, I figured I should mention the little man in my life I get to call my brother. My brother and I are 9 years apart, so pretty much the only time spent together was from 9 until 17, and then I was off to college never to really return home except for a couple of months for the Summer. For the short time that we were siblings under one roof, I had free reign over my very own live doll/puppy.

April 6th and it is snowing. I am pretending it is not actually a scene outside my window but rather a really big TV Screen tuned into a "typical Winter day", kind of like Yule Log channel you can have playing for Christmas.