Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday Recap

Uuuuuuugggggghhhhhh moving sucks ass. Even when it goes well it's sometimes difficult not to feel overwhelmed by the task of moving zazzilians (that's like oodles or lots) of your personal belongings. Highlights today include: 1) screeching "Oh, that's my underwear!" when I realized that they were visible through my laundry basket and thus also visible to the friends who were helping us move; 2) taking out the lamp post in our rental home while trying to back a UHaul truck into the driveway;* 3) finally being finished and enjoying this fine brew on a sprightly air mattress:


Before I entered therapy for my eating disorder I was afraid of beer. That was sad. Luckily, living in Boulder, where there is an abundance of craft brews, has slowly reminded me of why beer is so freaking fantastic--mmmm! I don't love Belgian-style beers, but the fiancé loves a little (Avery's???) White Rascal so I try to buy some "girly" beers for him to enjoy as well. (Double IPA=more up my alley)

I'll explain more about our living/moving situation in a future post, but suffice it to say that we will be staying in Southern Colorado for the next week or so while our new house is being finished. Aside from moving today, a full weekend recap would include volunteering at a gala for the local humane society:

In the off chance that my humanities Ph.D. doesn't produce $$$, I can always fall back on my ability to decoratively place fruit and cheese on plates.


And a really lovely, though undocumented, dinner at our new house last night with our architect and his family. They brought a wonderful picnic of Indian food, and it was great to sit down and enjoy some good food with good friends and conversation.

If I can manage to pull myself away from this:


I'll get more of the same tonight, since we're heading to our friend Adam's house for a paella dinner. . .

*Luckily I'm my only reader, so the chances of our landlord seeing this are slim. . . (fingers crossed he won't notice the busted-ass lamp post)

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Oops!


OK, so I'm not off to the best food/healthy living blog start: I realized halfway through breakfast that good bloggers take pictures of everything they do, eat, buy, smell, etc. So, breakfast:



Strawberries and grapes, washed free of dirt and guck (today is a good morning), along with some pumpkin seed (PEPITA!!!) toast with pretend jam. I say pretend because I live in Boulder and that means that I'm afraid of sugar. Ave agave(!) doesn't use sugar in their jam, and instead uses Agave syrup (you might know agave from such films as Tequila, or Why Did I Drink So Much Freaking Tequila Last Night). There is also a jar of peanut butter lurking outside this picture, of which I didn't partake too much because I ate about a quarter of it last night with chocolate chips and cereal. It's all about balance, people.

The next logical posting for a new blog--to me, at least, seems to be: "So You've Decided to Start a Blog." So here it is:

"So, you've decided to start a blog, have you?"

Well, yes. I _love_ writing in my freaking diary, so I thought I'd "publish" it along with some crap pictures of my half-eaten breakfast. Yay! Like I'm not narcissistic enough already?

Seriously, though, I don't write in a diary. I don't even like posting things on Facebook, because then people will read them and think thoughts about me. 

However, in the last year, I have: 1) finally discovered what, exactly, a blog is, 2) become mildly addicted to healthy living blogs in which excessively fit women track what they eat and how many miles they run, and therefore, 3) decided that I'm going to give it a go, under the (big) presumption that sarcasm _can_ be communicated via written words. 

And, for further enticement to keep reading, here's a sexy shot of me getting ready to ride my bike:

Check out my silhouette!! I've been doing alotta lunges to get my bottom to look that fantastic!




Friday, April 27, 2012

Choppin' Broccoli


It’s normal to eat an entire bunch of kale by yourself, right? Normal. . .hmmm. . .that’s a tough one. Normal for whom? For someone who grew up eating Blackjack Pizza, bologna sandwiches on white bread, and candy (think jellybeans at Easter, peppermint nougat at Christmas, and cinnamon bears year-round)? Is it normal for a previously plump adolescent who is still working through a challenging history of bulimia and anorexia? Or is it normal for a vegetarian living in the healthiest city in America?

I am all of these things, in addition to being a doctoral student, wife-to-be, and new homeowner. In the upcoming year I will move in to a new house, get married, finish my dissertation, and maybe even get knocked-up! This blog is a journal of my attempts to find happiness, health, and fitness through all of this, without giving up muffins or my sanity.

That’s right: happiness is directly correlated to muffins. (Don’t question me on this, math people!)

Stick around, read more, or shoot me an email at: nikkicookskale@gmail.com.

P.S. Thanks for reading! I’m glad you’re here.

P.P.S. I don’t really cook--I just try to. Currently, I mostly microwave, stir, and/or roast things. I also buy pre-made food at Whole Foods and feel guilty about it J That's definitely normal!