*Now presenting: Me, as the Indestructible, the Red, the Fluffy—Marshmallow! My brother actually got me this coat last year, but it was in sore need of a dry cleaning and last winter wasn’t too cold, so it turns out that I never really pulled out this beauty until now, when the temperatures rarely get above zero degrees. Pretty much this coat is so hardcore that I feel like I could get hit by a schoolbus and just roll away, unharmed, like a big beach ball. I absolutely adore it.
*But honestly–it’s the warmest coat I’ve ever had. I pretty much wear it every day (even though it apparently makes me look like I’ve gained about 114 pounds when paired with scrubs and snow boots, as I found out over the weekend).
*On Saturday, I made bean burgers for dinner. That’s right, folks–I made a meatless “burger” entirely out of beans (and onions, carrot shavings, and spices). Surprisingly, despite their diarrhea-like appearance, they didn’t taste all that bad.
*When paired with a hamburger bun, cheese, LOTS of ketchup, and spinach, that is 🙂
*You know what else? My digestive system didn’t freak out like it normally does with beans. Looks like having them nearly every day has finally jolted my bowels into compliance.
*I’ve decided that 3-day weekends are great and terrible–great because I get to sleep in and get one more day of blissful freedom, and terrible because it’s even harder to go to work the next day than it normally is. But at least I just have a four-day work week, right?
*Matt and I have been having green smoothies almost every day. Actually, they’re not technically “green” because they tend to turn purple or yellow (depending on whether I load up on the berries or pineapple/peaches), but I must say, putting spinach in my daily breakfast shake has got to be the easiest way ever of eating my vegetables. Seriously, if you haven’t thrown a bunch of fresh spinach in with your smoothies ever, try it–you can’t even taste it.
*And that’s the whole goal of vegetables, right? That you can’t taste them?
*This picture kind of makes it look like we went skiing over the break or something. Do you know what? I’ve lived in Utah for almost my whole life, and I’ve never been skiing. Not even once.
*Is that sad?
*What’s even more sad is that I had never really been sledding either until about 5 years ago, when I was 21. True story.
*It was terrifying.
*That’s the only time I’ve ever been sledding. (I did have loads of fun, though! Even if I did almost wet my pants.)
*Have you ever been skiing? Snowboarding? Come on–you have to prove I’m not the only Utahn like this…
*I have parent/teacher conferences next week, and I’m a bit apprehensive. I mean, last time I had a parent try to get me fired. What now? An angry stampede of perfectionistic mothers trampling me to death? A belligerent father swearing at me while I lie huddled under the table, sucking my thumb?
*Or maybe, just maybe, everybody will be really nice and pleasant and say how wonderful I am and how they all want to shower me with chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper and Old Navy gift certificates and That One Mother from last time won’t come in. I can dream, right?
*Speaking of Dr. Pepper, without even planning to, I’ve kind of started weaning myself off it. I used to buy 4 or 5 cases of it every time it went on sale at the store, but I haven’t bought any since the year began (well, at the grocery store, that is. Here at the school, I’ve broken down twice and gotten it on two particularly difficult days).
*Of course now, just thinking about it, I really, REALLY want one.
*Hmmmm…
*Anyway, between parent teacher conferences and the gloomy weather, I’m not looking forward to much besides the onslaught of spring already. What about you? What’s coming up on your horizon?