Fun and food.

It snowed yesterday and it's snowing again today. This is what greeted me when I walked out of the front door this morning to pick up the newspaper from the front step:

I'm not really complaining about the snowy scene this morning because it is January 21 and this is the first time we've had any snow cover, or any lasting snow cover, and we haven't had to bust out the shovels just yet (though we may have to today). But I am complaining just a little bit, because it was not that long ago - just last week as a matter of fact - that we were still in Florida.

Florida! My experience with Florida has been minimal, limited to a trip I don't remember (only through photos) when I was probably 4 years old to my grandparents' place near Naples; a trip to Disney World when I was about 8 years old; and a fleeting trip to Disney World with my high school band, sophomore year (I think?). We flew into Fort Lauderdale this time to spend some time in the warmth with our friends Jipty, Chris, and their son Ely, and even though we stayed for only three full days I feel like I got to know Florida a lot better. And I liked what I saw (even with all the gray-haireds!). So did Doug. We're on a south Florida kick now in our house.

What did we see? Here's the usual photo montage of our trip.

At Everglades Holiday Park we took an air boat ride in the Everglades. We saw... a few birds, a couple of large lizards, and some alligator eyes poking out from some weeds. We'd have seen more if it was sunny. Still, it was fun.

We went to the beach and we actually SWAM! (Or, at least went into the water. In January!) The water was clear, the sun was out (and we have little patches of tanned skin to prove it), and the sand was soft. It was a great beach trip.

We saw lots of strange birds; strange because none of them live in New England, save the gull. This little guy was everywhere, and he's native to Florida. We affectionately call him the turkey duck.

Pelicans, too. We saw real pelicans at the beach, just hanging out in the wild. How amazing! Here are a couple relaxing with their cormorant friends on the beach in Key Biscayne. (The sand was so very soft here, too. I could have sat on the beach for hours.)

We got to spend more time with Ely, who we only see once or twice a year, so his development between visits astounds us. He is such a polite boy, and really, very well-behaved. You can have conversations with him - with full sentences! Fun ones. The ones we were having usually involved some reference to Toy Story, but that was fine with us. We had fun with him.

We went to Bill Baggs State Park and saw this fine example of a non-New England lighthouse, the first either Doug or I had seen. Naturally we were impressed, and all the palm trees and clear, green water helped.

At the park we decided to rent this bicycle-built-for-four, and what fun! Ely didn't do any pedaling, but he enjoyed being in the front seat and telling us where to go. Doug got to steer. I liked getting the exercise and didn't mind the stares we got from the other park-goers. They were just jealous they didn't think to rent one of these things!

And, of course, we spent some time in Miami Beach, walking along Ocean Drive, and got a taste of what it might be like there in Spring Break or in the height of the season. We ate at one of Gloria Estefan's restaurants, and while there wasn't much for non-meat eaters to enjoy on the menu (though the friend yuca was very good - better than french fries, I think), we still had a good time.

Doug and I could have spent a lot more time in south Florida, exploring Miami, revisiting the Everglades, driving to the Keys, and just spending time on the beach or at the pool. We hope Jipty, Chris, and Ely want to go away with us again next winter, because we'd go back in a flash. And maybe by then we'll all have to be on the look-out for the non-meat restaurants.

Jipty and Chris (and Ely, too) are vegan now. Have been so for a while. And this means that eating out can be a little difficult. No meat and no dairy. You'd be surprised how many restaurants have few options for this kind of diet. At Lario's on the Beach there was a vegetarian platter (the black beans were vegetarian, so that was good), but that was it. That was the only option for them. Everything else had meat - because who knew that Cuban food was such a meat-centered cuisine? After spending time with Jipty and Chris and learning more about veganism and plant-based diets, and seeing for ourselves how much healthier they are since they have had this vegan lifestyle, I began to be converted. Just a little bit.

Doug and I don't eat a lot of meat. In fact, we really only cook meat once a week if that. In the past few years I have incorporated more vegetarian meals into our diets than meat-based meals. Listening to them and learning about how much better they feel on their vegan diet made me all the more convinced that we need more plants and grains in our diet. Plus, fruits and vegetables are 0 points in Weight Watchers Points Plus system, so I can eat all of them that I want (more on this Weight Watchers thing in another post).

So now I am obsessed with healthier eating. I'm reading recipes and looking at cookbooks each chance I get. I've found two that I'm particularly excited about

(during the big Patriots-Ravens football game tomorrow we'll be enjoying acorn squash and black bean empanadas instead of buffalo wings), but am always interested in recommendations. I am keen on adding a Mexican and Indian cookbook to my collection. We are not giving up on meat (or fish) entirely, but we are certainly focusing more of our attention on plants.

With that, it's time for the gym - healthy living can't just be based in the kitchen.

It's fun to be one!

Today we went to Ely's first birthday party, though regrettably (and rather rudely, though we had no real control over this) we were about two and a half hours late. We made it just in time to see Ely open his last few gifts (and from the looks of it, he got some nice stuff! He'll have fun playing with all of his new toys, I'm sure.), and also to be there for the birthday cake.

I don't remember turning one - I believe my first memories are from when I was in kindergarten, so I was, what, five or six? - but from the looks of it, being one is a lot of fun. Ely, though exhausted from all the excitement, took great joy in all of the people and toys. Perhaps his most favorite toy was the bunch of balloons just for him. Have you ever before seen a face this happy about balloons? The look on his face is priceless as he smacks the balloons back and forth in front of his face. And laughing to beat the band. What a cutie-pie.

And here's the cutie-pie wondering why he's sitting face to face with a monkey.It's because that's his cake! Can you believe it? What a masterpiece! It was made by his mommies. If I ever give birth, my child unfortunately will not have a cake like that - the talent and creativity needed to think it up, cook it up, and then decorate it, is more than this woman has.

So what has been going on around here in the way of fun? Well, I am managing to amuse myself at work each day with these two little guys: Chicken and Farmer Brown are rubber duckies that I got at a time-management workshop, and while I'm not sure how they're supposed to help me better manage my time, since I tend to zone out while staring at them, I do appreciate their ability to brighten my days. I also appreciate the ability of internet Christmas shopping to brighten my days. I've been busy: Here's the thing about internet Christmas shopping - it creates so much packaging waste, but it's so easy. And for people who are on limited time this holiday season, it's the only way to get it done. I do not have time for the mall, do not want to deal with crowds, and can take a quick break from the budget or another one of my work projects to make a purchase. And then I'm done! Amazing. I'd say 80% of the gifts Doug and I are giving this year will have been purchased from the Internet. Thank you, Internet, for making my Christmas dreams come true.

The case of the missing glasses.

Two things to report from this past weekend (there was more this weekend, but I only have twenty minutes until Antiques Roadshow comes on, so I'm trying to make this uncharacteristically quick). The first - we visited Jipty and Chris and their one month old son (already!) on Saturday evening. Little Ely Michael Armstrong Therrien is an adorable, adorable baby, and so well-behaved! Babies traditionally make me nervous because they can't talk and I have no idea what's going on behind the eyes. They're also squirmy, and the fact that for a good while after they're born they can't hold up their own head, which makes their neck something like a tetherball rope, does little to ease my nerves. Ely, however, didn't really make me nervous. Jipty and Chris looked wonderful for being new mothers with very little sleep, and the kitties and doggies all seem to be adjusting well. Mad props to the new family for making it all look so easy, and mad props to Jipty who labored for over 65 hours! The result was worth it - a healthy baby, a healthy mommy, and a birthing story to rival all others. This first photo is of Chris, Jipty, and their son, and the second one is of me, finally getting a hang of holding the little bundle of baby joy.

Second item - I had my first dealings with a kleptomaniac on Saturday. We were meeting Marieke and Curt for brunch in JP at 10am, so I tried to make a quick trip to Curves, only to be thwarted by a would-be thief. I had walked to Curves, so I put my giant coat and hiking boots into the cubby closet (the cubbies are just egg crates). I don't like to work out wearing my glasses, so I took my glasses off and put them into one of my boots. Just as I was closing the closet door, I said to myself, "You shouldn't leave your glasses in your boot - you'll forget they're there, then stick your big foot into the boot and squish them." Smart! So I took my glasses out of the boot and placed them in the crate right near my boots. I worked out (I'll admit to skipping a few of the resting stations in order to keep to my tight schedule), then went to the cubby closet to put on my coat and boots for the walk back home. I open the door and look into my little cubby space and see my boots, but no glasses. Hmmm. Maybe I left them in my boot after all. So I check my boot. No glasses. Check the other boot. No glasses. Look to see if the glasses fell through the holes of the egg crate. No glasses. Look all around to see if they somehow (?) got into someone else's egg crate. No glasses. I then decide that something is wrong with this picture, and go wave my tag under the scanner to officially end my workout. In my head I'm seeing dollar signs - it's not in the budget right now to get a new pair of glasses! How will I see? What will I do? And what would someone want with my glasses? It's not like they'd be able to see out of them. Part of me is thinking I should just leave and then call Curves to tell them to keep an eye out for my glasses, but then another part, the part that is trying to be more assertive, decides to do some more investigating. I walk over to these two empty chairs where someone's bag and shoes are, and out of the pocketbook I see the arm of my glasses. I know they're mine - I can tell. So now I have a conundrum. Do I reach into her bag and take my glasses? I know who the woman is - do I go up to her and tell her to give me my glasses back? What to do! In the end, I decide to just raise my voice above the obnoxious Curves music and ask if anyone has seen a pair of brown glasses that were in the cubby next to my boots. I do this, and the woman immediately comes over to her bag and gets my glasses, telling me that she's sorry, she thought they looked like the ones she usually buys at the Christmas Tree Shops. I play it off, "Oh no problem, easy mistake," I say, and then leave, but even if they were like the ones she got at the Christmas Three Shops (which I doubt they are), how does that make it right for her to take them? These glasses have Gucci engraved on the side. Since when does the Christmas Tree Shop sell Gucci eyeware? I do believe the lady simply saw them in my cubby, decided they looked like a nice pair of glasses, and decided they should go home with her, no matter what prescription they were. A klepto! At Curves! Touching and taking my glasses! The violation! Anyway, my glasses are back, so all is well, but I'm reluctant to go back to Curves. Apparently what's mine is not mine at Curves, and that doesn't make me happy.

Two minutes to Antiques Roadshow. See ya!