Song of the day

It should really be no surprise to anyone who knows me well that it's Rihanna. (I used the alternative video, as the official one would take my blog from a G rating to R/possibly NC-17.)

Week 14: Kowtow to the IRS

Well, my goal for week 14 was no fun at all, but it had to be done. What was it, you ask? I needed to do my taxes. I'm normally a send-them-off-in-January kinda gal, but I just didn't get around to it earlier this year. This was probably partially because of the move and the new job, but mostly because I knew I wasn't going to be getting much money back. In fact, I made so little money last year that I actually qualified for the EIC for the first time ever! (I'm not sure I should be excited about this, but apparently I am.) I felt a little guilty even making this one of my blog goals, because I did it... in about 15 minutes. Ha! Amen for TurboTax Freedom Edition. I had anticipated this taking me the better part of Saturday morning, but I was finished before I had even organized all of my paperwork.

Since I had so much free time on my hands afterwards, my two wonderful housemates and I laid out by our pool. It was gorgeous here this weekend, so we spent about 2 hours baking in the sun (SPF 45 dutifully applied) and catching up on our lives. I also got around to reading a great nutrition article that has been sitting on my shelf for weeks. After sunning ourselves, my housemate S and I decided to run a few errands and ended up, conveniently, at Yogurtland, where we treated ourselves to some fro-yo. Then, feeling fat, we rode our bikes up and down the Greenbelt for about an hour and a half before settling in to watch Beasts of the Southern Wild. All in all, a great day. Thanks, S!

Greenbelt - photo via

PS: Today would have been my beloved animal's 7th birthday. Happy birthday to you, sweet boy, and thank you for sharing your too-short life with me.

Apologies for my absence!

Hi friends,

I'm sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately. Things have been busy around here! In week 11, my dear friend L was in Phoenix with her family for spring break. We enjoyed dinner at one of my favorite spots, True Food Kitchen, on Tuesday night. On Saturday, we lounged by the pool at their resort:

(both photos courtesy of L's family)

It was SO great to see a good friend in my new town! Thank you, L and family, for coming to visit and for adopting me for the day! I am enjoying my new sun hat while I sit by my own pool. :)

In week 12, Dad and D came to visit! We had tons of adventures. We visited the art galleries in Old Town Scottsdale, ate at Sol Mexican Cocina, watched the San Tan Criterium, checked out Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West, and had another great dinner on the patio at El Chorro, watching the sun set against Camelback Mountain. On Sunday, we took a day trip to Sedona:

I absolutely LOVE the red rocks out here. They're so beautiful. And look at that sky!

Dad and D left town on Monday of week 13, and Tuesday was a very sad day for me. My beloved dog, who I have had since 2006, unexpectedly passed away. Here's a very old favorite shot of us together:

I have no words for the grief of being without this guy. He was the best thing in the whole world.

Thankfully, the visits weren't over yet! On Wednesday, a.k.a. the best timing ever, my other friend L came to Phoenix! We had a fun-filled weekend, complete with a day trip to Las Vegas and celebrating my housemate's birthday with a party here in town. L was just what I needed as I tried to deal with the reality of losing my dog. On Thursday night, we had a lazy evening of takeout from Green and watching Hotel Transylvania, which was absolutely adorable.

Friday evening took us to Las Vegas, where we met up with D and J to see Mystère. This show was amazing! It didn't hurt that we had phenomenal seats, courtesy of D and J's friend M, who stars in the show. Afterwards, L and I got a backstage tour! Here we are:

Photo by D

And here's one of us and D, on the Mystère stage:

After the show, we got drinks at Mix Lounge at Mandalay Bay. This place has an incredible patio with a view of Las Vegas that is not to be missed. We returned to Mandalay Bay the next day for a delicious, all-you-can-eat tapas brunch at Border Grill, where L's friend A works - but not before riding the roller coaster at New York New York. I'd say that ride was well worth the $14 admission fee! So, so fun. I will be eternally grateful to L for being there for me in my tough time, and just for being her. She's one hell of a gal.

Now that life has pretty much returned to normal, besides the obvious gaping void of doglessness, I'll be back and ready with some goals in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!

How I feel today...

Week 10: Read for pleasure

My goal for week 10, much like the one for week 8, is one that I'm surprised I had to "resolve" to do.

Reading is one of my greatest pleasures in life. For this, I blame - and thank - pretty much my entire family. My grandma used to take us on trips to the library when we were little to entertain us. My grandpa gave me the complete works of Shakespeare as a birthday gift... when I turned 10. My parents, sisters and I spent many a Friday night at an independent bookstore called The Library, Ltd. when I was growing up. (This bookstore, tragically, has gone the way of too many independent bookstores and is now closed.) My oldest sister has been teaching English for about the last 10 years, but I think her vocation really began approximately 20 years ago in our basement. I won a book collector's contest in college. We are all voracious readers, and I am incredibly grateful for that.

An old candid, taken by my friend Sue - December 2007

Despite my love of books, I haven't sat down to read a novel since I was in North Carolina. I did listen to a few audiobooks, and Elle was kind enough to read this adorable book aloud to me on our trip. Now that I have passed my RD exam, I decided that my goal for week 10 would be to sit down and read a book for fun. Audiobooks just aren't doing it for me.

So, did you do it? Half and half. I started one, and though I haven't finished it yet, I'm sure that I will soon. It is so good! Here's what I'm reading:

Photo via

I've been on a little bit of a Native American lit kick lately, so this book seemed perfect. I've never actually read one of Louise Erdrich's novels before! I've only read her short stories. I kept being drawn to this book every time I went into a bookstore in recent months, so I finally downloaded it; I haven't been able to put it down since. So far, I'd put it in the "highly recommended reading" category, along with Stuffed and Starved.

What great books have you been reading lately? Do you have any Native American literature recommendations for me?

So proud!

Today, I am excited for my sister M, who is making big life moves. I can't wait to see how it all unfolds! Good luck, M (and R the Wonderdog)!

Week 9: Drumroll...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned studying for my RD exam. On Saturday of week 9, I took it. Obviously, the only goal I had for the entire week was to study, study, study and then kick that exam's butt. I answered about 1300 practice exam questions, listened to many hours of lectures, and read way more information than I could possibly retain. I still didn't really feel ready for the exam when it rolled around, but I knew I just had to bite the bullet, show up, and do my best.

I arrived at the testing center early and got to have a nice little chat with M before walking through the doors. While I was waiting for my name to be called, I made the acquaintance of a lady from North Carolina who was taking the DTR exam, so we had a lot to talk about! I had foolishly worn a Carolina T-shirt and a Duke sweatshirt to the testing center. My thought process was that no one in Arizona would care enough to judge me for my traitorous behavior. Boy, was I wrong! Live and learn. :)

After the exam, I spent a tremendously stressful 5 minutes trying to see my score, which the lady at the testing center had said would show up on my screen after the test. It didn't, so I logged out of the system, logged back in, and saw the message, "Test has been interrupted. Please see proctor." That elicited a higher than normal heart rate and a mild state of panic. Eventually, we got it all figured out and my score popped up on the test center computer screen. I passed!!!

This is how I felt when I saw my score:

Photo via

In fact, it's still exciting every time I think about it, and I'm a little surprised each time - it's really over! I really passed! And now, I can really get on with living my life and working hard at my job!

To celebrate the good news, I hopped in the car and headed to Anaheim, California to see one of my very favorite artists play a show at House of Blues. I have wanted to see Ryan Bingham live for... I don't even know how many years. This was the perfect way to celebrate being an RD. He put on a fantastic show that was well worth the 6 hour drive. His opening band, Honey Honey, was pretty great, too! I'll leave you with a song from each of them.

This was my favorite of Honey Honey's songs.

And here's a classic from Bingham, which he performed beautifully on Saturday:

Week 8: Catch up with friends

Guys, I'm just gonna say it: I have the BEST family and friends.

Yup, it's true. You can argue with me and try to convince me that yours are better, but I'll always know the truth. Mine win, hands down, every day of the week. As evidence, here's exhibit A:

By the time I arrived at my house in Arizona at the end of my cross-country road trip with Elle, I already had a huge stack of mail waiting to greet me. I decided to put some of my cards on display, so I turned the curtain rod into a clothesline and hung up all of my mail. Well, not even 5 weeks in, it was full! I've already had to start switching out old cards for new ones because I ran out of hooks. I feel so very loved.

...Which is totally undeserved, at least in this case. How many of these cards had I answered at the start of week 8? A big fat zero. To make matters worse better, I had a birthday in week 7 of this year and got tons of amazing gifts that I needed to write thank-you notes for! The need to write letters was getting dire, and I decided that week 8 would be dedicated to writing letters, chatting on the phone, and generally being a better communicator than I have been since my move to Phoenix.

It's crazy to me that I even needed to make this a mini-resolution. I absolutely love writing letters. I have an unhealthy obsession with paper products and a hugely sentimental appreciation for the written word. When I consider all of the normal, everyday things that have fallen by the wayside in the last few months, I realize that adjusting to a new job, a new city, and new friends has taken a lot more energy than I thought it would. I wanted to get back into a routine and do some things that were comforting and gave me a sense of stability. Writing letters was perfect. It would be enjoyable, calming, and make me feel connected to the people that I miss being with every day.

Photo via

So, did you do it? Yes! As soon as I could! I studied all day on the first day of week 8, and when I was burnt out on that, I sat down with some stationery and a pen and got busy. I wrote a total of 8 letters*, which I like to think of as one for each week of this year that has passed. Super success!

*And if I haven't written you back yet, I definitely will soon - it was such a nice way to spend my Sunday evening and I'm hoping that I can follow in Nutritionella's shoes and participate in Snail Mail Sunday every week!

Week 7: Support local agriculture

One thing that I miss about North Carolina is the food culture. At least in the Research Triangle, where I lived, it seems like everyone is into food - eating it, growing it, buying it locally, cooking it, taking pictures of it, writing about it, and talking about it. I frequented the Durham Farmers' Market myself, but there are plenty of great markets in the area. Carrboro's market is famous all around the country, and Raleigh's State Farmers' Market is open every single day.

Photo via

Although I've always loved farmers' markets for the bountiful fresh produce, the connection with my growers, the distance from farm to fork, and the ability to ask questions about how the food was produced, they became even more important to me this past fall. For starters, I had a kick-ass internship with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Health Bucks program, which aims to help low-income NYC residents purchase fresh fruits and vegetables with $2 coupons that can be used at every one of the 130+ farmers' markets within the 5 boroughs. Working for this program was such a wonderful experience and gave me a much deeper appreciation for the people who produce our food. A second reason for my increased interest in local produce is the result of this book, which M picked up for me on a whim while she was visiting me in New York:

Photo via

Move over, Michael Pollan: this might be the best book that I have ever read about food production and the many ways that it affects our global economy, our culture, and our health. Raj Patel takes an in-depth look at the ripples produced by the global food system and how they affect much, much more than even I ever realized - and I think about this stuff a lot. Highly recommended reading, if you're into that sort of thing.

Anyway, the point of all this is to say that ever since I've been in Phoenix, I've been wanting to find some great local produce. Because the weather is so beautiful for so much of the year, and because I know that there is farmland just outside of the city, I figured that there must be at least one absolutely amazing farmers' market here to frequent. I decided that my goal for week 7 would be to find a farmers' market that I love.

So, did you do it? Sigh... no. I tried one here in town, and there were only TWO stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables. There were at least as many - maybe more - hawking dog treats, for Pete's sake! I should say that the two produce stalls there did have a lot to offer, but I think I've been spoiled by my experiences in North Carolina and New York, and I was pretty unimpressed. I went hiking on Saturday with a new friend here, and she said the same thing about the farmers' market she had visited the previous weekend. What's up with this, Phoenicians? Any recommendations?

To end on a happy note, here's the view from my hike up South Mountain!

Couldn't resist

My sister K posted this on Facebook via Lululemon, and I was instantly in love.

Happy Monday, y'all!

Week 6: Study

Remember my first post, where I talked about how I had just finished graduate school? What I didn't mention in that post is that there is one final academic hurdle to go. Pretty soon, I'll be sitting for the Registered Dietitian (RD) exam, a beast of a test that I have to pass in order to call myself a dietitian. I think that I'm one of the last in my class to take the exam, what with the minor interruption of moving across the country and starting work while most of my classmates were studying. My job requires me to have the certification within 6 months of my start date, but I definitely don't want to wait that long. The more time that goes by, the harder it will be to take the test. I just want to get it over with so that I can focus on my new, wonderful career!

Obviously, the goal for week 6 was to study for my RD exam. I got the test materials that it seems like most of my classmates have been using, the Jean Inman CDs and study guide. (As an aside, let me just say that dropping $375 on study materials from a website that looks like this was a tad bit disconcerting to me at first...) Ms. Inman covers the four domains of dietetics practice on 7 CDs, along with a printed manual of the information. This little baby will be my best friend for the next few weeks.

So, did you do it? Well, kind of. I got some studying done and then came down with what must have been the flu. I was out of commission for a few days and unable to do much of anything. But rest easy, dear readers - I am mostly recovered, and studying is back in full swing!

Week 5: Eat well

I learned a very important lesson in my first week at work, which is that 10 hour days don't leave a lot of time for working out, cooking, or almost anything else. I also discovered that a 30 minute lunch break means that if I want anything even remotely healthy, I'm going to have to bring it myself. In my first week, I found myself scrounging for things to take to lunch because I hadn't planned ahead for the week and didn't have the energy to prepare great meals after work. I vowed that week 2 of my new job would not be a repeat of week 1. Instead, I would cook on the weekend and have a bunch of food ready to go for my lunches throughout the week!

On Sunday afternoon, I got busy and prepared four great dishes. One was a green-packed stir-fry (recipe here) from Heidi Swanson's awesome cookbook Super Natural Cooking. This cookbook is seriously amazing. Everything is healthy, relatively easy, and completely delicious. As an added bonus, Swanson is an accomplished photographer, so the pictures of the food are drool-worthy to say the least. This stir-fry was definitely a winner, and I will be making it again (and again, and again). Also from this cookbook, I made a new granola recipe. I love granola in the morning, and I think that homemade is always better than store-bought. I have a tried-and true recipe, but I figured I'd try a new one. This recipe was packed with awesome stuff like coconut and macadamia nuts, but I think next time I make it, I'll dial back the sweetness by a lot.

For my next few recipes, I turned to a new cookbook that M got me for Christmas. This one is called Vegan Eats World and it is by one of the authors of Veganomicon, one of my favorite cookbooks. (FYI, I'm not vegan, but I do enjoy a meal full of veggies!) I tried the brown basmati biryani and also whipped up the Coconut Black-Eyed Pea Curry (Lobia). The rice was good but a little dry - next time, I'll add some veggie stock while it's cooking. The Lobia was utterly delicious. It was quite spicy, but I think I liked it that way. If you don't like spice, cut the cayenne back by about half. (Recipe here.)

Having these things ready to go made a huge difference in how well I ate this week. Hopefully this is one resolution I can keep up with all year!

Week 4: Rest your eyes

Guess what, guys?! On Tuesday of week 4, I started my new job! I am absolutely loving it so far. The people I work with are funny, welcoming, and supportive. The work itself, from what I've seen so far, is right up my alley. I can't wait to finish my training period and get my hands dirty in the world of nutritional counseling! The dietitian I worked with this week taught me a lot about how to put clients at ease and ask questions in a way that gets you honest answers. I loved observing her and hope that I get to work with her much more in the future.

Photo via

In lieu of the traditional 9-5 schedule, I'll be working 10 hours per day for 4 days out of every week. That means starting work at 7, which means leaving the house at 6:30, which means waking up at 5. I'm not so much a morning person (or a night person, either, really... I like to joke that I'm a "noon to 4pm" person). Considering this, along with the fact that I've been jobless since the end of October and not really on any kind of schedule, I knew that waking up each day was going to be a challenge. The only way I could do it, I reasoned, is if I got enough sleep. This seems to be different for everyone, but for me the magic number is between 7 and 8 hours. As such, goal #4 was to go to sleep by 10pm at the latest each night of this week.

Photo via

Even though I love sleep and don't need a whole lot of convincing to get into bed, this goal turned out to be a real challenge. My commute and lunch break add at least an hour and a half to my 10-hour workday, so I'm away from home for at least 11 and a half hours per day. Between the job, giving my dog enough attention and exercise, and trying to stay fit myself, I found that I didn't have much time for anything at all this week.

So, did you do it? Honestly, my saving grace was how tired I was at the end of each day. I think that if I hadn't been a veritable zombie by about 9:15, I would have tried to accomplish more in the way of everyday tasks, like answering emails and running errands. As luck would have it, come 9:30pm, my eyes were closing on their own. This made accomplishing goal #4 easier than expected!

I gave myself a free pass for the weekend, which was good as I definitely wasn't asleep by 10pm either night. On Friday, I met up with a friend from many, many moons ago and he gave me a little bar-crawling tour of my new town, including The Praying Monk, Mabel's on Main, Dos Gringos, and Kelly's. On Saturday, he invited me to celebrate a friend's birthday at a great restaurant called O.H.S.O., which was absolutely delicious. I also got to see another old friend on Sunday morning for brunch at NCounter and a little romp at the Desert Botanical Garden. As an added bonus, we didn't have to pay the $18/person admission since she is getting married there in March! It was such a fun weekend, and I'm really glad we reconnected. Thanks, A & C, for making me feel at home in my new city.

Week 3: Caffeine detox

I'm not a daily coffee drinker. I love coffee, but usually I save it for a weekend treat, because drinking white mochas or pumpkin spice lattes every day would not be a good life choice. (Coffee, like wasabi, is a sometimes food for me - skip to 5:05 and watch for about 35 seconds for the cutest nutritional advice ever given.)

While I was on the road with a daily coffee drinker, however, Starbucks became a series of mini-Meccas en route to our destination. I was drinking coffee or black tea almost every day and loving it.

Photo via

Once I arrived in Phoenix, I was feeling seriously over-caffeinated. It was clear to me what Goal #3 would be. I needed a detox from caffeine, and it was perfect timing as I wouldn't be starting work for another week. I didn't have any tea-less 5am mornings to look forward to in week 3 of the New Year. I vowed that for this week, I wouldn't drink any caffeinated tea or coffee, and if I had a yen for a warm beverage, I would make hot herbal tea to satisfy my craving and keep myself hydrated in my new, dry climate.

So, did you do it? Yes! I didn't have any coffee or black tea all week. I didn't do quite as well with staying hydrated as I'd hoped, but I don't think that any amount of water ingested could ward off the inevitable dry skin and lips this week. I hope my body adjusts quickly!

I also accomplished a number of other things in week 3. I put together my bed, unpacked 90% of my boxes, hung curtains to cover up my door-less closet, and explored my new neighborhood. It was a very busy and satisfying week!

Week 2: Keep moving

I left North Carolina for Arizona on January 6th and arrived at my new home on the 14th. Even though we took day-long breaks in each city along the way (Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, and Santa Fe), I knew that I would need movement in order to stay sane. Those long hours of sitting in the car would make me sore and antsy if I didn't make a conscious effort to work out. Thus was born Resolution #2: exercise. Those of you who know me know that I am a yoga fanatic. I do yoga almost every day when I'm not on the road, and I wanted to challenge myself to keep it up while I was traveling. Some may argue that yoga isn't exercise, but I'd say that vinyasa flow is a pretty good workout. Regardless, the point was to move.

On day 1 of the trip, I started the morning with a little yoga at home before hitting the road. I also took my dog for a long walk, because he'd have to sit still for quite a while, too. On day 2, Elle and I hit up Red Hot Yoga in Atlanta for a sweaty flow class before getting our day started. Day 3 was yoga at home, followed by days 4 and 5 at Reyn Studios in New Orleans - a new favorite. (As a side note, I just got a hand-written note from them in the mail thanking me for coming and saying that they hoped they'd see me again when I was back in town! How cute!)

Photo by Reyn Studios

On day 6, I decided to switch it up a bit and hit up a barre class in Plano. This place was awesome and was definitely what I needed.

Photo by The Bar Method

I took day 7 off (intentionally, in favor of a nap) due to sore muscles and a long day of driving that left me exhausted. Day 8 was a hot flow class at Blue Moon Hot Yoga in Santa Fe. Considering that it was 7 degrees that morning, I think it was a better idea than the hike we had originally considered. On day 9, I did a short yoga podcast in our hotel room before hitting the road for our final stretch of the trip.

So, did you do it? Mostly, yes. I usually take a day off each week, and this week was no exception. Plus, that nap was just what I needed and I was happy with my choice. I'd say that week 2 was a complete success! Add to that an incredible massage at our hotel in Santa Fe, and the long hours in the car hardly bothered me at all.

In other news, I guess that now that I have a blog, I'm going to have to start taking my own pictures ;)

In keeping with week 2's resolution, I'm off to another yoga class! I'm going to try out Yoga Village in Scottsdale. It has great reviews on Yelp and is one of the more affordable studios in the area. I hope I love it!

Week 1: Introduction and my first goal

I've never been much of a New Year's Resolution kinda gal. I think that most successful changes are small ones done persistently, not grandiose life overhauls. We've all seen it: In January, the gym (or, in my case, yoga studio) is packed with new faces. Give it a few weeks, however, and the new faces start to dwindle. That being said, I think that having goals is worthwhile and necessary for growth. I also think that being accountable for them is really helpful in meeting them.

I was initially inspired to create 52 mini-resolutions by my sister. She started weekly goals last year, and I've loved reading about them on her blog. A second inspiration came from a good grad school friend, Anne, who wrote a post about daily action in lieu of resolutions. At first, I just figured that I'd tell someone about each weekly goal and that would keep me accountable. It only occurred to me a few days ago that a great way to make sure my goals had an audience would be to start a blog of my own! So here I am.

There's a little catching up to do, given that it's January 17th and I'm just now writing about my first week's goal. In order to explain Goal #1, I guess I'll need to give you some background.

In November, I graduated from UNC's Master of Public Health Program in Nutrition!

Here are my classmates and I after our ceremony.

(Photo by M)

Also pictured are fellow bloggers Elle, Anne, Amanda, Maria, and Emily!

And here I am with my professor and mentor, Janice.

(Photo by M)

On Janice's recommendation, I had started applying for jobs in August. One week after graduation, I got an offer! I had really enjoyed my interview for this position, it was a job I had always thought I'd want to do for at least a little while to get my career started, and I felt a great connection with my would-be supervisor. After some small deliberations - but mostly just trusting my gut - I accepted the job. The hardest thing about saying yes was the location - Arizona! Having spent the last 9 years in North Carolina, a move to Arizona meant leaving my friends and family there and starting over in a place where I didn't know a soul. It also meant driving across the country with my dog and my friend Elle*, since I couldn't fly with the pup.

This brings me to Resolution #1: PACK. I know, I know - It's sort of lame to set a goal for something that you have to do no matter what, but with everything that was going on, I felt it was fair to start with something easy.

So, did you do it? Yes! I left a lot of my things back in North Carolina, as my current life plan is to move back East in a few years. I was also going to be moving into a furnished house, so I didn't need everything that I own. Nevertheless, I got everything I was bringing with me packed up and loaded onto a Pod and put the rest in storage. I was ready for my big adventure!

*You can read recaps of our trip on Elle's blog, starting with the decision to travel together, and then moving from Day 1 all the way through to our arrival!