Great First Week...and loads of great food!

Hello all! This week has flown by, and in a great, crazy, exciting way! I started my VISTA position at the Mayor's office, and I am really beginning to see how my year of service is going to fly by. We had an 8:00 a.m. meeting on Monday with the Mayor and his Chief of Staff, and then spent the rest of the day working on assignments and completing orientation with our supervisor. It was a long day, but I still managed to drag myself to a yoga class at 24 Hour. It was yummy, delicious stretching, perfect for sitting and writing all day long. I felt relaxed but rejuvenated after the class, and made the Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk soup again. This time I used a mushroom broth instead of veggie, and I also added some corn and bread crumbs after it was blended into a silky liquid. It made a hearty dinner that put me to sleep very quickly! Today did not start as early, but I did wake up at 7:30 with Genghis Cat biting my toe. When my cats are hungry, everyone knows about it! :) I had another round of assignments, mock presentations and orientation at the Mayor's office, but we managed to get out a little early today, perfect for me to run a few errands before a killer turbo kickboxing class at 24. Ellen (our instructor) just wanted us to remember to watch our portions on Thanksgiving. It was the most difficult class I have ever had from her. I wish I had a picture to share with you of how sweaty I looked after! Luckily, I fueled with two hard boiled eggs and a bowl of cereal an hour before the class, so I managed to pull through all the way to the end! Lunch today was some of my leftover soup and an apple. I did have to steal a few Whoppers from the candy dish on the Mayor's receptionist's desk for something sweet after. :)

Despite being exhausted from work and kickboxing, I still managed to make it to the store to pick up some item's for a Thai Veggie Curry from "Trading Up Downtown," a new blog from Tina of "Carrot's N'Cake" on shopping and eating well on a budget. I made a few modifications to the recipe which I will include in the "Food" section of my itty bitty blog.

I ate two portions of the curry. Hopefully that shows how good it was! I also had half a bag of steamed artichoke hearts with olive oil and sea salt. It was another dinner date with my favorite veggies, complete with a few episodes of "Friends." I am still wading through a sea of laundry, however, and am hoping to be in bed soon so I can get up and go for a 5 mile run tomorrow! The to-do list is a mile long in preparation for our trip to Alliance to see Jason's family, but it is always a good time in the Panhandle, especially since we are bringing our kitties with us! Have a great night!