CSA, Again!

Today was exciting - I picked up a new CSA box of veggies for the first time since before the holidays. I think this is a good box, and I'm committed to using up all the veggies and not wasting anything! I did pretty well at this last semester, except at the end when it was Thanksgiving, hubby was leaving, and I was studying for exams.

Here's how it looks:

You may not be able to see all this, but there's kale, scallions, grapefruit, two oranges, Swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, salad greens, carrots, beets, and cabbage (I think that's it!). Pinterest is amazing for collecting recipes to use this stuff up, and I'm hoping I'll make some really yummy stuff over the next couple weeks!

Positivity

I had a really good day yesterday, which was part of a recent pattern of just me feeling pretty upbeat in general. A lot of this has to do with school - I feel validated based on last semester, and like I got results that confirmed my passion (and hopefully talent) for this profession. Particularly since it was the first semester AND hubby left in the midst of my exams, it was just really really excellent to get to relax about that. I've also had some interviews and relatively stressful things going on in my process to find summer (unpaid) employment, but that all changed yesterday, when I met with two people from a potential employer, had a wonderful conversation with them, and was offered an internship on the spot. I also accepted on the spot, at least for part of the summer. (It is at least somewhat normal to do two internships during the summer if the employers are agreeable to it.) After a few months of stressing over this, and grades, it's a huge weight off my back to feel like I am getting somewhere with all of this. I feel like the internship is a really good fit, and the people I met gave me a great impression of what it will be like to work there.

Also, since reading has been manageable, I've taken advantage of the opportunity to do things around town with friends of mine. I'm able to appreciate the city and my friends in a way that I just couldn't toward the end of last semester. I feel like I'm making the most of my time here, and that feels good.

Of course, things would be better if I could be with hubby. Part of my mind is living in the present and enjoying it, and the other part is daydreaming about his return. Pretty normal, I think!

I also recently had the chance to go to a book event with Meg of A Practical Wedding. I need to have a soapbox moment - if any of you are married, in a relationship, and/or contemplating getting married or anything to that effect, I HIGHLY recommend APW. It's not just a wedding blog at all - it's about marriage and life too. It's particularly geared toward women and what we experience as we grow into ourselves, but I happen to think men could gain something too. Seeing Meg speak in person, and getting to talk to her a bit myself, was a great experience after having read her blog for somewhere on the order of 2-3 years. In a nutshell, the philosophy of the site encourages us all to examine ourselves, our relationships, and our choices, to figure out what we truly want, and to feel empowered to shape our lives in that image. For anyone who thinks about life and likes to take a step back (which I hope most of us do), it's just really fantastic. Okay, I'll step off the soapbox now... just needed to get that out since this is my blog, after all. :-)

That's the quick summary of how I'm feeling this week. I feel grateful and blessed for a lot of the things that have been coming my way.

Since I try to include pictures with most posts, here are a couple recent ones (of food of course):

Slow Cooker Beef Roast, recipe here

Salmon Cake with Lemon-Caper Sauce, plus delicious side salad 

(Salmon Cake recipe here)

Life Lately

It's February! As I said on Fbook a few days back - I try not to wish time away, but I am really really looking forward to that husband of mine being home again. Therefore, I wasn't super sad to see the calendar page flip. (Which reminds me, I need to change the calendar in my office... okay done.)

Anyway, what has been going on lately? I'll share a list to try to succinctly sum it up:

- I obviously have reading and homework, but it's actually manageable and I'm appreciating the beginning part of the semester, when I don't have a constant anxiety over whether I should be outlining, and when doing social things on the weekends doesn't make me wonder if I should be working.

- I'm taking Torts, Criminal Law, and Constitutional Law. I like them all in their own ways. I think that  Criminal Law will give me an excuse to watch Law & Order and call it "studying."

- My major preoccupation these past few weeks has been securing summer employment (for which I will not get paid). A lot of my friends have things already, and I really am happy for them. It will be easier to be TOTALLY happy for them when I know what I am doing too. :-) For various reasons though, I am not totally freaking out. I'm in touch with some organizations and I think within the next 4-6 weeks I'll have it figured out.

- I plan to stay in this general vicinity for the summer, because that's the span of time when hubby is coming home. (Can you tell I'm looking forward to that?)

- I have been doing a decent job at getting out, enjoying my surroundings, and socializing on the weekends. Last weekend, I went with a group of classmates on a field trip out of town to get some delicious local BBQ. Coming from the northeast, it's a whole new world.

- My ratio of cooking meals to eating them has been about 1:4. I plan out what to cook when, and then also have leftovers for lunches and some other dinners. It's possible I have a spreadsheet, but I will neither confirm nor deny.

- I'm enjoying the flexibility the slow cooker gives me, and I'll share some of my favorite recipes (so far) sometime soon.

- Two of my closest college girlfriends are visiting in only three weeks and I'm really really excited!

That's what's been going on, in a nutshell. Things are pretty good right now, but part of my brain is preoccupied thinking about hubby's return, and plans we can make for the months right after. Ah well, it's pretty normal I think!