Transitions....TRANSITIONS!

Please consider the tilte to the tune of "Traditions" as sung by Tevia from Fiddler on the Roof. Thanks!

Hi all,

Happy August! Can't believe it's month 8 already! It seems like it was just January! Crazy, right? Even crazier is a year ago I was working at a pharmaceutical company as a Quality Control Chemist (didn't know I was a chemist too, did ja? haha) and living on my Bestie Jenna's couch. (have I mentioned how much I love this girl and her family? They were my life savers in more than one way last year and always) And now after working for just over 11 months at the CRI I have said goodbye and now am faced with the reality that in 2 weeks I will be responsible for the science education of 100 10th and 11th graders! ahhhh, what have I done? J/K, I'm totally psyched, but did feel a little strange leaving the CRI on Friday. I mean did have been either for nearly a year and have developed relationships with everyone, but change in this case is quite good, no matter how much I will miss living in St. Pete. I hope to get back there one day and in the meantime for sure have a great vacation spot! Not to mention some yoga workshops I MUST attend.

After saying goodbye to everyone Friday afternoon (my boss even gave me a hug! wow!) I drove home and began the insane task of fitting my entire wardrobe into a 2 door Civic along with myself and the 100lb darling doggie, of course (and all his crap too!). 4 laundry baskets, 3 duffel bags, a large amount of sweat and a few choice words later I was successful! (Ok, so it wasn't my entire wardrobe-I had already brought 2 baskets home on Tuesday night-but without the mutt it would have all fit! haha). I also managed to fit in time to make my version of "fish and chips" with some of the groceries I have been trying to clear out of my kitchen before the big move on Friday.

The potato salad was composed of 4 medium baking potatoes that were starting to sprout!, 3 hardboiled eggs, purple onion, Dukes (duh!) some Grey Pupon Dijon mustard, plus dill, and S&P to taste. Seriously delish. And there is a bed of mixed greens under there somewhere!

Plus a Flat Out Wrap (which btw, I have had since April? Is that a little creepy? What the eff did I just eat? Yipes!) filled with more greens, 4 toasted fish sticks, hot sauce and sandwich cheese. Yum. Chubby got about 1/3 of the above plating. My eyes were bigger than my stomach per the usual.

It was my Dad's 55th birthday on Friday so I drove up for the weekend and will be in Bell through Tuesday night since I have 2 days of in service training Monday and Tuesday anyways. I'll be getting "Deep FRIed" Which is a little play on words obviously, regarding the 3rd generation of the Florida Reading Incentive. (First it was FRIed and then ReFRIed, you get the point). Then my wonderful Mum is coming back to St. Pete to help me finish packing, etc the condo before my "moving crew" (which is my Dad, Jenna and her little bro-who lucky for us is a firefighter, aka strong!) arrives on Friday morning. Crazy!

In the meantime check out some of my weekend eats:

I love this little whole in the wall bar on 13th Street called Hogan's Heroes. They have cheep beer (my M&D and myself split a pitcher of Bud-no worries, they have Blue Moon, Yingling, Harpers, etc too, but my Dad is a diehard Anheuser Busch drinker). But in addition to draft beer they have the best deli subs! I am a huge sub girl from way back and let me tell you nothing beats a hot pressed sub paired with a nice cold beer! Yum-o.

Hogan's puts this mix of sweet hot peppers on their subs that really push it over the top. Gotta get a jar of that stuff myself to add to sandwiches and salads at home. So good.

Today has been a bit of a grazing day for food. My dad and I headed out early to pick up a countertop from a friend of his, who does custom countertops and cabinets and had pulled this one out of a home he is remodeling. (I'll post those pictures later as an update to the Abarnment Series. Check out the blueprints, if you didn't get a chance to read the "prologue" yet! :) )

We weren't allowed to leave without a pan of these goodies, that are simply called "Cake Balls." Holy cow are they rich (especially the double chocolate dipped ones). I've eaten 1 and 1/2 thus far. Man, these aren't going to last long in this house since both Dad and I are HUGE sweet-tooths. That's why I try not to keep crazy decadent stuff like this around. Wow.

Other unpictured snacks include pepperjack cheese and whole wheat crackers, sliced cucumbers and celery with pimento cheese. A few handfuls of yummy mixed nuts with sesame sticks (another one of my weaknesses!) made it to my mouth too. I'm going to have to monitor my snacking while living at home, because my Mom is a little too good about putting out snack platters in the afternoons. Today is ok, since I didn't have a full lunch or anything, but on workdays it can be dangerous.

Speaking of full meals, check out the amazing chicken and yellow rice and steamed broccoli Mom made tonight for a Sunday family dinner. I had been craving chicken and yellow rice and this recipe is one of the best. It's actually a recipe the Valencia restaurant in Tampa, so it's a "local" favorite too, since my mom is a Tampa girl.

Off to try and get my reader inbox down a bit (I read for about 2 hours earlier and finally got it under 100, sheesh.....you guys are sooo busy, but I love it!) before a 2 mile walk with the pups.

Love to all,

~A bittersweet about this change, Jess

PS. I'd been slacking in posting Operation Beautiful notes, although I have been promototing the movement via word of mouth like mad as of late. Love the message, you know. Anyways, I posted this note while we were out and about last night: