Day 21: Something You Are Looking Forward To

First I thought I would talk about some deep, life meaning, sort of thing but that's just not where my brain is tonight.  So I thought I'd talk about the upcoming Fourth of July weekend!  I'm looking forward to having my family over for food and fireworks, and then the local small town parade with taffy and high school bands and horses.  I'm also excited to be able to celebrate the fourth with my hubby in DC.  Fun times!

Day 20: My Favorite Music Artists

Yep, I'm a total slacker at this challenge!  Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite musicians- they are varied and wonderful!

• Jack Johnson- I first heard his music from my son listening to him.  I fell in love with his easy going laid back style.
• Lady Antebellium- Probably my favorite country music artists, though there are many I love!
• Neil Diamond- An oldie but a very good goodie!
• Cecilio and Kapono- First heard these guys back in college- from Hawaii they have an easy, rich sound.  I have their records!  I guess it's time to update to some CD's!
• Andrea Bocelli-  I'm crazy about this tenor's voice- love his music.

Day 19: Something You Want to Buy

OK, I admit that there are several things that I would like to buy.  But today when the temperature outside hit 92 degrees I decided that I would really like to buy a car that has air conditioning!  I love our old van- it gets great gas mileage and it has been trusty and dependable but during the summer I have to admit that I fantasize about having a car with air conditioning.  Well, maybe someday!

Day 18: A Recipe

A couple of weeks ago, I'm pretty sure I would have posted a recipe of a favorite dessert but I've been trying to "eat clean" lately and this is a recipe I tried.  It was delicious and I had requests for the recipe so it must be a winner, right?  Anyway, eating clean is basically trying to stay away from refined flours and sugar, foods with a lot of preservatives or that have undergone a lot of processing.  You also eat up to six small meals which include a lean protein and complex carbohydrate, every two to three hours versus three meals.  So far I'm enjoying the challenge and the extra energy that comes from eating this way.  If you give it a try I hope you enjoy it!

Couscous Salad Greek Style

Ingredients:

1 cup dry whole-wheat couscous

¾ cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

¾ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil          

1 Tbsp lime juice (juice of one lime)

½ cup grape tomatoes cut in half

¼ cup green onions, chopped

1 cup cucumber, chopped and seeded

¼ cup chopped fresh oregano

½ cup goat cheese or feta cheese

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1.       Bring stock and orange juice to a boil. Add couscous and stir. Then turn off heat and cover pot tightly. Don’t peek. Let stand.

2.       Make dressing by combining olive oil and lime juice. Whisk and set aside.

3.       Back to the couscous. Remove lid and fluff grains with a fork.  Add chopped vegetables. Crumble the cheese over the salad and drizzle with dressing. Add oregano and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Nutritional Value per serving:  (Six servings)

Calories: 233/ Calories from Fat: 77/ Protein: 7g/ Carbs: 33g/ Dietary Fiber: 6g/ Sugars: 4g/ Fat: 8g/Sodium 222mg

Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, Tosca Reno

Day 17: A Baby Picture of Your Sister :)

This was actually supposed to be a picture of myself, but somehow I ended up with her picture and claimed it as my own.  Maybe it was a sub-conscious slip because I've always admired her and thought she was beautiful and amazing.  She is talented and thoughtful and fun and energetic (she has four sons who are all active in sports- as is she)- and I'm grateful she is my sister.  Anyway- love you sis!

Day 16: Something You Miss

In honor of today being Father's Day, I would like to make a change to the title of this post to SOMEONE I miss.  My dad has been gone for a year and a half and I miss him- especially on days like today.  I have so many wonderful memories of my dad- of the things he taught me, mostly through his example.  He loved sports and I was never much good at them, though I wanted to be for his sake!  I remember being up early on many a Saturday morning and the two of us going to the local diner for hot chocolate and a doughnut.  I remember the lessons I learned when I did something that disappointed him- what daughter wants to disappoint her dad?  Not me! He was a humble man who served his family and community and loved my mom.   I could go on, but for now I just want to say how much I love my dad and how grateful I am for having known him.

Day 15: A Fun Memory

First off, I will say that my 30 day challenge hit a road-block!  Between getting ready to travel and traveling well... Anyway- I'm going to take a stab at it again.

When I read the title for today's post, I immediately thought of two different vacations that I have taken.  I'll post about the other one in another post.  Chuck and I took a vacation to New York to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary a couple of years ago.  We took a week and just tried to do everything we could during that time.  We were able to go to two Broadway shows- In the Heights and Shrek.  We went jogging in Central Park, went to Ground Zero, and the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. The day we went to the Empire State Building, it was foggy and cold and we couldn't see a thing- but we went anyway!  I loved just hanging out at Time Square to people watch.  We also toured a battle ship- I can't remember the name of it though :(

Central Park

Aboard the USS Intrepid

Statue of Liberty (of course)

Before the show!

           

Time Square!

Empire State Building on a cold rainy day!

         

Our hotel room was so small that there was basically only room for a bed and a small chair but we didn't mind cause we were in New York City!

Day 14: What I Did Today

Today we had the opportunity to visit Annapolis, MD, and the Naval Academy there.  It was a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day too!  I love to look at the water- I'd prefer a beach and an ocean, but the view was pretty awesome. I thought I'd share my day through pictures.

In the background, the original state capital in Annapolis, the first in the United States.  

Lot's of fun shops and eating places!

Chuck at the water front

Beautiful buildings on the Naval Academy campus.

More water front pics.

Day 13: A Picture You Took

I was on a military post today and saw the preparations for a funeral.  I don't know anything about who the funeral was for but you can see the caisson being pulled by the horses.  I'm pretty sure the burial was at Arlington.  Anyway, in light of Memorial Day which was a few days ago, I thought I'd share these pictures and express my gratitude to military members and their families for their sacrifices.

Day 12: Favorite TV Shows

I tend to go through phases of what kind of show I like.  I went through my queue on Hulu and chose the ones that I've enjoyed most.  Some are off the air now, but still favorites:

• Parenthood
• Eureka
• Monk
• Doc Martin
• Castle
• Friday Night Lights
• Modern Family
• Army Wives