in the middle of it all.

week six. part two.

i took my first cycling class at the gym tuesday evening with mel. though i love our usual classes - step and pump - cycling was a fun change. i also like the fact that they turn off the lights during the cycling classes. that way, you can cycle like an idiot without anyone seeing. we were encouraged at one point during the class to close our eyes. i guess the point was to get you focused. after the instructor assured us we would not fall off our bikes, i closed my eyes and kept cycling. kind of a neat experience. on another note, i'd like to get back into yoga and pilates.

wednesday evening, i cooked for my family and bo. fixing dinner on wednesdays has become a new tradition. this week? my first attempt at a baked enchilada casserole. it seemed to be a hit. soon, it will be time for pumpkin pies and christmas cookies. okay, getting a little ahead of myself on that one, but i love christmas. and fall. over the past few years, fall has become my favorite season. perfect for cooking and baking. also, my cardigans are justified in the fall. it's a season of warmth.

my mom, my dad, bo and i took part in the memory walk for the alzheimer's association this saturday. this was not my first time walking in the memory walk, but it's special event for my family and me, and i wanted to mention it. our first walk was last october, and it's something we hope to do every year, raising money and awareness for the association and a very special cause.

i am forever surrounded by love and laughter.

i get the feeling she won't forget.

week six of my 26th year. part one.

i've never had thai food before. that is, until this week. first first for the week?

thai food and drink.

monday night, bo and i ventured to a thai restaurant downtown for dinner. i had no idea what to order, so i went with pad thai. clear rice noodles, scallions, bean sprouts with chicken and peanut sauce. delicious. seriously. before our meal, though, came an interesting drink and an interesting first - thai iced tea. at first, the tea was black, orange and white. after being instructed by the waiter to "mix it up!" (after i had already taken a sip before mixing it up properly), i had a cup full o' orange beverage. halloween in a glass, basically, and very fall festive (ha). i'm not sure how to describe it other than to say it was extremely sweet. there was a distinctive tea taste, but mostly, all i could concentrate on was the extreme sweetness. i got about halfway through it before giving up. this coming from someone who downs at least one mcdonald's sweet tea a day. later that night, i looked up thai iced tea recipes online. most recipes include water, thai tea, sugar (at least one cup of sugar to six to eight glasses of water) and condensed milk. and what do you get? sweeeeet tea.

side note.. i think take-out boxes are very cute.

more firsts from week six to come..

leap and the net will appear.

before i turned 26 in august this year, i told myself that 26 would be the year for firsts. i made a deal with myself that each week, i would try something new, something for the first time.. whether it be a new recipe, a new food, a new experience, a new band/album..

while i took a little break from the blogging there for a while, i think it's time to start writing here again. and the "firsts of my 26th year" seems to be, to me at least, a theme worth writing about.

week one: my first time making a carrot pineapple cake for my parent's 30th wedding anniversary. baking is not a new thing for me. i love doing it. this cake, however, was definitely a first. a yummy first. it's basically a carrot cake (one of my favorites) with a twist.. pineapples and pineapple juice.



week two: my first trip to cincinnati with bo. my first major league baseball games (so much fun. i love baseball). my first cincinnati reds hat and t-shirt. and my first trip to white castle for mini burgers. all very special firsts.



week three: the first? a trip to paint bank, virginia with bo (doesn't saying "paint bank" make you smile?) where i had my first buffalo burger and then saw my first live buffalo. afterward, another first.. my first time shooting a gun and wearing camo. scary in the beginning but then, just a lot of fun.



week four: this week, i was given my first virginia tech t-shirt from bo. don't worry. i cheer equally for uva and tech. this was also the week i got my grad school application finished and sent in. another first. so excited to be going back to school. a new recipe i tried out this week? garlic basil shrimp pasta. delightful. and, finally, the last first of the week.. my first virginia tech football game in blacksburg with bo. it rained. it rained a lot. but, still, a great, great afternoon.


week five: another new recipe and first.. penne with shrimp and sun-dried tomato pesto for bo and my family. friday night was ladies night at glazed bisque-it, where melissa and i tried a new technique, another first, for painting our pottery. one word.. tape. the picture below is the only picture i can post right now, because our pottery pieces are surprises this go 'round. the rest will be up later on facebook.


and here we are. at the end of week five.

at the risk of sounding cheesy and mushy, there is one first this year that stands out the most. my first boyfriend is now, almost ten years later, my boyfriend again. another very special first in this year filled with new beginnings.

it's not about who i was anymore, or why i am the way i am now because of my past. from now on, it's about the here and now, the firsts and the new, and all that is to come.

"accept the life that is waiting for you.."