6 things.

There are 6 things on my mind right now.

The first thing is kind of funny. So this morning I quickly blow dried my hair. It was pretty much half dry already.  I was looking in the mirror and debating whether my short, wavy hair looked sexy or messy. I was diggin' it at the time so I thought I'd go with the look. I asked my guy what he thought, and he said, "It looks really good." Naturally, I was feeling beautiful. Usually he would be like, "It looks fine, babe" or something equally as uninterested or impartial.

I met him for lunch (meaning, to pick up our take-out that we would each eat individually as the day was crazy). He said to me, "What happened to your hair?" I was like, "OMG, what happened?" I thought maybe a bird pooped on my head or something. He said something along the lines of, "Why is it so messy?" I said, "This morning you said it looked really good." He said, "Yeah, but I thought you knew I was kidding." I guess what looked like sexy, beachy waves or borderline hot mess actually looked like a big, old hot mess. I was too tired, hungry, and busy to be concerned so I rocked the disheveled look all day without a care in the world. It doesn't bother me at all. Who really cares!! :)

The second thing on my mind is that Friday is my longest day of work. Most people are winding down and I am super, super busy. During the middle of the day, when my eyelids are drooping and I'm just so drained, I consider telling my boss it's too many hours and I can't do so many classes on Friday. Then, I get my second wind. When the day is over, I realize it wasn't that bad. I feel happy to have experienced so many wonderful conversations with people. I absolutely love when they don't look at the time and our class runs late because they enjoy being there so much. I said to one man late in the day, at a time when I was feeling really tired - "Okay. That's time. It went by so fast." And he said, "Yeah, too fast!" Maybe to him it was just a comment, but to me, it meant so much. I felt like he valued the time. I don't know. I know I always look way too much into things, but it felt so nice to hear.

The next thing on my mind is electric water heaters. Why don't we use them in the USA? All my life I have sat and waited for the teapot to whistle until now. This is seriously a revelation to me. I drank a lot of tea before, but now I drink WAY more. It takes 2 minutes to heat that water up. It's seriously incredible. I use it to get cous cous made in a flash. I use it to pre-boil my water for pasta - cutting the time of making pasta in half. Really, this baby has a million uses and I will never again live without one. I am drinking a steaming cup of green tea with mint as I write this and will continue to reheat and refill all night long.

The next thing I want to talk about it heat. When is the right time to put it on? My Dad always had this rule about November 1st. It's crazy, right!? I am a firm believer in wearing sweatpants and sweaters and wrapping yourself in a blanket (and of course, drinking hot tea) for as long as possible, but some nights, I am so tempted to turn the heat on and be all cozy and warm. However, I will suck it up.. for at least a few more weeks.

I did, however, put the heat on in the bathroom. I love that the heaters in the bathrooms double as towel warmers here. They are on the wall and have a bunch of rungs to hang your towels on. I love having a nice, hot towel. We hang our robes on there, too! To me, there is nothing worse than stepping out of your hot shower and being blasted by cold air. Now, the problem is, I want to sit on the toilet all night with my computer and my tea just to stay warm!!!

I saw on another blog that Felicity is now available on Netflix and have been watching every episode starting with season 1. I forgot about that show, but not about Kerry Russell's enviable hair. I am beginning to be a bit of a hermit now. Part of what gets me through a work day is knowing I can come home and watch Felicity all night. Last night, I even considered cancelling plans with my friend so I could watch all night. I realized that would be a big sign that I was a LOSER!!! But tonight, here I am, back at my computer and am so excited to watch Felicity until my eyes close.

My Mom sent me the cutest package recently. She sent shake 'n bake, candles, my favorite Vegan cookies, chocolate for my guy, and packs of my favorite pesto mix (as well as 2 beautiful additions to my wardrobe). Let me talk for a minute about these candles. AHHH! Fall isn't so incredible and romantic here as it is back home. I have already burned these candles down pretty far. The smell is incredible and reminds me of home. Mmm... it's so peaceful and wonderful.

Tonight, I can assure you I really won't be sitting on the toilet (well, maybe once or twice). However, I have already lit my fall candles, made my tea, and started getting Felicity ready for viewing. What a night this will be!! My guy will once again be working until forever, but who needs a man when you have Ben.... sighhhhhhh.

a buffet style dinner followed by a day to myself!

My only issue with Ramadan is that after a day of not eating, I am craving 100 different meals. Normally you can squeeze in something you've been fancying for lunch and then another something for dinner and if you've been good, a sweet treat, too! That's just not possible during Ramadan. It makes cooking tricky because I know I need to prepare just enough - too little means our hungry bellies won't be satisfied and too much means the leftovers won't get eaten. Besides breakfast where we eat bagels, cereal, fruits, yogurt, or muffins, there is only one other meal. We want to have something new to taste everyday so leftovers are pretty much out of the question (normally, we eat leftovers for lunch). I guess I need to think more along the lines of: we are lucky the other eleven months of the year that we have the privilege of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner so I shouldn't think this way... but I'd be lying if I said it weren't true.

When it comes time to make dinner, I just can't decide. I want potatoes but I want rice but I want pasta. I want a whole grain baguette but I want olive bread. I want cupcakes but I want that delicious chocolate bread or maybe even some sorbet. However, the reality is, after only a few bites, our shrunken bellies are full. I leave the food waiting... and waiting... in hopes that we will get hungry again, but we take the opportunity to drink all the tea and water we've been thirsting for all day until we hear it in our bellies sloshing around. We surrender to the couch and soon after the bed and wake up for our 4am feeding.

Yesterday my cravings were out of control. I was searching recipes for everything from chocolate cake to coconut shrimp to chicken curry. I took a visit to the delicious fruit and veggie market on the corner (such a gift it is having that market less than a block away) and after seeing all the goodness they had fresh that day, my decision was made.

I used to love when my mom made fajitas or something else, buffet style. We'd take our tortilla and go on down the line, adding our favorite toppings (I did fajita night two nights ago!). Just because I want some toppings doesn't mean my guy does, and I like the interaction involved. I decided I was craving a good, old American sandwich - gourmet, of course!

I roasted tomato, zucchini, and eggplant slices. I sliced fresh cucumber and avocado. I put it all on a serving dish - added fresh basil (my favorite), white asparagus, and some cheese. I added bread options: olive and pepper, olive, or whole wheat baguette. I served it with homemade oven baked french fries, roasted cauliflower, and an endive salad. We both really enjoyed our healthy dinner! Note: it ended up working out perfectly because we hit snooze this morning and woke up with only 15 minutes left to eat before sunrise so we each quickly made another sandwich for breakfast!

I feel so much better after having a healthy meal where I know what the ingredients are and everything is fresh, local, and homemade. I also liked chewing into a sandwich with a combination of crunchy, fresh veggies and savory, roasted veggies tossed in olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.

Today my guy is on the train for five hours with the end goal of buying a car and bringing it home for us. This means that he will need to drive another six hours back with the car. I hope he has good luck with this as he has really been busting his butt searching for the perfect car for us (as I need a car for my new job which starts in a little over a week). He won't be home in time for dinner which means dinner by myself. Today's craving: angel hair pasta in a simple tomato sauce with some fresh basil and topped with what is left of the roasted veggies! I think I'll make some bruschetta with the uneaten baguette, too!

So I'm off to watch The Notebook and some other chick flicks on this day to myself :)

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

random thoughts and a note in my lunch box

 It's 9:30 in the morning here. I've already had a yummy breakfast of wheat toast with strawberry jam, fruit salad, OJ, and a double espresso. I read part of the newspaper. I went for a run. And, I'm writing to you now while taking a break between sets of sit-ups. It's been a refreshing morning. My plan for the day is to bring my French homework, the newspaper, a book, and some lunch to the park and recharge while enjoying the sunshine.

I think while in France I have become too dependent on my guy. I have been looking to him too much for translating, for money (since I'm not working)... well, looking to him for everything from directions, to entertainment, to converting to the metric system. However, I am finally starting to get better at being by myself so much. I find things to do to fill the gaps of time. I feel more comfortable walking around town, going into stores, and interacting with people. I go to his Mom's and cook or bake when I'm hungry or bored.

This is my life. I am here. I took a leap of faith. I am choosing to be here so I want to make the most of it. I moved halfway across the world with a guy I love. I want him to tell me he loves me everyday because those are words I will never get tired of hearing. I want to be able to say I've laughed and smiled everyday. I want to travel. I want to see the world. I want to live without limits. I want to learn something new everyday. I want to go to bed satisfied with the day that is quickly coming to an end.

But is it too much to ask for a note in my lunch box, too? Because maybe I'm 25 now... but I really miss those notes in my lunch box. They always turn a day around. Sometimes, I still need that. A girl always needs her Mom!