Belief

I'm sure all of you have heard about the horrible tragedy that took place in Connecticut on Friday . I don't know about anyone else out there, but when things like that happen, 2 things always cross my mind. The first: why would the good God that I believe in let something like that happen? Where was He??? My faith is not as strong as I wish it were, and things like this shake it and call it into question...something written by my church pastor helped me think through it a bit (you can read it [here]). The second: I feel so...distant...removed from things like this. I've never personally experienced anything like it, nor has my family or close friends (that I'm aware of). It's not something I can even begin to fathom... I guess there's a third thing that I think of when something awful like this happens - it feels weird for me to keep living my life and moving forward as if it didn't happen. Friday night I still went out. Sunday I went to church. And here it is, Sunday evening, and I'm writing this blog post and about to share my pictures from the week with you. It makes me feel really small...but also really thankful for what I have.

Now...on to the pictures:

Still on my exercise kick and hittin' up the gym

New food truck in Dewey Square...

....that makes THIS awesomeness - a scallion pancake sandwich with (NUT-FREE) pesto, cheddar cheese, and poached eggs - all ingredients are locally sourced

My creation for this week - a healthy chicken roll-up with avocado cream. I used this [recipe] but added more fresh veggies (peppers, onions, etc.), boiled my own chicken breast instead of using a rotisserie chicken, and used flax/whole-wheat tortillas. One thing to note - if you do what I did and just throw in frozen corn instead of letting it thaw/drain, your roll-ups may turn out a bit soggy (like mine did). Try to drain as much excess water as possible or cook on a wire rack on your cookie sheet

My first ever spin class was awesome - I'm going to try to go again tomorrow

Week 2 progress shot

Phantom lights in Back Bay

New favorite Greek spot - Zo has delicious spanakopita and gyros

Cleaned out my desk at work...no I'm not leaving! They're just remodeling the office over the holidays, so we had to clear out our things...BUT my program ends in July and I'm not sure what my next step is going to be, so if anyone out there has some ideas, let me know! :)

Well that's one way to decorate a fence....(Madeline, this made me think of you)

I don't think this qualifies as a 'limo'

SKYZONE (rad shoes, huh?)

Birthday girl :)

Hold the phone - we have our own court???

Most of the group

Awwwwww yeah

Hard to catch clear shots...

Mark and Hilary (she looks like she's levitating)

Now *these* are legit jumping pictures ;-)

Windmill

Uh....

I'm flying!

I'm like a graceful ballerina...ha ha NOT

One final shot before...

....collapsed...

...and injury :( Rolled my ankle a bit, but it's feeling better now.

I was SO STOKED about this - a new creation came to me in a dream and I decided to make it. This was my first-ever attempt at making poached eggs...I don't know why, but I've always been intimidated by poached eggs (kind of like how I felt about beef wellington) so I was slightly timid when trying this out, but this great step-by-step [guide] helped me.

OM NOM NOM NOM...steamed rice (yes, white rice - sorry Mom, I'm working on taking out sugar and white stuff systematically), Dry Diced Chicken with Hot Chili from Zoe's Chinese, and poached egg on top. 

My steaming vat of coffee...I love coffee. Mmmmmmmm

And that, dear readers, is this week...can't wait to share my holiday photos with you next week!