Relishing in Normalcy

Ya know, it’s interesting how weird it feels to just “be”.  For the first time in years, even before I went back to school, I rarely just sat.  I never had a weekend, unless there was some specific purpose.  My “weekends” were always in the middle of the week when the rest of the world was at work.  I would have to schedule family birthday parties around my work schedule, and I usually either arrived late or left early because of work/school.

All the reasons listed above are why I decided to go back to school.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the restaurant business.  I loved working with creative people who were excited about food, but there comes a point in life when you’re at a crossroads.  I reached that point, and just couldn’t do it anymore.  I didn’t want to have to arm wrestle for which holidays I would get to have off or whether or not I would take the overnight shift that week.  I wanted to wake up on Saturday morning, go for a run, and come home and just sit.  Ok, well anyone who knows me well, knows that I don’t really ever just sit, even when I can, but you get what I mean.

Since I’ve been in Birmingham, I’ve been working on unpacking the house, trying to get to “Thank-you” notes (sorry I haven’t gotten too far on that one!  I am super grateful!), and am looking for a JOB!  It’s weird settling into this role of unemployment.  I don’t think I’ll be here for too long (fingers crossed), but I’m trying to relish the moments of just being.  I’ve been cooking some, but since I’m not working we’re trying to save some money, so it’s been a lot of baked chicken with a green veggie and a starch of some sort.  Kind of boring, but I’ve been trying to spice it up a little with different seasonings.

Last night we had some friends over for a pizza party!  I was enjoying the company of Joseph and Miko so much that I forgot to take pictures!  I made the dough and sauce from scratch (since I finally have time to do that).  We rolled the dough super thin, and William grilled it before we added toppings.  For the 2 whole wheat crusts, we decided to load them with veggies.  We had broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil and of course fresh mozzarella.

The other 3 pizzas were a Hawaiian, pepperoni, and BBQ chicken.  All 5 pizzas were fabulous, but I am so sad that I didn’t get pictures!  Fortunately, there were enough ingredients left over that William and I decided to have pizza again tonight.  It is seriously one of my favorite foods, and making it from scratch is so fun, and really not incredibly time-consuming.  The best piece of advice I can give is to make the dough and sauce a day ahead.  Divide the dough into balls, wrap, and refrigerate.  This gives the dough time to relax so it’s easy to roll it out.  Making the sauce at least a day in advance gives the flavors a chance to meld together, yum! 

Pizza can be pretty healthy, too.  The whole wheat crust was rolled super thin, so you save on calories from a thicker crust.  Also, loading it with veggies and just a little cheese essentially, gives you a grilled whole wheat veggie sandwich (in flat bread form).

I promise to take some pictures tonight, and I’ll post a recipe for dough along with some instructions on making the pizza delicious and healthy!

Another note about my new city-I’ve met some runners!  This morning was such a great run!  Besides last weekend when we went to Tennessee to empty my storage unit, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks running solo.  I’m way too social a person to do this on a regular basis.  I’m always the one who talks the entire run, and I always have some story to tell.  I had hit a major rut in my training for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 2, and I was pretty frustrated.  Fortunately, I was introduced to a group of runners who were meeting up this morning.  It was wonderful!

The way it works, there is a Facebook page where everyone posts what they’re doing for their weekend run, and they talk about a route and a meeting place.  Everyone meets and takes off around the same time, and then divide into their various groups depending on pace/distance.  Once everyone is finished, they hang out, talk, and grab some coffee.  I felt like I was finally back!  I cannot wait to continue running with my new Birmingham pals.

As you can see, I’m staying busy in my new life in Birmingham, enjoying the weekend with friends and my hubby, and trying to get used to a “normal” life…whatever that means!

Until next time…eat your veggies!  J

p.s.  I can’t believe I talked about graduation and my wedding last time, and didn’t even bother to post a pic of either!  Here ya go…

My parents and William were so proud!

Look at this stunning group of people!   We, seriously, have the best friends and family!