Project 365: The Beginning

Oh my goodness, it has been far too long since I have been on my blog. I have been so crazy busy with moving back to school, the beginning of classes, and the craziness that life continues to throw at me! But I am back and with a new mission! With the arrival of my 20th birthday, I can still hardly believe that I am 2 whole decades old! I don't feel any different yet but whenever I think about that past few years of my life, I am absolutely amazed at how fast the time is flying by. And so, on the eve of my 20th birthday I was thinking about the excitement of the upcoming year. Turning 20 is more than just leaving my teenage years behind--it is the start of a plethora of new adventures! And so, in order to capture all of the wonderful adventures this next year will hold, I decided to begin a project, known as Project 365. I will document the topsy turvy times of the next 365 days of my life with a photo, one for each day of the year! And so begins the adventures...!

Here's To The Beginning of a New Year, a New Decade, a New Chapter!

Help Wanted!

Heroes aren’t the people who star in movies. Heroes aren’t the people who make the most money. Heroes aren’t even the people who are the smartest or the fastest or the nicest. Heroes are those everyday people who do extraordinary things. From policemen, firefighters, and soldiers to doctors and nurses to mom’s and dad’s—heroes are the people who openly, willingly, and freely help others. Until recently though, I had never really thought about who my “heroes” were. Sure, I was grateful for all of the sacrifices that others had given--from soldiers laying down their lives to doctors going to countless years of school to learn to my mom’s endless love and support—but--I had never truly recognized or acknowledged the notion of “heroes.”

Yet, that all changed when my Mom and Chris chose to have my brother, Andrew and my sister, Erin become organ and cornea donors. Through this selfless act, my siblings were able to transform into heroes, who have not only helped 7 other people to physically live and thrive but have inspired countless others to give a little bit of what they have to help even more people. What exactly do I mean? Well, when my Mom and Chris made the decision to donate Erin’s cornea and Andrew’s cornea and organs, we were introduced to a wonderful group of people from LifeBanc. During the time at the hospital, as doctors and nurses worked to monitor and prepare Andrew to help make sure his organ’s were healthy and could be donated, LifeBanc covered ALL of the medical expenses. Then, after Andrew’s organs had been sent to different areas all over the country, LifeBanc helped us to contact the recipients and we have even received a thank-you letter from the man who received Andrew’s heart. And that is only the beginning. LifeBanc has continued to help us through this difficult time of healing by providing us with an outpouring of support, whether it is just a quick e-mail or a phone call to say hello, we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity for Erin and Andrew to become heroes.

And now I am asking for a small favor from everyone who reads my blog. LifeBanc is having a 5K/10K/1.5 Walk Fundraiser on August 14th at Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio. My family has formed a team, The Drewin Crew and would love to add to our growing list of runners and walkers. We currently have the largest team and have been blown away by the outpouring of donations we have received. There is even a press release going out about the event (click here to read!) to help generate even more support. Even if you can’t make it for the run (since I know most of my blog friends don’t live near Cleveland), we are also able to accept monetary donations for the team. All the proceeds from the Fundraiser are being used to help spread awareness about organ donation and to assist in offsetting the medical costs that LifeBanc incurs as a result of helping families cover the medical costs of organ donors, like Andrew.

I feel truly blessed to be able to share about this wonderful organization with all of you and hope that I can help to generate even more support for this great event through my blog! Please share this post with all of your friends, family, and fellow bloggers so that we can continue to help support the LifeBanc Event! So start sharing ya’ll!

Click here for a link to the LifeBanc Registration/Donation Page!

What's Up Wednesday!

Lots going on around here—we got back late Monday night from a weekend trip to visit family in Atlanta. We had an absolute blast! They live in Reynolds Plantation, on Lake Oconee. Each morning we would wake up, go to breakfast, and then spend the day tubing, wakeboarding, wake surfing, and cruising around on the boat. As soon as I upload the darn pictures I will post about the trip. So until then, here is the scoop on the rest of the craziness.
*I did in fact complete my trial 10K (give or take…I was running at the park). I completed it in a time of 52:18 and I was excited to have finished it so well (this is what is leading me to think the park may not be accurate in their mileage of the trails) but nonetheless I was happy! In the mean time, I have been running my usual 3-4 miles and am hoping to do another 10K trial run on Saturday—the race is only a week and a half away!
*I head back to school on Sunday, which has me in a mad rush to pack everything up. I finally feel I have settled in after moving back from school to my house and then to Chris’ house and now I have to repack up all my stuff and head back to school. It is definitely not fun to feel like a nomad. Which I do.
*We cleaned out the fridge before we went to Atlanta and apparently we have decided that eating is an optional activity that we are no longer partaking in. We have absolutely nothing in the fridge. Nadda. Zippo. Zilch. Not even a box of baking soda in there. So I know where I will be headed after work…
*Speaking of the store, I love grocery shopping and I can’t wait to head to Costco this weekend to get lots of things that I need for heading back to school!
*On a lot of the blogs I read, everyone is talking about dieting and what not. Personally, I have never been on a diet, so I am not really at liberty to make too many comments but it has caused me to think a lot about diets. I don’t think I could ever do the diet thing. It’s not because I don’t have the willpower, I have A LOT of willpower, but I don’t think I would be happy on a diet. And since you only live once, I would much rather enjoy a few treats here and there than be miserable and on a diet. I guess it also helps that I like to run—but don’t let that fool you—I like to eat even more! So, for all you dieters, kudos to you, but don’t forget to enjoy every delicious moment of life—you only live once!
*I have not done too much shopping this summer but I have done a lot of working and so before I head back to school, I want to buy myself a little treat. I am thinking about getting a magazine subscription, because I LOVE getting mail and I also love to read magazines. I would love any suggestions on a good magazine to subscribe to!
*I started a fabulous book the other day—it’s called South of Broad by Pat Conroy. It is set in Charleston, NC and it tells the story of “a unique cast of sinners and saints…Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving father who teaches science at a local high school. His mother, an ex-nun is the high school principal…” Since I just started, I took a little recap from the back cover to describe a little about the book but seriously, it is really great—I have laughed out loud about a hundred times already!
*Last, sorry to digress—but I am not too excited about heading back to school. It’s not that I don’t like Dayton. I love the school, my classes, my friends, and the independence. I am a very independent person and I like being able to decide when/how I want to do things. Its more the fact that, as my mom always says, “I was born at the age of 30.” I am just kind of over the whole college lifestyle thing. Anyone else ever feel this way when they were in school? I always hear everyone say that college is the best four years of your life…but I am hoping for greener grass on the other side!
*Well, I don’t want to bore all of you too much, hope you are all having a good week and I promise that my next post will have pictures and hopefully a little more pep and excitement!

Recipes and Running

Yesterday I noticed that we had a copious amount of fresh produce that was going to go bad if we didn’t make something with it soon. And so, I set off to find a few recipes to help use up all of the cucumbers, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, and green beans we had. Since I have to leave the house at 7:30 each morning for work, I like to have pre-made salads/meals available to pack up quickly as I head out the door. My favorites are usually tuna salad, broccoli and orzo, and turkey wraps but I decided to try out a few new recipes. I made two different side-dishes/salad type recipes and they are both delicious! They work well as a side-dish for a meal or as the main dish!

We had lots of these!

And these too!

Spicy Cucumber-Tomato Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
3 cups water
Salt to taste
2 cups diced cucumber
1 small red onion, finely minced
2 cups finely diced tomatoes
1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers (to taste), seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado, sliced, for garnish

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Drain through a strainer, and rinse until the water runs clear. Bring the 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread. Drain off the water in the pan through a strainer, and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dishtowel, replace the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the finely diced cucumber in a colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse the cucumber with cold water, and drain on paper towels. If using the onion, place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water and drain on paper towels.
3. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced avocado and cilantro sprigs.
Yield: Serves six.

Green Bean & Fingerling Potatoes (Sorry forgot to take pictures of this one!)

2 lb. Bite-sized fingerling potatoes
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 med. shallots, minced
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 T fresh sage, minced
1/8 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 lb. Green beans, trimmed

Dressing:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 T white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 T fresh sage, minced
2/3 cup strong soft cheese, (I used gorgonzola)
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1. Toss potatoes, onion, garlic, shallots, rosemary, and sage in olive oil and roast uncovered at 350 until potatoes are tender.
2. Begin checking after about 15 minutes; stirring occasionally. Drain excess oil and set aside to cool when finished.
3. Steam or blanch green beans al dente; drain and set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
5. Add potatoes and green beans and toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.


On a completely different note, I have decided that I am going to go for it and attempt to run the 10K rather than the 5K for the LifeBanc Run. This is a pretty lofty goal…thus far, I don’t think I have ever consecutively run that far. I do run at least 3-4 times per week, typically for a ½ hour (I am not sure of the distance…I just developed some courses at the park that take between 30-35 minutes) but I am guessing that a 10K would take me around an 1 hour to complete—nearly double what I am currently used to running! Tomorrow I am going to do a trial run at our Metroparks. They have a great path there that is 3.2 miles, so I am going to run it twice, which will actually put me at 6.4 miles, which is a little more than a 10K. My goal is to finish this run without having to stop and walk! I know that I will need to figure out how to maintain a good pace but I will work on that later; right now my goal is just to finish the course! If anyone out there has any advice/training tips for preparing for a 10K, I would definitely appreciate them!
Tomorrow after my pseudo 10K, I am going over to a friend’s house to make a variety of zucchini and banana breads—definitely a good motivator to help me get through my run! Will be sure to post the recipes/reviews after!

Whirlwind Weekend!

As always, I can’t believe it is already Monday. The weekends seem to fly by, especially in the summer, as I try to pack in as many activities, adventures, and expeditions as possible! I kicked off the weekend by going to the Irish-American Festival on Friday at the Berea Fairgrounds. We haven’t been to the Festival in a few years and I had forgotten how much fun it is! This year, a few of our favorite Irish bands were there so we took advantage of the entertainment and enjoyed listening to New Barleycorn, Brigid’s Cross, and John McDermott. My mom was especially excited to see John McDermott because she had chosen his song, “Dance with me Daughter” for her Father/Daughter Dance at her wedding just a few weeks ago (I still need a post about the wedding!) After listening to a few tunes, we grabbed some dinner. While the Irish are certainly not known for their cuisine, we still found a few treats to keep us satisfied, including Corned Beef Sandwiches, Cabbage & Noodles, and Kettle Corn. Unfortunately the skies decided to open right as we were about to begin shopping so I didn’t get to buy any Irish trinkets—they always have the cutest jewelry, household items, and baby clothes—so I was really disappointed! After making a mad dash to the car and getting soaking wet, we headed home and played a game of Trouble and then headed off to bed to rest up before our busy Saturday began.

Chris (my stepdad) has never been an animal person, add in the fact that he is a neatnik and we had a slight predicament on our hands...named Chloe, the cat. Despite our most earnest efforts, Chris would not relent and let us bring Chloe to live at his house (our new digs). Sean (my brother) and I tried every tactic we could think of but all of our efforts were useless, which left us upset and Chloe without a home. Luckily, my Aunt Lili offered to take in Chloe and take care of her until I get my own apartment next year. Since Aunt Lili lives in Columbus, about 2 hours away, I decided to make a day of it and take Sean to the Columbus Zoo since we would already be down there. And to top it off, one of my best friends, Jenni joined us at the zoo. So Sean and I set off at 6:45am with a cooler of PB&J’s, pretzels, apples, waters, Twizzlers, and assorted other goodies; a wagon; a bag of sunscreen, sunglasses, maps, and baseball caps; and Chloe and all of her supplies. We also picked up Sean’s friend Johnny on the way so that he would have someone to keep him company. After dropping off Chloe and saying our goodbyes, we headed to the Zoo—somewhat sad to be leaving Chloe behind but excited about our adventures ahead. When we arrived, we met up with Jenni and got situated; applying sunscreen, putting on hats, and making sure our sneakers were double-knotted!

While I have been to the Cleveland Zoo, I had never been to the Columbus Zoo before, which is actually the #1 Zoo in America (who woulda thunK?) As the 2010 #1 Zoo in America, the Columbus Zoo tops the list, beating out the San Diego Zoo, Baltimore Zoo, etc! I never would have guessed that, but I can see why it is #1. It was a super clean park, filled with unbelievably friendly zoo guides, and tons of activities and interactive exhibits to keep the kiddo’s and adults entertained.

From petting flamingo’s to watching polar bears wrestle, Sean and Johnny had a blast as did Jenni and I. The only snafu in the plan was the scorching heat—Columbus was actually under a heat advisory for the day and with temperatures at over 90 degrees, not factoring in humidity, it was a toasty day! Of course Johnny and Sean reminded us incessantly of how hot it was and the copious amounts of water, juice boxes, and sunscreen we went through reiterated that fact! As lunch time rolled around, we found a picnic table in the shade to eat at and let the boys head off to play on the playground while Jenni and I spent some time catching up. After lunch we headed to the African Safari and checked out the elephants and tigers and ended our adventure at the Aquarium, where we got to pet sting rays and hold starfish. As we headed back to the car, Johnny and Sean were sweaty, hot , and tired and of course we had to trek across the scorching, multiple-mile parking lot to get to the car. After coaxing them to keeping trudging along with the promise of Frosty’s we finally made our way to the car, said goodbye to Jenni, blasted the air, and headed to Wendy’s. After getting 2 vanilla and 1 chocolate Frosty to go we hit the road. With Sean and Johnny in the backseat enjoying a movie and me in the front with the cruise control set, we were making good time…until Sean’s usual bathroom antics set in. Of course I told him to go before we had left the zoo, telling him that we would not be stopping on the way home and of course he insisted he didn’t have to go…until we were about half-way through with our drive. He began by insisting how much he had to go, which quickly escalated to his insistence that he was going to “pee his pants,” which topped out at him screaming, moaning, and crying that he could not hold it anymore! Despite my gumption to hold my ground and keep driving, I was more interested in keeping the seats in my car clean and so, we stopped. I was not too pleased with the bathroom stop and so I turned off the movie, which ended up being more of a punishment for me than for the boys...Finally we arrived back home, exhausted and hungry. After a quick dinner of burgers, watermelon, and oven-baked potatoes, we were all in bed by 9:00!

Sunday was just as busy—we started off the day by going to church and then went to the Farmer’s Market. I love going to the Farmer’s Market, I love to support the local farmers, eat local foods, and find delicious local treats to enjoy. One of my favorite treats from the market is the homemade peanut butter. If you have never tried homemade peanut butter before, you are missing out! The taste is unlike any other; honestly it just melts in your mouth! I love it on toast, with celery, in smoothies, and even just by the spoonful! We also picked up zucchini’s, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and freshly picked flowers. After the Farmer’s Market we headed home and began our Sunday afternoon routine of cooking. Even though Sunday’s mean the end of the weekend and the imminent arrival of another long week, they are my favorite day. Sunday’s at our house are filled with lots of cooking, laughing, relaxing, and best of all—Sunday dinner. We always have a big meal on Sunday evenings and everyone is expected to be there. Sometimes we invite the extended family but usually it is just the skeleton crew of my stepdad, mom, brother, and I. Last night we had roasted chicken, green bean and fingerling potato salad, watermelon, and beer batter bread (my all-time favorite bread!) After dinner we relaxed and I worked on gathering a few things to get ready for heading back to school (ugh.) For a sweet close on the weekend, we had blueberry-peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

Another busy week ahead of me—I have a doctor’s appointment tonight, dentist on Thursday, and then on Friday we are heading to Atlanta for a long weekend to visit my cousins to wakeboard, tube, and catch some rays. What did you all do this past weekend? Anything good planned for this upcoming week? Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful day that God has given us!