Jul 1, 2010

Why I Love Blogging: Part Uno

I've said it before and I'll say it again: My blog is my child. I love it more than any man or pet and it's by far the healthiest relationship I've ever had. And since I'm not in the mood to have a real child, I think I'll stick with it for a while. :) There are so many benefits to having a blog, some of which I'd like to share.

1. Blogger meet ups: On Tuesday, I met up with Erica and Amelia to take Body Attack. Erica is a fitness instructor, and this is one of the classes she teaches. She was nice enough to give us passes to the latest release. Here's a picture of the three of us before we got hot nasty:
The class was SO much fun. Although my clumsy, uncoordinated little body was all over the place, I felt like it was a really solid workout. I sweated up a storm and worked lots of baby muscles. Please note the nice, tame, straight hair above...and enjoy the damp, unruly, curly mess below:
2. Blogger goodies: Amelia, a pastry chef, whipped us up some treats.
Vegan and dairy-free coconut covered chocolate truffles and breakfast cookies:

They were both sooooooo good. 

And for my birthday, Erica gave me a sweet card and sesame honey cashews. 
The cashews shown with supermodel Jenna Beck:
Erica warned me that these were addicting, and yes, they really are. Thank you girlies for the gifts!

3. Finding other foodie friends:
Because of my blog, I have made new friends who share the same type of love for food as I do. Today I met up with my new friend Erin. We met at The Eclectic Chef in downtown Summerville. We both got The Eclectic House Salad: baby field greens, walnuts, mandarin oranges, and dried cranberries topped with sliced chicken. Per Erin's recommendation, I got the house-made raspberry vinaigrette. 
Erin is such a cool girl and I had so much fun chatting with her about food, nutrition, fitness and life in general. She's a really sweet girl and I look forward to more lunch dates! Erin has done the P90x program and her husband is giving me a copy. Yay! My newborn baby muscles might just grow into toddler muscles!

3. Bloggers' thoughtfulness: Last weekend a bunch of us got together to watch the USA vs. Ghana soccer game. 
While I was sipping my adult beverages, I got an email from Sara. She was writing to let me know that the latest issue of Food Network magazine had a copycat recipe of the Chick-Fil-A original sandwich. She even offered to mail me a copy of the recipe in case I didn't want to buy the magazine. How sweet is she? Luckily, I'm a subscriber. I hadn't actually read that article so I was very excited to check it out. 

And then, in yesterday's mail, I got a little note from Allison
She had ripped out the very same article and sent it to me! I thought it was so cute that both of them thought of me. Thank you Allison and Sara - you guys are awesome :)

4. Inspiration for blog content is everywhere: Emily from Puppies, Paychecks and Prozac sent me The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger award:
I'm supposed to share 10 random things about me. Let's get personal!

1. I'm left-handed. I can do everything with my left hand except cut with scissors. I'm also goofy-footed. In case you don't know, this just means that I am right-foot dominant when snowboarding, kicking, or doing cartwheels.

2. And speaking of goofy, I'm ridiculously clumsy. I have no sense of balance, crappy coordination, and little to no motor skills. It's kinda like I have a buzz all the time. I walk out into the street without looking, I constantly drop things, and I have an unusual amount of cuts, bruises and burns at all times. Check out this sweet calf bruise that I don't know how I got:
Seriously, how does one get a bruise on the back of their leg? I think ghosts beat me in my sleep.

3. I am a horrible driver. "I feel like I'm driving with a sixteen year old I'm so nervous." -Julius, the day he let me drive his car to the beach.

4. My favorite dessert to eat and bake is cookies. I love love love cookies. When I bake them, I get extreme joy out of giving them to people and watching them smile as they chew away. My favorite kind is plain old chocolate chip and I prefer mine to be thick and chewy over thin, crispy, or cakey.

5. My family situation is quite unusual. My mom was 20 and my dad was 18 when I was born. That awesome relationship lasted until I was about 2 months old. Both parents found new partners: John had my half-brother Sean when I was 3, and my mom had my brother Justin when I was 4 1/2. Years later when I was 8, the wackos got back together, got married, and had my youngest brother Jake. By the grace of God, they divorced when in 2003. True story.

6. I can't jump into a pool without plugging my nose. I'm petrified of water getting up my nose. I can swim just fine but I don't stick my head underwater without pinching the nostrils or wearing an extremely ugly mask. I can do a cartwheel off a diving board, but it has to be a one-handed cartwheel because the other hand is plugging up. 

7. I can't stand bad grammar and spelling. I have deleted people off of my facebook because their statuses annoyed me. I wouldn't date someone whose love notes had spelling errors. Ew. It all started when Grammy taught me how to respond on the telephone. When someone asks "Is Christina there?" or "May I speak with Christina?" I reply, "This is she." It sounds odd, but it is correct.

8. I've mentioned this before, but I love love love lime green. I have a laptop, Blackberry cover, Longchamp purse, keychain, gym shorts, and many kitchen utensils all in lime green. I want more. I also really love actual lime juice in my liquor drinks and guacamole.

9. My favorite animals are penguins and sheep! If I could ride a sheep, I'd be in heaven. I also really love small, white dogs. 

10. I love bumpy roads. When I was little my mom used to drive me down "the bumpy road" because it had lots of little hills and bumps. It makes me giggle every time. There's a road in my town that has a few bumps and I get really excited whenever I have to drive over it. I still laugh like I'm 3 years old again.

I'm passing this lovely award onto:
3. Brittany @ Smart Cookie
4. Allison @ One Day at a Time

Get excited for the weekend!!
Eclectic Chef on Urbanspoon

44 comments:

  1. HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY!!!
    umm you are gorgeous- seriously. your eyes are so big and BEAUTIFUL!!
    love these facts!
    i cannot jump in the water w.out plugging my nose too! haha

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm ridiculously clumsy too. It's a wonder I can actually do yoga because I bump into almost anything and wind up with bruises in random places.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just fyi you are absolutely gorgeous! Baking cookies and sharing is so much fun, I agree - it really brightens my day when I can make others happy as well. I am also SUCH a grammar/spelling Nazi!! Ahhh!

    Happy Thurs and I hope you're still enjoying your birthday week!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love baking and sharing...it's so much fun! I'm just not so great at the baking!!

    Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  5. i absolutely loved reading this whole post. you made me laugh NUMEROUS times, especially the part about your parents. such a funny sense of humor. i'm glad you got my note!! i forgot you subscribe to the mag, but now you'll have 2 recipes, just in case you lose one. plus i'll never make it so i might as well pass it along!!

    im excited to do the little award thing. i'll try to post it next week. cant wait! have a happy happy happy 4th of july weekend!! xox

    ReplyDelete
  6. CUTE dress in the pic with your bruised calf! (btw, I have the same mystery bruising problem!)

    I loved reading your 10 random facts...envisioning you riding a sheep made me laugh. When my German sis asked what was funny, I wasn't quite sure what to say...haha

    Thanks for the shout out! Whenever I see anything Chick-fil-A related, I think of you! I take comfort knowing that other people are obsessed with foodie-related things/restaurants like I am. We may be a quirky bunch, but we sure as heck know what tastes good!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Too weird! I am left handed too but cut with my right hand AND I am right foot dominant!! I've never met anyone else like that before! I think we were meant to find each other's blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I wish there were more bloggers in my lonely hick town!
    I get bruises every day and I have no idea where they came from. I think someone comes in and beats me in my sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I didn't know you were left handed. .Sean is too. . and goofy-footed!
    AND. . you just explained the family stuff better than I have ever been able to! ;)
    -SH

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad you liked the class and the goodies! This is such a fun post. I love that everyone thought of you when they saw the chickfila recipe. I'm sort of terrified to comment now because I have terrible grammar/spelling issues haha. The story of your family is awesome :) Hope you have a good 4th- what are you up to?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Loved your '10 Random Facts", especially #7- I TOTALLY agree with you! I've actually not dated guys because they their grammar was so atrocious and they would annoy me too much HAHA! It's amazing how few people actually speak correctly.Drives me bonkers and I'm constantly correcting people in my head. I actually taught 1st grade for one year and you better believe those six-year-old munchkins learned a thing or two about grammar. When I have my own kids one day, I'm sure I'll be a "grammar Nazi", but it's for their own good! HAHA! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow-what a family history! At least you have a fun story to tell!!!

    I also got my FN mag in the mail yesterday and low and behold that chick-fil-a sandwich!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You always look gorgeous, sweaty or not girl, and your eyes are AMAZING!!!! U are going to have some beautiful kids one day for sure!!!!

    Awwwwwwwwww I love blogging because of the wonderful people on here, its amazing! Glad I found you through blogging too!

    Love the facts about you!! Was fun reading!! Your just a hoot!

    Happy July 4th Weekend love!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You do have one crazy family story... but it sounds like whatever the situation, you turned out pretty great!

    I love the 10 random facts... I might have to steal ... ahem, I mean borrow that idea sometime next week when I have more time to blog.

    Have a happy 4th of July!

    ReplyDelete
  15. So cool to hear about all the great friendships you've made through blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the shout out, girlie! I loved our lunch date at EC and have no doubt that I've found a potential twin! Seriously, after reading your '10 About Me,' there are so many similarities it's ca-ray-zy! I'm a proud Grammar Nazi, penguins and sheep are in my all time favorite animals (goats are in mine, too), and I'm the official Hazardous Nascar Driver of the Lowcountry :).

    ReplyDelete
  17. 1. if you look that good after you work out, i am NEVER going to work out with you.

    2. I say "This is she" on the phone too. I always thought it sounded so weird when I was a kid and my mom would say it, but glad to know she taught me proper grammar, which I use, most of the time.

    3. Have a good weekend! That salad from the Eclectic Chef looks awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey lady! I follow your blog on my Reader and I always enjoy every post! I'm so happy that your blog is not only successful, but also makes you happy! Happy Belated birthday and blog anniversary and congrats! :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy belated birthday!

    Gotta love this community! I'm glad you've made some great friendships!

    ReplyDelete
  20. aw, i am so glad blogging has been wonderful for you! now i need to stop neglecting IYBTYB so maybe people other than you will read it. hahaha. off to figure out 10 freaking facts about myself...THANKS! love you! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  21. LOVE your post! What fun facts :)
    And Happy Belated B-Day as well! Birthdays are fabulous!
    I wish I had more foodie bloggers closer to me - it seems like they're all so far away for a meet-up!

    ReplyDelete
  22. ITS ALL CAPS FRIDAY!!! I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU HAD A FUN FILLED BIRTHDAY WITH LUCKY ME, I'M SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND I HOPE IT LASTS FOREVER....LIKE I HOPE WE HAVE MATCHING HEADSTONES RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. ODD? NO WAY.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You're positively glowing in the "after" picture after your workout!! I also have had secret crushes on lefties... watch out!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Not going to lie that I'm slightly sad I don't live near you to join in your blogger dates. Looks like you guys have such a good time together!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Aww these are all great reasons! I love finding foodie friends too. It's nice to bond over things like banana soft serve and almond butter! Also how do you look so cute after a workout?? Not fair. =P
    I used to love bumpy roads too! My mom made these noises and pretended we were on a rollercoaster! Haha :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your hair looks adorable all wavy like that!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Aw, that's cute!! I can't wait to start meeting people in my real life through my blog life. haha looks fun!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I desperately searched for a lime green KitchenAid stand mixer but was too impatient to wait for one in the mail so I settled for white. A sad day in my book. AND... when I left messages on voice-mail, my Dad drilled "Hi Dad...It is I," which I hate to say, but always do.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I agree...I LOVE blogging! It's so fun to share your affinity for food with other like minded people.

    I love the foodnetwork magazine! I havent seen that recipe yet.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Haha I love your 10 random facts. I'm a total klutz too! I swear I'm perma-bruised because of my tendency to walk into things!

    PS. Why are you so pretty!? No fair! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  31. This was such a cute post! It is awesome to get some perspective as to why YOU love blogging.

    My favorite was your 10 random facts. They were hilarious. I am going to have to do one of those on my blog. I have not looked at your blog for a long time, but I am glad I decided to check it today. I have been missing out :)

    -Court

    ReplyDelete
  32. sugar doll is SO YOU! thats the most 'fitting' award!! <3

    i get bruises there too! i know right.. its like "was i running backwards or something?" haha <3

    ReplyDelete
  33. All of these are the reasons I love your blog! I love the food (oh how jealous I am of all your meetups, if only I lived near you, we'd have an insane time and if you ever come to the Midwest...well, I'd cook b/c we don't have a lot of good restaurants here), the pictures, the cooking in fancy clothes. And the fact that you're a grammar snob (I'm an editor as a day job, and there are some grammar mistakes like "revert back" and "irregardless" that will actually make me irrationally angry) just makes me like it even more! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  34. glad you had a good day! those honey cashews look amazing! I love cashews!!
    hope you had a GREAT birthday!!!!!!!!
    -Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  35. Taking a fitness class with bloggers sounds like so much fun! I loved hearing the random facts about you too - I am SO ridiculously clumsy, its embarrassing! I swear I have two left feet ;)

    ReplyDelete
  36. oh goodness, it's the ultimate question to figuring out if we are soul mates: I cut my food with my right hand...

    ReplyDelete
  37. Heyy girly! Looks like you had a fabulous birthday! the fitness class always looks fab! Seriously you always look absolutely gorgeous!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  38. I am a grammar nazi as well! I am so glad that I am not alone in this! I have heard too many 'more better' comments and 'this is gooder' than I thought possible (by adults)!! Pet Peeve!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Happy belated birthday!!

    I loved your random facts! We have a lot in common, including the clumsiness! And I'm the same way in the pool, getting water up your nose is like the worst thing ever. I wouldn't want to risk it!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Love it! My mom was HUGE on "this is she" I can still remember her being in the room when I answered "this is her" and saying, while I was on the phone, "this is she" I eventually got it and now it annoys me when people get it wrong.

    My biggest pet peeve is prepositions at then end of sentences. "Where are you at"?! It's like nails on a chalkboard. That's my English teacher granmother's influence.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I feel like I know you so much better now by reading all of those. Your honesty makes you so funny. And happy late birthday! I feel bad that I missed the actual day. I'm right behind ya. I'll be 26 next April!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I'm late to the partay but this was an awesome post so I had to respond regardless! You are so cute! Love all of the bloggie love you've been getting - fabulous! And seriously - your fun facts were hilarious! Ghosts beat me up to and your family situations sounds kinda like mine and Austin's combined - loves it! I'm a bad driver too which is unfortunate in that I live in Atlanta and travel a lot... I did one of those test for life expectancy and because of my city + commute + driving habits it seems I won't live very long - eek!

    ReplyDelete
  43. This was an incredible post! Blogging is so much fun. I don't get it when people gripe about doing it. I love that you love it! I am so clumsy...seriously, I am so with you on looking like I am always drunk. I have bruises everywhere. I ask my husband all the time if he beat me up in our sleep. I walk into walls ALL THE TIME to! Pregnancy was fun...I don't know how I survived that! Ugh, and I can't stand grammar issues on status updates. Drives me crazy! You are too cute!

    ReplyDelete
  44. LOVE. THIS. POST.

    Where to start? I love your hair wavy after the workout but kinda hate you b/c you look cute after a workout--how do you do that?

    I am a super clumsy person and my friends make fun of me all the time b/c I will walk into walls, trip over my feet while wearing flip flops, spill something, etc. It's horrible, I would love to know what it would be like to be graceful for a day.

    Right there with you on the bad grammar pet peeve also. I have sooooooo many people hidden on FB b/c of their statuses and the fact they can't spell out tough words like are, your, too, etc. Sadness.

    Last thing---I want that Chick-Fil-A knockoff recipe. Like now!!!

    ReplyDelete