Saturday, September 1, 2012

It's Already September? - Old Orchard Beach

Oh boy. It's been a fun week, despite the looming dread of it being the last week of summer before school starts up again. I've been constantly trying to decide if I miss Texas or not, and I think I've finally come to the conclusion that I don't. The heat was nice while I was there (and in comparison the 80 degree New Hampshire days seem downright FREEZING) but the freedom to go out during the day and not roast or break out into a full-body sweat is kind of nice. Plus, I really missed my family and my house and how absolutely green everything is! The ground, the trees, the plants, the bushes, the food! Even the pond water! (Ew.) I do miss the pool though. Oh man, do I miss that pool.

Monday I had a muffin and some homemade juice for breakfast, then went out to pick up Jordan! It was the first time seeing her all summer, so that was pretty great. We picked up some chia seeds at the Local Grocer, which is a health food store a few miles from her house, and then headed back to my house. After a delicious lunch of grilled cheese on Italian bread with some yummy salad, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. We watched Take Me Home Tonight which is a really hilarious movie with Topher Grace (whom I absolutely L-O-V-E) and we got to see our friend Kelsie who left for college the day after. It was a bittersweet reunion if there ever was one. Also on the itinerary: ice cream! We drove down to the Sandwich Creamery where they sell organic ice cream made right on their farm. I got banana pancake flavor because it sounded kind of odd, but it was delicious! (and for dinner - organic hot dogs and corn on the cob, just for future reference)




Tuesday was just as fun. I started my morning with a 6-1-6-1-6-1-6, which is part of a program where beginning runners train for a half-marathon. Basically all the '6's indicate six minutes of walking, where all the '1's indicate one minute of jogging. All in all I was out for half an hour, which gave me lots of energy for the rest of the day. After having the best strawberry-chia-peach-protein shake ever, Hannah and I (whom I was also seeing for the first time in two months) walked around town a bit, and spent about an hour or two in the library. I found Demetri Martin's book "This Is A Book". I'm about halfway through, and let me tell you it is pretty hilarious. I'm not usually one for comedy, but it's great. Hannah and I had our usual sit-in-my-kitchen-and-just-talk for two hours, then walked down to the beach and laid out on the docks for a bit. When we got hungry, we went back home and made the same lunch that I had on Monday (because it was just that good).

Wednesday I was feeling all out of sorts and also quite broke, so I just went to work on the farm with my mom. It was such a nice day, hanging out with her and all the great people at the museum. We went on an herbal walk where we learned about some healing plants, and then just walked around the buildings and tidied up what need to be tidied up! Dinner was my own delicious concoction: cheese quesadillas with peppers and onions, topped with avocado, left-over corn, and all-natural salsa. Nom nom nom. It was a nice prequel to Thursday, when my mom and I went shopping at TJ Maxx and I picked up some adorable clothes for school. I always cherish the days that we get to spend together, just the two of us, because they are so few and far between. She is seriously my favorite person in the whole world. For lunch we had D'angelo's turkey and veggie wraps, which were delicious but so filling, and for dinner we made more homemade spaghetti and sauce with chicken sausage, which we made because we watched a TEDTalk talking about holistic ways of preventing cancer growth through consumption of antiangiogenic foods like tomatoes.

Friday may very well have been the best day of the week. After some vanilla organic cereal with rice milk, I packed some granola, banana chips, sunflower seeds, and blackberries, and picked up Jordan for our beach day!!



We drove down to Scarborough, Maine and went to Old Orchard Beach. I love everything about OOB. I mean, the small-town feel of the streets around it, the big sandy beach, the pier with all the cute shops, the carnival, the cute guys....


We sat on the beach for about an hour, despite the lack of sun. I just love the atmosphere of a beach - it's so lighthearted and fun and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Plus, it's always great hearing the multitude of languages being spoken.


After we got a little sandy and a little bored, we walked around the streets and grabbed a plate of french fries - which I know are not exactly "healthy", but man, they smelled just like fair food and I couldn't resist. We walked through the somewhat-deserted somewhat-creepy carnival for while, trying (and failing) to stare at the cute carnival workers as discreetly as possible.


Once the fries were gone, we opted for some mint chocolate chip Gifford's ice cream over the fried dough that we were both craving. I don't know how much healthier ice cream is, but probably not much. (Oh well, everyone gets a break in their diet sometimes, right?) Then we made another round through the carnival, because hey - why not stare at the cuties some more?


Overall, I had so much fun. I just love the ocean and how a couple hour drive can take you somewhere that'll make your whole day feel like a vacation. I'm seriously considering going back next weekend, especially if it's sunny. 

And now it's already Saturday, and already September, and already my last weekend before senior year. I decided to refocus my healthy food choices now that it's September, since my ambition kind of faded by the end of the week. For breakfast I decided on some all-natural cereal of some type or another, with a banana and a nectarine chopped up on top. I took some decaf earl grey tea with me when the parents and I went down to the local farmer's market - which is absolutely fabulous. So many local farmers (duh) with fruits and veggies and freshly baked bread and homemade cheese and their own breakfast sausage and even some raw milk (which is supposed to be super healthy in terms of probiotics and nutrients, but it still grosses me out). 

My plans for the rest of the day include reading "The Night Circus", which is such an amazing book, and some sun bathing. Maybe baking, I haven't decided. This month I am looking forward to:
  • the leaves changing color, if they choose to do so before October this year. The different colors of the leaves make for great pictures.
  • the beginning of fall! It's my favorite season by far.
  • starting my senior year of high school, filling out college applications, *hopefully* having an easy homework load this year
  • seeing all of my friends again!
  • making apple muffins and pumpkin bread and all those classic fall staples
  • continuing with my all-natural healthy diet. My goal: to learn about which foods have which nutrients so that I can load up one what my body needs and also find out what my diet is lacking.
What are you looking forward to this month?

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