Hello 2009!

How are you? Good to have you. Things are fine so far.

Here we are. January second. 2009. Last year this time, I already had a whole host of goals and resolutions. Some I have really stuck to, like exercising fairly regularly and starting a blog. Others, well, not so much. I went so far last time as to have all my vacations for the year planned and plotted. Interestingly, not all of them were realized.

No, this year I'm hoping to do the opposite and be more present in the moment without many expectations. Is that a cop-out? I think my attitude may, in part, have to do with definite uncertainties this year, like the security of my job and Ryan's next step after graduating this spring. It just feels good, for once, to be able to say there is no plan. And, also, that I have no idea where my vacations will take me!

But well, OK, there is one goal. Starting today, Ryan and I are going to eat a purely vegetarian diet for one full month. Our focus will be on eating whole grains, pastas, and oats, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and beans, baby. Other foods we will allow are dairy products (cheese, yogurt, eggs) and sugar because, well, you know.

Our plan was triggered both by a book Ryan received for Christmas, The China Study, and by his 30th birthday in December. We're not getting any younger, friends, and well, health is a priority. The book outlines many long-term benefits to eating vegetarian and darn it, we're going to try it out.

For accountability reasons, I will be posting what we eat here daily. Starting tonight (after I've brushed my teeth) I will come back and list what we had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It will be a record, of sorts.

Scratch that. It didn't take me long to realize that documenting what we eat on a daily basis is not interesting to even the most avid reader. So I'll keep our daily diet to myself and report on the overall vegetarian experience once we're done!

Wish us luck. Jess & Scott, we'll be tapping you for resources.

And, hey, Happy New Year! May this one be the best one yet.