Don't get Comfortable - Visits, Transitions and a No More Sugar

Today is an attempt to be productive.  This weekend we had our first snow of the season.  It's more than a month early so it has thrown me a curve ball.  Instead of the BIKE RIDE I had planned today, I have spent the day inside slowly getting some work done, cleaning things and taking a couple of breaks to venture out for food.  I've discovered two things: I have a coffee and sugar problem.  Both of which are some of the many reasons I could never work from home.   So let's see if I can write this post while I'm literally bouncing uncontrollably in my chair...

THE SUGAR and COFFEE PROBLEM.  Why do I think I have a problem?  Well when you can't even walk home from lunch without stopping in for a black and white cookie and coffee number 3(thank goodness this one was decaf)...could be a sign of a bit of an addiction.  I have no problem with sugar or caffeine in general.  But I do like the idea of being able to control cravings for overall health.

Since this is my "explorations and food" themed blog I decided to come clean with my uncontrollable obsession.  I don't diet, I like food too much.  My general idea is to "eat clean" - foods as close to their natural state as possible.  With recent travels, visitors and still having the desire to get out and try local flavors I have swayed from this lifestyle more than I would like.  This Black & White debacle is only one example.  So, my black and white cookie is going to be my last sugar for the next 2 weeks.  I have decided to follow along with a blogger I follow regularly at Gracious Pantry and take part in a 2 week No Sugar Challenge.  This means no added sugar, only natural occurring sugar.  There are a few other rules, but sharing all the details isn't important.  I'm going to use this blog to help me get through the 2 weeks.  My hope at the end is not really anything more than just feeling a little more cleansed and in control.  

Last weekend my sister came to visit me.  Visitor number two over the past 3 weeks.  I was driving home from yoga after she left, lost in my yoga thoughts, reflecting on her visit.  It's amazing how having an outside visitor into your familiar surroundings can shift your perceptions.  Bringing people from back home into my new home is strange but a lot of fun because it not only allows me to get out and do some exploring I might not have done otherwise but also provides a chance to see their perceptions my northeastern home and get a fresh perspective.  In the end I think I feel like they have left me feeling more myself up here - rather than attempting to reconstruct myself to fit my new surroundings I feel like having familiar friends and family with me here, even briefly, helps me to feel more comfortable as myself in an unfamiliar place.  To sum up Kelley's visit:

"homegrown CT" (beaches, trails, vineyards, arboretums, organic food)
shopping (Greenwich Ave, 5th Ave)
the City!(wanderings, book stores, childhood friends, subways galore)
Food (I think I had seafood with every meal).

She was a pretty good sport, being drug all over CT and NYC.  We travel at pretty different speeds.  She takes her time and I am more frantic, moving from place to place with a quick pace. Both can be pretty exhausting in their own ways..but we managed to do a little bit of both types while she was here.  Below is a look at some of our culinary experiences :):   If I knew how to embed a slideshow in this blog..I would..