Another trip around the sun

It is a very quiet and relaxing New Years here at the Summers' residence, other than soundtrack of Jonny learning to play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the ukulele. The dogs, Jon, and I indulged in a feast of shrimp, cheese, and kilebasea. If that isn't exciting enough, we watched HBO until about an hour ago. We chatted about our favorite moments of the year and then ranked our favorite and least favorite holidays. This conversation was sparked after seeing so many negative posts about 2011 on FB; so many people wishing 2011 good-bye, saying it was the worst year of their life, and hoping to never see it again. Jon and I had an ah-ha moment last year after we watched "the decade in review." At the end of it, we looked at each other and one of us said to the other, "we didn't just have a bad year, we had a bad decade." Could it possibly get worse? Of course it could, but looking back, I can't say that I have the same feelings that I had last decade. How could I? This year I did lose my last grandmother, my house was appraised less than the value (contributing to the ripple effect of us staying in Scranton longer than we ever intended), and we had several minor financial setbacks, like when our chimney ended up in our driveway and Jon's car needed some work. But, are our circumstances any different than any other American? I highly doubt it. The difference this year is that we have decided to turn our setbacks into something positive and to learn from our hardships and challenges. When our chimney fell, we realized we needed to invest in our house if we were ever to sell it. Although the appraisal came back low, we realized we could wait out the housing market a little longer. This gives us time to finish our Master's degrees. And not long after my grandmother passed, my family was suddenly in touch with an entire clan of our family we never even knew existed. We met with them in Texas and now have more family than ever. Some other beautiful moments in 2011: FaceTime - for bringing me so close to so many far away, the birth of my beautiful cousin Boston, adopting a juicing lifestyle, ABC news recognizing my students and me on Made in America, making in through a year of grad school, visiting family, planting flowers with my mom in my garden, watching my friends realize their dreams -Marissa goes back to Italy, Kelly starts her business, and Jonny is learning to play the ukulele. Just being a part of their joyous moments makes my heart swell with happiness. I am not the most religious person, but I believe myself to be spiritual. If these hardships we all endure are placed in our lives only to provide more beautiful and loving ones, than I am ok with having them. No one deserves to be unhappy or mistreated, but the reward of having a hardship is knowing there is a lesson to be learned. So, as you look back at 2011 don't just think about the hardships as bad events in your life, what lesson can you take from it? I wish you a healthy and peaceful 2012. Love, Michelle Ps I'm still juicing. Starting a 15 day cleanse on new years day. Join me!

The Human Juicer, Day 4

My Friend the Juicer 

Day 4. Someone please pinch me! I cannot be on the same diet. JMJ What the heck is going on? It just might be that I had my breakthrough moment when I woke this morning. I woke up, slightly sweaty, but feeling like I had the best sleep I've ever had. I wasn't in any sort of agony! All day, I kept waiting for the shoe to drop; for the leg pain to come back, the headaches to return, the desire to gnaw on my own leg...but nothing. Not a single thing. Very Strange. 

Something else very strange happened. My husband found a recipe online. That's not all. He went to the store and bought the ingredients for our "Juice Friendly" recipe. Are you ready for the best part? He also made the whole thing! We had a fantastic mix of veggies with an Asian style dressing. Oh my! Who do I love more, my 'now-perfect husband' or the Juice, for the transformation??

All in all, I am ok letting go of all of the badness that has built up inside me for so many years. I am ok with drinking most of my meals because I know it is all goodness. I am definitely ok with my husband coming home with groceries and making dinner! What the heck will tomorrow bring??

The Human Juicer, Day 3

So, what happened to day 2? Good question. I would love to answer this one for you, except, I think I have selective memory and I blocked it out. If you ever decided to go on a juice diet, you might want to do the same; and, here are some more tips for you: don't watch tv (too many food commercials), don't do this diet with your spouse and look for sympathy (you are both equally miserable), don't plan on exercising (you will have no energy), and don't, whatever you do, order pizza (don't give up!).

Day 3 started off far worse than it ended. I woke up with incredible leg cramps from the waist down. At one point, I actually thought that I was starving to death, so I Googled "starvation mode" just to make sure I was ok. When I did this, pictures of little kids from Ethiopia came up, and I realized, I was overreacting just a tad. I started the day off with a grapefruit and apple juice. That fought off the hunger for most of the morning. For lunch, I made my famous "Tomato Salad." (Yes, you can eat any and all raw fruits and veggies) This salad has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and making it was my way of rebelling against the Juice. It was about this time that I became very angry at the Juice. Every-time I would think about making a veggie one, I gagged. But my will power was too strong to break the diet. The result was that I became very hungry!

Jonny came home from work ready to tackle a burger. I think he was imagining coming home to the the grill fired up with a London broil, mashed potatoes, and veg. What he got instead was my will-power winning the battle of Will-power vs. Juice. So, that's pretty much how to describe Day 3: Juice-0, Michelle-1.

The Human Juicer

The Royal Buffet

After watching the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead the hubby and I decided to purchase a juicer and go on a juicing reboot. Today was day 1 of the new juice diet. If you haven't seen the movie, you are probably wondering what the great inspiration was to suddenly run out and buy a juicer. My husband, who over the past year has probably only eaten a handful of veggies, is actually the force behind this movement. To sum up the movie, 2 men who are over 400 lbs embark on a healthier lifestyle, and jumpstart it by juicing. Spoiler alert- the results are miraculous! 


So here we are. I made a trip to the Farmers' Market today and bought $35.00 worth of fruit and veggies. I even brought home veggies I have never seen before. When Jon came home from work, we made "dinner." I had all of the veggies outside on our table (there is not enough room in my fridge). Jon coined it "The Royal Buffet." We went to town, putting together all sorts of combinations. I picked what I thought was going to be the grossest combo - 1 beet, 2 apples, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, and 2 peaches. It is unbelievable how mother nature can make that combo quite appealing. 

Jonny Juice

All in all, day 1 has not been bad. Keeping my mind off of food has been impossible. I guess that is the whole reason for this blog post- to prevent my lack of will power from taking over. I plan to do this for the next 10 days. I used to have a very healthy lifestyle for a very long time; I was a vegetarian for a long time, exercised regularly, and was very active. Over the last 5 years, I have moved further and further away from this. Hopefully, this juicing reboot will get me back on track, or at least point me in the right direction. 


I apologize now for being one-of-those people who blog about their diets. I guess I now just "get it." All of "those people," are actually just hungry!

I think I need stitches

My friends and family can tell you, that it is without fail, I somehow manage to ruin holidays and vacations with trips to the ER. I would not call myself a "sick" person, rather just clumsy. I am reminded of these, less than joyful occasions, as I sit here, on my first day of summer vacation, with my foot propped up and bandaged. 


In no particular order, I guess I am apologizing for all of the co-pays, cold kielbasa, and warm lemonade my family endured. 


Christmas, 1999
Pneumonia got the best of me. Hospitalized for tearing abdominal muscles. Yes, the doctors were trying to kill me. 


Valentine's Day, 2006
Pneumonia returned. In bed with for a week, hacked for months. Truly romantic <3. 


Summer, 1994
I can skateboard, not! Torn ligaments in ankle. On crutches for 6 weeks.


Summer, 1990
Handstand on scooter- do not try this at home. Chipped jaw bone and missing chin. 13 stitches, plastic surgery and a year's worth of drs visits. Not allowed in the sun. 


Summer, 1996
Dorney Park Migraine- locked in a hospital storage closet for hours because they could not shut the lights off in the patient room.  


Summer, 2011
Frankenfoot. So, who ever said I went to med school? 24 hours after the weatherstripping on the door butchered my toe, (and after Dar..who's life motto is "tough it out" said "that is really bad. I'm not touching it"), I headed to the ER for my No-so-Mc. Dreamy Dr. and his side kick Nurse Tony to tell me, "I think you need stitches." After a little pedicure joke, I convinced them that glue and a tetanus shot was all I really needed. Day 1 of summer vacation, D.U.N.  


Hopefully, I do not have any more to add. There were a ton of bumps and bruises along the way. Many broken fingers and migraine trips to the ER. Oh well.