thank you, brownies

I had this crazy thought for this past week: No sugar for seven days. For an entire week I was going to hold back the treats and eat them fruit and vegetables. Some may consider this normal, but for sugar-loving-always-baking me, the thought of a DAY without caving into my sweet tooth seems, erm, strange.

I've done it before. I recall a day in the Summer when I restrained from eating any sweets. And I survived! It required some major self-control, but I struggled through. Yet honestly, not a day has passed since then that sugar hasn't entered my mouth.

I have a thing for taste, for chewing, swirling around food on my taste buds.

I KNOW! Again, strange.

So, on Monday when I embarked on my lofty journey, I really believed it was possible. I went to school, snacked on cashews and peppers and cucumbers and fruit. I came home, drank tea, ate a filling dinner. All was well. And then I started studying for my third and final calculus midterm. And one thing led to another and a few brownies made their way into my mouth, consoling me oh-so well.

Thank you brownies, for your care. Sugar free week? Next week, friends, next week!  

a jumble of sorts

You may have thought that I fell off planet blogger. Or maybe that I began a long journey of far too much math homework. If you guessed the latter, you would be correct. My friend Shelby and I had a long chat today about finding balance. The load of University can make it hard to remember to relax, breathe, and do something other than schoolwork sometimes... In the middle of our chat, she told me something so wise that I can't help but share. It went something like,

"We wake up to enrich our lives, not to get rich in life."

I want to enjoy these crazy University days, to let go of the goal of perfection and embrace the fact that I'm just human. There is only so much calculus one can do. There are only so many textbook chapters one can read. And you know what? We weren't made to only work, work, work until we collapse. We were made to live abundant, blessed and victorious lives. God doesn't want us working ourselves so hard that we never stop to think about what he has already given us. I'm making it a goal to do more "self-care" things this month; I'm going to exercise, start painting my nails again, invite friends over for coffee, and wake up in the morning thinking today, I am going to do something, big or small, to enrich my life.

There was my little schpiel.

p.s. I made pumpkin cookies today and they are SUPERB.