Month 10

Annie’s Current Weight: 128
Pleasures: well guys, we have finally hit the double digits in the month count, and we are under 100 days, so you cant get much better than that! I know I gained a pound, but I think I am gaining muscle with all my bike riding and working out this month. I also made a lot of cheesy soul food which was great. I didn’t go on any major trips this month, so I got to focus and really cook some stuff, but it got hard once in awhile with life getting in the way. I got to cook a lot with travis and Maggie and see my girl Christina take off. I liked the challenges I was put in front of.
Pains: Weight gain always sucks, but its great to gain some strength. I am getting tired, and its hard to motivate myself. I am getting a lot of congratulations for finishing, but, I have to remember I still have 2 months left. That is still a LOT of time. I was suck a bunch of times looking at my filled shelf of food and not knowing what to make. Everything I thought of I had done, and I always had to force myself to go to the store to get something exciting and new. Im scared im going to repeat something.
Promises: I promise to rock your socks off these last 2 months!! I have some trips planned…Disneyland, san Diego, LA, but I will work HARD to make some easy blow you out of the water treats! I promise to focus these 60 days and really make this a priority.
Ponders: you know, here is what has happened. This project began and I didn’t want to spread the word about it because it was too new and fresh I didn’t think people would believe I would commit to a year. Then it was in the middle of the project, and people would be psyched for a bit, but saw there was still time left, so no big thing. And now, well, it has become such a part of me to cook everyday and to think about it everyday, I don’t even find it worth while to share with others because I just cook and then move on. This cooking has just become my life. I do it every single day. I think something up every day. People have asked, do I plan it ahead of time? Where do the ideas come from. Honestly, I do not plan ahead ever. The only times I have are when I have to catch an early flight, or know I need to do it in the morning, but normally I will be at work, just thinking about what I feel like eating, and something will come up. Like, my greatest comfort food is cream of chicken soup and the other day I was feeling lonely, and it was what I wanted. Or I will go to a grocery store, see limes are good and make lime bars. I talk things through with people…would this taste good with this? Or think about my friends, like, travis is from the south, maybe pecans and caramel. It comes fresh everyday. The recipes are thought of THAT day. I sometimes look up recipes to get a base idea, and then bounce off of it, add wine or spices, and make it my own. It is fun, and has for sure changed the way I look at food. I feel more brave, and much more open to try things and be ok with failing. Failures bring the greatest rewards. I know this from experience, and I know this project will NOT be one of those failures. I learn from all my mistakes, and i have learned from this project something I didn’t see coming, which is I can commit to something hard, something where the end isn’t even remotely close, and where at time I have to tell friends, no, I gotta go do this cooking thing. It makes me smile to myself, and sigh proudly…but I gotta remember…its not over yet…