Try Something New: Week 3

January 15 -- Two words: sweater tights! Tried out my first ones for church on a frigid cold day. It's like wearing a sweater on your legs! In purple argyle! Can life get better? I was still a little cold walking outside, but come on...16 degrees...they're not magic, people.

January 16 -- Partook of a yummy little concoction created by my Vanessa. Oatmeal with peanut butter and Ovaltine. It's like having those no-bake cookies for breakfast! Yes please! Needless to say, I came home and bought myself a thing of Ovaltine straightaway.

January 17 -- Rented a car for the very first time to drive to the Philadelphia airport from Hoboken. Less than three weeks before my 25th birthday, so the perfect time to pay that whopping extra fee for being underage. My age clearly makes me too irresponsible to drive a rental minivan without assuming extra risk. Never mind the two adorable well-behaved children at my side that I've kept alive and well for the past 3.5 years. Never mind my bachelor's degree from a legit university. The birthdate says it all. (Can you tell age is a sensitive subject over here?)

January 18 -- Set up a new little star light that Josh got for Christmas from his Grandma Cheri. It just needed batteries and place on the dresser, but you'd be amazed at the joy that amount of effort can bring to a little boy. This toy projects light up to the ceiling that looks like stars. And the light changes colors! It makes bedtime a special treat.

January 19 -- Borrowed a bunch of new children's books from the library. Last year the boys and I would go to the library every week, but our reading schedule was thrown off with our holiday trips. It was nice to be back there again with the smell of ripe used books. Can I admit that I learn SO much from the kids books that Josh chooses? They give you just the right amount of information -- enough to remember without getting bored. Do you know anything about the history of bubble gum? Or why certain tunnels are shaped different ways? Do you know how many fingers a Deinonychus had? I do. Because I enjoy books written for three-year-olds.

January 20 -- Bought alcohol for the very first time ever. Yeah, definitely awkward. We're going to make our own vanilla extract, and it so happens that vanilla extract is just vanilla beans and vodka. (Thank you, Nor.) I was so sheepish in the store, so confused about what I was doing, that I think I bought an expensive kind. I just grabbed whatever they had out on display because I didn't want to rummage around in the alcohol section and get lost. Ha! Plus I kept worrying that someone I knew would see me and ask if this Mormon had a dirty little secret. But seriously...the stuff stinks like nail polish remover. I can't imagine why anyone would want to pour it down their throat.

 January 21 -- Ordered lobster macaroni and cheese at our favorite fancy pants restaurant, The Capital Grille. Matt and I took a little drive to Detroit yesterday for the Costco/temple/dining experiences that we've been missing in our small town. It was glorious. And the lobster mac -- a big step for me. I cannot stand seafood of any kind. The smell, the texture, the thought of it makes me want to dry heave. So eating this dish, eating noodles that had touched seafood and faintly smelled of it, was progress. Even though I couldn't handle any of the large lobster pieces, I made sure to try the smaller bits, and it was actually quite rich and delicious. Matt was so proud.