Happy VFT

Well, as many of you know, around my house, every Thursday is a holiday as we gather our kids and their friends for Vegan Feast Thursday.  Although the menu has grown to include some non-vegan dishes for the non-vegan eaters, the weekly ritual’s VFT name will always remain.  I look so forward to Thursdays and while the menu tends to consist of some reliable dishes, I also like to try to make (or sample) some new food or recipe.  Tonight I am going to attempt to make the homemade peanut butter cups from a recipe in the Alicia Silverstone book I got last weekend.  Anyone “flirting” with taking some animal products out of their daily diet should check this book out!  Called The Kind Diet, it’s sub-heading says — A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight and Saving the Planet…I do NOT agree about the SIMPLE part, but she has a lot of good things to say in the first half of the book and some interesting recipes in the back half.

Yesterday my SilverSneakers student, Fran, celebrated her 89th birthday.  She makes 89 look like the new 59…ok, realistically, maybe the new 69, but honestly she is a great inspiration to all of us around her.  She started the program a few years ago and was RATHER against coming.  Her son, member of the gym (Bally, Coral Springs) brought her in to try the class.  She really didn’t want to be there, but came to please him.  She couldn’t believed how much she enjoyed the program and started making friends with those around her.  She is the first to jump up to help a new member, or to bring in friends to get them started in the program.  She participates in the book club that another member, Sylna, started last year.  She does all this and takes care of her soon to be 95 year old husband, Paul.  He often comes with her to the club and though he doesn’t want to participate in the class, he sits and waits for her to get in her exercise and socialization!  Together, this past Monday, they told me a little bit about their love story and it touched my heart and impacted me in a very positive way! Married in 1940, Paul was shipped off to fight in the war in 1942.  Severely injured in the war and sent to the hospital they didn’t think he would make it.  He assured me he took down a lot of Nazis before he was injured and though I never support war, taking down Nazis is in a league of it’s own!   He was hospitalized for 1 and 1/2 years!  He said every time he would open his eyes he would see his beautiful wife “waiting” for him and her presence gave him the strength to keep mending.  Due to the injuries he sustained they never thought they would have children, but they triumphed again and had 2!  She spoke of how she always trusted him, even when he would travel for business and prostitutes would make themselves available.  He would tell her these stories and say “why have hamburger when I can go home and have steak?” At 94 and 89, getting ready to celebrate their 7oth wedding anniversary,  they spoke of their life together and each other with a light in their eyes that can only be love.  I think their love story should be documented.  Someone like Spielberg should tell their story in film.  Just in case that doesn’t happen, I thought I would share it with you, today!  It inspired me to work at being a kinder, more gentle wife 🙂  Maybe it will inspire you in some way, too.  Thank you Fran and Paul.

I got word from my connection at NBC (thank you Erica) that Jilian Michael’s new show Losing It, will be premiering in early June.  She’ll be getting a little more one-on-one with people which, as Carol mentioned, should be right up her ally!  Though I got a definite day and time yesterday, when Erica came to train last night, she said she got another memo suggesting it at another time, so I’ll keep you posted on specifics as it gets closer.

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If anyone knows anyone in the Tampa/St.Pete/Clearwater  area looking for a hard-working,  reliable, motivated, web developer (with degree) let me know.  My webmaster (and son) Kyle is busy doing web development work here in Ft. Lauderdale but will be relocating to the Tampa area to be closer to his girlfriend Nicole, who is diligently studying in hopes of being a doctor.  He might actually kill me for posting this, but…ya never know!  Mitch and I totally support his choices because so far at almost 23, he’s only made good ones!  I promise if anyone recommends this guy for a job, they will be doing the EMPLOYER the favor!  I can thankfully say, both my kids are hard working!  Apparently Kyle’s only ” problem”  at his current job is he works a little too quickly!

My webmaster tells me the beauty of a blog is I can write about anything I want.  Some days I feel the need to share concrete info–other days I just gotta ramble.  Thank you for “listening” to me ramble this morning.  Now it’s my time with the bigreddog.  Most days I determine where we are walking and for how long, but Thursday is a special day in my home, so Blaze gets to be MY trainer and he picks where and how far…it’s not easy keeping up with 120 pound retriever!  Mixing things up, though, is ALWAYS good!