The Goodenough Blog

So dearest friends and anyone else who cares, we are leaving for the UK in exactly 4 weeks. (Holy Crap) 

We have decided, perhaps foolishly, to live abroad for a while. Our web design business is mobile so we figured why not go work in Paris, or London or the Swiss Alps? It is only so often that these opportunities come around and since we don’t have kids or a house to keep us here, we are off into the sunset. 

We are leaving March 21st for the UK, first stop is Edinburgh, Scotland for 5 days to check out a web conference. Then we will make our way south through the lake districts, Liverpool, the Cotswolds, Bristol, London and finally settling in Brighton (on the southern shore) England. We found a house to rent through August so we will be there for about 5 months. This way we have a “home base” but can still travel to Ireland or Italy on the weekends. 

After that, well, I am determined to live in Paris for at least a month. Eric is dying to go to Switzerland and I think we both want to check out Spain. That is if we don’t run out of money. We will be working the whole time we are there so please don’t hesitate to send us work or people to contact.

We will have an extra room, so anyone who is up for a bit of fun with the Goodenough’s is more than welcome to come stay with us. We will be lonely and missing all of you, so if you can afford the plane ticket, please come and spend time with us, we would absolutely love it!

 So now the countdown begins. . .28 days to go!

Look at these crazy kids!  This is circa 1999.  Wow.  Who would have thought that 10 years later we would be still so madly in love and still crazy.  

I am ready to embrace my extroverted self, according to my therapist.  I never in a million years would have guessed that I am totally extroverted.  And I bet if you asked any of my friends they would say without a hesitation that I am an extrovert.   I guess I always saw myself as mostly introverted with a few extroverted tendencies.  But aparantly I am dead wrong.  Which is extremely annoying because I pride myself on being able to read people quickly and accurately.  How could I be sooooo wrong for soooooo long about myself?  

That reminds me of a great Pasty Cline song.

So cheers to my new extroverted self, welcome to the party.  (since i’m supposed to like parties now)

So today I ate:

• gluten free hot cereal with bananas and raisins
• veggie juice of cucmber, parsley, kale, celery and lots of other green stuff
• gluten free crackers with hummus
• broiled cod with brown rice

So in case you haven’t heard me shouting it from the rooftops, I lost my 20th pound!!!!   Oh man that feels so good.  I would be screaming louder except I gained two pounds in water and chocolate since it’s my favorite time of the month.  :-(

But today being Valentines day, my man and me decided to splurge on Chocolate!  It is like one of our most favorite things, we go to this little shop called Chocolate Maya here in Santa Barbara and buy all kinds of goodies like the heavenly little green tea Buddha and the dark chocolate with lavender.  Oh I am drooling just writing this.  Ok so this might not be in my “Slim for Life” plan but it is a holiday and my husband did buy them for me so what’s a girl to do.  So today I am taking a break since I have been such a good girl and lost 20 lbs, I think it’s time for a treat.  

So yesterday I ate:

• gluten free waffles with strawberries and banana
• aduki bean cassarole
• hummus and veggies
• grilled chicken breast with honey dijon glaze
• brown rice 
• spinach salad
• handful of sunflower seeds
• 1 square of 75% dark chocolate yum!

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways. . . 

1. I love you because I never have to find something to do with my free time
2. I love you because I always know what’s going on with my friends far away
3. I love you because I can become a fan of “bacon”
4. I love you because you let me post how ever many pictures I want to
5. I love you because I can chat with my friends instantly
6. I love you because I can post a photo of some girls boobies on my birthday invitations
7. I love you because you are free
8. I love you because you love me

Ok so I might love facebook more than anything else in the world right now.  But I have good reason, I can see pictures of my friends from far away. . . In fact my friend Erin might go into labor any day now and I will know instantly because of facebook.  I can reach mass amounts of people (ok well I only have like 46 friends) but I can talk to all of them instantly.   My life has never felt so complete.  

So today I ate: 

• fruit salad with banana, strawberry, nectarines, blueberries
• salad with lettuce, sprouts, tomato, cucumber and tuna
• sunflower seeds
• 5 gluten free crackers
• a handful of gluten free spagetti (yes i eat pasta in handfuls)
• grilled fish with cabbage, black beans and brown rice
• veggie juice of carrot, beet, celery

Wow, last night I saw Revolutionary Road.  And while all the people on my facebook page think that I am crazy, I really loved it.  It was such a portrait of what I don’t want my life to be.  Trapped by a big house, trapped by children and trapped by a job that you hate.  You could tell that the couple in the movie really did love each-other but they were miserable because they never got to live out their dreams and had settled for what everyone else did; move to the suburbs and raise a family.  They resented each other for the decisions they felt that they had to make because society and responsibility had them in a headlock.  

I think it is perfectly fine to want to move to the suburbs and raise a family, I would have done it myself if I wanted kids. But to force those things upon each other because it’s what is “done” or what is “responsible” has never been something that I could stomach.  I don’t want the responsibility of a family and the most tied down I can be is to my husband because he wants the same things.  I don’t need a big house, I don’t need to have stuff.  I have cats because dogs are too much work.  I rent because then if I get bored I can leave and not have to sell a house.  Maybe it’s childish, maybe its selfish but I am willing to be both of those things so that I don’t end up being miserable and resentful later in life.  

So ya, I liked the film.  Go see it if you can, well go see it if you aren’t a miserable housewife or a miserable working stiff, because that will only lead to trouble.  

I need to something fun to happen like now.  I am bored and haven’t put real clothes or makeup on in 3 days.  (real clothes are anything that doesn’t contain elastic)  I am in desperate need of some excitement, Disneyland is coming but not for weeks and weeks.  I think I need to go on a date or a drive or go downtown or something.  I haven’t left Montecito in days and it is waaaay boring here although it is rather beautiful and I really do feel content and safe here.  I think I am turning into a senior citizen, crap!  But the really stupid thing is that I get invited to go places and what do I do?  I say “maybe next time” because I would rather stay home. 

Ugh!  I know I’m going to miss this place once I leave for Europe, so I had better enjoy the quiet while I can.

So today I ate:

• smoothie of raspberry, blueberry, banana and strawberry
• leftover turkey meatballs from last night yum!
• blanched broccoli salad with lemon, cherry tomato, pine nuts and basil
• crudites of carrot, cucumber and celery
• chicken breast baked with cinnamon and lemon
• salad with asparagus, tomato, capers and walnut
• 1 piece of dark chocolate
• 3 coconut covered dates

Ok so after a week of not blogging and going out to eat I am so so so stuck in the mud.  I have maintained my weight sort of for a whole week, which is sooooo sucky.  I am trying so hard to get the scale to say something other than what it says.  But alas I have only myself to blame.  I went out for Thai food 2x and went out for lunch.  I also had a superbowl party yesterday and ate a couple of handfuls of popcorn.  So maybe its going off the plan or maybe its my thyroid.  Whatever the problem is I am really tired and discouraged that I can’t eat anything other than what’s in my book.  How is that fair?  I made good decisions and only ate healthy things each time I went out.  

The only thing I know how to do is go back to the beginning.  How did I lose the weight in the beginning of the month?  I followed the plan religiously and I blogged/ food journal almost every night.  So I guess I have to start doing that again.  Lots of work but worth it I guess.

So today I ate:

• Gluten free hot cereal with raisins and banana
• a pear
• veggie crudites with cashew dip
• salad w. tofu, tomato, cucumber, beansprouts and oriental dressing
• veggie juice of: beet, fennel, celery
• turkey meatballs with tomato sauce
• 1 piece of dark chocolate