Little Life-Giver: The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment.

Week 2: Complete!

So, tomorrow will begin Week 3 of the New Year's detox, and things are great!

Week 2 added legumes and fish back into the regime, and I was excited to learn how to pan-sear tuna, plus I could finally get down with the hummus I'd made before I realized I wasn't supposed to have it in Week 1. I also made one of my favorite staples:

Roasted Brussels sprouts

I found a recipe that added lemon zest to the mix, and it was quite delicious!

I also broke down after finding this recipe and made a treat:

Candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate

I used raw sugar instead of granulated for the process (tried to make it as nutritional as possible, ya know). I only ate a few, but they were delicious! Mostly I gave them away to friends and classmates at school. Now I just need to repeat the process and take some home to my Dad, who was a little pissed that I didn't have any left when I went home this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend. There was one event of the week that wasn't so fabulous: I finally decided it was time to let Aibileen, my old lady dog, go on to doggy heaven. You see, she was about 12 or so when I got her (or actually took her so she wouldn't be euthanized, a few years ago), and she had fairly severe arthritis. She'd been through several medications, each of which caused its own complication. So, basically, she had been untreated for the arthritis (except for a special joint diet that was mixed with her special urinary diet) for a long time. I watched her to see how things were progressing, and this past week she got to the point where she was having more trouble than usual going up and down the stairs to use the bathroom, trembling more and more with every step she took. It was so sad to see her in so much pain. So I knew it was time.

Aiby's grave

We buried her up on Hickory Hill (Dad dug the grave for me), where I have vowed to build my Summerland home one day. She'll be giving off the good doggy mojo for years...

As for the rest of the weekend, Addie came home with me to check out the Summerland/Hattiesburg experience, and there was quality time with the folks, a trip to Hattiesburg that included stops by all of my favorite places (the antique malls, the Yokel, Hudson's, Jutama's for dinner, Candace's place), Sunday lunch/cooking with Tom, and, on the way back to Starkville, a stop by the Highway 45 Flea Market. Made for a fabulous weekend, all-in-all.

And today -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. No school. Time for sleeping in, cleaning house, grocery shopping, studying, cooking delicious food... Tomorrow it's back to the grind, and the real fun begins: first exam of the semester on Friday! Yay for the MSU CVM class of 2015!