Last day without daylight savings time!

And it's been nice! It was 80F here today, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky. When I left home this morning it was just cool enough for a sweatshirt (with flip-flops of course, it was going to be 80 already!) When I got out of my exam at 11:15, it was blazing! Wonderful :)

I went for a good run today. Slow, but good, about four miles. Some observations:

• Dogwoods are in bloom. They smell delicious! And it's better they bloom now so I can run through them instead of when the bees are out next month!
• Daffodils are blooming again too. I was really worried that the snow on Sunday/Monday would kill them for good, but I think they were just pretending to be wilted and dead :) Tricky buggers!
• I wore a tank top on my run today, and I have a tan line to show for it.

I also took a few minutes to make up our once-a-month-cooking menu for the next 6 weeks (8 possibly, this is a lot of food!). Here it is. Some are sides only (potatoes, etc), but see what you think!

• Oriental Mini Meatloaves with Honey Garlic Sauce
• Pizza Bagel Bites
• Chicken Thighs with Lime and Honey
• Make-Ahead Chimichangas
• Spiced Citrus Chicken
• Veggie-Stuffed Pasta Shells
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Twice-Baked Potatoes
• Two-Cheese Pasta and Broccoli Casserole
• Pineapple Chicken
• BBQ Chicken Calzones
• Sweet Salsa Chicken
• Chicken and Broccoli Pasta with Pesto

All good, I think. I'm sure Eric would prefer more red meat and less chicken, but he can make his opinion known when he moves here for good! :) (I actually told him the menu and he likes it...but I know how much he likes steak and other beef products).

So tonight after I have a shower and a snack, I'll head out and shop for the day of cooking, and when I get home from that I'll get everything ready to cook. I also need to bake a loaf or two of bread tonight--I'm going to try this recipe for Honey of an Oatmeal Bread along with this recipe for homemade Pita Bread. Hmm. Maybe I should find a recipe for homemade hummus if I'm making pitas...

Anyway, tomorrow I don't know for sure what's going on. I'm contemplating going to the beach, so as not to waste another 80 degree day. Although, I could use another run, probably a long one this time, and if I stayed here, I could start on the cooking, order some photos, and unpack more. I don't know. But whatever I do, it will be fun, since my stressful weeks are over!

I scheduled a haircut for Thursday. I'm going to the Aveda Institute--where haircuts are only $19! Although...last time I went to Aveda (in Atlanta), I cried in the parking lot b/c I hated my color. Eric was able to convince me it wasn't that bad, but since he's not here this time around, I'm only going for a cut. Color is a little too daring for me this week! The school is in Chapel Hill, so it will be nice to see Franklin Street without the snow, like was there earlier this week when we were there! I also scheduled a blood donation for March 20, and signed up for Scrap Mania for that day also. I can't wait!

Speaking of scheduling, Eric will be so proud. I have stopped using my paper planner! All the appointments that got scheduled today were electronic, using ical. I'm a little nervous about it, but figure once I sync my itouch (as soon as I find the cord, rolling eyes!), then I'll have my up-to-date schedule at my fingertips! I wonder if I could set it to sync wirelessly...that would be useful!

Off to get stuff done now! Class starts again on Monday night (Capital Transactions), so I need to make the best of my weekend!