Family & Friends Food Traditions

When I first read this assignment I couldn't think of any food traditions but then I thought of one, and then another, and then ideas started flowing like crazy. When I was a kid, my stepfather made waffles every single Saturday morning and we would eat them with strawberries and powdered sugar. Since I have grown up and moved out I definitely don't eat them that often but I still do make them and eat them the same way at least once a month. During the summer I always BBQ at least three to four times a week. Then there are always the Super Bowl parties with the veggie trays and 7-layer dip and fried chicken... and the list goes on. Also, every Sunday morning, after spending Saturday night out with friends, we all meet up for breakfast and bloody marys at a fun Ballard restaurant. I didn't really celebrate holidays when I was a kid but since I have grown up I have spent them with friends and now with my boyfriend and I am getting used to the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner and Christmas ham dinners. When my sister comes home from New York to visit or my best friend comes over from Port Orchard, we always go to Tampicos in Everett for margaritas and great Mexican food. I'm sure there are so many other traditions that I can't even think of right now. I'll submit this post and I'll remember about ten more. :)

Right now, I share a house with my mother and dinnertime is when we both talk about our days and what's going on in our lives and when my boyfriend is over he joins in the same conversation. We are all so busy but it's a guaranteed time that we can connect with one another.

I think that food is a big part of a lot of people's lives. It sets a mood and it also can bring people together. It can be a necessary evil and a guilty pleasure all at the same time.

Working out at the gym is a community...

Working out at the gym is a community. There are so many reasons why working out at the gym and the people that participate is a community. People, including myself, that go to the gym to work out do it for many different reasons, whether it is to socialize, relieve stress and tension, or to get healthy and fit. I go work out at the gym for the latter two of those reasons. All three of the reasons, and many others, are what keep people in the community.

It is funny, when I am at the gym, I rarely talk to anybody but I see the same people there everyday that I go. You smile and/or nod at these people and get a smile or some sort of acknowledgement back and know that you are accepted. Some people are there with friends, or "workout buddies" and others are there on their own. Most people listen to headphones and watch the big television screens up on the wall. Although everyone is somewhat on their own, they are accepted as part of the group at the same time.

Everyone that is at the gym is there to benefit themselves. They are there to improve their looks and their attitudes. These people may not be there to make new friends but they are being supported, sometimes without even knowing it. It's kind of funny but I see the same people everyday that I go and it's kind of fun to cheer them on and watch their progress or see how they are changing up their routines. You can learn a lot about people and from people without even talking.

I think the intimidation factor between men and women at the gym is the main tension that works against the cohesion of this community. The women feel a lot of apprehension to join in the weight room activities and exercises because of this intimidation, for example. That is the one thing about this community that I would love to see change.

I fit into this community in several different ways. I love going to the gym and working out so that I can feel better about myself and also get healthier. I love seeing what other people are doing and what type of results they are getting. I like being known as one of the regulars, its just a really good feeling.

In My Purse...

If I lost my purse and someone found it I don’t really know exactly what they would think of me. I have a Prada purse, I was told it was real but I got it for a steal so I’m sure it has to be fake. I’m not really one for labels but I do like nice things for cheap prices. In my purse, one would find the following items:

- Chapstick and lipgloss
- Gum and mints
- A couple sets of keys
- Random change floating around in the bottom of my purse
- Various scraps of paper such as shopping lists, receipts, movie and concert tickets
- Quite a few pens
- Some pills in a pill container, some for allergies, some for pain
- Hand sanitizer and lotion
- My trusty wallet

At this point in time my purse is pretty empty. I really don’t have too much in it, even though you might not agree after reading the list above. About a year ago I had a purse stolen and never recovered anything that was in it. Ever since then I try not to keep anything too valuable, monetarily or sentimentally. The following items are floating around in my wallet:

- Washington State Driver’s License
- Everett Community College Student ID card
- 2006 National Parks Pass (doesn’t expire until next August so I’m keeping it)
- Allstate auto insurance, Regence BlueShield health insurance cards
- Bally’s gym membership ID card (I do use it but not very often anymore)
- PugetPass bus pass (haven’t used it yet because I have no clue how to read the schedules)
- Debit card
- Sno-Isle Libraries card, GNC Gold card, Costco card, Blockbuster and Hollywood Video cards
- Several grocery store rewards and/or discount cards
- Several business cards for friends and family members
- Quite a few movie tickets and concert ticket stubs and receipts
- NO cash at all because I’m close to broke J
- No pictures either because I was really upset when my purse was stolen and the pictures were taken before

Overall, my purse is really boring. If I go away for long weekends or a fun night out it is kind of exciting to clean it out the next day and see what I picked up along the way. I don’t think anyone would really be able to tell too much about the person I am by the contents of my wallet, except possibly that I am huge music lover and I have no money. Since I have had the experience of having a purse stolen in the past, I try not to keep anything in it that would be hard to replace, which is why the contents aren’t exciting at all.

My Test Post

This is my test post... I hope it works!