It's Official!!

This week has been full of busy days and trying evenings. But thank goodness it's Friday! But as I look back over my planner from this past week, I realize it was a good week (even if it had a few rough spots).

Food Stamp Challenge:
It's over and I feel grateful that I only had to endure one week of food insecurity. Although my parents gave up half way through the week, I have kept true to the rules(for the most part). I spent the night at a friends' house Wednesday and she had decided that we would go out to dinner with a mutual friend. I had to explain what I was doing and that although I would go to dinner with them, I would not actually be eating because I had brought my own spaghetti. She didn't completely understand why I was putting myself through a week of being hungry, but she was compliant with my choice not to eat. My parents on the other hand just absolutely gave up. They both went out last night to dinner seperately: my mom with her co-workers and my dad by himself at a local diner. Therefore that left me to fend for myself: looks like spaghetti for yet another meal. If I don't eat spaghetti again for months I will be ok...I just don't think I can stomach one more helping of it! But the challenge is over and I can go back to snacking on cheese, chips & salsa, and fresh veggies out my garden! I've had a sweet potato calling my name since Tuesday!

Observed Trainings:
I had my final observed training on Wednesday (please see previous post). It went great and I am now an Official Community Trainer for Southeast Ohio! I have a certificate and everything! It's a great feeling knowing I accomplished my two trainings and can now go out to my region on my own and get things done! Watch out Marietta, my first official training on my own is happening in your town!

HealthPath:
Charles and I travelled to Southwest Ohio yesterday to start getting the ball rolling with the HealthPath events I will be responsible for in the upcoming months. I realized that SW Ohio looks a lot like SE Ohio, so I will feel right at home. The two groups we met with yesterday were great and already had an idea what they were responsible for and had already started working on their end: which is fantastic for me because that is one less thing I have to worry about! I also realized that SW Ohio has a lot of tobacco farms. Charles and I were just amazed that tobacco was grown in Ohio...I had seen it before but just thought it was closer to Portsmouth area! There were fields upon fields of it in all stages of harvest: fields still growing, fields half trimmed, and even a working field being harvested as we drove by. I also may or may not have taken us a round about way to the freeway, but that's what I get for thinking I knew where I was going and not following the directions from Google Maps. Oops...hey we made it back and I knew where we were the whole time, just slightly off!