It is officially May, which means it is officially BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!! And it has been great so far! One of the biggest parts of May is always new experiences. So, we’re starting the month off with something that, if I’m honest, I was trying to avoid. I broke down and bought an Instapot. Now, if you know me, you know that I love food and love to cook. But, as we’ve established, I do not like to spend money on something that I cannot 100% justify. And this was difficult to justify. I have two slow cookers and an air fryer. I have a toaster, and a wok. Also, our kitchen is VERY small, with very little storage space (specifically for tall items) and almost no counter space. However, Jerrad and I are going through the ‘Fix-It and Forget-It Mediterranean Diet Cookbook’ (Comerford, Hope. “Fix-It and Forget-It Mediterranean Diet Cookbook”. New York, NY, Good Books, 2021). All of the recipes call for a slow cooker, or an Instapot. I have made it work since January, but it is stressful! Every Saturday, I meal prep all of our meals for the week. It is great, and I love it, but when three of the recipes call for an Instapot, or slow cooker, and you only have two…the math doesn’t math. Even I can see that! And so, tonight I made the plunge. We found one for a price that I was willing to pay, and we’ll see if this adds, or subtracts, from my stress level.
I also started this whole survey adventure and, let me just tell you, I don’t think there is going to be much of a competition. Honestly, I doubt I will make it more than two weeks before I make a decision. But I won’t say for sure yet! Let’s give the one that is losing a chance to redeem themselves. Maybe I will be wrong…but I am my mother’s daughter, so I seriously doubt that is the case.
I bought a new book today as well. I won’t be starting it for a few days, so I will wait until I do to tell you what it is. But I will give you a hint…It is a series on Netflix, but it is NOT ‘Bridgeton’. Guess away!
Before I close, I do want to take a minute to recognize Natalie Baka and Mental Health Awareness Month. If you don’t know, Natalie was my friend, and she lost her mental health battle in May, 2017. She was 27-years-old. She was beautiful and an amazing dancer. She loved Jesus. I had the privilege of meeting her just after she became a Christian. We met through church, and became friends because she knew nothing about the Bible, and I was raised on it. She was an artist. She was creative. A few months before she died, Natalie bought a telescope because she wanted to learn about the stars. She had a huge heart for people. While attending church, she started a ministry called The One. The mission was to bring Jesus to women who worked in the strip clubs. She worked, and prayed, so hard over her ministry. I had the honor of serving with her, and it will always be one of the most amazing privileges God has granted me. Natalie lived her short life to the fullest, and she is my reminder to do the same. Birthday Month will always be dedicated to Natalie, and all others who have lost their battles. It will always be a reminder to live everyday as if it were the greatest adventure God could give a person. Because it is, and so is the one on the other side.
‘To live would be an awfully big adventure!’
(Spielberg, Steven. Hook. Amblin Entertainment, 1991)
The OK Adventures of Peppersloth and Annie 
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