Starting to blog

Well it is 2008, and I just changed my name, so it seems that now would be a good time to start a blog. I'm way behind my cousin Nancy, who's blogged for a few years, and my friend Sarah (the best MOH ever!), who has a website with general info and home improvements.

I'm sitting in our cozy one bedroom apartment and taking a break from writing my dissertation by starting a blog, why not?!

I feel a bit narcissistic, but here goes...

I just got married in March this year in my hometown in sunny south Florida. It was wonderful, of course. ;-) And I'm now officially Lauren Crigler. This blog will eventually replace our wedding website because it has a better format, it's free and it's from Google (which Britton loves).

Britton (my husband!) and I are committed to living in Columbia, South Carolina until May of 2009 when Britton graduates from medical school. Then, who knows where life will take us. We are ready for an adventure!

In the meantime, I'm working on finishing my DPT degree: I have one more class, one more clinical experience, and, oh yeah, a dissertation to finish! I'm enjoying working in a lab at our school that runs treatment experiments of patients with spinal cord injuries and strokes. I am interested, inspired, and amused on a daily basis in the lab.

I'm also currently excited about container gardening! I'm growing basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, oregano, mint, red peppers, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, and edible flowers. After a couple of weeks of marriage, I mentioned to my new husband that I would like to grow some fruit too, maybe get some trees. I think he was alarmed because we live in an apartment and we would have to keep the trees in big pots and then move them when we move next spring. He said, "I think you should pick just ONE tree." So I researched my options and found a 3' pear tree that self pollinates, perfect. Then I ordered a little cranberry, blackberry, and blueberry bush because he didn't say anything about BUSHES! (As you can imagine, this is our new little family joke!) This is a relatively inexpensive hobby, especially considering I no longer need to purchase herbs at the store for cooking. I may have gone a little overboard, but being a gardening enthusiast never hurt anyone. My friend, Alicia, has a similar addiction though her garden does not have quite as many pots; she helps me to feel normal. ;-)

We also joined a community supported agriculture group. Shareholders buy in before the seasons starts to help the farmers buy supplies and then each Wednesday in the spring, summer, and fall fresh produce is delivered right down the street! I'm really enjoying it because it helps us to be greener, it supports local business, and it forces us to eat a lot of vegetables so we are feeling healthier than ever! The produce delivered each week is whatever the farmer and his family decide to harvest that week. Several types of vegetables are delivered, but there are no options for the consumer. You get what you get, though you have a general idea of what will be planted for the season before you buy in. Right now we've been eating tons of salads, spinach, snap peas, beet greens, and scallions. Tonight, I'm going to conquer radishes!

Speaking of which, I have to start dinner!