The Year of the Vegetable

January. A month of grey skies, credit card bills, finding holiday M&M's and scraps of wrapping paper under the couch, and the determination to make life different this year.

At the beginning of 2006, I made two New Year's Resolutions:

1. Pray with people.

When I told someone "I'll pray for you," I would actually take a few moments to pray with them right then. This proved to be a great challenge and a blessing to both me and my surprised friends and co-workers.

2. Eat more vegetables.

This was sort of a cop-out resolution, cleverly and intentionally avoiding the unlikely resolutions of eating less dessert or exercising more. My path to a healthy lifestyle in '06 would be lined with broccoli stalks and carrot sticks.

I actually did pretty well. Every day in my lunch, I took some kind of veggie to munch on along with my sandwich and cookies, and I purposely spent more time shopping in the produce section. Steamed broccoli with cheese, spinach salads (with smoked salmon filets!), and frozen stir-fry snow peas, red peppers and bamboo shoots became common dinner essentials.

I could list so many ways in which the Lord prepared my heart to introduce Josh into my life during 2006, "The Year of the Vegetable" ...my parents' and grandparents' beautiful examples of marriage ...learning to share the bathroom mirror with phenomenal roommates (here's looking at you, Christa, Anna, Lindsey, April and Kate) ...a variety of friendships and church fellowships to both support me and remind me that there are always more people out there who want to be my friend ...a good painting buddy who was so delighted to be married to a strong-willed woman, and who gave me hope that someone would want to put up with me someday...

But also seriously essential has been my change in heart towards vegetables.

My husband loves vegetables. (I can hear my mother trying to hold back a gleeful smirk.)

Every time I go grocery shopping or plan meals, I have to remember this. I would be happy to live on bread and potatoes, but Josh needs green things. And things that are orange/yellow /leafy/ carmelized/steamed /garlicky/balsalmicky /cilantro-esque.

Over the past few days, we've eaten potato/carrot/spinach soup, bowtie pasta with red peppers/onions/mushrooms/spinach, spinach/broccoli/carrot/olive/mushroom/tomato/raisin salad, cous-cous with yellow squash/mushrooms/onions/tomato/garbanzo beans, and split pea/lentil/carrot/celery soup. We even chop up more vegetables to put on top of a frozen pizza! Onions for the universe!

We should be poster children for the produce section at our ghetto Price Chopper!

Josh is so good for me. And so are all those vegetables, I guess. And now that I think about it, so is the gym we joined. And don't forget the fact that Josh is allergic to chocolate and likes the taste of "lite" ice cream better.

Sheesh.

We're going back to our pre-marital counselor for a two-month check-up. I can only pray that all aspects of our relationship will prove to be as healthy as the food in our fridge!

I need to be careful what I make as my New Year's Resolutions for 2007...they might actually change my life!