This Week’s Foodie Firsts and Exciting Fresh Starts

This week has been a week of firsts and fresh starts. Since moving to North Carolina, I have struggled a bit with creating routine and finding a new norm. This week, though, was the first in a while where I felt content and excited for what’s to come.

Getting a Fresh Start with My Health

For so long, I have felt like I needed a fresh start with my health. I’m sure there are people that might say, “Well if you needed a fresh start, why didn’t you just make the change yourself?” Sometimes it’s not that simple. For example, this week I met with a hematologist for the first time. I’ve battled anemia off and on for over 20 years of my life now. While I’m not a super extreme case, it’s been bad enough lately that my energy is zero to none. I’m always cold. And even though I’ve been taking iron pills for years now, it’s not getting better.

Hopefully soon it will be getting better. I just got the phone call yesterday that I’ve been approved for iron infusions. I’ve never had them before, but I am so excited because I’ve heard that they can make all of the difference. I get to start in February, and I can’t wait.

I also started back to therapy this week. If I haven’t told you before, I am clinically diagnosed with anxiety and depression. It’s nothing new for me…. it’s something I’ve been navigating for over ten years now. I was seeing a therapist back in Maryland but had to stop right before we moved. Yesterday, I travelled into Charlotte to meet my new therapist. It is a great feeling to have hope and ambitions to clear your mind and heal your soul. I have good feelings about therapy and what it’s going to do for me this go around.

Fun Foodie Firsts

Anyone who has been following me for the last year knows that I like my food. And if you’re new to my page, well, I really like food! Before having kids, I managed a food and beverage department at a family resort in Maryland. I also worked for several fast-food chains, such as Sonic, Starbucks (in Barnes & Noble) and Chipotle. And while I don’t eat a lot of fast-food, I do get excited to try new things. How can I not? Food is just part of who I am.

When we found out that we were moving to the Charlotte area, I got excited because I knew that meant new food places to try. Back in Maryland we have things like Wawa and Royal Farms, both of which are unheard of here in the South. And while I miss my Wawa subs and mac and cheese, I am finding that there are places here that can (kind of) fill that foodie void.

First on that list of new places that I’m liking is Shake Shack. I just tried Shake Shack for the first time yesterday, and I’m impressed. The ‘Shroom Burger, their vegetarian burger, was unlike any that I’ve had before. The textures, the flavors and the cheese…oh, it was so good. I also tried QT this week. Coming from the land of Wawas and RoFos, gas stations like QT and Circle K are very unfamiliar to me. But I’m learning to like them. Imagine my surprise and excitement when I walked into QT earlier this week and saw a whole counter dedicated to coffee drinks. I was very excited! And while their menu is not as big as Wawa’s, they had some pretty good food offerings. Their BLT on a croissant was pretty darn yummy. I’m excited to try more.

Getting Out to Explore

As I talked about with my therapist yesterday, getting out to explore is going to be a very important part of my healing. Being in a new place with so many opportunities is overwhelming, exciting and great for me all at the same time. I am one who loves to be at home, while also being one that doesn’t like to sit still for too long. There are days I’m itching to get out of the house and find new places for both me and my family to enjoy. I can’t wait to share these places with you as I find them.

I hope y’all had a great week! Did you experience any new firsts or fresh starts over the course of this week? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers to fresh starts!

-Meg