20 Something Bloggers Blog Swap Featured Swap Partner!

{Good Morning Lovely Readers of Mine! Today I am doing a Blog Swap as apart of the 20 Something Bloggers 9th blog swap! So below you get to meet an amazing new blogger! I am so excited about her post! I truly hope you will comment here on this post and go to her blog and leave her some love!!}

Hi! I’m Tina and I now live in Fort Worth, Texas. I’ve been asked to write about my summer and…

Oh my word this summer has been cray, cray!

I used to live in Lubbock, Texas. At the beginning of the summer, I was taking a ridiculous amount of graduate summer courses at Texas Tech and working at an awesome garden center called Little Red Riding Hood Nursery. I wanted to finish up my coursework for my master’s degree so that my fiancé and I could finally leave town. We’d only lived in Lubbock for college (and in Matt’s case, a post-college job too).

Looking back we knew that five years (seven for Matt) was much too long to hang around that dusty, flat place filled with far too many people that made our blood pressure go up.

So, we moved to the city.

For Matt, it’s been like coming home. He grew up (at least his formative years) in Arlington, Texas, which is nearby. I grew up in a small town in Texas. The change from that to Lubbock was big; this is bigger.

What I miss the most about Lubbock are my friends and my garden. I was fortunate that I got a spot in the community garden right away. As for friends, I’m sure I’ve pestered mine to death with messages. And I’m also sure that I’ll make some new friends to hang out with here soon, too.

Sometimes I still can’t believe how much has changed over the summer.

I now live in a neighborhood with bike lanes (at least in many areas) as well as weekly bike rides. I went on one Sunday afternoon with the Night Riders. It was their slowest weekly ride, which was perfect for me. Also, a bit of beverage consumption was included. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

A little bike riding, a little beer.

This summer has also been good for my culinary skills. I’ve had a bunch of time on my hands since I’m a teacher and school doesn’t start until August 22nd, and my last summer class was over at the beginning of this month. (Read: Lots of down time to get bored and make a nice dinner.)

Plus, the fiancé and I have decided to become halfhearted vegetarians. We only eat meat (in moderation, of course) on weekends and special occasions that result in going out to eat during the week.

Thus far, I feel like it’s been a success.

I’ve discovered new things to do with okra and how to make a mean meat-free kebob. My body also feels a lot better without as much meat fat and protein clogging up my system.

All in all, this summer has been fabulous. I’m feeling better in both body and mind. My spirit is also doing pretty well. I’m thinking about taking up daily meditation again as a way to relax and open the day with a peaceful mind.

The rest of my 20s --- I turn 24 in January --- is shaping up quite nicely. The future expands in front of me with lots of promise when I think about it. And next summer, if all goes well, will be even better.