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Okay, I learned today that you CANNOT put wax paper in the oven at 400 degrees. After the fact. I really should have read the yahoo answers first.

I noticed the smoke coming up through the vents of my stove-top. Somehow it didn't register, though, because I opened up the oven, everything looked fine but there was some steam coming out and I thought maybe the cookies were steaming. Snickerdoodles, though? I mean, seriously! Maybe it was lack of sleep.

So I closed up the oven door and waited the two minutes more until my oven timer went off. Then, and only then, did I take the tray, carefully lined with wax paper and 16 snickerdoodle cookies golden-browned in neat rows, out of the oven. It was about five minutes later that I looked up and realized I was seeing my room through a haze. It's twenty-five minutes later and I've opened up a window, hoping to get the smoke out that way, but I'm realizing it probably won't work that well.

My guardian angel must have been working overtime to keep a fire from happening in my kitchen! I don't have a fire extinguisher (note to self, put it on the shopping list) and my place is such a mess right now, I don't think I would have been able to think clearly about what I wanted to save. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that.

The exercise is getting easier. I do 2 miles every day, still aiming for five times a week but content with a minimum of three. I think I"m addicted to exercise now :) I'm using muscles I didn't even know belonged in my arms and legs. Most days when I walk a quick shuffle-step over to the admin building, I relish the brief stretch and I can't wait till the evening when I can come home and exercise. It's true what all the books and shows say—find something you love to do. I don't miss walking the Loop. But if I go too long without my aerobic exercise time, I start to miss it. Too long is about three days.

The exciting news is that I've lost 3 pounds in 4 weeks! Being the overachiever, I was kinda bummed that I didn't lose 8 pounds (2 pounds a week) but then I decided to be happy that I had lost, instead of put weight on. I've decided to take this journey very slowly. I want it to be a life-long journey where I'm eating healthy for my body, exercising for my body, and prioritizing the positive parts of life for me. Even a 1/2 pound weight loss a week will be okay. At that rate, it will take me over a year to lose the weight I plan on losing, but that's okay too. If I can do it and not have to live on a starvation-diet that is unrealistic to maintain long-term, it's worth it.

So I'm excited! Now I'm going to type up the recipe for the cookies that laughed at me while smoke filled my room: Vegan Snickerdoodles.