Full Circle

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Michelle

I don’t know why it is, but I think I’d rather deal with the wind than the frigid temps!

This morning it was 0*, and I froze!! My legs were numb, bright red, and painful to the touch when I got back this from my run this morning.

Now I don’t know for sure what the temperature was Wednesday and Thursday morning, but I believe it was somewhere around -10 to -20 degrees with the windchill. What I do know is that my legs did not get as red or hurt as much those two days as they did this morning.

Today’s Run:

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 46 minutes

Note: I ran right past a moose eating breakfast this morning because my glasses were frosted over. Oops!

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I received my first box of organic produce from Full Circle this week!

Full Circle delivers organic produce (and other basic grocery items) to your home or a designated pick-up site each week.

Sarah at Full Circle contacted me about trying their services for a few weeks. I was more than happy to give it a try because I’ve been wanting to try something like this for a while, but the price and hassle has always stopped me.

This week my box contained:

3 sweet dumpling squash (There was only supposed to be 2.)
kale
4 roma tomatoes
1/2 pound carrots
2 pink lady apples
2 pomegranates (There was supposed to be 2 fuyu persimmons instead.)
1 ruby grapefruit
1 avocado
2 d’anjou pears

So far I have tried the carrots, apples, kale, and pears, and all have been incredibly delicious!

I still can’t get over how the apple had a genuine straight-off-the-tree taste; it was amazing! I guess I’ve just gotten used to sub-par produce in Alaska.

I usually don’t make a big issue out of the little things in life (or at least try not to), but I was a little disappointed when I discovered mold on two of the sweet dumpling squash.

I also found some mold on one of the roma tomatoes.

I rarely (probably more like never) contact a company and voice my complaints, but I wanted to let Full Circle know what happened because I knew I would be blogging about it.

I wrote a very nice e-mail to their customer service letting them know about my order.

I told them I didn’t need the produce replaced because I would be able to use most of it anyway. I honestly wasn’t expecting them to do anything, but they graciously credited my account with the cost of the squash and tomatoes.

In addition, to the produce, you can add things from their “grocery store.”

I purchased this peach preserves with vanilla and bourbon and raw raspberry honey.

I also bought a package of emmer and flaxseed crackers and a whole grain loaf of bread.

The crackers are decent. They are crunchy and flavorful but nothing I was really excited about.

The loaf of bread is huge, but then again I “paid” (with a credit the company gave me) $10+ for it. I like the bread, but once again I wasn’t blown away by its flavor or texture.

So far I have been very happy with the customer service and products I have received from Full Circle.

I would highly recommend their services. There are several different options for the amount of produce you receive each week. Plus, there are a lot of different pick-up locations (at least in Anchorage), so picking up the box was NOT a hassle for me.

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Question

Have you ever participated in anything like this?

Thankful Things Thursday, No. 2

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Michelle

I’m thankful the roads have been plowed.

Even though it has been bitter cold and windy here this week, I at least feel like I am running a little faster because I am not dealing with several inches of snow or slipping and sliding on the slick surface.

I covered 5 miles this morning in 45 minutes. Nothing stellar, but I’ve got to take what I can get these days.

I’m thankful for heat.

I am thankful for the heat in my car and heat immediately upon walking in a building. Now we just need to work on getting more heat in our apartment. Craig and I are always freezing! Our heater works, we just live in a poorly insulated building that never feels very warm.

And seriously! It was (nearly) 100 degrees colder here yesterday than it was where my sister lives in North Carolina! Not fair! (And I can hear my dad in the background, “Life’s not fair, Michelle.”)

I’m thankful for the flexibility I have in my job.

I like that I can change up my lesson plans to accommodate my interests and try to eliminate boredom for me. I get bored if I have to teach the same thing over and over again, so I try to change things up for my sanity.

I’m thankful for evenings that I don’t have anywhere else to be but home.

I am such a homebody. I rarely get tired of being at home and doing things around the house (even in the summer).

I’m thankful for coworkers that are flexible and helpful.

It is so nice knowing that my coworkers are willing to work with me and help me out even though they have more seniority than me.

I’m thankful for nice people and good customer service.

Sometimes I think I just expect businesses to say “no” or not be willing to work with me, so it always refreshing when people really do care about you!

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Question

What is one thing you are thankful for today?