Lucky Seven

I am making good on yesterday's promise, and I am sneaking in a post before the day is done. Today has been a day full of baking, running errands, and doing a little bit of review for my certification exam. And when I say a little bit, I mean a very little bit. I'm just having a hard time motivating myself to study when I'm on Christmas break. Oops! Maybe the motivation will hit come January 1st.

It took me a while to get motivated enough to squeeze in a workout, as today was a very bitter day. The sun never came out, and the temperature never rose above 46 degrees. Around 4:00pm I bundled up and ran my favorite neighborhood route. After 5.5 miles, my hands were very chilly, but it was some nice running weather.

Tomorrow you can expect a very cliche look back at the year / New Years Resolutions-type post, so tonight I will focus on some supposed "lucky" food that is supposed to bring about prosperity and good health in the new year.

Greens

Greens are eaten on New Year's Eve because they resemble money. I'll get my greens in early on in the day with my favorite egg whites and spinach breakfast.

Beans

Beans resemble coins, and they are said to bring prosperity in the New Year. In the South, black-eyed peas are said to show humility, and as I made sure to pick up some black-eyed peas at the store the other day, you better believe I'll be cooking some up for my family before we all go our separate directions to ring in the new year.

Fish

Fish scales resemble money, but they also swim in schools, which promote the idea of abundance. While some might choose to see this as an abundance of money, I'll view it as an abundance of love, good conversations, friendship, and other things that money can't buy.

Pork

I learned something new today - pigs never move backward, so pork is thought to symbolize progress. This is a big one for me, because with this new year comes quite a bit of change, and I hope to progress in many, many ways.

Circular Foods

Because they symbolize "coming full circle," foods in the shape of a ring are thought to bring good luck. I'm going to put my English degree to good use and do a little interpretation on this one. I've experienced a lot of the "grass is always greener" phenomenon, especially with this being my final semester of college. The truth is, the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and you might have to dig a little bit deeper to find the good in the things that you have, but once you find that good, it's sure to be very rewarding.

Go ahead - eat that cookie! You'll run it off tomorrow.

Long Noodles

Popular in China, Japan, and other Asian countries, these long noodles signify longevity. Apparently, the longer the noodle, the longer your life, but take care not to break it before you get all of it in your mouth. If you eat noodles, it's sure to be a meal filled with lots of slurping!

Does spaghetti squash count as noodles?

Pomegranate

This one has a lot of good luck attached to it (which might go along with the fact that they take a very long time to eat), but their red color symbolizes life and fertility; their medicinal properties represent health; and their abundant, round seeds represent prosperity.

Does pomegranate frozen yogurt count?

Do you have any "lucky" food traditions that you plan to enact tomorrow? If so, please share them with me!

And with that, I'm off to continue cheering on my Longhorns in their final game of the 2013 season. Not only that, but tonight's game is the end of the incredible Mack Brown era. It would be hard to find a guy classier than Mack, so today, win or lose, we celebrate him. Thanks for a great 16 years, and for everything that you did for the university. The eyes of Texas will ALWAYS be upon you, Mack.

“Don’t let this be the greatest thing that ever happened to you.” (Source)