Pumpkin Ice Cream

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:11-17 (NIV)

My husband is getting healthy. I won’t go into details about some health issues he has had this year because he threatened to take away from computer if I blogged about them. I will say it has been serious and scary and has really changed the way we look at our marriage. We try not to take each other for granted anymore. In an effort to combat some of his health issues, husband tried several kinds of treatments including acupuncture, but none gave him the relief he hoped for. The acupuncture was a temporary fix. It felt good for a few hours afterwards, but then, the pain came right back again. He said, he thought that he could lie in a dark room with soft music playing at home just as well without the needles. He had about given up on therapies until he decided to try exercise. He joined a gym and with the money we were using for doctor’s copays invested in a personal trainer. Now, he goes three times a week to meet “Armando” who has a black belt in karate and is kicking husband’s butt! While most of the work they do is stretching and flexibility, some nights husband barely crawls into the house he is so tired and sore. He says Armando fusses at him like a drill sergeant and keeps him moving the whole time. He balances on one leg, does sit ups on a pilates ball reaches for the sky and touches his toes all the while listening to Armando telling him to push harder. Armando can lift one leg over his head and twist himself into a pretzel. I don’t think husband will ever get that limber, but it could happen, I suppose. Armando also lectures him on his eating and encourages him to eat healthy and to cut back on carbs and sweets. As a result, husband not only feels better, he is losing weight. And he is proud of it. And even prouder that he now weighs less than I do. That is because I am a working fool this time of year with ten hour days and some Saturdays and because I have discovered pumpkin ice cream. Our neighborhood citrus stand added pumpkin ice cream to their usual staple of orange and vanilla cream. While it might not sound good, pumpkin ice cream is awesome. It is light and full of spices and I could eat an entire quart of it if I allowed myself to do so. Which I don’t. But, I think about it! Especially on days when I realize that we have 1795 students registered for History Fair. That’s 300 more than we ever have and there will not be enough room to display all their entries or judges to judge them. Pass the ice cream! When all this is over, I promise to give up pumpkin ice cream and start exercising. I want to be healthy too, but I refuse to go see Armando.