An Awesome Day.

So, to start off, I garnished a few followers on Twitter today. Not bad, for only having joined it the other night. Social networking FTW! And work went well, as per usual. The weather was nice, I got my workout routine in today (skipped yesterday because I was doing laundry), and I watched an episode of Deadwood (never watched it, but started it last night cuz all my shows are on hiatus right now, or coming to an end).

Then I saw I had a message in my in-box on Facebook. Hopped on over, and got a fabulous surprise. Apparently one of my articles over at Green Diva Mom had caught the eye of Cinzia, over at Stile Mediterraneo.

The article in question was Get To Know Olive Oil. Cinzia and her sister, Marika, run a website dedicated to the Mediterranean lifestyle. This includes everything to do with healthy eating, a Mediterranean diet, and olive oil. In fact, it was my article on olive oil that sparked her interest. Her sister is a cardiologist and she herself is a extra virgin olive oil professional. And while my article had a small error in it (I mistakenly called the cold-press method of extracting extra virgin olive oil a traditional method, but it's not...it's a modern method used to extract the purest version possible), she said she loved the article and its heart-healthy message. In addition, my recent article on The Mediterranean Diet also included many of the values she and her sister regularly promote through their website and daily life: healthy living through a traditional Mediterannean lifestyle and diet.

It was a special bonus for me to have my article get looked at by professionals in the field, and to be applauded for my choice in bringing health-related issues to the public eye. Since moving to Bulgaria I have begun a far healthier way of life than my time in the States. I lost 30 lbs when we initially came here, all from eating healthy and including extra virgin olive oil and Mediterranean diet habits into my routine. I'm still not as perfect as I'd like to be (McDonalds is a curse that I enjoy once or twice a month, damn those burgers and fries!), I've taken an avid interest in the Mediterranean diet specifically because of the health related side effects.

But I digress. It's extremely satisfying when you know that your work has reached out and touched someone in such a way. I'd like to give a shout out to Cinzia, and encourage you readers to check out her and her sister's website and maybe even schedule a trip to their Bed and Breakfast experience, where you can take a culinary course and enjoy a cultural week on the southern edge of Italy that will take your breath away.