Welcome to shop. eat. blog! About Erin =)

After months of following food blogs, I decided to start my own! I am completely new to this and technologically challenged. I'll start my story with the fact that I am a near 18 year old young woman who has been through her share of difficulties in the past year. Last April I was admitted inpatient at a hospital in central New Jersey. Being torn from my family and friends, my home and everything I loved was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. I was in complete denial of my eating disorder and remained that way until I fainted due to malnourishment as my parents and I waited for my papers to be processed. It was during that month of my life that I completely and utterly realized I DID NOT and WOULD NOT let ED control me and affect the people I loved with it.

I was discharged from the hospital in May, on my 17th birthday to be exact. I have maintained a healthy weight ever since and have had no inclinations of ever returning to my previous life. It is like a distant and far off world to me, that I hope to never come in contact with again. My doctors and nutritionist have told me multiple times that they've never seen anyone do a complete 180 the way that I have, but I guess I just know that this life is worth living and ED is not going to alienate me from my friends or family ever again.

This past October, my 21 year old brother passed away. I thought the hardest day of my life would be that one day in mid April when I was admitted to the hospital, never would I know that EXACTLY 6 months later, would be my older brother, my hero's funeral. Most people feared that I would take a wrong turn and not know how to react to his passing. Many believed that I would relapse because of the stress and anxiety, the sadness and depression of it all. Odd enough, it has made me stronger. The pain that my family has been through is immense, why on earth would I ever want to put them through more by succumbing to ED's desires? That is why I have remained strong, for my family, for my parents, for my other brother & sister, for myself, but mostly for my oldest brother. My brother who was taken from us so early in life. I want to be around for him, to tell my kids stories about my "great" big brother. I want to one day have a large family in hopes of fulfilling his dreams and desires. I want to live a life of happiness, though I can no longer share it with him, I know he is watching over me.

Next year, I'm off to college in North Carolina and cannot wait to start a new slate. It will be a time of growth, but a scary one at that! I hope that this blog of my daily endeavors will provide me with knowledge and advice from fellow bloggers everywhere.

Okay, now that I'm done with my goofy "about me" enjoy the blog! And comment please!

Me! December 31, 2008

Me (left) with my sister. In the midst of ED; April 2008

me and my best friend, PRE -ED (September 2007)