Phone Randomness

The depths of my phone is a scary place. Most likely this is a similar situation to the depths of my brain.

You never know what you’re going to get.

And because things have been, like OMG SUPER CRAZY, and I can’t seem to put a string of thoughts together, here is a glimpse of random via my iPhone.

When it comes to first dates, I do everything I can to ensure it goes well. Enter my lucky socks:

And they worked!

No wonder I’ve had a string of bad dates. I’ve been wearing the wrong footwear. Who knew?

I also have a few other steps in my predate routine:

Just to make sure my nerves don’t get the best of me. It might not be the most mature solution. But it’s very much the tastiest.

And yes, that is a Tiger Beat with One Direction on the front. Long story. Not now.

Yesterday was a more stressful than usual day at work. Couple that with the fact that I was tired from the night before? Not an ideal situation.

But I have super sweet coworkers. And one practically dragged me out of the office by my hair to treat me to a little caffeine therapy:

Mocha lattes for everyone! She had a coupon. We had both skipped lunch. The 15 minute breather was the best thing we could have done.

After said busy day, grocery shopping still had to happen. Which was frustrating, because I was feeling super lazy.

My compromise was picking up ready-to-eat din din thanks to Trader Joe’s:

I really need to acquire some chopsticks. Like yesterday.

And unless you really want a picture of the burnt piece of toast I just ate, that’s really all to discuss here this morning. Sorry my mind is mush. It’s not my fault. Mostly.

Laters.

One Of Those Days

We’ve all had “one of those days”.

You know what I’m talking about. A day where, at some point, you just step back and go “wow… what is going on right now?”

I experienced that yesterday morning.As part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker’s program, I received two bags of Godiva coffee to try out. Godiva makes coffee? I honestly had no idea. SO YES PLEASE!

The day started out pretty much like any other.

My alarm went off. I woke up and my hand slowly felt it’s way to the alarm clock to shut it off.

Get up. Go downstairs to take a shower. Think to myself how exhausted I still am considering the majority of what I did the day before involved my couch and a dvd player. Figured that’s just life and kept going.

Dry hair. Start on makeup. Go to kitchen to make breakfast.

It’s like clockwork, really. The Godiva Pumpkin Spice smelled amazing and had a great taste for sipping slowly. But my heart belonged to the Caramel Pecan Bark. It smelled just heavenly, was smooth (not bitter in the slightest), and my mind ran wild with ideas of how to take it to the next level…

Make coffee. Take coffee to living room while eggs are finishing up. Turn on tv to catch some of the morning news.

Go back to kitchen. Listen to tv. Find it weird that the news is not on. Walk back to living room to see for myself.

Infomercials.

What? Look at clock…

12:35. Crap. I need new batteries for my clock.

Walk into kitchen. Look at microwave. Clock is still not set from when the roommate blew a fuse and accidentally reset everything when trying to fix it. Look at stovetop. 12:35.I added to the mix two more things that are near and dear to my heart. Whipped cream because I’m a sugar addict. And the new Trader Joe’s dessert grinder. Again, because I’m a sugar addict.

Wheels start turning. But I’m still pre-coffee and cannot believe that it could actually be 12:35 in the morning. So I look at my cellphone as to confirm what was already clearly going on. 12:35.

Pieces are coming together. When the roommate tripped everything a few days before, I reset the clock in my room.

But I didn’t reset my actual alarm.

So, when in autopilot for bed time, I just turned on my alarm and rolled over. This means I set my alarm and actually got up at midnight. Literally 2 hours after going to bed. And did not encounter another clock for another 30-some minutes.

Seriously. How is it possible that I actually did this?

Thank God I didn’t actually start drinking the coffee.

Clearly I took my tired lil’ butt back to bed. Slept for another 5ish hours. And woke up once again to continue my morning routine- reheating the breakfast made only hours earlier.Coffee shops ain’t got nothing on me. By mixing the hot cocoa mix into the coffee before brewing, I added a chocolate vibe to the mix. By topping with the whipped cream and the sweets, I created a dessert coffee that is minimal on the calories compared to what you’ll find in your standard coffee chains (see “light” whipped cream- he he he).

Even after waking up the second time, it was hard to wrap my head around the idea that I actually went 35 minutes without a clue of the mistake.

Exhaustion. It does funny things to a person.

I will plead temporary insanity. But cannot confirm that it will never happen again.

Sigh… This drink was made and enjoyed after my victorious 8-mile run over the weekend. I suggest you do something similar for a little celebration in your life. Whether it be a fantastic run, hosting weekend visitors, or even celebrating a solid shopping trip. #Priorities.

And The Thunder Rolls…

Mark my words- this is the ONLY time you will ever hear me reference a country song.

It just seemed appropriate.

My drive yesterday was… interesting. The office closed at noon yesterday and there might as well have been a gunfire start as I rushed to get out of the city and on the road. Directly into a downpour. For about 2 hours.

It amazes me how many people don’t feel it’s necessary to put on their lights in a storm. Not so much out of concern for their safety- but do they not realize how much of MY time is going to be wasted if cars begin to collide? Geez.

Clearly it’s all about me.

Anyway, after I was out of the crazy, there was still constant rain. So I won’t complain about the flat boring drive of cornfield after cornfield- mostly because I couldn’t see them.

Thank goodness it never fails- I always hear and rock out to Chumbawumba while driving through central Illinois. Talk about a perfect theme for the drive. I get knocked down… but I get up again…

Once hitting St. Louis, the calls about the tornado warnings started coming in. I was driving straight towards them. And baseball-sized hail that was accompanying them.

Fabulous.

Because I already had decided to stray a little from my regular route to swing through my old college town, I missed the tornadoes sweeping through. Completely. 

Had I not decided to go that way, I would have been in the middle of all the storms that hit St. Louis. Lucky was DEFINITELY the word of the day. Especially since I had to pee like crazy in St. Louis but was able to hold it while speeding buckling down and getting through in a reasonable amount of time.

That couldn’t have been good for the kidneys.

Again, I have no idea how this luck happened- because this is the ONE time my friend was able to meet up out of all the times in the last year we tried to sync up my travel plans with hers. Oh Mizzou! How I’ve missed you!

I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit more often. It’s not you- it’s me. I’ve been busy. But promise to try and come back really soon.

With two practically sleepless nights and a day of work and driving, you bet your ass I slept well last night. And then sat all morning and watched my mom bake sticky buns. After multiple trips out, I remembered this time to bring my own coffee. My dad only drinks decaf. And we won’t even get into how pointless I think decaf coffee is.

My parents are retired teachers. There are a lot of things with apples on them in their house. Typical.

Everyone in the house has been slow moving so far this morning. The rain is still coming down. The laziness continues.

I brought my trilogy of Jillian Michaels dvds. One of them will be broken out this afternoon. Because clearly I’m not venturing outside in all the rain. For reals.

Enjoy  your Saturday, kids! And for those of you traveling- be safe and have fun with the fam!

Running Around Madison

As we were sitting in a little coffee shop yesterday morning, I was discussing the winter doldrums with two really awesome chicks.

Sure, there’s been a massive blizzard. Some chilly days where the snot instantly freezes inside your nose when you walk outdoors.  The endless bundling and unbundling of multiple layers. Cursing under your breath as you shudder and wait for the car to warm up.

Over the last few years, I’ve found myself disappear from the social scene in January. Only to reappear at some point in February.

Not this year. I’ve been all over the place. And this last weekend was no different.Megan and I visited Holly in Madison. Clearly, us three girls took over the city (and Lake Mendota in this case) for 24 hours. And clearly these pictures are not all from my camera- Holly takes wonderful shots and was kind enough to share them with the rest of us.  So if you think “wow, this picture is really nice”, it’s probably Holly’s.

Yes, we are standing on top of the lake. Yes, this freaked me out. Yes, Holly made us do it.

But yes, I’m sort of glad we did it. Because it was awesome. I wasn’t kidding when I said we were all over the place.  I can’t believe people were just hanging out… fishing… enjoying the weather… what?

We also did quite a few other noteworthy things. Holly was a fantastic tour guide and made sure we got a feel of the entire town.Megan and I were even able to throw in our opinion on some serious legislation…We were obviously skeptical, but willing to listen to both sides. As any good politician would do.

After the capital, we walked around part of campus and Holly took us to the student union to show us how cool the people of the University of Wisconsin are.  I mean… really… drinking on campus?PBR. Because cheap beer is what you drink in college. (although I was more of a Keystone gal)

The student union is also where we accidentally found the theme of the weekend. It was the perfect toast for each round of drinks we would share from then on…Balls 4 Life. Holla’.

I’m going to open up the comment boards here to the best graffiti you’ve ever seen in a public place?

It’s probably important to mention I support observation and finding amusement in it. Please do not deface a restroom stall because I told you to. Because I didn’t.

Moving on.

For me, the excitement really escalated at dinner. Wisconsin is known for its cheese. (Duh)

To Holly and Megan’s surprise, I had never tried cheese curds.And The Old Fashioned fries them.  Crazy, right? Holly even captured “my first time”.Words cannot express how happy I was. Mozzarella sticks have got NOTHING on these things. Sure, the word “curd” sounds gross and rhymes with things that make me giggle. But I don’t let such things bother me. We cleaned the basket of them in no time. Holly could not have picked better eats for us during our visit.

Here’s the funny thing about bloggers.  We sort of “know” each other.  And sort of “know” the same people. And read a lot of the same things.  So we have a lot to talk about. Imagine 24 hours of straight conversation.

Well… not quite 24 hours. We had to sleep for 7-8 of those hours. Which reminds me, thank you SO MUCH Holly for letting Megan and I crash on the futon.  Yes, we both fit on it quite comfortably. I’m pretty sure there was no spooning.

The next day, Holly took us to one of her favorite coffee shops.I never thought I’d go “aawwww” when seeing a building for the first time. But come on, isn’t that just freaking adorable? And yes, it’s snowing… again… how many days until Spring???

Luckily, I didn’t spazz about the weather because I had coffee and carbs to keep me sedated.Holly was right- the peanut butter and chocolate chip scone did not disappoint.

Now I just want to make scones… like everyday.

We got home with enough down time before the Superbowl.

I watched it with my neighbor Bailey. Who happens to be a Green Bay fan. I sat quietly with my bottle of beer as she jumped and cheered a little too often for my liking.

And was it just me- or were the commercials really not that great?  Seriously… I can only think of a few that caused a reaction from me at all….

Pizza and Pancakes- But Not All At Once

Aaaaahhhh… vacation.

Yes, I did get to leave a little early from work yesterday.  But no, it was not a good day.

Which would explain why I’m sitting on my couch right now, staring at empty wine bottles.

Don’t worry- my friend Mon came over to help with that.  I bribed her to come hang out.  With food.  Pizza, actually. I did the beer pizza dough again.Fun fact- I cannot, for the life of me, pronounce the name of this beer. So I just call it “Liney’s”. 

Toppings for the pizza was a matter of what I had on hand.This time, it was mushrooms, red onion, chicken sausage, spinach, cheddar, mozzarella and chili pepper flakes.  A mess of goodness.  Fo’ sho.

Good thing we carb loaded with the pizza.  Because otherwise, after watching The Kids Are All Right(Fantastic movie, by the way), we would have never had the energy to go out to a local bar to meet up with some of our guy friends.

Geared up in our hoodies and sweat pants.  Because we’re classy like that.

Thank goodness they love us.  And don’t judge.

I’m not a big believer in taking advil/tylenol.  I try to avoid it at all costs.  This started last year when I was recovering from the stress reaction in my femur.  I was VERY careful to not overdo it, and questioned every little ache or pain.  So I wouldn’t take any pain meds for it, because I didn’t want to make it feel better, think it could handle running on it, and actually make it worse.  Is that weird logic?  Maybe.

Point of the story- no advil to be found in the house this morning.  When I really really wanted it.

There’s some around here somewhere. Surely.  But it was giving me a bigger headache out of frustration, so I gave up and just started coffee instead. 

Surprisingly, I didn’t wake up starving (which is normal).  But knowing myself, it was only a matter of time.  So the breakfast process was put into motion anyway.In the mix was approximately 1 cup of pancake mix made as directed (I say approximately because I ran out), 1/3 cup of oatmeal, and a handful of walnuts.  Add some brown sugar because you’re feeling “kicky”. Pour into a ramekin. Then throw it in the oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes. Perfect- by the time the pancake came out of the oven, it was time to chow down.

Top with peanut butter and chocolate chips- because what else would you put on it?It’s like a walnut oatmeal cookie pancake?

Normally, I think this would serve two people just fine.

Normally.  Told you that “wake up starving” thing would hit eventually.

I should probably get off my bum now. There are errands to attend to and I don’t want to run into the “closing early for the holidays” issue.  So I’m up and at them… riiiiiigggghhhtttt….. now.

Or I’ll finish this cup of coffee first.  Either/or.

Bowling for Christmas

So you liked the peppermint bark, huh?

Me too.    Although I will say- I only had one piece of it before sending it all off and bringing some to work.  This week, my heart was mainly with the samoas…

Last night my work’s Holiday Party.

Come along for the ride…

We got out of work a little early to go get ready at Jaime’s house because she was sober driving (helloooooo baby bump) and I also wanted to say hello to two of my favorite ladies:I’ve most likely stated it before, but I’m not really a pet person right now.  I’m still learning how to keep plants alive, and don’t really have the time or money right now.  For the time being, I’ll settle for being a runner-up “mom” for Princess and Hazel.  If you remember, I took care of these two little things last April for two weeks and we had a blast.Hazel and I are best buds.  Jaime still gives me a hard time when Hazel flips out as soon as I walk into the door.

What can I say?  I’m like the crazy aunt who spoils the kids.

After getting ready (aka changing into jeans), we went to Lucky Strike downtown to celebrate with two of our other offices.  Food, more food, wine and beer, more food…

I don’t care what anyone says, fried mac and cheese takes any party to the next level.

Oh… and there was bowling.  Which means my right thumb nail was torn to shit right away.  I haven’t been bowling since last February, so my excuse is that I was VERY out of practice.Obviously, my form needs work. Or maybe I’m just setting people up for the next time when I kick ass at bowling?

I’m a hustler, baby…It was a lot of fun (HUGE sigh of relief since I’ve spent a lot of work hours planning). The night ended decently early (hi- it’s Thursday and I still have to be at work at 9:00 this morning), so I didn’t wake up too tired or hungover. 

Sometimes I’m a good girl like that. And I had plans to get up and do my last day of trying to fit in a workout before work to round off my “workout every morning this week”.

Um…

Well…

My bed was just so comfy.

Crap.

But 4 out of 5 isn’t bad.

Vince raised an eyebrow.You’re so judgemental, Vince!  Stop it! I’ll skip a workout when I want to.  Deal with it, buddy.

I’ll also have coffee instead of green tea if I want.  Usually I don’t drink coffee until I get to the office.  So there’s no one to blame but myself when I hit that “wired” feeling by about 11:00.

Do you have work-related holiday parties?  Our company parties used to be MUCH different (think black cocktail dress and 4-course dinners).  But the last few years (stupid economy) have been pretty rough.  We’re lucky to be having a party of any sort.  And that is fine- I think last year’s potluck and this year’s bowling outting make for a fun, laid-back atmosphere that allows for easier conversation.

Anyhoo… it’s FRIDAY! 

Time for my happy dance.  Oh crap… the caffeine overload is already kicking in…

A Rainbow in my Coffee!

I know what you guys are probably thinking.  “That Amy… she always hated Tuesdays.  Maybe this week it finally did her in.”

You’d be wrong.  Not this Tuesday. 

But there’s always next week, I guess.

Until then, I’ll just keep minding my own business with the norm.

You know, like working out.  Which I’ve done pretty well on considering all I want to do at 5:15 in the morning is stay put in my comfortable spot in bed.  It’s that time of the season where you jump into bed, freeze your butt off for 5-10 minutes under the covers, finally get warm, and DO NOT MOVE.  The thought of flinging the covers off to go do anything else is unheard of.  Stay put if you know what’s good for you.  Have a second thought about getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Because your warm spot isn’t going to be there when you get back.  Oh no it’s not.  You’ll be starting all over.

So wait… what?  Something shiny?

Oh yeah… the workouts.  They’ve been pretty routine.  I’ve been doing the shred in the mornings this week and then hitting up cardio after work.  Mostly because I don’t want to venture outside the apartment in the AM (see above explanation).  Also, it’s not as big of a deal to rush to the gym after work.  No one else wants to make the trip to the gym in cold weather, either.  So the machines have been pretty open.

I’m thinking it will stay that way until approximately January 2nd (I give people a day to sober up and then realize their drunken resolutions). 

Another norm I’ve been sticking to is attempting new dishes in the kitchen (is that a contradiction?).  Because I had such good luck on the stuffed acorn squash, I figured I’d try my hand at stuffed peppers.

Maybe I got a little overexcited.

Everything seemed like it would work.  I had an orange pepper and mixed up black beans and corn that had been seasoned with paprika and some red chili peppers.See?  Looks good so far, right?

Then I topped it with cornbread and cheese (seriously- still fantastic sounding, right?).It just isn’t my thing.  No idea why. I heart peppers.  Maybe just not that much.  I ended up actually saving half of one of the peppers to throw into a salad because I was that done with it.  Boo!

Oh well.

Another thing I’ve been up to the last couple of days is tracking down malted milk powder.  Yeah.  It’s a main ingredient used during my Thanksgiving baking extravaganza next week (get excited for that).  But it’s tough to find.  I’m not sure if I was just looking in the wrong place or the stores don’t carry it or what. Desperation started to set in.  I was one step away from calling Potbelly’s and begging them to let me buy some off of them.  They’re known for their malts- surely they have a little to spare?

But then my friend Mon said she’d “fire up the Google” and see what she could find.  Turns out I was completely missing they “hey duh” answer.  WalMart.  I grew up with the firm belief that they carry everything.  Why not malted milk?  So because Mon is a superstar and because there’s a store right next to her office, she swung by and picked some up for me. 

That’s not all she came back with.That’s weird Mon, I didn’t know there was an Anthropologie in WalMart.

Did I mention my friends are the coolest?

I love what’s in the bag.  And can’t wait to show you.  But I was a hot sweaty mess when I got home from the gym, so you’ll have to wait for me to break it out at a later time. 

Ahhh…. the suspense.

Let’s just say I owe her a few home cooked meals.  For reals.

Ok.  We’re on to hump day, ya’ll.  Grab your coffee.  Let’s do this thing.

Weeeee!

Old Favorites

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I’m probably running right now as this is posting (technology can be so clever…), but I thought you’d like to be caught up on my weekend up to this point…

Friday night started with a cross training session in the workout room with Mon.  It wasn’t any Friday night, though.  Being as how it is now July, it is the beginning of my month-long birthday extravaganza! 

Just kidding about dragging out my birthday for a month… sort of.  Mon got a little excited and wanted to give me my birthday present early (my birthday isn’t until the 25th).  Plus, she knew it would go really well with my chosen outfit of the night:How cute is my new purse?!?!  Mon’s always the victim of my fashionably late appearances, mostly because I lack on the accessories and usually can’t figure out which purse will come the closest to matching.  So she’s helping me out!  I adore it! 

She me the present at the gym.  We got a weird look as I shrieked with happiness.

Anyhoo, we made our way to Big Shot in downtown Arlington Heights with another girl who just moved into our complex.  We thought we’d take her out and show her around for the night.  The piano player didn’t appreciate our art work as much as we thought he would.

Do you guys do the piano bars?  Favorite requests?  I’m always a fan of the ones that will play the random songs that aren’t typical for that kind of place- in my college town, they’d break out Sublime and Green Day after a certain time.  And I loved it!

A few rounds later, we took her to Gatsby’s to end the night.  It’s a favorite dive of ours that pours the drinks way too strong and stays open way too late.  (Which is why it’s our favorite.)

I welcomed back my normal breakfast with open arms:Wonderful.  Oh oatmeal, I learned I can live without you.  But why would I want to?

Since I’m racing tomorrow, I switched out my long run for a solid walk and yoga.  And pool time. 

Because I can’t stop yammering about Russell Brand and how much I wanted to go see Get Him to the Greek, we finally went tonight!  Mon and I decided it would be a good way to have a chill night.  And decided to visit an old friend…Sweet Tomatoes!  I really do love this place.  My eyes light up as soon as I walk into the door because of that magical salad bar.  Ahhh…Oops- how did that picture get on here?!?!?!  How embarrassing… yet accurate.

And because I just had to go there:What’s the 4th of July weekend without frozen yogurt?  A sad one- and we don’t want that!

Because we had extra time after dinner and before the movie, we took a stroll through Whole Foods so I could grab some water to throw in my bag for the movie (yes, I’m one of those people).  As we strolled to let our dinners “digest”, we also sampled various items throughout the store.  So yeah… the “digesting” was pretty much pointless.  And we just added to the issue.  Oh Whole Foods- this is why I usually avoid you!

The movie was fantastic.  I loved it.  LOVED it.  As a disclaimer before you run out as quickly as you can to see it- I have a precondition of loving Russell Brand like no other.  I think he’s just hilarious.  Sure, a little dirty in more ways than one, but hilarious.  Loved the one-liners.  And I’ll probably be using them the rest of the weekend.  So please go see it so you can catch what I’m saying…  

So yes, I am enjoying the holiday weekend so far.  Let’s see if it changes by the time I cross the finish line of the Frontier Days 10k Stampede…

I’ll catch ya later… have a wonderful Sunday!

Stretch it out…

What up?

I’m just sitting here chillin’ with my friend Mr. Coffee…Well actually, it’s Mr. Hamilton Beach.  Mr. Coffee’s a little out of my league.  (aka was not on sale when I needed to acquire a coffee maker)  And since I’m more of a green tea person in the mornings, I don’t feel the need to get a better one. 

All together now…Looks like someone needs to clean their table…  And I swear that’s not an obnoxious amount of peanut butter… it’s less than a serving (I know because I still measure it)!  Looks big, though…

I knew it would be one of those days (ahem- coffee day) before I even went to bed.  Because I went to bed late.  After wine and a scary movie with my friend Mon.  I do have to say I don’t feel bad like I normally do. The secret?  Don’t drink as much wine…Imagine that.  We only broke into one bottle (but it is ALWAYS necessary to have a backup just in case).

Back to the movie- I thought it’d be scarier…  We watched Shutter Island last night and I do have to say my thoughts on how this movie was going to go were completely wrong!  I don’t want to ruin it for anyone, but I expected a kind of supernatural and sort of dark movie.  Not what I got.  But it kept us thinking with all the twists and turns.  I liked it.  Sure, I left Mon’s place pretty weirded out.  But it was good.  Much better than our last attempt at scary- which was Wolfman.  Gag me.  I still shudder to how awful that one was.

What’s your favorite scary movie?  I’m not much for blood and gore- I like the thrillers. 

Yesterday’s salad topic was a good one.  I was amused by all the people who love cucumbers on their salad.  Sadly, cucumbers and I don’t get along.  We never have.  As much as I love veggies, I cannot tell you how devastated I was one day after a rushed shopping trip that I accidently picked that up over a zucchini.  Seriously dudes- it’s the little things that’ll piss you off… (just like the little things that make you smile- am I right?)

Tonight I have a four-mile run ahead of me.  I’m not too concerned because at least the humidity levels have gone down.  So I won’t be panting and crawling for water by the end of it.  Hopefully.  It’s still a little early in the day to be making bold predictions. 

Let’s discuss stretching.  I suck at it.  Wait- no.  I don’t suck at it.  I just don’t like doing it.  So I’m wondering, what’s a good amount of time to spend on stretching after a run?  Any favorite stretches you have?  Ones that you think are most important?  I need some inspiration…  Here’s me pretending I like stretching:It’s all lies.

Have a good Thursday.  I’m gonna go get a refill…

Integrating Friends With Martinis

I’m blogging with my coffee within reach at all times.  I have a hair cut/color (ooohhhh- sounds intriguing!) in a couple hours and I am not feeling so sassy.  I see a nap in my near future.  And it’s a good thing my half-mary training says “yoga”.  I may have scheduled easy Sundays for this reason.  Way to think ahead, Amy…

Last night, my two dear friends Annie and Mon met for the first time.  I know- whaaaaat?  It seems I always end up hanging out with them seperately and Annie has never been around when I chill with the girl a few doors down in my apartment complex and vice versa.  So yeah.  We had a girls night with martinis at a little place called Red Moon in our little downtown area.  It was a fun little spot that’s a little hidden off the beaten path.  We felt like that made it exclusive.    But it also made us laugh because it is this swanky-looking bar… right next to Yankee Candle and The Loft.And that’s totally Gwen Stefani in the background on the tv.  You sing it, Gwen- we ain’t no holla’ back girls!

The martini list was extensive.  Whereas it should be.  It was a martini bar.  Round One:I went for the Lemon Drop.  Hello sugared rim.  It was amazing.  I love making vodka lemonade slushies in the summer.  But they don’t hold a candle next to this.  But then again, most things with $10 vodka wouldn’t… :S Cheers!

Being as how I’m really not a big fruit kind of person, the list of options is much smaller for me.  But that’s ok.  It makes choosing much easier.    I also went for the Vanilla Cake Martini.  I couldn’t drink it fast enough for my tummy to be happy.  Raced through it… which could have been the reason why I really didn’t need much to drink after that.  And also might have been the reason we wondered over to the tiny little dance floor and busted a move.  Annie of course is an awesome dancer because she’s been dancing all her life and even teaches it.  So imagine my mediocre skills next to her. Let me tell you- it’s awesome.

It wouldn’t have been a complete night if I hadn’t of swung by Gatsby’s to say hello to some of the boys.  It had been FOREVER since I’ve been there.  The owner said I’ve been gone too long.  Yeah, the owner knows me.  So you can understand why I feel like there’s been a huge void in my life… I went that often…

Great nights sometimes come with a price of not-so-great mornings.  It happens.  Like I said- the coffee came quickly and the cup has not strayed from my side since.  Yesterday morning, I was browsing through the blogs and was severely upset I had already eaten breakfast when I saw Lindsay’s post of a baked pancake muffin!  I was a little nervous I would end up wasting 30 minutes and ending up with a disaster, but look at this:A new excuse way to eat pancakes… just what I needed.    And here’s the money shot:Topped with almond butter, coconut, and some chocolate chips.  It’s the weekend.  I do what I want.  Ok fine- I do that during the week, too.  Let’s not kid ourselves. 

Moving on…

Last night, before I went out, Mon called and asked if I ever eat shrimp or pico de gallo.  Why yes… yes I do.  She had gone to a fresh market the night before and said she had shrimp overload and didn’t want it to go to waste.  I won’t lie- I don’t have shrimp at home very often.  Or when I’m out really.  But I like it.  And why not try something new?  So I sauteed it.  And then added some pico de gallo and sauteed that for a quick minute.  Because I sautee everything it seems.  Then I added some whole wheat pasta I cooked up.  Funny story- it was old.  Like really old.  Like past the expiration date old.  Did you know pasta has an expiration date?  It does.  We won’t discuss how long that means I’ve actually had it.  But it tasted fine… The pico de gallo gave it enough of a kick, I didn’t even need to add any kind of sauce- just a little shredded cheese on top.  Because that’s how I roll.

Enough food talk.  I need more coffee.

Have a fantastic Sunday- I’m off to get my hair ‘did by my friend’s sister.  Hair dye may or may not be involved.  Nothing drastic- because I’m just not one to experiment with my hair.  It may be the one thing in my life I’m seriously conservative about.  It’s easy to take care of.  It doesn’t take a lot to maintain it.  Don’t mess with a good thing, right?

Peace out…