Almost Made It…

Oh right… this is a pic of my new hair color, if you’re still interested…

My friend Laura came to visit this weekend.

On Saturday, while getting ready to go to a party, she made mention of how she enjoys Chicago visits because she knows it’ll be a relatively healthy weekend when she spends it with me.

I patted myself on the back for that one.

Veggies and humus were the snacks on hand.

After spending Friday night in, we got up early to workout.

Laura may or may not have wanted to work on building her mileage for a destination half marathon we hope to do together next summer.

I may or many not have just really wanted to look good in my skinny jeans that night.

To each their own.

We did everything else right, too.

Chicken and veggies for lunch.

A long walk along Michigan Avenue to take in the Christmas light festivities.

Choosing to eat in vs. deep-fried bar food.

Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated between drinks at the bar on Saturday night.

Club soda as a mixer instead of sugar-filled soda.

All smart choices.

We did so well.

I even skipped out on the late night 2am chow time. Which is a rare occurrence, if we’re being completely honest.

After Laura left, I continued the long walk trend in the nice weather for a couple of hours.

But then…

I guess it was food envy from when the rest of the crazy kids got mexican the night before.

That styrofoam carry out container was licked clean.

Skinny jeans be damned.

Shortage

I may have to blame Lauren on this one.

The other night, we met up at her place before running with her Team Challenge friends.

Because what good dish doesn’t start with sauteed onions and peppers?

It was after work and before dinner, so I walked into her apartment and almost died (it seems I’ve lately had a flair for drama).

“Oh my God, what is that smell? It smells SO GOOD in here.”

She had made tacos.

The only real seasoning used for the ground beef was Trader Joe’s taco seasoning. That stuff is cheap and amazing.

I instantly needed them in my life. Because I also realized later, while running with the group and hungry for dinner, that my trips for late night mexican after the bars have been at an all-time low. Concerning. And in need of correction.

As soon as possible.

When it comes to Mexican, I’m truthfully more of a loaded nachos/quesadilla/burrito/enchilada kind of gal. Or, in other words, I don’t like taco shells.

Everyone together now! Peppers, onions, black beans, corn and ground beef. My thinking? The more vegetables you throw in, the healther it becomes. So have at it!

They’re too crunch and messy and I’m too OCD for that nonsense.

Plus, I’m already a walking disaster. Who needs mexican food stains all over their shirt on top of that? Not this girl.

And because I sometimes have issues with wrapping burritos like a super star, I took a road less traveled and made a southwestern calzone.

Because sometimes a little mozzarella goes a looooong way. Bake those wrapped up babies just as you would a normal calzone – 350 degrees for 15 minutes. BAM.

Plus, on top of everything else, I just really love braiding the dough to make it look pretty.

Aesthetics are key.

Topped with salsa. Avocado would have been fabulous had I not forgotten to pick one up at the store…

And since wine seems to go well with traditional calzones, why not pair it with a southwestern variation?

Sure. A margarita or a beer may have gone better. But the wine bottle was open.

And I don’t discriminate.

The shortage of mexican (ish) food is no more.

Crisis adverted.

Whew.

What I Don’t Do Well

No one’s perfect.

I’m pretty close, of course. But not quite.

Because sometimes there are things I just don’t do well.

Like making running plans.  A coworker of mine and I tried to make plans for a second run together along the lakefront over the weekend. But naturally, there was a breakdown in communication and he and I never found each other. Turns out we both thought the other had slept in and gone on our way. 

So I had to go solo- which worried me. Hoping to have someone pushing me, I wanted to run at least 5 miles with him. It’s been a few weeks hitting the higher mileage runs and there was serious dependence on him to keep me going.

Running solo hasn’t been overly motivating recently and it’s considered lucky to make it much more than 3 or 3.5 miles.

However… 5.75 miles later?

It wasn’t easy. Catching my breath was difficult being as how I was cursing out runners floating by with ease. Not so much sweating, but glowing as they whipped their perfect ponytails from side to side. Really? Who looks like that at 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday? It’s not natural and I do not approve.

Grrrr.

I, on the other hand, came home soaked and slightly sunburnt. Should probably work on that whole wearing sunscreen thing, too… oops.

What else do I not do well?

Ummm… lemme think…

I have issues containing my excitement when it comes to street fests.Mon and I hit up the Taste of Lincoln Avenue on Sunday- the 5th or 6th street fest I’ve been to this summer.

So many of my friends make comments about how we seem to go to a new street fest every weekend.

There’s a reason for that. Winter sucks- I hole myself up in my apartment and whine until spring. It’s necessary to get all my crazy out before the first snowfall.

And we’re working on it. No worries.

We sweated it out through various bands- all ending with Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press’s version of “All I Want for Christmas”. Because nothing says summer street fest like a throwback from Mariah Carey’s holiday album.

I’m also needing work on my hydration skills while spending the day dancing out in 90-degree weather. The guy who took our order thought I was kidding when I requested 2 cups. Safety first, my man.

At least I don’t have a problem with knowing when to refuel. My stomach would never let that happen.It’s not gourmet Mexican by any means. But it’s fast. It’s cheap. And it makes me happy.

Patience and traffic are two things I cannot combine well. It’s asking a lot for me to have patience to sit in traffic caused by a Paul McCartney concert at Wrigley Field. Paul, buddy, I love ya. But you wreaked serious havoc on my normal rush hour commute home. You brought in all these drivers who have no clue what they’re doing or where they’re going. And if I hit them, I’m sending you the bill. Yes, you. Thanks in advance.

With that, I’m just going to end this list. Because it’s starting to get a bit long and I’d like to still claim my title of “close to perfection”.

Try and have a good one, kids. Which may be hard to do- it’s Tuesday (yuck) and the weather man isn’t even trying to sugar coat how miserable today’s humidity/heat/thunderstorms are going to be. Weeeeee!

Belated BYOB

Plans are always important.

They keep me from getting a little nutty.

If you know me- this is important. Because it doesn’t take much for me to start getting a little weird.

Hence the reason why we scheduled a birthday dinner for our friend Bailey a week or two in advance.

But then life happened. Flights get delayed. People get double ear infections (Mon was in a pretty sad state for about a week or so…). People are out of town over holiday weekends.

Like I said- life happens.

Good thing for the girls in my group of friends? We believe in celebrating an entire birthday MONTH. Excessive? Maybe. But we do was we want. Muah!

So, in grand fashion and 2.5 weeks later, we all finally got together on Sunday evening to celebrate our friend’s (and my new roomie’s) birthday at Mago Grill in downtown Arlington Heights. Considering that Bailey and I are moving out of the area within the week, we really know how to cut it close.It’s so bright in the restaurant because it’s 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Yes, we were dining and drinking with senior citizens. But it’s called SunDAY FunDAY for a reason.

Mago is relatively new to the area and we were informed of it on the metra one night – some guy across the aisle was discussing it. My ears perked up when he mentioned “BYOB”.

I’m an eavesdropper and I don’t care.

The city of Chicago has a ridiculous amount of BYOB options- something I  had never heard of until moving up here a few years ago. But there’s now one Arlington Heights? Are you for reals?

Clearly, this place was put on my list of things I needed to do.

One purchased gift certificate (I spent $5 on a $25 gift certificate) at Restaurant.com and a quick stop at the liquor store was all it took.

Tecate for most of us (gotta be festive with the mexican beer). Coors Light for the birthday girl. In a can. Because it’s her favorite.

I don’t get it either. But at least I know she’ll never steal my beer.

As soon as we were seated, Mon gave Bailey her fabulous birthday gift:Swedish Fish. And Justin Bieber.

Bailey said she plans to blast the Biebs as we’re moving next weekend. I said I’d counter strike with Katy Perry (Bailey’s hatred of KP is second to none). So uh… it’s ON.

Anyway, after me giving Mon a stern lecture about the Bieber cd issue, it was time to eat.

I prefer not to visit a Mexican joint without trying out the guac. And really- I’ve yet to find a place where it disappoints. So the more important thing is what entrée to order…

Annie and Mon both ordered what seems to be a cauldron of fajitas:And Bailey and I went with the Enchiladas (per usual):You can’t really see the enchiladas, but trust me- they were awesome. I’m always that person who says “well I’ll only eat half and eat the rest for lunch tomorrow”.

That doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should. Or at all, as of late. *Shoulder Shrug*

It’s sort of sad we didn’t go here until my last week as a resident of Arlington Heights. I could have easily spent multiple weekends just chillin’ with some adult beverages and tableside guac.

Looks like we know where I’m going to suggest we go when I come through and visit Mon…

In other news…

My air conditioning went out yesterday.

Again. This was the second day in the row.

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get home until well after the management office closed for the day. So it was a balmy 88 degrees in my house when I went to bed last night. Sleep was hard to come by. Imagine that.

The shower this morning was cold. And fast. I also refused to fix my hair with any kind of iron. The blow dryer alone almost gave me a heat stroke. 

So I’m bringing a whole new definition of “hot mess” to the table. It’s ok- it’s Tuesday. So what else would anyone expect?

Quick and Easy

That’s how I like a lot of things. My food… my commute… my men…

Wait… what?

Let’s refocus.

During the week, when I leave the office later than usual, there’s not always a lot of time to get things done.

And there’s not much time between when I get home and when I’m hungry.

As in, I’m hungry as soon as I walk into my apartment. Please tell me I’m not the only one like this?

I’ve often mentioned before that there are many reasons why I don’t regularly eat a lot of meat. The two main reasons is that I have found cheaper meals to replace it and I just don’t have the time to prep it when I get home.

That or when I do have time, I’m too lazy to cook it. That could be it, too. If we’re being honest.

So when Foodbuzz contacted me about trying out Tyson’s new Grilled and Ready products as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemake program, I was ALL in. You’re taking out the longest part of the cooking process for me? Ok. Done and done. Let’s do this.

If you remember, I whipped up a quick BBQ wrap with chicken and mushrooms the other day:That was good. But really… I can do better. And being as how I’m a huge fan of mexican food, you KNOW I’d do something to celebrate when Cinco de Mayo came around last Thursday.

Plus, I wanted my friend Mon to come over as a taste-tester, too. Because I was impatient, I started the process before she got there.Not that it took that long. I spent a whole 2 minutes defrosting chicken in the microwave. It would have been good after that, but I wanted to season it and mix in the onions.The taco mix was still left over from when Mon and I did nacho night a month or so ago. What I like about the TJ’s seasoning mix is that it’s actually 2 servings in 1 bag- for the same price as all the other stuff. Everyone likes a good deal, right?

Back to serious matters at hand…

After letting the onions, Tyson chicken, and taco seasoning blend together, that was pretty much the end of the prep work.

The rest was just a matter of assembly.Let’s recap. The chicken couldn’t have been easier to make. The meal took all of maybe 10 – 12 minutes. And I think I’m fancy with my little production I put on.

Yep.Mon and I did some serious work on this dinner. I only wish I had pictures of us sprawled out in food coma afterwards.

Needless to say, it was a very good Cinco de Mayo in these parts.

All in all, we gave the chicken strips a big thumbs up. Mon commented on how lean they were. I agreed- but have to say Tyson usually doesn’t fail in that particular area. I wonder if the steak strips would be the same?  hmmm…

Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great mother’s day! I spent all of Saturday (and when I say all, I mean ALL) catching up on sleep and my red box selections. So now I’m well-rested and have given The Fighter a double thumbs up!

On Sunday, my friend Annie and I got ourselves lost on a trail at the forest preserve near where we live.

I don’t brag about my sense of direction. Ever.

And really, who came up with the idea of having 4 or 5 different trails all intersecting at random spots? Grr.

Anyhoo, off I go! There’s an appointment scheduled with my orthopedist today that I’ve mentioned before- hopefully nothing serious, just reassurance on a few things.

Fingers crossed. 

Have a good Monday!

Four Hours

Four hours. That’s a lot of time when doing some things.

For example, I will probably never run four hours. Two hours for a half marathon is good enough for me.

I will never drive for four hours without a potty break. That’s a long span of time to be on the road without stopping. My bladder is too small for such things.

I will probably never clean for four hours straight. Classified as a “spot cleaner”, I am the girl who will focus on one or two things each night and use a span of days to actually “clean my apartment”.  So if you come to visit, please give me at least three days warning- thanks.

One thing to do for four hours that makes it seem like not a lot of time?

Sleep. Sleeping for four hours in one night is simply not right.

I need at least five. Six to display some intelligence. Six-and-a-half to not be hateful.

If you remember, I had a late night on Saturday night and didn’t realize until after I had gotten up how much rest I actually (didn’t) have.

But it was fine. Luckily I didn’t have a busy day planned or anything.

Oh wait…

First on the ticket was Jaime’s shower.

There was punch and alcohol offered. I stuck with water. I think all the guests should take this as a moment to publicly apologize to Jaime. We played the game “guess the size of her belly” and all overshot- by at least six inches. Um…. sorry…. :p

After games, cake (!), and presents, I left her house with a sugar buzz and confidence that I was up on the latest summer fashions for newborn girls. Ruffles on the butt are VERY “in” this year.

And the sugar buzz seemed to kick-start my “second wind”.  Or, if we’re being honest, it may have been a “first wind”.

It was time to meet up with a few more of my favorite suburb gals for dinner at Grande Jake’s in Buffalo Grove. Mon and I hadn’t done our regular Sundays of Mexican food in quite some time and I had a Groupon. So she, Annie, and I took some time and enjoyed my favorite part of the restaurant- chips and their large selection of salsa.The one in the right corner was my favorite (obviously). It was also one of the spiciest- tastebuds were lost. Typical.

Annie enjoyed a margarita and Mon enjoyed a Mexican beer. I enjoyed another water.

Besides, I was patiently waiting for this:Yeah- the cheese on my enchiladas verdes was intense. And I am a big fan of the melty deliciousness, but this time around, most of it was scraped to the side. By the end, the only thing left was the discarded cheese and tomato slice (I don’t like them- it’s a texture thing).

Randomly, I’ve had this food as carryout before with a friend who was in town last year. We had the burritos and I was semi-obsessed because that burrito lasted for three meals. THREE meals!

It really is delicious, but I think they do better work with the burritos. Either that, or I’m still remembering how amazing my enchiladas verdes were from Salsa 17. Still dreaming about those…

After we had taken up our table for probably way too long (it was super busy!), we headed back home where Annie and I decided to stroll the neighborhood for a while. Gotta help along the digestion process, right?

We walked a few miles and chatted. And since it was right as the sun was setting/had set, we even managed to snag some bug bites. Another sign spring is here?

Now if only the temps would get in line…

Turns out I can function a little better on four hours than I thought?

We won’t test that theory again anytime soon. Hopefully.

Bar Food At Home

Thanks for the comments on Thursday’s post…  Turns out we’re all pretty hormonal, huh?

Hilarious.

And I did feel better as the work day went on yesterday (after quite the wine night). Thanks for asking. I knew you would.

It doesn’t hurt that I’ve started every other day this week with a cup of coffee and a call from Hottie McHotterson. What can I say? My office is really really needy when it comes to ordering office supplies…

Anyway, I do apologize for my disappearing act yesterday. There wasn’t much to say. I worked, ate leftovers and watched tv. Then yesterday morning I got up, moved around, and made the call to go back to bed. And sleep in for 20 minutes past my alarm. I guess I could have told you this (just like how I did now), but I didn’t even have anything sarcastic or slightly entertaining to say about it. Let’s just do how we do- blame the weather and move on.

Anyway, last night some of the neighbor gals (Mon, Bailey and I) decided to get together and have a chill night in. Back story on that would include letters from the leasing office went out this week to a good portion of the residents. We’re angry.

You would be, too, if your rent was getting raised $120 a month when you resign the lease.

Yeah. You heard me. And no- the zero is not misplaced in that one.

Needless to say, we’re all moving (more on that later). And trying to save some cash money on the weekends. (holla’) So we decided to take what we would have destroyed in the bar and remade it at home. Which means we also saved on cab money. Woot! 

Well. Mon and I did. Bailey got a head start at happy hour and ended up not making it over. Fair enough. I’ve mastered the art of loaded nachos, but have yet to really develop my margarita-making skills. To be fair, she probably made the right choice on that one.

There were several reasons I tackled making nachos. One is because I love Mexican food. Two is because I love bar food.

The other girls like these things, too- don’t think I’m that selfish.

And the third reason is because I got these in the mail:I’m part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker’s program and they occasionally send me things. Which is nice. And this time, they sent me Tostito’s Artisan Recipe tortilla chips. They sat and started at me all week. Hilarious how I have discipline when it comes to chips and such, but will sniff out chocolate that is within a 100-foot radius…

That’s probably an issue for another time…

Anyway, I had made sure to have everything necessary to build up the nachos after laying them out on a cookie sheet.Cheese is clearly the most important thing. I put it on first and last. Because you can never get enough.All the goods. Ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, jalapenos, black beans and olives. Throw the last bit of cheese on them and throw in the oven until they look like this:Yeaaahhhh buddy. But wait- there’s more.Nothing says “let’s turn on the game and boo Kansas for a couple of hours” like cheap beer and nachos. Am I right or am I right???

And then, when Kansas wins, have another beer. It’s mandatory.

Side note- I even bought shredded lettuce to go with the nachos. I swear it. But forgot to get it out as we were constructing the final product. Sigh… I guess the guacamole is the only “green” I got for dinner last night.  Oh well. At least black beans counted towards the veggie quota- and because it was homemade, it’s totally healthy, right? 

Yeahhhh…

Anyway, to conclude, we really did love the chips. Especially the fire-roasted chipotle. The flavor is subtle, but definitely there. Mon even compared them and said they may be better than doritos.  I KNOW.

Rarely do I eat just plain chips, so I liked them because they were flavored, but it wasn’t too strong to use them in something like this.  I approve, Tostito’s. 

Enjoy the day, kids! I’m off to the gym at some point soon. Moving my long run to tomorrow so I can crosstrain today and test out the leg before I throw it to the wolves in a 10-mile run. I’m trying to be smart with the “better safe than sorry” thought process on this one. Meh.

Laters.

Crazy Town

A conversation was initiated with an 11:00 pm text Sunday night. Because I’m clearly an old woman and can’t stay up past 10:30 anymore, I didn’t respond until after I returned from my early morning trip to the gym yesterday morning.

A (from the night before): UGH…

Me (the next morning): ahahahaa… well good morning sunshine!

A: A friend and I crushed 5 lbs of wings in like 8 minutes last night while we were out.

Me: So clearly you’re hurting in more ways than one.

A: Uhhhh yeah, actually not too hungover from watching the games, just suffering from overeating

Me: Nonsense.

A: I didn’t mention the two large bowls of ice cream I took down when I got home, maybe an hour after eating those wings.

Me: So you drank too much, ate too much, took down a massive amount of sugar, smoked too much, and slept too little? Your body hates you. There’s no reason why you should feel good this morning. None at all. You should apologize. Because it’s angry. And will act out accordingly.

A: All very true.

Me: You need advil, water, coffee and salad. It’s called detox.

He didn’t respond, but I’m pretty sure he also agreed.

No need to feel bad for him. The kid has a metabolism of a hummingbird. If I know him at all, he was taking down his super-sized value meal for lunch by 11:00. Then having a second lunch by 2:00.

It’s amazing.

I was feeling rough when I woke up yesterday morning, too. From fatigue only, so it turns out the saying is true- it could always be worse.

Speaking of waking up early, crazy town has officially been entered.

My alarm was set at 4:45. AM. What have I become???

I wanted to make sure and give myself enough time to get in 5 miles during my morning workout. But my muscles were pretty tight, so I decided to warm up on the elliptical. Then just decided to stay there for no good reason other than I was totally content where I was. For 35 minutes.

The workout was finished with some free weights and a 10-minute cooldown on the treadmill. It worked. Although I completely defeated the point of getting up before 5:00 AM. Ridiculous.

What also worked out (not as planned) was my random idea for dinner.I mentioned last week my less-than-satisfactory tortilla shells. They fell apart every.single.time. So I took a chance on the last one. Split it in two and stuffed the pieces in a cupcake tin.My cupcake tin is a mess. Sorry.

They were thrown in the oven for a few minutes to get started “crisping” up. Then, I added the black beans (warmed up a little beforehand), salsa, jalapenos and 4-cheese mix.

After a few more minutes of them all getting acquainted, I pulled them out of the oven to see what would happen.Success! Sort of? Had I thought it through a little more, I would have waited to add the salsa at the end. It liquified a little in the oven and leaked out of the bottom when I pulled the tortilla shell out of the tin.

Not that it affected the taste at all. Mexican food is, after all, mexican food. Which means it was delicious.

I’m off to go enjoy my rain-soaked Tuesday.

Because really… what else do you expect? 

Vegas Vacation

Oh hi there.

Finally well rested (comparatively speaking) and ready to go.  Who wants to hear a little about the trip to Vegas my girlfriends and I had?Clearly it’s Vegas and I can’t give you ALL the details, but here are a few highlights…

The biggest night out was Saturday night (our first day there).  Was it a mistake to make our wild night out right after traveling all day?  Yes. Did we care?  Not really. Although a bouncer did… (ahem… Monica… ahem…) But it was totally cool.  I talked our way into a second club for free.  Take THAT.

One of the best outdoor activities was a hike Annie and I made in Red Rock Canyon.  Simply beautiful.  And after spending so much time in recycled air (plane, hotel, bars), it was really nice to get out in the gorgeous weather and breath in some freshness.However, it was not nice to get stuck on a 13-mile “scenic route” of the canyon that could not have been made more curvy if they tried.  I mentioned this was after our wild night out, right?

My personal favorite meal was Diablo’s in the Monte Carlo.  It was a Mexican restaurant Annie had visited the year before and she claims she still dreams of their guacamole a year later.  Obviously I was signed up for this one. And did not hesitate to eat my weight in guac and the recommended fajitas.Mexican food has been our Sunday tradition as of late, so it’s totally ok. Gotta keep some routine in my life, right?

And do you see that margarita? This dinner happened the day after our “big night out”. The sound of tequila was SO unappealing. But then who am I to turn down a free drink? A couple sips later, and I knew the tequila would treat me just fine…

My favorite “sight” to see in Las Vegas was hands down the Bellagio fountain.  We watched two shows as we were walking and letting dinner “digest”.But not without dancing to “Vogue” when we heard it blasting down the street. Naturally.It was decided after this trip that every night should end with a water show at a fabulous fountain and each day should be started with a roller coaster ride. That’s right, a roller coaster ride.  While Annie was taking care of her work stuff, Mon and I explored and ended up at New York, New York. Who needs coffee when you can really “wake up” by getting shot around a casino at 60 mph?

I’m really sad we didn’t get the picture. Mon was screaming and slouched behind her shoulder guards and I was crying because I couldn’t stop laughing at the ridiculous sounds coming out of her mouth. Classy stuff.

It was interesting to discover the majority of my budget would have to go towards food. Our most interesting night was a buffet called The Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan.  Endless wine and food for $42.

Most people think buffet and think jello molds, people touching everything, sneezing on the salad, etc.  But this one was cute- they had a majority of the food portioned out for you already.The weirdest thing tried was also that night.  Our friend (and a previous roommate of mine who lives just outside of Vegas) picked up “bone marrow”. And I figured if he was brave enough, I was, too.

Gross. The memory of it had to be drowned in wine.

Even with all the buffets, massive plates of good eats, and tons of consumed gelato, we tried to eat healthy, too.That’s right.  My healthiest meal came from Serendipity- a place known for frozen hot chocolate. Go figure. And yes, that is practically an entire bag of broccoli.  It was a “side”.

I worked out one day- a 1.5-mile run.  I had grand intentions to do 3 miles, but realized it would be the third day in a row of 4-5 hours of walking. Some of that in heels.  The run stopped early.

Found out I have no patience with gambling.  Just not my thing. Unless it’s someone else’s money.  I have no problems watching a group of guys we met play craps.  Maybe if they had let ME roll the dice, they may have won something, too.  Silly boys.

We stayed at Aria (it’s relatively new) after finding a ridiculously good deal on Expedia.  GORGEOUS hotel (and two awesome gelato spots inside- heads up!). I only got a little weirded out that everything in the bathroom was clear glass and mirrors.  It was weird being able to clearly see myself shower at every angle.  I’m way too shy for that.

Mon and I left Las Vegas on Tuesday evening (Annie still had to stay for work). The guy who checked our bags found out we were going back to Chicago and asked how we could ever live there.  He’s been living in Vegas and was originally from Hawaii.  My favorite part of the conversation was when he said “if I lived in Chicago, I’d have 20 kids by now”.

Sounds about right.

We sat and crossed our fingers the flight would be cancelled or seriously delayed. No such luck. We had to return home. The flight was spent semi-sleeping (long legs suck for such a thing) and adoring the two old women beside us. Mon and I figured that may be us in 40 years. But Mon was positive she’d be one of the old gals rockin’ a Rascal.

Seriously. There was an unnatural amount of rascals being driven around. If you go, I would suggest making it a game (or a drinking game?) to count them. It’s unreal.

And here I am, back at home safe and sound. Meh. Of course our return back would happen on a Tuesday. What was I thinking???

At least the weekend is fairly close… even if it is rainy and in the 40′s. Versus sunny and 70.

Needless to say, the countdown has begun for my next trip in May…

Feeling Back to Normal

Thanks for taking pity on my attempt at the long run.  You guys are right- 6 miles are still awesome.  But I wanted that 7th and 8th so bad! I really had a hard time deciding to stop. But it was either that or start taking walk breaks every quarter-mile. And that thought was just miserable.

But that’s behind us now. Today is a new day. And I’m about to give it another go. After I post this and give myself a pep talk. In the bathroom mirror. 

“… and gosh darnit people like you…”

Wait… let’s get back on track.

After a recovery period that included Waiting for Superman and a few SNL reruns, I woke up on Sunday feeling awesome. Or at least ordinary. Seriously guys- Friday night’s shenanigans left me hurting. Even my friend let out an “aaaawwwww” as he walked in on Saturday night when usually he just points and laughs. Could have been the fact that I was buried under multiple blankets with no makeup on and a massive glass of water on the coffee table.  If that doesn’t say “pity me”, I don’t know what does.

Either way, Sunday morning brought promise. Until I had a sip of coffee.  Bleh.

My coffee maker had been on the fritz for quite some time. But enough is enough. I sipped the rest of it slowly while browsing the Sunday ads for kitchen appliance sales. 

Coincidently, Mon texted me about her plans to hit Target at some point before we go to dinner later.  I invited myself along. All that was on the list was a coffee maker and face wash.

As we entered the aisle, Mon goes “oh! I still have the old one I had before my Keurig. Just take that one.”

Score! But of course Target sucks you in.  We found the clearance aisle…Gift bags for 50 cents?  What? A box of chocolates for $1? Bags of peanut butter M&M’s 90% off??? 

Went in for 2 things.  Left with 15. 

You got me again, Target. You got me again…

Later on, after a quick Shred and elliptical workout, Mon and I had an early dinner at Salsa 17 to use another one of our Groupon purchases. Sure, the first time we used it, there was a bad taste left in our mouths with the crowds and lackluster service. But we still had another Groupon that needed to be used.  Why not go at on off time? Like 3:00 in the afternoon?

We even beat the senior citizens there.Excuse my teary eyes. This was just after I was trying to re-enact the lastest episode of Community.

Donald Glover leaves me in hysterics every week.

Anyway, after a lovely dinner that was exactly like the last time we went (those enchiladas are freakin’ delish), we retreated back home to watch Red and break into the chocolates.Sorry about the mess.  I love that you can see the sweat pants I wear over my gym clothes. They were drying out because I had to walk through a down pour… stupid rain.

But anyways, waiting even 6 hours from when I bought the chocolate was a big deal.Aaaahhhh…. I love discount holiday candy. We took down all the caramels. The truffles were pretty much left behind. Not that I don’t like truffles (because I do!), I just prefer the caramels more…

I also love sleeping in. Until 7:30. Weeeeee!

And that coffee maker Mon mentioned? Put to use right away.Because I named my crock pot, it only seemed fair the coffee maker gets a name.  This is Sophie. She’s french. And is quite the barista.

So cheers! And happy Monday!

Off I go…