Lent

Each year I vow to give up a vice for Lent. Now, let me be perfectly clear about something: I am not religious. My family, however, is Catholic and I have thought of Lent as a way to test my will power. I am a self-proclaimed glutton and simply like the rigidness of Lent. So this year Miguel and I decided to drop sugar for 46 days until the 11th of April. I'm curious to see what the effects of this are on my weight and mood and such, because this girl loves her sweets!

Alarm Clock-Snooze

I do not understand the concept of 'snoozing'. Everyday Miguel sets his alarm clock for about 40-45 minutes before he actually needs to awake and then plays a game with himself where he falls asleep and then is rudely awoken every 5 minutes, until it is finally the last minute he has to get out of bed.

What the fuck is the point of this? Wouldn't it make more sense to simply sleep through those 45 minutes and get the benefit of actually snoozing? And why is it called snooze? I always used the words sleep and snooze interchangeably, have I been wrong for 29 years?

A series of 11, 4-minutes naps seems like it takes more energy than you are gaining. Plus, then I get to start my day with what seems to be an endless alarm. I say one can still 'snooze' without being so annoying; set your alarm for 10 minutes before you NEED to get up and push that trusty '5-minutes more' button twice. You still get the need for continuous startling out of your system but then you don't drive your spouse INSANE! Win-win.

Terrifically Terrible Tuesday!

I know I said I would write about my gratitude on Tuesdays, however yesterday was the exception. The only thing I could think of to be grateful for was all the itchy red bumps which took over my body from my hair to my knees. Why would I be grateful for such a thing, because it reminded me I am alive.

I am thankful everyday for my life and breath, I will be much happier when these f-ing lumps on my body go away!

Happy Hump Day!

Terrific Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday to you all! I awoke this morning in a wonderful mood and have decided that Tuesday is a day for gratitude (we should feel grateful everyday, I'm just going to write about it on Tuesday). I think I will make this a regular series on the ol' Cinful Sweets. Each Tuesday I will write about something that makes me feel thankful for my everyday existence. Perhaps this little activity will help me to slow down and truly appreciate the people, places and circumstances in my life.

For this Terrific Tuesday, I am truly grateful for my wonderfully simple life. After awaking early to pack a healthy and delicious lunch (Blueberry Frosted Mini Wheats, Bananas with vanilla yogurt and walnuts, sweet potato fries, and vegetarian chili with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side) for Miguel, I returned to my comfortable bed where my two adorable pups were sleeping. I crawled under the covers, turned the light on my side table on and continued reading where I had left off last night.

I'm making my way through David Sedaris' new book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames and I love it. Humor and family mixed together, besides what's funnier than your family? I read a few of the short stories, kissed the fiancee adios and then laid my head back down for a quick nap. I suddenly awake to a dog staring at me and a sweet text from my hunny, ready to start the day with a smile and a true sense of gratitude for my wonderful life!!!

I know that most people have to get up early and rush right into their lives, kids, work, etc. I also know that I am truly blessed that Mig and I make it work mostly on his salary, but that's just because we have chosen a simple life. Someday I will return to the work-force full time and will most definitely find myself daydreaming of simpler times, but for now, I am happy for this Terrific Tuesday!

237

First, my neck still kinda hurts and I can't seem to shake the kink in my right shoulder. Oh well, my tattoo is finally complete! That's right, 6 years and 30 some odd hours and she's done. A beautiful piece of artwork compliments of my buddy Curtis Burgess at Tribal Rites in Fort Collins, CO. It's been a long road but we are finished.

Lastly, Miguel and I decided to spend our Saturday night together in romantic bliss. Yes, it was Valentine's Day, but we just happened to have the night off together (a very rare occurrence). I broke out a coupon for bowling I had been saving, mixed up a cocktail and prepared myself for a night at the lanes. Mig and I tend to place bets before we start playing, just to keep things interesting.

Game 1: Loser puts clothes away naked while the other watches. I won this one with a 175 to Mig's 134, a really good game for me because I usually bowl around 140.

Game 2: 30 minute massage for the winner. Here's the amazing part, I won this game with a whopping 237 to Miguel's 120!!! That's right folks, I said 237 (almost double Mig's score). For all you semi-pro bowlers out there this may not be very impressive, but for someone who has only broken 200 twice and each time being beyond intoxicated, this is AWESOME! The couple on the lane next to us stopped bowling so they could watch me finish my awesome game!

Game 3: If Miguel won this game the other two bets would be wiped out. I again, won this game. Not as huge but still pretty good, 205 to 139. Amazing, breaking my personal record twice in one night.

Here's to love, bowling and Valentine's Day 2009!!

Pain

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last few days. I threw my neck out and am finally up and moving regularly. Fun, fun. A trip to the chiropractor and $150 later, I'm still in pain. Oh well, tomorrow is another installment of tattoo. Now that's real pain (for the pocketbook and my poor arm).

Pals?

I awoke this morning to an incomplete to-do list and decided I was going to finish the rest of the tasks I had deemed necessary. Number four on the list of things to accomplish was to return phone calls to pals who had left messages in the previous week or two.

I got comfortable, made sure the phone was fully charged and set to dialing. First call: voicemail. Left some silly message with an apologetic undertone implying I was truly sorry for taking so long to reply.

Second call: Mark. He answers and my first response is, 'Don't you have a job?' I think in some way I was making these calls in the middle of the morning with hopes that all the recipients would be at their 9-5. He responded with a polite, 'Well yeah, I'm at work but wanted to take your call. Been waiting to hear from you.'

Now this just made me feel awful! This man is an attorney in NYC and has the time to take my call but for some dumb reason I have been 'too busy' over the last two months to answer or return even one of his attempts at friendship. Hmmm, things quickly turned awkward in the conversation to the affect that I realized how little I actually do. As Mark told tales of ski retreats and drunken exploits, I was scrambling for anything even remotely interesting to respond with. Nothing. We stammered around a 'conversation' for about 30 minutes before he decided that the stack of paperwork on his desk is more enlightening than I and we hung up (my words not his).

At this point I am praying that the next person does not answer and I can leave another message so that I don't have to drag anyone else through a muddled attempt at small talk. Third call: Sweet, voicemail! I blabber some nonsense about how not much is happening so no need to call back, just wanted to say hello, blah, blah.

After putting down the phone I quickly realized that I need to get out of the house more. Live life beyond these walls. I do have a part-time job that I work at 3 nights a week. All good except that I am a prep cook who's space is completely separate from the rest of the kitchen and I rarely talk to anyone there either. I need to volunteer, meet new people, find others with similar interests/lifestyles, in other words: get out. Maybe then I would actually have something interesting to write/talk about.

Love Story

As I was working away on the Save-The-Date cards for our wedding this fall, I thought back to how Miguel and I met. Then I figured, it's on my mind so I should write it down. Our love story is quite interesting really......

A little over three years ago, I was working as a Kitchen Manager at a bowling alley in Fort Collins, CO (one of the best jobs ever). I had racked up some paid time off and was heading to Florida to visit a close friend, something I tried to do annually. Two days before my departure I ended a long-distance relationship and was ready for a vacation!

As I was sitting in the St. Louis airport waiting for my connecting flight, I searched for a way to pass the time. I settled on something called 'The Love Game' on my T-Mobile cell phone (through t-zones, which allows users to download songs, play games, search the web, etc). I naively answered a series of questions assuming I would be given a cheesy 'lovability rating' (like those old, quarter, fortune teller type machines from childhood- i.e. you place your index finger on this spot and your given a score on a scale of how lovable you are). Now, I said naively because after completing the quiz, all I got was a screen name and profile. Whatever that meant.

Moments later, my phone started spazzing out with the sounds of multiple text messages being received at once. I looked at the inbox to find that people were trying to contact me through this new 'profile' I had somehow created. Approximately 99% of these people were hoping for some dirty talk and approached me through this 'love game' with ill-intent. Being me, I instantly freaked out. 'What had I done? Shoot, how the hell do I stop this nonsense? Can these creeps find me? Why are strangers asking for my cup size and what I like in bed? Crap? Do I have to cancel my cell service?'

And then, the light at the end of the tunnel arrived, a decent message had been received with a simple "Hi! How are you?". I thought, maybe this person can help me and responded, "Hi, I'm ok. You?" This spurred a quick conversation and as my flight number was being called for boarding, I sent a simple "Help me get out of this game, my phone is exploding with sleezeballs" then shut off my phone and hopped on the plane to my final destination.

When I arrived in Florida I was greeted by my good pal and I told her the crazy story about making a silly mistake on my mobile device while bored in St. Louis. We laughed and then I looked at my phone, which I had turned back on after landing. I had a lot of messages. While scrolling through, I saw that the polite individual from earlier had sent a reply to my inquiry. I thanked him for his help in canceling my 'profile' and then I did something I never thought I would, I asked him for his number and said I would like to continue our new text friendship while I was on vacation (my friend had to work the entire time and I was going to be exploring Florida on my own during the day).

A text was received with this person's phone number and what I can assume was an enthusiastic response to my request (always so hard to tell through text). As the days went by, my new friend, Miguel, and I continued to send messages to each other with light flirtation. I mean , I just left a relationship and there is no way I am meeting a new man on my phone! I saw it as a way to pass time while relaxing and it made me forget the man I left. He made me laugh, smile and blush and it felt good!

On about day 3 of this crazy idea, we had a chat that went something like this:

Mig: Where do you live?
Me: Colorado, you?
Mig: Me too! Where?
Me: No way! Fort Collins, you?
Mig: Me too! Where do you work?
Me: At the bowling alley.
Mig: Chipper's Lanes? Which one?
Me: Yes! The North one.
(This is where I stepped back and freaked out! What are the odds this guy is really from FC? Well, he has to be, he knows the bowling alley. Seriously, what is going on? How is this possible? I ran to tell my friend. She was as shocked as I was. NO Way!!! I wanted to know more so.....)
Mig: Seriously? I'm there right now. What is your job here?
Me: I'm a Kitchen Manager. You can't be there!! I don't believe you!
Mig: I'm sitting at the bar with my friend, Bryan is our bartender and Dustin is working the front desk.
Me: (Drop phone, squeal a little, heart racing, pick up phone- HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH- I worked with Bryan almost everyday and Dustin was one of my roommates) How is this possible?

I then proceeded to call Bryan and ask him if this Miguel person was sitting at the bar. Bryan laughed and said 'yes, he is. He was just asking about you." This is too crazy, I thought.

Mig: I don't know. When do you usually work?
Me: Friday-Tuesday, 9-5ish
Mig: I come in here almost everyday after work. I get off at 5.
Me: So we must just miss each other all the time.
Mig: I guess so. Want to meet?
Me: Sure. I bowl in a tournament when I get back. Maybe after that?
Mig: Ok. Just let me know. Nice talking to you!
Me: Wow! You too....

When I returned to Colorado, I was nervous to do anything! I was scared to go to work for fear that my text friend would be there. 'This was so unlike me! I was on vacation, it was supposed to be temporary. Shoot, he lives where I live, he drinks where I work, how can I possibly avoid this? I can't. Ok, I am going to meet him, but I will cut it short. It was fun, but this is real life, not vacation.' I sent him a text that I was back in Fort Collins.

During my bowling tournament, I received a few text asking when we could meet. I said that the next night would be good because I had to work in the morning. Then he said he had a friend who was bowling in the same tournament I was. I asked his friends name and he replied, 'Phil, his shirt says Chavez on the back'. I glanced to my left and there bowling on the lane next to me was, Phil Chavez. Holy what!??? Seriously, I cannot believe this is actually happening.

After a quick loss our team was out and I went home to freak out. The next day, Miguel and I decided on a place to meet and I gathered a few friends to escort me. I took Bryan, the bartender (because he knew Miguel) and a few others. I wasn't about to meet a strange man by myself. Unfortunately (for him), I didn't tell Miguel I was bringing people and he came alone.

There he was, my knight in shining armor, except a little more thug and a lot less armor. He was gorgeous and he was there to meet me! We hit it off instantly and have been together ever since! Over our time together we have shared many stories and realizations that we have been crossing one another's life path for a very long time. We know a lot of the same people, hung out in the same places, etc). Its crazy to think it took me leaving Fort Collins to find the man of my dreams there!

Roast Chicken and Loaf of Bread

I should have written this blog last Wednesday but better late than never....

I made an awesomely delectable roast chicken on Tuesday last week. The poultry was flavored with a mixture of olive oil, garlic cloves, lemon zest, cracked peppers, rosemary, thyme and salt. Simple and yummy. I mixed everything together and let it sit for about an hour to infuse the flavors together, then I peeled back the skin of the chicken breast and seasoned away. Here is the chicky pre-bake....

I cook the bird breast down for most of the bake time, then I flip it at the end for about 20 minutes to get a little golden.

She was stuffed with half a lemon, some garlic, carrots and celery. A beautiful and cheap eat. (This little beauty was on sale for $.88/lb and came to about $4 for a 4.5 lb bird).

Also on Tuesday I had my first successful attempt at a loaf of bread!!! Yeah! I did a simple white sandwich bread so I could make stuffing on Wednesday (with the stock I made from the bones of the cheapo chick).

Stuffing turned out great, too. I packed in a bunch of veggies and made a meal out of it. Another bit of inexpensive and tasty grub ;) All in all, I think this birdy gave Mig and I eats for at least 6 meals and 1 meal for Joey, Miguel's cousin, who came over unexpectedly on that Tuesday. Thank god I was making a feast anyway!