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pancake fun!
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If only...
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Between Merida and Cancun, Mexico
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Salmon BLT Sliders with Chipotle Mayo by howsweeteats #Salmon #Bacon #Chipotle #Sliders #howsweeteats
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Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki by fotocuisine #Lamb #Sliders #fotocuisine
Hey New Years Eve… We Need To Talk (repost)
This was originally posted last year but with my hiatus and New Years right around the corner, I thought a re-post (with some small changes) was appropriate
Yeah, that is right, you heard me. When did New Year’s Eve go from just some friends getting together at a house to welcome and ring in the new year, to us spending $100 – $300 for tickets to some hotel “party” or downtown disco tech, only to stand in line at the bar for 30 minutes at a time and attempting to find someone you know in a sea of drunken idiot? It could be a week away and we feel compelled to “have plans” for this holiday. Heaven forbid that you should be home alone or in bed asleep, no you must be out in public!
While attempting to come up with plans (so I could be one of those silly people among the masses) for the evening, I stumbled upon rituals and traditions people participate in during the new year. It seems that most countries have the similar celebration of firecrackers and noise makers, but when compared to the rest of the world, the United States looks kind of foolish. There are a few non U.S. websites that try to explain how we celebrate and I couldn’t help but laugh because the we sound like big dopes, all gathered round watching some big electric ball drop, while other countries have long standing customs and traditions usually involving family. And then there are the superstitions! Superstitions for this holiday go from anything to eating black eye peas, to opening the window to “let the old air out”, to kissing at midnight. We are the only country to have the midnight kiss. Where do we come up with these things? When did old wives tales turn from one moment in time into something that we must compare ourselves to each and every year, and if we can’t reach those standards, are met with 365 days of doom?
I sure hope not! Being a single woman on New Year’s isn’t as depressing as the movies make it out to be. When most people think of a single woman ringing in the New Year by herself, we cut to a clip of Bridget Jones Diary, with Renée Zellweger belting out “All by Myself” sloshed on cheap champagne but it can be different. Don’t get me wrong, that may have been how I have felt on the inside in past years but just because we single people lack a significant other, doesn’t mean we are alone.
I believe that I have only had one midnight kiss in my life, maybe back in 2002? Every non lip locking year since then has not been cursed because just like wine, each year keeps getting better and better! If you happen to be alone and a little bit down, just remember, it is just one night. Tomorrow is a new day. Don’t stress about making it a “perfect evening” and “this New Years Eve is going to be the best” because you are only setting yourself up to be let down. Whether you decide to spend this holiday home in bed before 10pm, having a family game night or hitting the dance floor shaking your groove thing, enjoy yourself and celebrate the way YOU want to! Be safe! (No drinking and driving!)
Weekend Randoms
I am not going to lie; I have been a lazy bum this weekend. With the Memorial Day weekend I have been blessed with an extra day of free time. So today I plan on running just a few errands and then heading off to the park with friends but I thought I would give you a little update.
I have officially become a member of 24hour Fitness. I absolutely dread going to the gym, it is the one place that I have not overcome the social anxiety – mostly likely because I just chose to avoid it then get over it. With the transition of bartending full time to my office job and sitting at a desk all day, I managed to put on about 10 pounds, but with the change of my schedule (getting out after 7pm) I put on an additional 10 pounds in the past 2 months. I have been saying for months that I am going to lose weight but my current exercise plans are obviously not working, so …the gym it is. I’m on my way to getting physically fit!
I started teaching myself to knit. Here is a glimpse of what I started. It has doubled in size since this photo but not sure if I am going to do anything with it. I want to try knitting with a smaller yarn because if I am not paying attention, I will accidentally split the yarn in half (hard to explain without a visual) but I am glad that I finally learned. I also don’t see myself doing much with it since it causes pain in my hands if I do it too many days in a row. Besides the knitting, I have started a new book but have only made it through the first chapter so not too much to say right now.
Last but not least, I thought this was too funny not to share.
I recently came across this horoscope for the month and I couldn’t agree more. While I won’t dive into the relationship part right now, I will say I have managed to improve my credit score by over 120 points! It really took a dive when I went without income and was living like I had more than enough. I paid off about 60% of my credit card debit and configured most of my current debit to have 0% interest. My goal is to finish paying it all off before the end of the year which I think is a possibility. With getting my credit under control, I am feeling more comfortable with searching for a home to purchase.
That’s about it for today.
If you don’t mind, I am going to hop in the shower, ignore the household chores for now and head out to enjoy a wonderful sunny day in my beautiful city! Hoping that Gigi’s Cupcakes is open because I have had a craving for awhile! May you enjoy your Memorial Day with family and friends and I leave you with this opinion page in regards to Memorial Day remembrance.
Happy Heart Day!
Here it is… a holiday that women in relationships get excited for, men cringe, single ladies get depressed and single men avoid going out all together.
I actually started writing this last week but due to working every day, it was placed on the back burner.
I recently saw this commercial and absolutely fell in love with it! It reminds me of when I was a kid and my first Valentine – Mom!
I look forward to a time when I can be a valentine to my own children. When I can send them off to school with a packet of stickers or pencils decorated in adorable hearts. I have also seen the other commercials which bother me and make me feel so bad for the male gender. Almost forced by society to go out and purchase expensive tacky heart shaped jewelry just to “keep up with the Jones” plus buying over priced flowers to send to the office just so she can prove to her co-workers that she is loved. Sigh… How did we go from having to write a valentine for everyone in class to make everyone feel special to boasting to others that we are more loved then them?
I am lucky…because I don’t have one valentine this year. I have 30+! That’s right! I love these people beyond a shadow of a doubt and if I needed anything, I know they would be there for me in a minute. Same goes for me. I love them. I would do almost anything for them. I am there to pick them up when they are down and celebrate when the occasion calls for it. They are family and friends that I wish were family.
So if you are not coupled up this Valentine’s Day and celebrating “Singles Awareness Day” instead, remember that you are probably not alone. That despite not having a honey to take you to a ridiculously expensive dinner in which they made the reservations two months in advance and spent an absorbent amount of money to show (to those around you) that they care, know that you are loved; and not just by ONE person, but by MANY people! To those of you in relationships, I hope you do take the time to tell the person that you love and care about them and are thankful to have them in your life. With words; not just with items you bought in a store before heading home.
PS – to future boyfriends and possible husbands – if you would like to get me a gift for V Day, I prefer gifts in the form of gadgets like vacuums or hand made cards or home baked goodies to hand out to my co-workers. And if you can’t tell by what I just wrote – don’t even think of buying me red roses or a heart shaped pendant that the money would have been better spent as a mortgage payment. If you forget, I think my gagging at the sight of them might be able to remind you!
Hey New Year’s Eve… we need to talk…
Yeah, that is right, you heard me. When did New Year’s Eve go from just some friends getting together at a house to welcome and cheer on the new year, to us spending $100 – $300 for tickets to some hotel “party” or downtown disco tech, only to stand in line at the bar for 30 minutes at a time and attempting to find your friends in a sea of drunken fools? It could be a week away and we feel compelled to “have plans” for this holiday. Heaven forbid that you should be home alone or in bed asleep, no you must be out in public!
While attempting to come up with plans (so I could be one of those fools among the masses) for the evening, I stumbled upon rituals and traditions. It seems that most countries have the similar celebration of firecrackers and noise makers, but when compared to the rest of the world, the United States looks kind of foolish. There are a few non U.S. websites that try to explain how we celebrate and I couldn’t help but laugh because we sound like big dopes, all gathered round watching some big electric ball drop, while other countries have long standing customs and traditions usually involving family. And then there are the superstitions! Superstitions for this holiday go from anything to eating black eye peas, to opening the window to “let the old air out”, to kissing at midnight. We are the only country to have the midnight kiss. Where do we come up with these things? When did old wives tales turn from one moment in time into something that we must compare ourselves to each and every year, and if we can’t reach those standards, are met with 365 days of doom?
I sure hope not! Being a single woman on New Year’s isn’t as depressing as the movies make it out to be. When most people think of a single woman ringing in the New Year by herself, we cut to a clip of Bridget Jones Diary, with Renée Zellweger belting out “All by Myself” sloshed on cheap champagne but it can be different. Don’t get me wrong, that may have been how I have felt on the inside some years but just because we single people lack the significant other, doesn’t mean we are alone.
I believe that I have only had one midnight kiss in my life, maybe back in 2002? Every non lip locking year since then has not been cursed because just like wine, each year keeps getting better and better! If you happen to be alone and a little bit down, just remember, it is just one night. Tomorrow is a new day. Don’t stress about making it a “perfect evening” and “this New Years Eve is going to be the best” because you are only setting yourself up to be let down. Whether you decide to spend this holiday home in bed before 10pm, having a family game night or hitting the dance floor shaking your groove thing, enjoy yourself and celebrate the way YOU want to! Be safe! (No drinking and driving!)
WELCOME 2011!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have so much to be thankful for this year but not enough time to list everything and everyone here.
Whether you are spending time with family or friends that are your family, I wish you this today!
Witches, Pumpkins and Ghosts. Oh My!
It has come that time again… a night when ghouls and goblins roam the night. The first holiday that starts the string of big ones and the next thing you know its March! What a wonderful night for children, exploring all the things that you want to be! Whether you wanted to be an astronaut or a coyboy or someone famous at that time, it was a chance pretend to be that for one full day/night. I remember as a child going to school that day, always excited for the Halloween parade to see what else everyone as going to be! A time when the holiday was innocent and fun; yet as an adult I am not a fan… Ugh… nights fill with crazy drunks in disguise running around downtown causing mayhem. The one night that women believe they can get away with dressing as skanky as possible. Just because the holiday grants you to be anything you want, doesn’t mean you should go gallivanting around town in an outfit that you would be embarrassed to be caught in by your mother! Seriously ladies, why can’t you show yourself a little respect? I’m not going to lie, in high school I wore some smaller costumes but nothing like what 21+ are donning now a day.
It’s funny, I was out with my friend Michael and we started talking about past dates that we went out on and it got me thinking about past Halloweens. I remember one about 3 or 4 years ago where I actually gave my number out to a male that I met on Halloween night. My girlfriends and I ended up at a singles event, one that I didn’t really want to attend but I figured I would play wing-woman to my girls yet I was the only one that was asked for a phone number. I will tell you it was probably because I was one of the few ladies there who were fully dressed. A man isn’t going to take you seriously when your butt cheeks are hanging out of your skirt, but he will think you are available “for a good time” that night. It upsets me to see women do this to themselves which is another reason I can’t stand being out on this holiday. In fact, I think one of my favorite Halloween nights was 2008 in Illinois. I had the house to myself and spent the night in, handing out Halloween candy to all the little trick-or-treaters. Watching the thrill on the childrens faces as they explained what they were in their homemade costumes was so much better than watching drunks make fools of themselves, stumbling down the street and making out with strangers in the corner of the bar.
Here’s the thing, I am not saying that you need to dress up as a nun to be covered from head to toe, but maybe think about your outfit before you go out. Would you be embarrassed to see people from work in that outfit? I am sure a more creative costume will get you more attention than dressing as a “sexy” whatever. Let your confidence shine through instead of your insecurity like every other girl and you’ll be destined to stand out.
I will be spending this holiday at work tonight, just like I did last year however I plan on going home and going to bed instead of going out for “fun” and the only sober one amongst masses. No matter what you decided to do or wear this evening, whether it is bar hoping or house parties, corn mazes and haunted houses or just staying at home to hand out candy and watch scary movies, I do want to wish everyone a danger free and spook-tacular Halloween! May the candy calories not stick to your thighs, your costume come out the way that you wanted, and you go to bed smiling from the fun you had, safe and sound, ready for work day ahead.
