Slaw-nomenon

I made a batch of broccoli peanut slaw last night. It technically serves eight grown adults. I will admit, I can't stop eating it. This is something of a phenomenon, dare I say a slaw-nomenon, with me. I have been known make a batch of slaw and eat it like it's my first meal after being stranded in the desert for years with nothing but sand(wiches) to eat. Then I'll make another batch and do the same thing over again a few days later. Repeat scene until I burn out. It's slaw, not sweet rolls. I guess that's why this seems so odd to me. My food obsessions usually involve a bread or starch of some sort. Seriously, does anyone else have recipes like this where you make it and you can't help but eat it like a fiend and then make it again a few days later? If you do, please share!

This is a first time I've made the broccoli peanut slaw, but I've had it many a time when other's have made it. I think I actually got the recipe a while back from my Aunt. Out in the non-vegetarian world, this little veggie has to be careful because people usually make it with real bacon. I made mine with fake bacon and it tasted so good, I had to tell you about it. It makes a ton - perfect for potlucks, picnics or back yard barbeque parties. Or, if you're me, it a perfect breakfast, lunch and dinner. No special occasion needed, just grab a fork!


Broccoli Peanut Slaw
1 12 oz. pkg. broccoli slaw mix (I used Mann's brand)
2-4 cups broccoli, broken into small florets (I used just over 1/2 of bundle of broccoli)
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cups dry roasted peanuts, crushed
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 strips fake bacon, cooked and crumbled or chopped

Dressing
1 cup slaw dressing (I used Marzetti Light Slaw dressing)
2 Tbsp. sugar

Mix together package broccoli slaw, broccoli florets, raisins, peanuts, onion and "bacon" in a large mixing bowl. Whisk sugar into dressing in a separate bowl, then pour dressing over veggies. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight so flavors can meld. I added a touch of salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy and share, if you can!

Summer (Dreaming) Eats

The weather here in Michigan this week has been far from desireable for late spring. It's been about 45 and cloudy and/or rainy since earlier this week. So what else can a foodie girl do but start dreaming of all things summer? I've been thinking about food in particular, things I want to make that will help enhance the summer mood, once it finally does arrive. Here's what I've got so far:

Ice cream sandwiches made with homemade cookies and or graham crackers.
Salsa from scratch.
Blueberry pie.
Peach pie.
Pesto with fresh basil.
S'mores.
Grilled corn on the cob.
Pasties.
Potato salad.
New and adventurous salads.

I've made a number of these things already, but look forward to them each summer. I love things that are rather simple, yet full of flavor. There's nothing better than making something with items I've picked up at the Farmer's Market earlier in the day. Each of the recipes I've made are seasonal palate pleasers that pretty much fit that bill (except maybe the S'mores!) and I can't wait to create some new summer snacks to share with family & friends and you. My plan is to document a few of these and post pics here.

What foods are your summer favorites? What am I missing out on? Wanna swap recipes?

Riverbank Run! Run!

Through cold and wind, my legs kept going for the full 25k on Saturday for the 33rd annual 5/3 Riverbank Run. Since I had run the course two weeks ago, I wasn't really concerned with not finishing, although I did want to improve on my time from two weeks ago or my time from last year's race. I finished with a 2:43:38, about two minutes faster than last year's time and about three minutes slower than two weeks ago. Go figure! I was happy with my finish time. Next time though I'm hoping to improve even more!

It managed to stay dry for almost the entire race. It did start to rain when I had about one mile to go. Not that big of a deal since it rained only briefly and with 14.6 miles behind you, you just push on.

A & I found our running buddy Fred near the start and we ran with him and the 10 minute mile pace guy for a while. I was feeling really good for keeping that pace and was hoping to be able to keep up for the whole race. I ended up losing them somewhere around mile 6 & 7 though. My knees historically get very tight between those two mile markers and I had to stop to apply some Tiger Balm. The knees chilled out and I was able to keep moving. A & Fred were rock stars and finished about eight or nine minutes ahead of me! WOW! I really have to get on my speed work to be able to kick through the end with them next time!

It made a big difference to see this guy Paul from GRRC (whom my friend A dubbed Motivator Man before we knew his name) a couple times along the course. He showed up a few different places to cheer people on. So cool to see a familiar face and get that boost of energy. I also ran into Dry Cleaner Mike in the home stretch. He was actually running the race and keeping an eye out for GRRC runners.

The finish was good. I was able to tap into my reserves and pick up my pace once I rounded the slight bend on Ottawa and could see the finish. I love that feeling! Best feeling ever though is being able to stop, collect your medal and know you don't have to run again for the rest of the day! My mom, her friend D and R were at the finish. I actually saw my mom, which was cool since the finish line can be a bit of a blur!

Post race included a small bagel snack, water and picking up gear from gear check (something we did for the first time ever and will do again.) Then hot shower, warm clothes and a trip for celebratory pancakes! I am so happy to be a runner and thankful that I can include it as part of my life. I'm still not sure what our next race will be, but I'm already looking forward to getting back on the road and logging some miles.

Photo Shop

"I'll take you to the Photo Shop, I'll let you cut and paste photos till you hit the spot, C'mon girl, don't you stop."

...That's gotta be Premier Skateboarding's favorite song. Hehe! I follow this local skate shop on Twitter and was intrigued when they mentioned 50 cent in a recent tweet. The intrigue comes because Mr. Curtis Jackson is currently in my fair city shooting a movie, in fact the current set is just a short walk from my house. So I clicked on the link to find this little story about how someone at the shop had met Curtis and convinced him to come back to the house for a little impromptu show for some girl's birthday. Here's the pic they posted with the story:

I actually believed it for a second and then got skeptical. I did a google image search and found this, it was the second image on the page:

Uh, huh. Look familiar? I had to laugh! They got me for a second. Just think there are probably kids out there who actually still think the story is real, that if they come to the shop they've got one degree of separation with 50. The light and the fact that it's only May in Michigan, you just wouldn't get that sweaty if you were on the mic on someone's front porch with your shirt off, gave it away. Nice work taking us to the Photo Shop though, guys!

Cross it off the List

I've learned how to ride a motorcycle! It's something I've wanted to do for a while now and I can officially check it off my list. The class I took was a four day adventure. Two days (two evenings, actually) in the classroom and two days (five hours each) on the range on an actual motorcycle!

Talk about a good time! I wasn't sure what to expect, but they start the riding portion of the class out literally with baby steps. You do things like the pre-ride inspection, then suit up and get on the bike and learn how to start it up properly. Your first movement on the bike is something they call "power walking". You're on the bike working the "friction zone" - the point where the clutch and the throttle are balanced enough to move you forward, but you don't actually pick up your feet. You kind of walk along using your feet/legs to get a feel for the balance you'll need. From there, we moved through turns, braking, upshifting, downshifting and running over obstacles. And whole host of other stuff to make us safe riders.

Then at the end of the second morning, comes the evaluation. I did really well throughout the class and picked up some points during the evaluation. Points are not a good thing. I still passed, but as one of my rider coaches said, "you did so well through class, what happened to you?" I was a little bummed that I didn't pass with fewer points, but I still passed! I think I was just tired, and trying to concentrate on everything we had learned. There's a lot to think about while being evaluated and you know you're being watched like a hawk by the rider coaches and the entire class. Everyone in class was super supportive of each other, which was cool. But they were still watching!

Did I mention that it rained most of the morning this morning? Not just a little bit of rain. Lots of it! We rode anyway. Thank goodness for rain gear. With running in the rain for my race training, I'm getting pretty used to doing activities in the rain. Rain was better than blazing sun though since you have to be in full pants, sleeves, gloves, helmet and eyewear the whole time you're on the bike.

One of the main reasons I took the class this spring is that I need to get my Vespa licensed and insured. The endorsement comes in handy for that since my little Italian friend is 150 cc and can do 65 mph max! Going into the class I thought, "I'm good with the Vespa, I don't think I'll want to get a motorcycle for a while." Now that I can actually ride, my vintage motorcycle dream has reawakened!

Good times! I'm happy that the class is done though. It was a busy week getting class and my training runs in, plus the rest of my life! I'm a little sleepy! Now that I can cross learning how to ride a motorcycle off my list, it's time to come up with something new to cross off.

Have you crossed anything off your "I want to do that" list recently? What do you want to learn?

This That and the Other

The teeth hurt. Top braces were installed this morning. Eating a sandwich as one normally would was not possible at lunch. Had to cut it into pieces and eat with a fork, rendering it not that enjoyable to eat.

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My yard is in dire need of an extreme make over. I know this. I just haven't made the time to do any spring yard cleaning yet. Random strangers are apparently taking note as well. I had a dude knock on my door this afternoon and ask if I'd want to pay him to do any yard work. Probably need to make a point to get on that.

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The cat asthma medicine project has been going rather well. Junior and I have a nice system worked out now whereby he gets a treat then his medicine. Then another treat. He's actually just swallowing the pill when I pry open his chompers and toss the pill in. Well, truth be told, I do have to gently hold his mouth closed for a minute until he does, but we're done with the struggle.

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I am in the market for new pants for work. When the weather turns summer warm, I tend to wear skirts almost every day, but with the weather being all 40s in the morning, low 60s in the afternoon here in Michigan, I've been wanting to wear pants. Winter weight woolly type pants aren't working, so goes with the two pairs of velvet-like trousers that I have. If I weren't in between sizes, I'd order some pants online and just see what works. I'll probably have to venture out and actually try some on though before finding a suitable spring-time pant. I just decided, I like shopping best when I don't actually need anything.

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I read a lot. I'm a writer for my day job. Editing as I read is an occupational hazard. I know I'm not perfect when it comes to sending a blog post up the flag pole. But I do read each post before I post it and then after it's posted. The rate at which I've been spying typos or full-on grammatical errors lately seems to be increasing. Just saw the misuse of "it's" vs. "its" in a very popular local blog. The other day it was someone talking about a "coy" pond, I'm pretty sure they meant a "koi" pond, but I could be wrong, they could have been discussing a rather quiet or shy pond. I should start a proofreading service.

Notes from the front.

Remember where you put your orthodontia! I thought I threw away my lower expander over the weekend and it made me feel like a complete idiot. I was dreading having to tell my orthodontist. The good news: I ended up finding it, in my own kitchen trash.

Cats 1. Me 1. Found out over the weekend that Junior has asthma. He has a history of coughing/wheezing and he's been officially diagnosed. He also now has meds that must be given to him twice a day. He managed to lick all the way around the tiny pill hidden in some wet food. I crushed it up the next time and he wouldn't even eat the food. Tonight, it's going to just have to go down the hatch without food to cover it. I'll likely have to wrestle him, risking bites and scratches in teh process in order to do so, but he needs to finish his perscription. We're only on day three! Oy! Point goes to Junior. I am also trying to train them to stay off the couch. I've basically turned the couch into a book shelf - it's covered with books, magazines and newspapers. They don't find it so comfortable and have resorted to sleeping in their cat basket bed. That point goes to me!

Love the Art Scene in Grand Rapids! R & I went to Michigan. Land of Riches on Friday at the old Public Museum. We had such a good time checking out the art mixed in with the old museum pieces. Some super creative folks came up with the idea to mix in artwork with many of the items within the museum and the musueum's archive. The vibe on Friday night was super cool with a dj spinning some tunes. There were drinks and snacks to be had and plenty of people on hand for people watching. We actually ran into quite a few people we knew, which is always a good time! The exhibit runs for a bit, so go check it out!

Run + Chat. with other runners, makes the miles go by quickly! My friend A and I are making some new running buddies during our Saturday long runs. There's always something to talk about with fellow runners and it really does help the miles tick on by. Only 18 more days until RiverBank Run!

Prepare your pan. I made some banana bread this weekend and did not "prepare" the pan. It's a fricken non-stick pan and I was feeling lazy, didn't want to go the extra step. Or I was testing the actual non-sticky-ness of the pan, yeah, that's it. Turns out the pan is rather sticky. While the bread looked like it was done, I threw it back in the oven because once it broke in half-ish when I was trying to free it from the pan I realized it was still a little mushy. It was sort of a mess. R spied the mangled bread on the counter in a zip lock bag and said, "did the cats do that?!" They are naughty cats sometimes, but the bread was all my doing. It still tastes good!

Seen on the Run

On my run tonight, I ran up behind a smoker just as he flicked a cigarette to the ground. As I ran past him I said, "you dropped something." He looked confused. Smoking is a personal choice, but littering? C'mon....the world is not your ashtray, dude!

This and That

Here's a bit of this and that for a Tuesday afternoon:

Orthodontist tomorrow morning. Cannot wait. My bottom expander broke a week ago, so there's that. And the upper "appliance" that I've got now (it's not the original expander, it's more of a place holder - a trap(per) keeper!) is killing my tongue. Totally needs to be adjusted. The braces on my bottom teeth are doing great thhough. Teeth are on the move!

Totally tweaked my back last night. I wasn't even doing anything interesting or strenuous. I just moved and felt it tighten up. It now feels like I'm wearing a really heavy, yet tiny backpack in the middle of my shoulder blades. Not cool.

Broke down and bought the Aveda Air Control hair spray. I know you've all been waiting with baited breath to see how I'd solve my hair spray quandary. It's awesome. Love how it smells. Love the hold. It's not sticky at all, goes on very dry, yet holds. It's amazing!

There are 24 days until River Bank Run! Totally looking forward to it. Training has gone really well this year. I won't speak of what went down around this time last year. You can read about it, if you want, but I don't want to jinx anything! I got a new pair of shoes that should be broken in just enough by the time the race rolls around. I'm already thinking about what I'll wear, and how exciting it will be to cross the finish line! And I'm considering possibly taking that Friday off...hmmm?!

I think I've probably already extolled the amazing qualities of Airborne in a previous post, so if I have, just humor me. The stuff is great! Last week I was feeling a bit off, had a bit of a scratchy throat and low energy. I started a course of Airborne almost imediately, rested plenty over the weekend and aside from my back, I'm feeling good!

Remember that whole "I'm going to redo my bathroom" jag I was on? Yeah. It's sort of come to a standstill. Dudes don't call you back when they say they will. What's up with that? I have one estimate from one guy. Spoke with two others. One actually came to the house, never heard from him again. I'm not going to chase you down for an estimate, dude. You either want the work or you don't. I take your silence as a "hey, lady, I'm not intersted in your tiny bathroom redo project! I've got bigger fish to fry." Will likely get in touch with "Best Follow Through Skills Dude." To me, it makes sense to get the project going AFTER River Bank. We shall see if it aligns with Dude's schedule.

Want these sunglasses:

Today's Mystery

When you've lived in the same neighborhood as long as I have, you know people by name, face and/or car. Even if you don't know someone personally, you know if they belong in your neighborhood because you've likely seen them before.

This morning on my way to work I saw someone that I'm still thinking about because I don't think they actually live in my neighborhood, yet they looked strangely familiar.

This person was walking through the alley that is behind my house. In my experience, the only people who routinely walk down the alley are people who live on the alley or are very familiar with the neighborhood, or are up to no good.

I first noticed said person, a lady, when I was pulling my car out of the garage. She must have sped up her pace when she saw the garage door open. She was already across the street when I exited the alley. Walking very fast and with purpose she cut through a parking lot near my house, almost as if to avoid being seen up close. I saw her dark hair, winter knit hat pulled down low. I thought I spied a band aid near her eye. As I sat at the corner waiting for traffic to clear, she hurried across the street and then disappeared.

Who are you, mystery person? Did I really see you or were you a figment of my imagination? Strange.

Roooarr!!!

I'm Eating My Lunch

...and I needed to take a few minutes to myself to breath. Aye carumba, this week is insane! I know in comparison to other's lives, my jam-packed week may seem like not such a big deal, but it's starting to wear on me as evidenced by how tired I am and the onset of a mild scratchy throat. Uck! I've already started taking Airborne! Here's a run down of the week:


The j.o.b. is so busy. I swear projects are multiplying any time I turn my head! Grateful to be working though!

Running after work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and on Saturday morning.

Tuesday, I had a hair cut scheduled with my mom. Mix in dinner and some chatting and I did not get home until close to 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday, I had a meet up with my girlfriends from high school for our every other month or so gab fest. That was AFTER work, running and cleaning up after putting in my Wednesday miles. It felt good to finally sit down when we were seated at a fave local restaurant around 8:00 p.m. Got caught up on all the latest in my girls' lives, had a pretty good peasant salad and a few bites of dessert.

Today. I'm running again after work. Or, so I hope. I'm actually contemplating just going home and climbing into bed because it's cold and rainy again. Who am I kidding? The run will happen. It's too close to River Bank Run to start skipping miles. I actually have dinner scheduled with relatives who are in town for a couple days. Can't really ditch those plans.

Friday. Work as per usual. It's a rest day from running, so I'm planning to come home from work, get in my cozy clothes and get horizontal. Seriously.

Saturday. Up at 6:45 a.m. to meet up with the running crew for an 8:00 a.m. run. Did I mention we're up to 14 miles this week? Hoping for decent, non-percipitation weather for Saturday morning. I don't care what the weather does past say 10:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m.

Sunday. Sleep in!!

Happy Easter!

For Easter dinner at my mom's I made this lemon cream cake with a lovely Peeps adornment. The cake is usually a stand-alone stunning-looking cake with this sugar crumb topping, but my cake rounds which I made ahead of time (last night) in an effort to save time were being extremely shy and would not come out of their pans. Ugh! When they did come out, they were a bit of a broken mess. I had to improvise. I dropped one cake in my spring form pan, layered on the lemony cream filling/topping then put the second cake round on top of that and added the rest of the lemon cream. Skipping the sugar crumb topping, I pulled the Peeps in for an improvised topper and called it good. Easter cake crisis 2010 narrowly averted!

The cake followed up a delish dinner that my mom put together. We had great company in R & D. Laughs and fun were a big part of the evening! I hope you had a lovely Easter and/or Sunday however you chose to spend your day. Peace out! Peeps out!

Hair ye! Hair ye!

I'm in the market for a new hair spray. It's been quite the ordeal! I purchased my third hairspray today in probably as many weeks and I'm going to return it.

Today it was L'oreal Elnett Satin Extra Stronghold Hairspray. Available at your local Target. I was intrigued by this hairspray because Ford Artists' Hair Stylist and youtube video hair-to super star Johnny Lavoy tweeted about it a couple months back. He's an awesome stylist, so I thought I'd give it a try. I liked how it sprayed, but CANNOT stand the smell. To paraphrase an amazon.com reviewer, "why would you get all dolled up and want to smell that bad?" It's a smell that does not go away either. I'm so returning this tomorrow, unless someone out there wants to try it and maybe trade me something you have but don't like. Total let down.

I've also tried L'oreal Vive Pro Glossy Style non-aerosol hair spray. I still have that one, but it's not my favorite, because it sprays on too wet. If you're local, I actually know you and you want to try it I'll give that one away. There was a John Frieda aerosol spray in the mix too that went back to the store after one try - the spray was way too powerful, we're talking pressure like those cans of air that you can clean your computer keyboard off with. It was ridiculous!

I'm really looking for a good areosol-type hairspray. I've been using Aveda's Witch Hazel hairspay for years. I adore how it smells, but have found that sometimes you need the finer mist of hairspray than the heavier spray a pump hair spray gives you. May consider trying Aveda's Air Control hair spray. It's at a slightly higher price point than I'd like to spend, but may have to break down and try it. At this rate, I need to widen my scope since I just really want to find the one that will do the trick, hold a style in place without creating helmet hair, provide volume and most importantly smell good or not smell at all.

Totally need to crowd source this: what hairspray are you using? Why do you love it and where can I get it? Please let me know, clearly I need your help!

In the Bag

What's in my bag?! Because I know you're all dying to know what I carry around with me every day, I've got just the blog post for you! I've seen this kind of post done many times on different girlie fashion-type blogs and thought I'd take it for a spin and share my bag with y'all.

This is my most often used handbag lately. There are many things to love about it, it's my favorite color, it's large enough to hold a lot of stuff, it was inexpensive, but doesn't look cheap. Inside the bag, here are some of the items I have with me on a regular basis:

• Chilewich make up bag. I've pulled out the most used items it holds: Burt's Bees Hand Salve, Lancome Juicy Tubes Smoothie Lip Gloss in Dreamsicle (thanks A!), Vaseline Lip Therapy, Stila Lip Color in Andie.
• Wallet, complete with a lovely picture of Lakshmi the Hindu goddess of prosperity
• Lara Bar in Ginger Snap
• Nalgene water bottle
• Giant Sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs
• Ipod Mini (way old!), still does the trick for running and listening to tunes at work. The Its little green pouch is from Ateneum (Art Museum) in Helsinki, Finland. The pattern is the same as the tile floor in the museum. I love it because it's a reminder of a great trip.
• LG Rumor phone
• Moleskin yearly calendar
• Blue Flare pen (my favorite pen!)
• Key to the wheels
• Tea Tree Therapy infused toothpicks . Since I can't chew gum with the braces, these do the trick!

What's in your bag?

Life Work Balance

Sigh...another Sunday night.

Back in the day, Sunday night's used to be all about a furious rush of homework, getting ready for another week in school. I'd think, "Not another Monday already!"

I might be thinking, "Not another Monday already!" right now, but I take solace in the fact that the weeks have been flying by just as quickly as the weekends. Another Friday/weekend is closer than I can imagine!

Adult me tries very hard to balance work life and the rest of my life. And I also try very hard to enjoy each and every day, work day or weekend day! I have been working a bit on the weekend to get a jump on busy weeks lately, but I tend to go in only for a couple hours mid-to-late morning on Sunday so it doesn't take up my whole day. Then I can shove it away and enjoy the rest of my Sunday without having it take up space in my brain on Sunday night. Seems to work pretty well!

When I had my own business, I actually told my business partner very early on not to call me evenings or weekends unless the building was burning down or the IRS was going to audit us. Might have been an extreme measure, but it was what I felt I needed to do at that point. My operating system is not all work/no play. I'd burn out and be a complete crab all the time. For me, it's about knowing what I can and cannot tolerate and at the same time being flexible enough to go with the flow, but not drown in it.

Another thing I do to maintain life/work balance is to not take work home. I try really hard to leave work at work, unless I'm taking it home. Wait, that probably doesn't sound quite right! Let's say this, I'm very purposeful about taking work home. One day a week I actually take work home on purpose, because my job allows for a work at home day. When you know you can count on that day, it actually adds to the life/work balance.

Speaking of life balance, it's almost time for bed. If I don't get enough sleep, the whole balance equation is way thrown off! Happy Sunday night, Monday morning! Here's to a great balanced week!

Rule of Three

Odd things happen in threes, right? As it applies to the two distinctly related oddities happening within one hour today, I don't want to know what the third thing will be.

Just saying.

Okthxbai.

Spring Thinking

Spring is a time for cleaning, renewal, and new growth. It's also got me thinking about:

Peeps. I find these marshmallow treats to be strangely fascinating. I love the sugary texture on the outside and the squishy marshmallow middles.

Running. When am I not thinking about running though? HA! Saturday was the official start of spring. I ran my long run in the snow with my running buddy A and a bunch of folks from the Grand Rapids Running Club. Did not mind the temperature at all, it was the pelty snow hitting my face as the wind blew that I found fault with. It could have been rain, which would have been worse! There will be plenty of runs in the rain, I'm sure. There's been talk about keeping our running base up after Riverbank Run and training for our first marathon. This just might be the year for such a challenge.

Getting outta Dodge. Wanderlust. In my brain, this topic is so often thought of, but not nearly often enough taken up. I feel like the girl who cries "vacation!" In the past, I've struggled making solid use of my vacation time. I've got time booked this summer. But need to get crack a lacking on taking a quick trip to help keep my spirit fresh. I really want to go somewhere sunny/warmer than here! I'd even "settle" for a city trip.

Prom. Spring is the time for prom. My time for prom is not this spring! LOL. Yeah, I wouldn't want to go back to my own prom. It would be cool though to have a dressy occasion to look forward to. Perhaps a fancy girl's night dinner is in order?

Tulips. A bunch of spring tulips is such a simple way to brighten up a dinner table or a night table. They're so cheery and not fussy at all. They're hearty and beautiful.

Sandals. Looking forward to the weather being warm enough to have bare toes exposed in some cutie sandals.

Spring in your Step by *fish

What spring things are you thinking about?

Snooze Update

This morning was lovely. No snooze AT ALL! I got out of bed at 6:00 a.m.! Had plenty of time to do my morning thing without stress and strife. Even changed my outfit several times before deciding what to wear (side not, how are you supposed to get dressed for a day that starts out at 30 degrees and ends in the 60's?!) and curled my hair! Got to work when I planned to.

I love it when a plan comes together! Here's to keeping it up for the long haul!

Snooze Abuser

If you snooze you lose. Count me as a loser!

I've somehow become a snooze button addict and it's not a good thing for my morning routine. My first alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m. and there are mornings I won't get out of bed until close to 7:00 a.m. Seriously? Who am I? An angsty teen who stays up too late every night? When I finally do get out of bed, I'm groggy and crabby. I could actually be reverting to my teen self. Just need to bust out my collection of The Cure and Depeche Mode! And can we talk about the whole Daylight Savings Time debacle? It has completely thrown me for a loop, making things even worse!

The thing is, I'll get up knowing full well that I'm pretty much going to be late for work. I use the word "late" loosly, since my workplace is quite relaxed about starting times. Stopping times are equally blurred - most often not in the worker's favor. So I just go about my morning routine, not really in a rush. I have no sense of urgency at all. Something's got to give, because this just isn't working out.

This morning I thought about setting up a reward for myself if I get up when I'm supposed to for five days in a row. A non-snooze star chart. Once I get five stars, I'll get to pick out a prize for myself! There are a couple cheapo clearance items I've been eyeing on Forever 21's site that I haven't purchased since I don't actually NEED them. Perhaps those could serve as the reward?

I can't believe I'm considering resorting to a star chart! I'm not happy with the current state of affairs though. I think I just need to set one alarm and get up. Not feeling the crap guilt for getting to work later and later each day should be reward enough!

Now that I've outted myself as a snooze abuser, I'm going to work to get my a** out of bed each morning for my prize and so I can hold my head up high.

Spring (Cleaning) Ahead

Lest I become someone that gets featured on that awful show about hoarding, I got the bug to clean out some junk from my basement. I love quality packaging and I have a hard time getting rid of the original boxes stuff comes in. I do, but I'll have you know I still have a few kicking around. I'll think "well, when I move, I'll want this box." Um, hello, I've lived in my house for quite some time now and I don't see a move coming on the horizon. Bring the lolz! I do see the hilarity, which is why every so often I have to break down a few boxes and haul them to recycling! Besides, when I do move, I'm so getting movers who will provide the boxes and pack everything!

I also came across a few of my old Swatch watches - in the original packaging. Perhaps I shall sell them on the ebay. Will have to check on Swatch demand. I've been hanging on them since I moved back from NYC. I don't wear (and haven't) any of them I'd consider selling.

Oh, I found a mold of my teeth from 2001 when I was considering getting some dental work done for a couple of my top teeth. I took out my top expander to compare and holy cow! It won't even fit. It's remarkable how much wider my bite has become with the expander! I'm really happy I waited until now to get braces and didn't go the other route I considered for half a minute.

Also down there, hundreds of plastic clown noses from my days with the circus, a couple old violins that need restoration, a couple old area rugs I'm not sure what to do with, gear from my beauty school days (I actually have a bag full of mannequin heads for hair cutting and coloring!) and so many other artifacts of days gone by.

This has to be the most random post ever...hey, kids here's what I found in my basement today! What's the oddest thing in your basement?

Hope you had a super productive or simply lazy Day Light Savings Sunday - whichever made you happy! Now I'm off to find some food. All that spring cleaning has made me so very hungry!

Agent 99 Details

K asked for a few more details about my Agent 99 post, so here you go:

54. Gone to a drive-in theater. I have fuzzy memories of this one and it's not because of any unsavory behavior on my part. I was probably five or six years old and that was a loong time ago, kids! I was with my older cousins, I think. A bunch of us were piled into the car's back seat like puppies in a box. I cannot remember specifically which movie it was that we saw. Maybe it was Superman? That would have made me about 4 years old. Hmm...it's all very fuzzy. I wish I remembered more!

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. I did not have a ton of Barbies when I was younger, so I cherished them and treated them very well - no hair cuts or anything like that. I have a few of them in a shoe box somewhere in my basement! Golden Dream Barbie had golden wire-y hair mixed in with her blond that you could "style" in pretty waves! She also had some fab gold disco nightclub clothes with arm warmers! I also have Pink & Pretty Barbie.


84. Had your picture in the newspaper. That's me on the left as a high school freshman, watching the finish of the guy's mile race at a City League track meet. I was a runner in HS, but just barely. For me, track meets were more about socializing and being with my friends than anything else.

91. Met someone famous. When I worked in New York, I worked for an entertainment public relations firm, so I've had plenty of sightings. I have a list that's kind of ridiculous. I should dig it up and do a post. Through my job though, I spent a significant amount of one day with Carrot Top before he got all roided out. He was doing an appearance on one of the late night shows and I was his PR chaperone for the taping. He was nice. Nothing too out of the oridinary happened.


The best though, wasn't through work. It was completely by chance and a little luck. I had extreme pleasure of meeting Gwen Stefani when No Doubt played Grand Rapids on their Tragic Kingdom tour. I actually won tickets via the radio, "be caller number nine right now and you'll get to go see No Doubt!" I was and I did! I brought my brother D because this band CIV was the opener and we had just spent some time at the first ever Warped Tour (1995) hanging with a couple friends in Orange 9mm and Quicksand who happened to be friends CIV. We're out front waiting for doors and we see CIV's bass player Arthur and this guy Izzy that we also knew. We all chat. They ask where our seats are and say they'll come get us so we can hang out backstage. The show was amazing and sure enough, we get to go back stage. We're just kicking it with everyone and in walks Gwen. She was super nice. I remember she was wearing a white wife beater, a long army-green skirt and geisha sandals. I don't remember being introduced formally, but of course I knew who she was. This was just at the beginning of her superstardom. We had a chat about going to Catholic school and singing in church. She said she loved to sing in church and I said I did too and then felt all dorky, because of course she loves to sing in church, she's a famous singer!

Agent 99 (updated May 2014)

Today, we have the blog meme de rigueur. I saw it here and she saw it here. If you post it on your blog, know you're in very good company! Red=I have done it. *= I have yet to and want to.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii*
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris* (Made the trip November 2012)
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty*
18. Grown your own vegetables*
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France* (Trip to Paris November 2012)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon (three halfs!)
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied*
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant*
44. Visited Africa*
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person*
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris*
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling* (Snorkeling on trip to Turks  & Caicos, December 2013)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie*
56. Visited the Great Wall of China*
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching*
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving*
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter*
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London*
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book*
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalum
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (only if a fish counts!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby*
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Surprise!

Hello Internetz,

Yesterday was a day full of wonderment. What I thought would be an ordinary trip to the orthodontist, where I'd get my trap looked at and he'd say, "meh, come back in a month," turned into the application of actual braces!

Yes y'all, I finally got some braces! Right now it's just six brackets on my lower front teeth. All those times when I was little when I'd form my gum into a small strip that would fit in front of my teeth like "braces" has finally paid off. And that's about what it feels like, extra baggage. It's a little pinchy and scratchy, but doesn't feel entirely ridiculous like the expanders felt. It took me a good solid week before I got used to that heap of metal. My teeth do feel somewhat tender though. Tendertooth can be my new code name. Apple eating will be kept to a minimum!

I'd post a picture, really I would. Oh, I tried to capture them in all their glory, but it's not pretty. Nobody should take pictures of just their teeth - unless, of course, you're a tooth model or something. My goodness, people. The pics were scary and cannot be shared. I'd hate to be responsible for seared retnas. Funny thing is, I clearly knew my teeth needed a little straightening up, but it wasn't until I started taking pictures of them in order to document the braces process that I realized just how jacked up they were. I guess a macro lens will do that! Perhaps once everything all straight and pretty, I'll share a before and after. Perhaps.

That is all for now.

Sincerely yours,
Tendertooth

Oscar Recap!

I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch all of the Academy Awards. Began watching red carpet coverage and grazing the snack buffet at A's house. Then on to my mom's for the rest of the Awards. Was not overly impressed with any of the dresses. It seemed like people were playing it safe. I saw minimal jewelry, hair that wasn't overly fussy - many down 'dos and a few fuzzy updos that I cannot, as a stylist, support. Yes, Jennifer Lopez, I'm talking about your hair. Several of the ladies rocked a complete, well thought out, well styled look though. I may not have been 100% in support of every detail, but here are the ladies who did it right.

Demi Moore in Atelier Versace

So Demi was a presenter and I think this ensemble is spot on for the job, nothing over the top. It's just pretty. I like the little bit of asymmetry happening in the skirt. Simple hair, a drop earring, matching clutch and fake tanner and she's in business. It seems summery and warm to me. Maybe that's why I like it so much. I'm longing for summer!

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa

Classic Hollywood glamour. I read somewhere online today that Sandra came dressed to win. I would have to agree. She's just classy. The dress with its intricate detail photographed much more gold than I think it actually is. You can see in the two pictures just what a difference there is. It looked more like the top picture in HD. Loved her hair, the red lip and the simple drop earrings. And I also loved her acceptance speech. It was funny and touching all at the same time. Loved that Jesse James looked a little teary-eyed too when she alluded to him.

Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent

Not a very risk-taking ensemble, but overall the look is classically beautiful. Maybe she went more understated because she was only a presenter and not actually nominated this year. Last year was her big win year. I like the top of the dress and think as a whole it would have looked better with more of a full skirt. There were certain photos where the skirt looked like pants because of the way it's draped.

Mo'nique in unknown designer

Her hair and make up were beautiful. During a backstage interview Mo'nique said she wore the royal blue dress and the gardenia in her hair because Hattie McDaniel wore royal blue and a gardenia when she accepted her Oscar in 1940 for her role in Gone With the Wind. Cool.

Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab

This one will surprise A & K because as we were watching the red carpet coverage, I said the dress looked like throw up or a puddle with oil in it. Upon further inspection, I will amend my comment to the following: The cut and drape of the dress are beautiful. The choice in fabric/color seemed too washed out, not vibrant enough for the Academy Awards. I do think the dress would look much more Academy Award worthy if Rachel were rocking some serious jewels and/or had more dramatic make up.

Did you stay up for the whole show? Who wore your favorite dress? Any favorite moments from the telecast? I want to go see Crazy Heart and The Blind Side now while they're both still in the theater. Okay, for real, need to wrap this up since it's officially past my bed time again! Thanks for keeping me up, Oscar!

Plans for the Bath

I've been thinking about redoing my tiny Barbie-sized bathroom for a couple years now, but after reading a recent post on The Good Life for Less about a savvy kitchen redo in phases, I'm feeling inspired to get moving. I'm feeling the "do it in phases" approach will allow me to do everything I want without breaking the bank. Need to call a friend of mine in for some estimates. New tile floor is in order. Perhaps with heat. Still trying to decide if I should reglaze the tub/re-tile the walls or just take the whole thing out and have a walk in shower built from the ground up. Somthing like this:

The shower/bath part of the redo would likely be one of the last items tackled in the plan since it would involve removing a window and replacing it with another size/shape window. Did I mention that I have a window in my shower? Clearly the house was built prior to an actual shower being installed, it's a regular window, people! A little more involved than just laying new tile. I do know that window's got to go! We shall see.

My current sink/vanity has got to go. It's a tiny one-door cabinet that makes the room look even smaller than it is. So that's got to go. I want to replace with a pedestal sink like this one from Kohler:

Then there's the medicine cabinet situation. There are currently two that hardly provide enough space for all the lotions and potions a gal needs. One appears to be an original standard old-school medicine cabinet which even has a slot where you can deposit used razors. Yeah, because everyone uses straight razors, right? The other appears to be an IKEA addition by the last owner, an attempt at gaining a bit more space. It reminds me of a safety deposit box though. Not huge at all! I want to take out both and do a custom deal where that entire wall would be mirror with built in medicine cabinets. Think secret door like any mystery movie worth its salt or Scooby Do episode would have. Basically I want the doors to blend in. When you press the door it would open. Sadly, there won't be any rotating doors leading you to a secret room. I wish!

That bathroom doesn't know it yet, but I have big plans! Hoping to get started soon! Tile and new sink are first in my mind. Depends entirely what expert friend says makes sense to tackle first. Excited to get going!

Teenage Me

At the Downtown GR Rail Jam this weekend standing among throngs of teenage boys decked in snowboard gear, I noticed I had something in common with many of them.

Orthodontia!

I came this close (-----) to asking the kid who stood next to me for about an hour watching the pee wee kids ride the course who his orthodontist was and what kind of brackets he had. Yeah. Kind of nerdy, yes. I didn't do it. The brackets weren't that noticable and I'm hoping I can score the same kind! Braces are coming soon, people! My fingers are crossed that it happens this month. As much as I'm used to life with expanders, I'm ready to move it along.


Besides realizing how much in common I have with the teens, the weekend was a mixed bag per se. After being totally moody, seasonal affective disorder-y most of the day Saturday, Sunday was a world of difference in terms of my overall attitude. Pancakes, good company, watching some snowboard action in my own downtown, a tasty latte and seeing my book club girls had a lot to do with a better day. Oh, and deciding not to go into work. I did what I wanted to do instead of what I felt I "should" do and amazingly the day was a great one!


So besides having orthodontia, here's to having more in common with the teens - doing more of what I want to do. Having more fun!






Oh, it's 11:11 p.m., make a wish! Don't tell me exactly what your wish was, but tell me what you want more of in your life.

sigh

Life feels like a hamster wheel lately. Day in, day out it seems like the same thing EVERY. DAY. and it's just about to drive me crazy! Typical day involves making my breakfast UltraShake, feeding the kitties, work, running, showering (for what always seems like the millionth time!) making some sort of dinner and then finally sitting down finally with nothing left that MUST be done. Add to that three months of gray, cold winter and I'm so ready to jet off somewhere warm and just stay there forever.

This is what I'd wear:

Star Sliding Triangle Top & String Bottom via Victoria's Secret

This is where I'd want to stay:

The Beach House Barbuda

This is what my hair would look like:

Seriously, everyday I'd just wake up with Giselle's hair without having to "do" it!

This is how relaxed I'd feel:

photo via eihr.com

Okay, that little mental vacation was amazing! I'm hoping it's just the time of year, end of winter blahs that I'm experiencing. Soon enough we'll have Day Light Savings Time again. The weather will start to improve. I'll be able to run outside more regularly without having to bundle up or worry about slushy, icy roads. In the meantime, I'm going to do my best to focus on what I'm doing at that minute, like really getting zen with whatever it is I'm doing and be grateful for the ability I have to do such things rather than hate every minute of it.

Is winter driving you nuts too? Want to jet off somewhere warm with me?

Starting Now

Dear Thursday,
Today's a little different from how you and I usually do things. Somehow it still feels like it's going to be really good day. I've got lots of work to do. The tunes are turned up - a little Andrew Bird to start, maybe followed by some Neko Case and a little South Rakkas Crew later on for good measure. I've got a meeting with my favorite designer later this afternoon. Hoping to put some projects to bed today so I can focus on other work.

So Thursday, I'm counting on you to carry through with me. Let's make it an awesome productive day. So now, I'm off to it!

Best,
* starr fish

Run This Tune

Music is one thing that makes racking up the training miles each week so much easier. Two faves in my current running playlist feature the talented Rihanna. One thing I listen for in a good running song is strength. Strong beats? Strong lyrics? Will I feel strong and fast while listening to the song? The "yes" column gets checked for all of the aforementioned questions with Jay-Z's "Run This Town" featuring Rihanna and Rihanna's own "Hard". I also get a kick out of putting songs in my running playlists that have the word run in the title or lyrics. I'm kind of a dork though.

Life's a game but it's not fair

I break the rules, so I don't care

So I keep doing my own thing

Walking tall against the rain

They can say whatever

I'ma do whatever

No pain is forever

Yup, you know this

Tougher than a lion

Ain't no need in tryin'

I live where the sky ends

Yup, you know this

I dig Rihanna. And with all she's been through in her personal life, I like her even more for prevailing. You go, girl and keep the hits coming because I'm going to keep running (this town) and doing my own thing too!

Items of Note

A few items to share, some are in direct relation to celebrating my birthday this weekend and some are not:



I am super grateful that I have such a great group of people that I can call friends. I'm a wealthy lady when it comes to the people I have in my life!



Everytime I bowl, I think I should bowl more often, but usually still only average going about once a year.



It's a bummer that people are moving out of Michigan. This weekend, I met a super-cute, artsy couple that R was already friends with. They're in the process of selling most of their stuff and getting ready to move to California. While that seems like a daunting process, I bet it would also be completely freeing to let go of so much stuff. I guess I don't have to move out of state to do this, just need to start weeding. And while the GR art community will now be short this cool couple, that just makes for two more cool people in California. And it serves as a reminder to make an effort to get to know those cool people that that I just sort of know, but would like to know better!


Cake with frosting in your favorite color makes for a fun photo op. There was a definite color theme for the weekend!


The world is really small. The guy that helped get us squared away at the bowling alley this weekend is the son of a sales rep I worked with at my high school/college bakery job. He literally must have been a baby when I worked there and he's a young man now, which makes me old(ish)!


I've loved Jamie Oliver since watching him on the Food Network back in the days of yore when I had cable. I love him even more after watching his TED talk. You should watch it now! His mission is to educate children (and adults) about healthy food. He makes a great case. There are children who don't know what common vegetables are! And make sure to look for the wheelbarrow full of sugar!


Speaking of good food. I'm on a mission to be able to make brown rice that turns out like they make it at Gaia. I found this on Pinch My Salt, and I'm going to give it a try the next time I make rice, which will be very soon! Since the UltraSimple Diet, I've been eating rice like it's going out of style. I'll let you know how the new method works out.


Sometimes, the best gift of all is keeping your word.


I really want a Diet Coke right now. But we're not seeing each other any more. Such a dysfuctional relationship!

Happy Feet!

I took the day off today and man did it ever feel good! I started the day off at Douglas J getting a facial and a pedicure. My goodness, that's the most relaxed I've been in a while, and my toes look super cute now too! With my training schedule really kicking into gear lately for Riverbank Run, I really want to make a point of taking care of my feet since They really take a beating throughout the year with all the miles I put in. Scheduling regular pedicures just might be the right treat for me every 100-150 miles or so.

Because they sure as heck don't always look this good! The color is OPI's Suzi Says Feng Shui and it's my new favorite!

oh, hello...

Just thought I'd throw you a bone. You seem hungry for something to chew on. Grrr....

My Name Is...

I've been seeing this look up your name thing on Facebook for thee last few weeks. Hmmm. Then my good friend K posted the meaning of her name, so I thought I'd follow suit and look up mine. Here's the number two listing for my name:

A smart, sassy and sexy woman who knows things from fashion, to film to literature, from Manolo Blahniks to Mahatma Gandhi.

Nice!

Another fun Internet time suck, look up names of other people you know and see if any of the listings are close to describing the people you know. Reading through some of the "definitions" my mental picture of the average author - middle school to high school age, too much time on their hands, writing a definition as a way to bolster their own image with the kids in their crowd or with the object of their affection. High-larious! I would have totally written fitting definitions for my crushes in middle school and high school.

psssst...

...I want to tell you a secret. I had a lovely Valentine's Day weekend and I hope you did too! Heart filled with love, mindful of those near and far who are so amazing, I'm sending out hugs and kisses to my family and friends whom I can't see whenever I want. Give yourself a hug and know that you are loved!

Beeswax

I checked out a book called Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis from my library. After the whole detox cleanse I'm curious about raw food and willing to try some recipes. Raw food usually means vegan food - no animal products - and there's no cooking in the traditional heat it up and serve it sense. Nothing is heated above 118 degrees.

As I'm paging through the book, I'm mostly checking out the lovely pictures of food, skimming recipe pages here and there and making mental notes of recipes I might want to try. Then I see a picture of two people sitting in what appears to be an outdoor section of the author's restaurant. The woman in the picture looks curiously like the author, who in the introduction talks about the fact that this book is about "living raw food, not just eating it, but living it." Would you think someone who is concerned enough about raw food to write an entire book about it would be pictured smoking in her own book? I wouldn't think so, which makes me think, that's gotta be someone else in the picture, not the author. But I'm 99% sure that it's her, with a cigarette in her hand.

Clearly everyone has the right to make their own choices. I'm just having a hard time imagining how the choice is made, because the two choices seem so far from each other. Raw vegan diet + smoking cigarettes. It wouldn't work for me, but it must work for her.

I am fascinated by the choices people make, because you never really know what went into someone's choice. They may not even know. Was there a lot of thought involved? Or was there no thought at all? Do they regret the choices they've made? Are they consciously satisfied with their life or numbed out to the what their life has become? We're all on our own journey, with decisions to make every day. Life really is like one of those choose your own adventure books! Make one choice and your life could head in a completely different direction.

I know I've made choices that might not make any sense to someone who isn't inside my head with all the information I have. I have to remember that when I come across seemingly disparate concepts present within the same situation. Raw vegan food and cigarettes as part of the same person's life don't make sense in my brain, but it wasn't my decision so it's not mine to understand. Might people think it's odd for someone who is clearly health conscious to love baking and eating said baked goods. There are two disparate concepts present in someone's life. My life.

It's helpful for me to keep the focus on myself and my choices when I find myself saying, "Huh? Really? Why would someone do that?" None of my beeswax, so I'll just mind my own!

little things

I don't know about you, but it helps my state of mind to focus on the good, looking for things I'm grateful for each day. I could just as easily come up with a "not so grateful for" list, but if I choose not to be a Bitter Betty today, my day goes so much better because I've made that choice! Things have made the gratitude list lately:

A bowl big enough for the job, especially if it's stainless steel!

Packages in the mail.

New magazines.

Saving money.

Making healthy choices about food.

Finishing my taxes in record time. Earlier than usual!

Running. (This depends on the day and time you ask me and how many miles I've got to run, but since I didn't have to run tonight and training is going well, it's on the list.)

Fresh laundry. (This goes hand in hand with the running. Totally appreciate the fresh clean laundry, but hate actually doing it!)

Finding out that something I worked on helped my company get a law suit thrown out of court.

Having a night off where I didn't have to do anything! The snow helped out on that one tonight!

What's on your gratitude list?

Who Dat?

No, this is NOT going to be a Super Bowl post. Since it's been about a week since I've posted anything, I thought you just might be asking that question!

It's been a full week since I wrapped up the cleanse and the first week back to real food I did pretty well. I've been trying to stay away from the copious amounts of cheese I used to eat pre-cleanse, but have not ruled it out entirely. I haven't eaten it at home in anything that I've made, (which is a big deal!) but did have it this weekend out to eat - a bit of goat cheese in a spinach salad and a small cheese quesadilla and burrito with cheese from my favorite mexican take out place, Maggie's Kitchen. Also, in the sense of full disclosure, I did have some sweets over the last week, split two pieces of pie with three of my girlfriends Wednesday night at Electric Cheetah. And there were some treats in legal on Friday. And...okay, you get the picture. I didn't go overboard with any of the treats. More like I had just enough to have a taste and enjoy.

I've been trying to find some suitable snacks and treats for the times when there's too much going on in one day and not enough time to have a proper meal. So far a favorite find that works on many levels the Larabar. They are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-gmo, vegan and kosher and they actually taste good! So far I've tried the Key Lime Pie, Ginger Snap and Cherry Pie flavors. I love that each bar has such a short list of ingredients. The cherry pie bar has just three: dates, alomnds and unsweetened cherries. They've been great for an in between work and the gym. Another thing they've got going for them is texture, they're soft enough and not too sticky to be annoying with my current orthodontia! Larabar for the win!

Making food in advance for the week is something that I've continued. I like to be able to just toss my premade lunch into my bag in the morning and not have to rustle something up. Keeps me from eating lunch out somewhere that wouldn't be as healthy as what I could have made my self. Plus, hello, money saver!

That it's for now!

UltraSimple Wrap Up

I made it through the seven day detox cleanse known as the UltraSimple Diet. While I don't feel like I had any lightning bolt-type results, (which I wasn't necessarily looking for) I feel really good about the whole experience. I stuck with the morning routine of hot water and lemon followed by an UltraShake. I decided I want to try to incorporate as much of this kind of eating as I can, without adapting a super strict attitude about food. I want to be able to enjoy food still, but I want to have my over all way of eating be more along the lines of how I ate for my seven days on the cleanse. I will for sure add in many of the veggies and fruits that aren't necessarily on the list - I really missed cooking with tomatoes and would have liked to use some red pepper or potato in my meals.

I was a little apprehensive about how I'd do going back to regular food, but my monthly book club dinner out at a local Italian place provided me with a great place to try it out. We normally get a few appetizers to share. I won't lie, I ate a few onion rings and french fries, but I don't feel like I went overboard. For dinner I usually order a dish called Spaghetti Roberto, which is spaghetti in a red sauce covered in what we lovingly call a cheesy blanket. Last night I ordered the regular spaghetti dinner, no cheesy blanket. You know what? It was still good! I usually gobble up any bread on any table, but didn't even eat the two pieces of garlic toast that come with the dinner or any of the breadsticks that were for sharing before dinner. That's a big deal for me and the coolest thing is that it wasn't a big struggle. I just decided I didn't want to eat it and didn't. I thought the pasta in and of itself would be enough to test out the return to gluten.

So, did I get sick or notice any odd after effects from my dinner? I felt really sleepy and sort of fuzzy headed for a couple hours when I got home, which I believe to be a direct result after eating pretty purely for the seven days prior. I survived though, no stomach revolt, which I was afraid of.

One of my main reasons for wanting to do the cleanse was to "reset my sweet tooth" and I think it may have worked! My company remodeled the corporate cafeteria and it debuted today, complete with bulk candy! How do you like that? Part of me wanted to not even participate in the candy. The other part of me was kind of curious. I got maybe a little more than a handful of Jelly Bellies for a mid afternoon candy snack. I ate a few at my desk and didn't feel compelled to eat the entire quantity just because they were there. There are still some at my desk, which wouldn't have happened pre-cleanse. While I think I'll always enjoy candy and sweets, I'm hoping I can hang onto the take it or leave it feeling I had about those Jelly Bellies today and not feel a compulsion about sweets anymore.

The positives of my experience:

• Possibly resetting my sweet tooth.
• Increased energy level.
• Finding new healthy recipes I'm excited about.
• Reducing my reliance on cheese as a protein source.
• Setting a healthy goal and accomplishing it.

My aim now is to try to keep up my healthier eating for at least two of my three meals a day so I can continue to feel as good as I do today, without being so strict about what I eat/don't eat that I end up taking the enjoyment out of food or let it become something that separates me from other people. I love nothing more than sharing some tasty food with good friends. I was able to do that last night and am grateful that book club night fell on the first day off my cleanse.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. Let me know if you have any questions about any of it. Or if you end up trying it on your own, I'd love to hear how it goes for you!

Day Seven

Saturday was a busy day. I woke up and had a leisurely morning, but had a bunch to do. I made my hot water and lemon juice and then enjoyed my UltraShake. One of the things I had to do was run six miles. (I'm training for my second 25k race, May 8, 2010) I had my shake around 10:00 a.m. and finally got to the gym around 1:30 p.m. By then I was already getting a little hungry, but knew eating something out and about wasn't really an option. I managed to get through my run, which was made a little more of a challenge because I skipped a three mile run earlier in the week. Add in the hunger and I wasn't really equipped to do six miles. I managed to get in five. Got home and ate some left over sweet potato fries and made another UltraShake because I knew it would be the quickest thing I could make and eat (drink) to overcome my crazy hunger.

R was supposed to be coming over Saturday evening and after reading all week about the sweet potato fries, he wanted to try them, so I made some around 9:00 p.m. for a snack for us. That's a lot of sweet potatoes, kids! They're so good and so good for you though! I also ended up eating some rice.

So Saturday wasn't really an ideal eating day per the cleanse plan, but I managed to stay true to the parameters of what foods to eat/not eat. I'm actually surprised that I ran five miles and really only had the UltraShake, sweet potato fries and some rice as my recovery foods. I felt good though.

One of my main thoughts on Saturday was that I couldn't believe the cleanse was coming to and end. I almost didn't want to get off it and will tell you more about that in my wrap up post! Read on, readers!