Lent

Did I mention that Josh and I started a little weight loss competition right after the new year?  Yeah, started on 1/2/10 and goes until 4/1/10.  I was certain that he was going to win because I really only wanted to lose the 20 pounds I had gained after I lost 50 and Josh has a history of being able to drop 25 pounds in a month.  Anyway, I don't really know what the winner actually wins, but now I'm starting to think I'm actually capable.  I've been diligent about tracking my points (I've been on and off Weight Watchers for the past 2.5 years) and have dropped about 10 pounds in 6 weeks, and that includes the tiem I spent laying on the couch after surgery.  I still can't really exercise the way I want to, but have done pilates at home a few times.  I originally told him that if I win I want to be able to go see Alison in Mpls (hi, Alison!) but I don't know if we'll even be able to afford that, so we'll see. 

So this whole thing leads into Lent.  I couldn't figure out what I wanted to give up and thought long and hard about stuff until last night...when really I should have decided by Tuesday night.  Oh well.  I figured it out right before I went to bed.  I'm not going to eat or drink anything after 8pm Sunday through Thursday.  I know this sounds ridiculous because really, who limits their Lenten journey to 5 nights a week?  I do.  And I like to think I have good reason for this....that being the fact that our weekends are so unpredictable.  We are always so busy on the weekends and sometimes don't end up at home until 7 or 8pm and then I have to figure out what to do for dinner.  Plus, it's bound to work wonders for my weight loss if I limit my beverages at night to before 8pm...most of the time I don't drink anything until 7pm anyway.  Does that sound lame?  I've also become really bad about brushing my teeth at night and flossing everyday, so I added that into my Lenten journey as well.  Super lame.  Makes me sound like I'm either a dentist or 80 years old...or both.  Oh well!  Overall, I suppose my promise to myself is to try to take care of myself a little more...wish me luck :)

Oats in a Crock

I obtained some ambition yesterday and made a truckload of soup (to be frozen for lunches this week and next and the next...) and then last night I made steel cut oats in the crock pot. I'm really not sure why I did that because I had full intentions of sleeping in and then going to the gym when it opens. After all, I got new running shoes yesterday and I want to try them out! But this morning when Josh was getting ready to head up to Bogus to go skiing, he couldn't find one of his ski socks and I was (not really) forced to go downstairs and show him where it was located. And then it semed ridiculous to go back to sleep. To make a long story short, I got to eat my oatmeal!

Here you go Alison:

--Find a bowl that fits into a crockpot so that the lid can can still fit on the crockpot.
--In that bowl, mix 1 cup of steelcut oats, 4 cups of water, and a dash of salt.
--Place water in the crockpot so that when the bowl is placed inside the crockpot, the water level in the crock is the same level as the water level in the bowl.
--Put the lid on the crock and turn on low overnight.

In the morning I mixed up some frozen blackberries with some milk and splenda, microwaved it a bit, then mixed it with 1/2 cup of oats. Mmmmmm.

Ouch

My mouth is on fire. I went to my favorite Thai place to grab lunch on my way home today. I ordered Pad Prig King (chicken) and ordered it a 2/5 on the spicy level. 2/5 is good enough for me over there - I like to taste my food and not just the spiciness. Anyway, I'm kind of a cheapskate when it comes to tipping if I'm not eating there. I didn't wait around and get soup like they offer to people who order take-out. If fact, I walked over to the bank to get some cash while it was made. So, I didn't tip. I'm pretty sure those $*&@ers made it more spicy than a 2/5. My mouth is on fire and I hardly even tasted the food because it was so hot. But I was SO hungry that I couldn't NOT eat it. Ouch.

Oh well, we are taking Brooke to the Fair today. It's not my favorite place, but it will do. Plus, it's not like 100 degrees outside, which is nice. It's more like 82 and that is much more pleasurable that being a sticky, sweaty mess. I'm going to go get myself to looking cute and head out the door. Oh, and I'll probably have another beer, in hopes that it will calm my mouth a little bit.

FYI - it's Thursday and at 2pm I had already worked 40 hours. So I got the rest of the day off. I have to show up for Court tomorrow at 8:30 and then I get to leave to go rafting with teh fun folks from Josh's office. And we don't have to buy the beer! Yippee!

a few things I am very excited about!

1. Friday night's white-trash-bar-extravaganza was pretty entertaining. Josh's cousin's band played at Mr. Lucky's here in Boise. FYI, Lucky's is known for their NASCAR Sundays (all you can drink for $20.00). I'm pretty sure they are also known for the extreme amount of Special Olympics Dance Team members....in the most unofficial sense, of course. Anyway, the band was pretty good for firing the lead singer a week prior, which surprised the hell out of me (the fact that the band was pretty good surprised me, not the firing of the lead singer - that should not surprise anyone, really).

2. Saturday night I went to a concert at the Big Easy to see Joshua Radin and Ingrid Michaelson! They were incredible! I wasn't too familiar with their stuff before heading out (except for Ingrid's song, "The Way I Am" which is on an Old Navy commercial) but I am fully convinced that they are worth listening to over and over and over again in my office. Yay! On top of seeing the phenomenal concert, I ran into two of the guys who were in my youth group when I led the group at my church in college. They are old. That makes me feel old. BUT, it was super fun to see them and I think they even convinced me to pick up my guitar sometime soon.

3. I spent the majority of my time sleeping and laying on the couch this weekend and it felt awesome.

4. None of our immediate friends or family members drew a Middlefork of the Salmon rafting permit this summer, which made us pretty bummed out. Thankfully, a friend of a friend invited us on his trip! Hooray! I'm pretty sure I'll be dreaming of this for the next few months....

5. I think I have become addicted to Crystal Light Energy. And Spicy V8 (not just for my perfected bloody mary recipe - I like it plain, too). And Laughing Cow cheese with celery. And sushi. (I never thought I would say that). And steamed broccoli (WTF?).

6. I made my first official meatloaf last night and it was really effing good. Oh my god, when did I turn into a housewife?

7. San Francisco was fan-freaking-tastic. Next trip: Vegas on April 26!

Again, happy early birthday to me

I'm such a dork. I just won a radio contest for knowing what a myrmecologist is. (someone who studies ants, by the way). So I get to go here and spend $50 of someone else's money. And just in case you want to see any actual information about Rendezvous, you can go here. Wow, this sure beats studying for stats...

Relaaaaaaaaaaaaax

Over the weekend, I've been house sitting for some friends of mine, Kristin and Jesse, in Kuna, Idaho. Kuna is a podunk little town with little to its name, so I though I wasn't thrilled to be watching some dogs and a cat in the middle of nowhere, I was happy to help out Kristin and Jesse while their twins are born (hooray for Halle and Bella being born!). I got here on Friday night and have done nothing but catch up on some much needed R & R. I've managed to watch what seems like a million movies (Kristin and Jesse have an amazing collection) that I would probably never rent (I'm talking the girliest of girly movies) and eat a chile relleno that could possibly go down in the records for being the best chile relleno I've ever had--thank you El Gallo Giro! And though I have dog hair on every inch of clothing that I brought over here, I've had the pleasure of sharing this lovely house with Bailey, Cisco, and Hannah--the comfort of having the animals around was enough to make up for the hair. I'm ready to get back to my own apartment and finish getting my art on the wall, books put away, and my cooking/exercise regimine underway, but there's a small part of me that will miss this house and the pets!

(The best news of this stay is that I just found out that one can find El Gallo Giro in Boise as well as Kuna...mmmmmm.....)