Rants, Recipes, and Running

What does February 14th mean to you? Is it a day of celebrating love? Do you spend lovely night with your significant other celebrating your love? Do you spend the day cursing lovers, wishing dead flowers and moldy chocolate on others? Is it simply a day that passes? I will enlighten you that around A.D. 496, goats and dogs were sacrified. And people celebrated purification and fertility where you they dipped sheeps wool in milk. I think I'd take the modern-day roses over the milky sweater, personally.  Before I met Ryan.... Valentines Day was a day of anticipation, followed by devastation at the end of the day when you had that final epiphany that, "Okay, clearly I am not loved. I have no flowers." It was also disappointing to me as a young child, as I wasn't very creative about making the "Valentines Day Boxes". I'd work hard the night before, wrapping shoe boxes in construction paper. I'd feel so proud and excited. Then I'd get to school...

Well, two weeks have past and I have 4 weeks to go until I get to see Ryan again! I must admit that the time is flying. I often say "time flies when you're having fun". That's not really the case. Time also flies when you're working your a$$ off! I purposely signed myself up to work over time during this time. I purposely have been teaching a lot of fitness classes during this time. I purposely have been signing up for additional projects at work. I purposely have myself super busy to distract me from missing Ryan. The end result? I'm kind of tired! When I came home from work last week one night with a 101 fever and a massive headache - I realized that I needed to rest a little. So I listened to my body and slept from 7:30 pm until 5:30 am the next morning. It was glorious! One thing that has dawned on me during this time is, although Ryan used to travel quite a lot for work before, I've never really lived alone. I went from living with my parents, to ...

I've had some deep posts lately, so I'm going to lighten things up today and talk about what has made me smile lately. Pomegranates . They're in season, and they're delicious. They are great with feta and spinach. This is the 1st year I've started using them. And oddly enough, I find cutting a pomegranate kind of relaxing.  Cold temperatures . Everyone else in my town is miserable, and I'm smiling ear to ear. I love soup, sweaters, warm pajamas, and hot tea. Running . Cool temps + training for a Ragnar race = lots of running. Makes me smile. Blissful last evenings. Ryan will be leaving soon -- and we both know that. So every moment we get together is savored, pleasant, and happy. Teaches me a little lesson about "savoring the moment". Incense . I've been on an incense-burning kick lately. It makes me feel calm. My days off . The ER's across the country are insane right now. Flu season + post-Christmas season (people try to wait through...

Day 1 of Operation Deep Freeze is over. I can't help but snicker when this happens here in Southern Arizona. Out temperatures hit 24 during the night, and the media and citizens pop a hernia over it. However, when I lived in North Dakota -- and night of only dropping to 24 meant spring is coming! In the defense of the desert rats, the ramifications are a little different here when it gets cold. We have constantly running pool pumps. We grow gardens year round. Our pipes are only a few feet under the ground. So if your pipes are not well-wrapped and insulated -- you will not be showering in the morning. I am speaking from experience. 2 years ago, I was unaware of this side effect of Tucson's deep freezes and didn't get to take a shower in the morning due to frozen pipes. So far, the only damage is a dead geranium plant and a frozen Tulsi Tea plant. I pray I can revive the Tulsi plant! Love my fresh tea. So enough "cold" talk....let's talk about somethin...

Is it really a new year? I didn't even get to make my bullet-point list of goals for the next year. I know one shouldn't make excuses for themselves, as it's a nasty habit. However, December wiped me out. Our house literally became the revolving door for entertaining, hosting christmas shin-digs, you name it! It didn't stop until the clock striked 12 on 01/01/13. And I realized, "Shoot, it started and I didn't even make any resolutions". (But I will say the month of December was an absolute BLAST. I love Christmas season!) Another large influence for my lack of setting any goals is the big life-changer that is about to happen in....3 weeks. I kiss my best friend and love of my life goodbye. The 1st 6 weeks, he's allowed 1 phone call home. For the past 6 years, I don't think we've gone a single day without at least exchanging texts. Although the past 1.5 years he's traveled a lot and we've had months where he's out of town more th...

So today I'm not delivering a recipe (although I'm due for one). I'm not talking about running. I come to you with a rant. (Hence the name of my blog). I am not going to apologize in advance. However, I will place a warning. Some may find this a senstive subject. Some may think I'm being rude. I also want any people who know my on a person-basis to know I'm not directing this at any one person. In fact, as I deliver my disclaimer, I pray that maybe this turns a light bulb on. I hope this knocks some common sense. I hope this teaches some God-forsaken common courtesy. You know, manners. (Here comes the sass) I start by asking a simple question. Have you ever been sick? Have you ever felt so sick that all you yearn to do is lay your head down...be it a pillow, a germ-infested-stiff-moldy-airport chair, or a bathroom floor? You don't feel like talking about it, because all you want to do is lay down. Now imagine feeling that way because you have the flu, y...

One of the biggest struggles I've always faced is letting my concern and worry for what's to come, affect my current state of mind. I got in that run this week, and am giving myself an offical swift kick in the you-know-what to snap out of that! I've been distracted lately. A lot of big changes face my future - and although they are exciting changes. All change comes with some form of compromise. As some of you know....my husband got a pilot spot with the Air Force, and will be starting training in January. The 1st 5 months, he will cycle through being gone 6 weeks, home for a few, gone 6 weeks, home for a few. Then in June, he moves to Mississippi for 13 months for UPT school -- where he officially trains on the jets. (But will then return to Tucson :D) Here are the options I have: a) Stay in Tucson. Keep my job that I love. Man the house solo. Live on the completely other side of the country from my husband and best friend. Miss out on a huge part of his life. Eve...