5/20---prepster in my bathtub

  shirt & necklace--j.crew/ blazer--aeo/ belt--target/ black cords--blank nyc from piperlime/ tights--no clue/ shoes-- ross.       fun fact: the top 2 pics were taken one after the other, first without then with the flash. it looks like a totally different time of day. crazy, huh? also, i have no idea why i thought taking this picture in the bath tub would be a good idea. i put it up here to shame me into never doing it again.

I cannot keep this a secret any longer....................

I found the BEST recipe for turkey burgers EVER. Seriously. I know you're all like, "No, my grandma does!" Newsflash: Your grandma doesn't even know what a turkey burger is! And neither did I, really, until I tried out this incredible goodness.

Turkey Burgers with Zucchini (a.k.a. Best TurkBurgs in the Land!!!)
via Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 5, Calories: 156 (without bun)

• 1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 small zucchini, grated 
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp red onion, grated (I used a yellow onion)
• salt and fresh pepper
• oil spray 

Directions:

In a large bowl,

combine

ground turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

Make

5 equal patties.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through.

If grilling, clean grill well before cooking and spray with oil spray to prevent sticking. 

We used King's Hawaiian buns, added a slice of muenster cheese, some sauteed mushrooms, and sliced tomatoes, and it was perfection.

4/20---typical tuesday night at the club

 Ya'll, I was up in da club last night! 
(I went to Book Club last night.)

It was off the chizzle, fo' rizzle! 

(There was a pretty good turnout, especially for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.)

The drinks was dope! And the ladies...mmm. 

(We enjoyed ice water and chocolate truffles, and all of the ladies were very witty and cordial.)

I was in my zone fo' sho!, and the conversation was reeeeeal nice, if you know what I mean. 

(I got to pick the book this month, and the conversation was really nice. It really was.)
 

Some of da ladies wasn't feelin' what I was layin' down, so I had to smack a sistah and remind her what's up.
 (A few of the ladies weren't crazy about the book. But a few well-versed arguments helped them to see the greater good in the literature.)

The jams was bumpin', and I gotta say, this club is the shiz, yo! I will be back for some mo'! 

(Everyone was very chatty and generally liked the book, so I think it was a very successful Book Club. I will definitely be going next month!)

I jus' 'bout hit up home boy for some of da good stuff, ya know, but I was feelin' too fly to talk business. So I bounced back to my hood for a little 'freshment.

(I thought about stopping at Shipley's to pick up a dozen donuts, but it would just make running on the treadmill that much harder. So I opted to go home and get a good night's sleep instead.)

My main squeeze was all trippin' like "Shawty, where you been?" I didn't front. I was like, "Boo, I was up in da CLUB tonight!"

(Clint was still studying when I got home and couldn't be distracted, so I slipped out to exercise. Later on he asked me how Book Club was, and I regaled him with tales of its greatness.)

*****Some stories are just better told in a clubbin' voice, ya know?*****

I know I have been very awful about posting, and I most definitely have failed at the Blazer Days posts. But I intend to be better about it. At least until Christmas madness begins.

Earrings- gifted (originally from Charming Charlie's); White Blouse- NY&Company; Gray Throw-Over- Alternative from Piperlime; Blazer- thrifted; Jeans- Miss Me; Boots- Steve Madden from Nordstrom

P.S. That face in the first picture is an authentic makeup face. I do it every time. I have tried to quit it, but I just can't. Do you do a weirdo makeup face that your significant other chuckles at?

games with boys

 

 I play this game with Husband called Read My Mind or Else.

It goes something like this: I am feeling a certain emotion or thinking a particular thought. Man-spouse has to guess the thought and act accordingly. If he does not guess the thought, he loses. If he guesses the thought but doesn't act accordingly, he loses. If he guesses the thought and acts accordingly but it's not done in a timely manner, he loses. If he loses, I get to pout for anywhere from 10 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the importance of the emotion/thought he was unable to guess and act upon in a timely fashion. Simple enough, right!?

Needless to say, it's one of our favorite games*.

Unfortunately Clint is not the only boy I have played this game with. Poor fellas. But is it really so much to ask for someone to just read your mind a little bit? I mean, it's not like I was asking total randos to read my mind! It was always someone I was dating or especially great dating-kinda friends with. So, really, shouldn't the reading of the mind thing kind of come with the territory* (except they should never have expected me to read theirs because--come on-- who ever knows what the male half is thinking, really?).

For example, when I tell boy, "I am going on a very long far-away trip in 3 months and there's no way of stopping me," he should probably infer, "There are 3 months to stop me from going on a very long far-away trip. Bring it on!" Or if maybe I said, "Check, please. I'll pay for dinner with my gift card" that probably meant "If it weren't 20 degrees outside, I would walk home right now. And maybe I still will. Yes, I'm that ticked off right now." Or when I say "Yeah, actually I've always had a fear of commitment. Did I ever tell you that?" he should read as, "Oh wait, that was you. Now you can watch me be super-happy without you." Or if I say, "Well, I'm pretty sure I won't be the most beautiful woman ever in a wedding dress" what I really mean is "This is a very awkward subject for a first date. Please stop talking now." And if I'd hypothetically answered "Um. Okay" when boy hypothetically asked if he could put his arm around me, it hypothetically should have been read as, "This is only okay if you are not currently making plans to get engaged to another girl who will soon be graduating from high school." Hypothetically.

If you must know, Clint is not perfect at this game. And if he were, I would find other ways to get that pout-time in. Because that's my prerogative as Woman of the House. But he is pretty darn good at it these days. Clint has always been the best at it. That's how he won*, and now we're married (What a lucky guy!)

But seriously, I started thinking about this whole thing a couple of weeks ago. Our fishies had just died. Clint had to go to the study hole to get important things done, and I laid my little depressed self on our bed in our dark room in the fetal position and cried a little. Then I started playing the game. Except it was way less fair than usual, because Clint was in another room, and the only things I said were in my mind. Yep. In my mind I said, "If this is true love Clint will hear this. Clint come in here. I need you. ClintClintClintClintClintClintClint..."

And you know what? He came! TRUE LOVE!

For the record, I am so glad that little experiment worked, but I would not recommend it to other couples as a test of true love. Just in case you were thinking about it.

(*) These are remarks that should not be taken at face value. Kthanksbye.

because i'm an expert

...on all things sappy, I will be attending the Breaking Dawn movie (possibly and pathetically alone) tomorrow afternoon. But because I love America (Bachelor's in Am Studies, rightch'ere!) and because I feel like writing all the thoughts that no one wants to hear from me today (because it's not about fashion, duh!) I will now give you my opinion on the politics of Mitt Romney and the elephant in the room that every one is actually really okay talking about, particularly when they have an audience. (I'm referring to his "Mormon issues"--at least that's what the cool kids are calling it these days.) The reason why I am even discussing this is because this kind of defamation has occurred in the past (with John F. Kennedy, for example) and will doubtless occur again. I think it is very important to discern a valid defamation from an invalid one in order to pass judgment wisely.

I will present to you my thesis but only after this small disclaimer. (I wasn't allowed disclaimers in college English classes, but I am an expert at them since becoming a Relief Society teacher. And this is my blog. So I will do whatever I darn well want to (except I won't replace darn with the real word I want to say, because I am still a lady, after all.))

Disclaimer: I will be voting for Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential Elections (if he makes it past the primaries, that is. If he doesn't, then I will be voting for an Independent on whom I'm not yet decided at the moment, but that's beside the point.) My decision is not based on his religion (although, I do give him a few brownie points for that, too). You may roll your eyes at this exactly one time. Get it out of your system. (Now stop doing that. It freaks me out. And I'm trying to be serious right now, can't you tell??? (Three question marks equals Business Time.)) My decision is based on his family history of social and political activism, his demeanor and debate capabilities, and the large majority (but not all) of his political platforms. I also believe a president should look intelligent, sound intelligent, and act intelligently. Not all of those facets have been met for quite some time in our history, and I think he is closest of the current candidates to almost consistently doing just that. (In case you are wondering, I believe President Obama has the first two facets going for him.)

Okay, now you know where I stand, so we can begin.

Inspired by this article from the Washington Post, I argue that using the history of the Mormon church (particularly the issue of "racism" as it pertains to the church's history) as a platform to defame Mitt Romney is not only poor form, but it is irrelevant.

When Bill Clinton and George W. Bush ran for president, did we debate whether as Southern natives they had left behind the heart-wrenching history of Southern white Protestant racial prejudice? Did we delve into Episcopal and Baptist beliefs and history to root out any antiquated dogma? Did we ask them whether they agreed with the practice their ancestors had of owning slaves and then forcing their slaves to give up their own religion and become "Christians"?

No, we didn't. Because that's dumb. Any one man or woman cannot be held responsible for the history of an entire group, especially a man who has never once claimed to be a spokesperson for that group. If you want to interrogate someone about Mormonism, ask the prophet of the church. He is the spokesperson. Mitt Romney is not. Mitt Romney is a politician, and although his faith lies in the gospel preached in the LDS church, he does not claim to answer for the church nor is he a fan of all parts the church's history. On that note, neither am I. But neither are most members of most religions worldwide. Every religion grows and changes with the times.The real test of a man is if will he grow with it.

But I have digressed slightly, the point is that Mitt Romney should not have to answer for the tenants of his faith and the history thereof. Who he prays to at night and what church he attends on Sunday is not what will dictate what bills he will push to have enacted or what his foreign relations policy will look like. Democrats are widely known to be pro separation of Church and State. So learn to practice what you preach and separate them, folks. Republicans are the more conservative sector of the country. So take a conservative look at the facts, and then judge, why don't ya?

What I'm saying is that what we are seeing happen to Mitt Romney is called muck-raking. And muck-raking is unflattering. And when poorly executed, muck-raking becomes disgusting. I don't care if you like Mitt Romney or not. I don't care if you vote for him or not. What I do care about is on what the people of this country are basing their decisions. If we want to continue to live up to the view held by many individuals around the world that Americans are lazy and ignorant, then we will continue to rake that muck and love it.

I think that's enough politics for me for one morning. I hope admitting to loving the Twilight series didn't discredit my argument before it started. But if it did, then so be it. I am more than happy to hear your thoughts on this. I am admittedly not an expert on politics and love to learn new things if the new things are relevant to the argument.

I was not looking for a fight when I wrote this. So please do share, but please remember that you are talking with a friend and keep the language clean. Thank you.

slow wife of a fast kid

So... I made myself a little profile on FastRunningBlog.com. This is probably the funniest thing I have ever done considering (a) I'm not all that funny to begin with and (b) the verb Run and I are not good friends. At all. I guess you could call us frienemies. This is doubly funny because I have had only one person-frienemy in my whole life, and she has nothing to do with running. She probably dislikes it as well, which gives us one more checkpoint in the Awkward Things We Have in Common column. But that's beside the point. Check out my sweet elliptical stats here!

I have a long history of starting workout routines, sweating, and immediately giving up thereafter. Tuesday was Day 2 of a new routine I just made up called Running for the Rest of My Life, and I was feeling pretty strong as I strut over to our tiny apartment gym. Let me paint a picture of the gym for you: 15'x20', 1 ceiling fan circulating on low, 1 big screen TV set up high so as not to be reached without a working remote, and 1 working elliptical. There are a few other cardio machines and a small plot of land for the weight machines, but the elliptical is generally my weapon of choice.

Now that you know what it's like... I go to punch in my code to the outside door and happen to catch a glimpse of the inhabitants of the gym right before entering. There are already FIVE whole people up in there! And 3/5 of them are super sweaty already. I was about to turn back, but I said unto myself, "No! Arnold Schwarzenegger never said this would be easy, just that it would be worth it!" Then I contemplated Kate Bosworth's abs in "Blue Crush" and how mine didn't look anything like that.

And suddenly I was in the gym, on the elliptical, stationed behind the sweatiest girl I had ever seen. She literally appeared to have dumped a gallon of water on herself from the neck down. I had seen her before. I one time tried to race her when she came in to run on the treadmill.

I'm pretty sure she won.

I have since named her Robin, because Husband and I agree that she looks like Robin Hood. Not so much the fox one. Not really the Men in Tights one. Not the Kevin Costner one. And definitely not the Russell Crowe one. So I'm not really sure what brought us to that conclusion. It just happened.

Robin is great motivation, though. She has the body of a slim 5'4" soccer player. And definitely the hair of one, too. After she got done with what I can only assume to have been a few hours of cardio, she hopped right on back to the weights. She and the huge dude in the back needed the same dumbbells at one point, and things got a little awkward. But she quickly moved onto several sets of serious crunches.

I am determined that the next time I see her, I will make her my friend. She can teach me how to be hardcore, and I can teach her... well, nothing. But that's how lots of gym friendships are, right?... I am contemplating hiring Miss Robin as my personal workout cheerleader. Not that she would ever agree to that due to the depth of her hardcoreness, but it is a motivating thought.

Robin, I'm soooo tired! And I'm all sticky! Puhleasey can I have some water?!

Cut the crap, fattycakes! You see these unbelievably sculpted calves? See these toned, photoshop-like abs? See these immaculately cropped brunette soccer woman locks of awesomeness? I didn't get where I am by being a wimp and drinking no darn water, that's for darn sure! (Except I imagine her not exactly saying wimp or darn...)

We would make such a good team!

And now a Before and After...

Trying to touch my toes. It will never work. I promise.

***Update: Day 3 of Running for the Rest of My Life was slightly less successful due to Robin's absence. But I went. I ellipticaled. I took a shower. So all in all I would say, Yay for Third-Day-Consistency!

pillar of salt

Today is for looking back.

Two years ago McKay left this earth. Two years ago the world seemed to open up and swallow what was left of reason and fairness. The calendar says this, but it feels like yesterday. And also feels like never---like a dream that I woke up from quickly but have continued to replay until the details have clouded or focused as much as they ever will.

Life moves on as it always has.

Are we happy now? Yeah, I think most of the time we are. But we miss our little guy. He is in everything we do and everything we are, but he isn't there to look at or laugh with or to smile that smile...

----------

Today is for looking back. But it's purposeful. Today says, "Be kind." Be so kind today and tomorrow and all the days after that. Then all the looking back will be sweet and short and will inspire the moving forward that the world seems to push for so naturally.

a sad story

We had fish friends.

We bought them on Monday.

We gave them names.

We gave them a home.

Then they died.

Rest in Peace, Ferdinand & Prince Phillip.

We really did have good intentions when we adopted you.

I want you to know that, even though we didn't know each other that well yet, I cried when you died.

Now we have a cheerless, waterless vase with gold pebbles and a fake plant where you used to roam.

I am not yet to the anger stage of my grief, 

but I feel it coming on.