Hello Darlings...
You knew this was coming, right? I mean if I'm going to blog Katy Perry songs this one had to make the list because you all know I love me my LGBT people...
but here's where you wonder if I have some sort of confession to make...
Well I am sorry to burst your bubble but this is not where I tell you I have actually (romantically) kissed a girl...not that I find one thing wrong with that...it's just that I haven't met a girl I wanted to kiss..and I like men...
although I guess if I was to kiss a girl it would be Katy Perry and I don't care if that is totally cliche or not...
But this is where I go all "let's piss off the peoples" on you and get on my soapbox and give my opinion on something...
MY BLOG
MY OPINION
Yes...it's a blog about something controversial
actually it ticks me off to say it is controversial because it shouldn't be...but for some the subject matter will be...
because this blog is about gay rights...
that's right people...I'm going there again...
MY BLOG
MY OPINON
The last time I did this I got unfriended by a few people and some argued with me...my feelings weren't hurt because if they wanted to unfriend me for my beliefs maybe we weren't really friends...and I always welcome the view from the other side but remember...
(See blog "Freedom 90" for my previous foray into this subject)
MY BLOG
MY OPINON
So sit down and open your mind for a minute if it is closed and if you support gay rights please wave those rainbow colored pompoms...
I have a lot of gay friends...I'm not going to list them here because that would be to label them...and I don't like labels much...If I listed my gay friends I would also have to list who is blonde because to me I have so many other ways to describe them than who they sleep with...
I don't want someone to label me by who I sleep with...
which currently would be the label: NO ONE
And although it doesn't bother me to be in the "none" or "single" category I don't really want that to be the most interesting thing about me...
I believe in gay marriage.
I believe that if two men want to get married, or two women want to get married they have as much a right to as I do...
I don't really plan to get married again.
I had my "one and done" and since I am not having any more kids I really don't see the need to...but I have friends who would like to have that option.
Some want the label of "married"...they want to check that box that says "married" on forms...to say we are "Mr. and Mr."...to call each other "wife" or "husband"...
some want/need the tax benefits
and frankly I do not want to see one more gay couple have to face the pain of inheritance tax crap after they have just lost the one they love...that is just...well the word I want to use is not for a lady to say
I find it unfair that just because I was married to someone of the opposite sex that had I died while we were still married he could have inherited my estate without all the taxes that a gay couple would have pay just because they couldn't legally marry...
If a gay couple was together for 50 years is it right that if one spouse dies the other one has to pay a huge tax because they aren't recognized as legally the spouse? Or , heaven forbid, if one died without a will the partner/spouse then might not inherit anything?
That's just wrong people...
And I am glad things are changing and more and more states are beginning to recognize same-sex marriages.
I don't want to have a fight about Christianity with this either...that is so much of a subject of fire and brimstone that I don't really want to touch it here and somehow it always gets nasty or hurtful. I have a lot of Christian friends that are flat-out against it...and others that are like me that feel that it is wrong to deny them the right.
You can't control who someone else loves by making something illegal...
you can't control who someone loves...period...
My point is this: is it really going to hurt you if my friends in same-sex relationships get married?
It won't diminish your marriage or marriage in general...it just means that people who love each other can have a legal union just like straight couples can.
This all got stirred around in my head again because Houston passed an ordinance against discrimination and along with non-descrimination because of race, creed, and sex that sexual orientation and gender identity got put into it.
So it got some people in an uproar.
Heaven forbid that you had to hire a gay person to work for you...if not for gay people there would be a whole helluva lot less fabulousness and style in this world...so think about that next time you get your hair done...(ok that was cliche but frankly I think gay men do a great job of making women look good)
and I know many LGBT people in careers far outside of fashion, etc...does it really matter who someone sleeps with if they are the person who does your taxes or gives you your yearly checkup?
When I was trying to figure out the uproar about this I came across two things that made me pat myself on my darling little head because I couldn't figure out why someone would say these things...
1) I saw a comment that said "it will now force clergy to perform same-sex marriages and it goes against their religious beliefs"...
wow
I really don't know any couples---gay or otherwise---who would want to be married by someone who is hostile and forced to perform it. Why would you? A marriage should be a happy celebration and no one wants to be married by someone who is against it. I'm sure if a same-sex couple went to a member of the clergy of their church/synagogue of choice and that person said "I am opposed to your marriage" that they would find someone else to perform the marriage.
But that was an argument against it...
The other...and this one really made me pat my darling head...
2) a pervert could now pose as a transgendered person and go into a public restroom and molest someone
double wow
This person was more worried about someone posing as transgendered (note I say "posing" here because the point of this would be that the pervert was not a transgender but faking it for the sake of access to molest) than the fact that a pervert could go into a restroom (which they can and do all the time ordinance or not).
REAL transgender people are just seeking to use a restroom comfortably.
I think men would likely be more disturbed by a transgender man in a dress coming into the men's room than a woman would be if that same person entered the ladies room.
I don't really care who is peeing next to me as long as I have my own privacy.
And frankly I have known some drag queens and transgendered people who could give me some tips on how to look as gorgeous as they do so I wouldn't mind washing my hands next to a drag queen or transgendered woman...in fact I once had a waitress who offered to stay late and give me a lesson on how she did her eyes...she was born "Bruce" but called herself "Paloma" but all I saw was fabulousness...
I have a wonderful dear old friend who has a beautiful family. (Mind you when I say old it is not because he is old but rather we have been friends for pretty much our whole lives and our moms were friends, etc...).
He has a handsome awesome husband and two gorgeous twin boys.
The only thing I can find to hate about him is not his sexuality...far from it...what I do hate about him is that we are literally almost the same age and he looks so darn much better than I do. Damn man...like he still looks like we did in college.
I'm happy he lives in a state where he can be legally married to his fabulous husband and that they are able to have a family...I know he is an amazing dad not just by what I see/hear but also due to the fact that more than maybe 20 or 20 million times when we were in college he had to clean up the mess that was me. Poor thing...but he handled me pretty well so I am pretty darn sure he can handle kindergarteners...and trust me I am not far from being a kindergartener...
It would break my heart for him not to have this amazing life he leads because he is gay...and he is not my only friend who is in this position.
All I am saying here is to keep an open mind...
I love all my friends and I want everyone to be loved and happy...and frankly I can't wait until the day I can go to a gay or lesbian wedding here in Texas...because then it would mean that all of my friends can get married...
I don't have any say so on who someone else loves so why should anyone else?
Because isn't that what is really is about...love?
I'd say I am sorry if I upset anyone...but sorry, I am not sorry...I just want to see this country be fair to all of its citizens...
ok stepping off my soapbox again...but you never know when I might climb back on again
MY BLOG
MY OPINION
Inspiration Song: "I Kissed a Girl"...that's the first song I really got to know Katy with...I may not kiss girls but I know girls who do and I think it is just fine...
Bye Darlings---free your minds...accept humans as humans and not by labels...let everyone love because love is all we need...(and yes, I just got two song titles into that last little bit...)
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Firework
Hello Darlings...
I'm holding myself to 7 Katy Perry songs...so far this makes 5...it has pushed me creatively to try and do this and it did get me inspired for my shows for this school year but it has been a challenge to figure out what a want to write about to make it fit...but that is why I did this for the challenge...and I am all about a challenge...
So with that I give you...
FIREWORK
Last Saturday I had the privilege of getting to attend a new instructor's community ride at Revolution Studio. A community ride is a free ride the studio offers when a new instructor is being introduced to the studio as a solo instructor.
KuteKim opened Revolution with the vision of making indoor cycling not just fun but to inspire, empower and transform the riders. It is a great vision and she has it nailed. But to be an instructor at Rev you have to be able to do so much more than put on some music and tell the riders to "put on some tension and run"...
To be an excellent indoor cycle instructor takes training...a lot of training...
Anyone can be an instructor...but note that I said to be an EXCELLENT instructor it takes training...that is why even though I do have a few indoor cycle certifications I am far from qualified to really teach cycle because it takes more than passing a test...it takes work...it takes commitment. JayVee is constantly taking new classes and training and I know the instructors are Rev don't just teach they take classes as well to keep on top of their game.
KuteKim wants her instructors to not only be excellent but to take it to the next level...so if you are going to take the stage at Rev you are going to go through months and months of training and co-teaching. And only when an instructor is fully trained is she/he allowed to climb on that bike on the stage and lead a class.
It really is a coronation of sorts...and last Saturday was particularly fitting because BeautifulBertha, who we refer to as Queen B, was leading her first class on her own.
She.killed.it.
Like...it was amazing...
She rocked us out...and at the end of the class we were overjoyed to cheer her on as we took that tension off the bikes and got ready to cool down.
I cried...
I was super proud of her...she has become a friend and when you watch your friend reach her goal and dream you can't help but burst with joy.
She was beautiful up there...she was beaming...the rest of the Rev team was glowing with pride and she was an inspiration to us all...
QueenB...you deserve your crown...and I can't wait to clip in and rock out with you again...
So now you are sitting here reading this saying "here she goes again with the spinning"...but I promise I am getting to a point...
so bear with me...
Football season has started...my son sometimes spends up to 6 hours at the school for practice, training, conditioning, etc (and yes, there are rest periods and snacks). Football takes a lot of work if you are going to put on those varsity colors and start hitting people.
He has great coaches and plays with his friends. They are a team. They work together for that win...
But after football comes wrestling.
Wrestling is different...
Wrestling is man to man.
You are on a team but when you are on the mat it is just you and the other guy.
All you have to rely on is your body and your training.
Wrestling may look like two boys/men out there rolling around on a mat but it is so much more than that. I'm talking about REAL wrestling here not the entertainment that WWE is...
My son spends hours learning and perfecting his moves. There are specific holds and things you can do to counter those holds...ways to get out of things and how to avoid being pinned.
My son hates to get pinned
It rarely happens and when he does he gets pretty mad...he would rather lose on points...
When he started wrestling I said "oh! Will you learn how to do Full Nelson?"
The Cutest Boy in the World just looked at me and sighed and said "Mom, that is totally illegal"
So much for what I knew about wrestling...and frankly after all the wrestling I have watched over the past 5 years you would think I know a lot more but sadly I don't...
To me it just looks like 2 guys rolling around on a mat
But I know the hours and training my son has put into it and I know that it is so much more than that.
My son's freshman year in high school he placed 3rd in a state championship meet. Not bad for a freshman kid who was in the largest (number of athletes not the heaviest weight) weight class.
When he came off the mat he was sweaty and bloody...his mouth was bleeding because he bit his tongue or cut something... he thought it was the other boy's blood but I reminded him he was not a vampire and had not bitten the boy. He smiled a bloody smile and I cried with pride. Because I know how hard he trained to get there and I remembered him as a 7 year old boy telling his camp counselor that he would like to wrestle for him.
His camp counselor ended up being his wrestling coach...my son told him at camp he would wrestle for him and he did...and he did coach proud.
He got hurt at the start of the season last year but they still made him captain for this year and next because even when he wasn't on the mat he still trained and helped coach and inspire his team mates. He's honored they have made him captain and it was something he has wanted since he started high school.
Being well trained and taught can make your goals happen.
That is why I took the training I did for indoor cycle...not to teach but to be well-trained enough to ride better...to ride stronger...to ride smarter.
And so when I was leaving after that great community ride I got to thinking about how cool it is when someone commits to learn to do something and then does it.
My friend MarvelousMargaret put her "bucket list" of things she wanted to try on Facebook the other day. She asked who wants to do these things with her.
We all wanted to take the wine tasting class....no surprise there...
But she had a lot of other fun things on there and I told her I would try "archery" with her.
I don't think for one moment I will become Katniss Everdeen by learning how to shoot a bow and arrow (and I have done it before at camp but I was terrible at it) but I do think it will be fun and sort of empowering to learn how to do that...
and yeah maybe I will braid my hair and try to channel my inner Jennifer Lawrence badass-ness and pretend I am Katniss...but what I am excited about its that MarvelousMargaret is inspiring me to try and learn something that is sorta outside my wheelhouse.
And I also plan to take some shooting classes with KuteKaren so get ready people...I may just be the most dangerous woman you know...
I'm turning 50 in a few months (don't worry I plan to make all of you know it so I can get through it...but for now lets just say it is coming...) so I like the idea of learning something new...or of improving skills I have...and to train up...
When I sub teach I can honestly say I am not sure I really teach the kids anything...especially if it is math...but I do try my very best to help the kids and to inspire them to work harder for their teachers (one of my favorite things is when I get to sub on test review days and I challenge the kids to make awesome grades and bring them a prize the next time). But I would like to be a better teacher...so I spend time trying to learn more and I always meet with the teacher when it is a scheduled sub time (like a teacher going to conference) so that I can be fully prepared for the kids.
I train some moms at the school on how to teach some of the art history lessons they teach the kids. It's a very cool program and it takes a lot of prep work to teach a lesson on Picasso...or Monet...or cave paintings. I try to not just teach the moms the lessons but HOW to teach the lessons and how to keep the kids engaged. I don't just want to say "this is the Monet lesson", I want to teach them how to get those kids to want to learn about Monet...(don't even get me started on Bernini....but if you want to know I will tell you...). I want to train them up so that they aren't just regurgitating a lesson to they kids...
And when I work with my high school kids doing costumes I make sure I teach my student team how to think for themselves and how to work the costume changes as if I wasn't there...my goal is for them to feel like they are in charge...and so far I have let them because they have done a great job. My sweet MOD showed me the way (and she was the student!) but I think I taught her how to feel a little more in charge of it and we had a great time. I want the kids to have fun doing what we do and take pride when they see the cast up there in what we have put on them. I don't dictate with my girls...I let them make decisions and figure things out---I want them to LEARN from it and not just do what I tell them.
I like to teach others but now I am finding I am back to the point in my life where I want to learn some new things myself...
So here is my challenge to you...inspired by my son, Queen B, and MarvelousMargaret...
Think of something you want to do...something you want to learn...something you want to get better at...
and then do it
It doesn't matter what it is...just challenge yourself to grow...
Because as my girl Katy says:'
Read more: Katy Perry - Firework Lyrics | MetroLyrics
I want to inspire you to grow...to be a better you....
Inspiration Song: "Firework" by Katy Perry. The lyrics to this song are some of my favorite lyrics to any song...I find them empowering and inspiring..,
Bye Darlings...be a firework and let your colors burst...and leave em all in awe...we all know I love to do that and I want to light up the sky with all of our beautiful colors....
I'm holding myself to 7 Katy Perry songs...so far this makes 5...it has pushed me creatively to try and do this and it did get me inspired for my shows for this school year but it has been a challenge to figure out what a want to write about to make it fit...but that is why I did this for the challenge...and I am all about a challenge...
So with that I give you...
FIREWORK
Last Saturday I had the privilege of getting to attend a new instructor's community ride at Revolution Studio. A community ride is a free ride the studio offers when a new instructor is being introduced to the studio as a solo instructor.
KuteKim opened Revolution with the vision of making indoor cycling not just fun but to inspire, empower and transform the riders. It is a great vision and she has it nailed. But to be an instructor at Rev you have to be able to do so much more than put on some music and tell the riders to "put on some tension and run"...
To be an excellent indoor cycle instructor takes training...a lot of training...
Anyone can be an instructor...but note that I said to be an EXCELLENT instructor it takes training...that is why even though I do have a few indoor cycle certifications I am far from qualified to really teach cycle because it takes more than passing a test...it takes work...it takes commitment. JayVee is constantly taking new classes and training and I know the instructors are Rev don't just teach they take classes as well to keep on top of their game.
KuteKim wants her instructors to not only be excellent but to take it to the next level...so if you are going to take the stage at Rev you are going to go through months and months of training and co-teaching. And only when an instructor is fully trained is she/he allowed to climb on that bike on the stage and lead a class.
It really is a coronation of sorts...and last Saturday was particularly fitting because BeautifulBertha, who we refer to as Queen B, was leading her first class on her own.
She.killed.it.
Like...it was amazing...
She rocked us out...and at the end of the class we were overjoyed to cheer her on as we took that tension off the bikes and got ready to cool down.
I cried...
I was super proud of her...she has become a friend and when you watch your friend reach her goal and dream you can't help but burst with joy.
She was beautiful up there...she was beaming...the rest of the Rev team was glowing with pride and she was an inspiration to us all...
QueenB...you deserve your crown...and I can't wait to clip in and rock out with you again...
So now you are sitting here reading this saying "here she goes again with the spinning"...but I promise I am getting to a point...
so bear with me...
Football season has started...my son sometimes spends up to 6 hours at the school for practice, training, conditioning, etc (and yes, there are rest periods and snacks). Football takes a lot of work if you are going to put on those varsity colors and start hitting people.
He has great coaches and plays with his friends. They are a team. They work together for that win...
But after football comes wrestling.
Wrestling is different...
Wrestling is man to man.
You are on a team but when you are on the mat it is just you and the other guy.
All you have to rely on is your body and your training.
Wrestling may look like two boys/men out there rolling around on a mat but it is so much more than that. I'm talking about REAL wrestling here not the entertainment that WWE is...
My son spends hours learning and perfecting his moves. There are specific holds and things you can do to counter those holds...ways to get out of things and how to avoid being pinned.
My son hates to get pinned
It rarely happens and when he does he gets pretty mad...he would rather lose on points...
When he started wrestling I said "oh! Will you learn how to do Full Nelson?"
The Cutest Boy in the World just looked at me and sighed and said "Mom, that is totally illegal"
So much for what I knew about wrestling...and frankly after all the wrestling I have watched over the past 5 years you would think I know a lot more but sadly I don't...
To me it just looks like 2 guys rolling around on a mat
But I know the hours and training my son has put into it and I know that it is so much more than that.
My son's freshman year in high school he placed 3rd in a state championship meet. Not bad for a freshman kid who was in the largest (number of athletes not the heaviest weight) weight class.
When he came off the mat he was sweaty and bloody...his mouth was bleeding because he bit his tongue or cut something... he thought it was the other boy's blood but I reminded him he was not a vampire and had not bitten the boy. He smiled a bloody smile and I cried with pride. Because I know how hard he trained to get there and I remembered him as a 7 year old boy telling his camp counselor that he would like to wrestle for him.
His camp counselor ended up being his wrestling coach...my son told him at camp he would wrestle for him and he did...and he did coach proud.
He got hurt at the start of the season last year but they still made him captain for this year and next because even when he wasn't on the mat he still trained and helped coach and inspire his team mates. He's honored they have made him captain and it was something he has wanted since he started high school.
Being well trained and taught can make your goals happen.
That is why I took the training I did for indoor cycle...not to teach but to be well-trained enough to ride better...to ride stronger...to ride smarter.
And so when I was leaving after that great community ride I got to thinking about how cool it is when someone commits to learn to do something and then does it.
My friend MarvelousMargaret put her "bucket list" of things she wanted to try on Facebook the other day. She asked who wants to do these things with her.
We all wanted to take the wine tasting class....no surprise there...
But she had a lot of other fun things on there and I told her I would try "archery" with her.
I don't think for one moment I will become Katniss Everdeen by learning how to shoot a bow and arrow (and I have done it before at camp but I was terrible at it) but I do think it will be fun and sort of empowering to learn how to do that...
and yeah maybe I will braid my hair and try to channel my inner Jennifer Lawrence badass-ness and pretend I am Katniss...but what I am excited about its that MarvelousMargaret is inspiring me to try and learn something that is sorta outside my wheelhouse.
And I also plan to take some shooting classes with KuteKaren so get ready people...I may just be the most dangerous woman you know...
I'm turning 50 in a few months (don't worry I plan to make all of you know it so I can get through it...but for now lets just say it is coming...) so I like the idea of learning something new...or of improving skills I have...and to train up...
When I sub teach I can honestly say I am not sure I really teach the kids anything...especially if it is math...but I do try my very best to help the kids and to inspire them to work harder for their teachers (one of my favorite things is when I get to sub on test review days and I challenge the kids to make awesome grades and bring them a prize the next time). But I would like to be a better teacher...so I spend time trying to learn more and I always meet with the teacher when it is a scheduled sub time (like a teacher going to conference) so that I can be fully prepared for the kids.
I train some moms at the school on how to teach some of the art history lessons they teach the kids. It's a very cool program and it takes a lot of prep work to teach a lesson on Picasso...or Monet...or cave paintings. I try to not just teach the moms the lessons but HOW to teach the lessons and how to keep the kids engaged. I don't just want to say "this is the Monet lesson", I want to teach them how to get those kids to want to learn about Monet...(don't even get me started on Bernini....but if you want to know I will tell you...). I want to train them up so that they aren't just regurgitating a lesson to they kids...
And when I work with my high school kids doing costumes I make sure I teach my student team how to think for themselves and how to work the costume changes as if I wasn't there...my goal is for them to feel like they are in charge...and so far I have let them because they have done a great job. My sweet MOD showed me the way (and she was the student!) but I think I taught her how to feel a little more in charge of it and we had a great time. I want the kids to have fun doing what we do and take pride when they see the cast up there in what we have put on them. I don't dictate with my girls...I let them make decisions and figure things out---I want them to LEARN from it and not just do what I tell them.
I like to teach others but now I am finding I am back to the point in my life where I want to learn some new things myself...
So here is my challenge to you...inspired by my son, Queen B, and MarvelousMargaret...
Think of something you want to do...something you want to learn...something you want to get better at...
and then do it
It doesn't matter what it is...just challenge yourself to grow...
Because as my girl Katy says:'
Do you know that there's
Still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta
Still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta
Ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe
Read more: Katy Perry - Firework Lyrics | MetroLyrics
I want to inspire you to grow...to be a better you....
Inspiration Song: "Firework" by Katy Perry. The lyrics to this song are some of my favorite lyrics to any song...I find them empowering and inspiring..,
Bye Darlings...be a firework and let your colors burst...and leave em all in awe...we all know I love to do that and I want to light up the sky with all of our beautiful colors....
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Roar
Hellloooo Darlings...
So yesterday I watched what might very well be one of the most depressing television shows I have ever seen...
and no I am not referring to "Bachelor in Paradise"...that's not depressing...it's just flat out wrong...
No it was the Katie Couric show...and she was talking about...
oh...I don't even want to say it...much less type it...
it was about...
menopause
yes...
the M word
It was full of useful information that was good to know but the depressing part was...
it was good to know...
as in I realize now that I am getting ever closer to the dreaded M word and it has already started rearing its ugly little head and that I might actually find that info useful and needed
You know I am an open book here...at least about myself...so I am not afraid to admit that come November I will turn a very scary number...
a new decade...
one with a "5" in front of it
I don't like it but I am not afraid of it
Which got me to thinking "hey woman! Why don't you like it? Don't you know that 50 is the new 40?"
To me age IS just a number...so 50 is just 50
but what I don't like about it is FEELING 50...feeling older and all the crap that comes along with it.
Today when I arrived to take JayVee's excellent spin class I ran into a friend...my sweet friend MarvelousMonica. I thanked her for advising me to go see my doctor about my knees and to get the cortisone shots. (Which have helped greatly).
We both vented about how much we hated all the aches and pains that come along with getting older.
My son played football for hours yesterday and today...he gets a little bumped around and sore but there is an explanation for it---HE PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR HOURS
but for me every day seems to bring a new pain or ache somewhere...
and damn I used to be able to do the splits every which way and now I can barely get my leg up on the bike seat to stretch after spin...
and then there is the total fun of having night sweats...which wake me up in the night...just an hour or so after finally falling asleep (yes the insomnia is fun too). And because I have a temperpedic matress it's like a volcanic hot spot in the bed
thank goodness I only share my bed with 3 cats and not a man...I can move around on the bed and find the cool spot...although sometimes moving a 22 lb cat is harder than getting a man to roll over...
is any of this terrifying you younger women yet?
sounds fuuuuuuunnnnn doesn't it...
Your hair thins and loses it's luster
you gain weight so much easier
your skin is duller...without that youthful glow
your flesh is softer and jigglier...
caffeine is an evil thing and keeps you up at night when in the past you could down a few espressos with no consequences
you get wrinkles and not just in your forehead...your neck and hands become wrinkled too
you find yourself complaining about all of your ailments...
don't believe me? I just listed them and that my friends is a complaint...
BUT....
I have decided to fight the effects and enjoy the benefits of my age...but right now I can't really think of any benefits so I'm settling for fighting back with all I can.
I Botox...I will admit it...I have had poison injected into my forehead to keep me from looking like I am permanently pissed off...
I use shampoos that thicken my hair and make it shiny...I wear it long because I think it is more attractive on me than shorter hair
I use mineral makeup to brighten my skin and keep it looking fresh and not cakey and powdery like an old lady
I don't drink caffeine after 5 pm
I take a lot of Advil... a lot of Advil
I exercise to keep my heart strong...to get the blood flowing to improve my skin...to improve my flexibility...to stay at a healthy weight...
But mostly I exercise to kick some ass...because I take great satisfaction that this old broad can get on a bike and ride next to a twentysomething girl and keep up...
As for the night sweats...that one is harder to solve but I think I may invest in a cooling mattress pad...and I wear cotton to bed...
Getting old isn't fun but it's something I can't avoid....
My mother hated getting older...she fought it every step of the way...she Botoxed, she peeled, she had enough plastic surgery to make Joan Rivers jealous...she exercised...she drank gallons of water and ate healthy...
she never looked her age...she looked younger at 40 than she did at 25...but it was never enough because she was convinced her age was why she was alone
and in a sense she was right because men who are my age don't want a woman my age...most of them want a woman in her 30's or at least they think they do...and sometimes a 50 something man and a 30 something woman have a fantastic relationship...but other times...
well as I always say:
If you are going to swim in the kiddie pool you can't avoid drinking a little pee
yeah...there are some pitfalls to dating the younger ones but men get away with it and if I walked into a restaurant with a 35 year old man I would hear the murmurs of "cougar" being thrown my way...
My mom believed if she looked younger she would attract a man but really it wasn't that she looked 40 that attracted them it was because she was beautiful...and in her constant desire to fight her age she almost wrecked her looks...
I learned from that
I don't want to look like Joan Rivers or Mary Tyler Moore or Victoria Principal...
I don't want trout lips or a plastic face...
I want to look like a healthy version of me that is happy and exudes well-being
but more than that I want to be known for my inner beauty because the outside is just the window dressing...it's what's inside the store that counts...and I am stocked with luxury goods and beautiful objects...that are all free to those who love me...
So I will do what I can to stay healthy and yes, not look like an old woman but I want the inside of me to be happy and healthy and ready to fight
So when you see me in spin class...and I am pumping away and sweat is pouring off me and I'm chasing down that beat...and you hear me yell and scream...
well that my friends is not yelling..
it's my ROAR
because just like my girl Katy says:
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!
Read more: Katy Perry - Roar Lyrics | MetroLyrics
yeah...just you wait...I plan to roar a lot...and not just in spin class...I'm not going to let 50 tell me who I am...
I TELL ME WHO I AM
Inspiration Song: "Roar" by my pop diva Katy Perry...actually when I read all the lyrics to this song I often cry...you may hate Katy but the words are strong and as beautiful as she is...and when I hear this song I am reminded that the only thing that can truly hold me back is....me!
Bye Darlings...let me hear you Roar...tell me what empowers you and how you fight what is holding you back from being your best self...it can't be age because age is just a number...
So yesterday I watched what might very well be one of the most depressing television shows I have ever seen...
and no I am not referring to "Bachelor in Paradise"...that's not depressing...it's just flat out wrong...
No it was the Katie Couric show...and she was talking about...
oh...I don't even want to say it...much less type it...
it was about...
menopause
yes...
the M word
It was full of useful information that was good to know but the depressing part was...
it was good to know...
as in I realize now that I am getting ever closer to the dreaded M word and it has already started rearing its ugly little head and that I might actually find that info useful and needed
You know I am an open book here...at least about myself...so I am not afraid to admit that come November I will turn a very scary number...
a new decade...
one with a "5" in front of it
I don't like it but I am not afraid of it
Which got me to thinking "hey woman! Why don't you like it? Don't you know that 50 is the new 40?"
To me age IS just a number...so 50 is just 50
but what I don't like about it is FEELING 50...feeling older and all the crap that comes along with it.
Today when I arrived to take JayVee's excellent spin class I ran into a friend...my sweet friend MarvelousMonica. I thanked her for advising me to go see my doctor about my knees and to get the cortisone shots. (Which have helped greatly).
We both vented about how much we hated all the aches and pains that come along with getting older.
My son played football for hours yesterday and today...he gets a little bumped around and sore but there is an explanation for it---HE PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR HOURS
but for me every day seems to bring a new pain or ache somewhere...
and damn I used to be able to do the splits every which way and now I can barely get my leg up on the bike seat to stretch after spin...
and then there is the total fun of having night sweats...which wake me up in the night...just an hour or so after finally falling asleep (yes the insomnia is fun too). And because I have a temperpedic matress it's like a volcanic hot spot in the bed
thank goodness I only share my bed with 3 cats and not a man...I can move around on the bed and find the cool spot...although sometimes moving a 22 lb cat is harder than getting a man to roll over...
is any of this terrifying you younger women yet?
sounds fuuuuuuunnnnn doesn't it...
Your hair thins and loses it's luster
you gain weight so much easier
your skin is duller...without that youthful glow
your flesh is softer and jigglier...
caffeine is an evil thing and keeps you up at night when in the past you could down a few espressos with no consequences
you get wrinkles and not just in your forehead...your neck and hands become wrinkled too
you find yourself complaining about all of your ailments...
don't believe me? I just listed them and that my friends is a complaint...
BUT....
I have decided to fight the effects and enjoy the benefits of my age...but right now I can't really think of any benefits so I'm settling for fighting back with all I can.
I Botox...I will admit it...I have had poison injected into my forehead to keep me from looking like I am permanently pissed off...
I use shampoos that thicken my hair and make it shiny...I wear it long because I think it is more attractive on me than shorter hair
I use mineral makeup to brighten my skin and keep it looking fresh and not cakey and powdery like an old lady
I don't drink caffeine after 5 pm
I take a lot of Advil... a lot of Advil
I exercise to keep my heart strong...to get the blood flowing to improve my skin...to improve my flexibility...to stay at a healthy weight...
But mostly I exercise to kick some ass...because I take great satisfaction that this old broad can get on a bike and ride next to a twentysomething girl and keep up...
As for the night sweats...that one is harder to solve but I think I may invest in a cooling mattress pad...and I wear cotton to bed...
Getting old isn't fun but it's something I can't avoid....
My mother hated getting older...she fought it every step of the way...she Botoxed, she peeled, she had enough plastic surgery to make Joan Rivers jealous...she exercised...she drank gallons of water and ate healthy...
she never looked her age...she looked younger at 40 than she did at 25...but it was never enough because she was convinced her age was why she was alone
and in a sense she was right because men who are my age don't want a woman my age...most of them want a woman in her 30's or at least they think they do...and sometimes a 50 something man and a 30 something woman have a fantastic relationship...but other times...
well as I always say:
If you are going to swim in the kiddie pool you can't avoid drinking a little pee
yeah...there are some pitfalls to dating the younger ones but men get away with it and if I walked into a restaurant with a 35 year old man I would hear the murmurs of "cougar" being thrown my way...
My mom believed if she looked younger she would attract a man but really it wasn't that she looked 40 that attracted them it was because she was beautiful...and in her constant desire to fight her age she almost wrecked her looks...
I learned from that
I don't want to look like Joan Rivers or Mary Tyler Moore or Victoria Principal...
I don't want trout lips or a plastic face...
I want to look like a healthy version of me that is happy and exudes well-being
but more than that I want to be known for my inner beauty because the outside is just the window dressing...it's what's inside the store that counts...and I am stocked with luxury goods and beautiful objects...that are all free to those who love me...
So I will do what I can to stay healthy and yes, not look like an old woman but I want the inside of me to be happy and healthy and ready to fight
So when you see me in spin class...and I am pumping away and sweat is pouring off me and I'm chasing down that beat...and you hear me yell and scream...
well that my friends is not yelling..
it's my ROAR
because just like my girl Katy says:
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!
Read more: Katy Perry - Roar Lyrics | MetroLyrics
yeah...just you wait...I plan to roar a lot...and not just in spin class...I'm not going to let 50 tell me who I am...
I TELL ME WHO I AM
Inspiration Song: "Roar" by my pop diva Katy Perry...actually when I read all the lyrics to this song I often cry...you may hate Katy but the words are strong and as beautiful as she is...and when I hear this song I am reminded that the only thing that can truly hold me back is....me!
Bye Darlings...let me hear you Roar...tell me what empowers you and how you fight what is holding you back from being your best self...it can't be age because age is just a number...
Monday, August 4, 2014
Dark Horse
Hello Darlings...
Well I am just squeaking in with this one...but by my clock I still have an hour to go before midnight
So the other day on Facebook a friend of my dear Daddy's posted a photo of my Daddy on a horse on a magazine cover...some of you may have seen it...
In the photo he is a dusty dirty mess and he is roping a calf and there are beautiful red cattle in the photo. Daddy has a look of intensity on his face that I often saw when he was working hard at something...
He was a real cowboy
Not a "weekend" cowboy or urban cowboy but the real deal...
Raised on a ranch and put on a horse as soon as he could sit up. He was pretty much born in the saddle.
And although he was not an elegant rider by any means he could sit a horse pretty damn good. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a horse born that my Daddy couldn't ride.
He even won world championships in cutting
For those of you unfamiliar with what cutting is I will not pat you on your darling head for not knowing this because cutting is unfamiliar to about 99.9 % of my audience...I would explain it here but I bet Google or wikipedia would do a better job but in a nutshell you get on a horse, cull out a calf and the horse then "works" the calf to separate it ("cut") it form the herd...something like that...it's been a while...
My dad loved being on a horse...it is where he connected with his soul. When he had a heart attack the doctor didn't really want him to ride anymore (or drive) and my father was so depressed. I told the doc there was no point in trying to save him if they took his horse and driving away from him and I guess he convinced the doctors he would be ok so he rode and drove until the day he went into the hospital and had his surgery and later died...
When he died his mare went into a depression...we had her at the funeral and I am pretty sure if she could have she would have gone into that grave with him.
For my father being on a horse was where he was most himself.
My siblings rode horses.
My brother won some world championships as did one of my sisters. She rode very elegantly...and deserved her wins...
I, on the other hand...
do not ride
and I am a terrible rider
Like awful...
There are two things I totally fail at:
Tennis
and
Horseback riding
I fall off
I fall off so much they named me Tinkerbell because when I did fall it was like a little fairy crashing to the ground
I once heard a story that my grandmother used to get tied to her pony when they would go riding because she would fall asleep and fall off...maybe they should have done that to me...
When friends would come to the ranch they all wanted to ride...I was forced to go and hated every second of it...
I dreaded horseback riding at camp...like really really dreaded it. And if we went on a trail ride I was so miserable I wanted to cry...
One year they had me lead the horseback drill at camp and I think it was because the counselors felt bad for me that my family was known for riding and then there was me....and because I could remember the pattern.
I can't hear Orange Blossom Special or Wabash Cannonball without shuddering (those were the songs we rode to)
I decided to show cattle instead of riding...I was pretty good at it (I did alright...and have the Houston Livestock Show belt buckle to prove it) and I looked great in my cowgirl gear...
Speaking of cowgirl gear...I got a jolt a few years ago when I was at a horse show for the first time in like forever and I got a glimpse of the bling those western pleasure girls were sporting...
wowzers
Back when my sisters showed it was a big deal to have colored chaps...
These girls looked like escapees from the Porter Wagner show (ok gotta pat your darling head if you don't know who he was...google and image)
The bling was blinding...
now that I think about it maybe if all that bling had been in fashion when I was younger I would have decided to show horses instead...at the very least do a halter class where you don't ride but it's basically a beauty pageant for the horse.
My friends DelightfulDebbie and SuperSarah rides horses...but they do so in the English style. That is a whole other game than cutting and western riding.
English and Hunter Jumper stuff is so very very Hermes and Burberry...again maybe if that had been the fashion I would have tried it...actually it was and the Hermes company began as a workshop for bridles and harnesses and not as a purveyor of $60,000 handbags named after an English actress (Birkin) or an American actress (the Kelly Bag).
See there goes my ADD again and I am off subject and about to write a rant about the woman here who claimed she built her million dollar closet for charity and then went on tv and blabbed about it and then was surprised when she got robbed...
But I digress...
I've watched SuperSarah strut her stuff at horse shows...she rides beautifully and I really enjoyed seeing another side to the whole horse show business when I went to watch her...she always amazed and terrified me...all those jumps...I would have Tinkerbelled to the ground at the first jump...
Don't get me wrong...I love horses...truly truly love horses...like so much so I used to go sit on the graves of some horses that died and were buried at the ranch and would just wail...because I was sad the horse had died...20 years before I was born...
I think they are brilliant and amazing animals.
We had one show horse that was a stallion and if we didn't literally padlock him into his stall he would get out and go open all the stalls of the other mares and fillies around...never the other stallions or geldings...just the girls...
And my sister had one show horse that could be bribed with Dr. Pepper. Nothing else but DP. If you offered him a Coke he would turn his nose up at it. You could put cans of 5 different sodas on a table and he would pick the DP every time...
So yeah...I love horses but just not riding them...
One day I may try riding again...who knows maybe I will stay on the horse...maybe I won't but I do believe I should try...
I believe that you should keep trying at things you have failed at...you have to...it's part of life...and it's in my blood so I should give it another shot.
My kids ride well. My son never rode until he went to camp and he ended up winning a big award for his riding...he is a natural...
But me...notsomuch
Ok so maybe today you didn't get much out of this than a laugh but that's ok...somedays I want to inspire you and others I just want to entertain you...
So I will leave you now to go and watch the end of "Bachelor in Paradise"...I already feel like I need another bath from watching the first half of that show. I mean some of those girls are so crazy I can literally hear Ozzie Osbourne screaming "All Aboard" when I look at them...and if you don't know who Ozzie is and what I am referring to I need to pat you on your darling head...
Inspiration Song: "Dark Horse" by my girl Katy Perry...love it...it's not about a horse but then again despite my upbringing neither am I...
Bye darlings...ride a dark horse and not the white one...let's see who gets that reference and who I need to pat on their darling head...kisses!
Well I am just squeaking in with this one...but by my clock I still have an hour to go before midnight
So the other day on Facebook a friend of my dear Daddy's posted a photo of my Daddy on a horse on a magazine cover...some of you may have seen it...
In the photo he is a dusty dirty mess and he is roping a calf and there are beautiful red cattle in the photo. Daddy has a look of intensity on his face that I often saw when he was working hard at something...
He was a real cowboy
Not a "weekend" cowboy or urban cowboy but the real deal...
Raised on a ranch and put on a horse as soon as he could sit up. He was pretty much born in the saddle.
And although he was not an elegant rider by any means he could sit a horse pretty damn good. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a horse born that my Daddy couldn't ride.
He even won world championships in cutting
For those of you unfamiliar with what cutting is I will not pat you on your darling head for not knowing this because cutting is unfamiliar to about 99.9 % of my audience...I would explain it here but I bet Google or wikipedia would do a better job but in a nutshell you get on a horse, cull out a calf and the horse then "works" the calf to separate it ("cut") it form the herd...something like that...it's been a while...
My dad loved being on a horse...it is where he connected with his soul. When he had a heart attack the doctor didn't really want him to ride anymore (or drive) and my father was so depressed. I told the doc there was no point in trying to save him if they took his horse and driving away from him and I guess he convinced the doctors he would be ok so he rode and drove until the day he went into the hospital and had his surgery and later died...
When he died his mare went into a depression...we had her at the funeral and I am pretty sure if she could have she would have gone into that grave with him.
For my father being on a horse was where he was most himself.
My siblings rode horses.
My brother won some world championships as did one of my sisters. She rode very elegantly...and deserved her wins...
I, on the other hand...
do not ride
and I am a terrible rider
Like awful...
There are two things I totally fail at:
Tennis
and
Horseback riding
I fall off
I fall off so much they named me Tinkerbell because when I did fall it was like a little fairy crashing to the ground
I once heard a story that my grandmother used to get tied to her pony when they would go riding because she would fall asleep and fall off...maybe they should have done that to me...
When friends would come to the ranch they all wanted to ride...I was forced to go and hated every second of it...
I dreaded horseback riding at camp...like really really dreaded it. And if we went on a trail ride I was so miserable I wanted to cry...
One year they had me lead the horseback drill at camp and I think it was because the counselors felt bad for me that my family was known for riding and then there was me....and because I could remember the pattern.
I can't hear Orange Blossom Special or Wabash Cannonball without shuddering (those were the songs we rode to)
I decided to show cattle instead of riding...I was pretty good at it (I did alright...and have the Houston Livestock Show belt buckle to prove it) and I looked great in my cowgirl gear...
Speaking of cowgirl gear...I got a jolt a few years ago when I was at a horse show for the first time in like forever and I got a glimpse of the bling those western pleasure girls were sporting...
wowzers
Back when my sisters showed it was a big deal to have colored chaps...
These girls looked like escapees from the Porter Wagner show (ok gotta pat your darling head if you don't know who he was...google and image)
The bling was blinding...
now that I think about it maybe if all that bling had been in fashion when I was younger I would have decided to show horses instead...at the very least do a halter class where you don't ride but it's basically a beauty pageant for the horse.
My friends DelightfulDebbie and SuperSarah rides horses...but they do so in the English style. That is a whole other game than cutting and western riding.
English and Hunter Jumper stuff is so very very Hermes and Burberry...again maybe if that had been the fashion I would have tried it...actually it was and the Hermes company began as a workshop for bridles and harnesses and not as a purveyor of $60,000 handbags named after an English actress (Birkin) or an American actress (the Kelly Bag).
See there goes my ADD again and I am off subject and about to write a rant about the woman here who claimed she built her million dollar closet for charity and then went on tv and blabbed about it and then was surprised when she got robbed...
But I digress...
I've watched SuperSarah strut her stuff at horse shows...she rides beautifully and I really enjoyed seeing another side to the whole horse show business when I went to watch her...she always amazed and terrified me...all those jumps...I would have Tinkerbelled to the ground at the first jump...
Don't get me wrong...I love horses...truly truly love horses...like so much so I used to go sit on the graves of some horses that died and were buried at the ranch and would just wail...because I was sad the horse had died...20 years before I was born...
I think they are brilliant and amazing animals.
We had one show horse that was a stallion and if we didn't literally padlock him into his stall he would get out and go open all the stalls of the other mares and fillies around...never the other stallions or geldings...just the girls...
And my sister had one show horse that could be bribed with Dr. Pepper. Nothing else but DP. If you offered him a Coke he would turn his nose up at it. You could put cans of 5 different sodas on a table and he would pick the DP every time...
So yeah...I love horses but just not riding them...
One day I may try riding again...who knows maybe I will stay on the horse...maybe I won't but I do believe I should try...
I believe that you should keep trying at things you have failed at...you have to...it's part of life...and it's in my blood so I should give it another shot.
My kids ride well. My son never rode until he went to camp and he ended up winning a big award for his riding...he is a natural...
But me...notsomuch
Ok so maybe today you didn't get much out of this than a laugh but that's ok...somedays I want to inspire you and others I just want to entertain you...
So I will leave you now to go and watch the end of "Bachelor in Paradise"...I already feel like I need another bath from watching the first half of that show. I mean some of those girls are so crazy I can literally hear Ozzie Osbourne screaming "All Aboard" when I look at them...and if you don't know who Ozzie is and what I am referring to I need to pat you on your darling head...
Inspiration Song: "Dark Horse" by my girl Katy Perry...love it...it's not about a horse but then again despite my upbringing neither am I...
Bye darlings...ride a dark horse and not the white one...let's see who gets that reference and who I need to pat on their darling head...kisses!
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Teenage Dream
Hello Darlings...
Well I have already failed at my challenge...I was going to write 7 blogs in 7 days and I totally missed it yesterday...I had a busy day and literally no time to sit down and write...and then I met some girls for wine and although I might blog while drinking a glass of wine, one should never blog after a girls night...plus I was tired and sleepy (thank you BeautifulBertha for whipping my booty in class!)
So no blog yesterday
So I am going to amend it to be 7 blogs in 10 days...that way I have a cushion in case I have another busy day...
these blogs don't just write themselves you know...
well, actually they do...
I just sit down and let the fingers fly over the keyboard while my thoughts flow out of me...
not always a good thing or a good blog but it is how the process is...
so staying on my Katy Perry theme today I bring to you...
TEENAGE DREAM
When I was writing my last blog and musing about 80's things I started thinking about my teenage self during those days...
Do you ever wish you could go back in time and sit down with your teenage self and fix a few things?
Nothing life altering...or maybe so...
If I could go back in time I would do the following:
To my 13 year old self I would warn her not to let her mother talk her into any more ugly short haircuts and I would let her know that her parent's divorce was going to be rocky...make that Rocky Mountain mountain range rocky and that none of it was her fault and nothing she did would fix what was wrong...
I would tell my 14 year old self that moving from Kingsville to Houston would be a good thing and not to mourn it so much...and to enjoy Houston more...
To my 15 year old self I would say that moving to Kerrville was a good thing but to be stronger when my stepmother was manipulative and tried to cause trouble between me and my Daddy. I would also maybe not tell my sister that the bidet in the French hotel room was for washing feet---but who am I kidding that was a damn funny thing that happened (see blog "La Femme Parallel" for the story).
To my 16 year old self I would say to learn to drive a stick shift and how to parallel park
To my 17 year old self I would say to enjoy senior year a little more and that no matter how "perfect" you try to be it's never enough when you have someone (stepmother) undermining you...
To my 18 year old self I would say "do not go to the Fiji house and drink 7 shots of tequila followed by beer chasers"...yeah...um...no...and I would also tell her NOT to get a perm...yeah...um...no
To my 19 year old self I would say "this man is not the man you will live with forever but you will get 2 amazing kids out of it so it's worth it...but get out sooner" when I met the man I married...
I had dreams when I was a teenager...we all have the "I'm going to be rich and famous" dreams and the dreams about showing the world we are not who the kids around us have told us we are...
But I also had dreams of having a career...of traveling and being the woman in the smart big-shouldered suit with a briefcase (this was the 80's remember)...going to the desk at the hotel and checking into my fabulous suite having just travelled first class to some great destination where I had a business meeting that would lead to some incredible business venture...basically I wanted to be Alexis Carrington (if you don't know who she is I need to pat you on your darling head and you can use Google to find her).
Instead I finished college and got married and sold real estate until I had Kesha Barbie...no glamorous travel...I went from my college apartment back to my mom's house to married in 4 months in 1986...
at one point during college I had hopes of gong to Washington DC and changing the world...
instead the only thing I really ended up ever changing was diapers....
I didn't have kids right away...we were married for 7 years before we had Kesha Barbie. I do not regret for one second that I didn't have a glamorous career and had children...I've never felt that for a second...I love my "career" being a mom and I think being called "Mom" by my two kids is the best title I ever got...far superior to CEO (especially given my talents)...
but I do wish I could have told my teenage self that when the time came to get married to worry less in those early days about being Betty Crocker and to give myself a chance to stretch my wings a bit. I met him when I was 19 and once I determined (wrongly) that we belonged together my entire focus was to be the perfect housewife.
I was far from perfect but I tried...mostly because I was trying to fix something that was broken...he is a wonderful man but we truly were square peg and round hole.
When Kesha Barbie was about 14 years old she said:
"I am a square peg...you keep trying to force me into a round hole by shaving my corners off...please don't do that...please just make that round hole into a square so I can fit"
that was damn smart for a young teenager and damn good advice to parents....
I've now tried to take that better approach to dealing with myself and others....when I find a square peg I find a square peg for them to rest in in my heart...
I have a lot of sweet young friends who are heading off to college in a few weeks---kids I have watched grow up like SuperSarah and Sweet Caroline and kids I have taught when I subbed and kids I met this year while working at the high school (that would be you my sweet MOD and Morgan LaFab and Katherine the Great and SweetHannah).
I see so many opportunities ahead for them...I am excited to watch them strike out and stretch and grow and learn...and yes, stumble and make poor choices...and I will miss them a lot...especially SuperSarah...
I tell them all to "make good choices" and I know it sorta goes in one ear and out the other but I hope that somewhere when they are getting ready to do something they maybe shouldn't a little voice says "this is not a good choice".
I know many of them will drink despite not being of legal age...so I give them "Bobby Shelton's rules for how to drink in College":
1) do not drink anything that is blue or purple...if it is colored the color of skittles it is not a good choice...do not drink the rainbow...
2) do not drink anything that is mixed up and served from a trash can...no good can come of it
3) do not take shots. ever. and by shots I mean alcohol and not what the doctor gives you.. and whatever you do you do not take 7 shots in a row at the Fiji house...in fact maybe just avoid the Fiji house...
4) beer is safe...you can get plenty drunk on beer but there is less chance of really screwing up on beer...
5) and how about this? Just don't drink!
Despite my little foray into 7 shots of tequila at the Fiji house I pretty much followed Daddy's rules....the one time I ventured into a purple drink I got soooo sick...
I think one reason I didn't tend to get super drunk and party a lot (the drinking age was younger then) was that I learned that alcohol was best consumed slowly and that a nice glass of wine with dinner was a far better way to consume it than drinking something gross from a trash can. My parents let me have wine with dinner from age 16 on and it sorta demystified it for me...and I have appreciated wine ever since...and last night at girls night I appreciated a very fine malbec...
I tell my little young friends to try new things at school...not alcohol but things like taking a fun class outside your major (I took "Music appreciation" and "flower arranging" (that one happened to be in my major) and riflery for my PE class...I t)ook them because I enjoyed them...)
I tell them to participate in dorm functions and sorority/fraternity things...to have enjoy campus activities...to go to football games even if they don't like football...to find a mentor among their professors that can help guide them...to make friends with someone older in the community (and by older I mean like their parent or grandparents age) because that person can help you when you are away from home and need a bit of parental guidance---I had that with some of the women who were our advisors for the sorority and one very special accounting teacher who treated me like I was his daughter.
I tell them to make friends with the international students and kids rom other parts of the country...they will learn a lot from those friendships
I tell them to enjoy what their school has to offer and have fun but to remember that their parents have been teenagers once too...so don't think just because you have gone off to school that suddenly you are an adult and can throw out their rules and advice...because they give that advice because they lived it...
And the last thing I tell them is to call their parents...because their parents really really miss them...
I wouldn't change much about my teenage years other than some bad hair decisions...maybe some bad boy decisions...and definitely some poor clothing choices....but all in all I would pretty much do it all again the same way...
minus the perm...
don't get a perm...
Inspiration Song: "Teenage Dream" by my girl Katy...I loved my teenage years and my teenage dreams...and I love watching the young teenagers I love live their dreams...
Bye Darlings...remember your teenage dreams with fondness...and nostalgia...and a little pity for those of us who lived those dreams in the 80's because of the fashion choices...
Well I have already failed at my challenge...I was going to write 7 blogs in 7 days and I totally missed it yesterday...I had a busy day and literally no time to sit down and write...and then I met some girls for wine and although I might blog while drinking a glass of wine, one should never blog after a girls night...plus I was tired and sleepy (thank you BeautifulBertha for whipping my booty in class!)
So no blog yesterday
So I am going to amend it to be 7 blogs in 10 days...that way I have a cushion in case I have another busy day...
these blogs don't just write themselves you know...
well, actually they do...
I just sit down and let the fingers fly over the keyboard while my thoughts flow out of me...
not always a good thing or a good blog but it is how the process is...
so staying on my Katy Perry theme today I bring to you...
TEENAGE DREAM
When I was writing my last blog and musing about 80's things I started thinking about my teenage self during those days...
Do you ever wish you could go back in time and sit down with your teenage self and fix a few things?
Nothing life altering...or maybe so...
If I could go back in time I would do the following:
To my 13 year old self I would warn her not to let her mother talk her into any more ugly short haircuts and I would let her know that her parent's divorce was going to be rocky...make that Rocky Mountain mountain range rocky and that none of it was her fault and nothing she did would fix what was wrong...
I would tell my 14 year old self that moving from Kingsville to Houston would be a good thing and not to mourn it so much...and to enjoy Houston more...
To my 15 year old self I would say that moving to Kerrville was a good thing but to be stronger when my stepmother was manipulative and tried to cause trouble between me and my Daddy. I would also maybe not tell my sister that the bidet in the French hotel room was for washing feet---but who am I kidding that was a damn funny thing that happened (see blog "La Femme Parallel" for the story).
To my 16 year old self I would say to learn to drive a stick shift and how to parallel park
To my 17 year old self I would say to enjoy senior year a little more and that no matter how "perfect" you try to be it's never enough when you have someone (stepmother) undermining you...
To my 18 year old self I would say "do not go to the Fiji house and drink 7 shots of tequila followed by beer chasers"...yeah...um...no...and I would also tell her NOT to get a perm...yeah...um...no
To my 19 year old self I would say "this man is not the man you will live with forever but you will get 2 amazing kids out of it so it's worth it...but get out sooner" when I met the man I married...
I had dreams when I was a teenager...we all have the "I'm going to be rich and famous" dreams and the dreams about showing the world we are not who the kids around us have told us we are...
But I also had dreams of having a career...of traveling and being the woman in the smart big-shouldered suit with a briefcase (this was the 80's remember)...going to the desk at the hotel and checking into my fabulous suite having just travelled first class to some great destination where I had a business meeting that would lead to some incredible business venture...basically I wanted to be Alexis Carrington (if you don't know who she is I need to pat you on your darling head and you can use Google to find her).
Instead I finished college and got married and sold real estate until I had Kesha Barbie...no glamorous travel...I went from my college apartment back to my mom's house to married in 4 months in 1986...
at one point during college I had hopes of gong to Washington DC and changing the world...
instead the only thing I really ended up ever changing was diapers....
I didn't have kids right away...we were married for 7 years before we had Kesha Barbie. I do not regret for one second that I didn't have a glamorous career and had children...I've never felt that for a second...I love my "career" being a mom and I think being called "Mom" by my two kids is the best title I ever got...far superior to CEO (especially given my talents)...
but I do wish I could have told my teenage self that when the time came to get married to worry less in those early days about being Betty Crocker and to give myself a chance to stretch my wings a bit. I met him when I was 19 and once I determined (wrongly) that we belonged together my entire focus was to be the perfect housewife.
I was far from perfect but I tried...mostly because I was trying to fix something that was broken...he is a wonderful man but we truly were square peg and round hole.
When Kesha Barbie was about 14 years old she said:
"I am a square peg...you keep trying to force me into a round hole by shaving my corners off...please don't do that...please just make that round hole into a square so I can fit"
that was damn smart for a young teenager and damn good advice to parents....
I've now tried to take that better approach to dealing with myself and others....when I find a square peg I find a square peg for them to rest in in my heart...
I have a lot of sweet young friends who are heading off to college in a few weeks---kids I have watched grow up like SuperSarah and Sweet Caroline and kids I have taught when I subbed and kids I met this year while working at the high school (that would be you my sweet MOD and Morgan LaFab and Katherine the Great and SweetHannah).
I see so many opportunities ahead for them...I am excited to watch them strike out and stretch and grow and learn...and yes, stumble and make poor choices...and I will miss them a lot...especially SuperSarah...
I tell them all to "make good choices" and I know it sorta goes in one ear and out the other but I hope that somewhere when they are getting ready to do something they maybe shouldn't a little voice says "this is not a good choice".
I know many of them will drink despite not being of legal age...so I give them "Bobby Shelton's rules for how to drink in College":
1) do not drink anything that is blue or purple...if it is colored the color of skittles it is not a good choice...do not drink the rainbow...
2) do not drink anything that is mixed up and served from a trash can...no good can come of it
3) do not take shots. ever. and by shots I mean alcohol and not what the doctor gives you.. and whatever you do you do not take 7 shots in a row at the Fiji house...in fact maybe just avoid the Fiji house...
4) beer is safe...you can get plenty drunk on beer but there is less chance of really screwing up on beer...
5) and how about this? Just don't drink!
Despite my little foray into 7 shots of tequila at the Fiji house I pretty much followed Daddy's rules....the one time I ventured into a purple drink I got soooo sick...
I think one reason I didn't tend to get super drunk and party a lot (the drinking age was younger then) was that I learned that alcohol was best consumed slowly and that a nice glass of wine with dinner was a far better way to consume it than drinking something gross from a trash can. My parents let me have wine with dinner from age 16 on and it sorta demystified it for me...and I have appreciated wine ever since...and last night at girls night I appreciated a very fine malbec...
I tell my little young friends to try new things at school...not alcohol but things like taking a fun class outside your major (I took "Music appreciation" and "flower arranging" (that one happened to be in my major) and riflery for my PE class...I t)ook them because I enjoyed them...)
I tell them to participate in dorm functions and sorority/fraternity things...to have enjoy campus activities...to go to football games even if they don't like football...to find a mentor among their professors that can help guide them...to make friends with someone older in the community (and by older I mean like their parent or grandparents age) because that person can help you when you are away from home and need a bit of parental guidance---I had that with some of the women who were our advisors for the sorority and one very special accounting teacher who treated me like I was his daughter.
I tell them to make friends with the international students and kids rom other parts of the country...they will learn a lot from those friendships
I tell them to enjoy what their school has to offer and have fun but to remember that their parents have been teenagers once too...so don't think just because you have gone off to school that suddenly you are an adult and can throw out their rules and advice...because they give that advice because they lived it...
And the last thing I tell them is to call their parents...because their parents really really miss them...
I wouldn't change much about my teenage years other than some bad hair decisions...maybe some bad boy decisions...and definitely some poor clothing choices....but all in all I would pretty much do it all again the same way...
minus the perm...
don't get a perm...
Inspiration Song: "Teenage Dream" by my girl Katy...I loved my teenage years and my teenage dreams...and I love watching the young teenagers I love live their dreams...
Bye Darlings...remember your teenage dreams with fondness...and nostalgia...and a little pity for those of us who lived those dreams in the 80's because of the fashion choices...
Friday, August 1, 2014
This Is How We Do
Hello Darlings...
I tend to get obsessed with things...
and right now
I
am
obsessed
with
THIS KATY PERRY SONG AND VIDEO
(My children say that I am "Mactarded" (and yes I know that is incredibly un-PC) and "Computerstupid" so it is quite the coup that I managed to insert that video there for you! )
I am an unabashed total Katy Perry freak fangirl...
(My children find it disturbing and despite Kesha Barbie's blog name she does not care for pop diva's like Katy and Kesha...they make HUGE fun of me for it)
But I don't care what anyone thinks...I love her!
I think she is gorgeous and funny and she seems quite charming...she has terrible taste in men but everyone has to have a flaw, right?
(My children think I have terrible taste in music...I wish that was my only flaw)
I went to a Katy Perry concert with GOTTESS a few years ago (see the blog "Last Friday Night TGIF" for a recap of our adventure...and having just read it again it's not a bad blog)...Susu and KuteKerry and MarvelousMisty were there too...
We danced and sang at the concert and all proclaimed our love for Katy (or maybe that was just me)
(My children were mortified that I went to the concert because their friends saw me there and I was wearing a scandalous blue dress and had blue nails...)
So Katy is sorta my girl-crush...she's my drug of choice when it comes to pop and I think her videos are wonderfully entertaining. And as someone who does costumes I totally live to see what she is wearing in her videos and concerts and performances...
And there is where I have finally managed to roll around to what this blog is about...it's not about Katy Perry...
(My children think I need to take their ADD meds because I tend to be so rambly and roundabout...my son has threatened to crush one in my morning coffee..I don't let him make me coffee for that very reason...)
Oh yeah...back to this blog...
ADD
not fun for an adult...
and not that is not what this blog is about either...
OK, here goes... this is what the blog is about...
well not yet...let me tell you why I am blogging today and then we will get to what this is about...
So yesterday I find the Katy Perry video and become obsessed and so this morning as I am bopping along to the song on my way to have my daily dose of joyful death at the hands of the mighty Revolution Studio instructors (thank you Jen it was a most excellent way to kill myself today!) I am listening to the song and thinking:
great blog title
and then I'm all like "you should write a blog about this and you need to blog because when you blog you get creative and you need to get creative because GOTT is expecting big things from you on the costumes this year and you need to be rolling on it and right now you are terrified and worried you won't be able to do it so get the creative juices flowing and write a blog and get on the Pippin stuff...."
(yes that all went through my head at the stoplight)
So I thought...ok self...write a blog...
no...
write 7 blogs
in 7 days
that will make you get your creativity up
and
MAKE THEM ALL HAVE KATY PERRY TITLES
So there you go...I am going to have a little challenge with myself and you have to put up with it...
BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE DO...
(My children will now hide their heads in shame that I will be writing all Katy Perry song blogs...oh wait they do that anyway...blog or not)
Now that I have wasted 5 minutes or so of your time you are probably asking yourself:
"Hey what do I get out of this other than the fact she needs ADD meds and her kids are probably right that she has a Katy Perry obsession?"
Well I will tell you my darlings...
because THIS IS HOW WE DO things on this blog...
I like to share...
I like to send out love...
I like to send out positivity...
I like to send out support...
I like to get your thoughts provoked...
I like to challenge you...
I like to tell you stories (for a good one go back and re-read "La Femme Parallel"...it's the one about my daddy and the bidet episode...)
So for the next 7 days I am going to try and do some of that...
I do get obsessed with things...because THIS IS HOW WE DO when you are me...
right now I am obsessed with:
Katy Perry and this video
spinning
my homemade teriyaki salmon
my crazy sauce
blueberry jalapeno margaritas (guess what...recipe included in this blog!)
So You Think You Can Dance
spinning (it needs to be put here twice...)
(My children think my obsession with spinning is crazy but they have weird obsessions too but I am too good a mom to list them)
But you know, it's ok to have little obsessions...things like a song that rocks you out or a favorite form of exercise...
as long as your obsession is not following Justin Bieber I think you are just fine...
or stalking someone...stalking is not ok...
So now after all of this preamble I present to you my blog on "THIS IS HOW WE DO" (yes, I am still going to make a point)
THIS IS HOW WE DO:
So today a longtime dear friend posted on his blog that tomorrow will be his 16th anniversary of teaching his first spin class (see...I made it about spin again! not really...). In his blog he posted a photo of a mix tape (remember them? mix tapes? on a cassette? if you don't I need to pat you on your darling head). He used cassettes back then for his music
Bless.His.Heart.
I cannot imagine how much work that was...
because THIS IS HOW WE DO it now: COMPUTERS
you just get your happy little self onto a music sharing/buying site and load em up...I can make a playlist in minutes...the hardest part is deciding song order...
if you had to put it on cassette you had to make no mistakes...no re-arranging songs...one shot or you ruined the tape...
I remember the days of mix tapes...if someone made you a mix tape they really really liked you...
because those suckers took time...and effort...and a lot of changing or records...
All of this got me thinking about HOW WE DO things...and how technology has changed us
I love the ABC show "The Goldbergs"...it is such a lovely glimpse into the world of the 80's...it's not just the clothes and set decor...it's the things they talk about
like:
renting videos (now we can just pay per view on our tv's from the comfort of our living rooms because THIS IS HOW WE DO that with the world of the DVR...and yes we have Red Box)
rewinding videos (you do not have to rewind a DVR...and raise your hand if you ever had a little machine that rewound the video super fast for you)
Programming a VCR...or better yet: A BETAMAX! (raise your hand if you had a Betamax...I did...we all need to go face the corner in shame...and if you are too young to understand why I need to pat you on your darling head). Programming a VCR was a beast...it was like running NASA...and you could only tape one program at a time. Now we have awesome DVRs that can tape 4 shows at once and are easy to program...at Casa Bonita we have the Hopper because THIS IS HOW WE DO a lot of tv at this house...I mean Sunday night is a nightmare with Food Network Star, Witches of East End, True Blood, Halt and Catch Fire and some Bravo Housewife show all on at the same time...
using a REAL phone or pay phone to check in (we have cell phones now...and think back to the last time you left your phone at home or in your car...how naked did you feel? That is because THIS IS HOW WE DO things now: we spend all our time with our smart phones)
shopping at the mall (ok we still go to the mall but for me most of my shopping is online (thank you Amazon and Sephora) and I rarely venture out to the horror that is the Galleria...because THIS IS HOW WE DO things now: we click a few buttons and it comes to the door...and someday it may be delivered by a drone...
Technology has changed us...we move forward...and sometimes it is great and sometimes it takes away a bit of sweetness...
so today I am giving you two gifts...because THIS IS HOW WE DO things on this blog!
Gift 1: a "mix tape"...now I can't personally give each of you a mix tape, but here is a playlist of some good songs that will get your body grooving so download them and use them to run, spin, lift, or just sing in the car to:
"This is How We Do" by Katy Perry (duh)
"I'm a Freak" by Enrique Iglesias
"Chandelier" by Sia
"Rather Be" by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynn
"Empire" by Shakira (JayVee gave me that one)
"I Will Never Let You Down" by Rita Ora
"Classic" by MKTO
"Sissy that Walk" by RuPaul (yes, THAT RuPaul...it's so fun! KuteKim used it last week...so fun!!!!)
Now here is gift 2:
My Blueberry Jalapeno Margarita recipe
sadly I measure NOTHING...I mean NOTHING...I just throw stuff in the blender...so i am gonna guess the measurements here and you adjust to your liking...this is for one margarita...again, adjust things to your liking because THIS IS HOW WE DO things when Anice gives us a recipe
in your blender put:
a handful of blueberries
1/2 small jalapeno thinly sliced (you can remove seeds)
1 TBS agave nectar
juice of 3 large juicy limes
now give it a whirl and taste it...yes, no tequila yet because THIS IS HOW WE DO it so we don't mess things up once the tequila is in and waste darn good tequila! If you like a sweeter rita you can try adding more agave nectar or if you have a bit of blueberry liqueur add that...
add more jalapeno if you like more kick...for me 1/2 of a regular sized jalapeno is good but I like spicy so THIS IS HOW WE DO it at Casa Bonita
if you like how it tastes add some tequila...I guess about a shot's worth? maybe one and a half?
whirl your blender...
once you have your base done add ice cubes and turn it into a frozen rita...
you can also put this all in a shaker and muddle the blueberries and jalapeno and agave..,
I have added cilantro before but just a very few leaves..I like the sweet heat of the blueberries and jalapeno...
pour into a glass... I like to rim mine with red Hawaiian salt and lime zest
Here's a photo:
Ok my darlings now that I have proven my love for Katy Perry and the fact that my ADD is on super high level today I will close out this blog and see you tomorrow...I don't think I made a point but I hope I entertained you and you had fun...just like Katy's song...
Inspiration Song: I bet you will never guess that it is "This is How We Do" by Katy Perry! I love the song and video..the twerking ice cream cone makes me laugh...
Bye Darlings....THIS IS HOW WE DO things in my world...we just get on the computer and let the words flow...sometimes it is good and sometimes it is...meh...but I want to inspire you to have a little summer fun before September gets here...
We danced and sang at the concert and all proclaimed our love for Katy (or maybe that was just me)
(My children were mortified that I went to the concert because their friends saw me there and I was wearing a scandalous blue dress and had blue nails...)
So Katy is sorta my girl-crush...she's my drug of choice when it comes to pop and I think her videos are wonderfully entertaining. And as someone who does costumes I totally live to see what she is wearing in her videos and concerts and performances...
And there is where I have finally managed to roll around to what this blog is about...it's not about Katy Perry...
(My children think I need to take their ADD meds because I tend to be so rambly and roundabout...my son has threatened to crush one in my morning coffee..I don't let him make me coffee for that very reason...)
Oh yeah...back to this blog...
ADD
not fun for an adult...
and not that is not what this blog is about either...
OK, here goes... this is what the blog is about...
well not yet...let me tell you why I am blogging today and then we will get to what this is about...
So yesterday I find the Katy Perry video and become obsessed and so this morning as I am bopping along to the song on my way to have my daily dose of joyful death at the hands of the mighty Revolution Studio instructors (thank you Jen it was a most excellent way to kill myself today!) I am listening to the song and thinking:
great blog title
and then I'm all like "you should write a blog about this and you need to blog because when you blog you get creative and you need to get creative because GOTT is expecting big things from you on the costumes this year and you need to be rolling on it and right now you are terrified and worried you won't be able to do it so get the creative juices flowing and write a blog and get on the Pippin stuff...."
(yes that all went through my head at the stoplight)
So I thought...ok self...write a blog...
no...
write 7 blogs
in 7 days
that will make you get your creativity up
and
MAKE THEM ALL HAVE KATY PERRY TITLES
So there you go...I am going to have a little challenge with myself and you have to put up with it...
BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE DO...
(My children will now hide their heads in shame that I will be writing all Katy Perry song blogs...oh wait they do that anyway...blog or not)
Now that I have wasted 5 minutes or so of your time you are probably asking yourself:
"Hey what do I get out of this other than the fact she needs ADD meds and her kids are probably right that she has a Katy Perry obsession?"
Well I will tell you my darlings...
because THIS IS HOW WE DO things on this blog...
I like to share...
I like to send out love...
I like to send out positivity...
I like to send out support...
I like to get your thoughts provoked...
I like to challenge you...
I like to tell you stories (for a good one go back and re-read "La Femme Parallel"...it's the one about my daddy and the bidet episode...)
So for the next 7 days I am going to try and do some of that...
I do get obsessed with things...because THIS IS HOW WE DO when you are me...
right now I am obsessed with:
Katy Perry and this video
spinning
my homemade teriyaki salmon
my crazy sauce
blueberry jalapeno margaritas (guess what...recipe included in this blog!)
So You Think You Can Dance
spinning (it needs to be put here twice...)
(My children think my obsession with spinning is crazy but they have weird obsessions too but I am too good a mom to list them)
But you know, it's ok to have little obsessions...things like a song that rocks you out or a favorite form of exercise...
as long as your obsession is not following Justin Bieber I think you are just fine...
or stalking someone...stalking is not ok...
So now after all of this preamble I present to you my blog on "THIS IS HOW WE DO" (yes, I am still going to make a point)
THIS IS HOW WE DO:
So today a longtime dear friend posted on his blog that tomorrow will be his 16th anniversary of teaching his first spin class (see...I made it about spin again! not really...). In his blog he posted a photo of a mix tape (remember them? mix tapes? on a cassette? if you don't I need to pat you on your darling head). He used cassettes back then for his music
Bless.His.Heart.
I cannot imagine how much work that was...
because THIS IS HOW WE DO it now: COMPUTERS
you just get your happy little self onto a music sharing/buying site and load em up...I can make a playlist in minutes...the hardest part is deciding song order...
if you had to put it on cassette you had to make no mistakes...no re-arranging songs...one shot or you ruined the tape...
I remember the days of mix tapes...if someone made you a mix tape they really really liked you...
because those suckers took time...and effort...and a lot of changing or records...
All of this got me thinking about HOW WE DO things...and how technology has changed us
I love the ABC show "The Goldbergs"...it is such a lovely glimpse into the world of the 80's...it's not just the clothes and set decor...it's the things they talk about
like:
renting videos (now we can just pay per view on our tv's from the comfort of our living rooms because THIS IS HOW WE DO that with the world of the DVR...and yes we have Red Box)
rewinding videos (you do not have to rewind a DVR...and raise your hand if you ever had a little machine that rewound the video super fast for you)
Programming a VCR...or better yet: A BETAMAX! (raise your hand if you had a Betamax...I did...we all need to go face the corner in shame...and if you are too young to understand why I need to pat you on your darling head). Programming a VCR was a beast...it was like running NASA...and you could only tape one program at a time. Now we have awesome DVRs that can tape 4 shows at once and are easy to program...at Casa Bonita we have the Hopper because THIS IS HOW WE DO a lot of tv at this house...I mean Sunday night is a nightmare with Food Network Star, Witches of East End, True Blood, Halt and Catch Fire and some Bravo Housewife show all on at the same time...
using a REAL phone or pay phone to check in (we have cell phones now...and think back to the last time you left your phone at home or in your car...how naked did you feel? That is because THIS IS HOW WE DO things now: we spend all our time with our smart phones)
shopping at the mall (ok we still go to the mall but for me most of my shopping is online (thank you Amazon and Sephora) and I rarely venture out to the horror that is the Galleria...because THIS IS HOW WE DO things now: we click a few buttons and it comes to the door...and someday it may be delivered by a drone...
Technology has changed us...we move forward...and sometimes it is great and sometimes it takes away a bit of sweetness...
so today I am giving you two gifts...because THIS IS HOW WE DO things on this blog!
Gift 1: a "mix tape"...now I can't personally give each of you a mix tape, but here is a playlist of some good songs that will get your body grooving so download them and use them to run, spin, lift, or just sing in the car to:
"This is How We Do" by Katy Perry (duh)
"I'm a Freak" by Enrique Iglesias
"Chandelier" by Sia
"Rather Be" by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynn
"Empire" by Shakira (JayVee gave me that one)
"I Will Never Let You Down" by Rita Ora
"Classic" by MKTO
"Sissy that Walk" by RuPaul (yes, THAT RuPaul...it's so fun! KuteKim used it last week...so fun!!!!)
Now here is gift 2:
My Blueberry Jalapeno Margarita recipe
sadly I measure NOTHING...I mean NOTHING...I just throw stuff in the blender...so i am gonna guess the measurements here and you adjust to your liking...this is for one margarita...again, adjust things to your liking because THIS IS HOW WE DO things when Anice gives us a recipe
in your blender put:
a handful of blueberries
1/2 small jalapeno thinly sliced (you can remove seeds)
1 TBS agave nectar
juice of 3 large juicy limes
now give it a whirl and taste it...yes, no tequila yet because THIS IS HOW WE DO it so we don't mess things up once the tequila is in and waste darn good tequila! If you like a sweeter rita you can try adding more agave nectar or if you have a bit of blueberry liqueur add that...
add more jalapeno if you like more kick...for me 1/2 of a regular sized jalapeno is good but I like spicy so THIS IS HOW WE DO it at Casa Bonita
if you like how it tastes add some tequila...I guess about a shot's worth? maybe one and a half?
whirl your blender...
once you have your base done add ice cubes and turn it into a frozen rita...
you can also put this all in a shaker and muddle the blueberries and jalapeno and agave..,
I have added cilantro before but just a very few leaves..I like the sweet heat of the blueberries and jalapeno...
pour into a glass... I like to rim mine with red Hawaiian salt and lime zest
Here's a photo:
Ok my darlings now that I have proven my love for Katy Perry and the fact that my ADD is on super high level today I will close out this blog and see you tomorrow...I don't think I made a point but I hope I entertained you and you had fun...just like Katy's song...
Inspiration Song: I bet you will never guess that it is "This is How We Do" by Katy Perry! I love the song and video..the twerking ice cream cone makes me laugh...
Bye Darlings....THIS IS HOW WE DO things in my world...we just get on the computer and let the words flow...sometimes it is good and sometimes it is...meh...but I want to inspire you to have a little summer fun before September gets here...
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