At the start of this week, I was still in AZ. That lovely sun and heat seem like a distant memory now in the gray, cold weather here in Memphis. But, I digress. Dad, Diane, and I went on a family hike on Pinnacle Peak. It was rather steep- knees level with hips while climbing up. But, I did it, I survived, and after some rest, my knees and hip forgave me. We had a good time though. Then, Dad and I went to see "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"- very cute, worth seeing. The next day was New Year's Eve. Dad made us a nice breakfast. Later, they went golfing, and I walked the front nine with them. After that, I left to get ready for the night. I went over to Sarah's parents house to see them and Sarah and Rijan. We had a delicious meal, and after we were done eating, we went out to sit by the fire pit. We ended up making s'mores and gabbing, and laughing so much that we didn't notice how much time had passed. By the time we did, we decided not to deal with the club scene and cover charges and ring in the New Year there with Sarah's parents. It was so much fun, way better than some crowded club with overpriced drinks and food.
The next day, I flew home, visited with Mom and Conor, and then got back to my place and crashed pretty hard. I don't think I even left my apartment for 24 hours. I spent my first real day back taking down decorations and cleaning. Oh, and I slept off and on quite a bit. The next day, I made it to the gym, then I got a massage. After that, it was time to have my Girls' Day with Memaw. She treated me a delicious lunch, and I treated her to a pedicure. We had a really nice time getting pampered and enjoying each others' company. That night, I met up with Sunshine and we went to dinner and the movie "Saving Mr. Banks"- go see that movie. It was really good.
Yesterday, I did a new workout at the gym that made me sweat like I couldn't believe. A little later, Kerry and I had our first brunch of the new year :) Then, Mom and I went to see "Inside Llewyn Davis"- good music and acting, but I need the Coen brothers to explain the ending to me. That evening, I went down to Olive Branch for a Girls Night where our goal was to let go of the negative parts of 2013. We burned things in a fire pit. I just burned some notes, others burned shirts, jeans, socks, and a wedding dress. I think we all got the closure we needed from the night.
I have to say, I feel that at the end of each year, everyone is so ready to say good riddance, and everyone so desperately wants to believe that the new year will be nothing but wonderful. It's 365 days. There will be crappy moments, crappy days, crappy weeks, and sadly, maybe even a crappy month or two. However, there will also be amazing moments, delightful days, wonderful weeks, and hopefully memorable months. We have to know that. Deep down, we all know that. Crap will happen. It's unavoidable. But, if we can acknowledge that it won't define everything, that sometimes everything has to fall apart because it was shit to begin with, that we have no clue what we really need sometimes, then, we can appreciate the awesome moments even more. We can make those more of our focus. We can be more thankful for them and think back on them when we're enduring the mini-hells. They can let us know that it will pass, and we will have better moments again.
Today, I went to Mass with a friend, then I braved the grocery store and got the makings for spaghetti with sausage and Bowl of the Wife of Kit Carson. I made the spaghetti with sausage today, and I will make the soup tomorrow. I spent most of my day at home getting prepared for the next quarter. I am glad I still have tomorrow to finish all of that though since I am not done just yet. That's right- SBA has tomorrow off for winning the Food Bank Food Drive! Woot! I will relish every last second of this break even though I am secretly looking forward to seeing my kids and getting back into the routine of it all again.
Now, time to get totally psyched for the new season of Downton Abbey to start in less than an hour!!!!
Me hiking Pinnacle Peak
S'mores- perfect NYE snack
Toasting the New Year
Rijan, Sarah, and I
Sarah and I
Memaw and my pedicures
Spaghetti with Sauasge
Tip of the Week: When making anything that is more than one portion, have your containers ready to go so that you can portion it all out once you are done making it. This way, you will be less tempted to overeat and can better stay on track.
Recipe of the Week: Spaghetti with Sausage- 8 servings, 7 WW points
16 oz. spaghetti
8 oz. tomato paste
16 oz. tomato puree
1 large tomato
1/2 red onion
5 sausage links
Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
Basil to taste
Oregano to taste
Salt to taste
Put all ingredients except noodles in the crock pot on high for at least 6 hours. Stir occasionally. When almost ready to eat, boil water with noodles, drain. Portion noodles. Then portion sauce. Eat and enjoy!
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