Veggie Fails...

Well this will be short and sweet...I lasted all of 15 days and then I caved. 

In the 2 weeks eating fish, vegetables, fruit, carbs...I gained a crapload of weight.  So, because I'm shallow and hate feeling like a puffer fish and looking like one, I decided to stop.  Now, I'm absolutely positive there are ways NOT to gain weight when becoming a vegetarian...however, I am also on medication to shrink a tumor in my brain which also keeps my wacky hormones in tact and I don't know if maybe that has something to do with it or if I was just on a carb overload.  I'm also pretty iron deficient and I found myself even more tired than usual. 

I'm apparently not as disciplined as I thought at my age and kind of just wanted to eat whatever I felt like eating.  So...all in all, I love the thought of it and I definitely think I'll continue a few times a week of no meat, but my body did not react in a way that felt good to me. 

So, there you have it.  My fail at 30 days with no meat.  But a win for trying.

Veggie Tales: Part I

Well.  I decided to go 30 days without meat.  Why?  Because I'm all kinds of crazy like that.  The longest I've ever gone is 1 week, but hey...I felt like torturing myself for a full month before my birthday instead this time.

But seriously, yes, I know one of the first questions everyone asks or will ask is "Why?" -- So, I'll answer that now so we can move on to the real stuff:  How I survived 30 days with no meat.

Why?

1.  Because I like to challenge myself
2.  Because I want to see how my body & mind respond without having meat for 30 days
3.  Because lately, I've kind of been grossed out by the thought of killing chickens or cows or pigs   just in order to eat
4.  Because I am curious about learning more about being vegetarian

So, there you have it.  I know everyone has their own opinion on this as to whether it's a good or bad thing or even a necessary/unnecessary thing.  I would love to know your thoughts as well and am open to all sorts of opinions on the subject.

Here is the gist of what I'm eating/drinking:

Juice (fresh spinach, carrots, celery, kale, orange, apple, cucumber, lemon)
Fish / meatless meat (soy or tofu) and yes, I realize that some people will say I shouldn't be eating fish either...owell. 
Coffee (no dairy)
Water

A few days into my delightful new journey and the hubs decides to take me out to dinner (a rarity these days because we have been cooking at home a lot, which is heavenly).  So, as my no meat drama continues, I look over and he is ordering a juicy hamburger and fries.  WTH?!  Clearly, he has NOT decided to join me on this adventure.  Ugh...my immediate reaction when it arrives is to grab it and eat it, but I'm dying to find out if after 30 days, I lose that feeling and temptation.  So, I eat my grilled salmon caesar salad.  Yum.

Monday:  I'm 1 week in.  I feel no difference at all.  I still crave the chicken, the meat.  But, I'm determined.  We made a huge vat of pasta and meatballs for the neighbors last night and guess what I had?  Pasta and MEATLESS meatballs from Trader Joes.  I prepared myself fully as I took that first bite.  I prepared myself for a bland, chalky, absolutely horrid taste.  I was pleasantly surprised, thank goodness.  They were actually quite tasty, so I didn't really mind.  All in all...week 1 is down and I'm just not feeling all that much of a difference, but perhaps I had too much expectation.  I thought maybe I would magically look and feel like a rockstar...to proclaim "I am vegetarian, hear me roar!"...but...does anyone really care?  You know...like...ugh, here we go.  Another "vegetarian" who eats fish and she's screaming it from the rooftops.  The real bummer here:  I certainly haven't lost any weight, but that might be due to the fact that I drink alcohol like a fish.

Stay tuned for week 2...

It was written in the stars...literally

It really was...at least for me. 

I was living on my own, single mom (2 young children), working 2-3 jobs at a time, trying to make all my ends meet. Hustling that hustle that we single moms do when you have to pay for everything and have a fierce desire of wanting more for your kids than you ever had for yourself while trying to show them how to be strong and motivated.  Well...at least doing the best that you can at the time and hoping nobody sees otherwise.

The one thing I realized living on my own...I was happy.  I was OK with being alone.  I  quite loved it.  Having my littles with me or just having my evenings free.  It was liberating. It was nice.  It made me more solid.  I had a lot of time to reflect and grow and by being a completely whole person it made it seem healthier to get into a relationship when the time was right.  I knew I would be be able to be with someone as the best version of myself.  It felt so good to finally have peace and know that I deserved love.  I deserved to be with someone who was willing to give as much as I was.  I deserved to be treated kindly.  I deserved to be treated with respect.  I deserved to laugh and be heard and be seen.  I wanted a best friend, confidant...that old "knight and shining armour" kinda thing.  Chivalrous.  Old fashioned and okay....I also wanted him to be tall, funny, really smart and incredibly good looking.

 At that time, my cousin Autumn came to live with me for a bit.  She was sort of in limbo between school and work and she was thinking of moving back  to Orange County and I couldn't bear the thought of it, so I asked her to come stay with me.  She was, in fact, one of my closest friends, not to mention, family.  I didn't realize how big of an impact she had on me until much later, but she was a huge part of my growth at that time, little did she know.  She was spunky and fun and completely selfless and dedicated as a human being.  She gave me such insight and taught me so much...and at that time in my life, she was a great sounding board, a great, freeing release from all the stress of motherhood and work and...life!  It was really nice to have someone around to drink wine and share silly "boy" stories with or talk about work or school.  I was 'adulting'.  It was cool. 

One night, Autumn and I were home and I was looking at Astrology Zone (www.astrologyzone.com).  Laugh if you will, but I simply love that sh&*.  Take it for what it is, but it's fun, interesting, comical, cheesy...I know.  But, this one....Astrology Zone...I quite like because it's usually scarily accurate.  So, we read our horoscope (luckily she is a Virgo like me).  Luckily, I say.  I guess that depends on who is at the receiving end of us Virgo's ;)  Here is what it said (from what I remember):  "January 9th, of all nights, will be the one time of the year that you will meet your soul mate".  Well, color me pink and look no further. Autumn and I made a date to go to our favorite restaurant on January 9th:  Mexicali.  I was without the littles that night and she was not working or in school.  So, we both decided, that we would take a little venture out and see what the stars had aligned for us.

January 9th:  THE DAY.  I think it was a Wednesday.  Autumn and I got ready to head to our little mexican restaurant and hope for the best.  We sat in our favorite booth right next to the bar so we could people watch.  We sat there for a bit, having a few drinks, keeping a wandering eye around the place for our Prince Charming...our Knight in Shining Armour...our Keeper.   And then...I spotted him.  This ridiculously good-looking Johnny Depp look-alike standing at the bar.  Damn.  But, wait.  Were there? Yes...Yes, there were.  There were 2 of "him".  TWINS.  Oh my.  So, my cousin and I turned and looked at them both.  Handsome little devils, they were.  It looked as if they were paying and about to leave.  Bummer...but we were right in their line of site, so I was hoping a little hair twirl or at least eye contact would grab his attention.  I say "his" because I was immediately more attracted to one of them.  They both had shoulder length, brown hair and gorgeous eyes.  But, the one with the cute, flared jeans seemed to just hold my attention.  So, I kept staring over at him....creepy as I was.  As if on cue, he looked up at me.  I kind of smiled and blushed at the same time and immediately looked down.  Well, that was smooth.  Less than a minute later, he walked right past my table and out the door, while his brother finished paying for their drinks.  Alrighty then...I guess that wasn't my guy.  That wasn't my lobster.  

Autumn and I started chatting and laughing again and within 30 seconds, the other twin had sauntered up to our table.  He looked straight at me, shook my hand and said "Hey, I just want you to know my brother thinks you're really beautiful".   I smiled and blurted out "well, you can tell him I think he's pretty hot".  Good grief.  Classy, Misty.  Very classy.  We talked with the other twin, Kenny, was his name, for about 5 minutes and then he left.  Okay, I thought, I guess, neither of them was "him", but it was a nice little encounter nonetheless.  

About 3 minutes later, I see my cousins eyes widen and she whispers "they're coming back!  They're coming back!".  Gulp.  What?   And so it was.  They both walked back in and right up to our table.  "Hi, I'm Denny" he said.  Kenny and Denny.  I smiled.  "Hey, I'm Misty".  His long hair was kind of covering his eyes and face as he spoke to me, but I could see he was adorable.  We talked for a bit and he told me they were on their way into the studio to finish recording their album.  OH. NO.  No...not a musician.  Not an entertainer.  No.  Agh.  That was the very last type of person I wanted to date in the entire world.  Ugh.  But, he was so cute and funny already, I could tell and even a little shy, which was endearing.  Dammit.  

So, we finished our conversation and I gave him my phone number.  I mean, what could it hurt.  Astrologyzone.com had already told me this was the 1 night out of the entire year I would meet my soulmate and he was the ONLY person that I spoke to that evening...so, I took a chance.  I took a little risk on this guy...and guess what?  Magic happened.  We started dating almost immediately and we have pretty much been together ever since...9 years and counting and he is hands down my favorite person.  My best friend.  He makes me laugh every day and I still find him to be the cutest, most handsome person I've ever met.  He's challenged me over and over, loved me like I've never felt love before and he's allowed me to be ME...fully and completely.  And now, I definitely appreciate the musician in him because it gives him depth and sweetness and emotion and darkness.   Because...it's Always OK to take chances, there is Never a time for regret, Sometimes the stars do align....Maybe, just Maybe...you'll learn to see your glass as always half full.

He is everything I never knew I always wanted.  

 

 

Flying the Friendly Skies?

Well, it's Friday.  The day before I leave for my yearly work trip to Aspen, Colorado.  It's 4:18pm and I'm at work....and I'm looking around.  Nobody is here.  Apparently, they've all left for the day.  Sweet. I mean, it is Friday.  I'm posting this now so I don't forget to write later because obviously I can't be doing personal blogging at work.  However, stay tuned....tomorrow morning I head out.  I'll catch up then.  

In resurrecting my blog, I've decided to not just write about my job, but about all aspects of myself and my life.  Some will be serious, some funny and some probably a bit of both and might even occasionally touch on the spiritual end.  I suppose it will depend on mood, location and whatever the hell is going on in my life at that time!  Always, Never & Sometimes...Maybe ;)

I decided on the first leg out I was going to venture out of my comfort zone and talk with the woman who was sitting next to me on the plane, who it looked as if, even before take off was going to "zone out" on her iPad.  I can't blame her.  How  many times of late had I sat on a plane and immediately gotten on my phone or opened a book just to avoid having to strike up conversation?  Now, I'm not one to be rude and interrupt people, especially if they don't feel like talking.  However, you never know...until you try and you might just meet someone interesting.  That's how it used to be on planes before the smart phone craze that left us all somehow a little less close, even when sitting right next to one another.  So, I took a deep breath and said "Are you from Chicago"?  I asked, because that's where my layover to Aspen was.  She looked up and said "From London, but we have a place in Chicago because that's where I used to work and we have family".  She smiled and so I continued the conversation a bit more.  It was a few minutes later that she closed up her iPad and put it away.  That was when I knew she was open to talking.  I thought to myself, 'this is my opportunity to change the way I interact, to ask questions, actually get to know someone and start bridging the gap of this social media world'.  We ended up talking the full 2 hours of the flight and I found that she was an extraordinary woman, mother, worker, wife.  She was a bit older than me and she owned a few homes in the US and then one in London.  We began talking about books and reading and she gave me some amazing suggestions on books that were right up my alley.  At that moment, I knew that was one of the reasons we met. I made a point to ask her questions, to listen intently, to give her my full attention.  I tried really hard to be aware of not talking over her or answering with something that would seem like I knew everything or had "been there, done that".  It was amazing to watch her smile and get excited by me asking questions and genuinely being interested in the answers.  Isn't that what we all want?  To be heard?  At the end of the flight she smiled and said "Well, this was fun, wasn't it?!".  My heart grew tremendously in that moment.  She gave me her card and asked to keep in touch.  I was thrilled.  One more person in this world that I now knew and who knows what the future will hold with that?  We may never speak again or see one another again or we might become really great friends.  I suppose it's up to each of us.  Or, she might just be a gift in that moment, a lesson for me or perhaps I was a lesson for her.  All I knew was that I wanted to make sure that whoever's path I crossed, they saw it as something good.

I hopped off the plane feeling just a little nicer, a little kinder and a little more grounded.  Plus, I had somewhat faced a fear.  Most don't see me as shy, but I am particularly shy when I don't know someone...so being the first one to talk was a challenge, but one that I welcomed and I know next time it will be even easier.  And, I hadn't even had a drink! 

I hopped on my next flight an hour or so later and sat down next to a young girl in her 20's.  The minute I sat down she asked if the rows ahead of me were open.  I said I didn't know.  She looked and said "They're open, we don't all have to sit next to each other squeezed in here" and got up and moved.  So....then, there was that.  I simply smiled and thought, "Well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad.  Let's hope she is just having a bad day and doesn't always come across so thoughtless".  Who knows.

In any case, I had the whole row to myself!  I DID have a drink on that flight.  Mostly because I love to drink, but partly because I'll admit, I was a bit frustrated by the total turnaround of events on this flight.  However, after 15 minutes, I let it go.  I sprawled out in my row, watched a movie and made it safe and sound to Aspen. So, sometimes the flights are friendly...sometimes not.  But, I bet they can ALWAYS be interesting...if you allow for it ;)