Refined Palate

I've become a bit of a foodie lately. Not because I fancy myself a home chef or anything, but because I've become addicted to food shows! Love 'em! Love watching food being selected, love watching ideas form, love watching the chopping and dicing, love hearing the description of how fragrant everything is as it cooks, and the piece de resistance! I love hearing how wonderful it tastes as the host rolls his/her eyes in the back of their head and enjoys.

Starting on Monday I got me some more Slim Fast. Yes, I know I talk about it way too much. But stay with me here. I got my SF and made my morning smoothie and....hmmm.....disappointing. What? I've been drinking that thing for almost 2 years and have loved it. I wondered to myself if SF had adjusted the recipe ever so slightly so that my own smoothie recipe was "off." I wondered again on Tuesday. And then this morning, I was making the smoothie the same way I always make it when it dawned on me that I had not been the person to fetch the SF from the shelf on shopping day. It was H. So.....then I thought, I wonder if H. got Chocolate Royale instead of Milk Chocolate?

And, yes indeedy, that is EXACTLY what happened. Well, even though I was a tad perturbed, the biggest sensation I got was satisfaction. Yes, satisfied that my palate was refined enough to know the difference between Chocolate Royale and Milk Chocolate. And people, go with Milk Chocolate when buying SF powder, I swear by it!

Now, does the sussing out of the ever so slight difference in taste/texture on SF mean I have a refined palate?

Why do we say our palate is refined anyway? The palate is the roof of the mouth. The roof of all places. Is that where we taste our food? Clearly foodies from early on may have had superior tastebuds, but did not have a great command of the English language. I guess saying "refined tastebuds" doesn't sound as fancy? But let me tell you, tastebud sounds totally great compared to the real name of tastebuds. Are you ready?

There are four types of tastebuds: fungiform papillae, filiform papillae, foliate papillae, and circumvallate papillae.

Drum roll please......I indeed have refined papillae! Which type? I'm gonna go with the fungiform papillae, just because it sounds so yummy!

Ok, so my palate isn't refined. Because if it was I would like things like shrimp, lobster, and crab legs, right?

But, on the other hand, I despise places like Applebee's.

There must be some hope for me yet!

Size Me Up.....I mean Down

I bought a new pair of jeans from the Park City Outlets the other day. And, as a probably very long aside....What the heck is it with outlet malls? They are overcrowded and OVERPRICED! Harold and I had a long discussion about this. Why do they call it outlets? The assumption is that the outlets are filled with bargains galore. Nope. Very few bargains, just like regular malls/stores.

We parked in a very, very far spot because I had spilled lunch on myself (shocking!) and wanted to change my shirt in the car. I prefer not to change clothes in front of other people as a general rule, so we were trying to find a secluded spot. Then, when I was clothed once again, we meandered....I mean HIKED to the Gap where the rest of our party was waiting.

Then, inside the gap, in the middle left corridor, I found the clearance rack. I love clearance racks. When I find something wonderful, it's wonderful. Unfortunately that doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

But on Saturday, I found a size 16 jean. Now, if you are all appalled at the size, stop reading now. You and I are officially NOT friends! But, if you stop and realize that I started the weight loss journey at a size 24.....then 16 sounds mighty fine indeed!

So I found the 16 jeans for $5.97. What? I was thrilled! I didn't bother trying the jeans on because I knew they wouldn't fit. Yet.

But when I got those jeans home I put them on and they came all the way up my legs. Yay! But, to wear these bad boys outside the house would require a very, very long shirt to hide the fact that the zipper was not going to interlock in any way, shape, or form in the near future. Not on this body.

This revelation has led me to two things:
1. I need to step up my aerobic workout game. I need to start setting goals!
2. I need to start doing some sort of repetitive tummy tightening exercise.

As for #1. Today I ran further than I've run in a while. I was pushing myself and it felt good. I was out of breath and pretty worthless for conversation, but my running buddy was nice enough to step up her game and talk more. :) And, after sitting in my work chair for about 45 minutes, I went to go upstairs and OUCH, everything was sore! Now I just need a goal.

So here it is: I need to be running 3 miles straight without stops by the end of August. I think that is a pretty reasonable goal.

As for #2. I had a book around here somewhere that had exercises for every part of your body that you could do in 8 minutes a day. I need to find that book!

I have decided. I am a goal-making, covenant-keeping girl. And there you have it.

Cheater, Cheater

I cheated on my fling. Instead of ice cream in a bowl (did you know that every time I write bowl in my posts, that I first spell it as bowel? This is due to my occupation, but I find it funny), I've had shakes instead.

We were on the road this weekend. We took a trip to Nowheresville, USA (AKA, Rawlins, Wyoming {I apologize to my MIL as that is where she is from, but I think she might agree with me}) to meet up with Harold's brothers and their families and watch trains. Yes, we drove 4 hours each way to watch trains, people! Ok, we really went to see the fam. The trains were a nice addition (per the train aficionados).

Anywayz....In Evanston, WY we stopped in both directions to switch drivers (AKA get a shake at Arby's). I totally adore the vanilla shakes from Arby's. The flavor is Dee-Vine. I had to run into the ladies room while H. went through the drive-thru and he ordered me a large both times. UH, I ordered a LARGE vanilla shake! Wow.

So, I cheated on my one true love. It's like I traded up for the newer, younger, more hip model. I feel guilty.

And my scale didn't like it either. Could it be because the shake takes like a whole freakin' gallon o' ice cream to make one large shake?

Never again my love, never again.

In retrospect, I shouldn't diss on Rawlins like that. Our Holiday Inn Express was SAH-WEET. So pretty! So clean and new! And the manager (girl) at the desk has lived in Rawlins her whole life and was EXTREMELY helpful. And, she let us have a late checkout for free. Just because I asked all sweet and stuff.

Oh, and my kids and their cousins made a video whilst dancing through all three floors of the HIE. And we weren't kicked out. Bonus.

(P.S. I feel I must insert this, before I get into trouble. Wyoming isn't a bad place, it just feels kinda desolate to me. I live in a wrinky dink town in Utah and I love it, despite that many others think it's a major hole in the wall kinda town. And, I really love to go by H.'s grandparents house every time we visit. Whoever owns it now still keeps it looking fresh and clean, just like I imagine it was back when the Huggins lived there. I like to imagine little H. going through the back door, letting it slam behind him, and Grandpa H. saying "don't let the door slam!! So, even though I poke a bit o' fun at Rawlins, I appreciate what it brought to me. My H. Whom I adore. And I truly look forward to meeting Grandma and Grandpa Huggins one day and hopefully they won' t think I'm too big of a brat.)

Ice Cream Diet

I've been a very naughty girl. If I had to go report to my surgeon's office right now, I'd have to hang my head in shame and fess up to a myriad of sins. But my biggest, most offensive sin, that pretty much encompasses a multitude of other minor sins is this:

For the past 2 weeks or so I have replaced at least 6 meals each week with ice cream.

Breyer's Rocky Road, Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic, Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion, Blue Bunny Berry Me Please, Farr's Chocolate Peanut Butter.

Yep, I remember the names of my ice cream flings. Every.single.one.

The really bad part of this sin? No consequences that I can see, because the scale has been going down. Yep, you read me right, down.

I have stopped snacking during the day as well, from all the guilt I feel from the ice cream meals.

So, a Slim Fast shake in the morning, and a meal or two of ice cream and....I'm done for the day! Is that was the Slim Fast people meant when they talked about meal replacement?

I'm sure the inside of my body is screaming in disgust.

But I'm down 60 pounds now. After almost two long years. I wish I had known about the ice cream plan way back when.

Today I got my act together and heated up some leftovers from Sunday dinner for my lunch. I got stuck after only about 7 or 8 bites. And I had to throw up.

And I missed my ice cream fling!

I know, I know

I swore I was going to blog more, I made the announcement that I was "back." Well, I lied. Not on purpose, of course. I would never, ever lie on purpose. Except a few times as a crazy teenager. But even then I usually fessed up to my wrongdoings. I was a talker then and a talker now. I tell all.

I don't think I tell more than people want to know, but maybe I do. I just share. I don't have secrets. I don't like to hide. In fact, I end up telling people personal stuff more than once because I talk about it so much I can't remember who I've told. Now I'm pretty sure some of that is presenile dementia. (I love a good self-diagnosis. Makes me all warm and fuzzy. You gotta love a medical transcriptionist with just enough medical vocabulary and knowledge to be very, very scary.)

So, here's me telling all, fessing up. This month has been a living nightmare. No, really. I'm not kidding.

You know those people who go to church and say, "I have a hard time coming here because everyone else's lives look so perfect." You know those people? Well those people are talking about me.

Me with my wonderful husband and two outwardly decent children. No infants, no diapers. Nothing is ever wrong, it seems. We go to church every week, we pay our tithing, we sit all quiet and cleanly dressed. We serve in our callings, we don't make waves. Harold makes our yard look nice. We drive cars that work. Our children participate in YW and Scouts.

Well, I got news for "you people!" My life is far from perfect.

Having said that, I cannot in good conscience reveal why my month has been so utterly, terribly bad. Because that would violate a trust.

But, if you were ever looking around, thinking others have their "lands and gold," think again.

Count your many blessings, name them one by one.

I promise you, even though I have had a month I would rather never, ever re-live....I, too, am blessed beyond measure. I, too, am surprised at what the Lord has done for me.

Yesterday, after our horribly terrible no-good month, I was blessed with a feeling so powerful and so peaceful and beautiful that the Lord was literally WITH my dear husband. Yes, He loves us. And He loves you, too.

And that is truth.