Ah, disappointment

M&M's have a lot of different varieties: mint, peanut butter, crispy, and pretzel, in addition to the usual regular and peanut varieties.  Late last year, I read on Facebook that they would be coming out with a caramel version and my heart skipped a beat.  That sounded like a match made in heaven!  But, I would have to wait until this spring.

My wait ended on Tuesday, when I spotted a bag in Walmart.  So I decided to bring them home and let everyone try them.

I don't know what everyone else thought of them, but since the bag is now gone, I suppose my kids didn't totally hate them!  However, I must confess I was disappointed.  I am not exactly sure what I thought they would be like.  They are the size of peanut M&M's, kind of bulky looking, and the filling, well, they taste like candy coated Milk Duds.  I envisioned the filling to be creamier, more liquid, and smaller, but perhaps that just isn't possible.

Oh well, I guess I can go back to one of the other versions.  But I think this will be a one and done purchase....

Is it 2017 yet??!!

2016 has been a rough year, in many ways.  A lot of activity, a lot of change, a lot of loss.  It's been a year that has pulled many through the wringer emotionally.

 

We had a presidential election that left much to be desired.  I can't think of another election like this past one that left people so disillusioned and disgusted.  "Is this the best we can do??" was voiced by many. 

 

We lost so many people in popular culture.  Some deaths were not totally unexpected, but sad nonetheless.  Some just threw us for a loop.  Many names that I grew up with, from my childhood and teenage years, were taken from us way too soon.

 

And the violence.  So much of it.  Hate crimes. Terrorism.  Here and abroad.  So many senseless actions.  Lives destroyed, sides drawn, and no answers.

 

The dictionary defines the word "malaise" as "a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify."  I think the word malaise sums up 2016 perfectly. 

 

2017 can't come soon enough.  Here's hoping it's a gentler, kinder year!

 

Birthday musings

Today is my birthday; I turn 48 today.  So far, I have had a good day: enjoyed some texts, emails, phone calls, and Facebook postings wishing me a happy birthday; went to the library and picked up some new books; got some lovely cupcakes from a local bakery; and even wrote a blog post (I know-two blog posts from me in a day?? What's up with that??)!

So now I sit here, with college football on the tv in the background (go WVU!) and I think about what it means to be 48.  I know I have chronologically been on this earth for 48 years.  I don't "feel" 48, mostly because I don't know what 48 is supposed to feel like.  I certainly don't feel old mentally, although my body is always ready to remind me that I'm not as young as I used to be.

When I was a kid, I was terrified of getting old.  Getting older just seemed like a steady progression towards death.  That scared me so bad that I had panic attacks from age 10 to about age 30.  I can't explain why I was so fearful; I guess I thought my life would fly by and I would feel like I didn't have enough time to live my life and then it would be over.  Death seemed so final; I don't know why I developed such a fear at such a young age, but at times the panic attacks were simply overwhelming.

When I was 29, I lived on the island of Guam.  I just had our second son.  In December of 1997, Super Typhoon Paka hit the island and took down power.  Even though the Navy base we lived on got power back on fairly quickly, we still didn't have cable back and the Internet at the time was a bit primitive (I mean-dial up!).  So believe it or not, when I had free time, I started re-reading the Bible.  While reading through the Old and New Testament, the epistles and the psalms, a feeling of calm came over me.  I realized that I didn't have control over things like death and the passage of time and that was okay; there was nothing to fear from that.  From that point, my panic attacks stopped and very rarely have they resurfaced.  Letting go and having faith that I would be okay no matter what made a huge difference in my life and brought me peace.

When I was 42, I started working at St. Leo Catholic Church, the church my family and I have attended since we moved to West Virginia.  I had volunteered in different ministries, but now I was in the office during the week and in contact with many different people.  Many different and wonderful people who have taught me so much.  Alot of the people I come into contact with every day are at least 20 years older than me.  They have made me look at age differently.  So many of these people live vibrant lives.  They volunteer their time, they travel, they have wonderful outlooks on life, no matter what life may hand them.  They do not buckle when there are challenges in their path; they deal with them and keep on living.  I am so grateful to have examples of human beings living such full lives in front of me every day.

I have grown into myself as I have aged.  I don't care as much about what people think of me.  I don't care as much about making mistakes-they are learning tools.  Every day I am learning to not let fear hold me back from living my life.  I am grateful for all of the experiences that have gotten me to where I am today.  Maybe my life has not turned out quite like I thought it would, but in many ways, that is a good thing.  I have realized it is better not to have expectations-that is the quickest way to get disappointed.  Every day I learn new things, about myself and the world around me and I am committed to keeping an open mind.  Nothing is truly impossible.

So I look forward to the road ahead and hopefully it is a long one.  I intend to keep improving my outlook, expanding my horizons, and learning as much as I can about myself and the world around me.  I will do this one day at a time.  

Happy Birthday to me :)

Book Challenge 2016

A book challenge you say?  But the year is 3/4 over, you say?  Challenge accepted!

So I started with "a biography or memoir" and my selection was "So That Happened" by Jon Cryer.  I have been a fan of Jon Cryer since seeing him play Duckie in Pretty in Pink many moons ago.  I had heard great things about the book on Twitter and decided to add it to my Amazon cart.

It is less of a biography and more of a memoir about his time so far in show business.  Some of it was very interesting and insightful.  Jon has experience as an actor in theater, movies, and TV, as well as a writer, director, and producer.  He does a great job explaining the difference between the various genres and giving you a taste of the ins and outs of show business through his experiences, all with a healthy dose of humor.  You can really sense the respect he has for certain people in the business and his frustration with different aspects.  He touches on different areas of his personal life, but does not delve too deeply.  He does have a chapter on his experience with an old girlfriend and talks about his relationship with Demi Moore when they filmed "No Small Affair" together.  He doesn't really bash anyone, although after his description of working on Pretty In Pink, I get the sense that Molly Ringwald was a stuck up snobby bitch and Andrew McCarthy was a condescending prick (my words, not his).  Even though he brushes off some of their actions and words, I think he was a little hurt at their behavior towards him, both on and off camera.

The one section of the book I had a problem with was when he spoke about Charlie Sheen, specifically when Charlie went off the deep end.  There was just a little too much detail about the whole scenario.  I really didn't need to know the specific text messages Jon and Charlie exchanged.  I know "Two and a Half Men" comprised a large part of Jon Cryer's professional life and Charlie Sheen was a big part of it; I know Charlie Sheen's behavior was all over the media at the time and fodder for TMZ and the tabloids; and I am sure Charlie's behavior really hurt and pissed off Jon.  But I wished that Jon focused a little less on the circus that was Charlie Sheen and stuck more to his show business experiences or talked more about his relationship with his family or being a father.  The last third of the book is mostly about Charlie Sheen and it should ALL be about Jon Cryer.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and if you are a fan of Jon's, give it a read!  I own the book, so if you would like to read it, let me know and I will be happy to send it to you!

Adventures in Fine Dining

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a bit of a foodie; I also enjoy a good cocktail.  So when my husband asked me if I wanted to attend a special Grey Goose diner at Ruth Chris steak house-a 5 course meal pairing Grey Goose cocktails with each course-the answer was a resounding YES!

This event was held at Ruth Chris restaurants around the country; we attended the one in Gaithersburg, MD.  The dinner was held in a private dining room in the restaurant; there were about 25 of us altogether.  There was a "master of ceremonies", who explained how and where Grey Goose vodka was made and described each course and cocktail.  There was a short video presentation all about Grey Goose vodka before the meal began.  We had 2 servers for the room as well as a bartender, who explained how each cocktail was made and what went into each one.

The first course was a salad of thinly sliced duck breast, black mission figs, apricots, greens, and thinly sliced crispy potatoes with a light elderflower vinagrette.  This was paired with Le Grand Fizz, a cocktail of Grey Goose vodka, St. Germaine elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and garnished with lime.  This was easily my favorite course.  I loved the salad (figs are one of my favorite foods) and the cocktail was very refreshing.  I could have drank them all night!

.

The second course was dry chili rubbed salmon with baked fennel.  The salmon was very moist and flavorful.  The fennel looked like a small potato cake.  It was also very good.  What I was surprised about was that my husband ate all of it.  This was not a combination I would have ever imagined him trying a year ago.  I guess that's a testament to how good the food is at Ruth Chris!

The drink paired with this course was a pear and cardamom collins.  I don't know all of the ingredients, but there definitely was Grey Goose vodka and cardamom syrup.  It was garnished with a thinly sliced pear.  It was wonderful!

The third course was chicken breast stuffed with dried fruit and thyme with roasted fingerling potatoes.  This was not a full chicken breast-that didn't make it any less delicious.

The drink paired with this course was Le Melon Mule.  Grey Goose Melon vodka with ginger beer and lime.  I have never been a huge fan of mules (the drink, not the animal; I have no experience with the animal) and this concoction was no different.  For me, it was too sour and too strong. I have decided I am not a fan of ginger beer.  I did, however, eat the cantaloupe ball and piece of candied ginger it was garnished with-that I liked.

The entree course was a petit filet with parmesan crusted cauliflower, served with sides of chevre & bleu mac and cheese and fire roasted corn.  I'm picky about corn and this rendering of it was not appealing to me, but my husband enjoyed it.  He also loved the mac and cheese and he does not like mac and cheese; again, a testament to the chefs at Ruth Chris.  I liked the mac and cheese, but it was nothing earth shattering.

The steak, however, was fabulous.  Perfect medium rare, melted in your mouth.  Hey, this is a well known steak restaurant-they better know how to do steak!  The cauliflower was very good as well.

The drink paired with this course was a big ass martini.  That's my description, not theirs.  Because it was!  It was Ruth Chris' famous dry martini, with Grey Goose vodka, olive juice, and a big olive stuffed with bleu cheese.  Very big, very strong.  If I had this drink at the beginning of the meal and could sip it throughout, I would have liked it.  But after a little more than 2 drinks, I could have taken a nap on the floor.  So I took a few sips, ate the olive, and left it at that.

The dessert course was probably the most disappointing.  It was a small chocolate cake with almonds and chocolate almond bark.  No real wow factor and the bark was just simply too dense for me.  It did have almonds and dried fruit in it; the cake was just chocolate cake with chocolate whipped cream.

The drink paired with it was, honestly, awful.  I think it was called Francois' coffee.  It was Grey Goose Cherry Noir vodka, kahlua, coffee, and maybe something else.  I thought the coffee would be hot; I was wrong.  It was just....blecch.  And we weren't the only ones who thought so.  As we looked around the room, we noticed the dessert drink going largely untouched.  Sean said it tasted like cough syrup-I think that's a pretty accurate description.

All in all, it was a wonderful dining experience.  Don't worry-my husband did not drink all of his drinks, so he was perfectly fit to drive home.  And luckily there was a Starbucks across the street.  The dinner cost $95 per person plus tip (which they added in for us) and that may seem expensive, but the food was delicious and these were full sized drinks, so I would say it was totally worth it.

Our servers and bartender were wonderful-very professional, very friendly, very accomodating.  The master of ceremonies....I can't say I was impressed with him.  He admitted he was more of a "wine guy" and didn't know that much about vodka.  He was reading off of a tablet device, so it couldn't have been that hard.  But he put no enthusiasm into the descriptions and stumbled over the presentation somewhat.  Worse, when he joined a table to dine, he positioned his chair that almost totally cut off a major walkway for the room.  That's bad enough for a large person like me; it's terrible for the servers that have to squeeze through with trays of food and drinks.  And the gentleman really did nothing to get out of the way-very unprofessional in my book.

I look forward to the next Ruth Chris dining extravaganza!  Might I suggest....tequila? ;)

Humbled

If you live in and around the state of West Virginia, you have surely heard about the terrible floods that have devastated over 40 counties in the state.  The people in many areas have lost everything and insurance, if they have it, cannot even begin to cover what they have lost.  Add to that the toll this has taken on people mentally and emotionally, and you have a crisis.

I live in Martinsburg, which is in the eastern panhandle of the state, about an hour and a half north west of Washington D.C.  The past two weeks I have witnessed something amazing.  Local businesses and churches have become staging areas for a relief effort and ordinary folks have responded to the call for help in droves.  I work for and am a member of St. Leo's Catholic Church in Inwood, WV.  Carla Hopkins, one of our parishioners, is an angel here on earth.  She has worked tirelessly to get the word out for what is needed, has coordinated with other volunteers in the area, and has driven all over Berkeley County helping to deliver donations.  Today (Saturday) she and her husband Charlie were at St. Leo organizing, with the help of volunteers, all of the donations that people had been bringing to the church all week.  This situation has touched her heart so powerfully that anything she can do to help she has done.

Other angel is Marti Hersom.  She is a member of Mt. Zion Episcopal Church and very active in the community.  She has also put the call out for what is most needed in the affected areas, used her church as a staging area, and she and her children have gone down to some of the affected areas to help out in whatever way they can.  She shares her stories and photos on Facebook when she can.

Both of these women, and countless others all over West Virginia are true life heroes in my book, motivated only by their love and concern for their fellow human beings.  These are not government agencies or large charitable organizations.  These are simple folks all over the state that want to help in whatever way they can.  Whether it is donating money to buy ice, bringing cleaning supplies, baby items, or whatever else is need to a staging area, or driving down to the affected areas to distribute items or help clean up, so many people have been moved by this disaster to help in any way they are able.  It is truly humbling to see this response from so many people.

If anyone would like to donate towards the relief effort, please visit: http://catholiccharitieswv.org/  The front page describes the devastation and has a simple Donate button so that you can help.

To read about and view some photos about the relief effort, you can like this page: https://www.facebook.com/blessclaycounty/?pnref=story.unseen-section  or you can go can like the page I manage for our church: https://www.facebook.com/stleoinwoodwv/.  I try to share stories when I can.


Thank you for reading this.  And thank you to everyone who has helped in any way.

Simple Pleasures

-light streaming through a stained glass window

-the smell of fresh basil

-music, always music

-cool, fresh morning air

-a pet curled up beside you

-a clear sky full of stars

-deep red cardinals, bright blue jays, and glimpses of hummingbirds

-a rainy afternoon, and a good book (or 3)

-a long talk with an old friend

-a long stretch of highway and some good tunes

-naps

-the scent of hyacinth

-a freshly mowed lawn

-remembering all your passwords on the first try

-a quiet day at the beach

-hugs

-road trips

-peace and quiet and a fresh cup of coffee

-a perfectly poached egg

-flowers in full bloom

-finding a forgotten $10 in a pocket

-people that know how to merge

-fireflies

-climbing into cool crisp sheets at night


What are some of your simple pleasures?