An Afternoon of Favorite Things.

I'm pretty easily pleased but I have to admit when The Mister and I discovered the Landmark Theater not far from our home, I quickly became one big theater snob.  

We reserve VIP seats online a few days in advance, walk into the theater, enter our confirmation number in the little magic machine and our tickets spit out.  We get a special number for the VIP restroom (no waiting in line and it's super clean and pretty) from the kid at the desk. 

We are ushered to our seats and the very friendly server takes our order (which he/she will deliver to our seats) - anything from a meal to Junior Mints to popcorn; soft drinks to beer, wine or a cocktail (soft drinks and popcorn are free btw) - and we settle into the giant leather recliner like-seats to enjoy our chosen flick of the day. 

And the best part (as if all that wasn't fantastic)?  No kids.  I have never seen anyone under 18 in the theater. And that, my friends, is by design. I don't know that it actually says anywhere that kids aren't invited to the party, but it is "understood." I have nothing against kids, but we've all had our less-than-happy movie experiences where crying babies - or God forbid teenagers and their cell phones - are present.

So, yes, my name is Cindi and I'm a Landmark Theater snob.

Yesterday afternoon it looked like rain

Although, much to our dismay, I don't think rain ever really materialized.

so I donned my new Toms kicks

Not only super cute and comfy 

but Toms partnered with Charlize Theron

and her African Outreach Project which

helps protect African youth safe from HIV/AIDS

and a portion of the sale of these shoes

goes to her charity.

and we were off to Landmark to let Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy keep us laughing thru a couple of hours of The Heat. And laugh we did. What a duo!

From there it was onto another of our favorite haunts Sur le Table.  Always dangerous... We were just going to stop by and check out a new Wűsthof knife I had been coveting. 

Of course we just had to have it to add to our collection.

(It actually is pretty cool - 

fruits and veggies don't stick to the knife when you slice.)

And - of course - we found other things we just had to have...

Prying ourselves out of the store before we broke the bank, we ventured on to another favorite haunt Hillstone in Cherry Creek for the sushi I crave every now and then and won't shut up until I get my fix. 

And refreshments were in order as well

Although The Mister's Moscow Mule was tasty

it just isn't quite the same when not prepared properly as he does at home

in his copper cup.

So that was my Saturday of favorite things.  It is delightful to have a little time to have a life. 

However short-lived that may be. *wink*

What Ever Will I Do?

For the first time in months - maybe a year - save one small Etsy bunny order to complete, I have no pending orders.

...I'm taking a minute to assimilate that.

So yesterday when The Mister asked me to tag along to a brief [sort of] business meeting at World of Beer (Mad Men Version 2013) ~ I had no reason not to go. Of course had I known it was a beer/sports bar (he wisely didn't tell me where the meeting was going to be), I probably could have used that as my excuse. 

So I went and drank a glass of wine and played on Facebook while he did his thing.

And the next surprise was wandering across the way to meet other friends at Jax Fish House for Happy Hour. I was told the restaurant had only been open 2 days. The appetizers were things that I absolutely shouldn't be eating right now (I've lost 5 lbs and I don't want to blow it), but they were yummy.

Calamari with mango-chile mojo & lime aioli

Grilled Fish Cakes Dynamite with sriracha mayo

And I'm making an effort to step out of my chardonnay comfort zone (aka chardonnay rut). Our cute server recommended Jax White Sangria. Sure, I'll give it a shot.

Jax White Sangria

White wine, pineapple syrup, orange vodka,

blood orange juice and fresh citrus

The sangria - quite yum.

The oysters - not a fan.

For my Denver peeps ~ both World of Beer and Jax Fish House are calling themselves a Cherry Creek location, but they are in Glendale. There is a whole new development behind the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Cherry Creek on Colorado Boulevard (and Cherry Creek South Drive). I don't recall everything that is there but there are several restaurants with more to come. 

So this morning (after a 2:30 am sudden wake-up anxiety attack ~ oh the scary things that the wee dark hours bring to one's mind) I walked into my studio and realized I didn't have an order list on my work table. Of course there's always R & D to be done; but other than a quick bunny to whip up, nothing urgent.

So I walked back out to contemplate my day over a smoothie.

I'm getting better at just winging the recipes.

Orange juice, vanilla bean yogurt,

pineapple, peach, some flax seeds and ice.

I kind of don't know what to do with myself. Until I look at my studio which strongly resembles a place where a bomb just exploded.  The Mister and I have big plans for the next week as we are going to be switching his office space and my studio space. I will be making his loft office into my studio ~ much larger and much cooler. I mean temperature-wise. Turns out my studio in the summer is the hottest room in the house - even with the AC on. So tons of work ahead moving technology and furniture and reorganizing on both our parts. It will be worth it. And keeping my mind and body busy for the  2 weeks is essential.

We are trying on an Amazon Prime membership for size. So in addition to our Hulu+ and Netflix addictions we will probably have a new one to add to the mix. Perhaps as I finish the laundry (that need to be productive never leaves), I'll sit and knit and watch some flicks. I say that but I know I will automatically flip on The West Wing because I'm hopelessly hooked again. ;-)

Time Love and Tenderness

The saga continues...

Pretty in pink I guess.  

It was re-check time today. The good news is - first of all - I am getting to know my nurse and PA and I like them both very much. There's something nice about feeling comfortable enough to joke around or be serious ~ and to be absolutely completely honest with each other. Now that was a freeing feeling for me - someone who has always been somewhat intimidated by the medical profession. It probably helps being my - ahem... age - but also having an awesome niece who herself is an ER doctor.  Knowing her since she was 16 it is so heartwarming to have followed her path and her successes. She overcame incredible obstacles to get to where she is today and I am so proud of her. Y

But I digress.

So some of the issues are showing improvement; some are deemed nothing to worry about. But one pesky little issue needs some further investigation. So in a couple of weeks I have a date with a 45 minute needle in my neck!  Oh joy.  What fun! And again - could be something; could be nothing.

But I refuse to worry.

Or stop being goofy.

Or lose my sense of humour.

Or stop walking.

Or stop working.

Or stop renewing my love affair with The West Wing.  The most brilliantly written, excellently cast, beautifully acted television show ever.  

Or celebrating life.

When my PA read my very detailed blood pressure measuring 

spreadsheet (which she said was - very, very good - 

great information and I said, I'm a little OCD),

she said, "I see that your BP goes down 

when you have a glass of wine 

and spend time with your husband. 

Talk to your husband more and drink more wine!"

I looked at her and wanted to kiss her.

Then she said, "Oh no, no... not so much the wine."

So I drank champagne.

I was reminded on my way home from the clinic that I tend to have musical mantras that define certain times in my life.  I've had my Jackson Browne time.  And my Billy Joel days and more...

I was and always will be a Parrothead.  I know just about every lyric to every Jimmy Buffett song EVER.  Years ago when he played at Red Rocks Amphitheatre he dedicated this song  to me.  I don't remember why. But it is a sweet memory.

Sometimes life takes you on paths you don't see coming ~ could never predict. In 1991 Michael Bolton got me thru my divorce.

So when I was driving home today - assimilating all that I had learned in the last 30 minutes - Lenny popped up in my iPod. And I thought - ok then. That is the mantra for now.  Dammit. Stand up to whatever comes your way, baby.

Sweet dreams, peeps.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles. Or a Thousand Pounds.

I read an article recently about finding stress relief in your comfort zone. What does that mean you may ask? The author suggested reaching back into your childhood to the things that brought you comfort and revisiting them.  This may not apply to everyone, but there usually is a thread there ~ some bread crumbs you can follow. For some people it's movies, maybe a particular genre like comedy.  Maybe it's baking for you. For others it's skiing as fast as they can down a snowy slope. Some lose themselves in books.

And yet others wander. And all who wander are not lost. Sometimes they find themselves.

Sometimes in their own backyard.

The article got me thinking ~ and I guess I'm one who finds solace and comfort in nature. I know that since I have carved out time to resume my morning walks I can't imagine not walking every morning now. So I followed the breadcrumbs. 

It may sound odd, but I don't really remember a lot of my childhood. Yes, it was that uneventful. But I did find a crumb or two and remembered that with my older siblings 11, 9 and 7 years older than I and my little sister still a baby, I spent a lot of time alone. And I do remember walking the fields of the farm and finding little secret paths; riding my bicycle on dusty gravel roads exploring. In looking back I guess it was a little lonely but at the time it was all I knew. One thing for sure ~ it sparked my imagination.

So I guess finding myself as an adult in nature is natural. And nature still inspires me. 

And this little guy seemed to want to be my guide today.

He paced from one side of the path to the other

as if he was expecting someone (me?) ~ or worried

about something (me?).  

Bless his little heart. Y

I practiced my "catching birds in flight" skills.

Or non-skills...

And not unlike a snake in the grass (which is what I thought when I heard rustling in the weeds next to me)

A very clever pheasant in the grass evaded my lens.  Crafty bugger.

 But the shot that really got away

was when I pulled my Jeep into the park entrance 

and saw this little one eating a yucca blossom.

Ack. Adorable.

But of course there was no place to pull over

and there were antsy drivers behind me.

Damn.

So I came home to my morning smoothie

Strawberries, bananas, peaches...

with a little vanilla bean yogurt...

with a little almond milk.

So now ~ to explain the whole "journey of a thousand miles or pounds" thing...

Part of it is a metaphor for the miles I started walking when I was 5 or 6 up to the mile I walked in the park this morning.

And where will the path lead in the future?

And maybe it's not a thousand pounds. It's not even a hundred pounds. But it is more poundage than I'm going public with at this point. But the weight loss path is mine once more. Yay! 

My first test was resisting the Mister's mashed potatoes last night. If I were to list my all time favorite foods pizza and mashed potatoes would pretty much be tied for #1. Thus making them the most difficult for me to resist.

But resist I did!!

And although I can't really remember the last time 

I stepped on the scale (it was within the last week)

I've lost 2 lbs. 

And find myself in a new (lower) digit.

So yay me.

And as if Mister Potato Head and his mashies last night were not torture enough ~ he goes off to a client's all day leaving me with leftover mashed potatoes taunting me in the fridge.

I will resist!  Because 2 lbs. is 2 lbs.  And every journey starts with that one little step. 

Thru the Eye of the Fish

Yesterday I grabbed my fisheye and my Scarlet Scout (you have to be a Lensbaby person to understand that one) again and went for a much-needed morning walk.  I've nothing profound to say about that. I just had a good walk. 

Come on.  This way. 

It's not the Caribbean; but its as close as I will get to a beach for awhile.

So I can pretend.

The lake shows how desperate our drought situation is.

The waterline normally comes up the the bottom of this image

Like I said ~ nothing profound to say. Just the images from a good walk.

Maybe Tomorrow

I haven't been in the blogging mood lately and it occurred to me this afternoon that maybe it's not just all this crazy health stuff going on (wait... wait... wait...) but maybe also due to my lack of morning walks in the past few days. 

I rarely walk in the park on the weekends because there are, you know - people - there on the weekends.  I prefer it like this

Thank you very much.

I missed another morning because I needed to finish a couple of projects.

Burpies for Seal Beach, CA

Whee Ones for Cherry Creek North, Denver

(And I'm promising myself that one of the first things on my July reboot is to set up a new spot to shoot my products properly!)

Then we spent some time with this guy one night

He was... magic.

But any time I'm awake past 9pm (it was close to midnight!  Gasp!) and up with the puppy at sunrise ~ I'm not too motivated to walk a mile or two.

I was all set into head to the wild this morning and then I stepped outside.

The smoke from no less than 8 wildfires burning in my state 

is lying thick over the metro area.

Even walking a couple of blocks with Boo - breathing in the smoky air was suffocating.  I am really claustrophobic so the thought that I can't breathe can send me into a panic attack in a heartbeat. In fact, even though windows were closed all night, I woke suddenly at 3:30am with the feeling I couldn't breathe. I bolted out of bed and headed to my studio ~ to breathe.

At sunrise I repotted some veggies and herbs (quickly as the smoky air was not fun to sit in)

Roma tomatoes

Mint ~ for those mojitos

Basil for caprese and pesto

And I watered the flowers

Maybe I'll be inspired to blog tomorrow...