May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!

On Saturday night, I went over to Glinda and Fiero's for their annual Halloween party - costumes required!

I'm typically not big on costumes. Not that I don't like them, I just don't typically think of them enough ahead of time to get all of the pieces at a reasonable price. And I'm not very crafty, so I end up with something boring.

Though, two years ago, at the last minute, I made a white sash with black writing that said, "Understood." I wore an old bridesmaid dress and a tiara with the sash, and I got second place in the costume contest.

This year, Glinda and I were shopping at Charming Charlie's sometime in the summer and we found a headband with a little hat thing. And right then and there, I decided that I would be Effie Trinket for Halloween.

I did procrastinate a little more than I should have, but it all came together nicely.

This was my inspiration:

This was my costume:

McKayla Maroney (Glinda) is not impressed with Effie Trinket...

I won the contest this year!

Keep on Instagrammin'

58/365

yum

Match made some beef shanks and sent Dirty and I home with leftovers.

Delicious!

Seriously - make this recipe! (Though I believe she subs beef broth for red wine.)

59/365

paleo treat

I was craving cake and found the easiest recipe on the planet! Then I ate one piece and packed the rest up to go to the office so I didn't eat the entire thing!

Next time I will try it with peanut butter chips!

60/365

how does your garden grow?

Went out for dinner with Glinda and Fiero last week at a totally adorable restaurant that I didn't even know existed.

How cute is this garden box as you walk in?

61/365

12.2

You already saw this picture. But it is safe to say that I am dealing with some serious anxiety about the workout that will be released this evening.

I just know it is going to include double-unders or pull-ups and I'm going to die.

62/365

tall, dark columbian

Ok, he's not Columbian. But he is adorable!

Dirty, Tiger, and I spent our Friday night at Wicked.

I still love that play!

63/365

for love of the game

Tiny and I were enjoying a moment at Biggie's t-ball game. Then it was off to the playground.

"Just two more seconds, Aunt Airplane?"

64/365

nah, nah, nah, nah

Hey, hey - goodbye! My last glass of wine before starting the Paleo Breaking Barriers Challenge at the gym.

30 Days of STRICT Paleo eating - with another 30 days that can include the occasional wine/sugar/dairy. So far, so good.

Baseline workout is on Friday so we can measure our results at the end of the challenge.

65/365

boys of spring

It is hard to have a bad day at work when it starts at the baseball stadium.

We announced that we signed 20 year extensions with both the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners for our baseball stadium! Very exciting stuff!

Miscellany Monday

43/365

all grown up

I was at a public hearing for the Air Force base in our community and the speaker representing the Governor's office was my former intern.

I like to say I made him the man he is today.

44/365

a day of love

Lots of things I love on Valentine's Day!

Red shoes with zebra leggings, kale sauteed with bacon and shallots, red zinfandel, and paleo chocolate mug cake with coconut milk ice cream.

Yum!

45/365

long live cowboys

And the women who love them!

My grandparents have been married for over 60 years and in this picture they are helping to celebrate Arizona's Centennial with the state's cattlemen!

46/365

paleo goodness

The picture doesn't do this dish justice, but I promise you it is so easy and so, SO good!

Paleo Sundried Tomato Chicken Bake from everydaypaleo.com

47/365

drinkin', lovin', fightin' cowboys

Went out dancing with FredAstaire and Ginger for Ginger's birthday. I broke out the old shark boots for the occasion.

There are few things I love more than country dancing at a hole-in-the-wall bar.

48/365

defying gravity

Went with Glinda and Fiero to see Wicked at Gammage.

Loved it just as much fifth time! (And excited to see it a sixth this week!)

50/365

woot woot

As I previously mentioned - I hit a new personal record for a 5K and I am stoked!

Now head on over to Carissa's blog and check out a blog you've never read before.

Twelve Inches...Or A Foot

Did any of you see that Sex and the City Episode where the guy at the shoe store gives Charlotte free shoes as long as she'll let him put them on her feet?

I was as freaked out about that episode as I was when I encountered a foot fetish in real life.

As I've mentioned, Cribs got married a couple of weekends ago.

I may have also mentioned that it was the.greatest.wedding.EVER! That isn't really the point here, but I can not express this enough.

So, as is typical of girls at weddings, we wore heels during the ceremony, but when the reception came around we changed into flips. (Super cute flips that Cribs' mom bought for us!)

Because you know, at a wedding, me and my girls - we gots to get our dancing on!

And dancing we did - all night long!

The band shut down at midnight and by the time we got everyone situated and headed outside for a cab it was closer to one am. 

Glinda, Fiero, another bridesmaid, and I are standing in front of the resort waiting for a cab when another party goer came up to us and said, "I saw you girls wearing those heels earlier and then you changed. I was very disappointed. You should wear heels all night."

We kind of thought he was joking so we all made a comment about how he should wear heels all night or how we couldn't properly get our groove on in the heels.

Then he says, "I'm serious. Next time I see you at a wedding, I expect you to wear heels all night. I kind of have a thing for feet."

We all just kind of stared at each other - I mean really, what do you say to that?

Then he offered us a drink that he was carrying.

I said absolutely not - I did not want to get roofied by the crazy foot fetish guy.

Though what's the worst that could have happened? I would have woken up with painted toe nails getting a foot massage...

An Island Vacation

Ughh - I'm having serious technical issues!

My computer doesn't want to load pictures. I can't even put them on Facebook.

I don't want to be back in Arizona...

I'm going to do my best to give you the recap on the Bahamas now, without crying that I'm not there.

I got to Glinda's house late Thursday night so that we could put our liquids in one bag and head to the airport early the next morning.

We had a great plan to avoid paying too much in baggage fees. We would all pack our carry-ons with our clothes, bathing suits, and shoes; then we would put all liquids in one bag and check just that bag. (There was some small concern that we would get searched for checking one small duffel bag, but we didn't.)

Before we left Glinda's house on Friday morning, we had a very small breakfast. We landed early in Miami, but for some reason the idiots at the Miami airport couldn't figure out how to get us into a gate so we sat on the tarmac while all chances of grabbing a quick bite to eat vanished before our eyes.


But when we arrived in our room, everything was all of the sudden better.

So we headed downstairs for over-priced pizza and a night swim.


Saturday we spent the morning on the beach and then decided that we needed an adventure. We tried to find the daiquiri place that someone told us about the night before, but we had no luck. 


So we loaded up on the local bus and headed for the market. At our first stop, we had to wait a minute while the driver tweaked the muffler.

One of my favorite things about the Bahamas was that everyone just brings their family and friends to work with them. You have to drive the bus today? No need for a babysitter, just bring the kids along. I think it makes for a very happy workforce. (Unless you don't like your family...)


The market was pretty uneventful, but we stopped by the liquor store as well to pick up a bottle of local coconut rum.


I would say that those two stops (purchases) were probably our best ideas of the trip!


Back at the hotel, we made some sandwiches and headed back to the beach.


That night was when we discovered the Daunte Culpepper was the nice man on the balcony below us and to the right. While we were people watching in the lobby, we noticed a bunch of white guys asking another guy if they could get their picture with him. 


Despite a foolproof plan, Vegas* and I couldn't get Fiero* to go ask for his picture so we had to stop another guy and ask who the famous dude was. 


It wasn't until the next morning that we realized they were the same guy.


Sunday's adventure was a bus trip downtown. Armed with some tips from our friend Connie, we went downtown in search of good local food, $8 rum, and a rickety water taxi.


We found all three!

I mentioned on Monday that we were there for the Independence Day celebrations. I was so excited! (And how awesome are their flag colors?!?)


After a little shopping and a jaunt over to Paradise Island, we decided to go find some lunch at the Fish Fry.


Connie had already warned us that they would try to lure us into Twin Brothers, but that we should avoid it because it was overpriced and touristy.


She had heard from a local that Remelda's Kitchen was the place to go.


Connie hadn't led us astray yet, so we found Remelda's and settled in for a DELICIOUS meal!

(I will post about the food over on Airplane Food in the next day or so.)


We boarded the bus back to the hotel and decided to get off at the stop with the Tricky Daq Shack.

This was not a mistake!!


That sexy man in the background will mix you up a fresh fruit daiquiri and pour it into a plastic cup with a good two and a half shots of rum in it.


For $6.


It was a SMOKIN' deal!


Monday was our last full day in the Bahamas and we decided that we should spend it on the beach all day.


And that is exactly what we did. 


Fiero and I are a little on the pasty white side, and no matter what SPF sunscreen we use, or how often we reapply, we still can't spend much time in the direct sunlight, so we set up camp under a palm-frond shade and settled in for a day of reading, drinking, and relaxing.


I decided that my favorite time of day in the Bahamas is right when the sun starts going down. It cools off quite a bit, the beach gets really quite (read: all of the screaming children head to dinner), but there is still enough light to read.

That night we had a pizza party on the beach and then disrupted some filming of MTV Canada until we got too tired to do anything else.


The trip home was pretty uneventful.


The vacation was well worth it!


It was more than I could have imagined!