all my bags are packed...I'm ready to go?

In a couple of days I'll be going on a trip. Where? I don't know. How long? Dunno. People find this perplexing, even though they know I'm a flight attendant. The lifestyle isn't as glamorous and romantic as most picture it to be. Nevertheless, I am going back. It's been a bumpy road of getting vaccines and visas and getting trained and prepped to return. And things will continue to change as our contracts are negotiated and the companies merge....so I really have little to no clue about what is in store.

Speaking of changes and not having a clue, I'm undecided as to where I want to make my home. I'm not interested in moving back to VA, yet I'm sure I want to leave Boulder. I thought Denver was my next step, but I'm having doubts. I've realized that Colorado is a place where most people come to feel free and to have adventures. I'm looking for a place to settle down into a community, and I'm starting to think that a town of wild and transient people aren't going to provide the stability and reliability I am looking for. Who knows though, I haven't spent very much time in Denver. I will have my eyes open as I work and travel.

In other news, I think I am going to Ireland in June. I want to start getting destinations checked off of my bucket list, especially since that's the main reason I wanted to be a flight attendant. Ireland, Greece, Australia, Italy Hawaii...these are a few of my goals. I've barely done any travelling for pleasure since acquiring my benefits, and I had 2 whole years off that I feel were wasted opportunity. I have a close friend and an acquaintance who are both very interested in going to Ireland, so I am going to do my best to follow through and make it happen. No more sitting on my hands and dreaming of what could be. Ireland, here I come!

Coocoo for cooking with coco!

I've been on a creative cooking kick lately. I was inspired a lot by the blog Chocolate Covered Katie, and yeah you bet I like this girl's style. One of my latest obsessions is chocolate oatmeal, which I tweaked a little and made "Mounds" oatmeal with coconut oil and flakes. Other favorite successful recipes have been her tofu chocolate pie and coconut milk Cool Whip. The most popular recipe is a chickpea chocolate chip cookie dough dip, which I tried yesterday without much success. I love cooking with coconut oil, because it's a healthy fat that's good for you inside and out! Plus, whenever I scrape a spoon with my fingers I just rub it onto dry spots or right onto my lips for some glossy conditioning. And it's so yummy and tropical, I just fantasize about being on a beach or an island somewhere while it's snowy and cold outside...*sigh*.

My other recent obsession is spinach smoothies...now stay with me here: the basic recipe calls for banana, frozen fruit, and a couple of handfuls of spinach. You can thin it out with water and ice cubes, fruit juice, or milk. I like to use almond or soy milk, and I like to add peanut butter for some added protein. Really you can dress it up with whatever you have in your fridge. I like adding greek yogurt and coconut oil sometimes, and I'm considering buying some of what I like to call "magic green potion", which is the blend of seaweed, wheatgrass, blue-green algae, and all of those other nutrient rich mixes. So far it usually tastes like a peanut butter and banana shake, all while I'm getting a ton of spinach in my diet! Yum!

Right now I'm whipping up a batch of "edamole" because I have lots of frozen edamame in the freezer. Basically I'm using boiled, pureed edamame in place of avocado. Now, I love avocados and eat them almost every day, but it's nice to add some variety to your diet. Plus I'm in need of a lot of protein. In addition to blending up edamame, I added some lime juice, sea salt, and the liquid from a package of tofu. Then I just mashed it up with store bought guac mix. It was so good even before I added the guac spices, I couldn't stop licking my spoon!

I'm getting hungry writing this, so I think it's time to make some lunch. Anyone have some recipes to share? I'm really enjoying my healthy cooking kick, so in addition to Miss Chocolate-Covered Katie I highly recommend Devin Alexander's Healthy Decadence recipes. Happy healthy and yummy cooking everyone!

listen

Amidst the numerous football fans that I work with, I somehow managed to get Sundays completely off. Yeeha! Now I don't have to stress out about getting my shifts covered for improv class, and I can actually enjoy them and relax. This week's lesson was about showing emotion, but I think the bigger lesson was about listening before reacting. The rule of the game was to make the delivery express your emotion, but not let the emotion control you or the scene. It became difficult when we were told to freeze and given a new emotion, and we all just exploded. It became easier to listen to someone's offer and letting it sink in before letting loose. Sometimes I worry that silence will make people uncomfortable. In comedy I think that tension could potentially be golden. In real life I think I need to shut my mouth now and then before I spew my opinions. One of my all-time favorite quotes was said by Plato, and it is "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.". I try to remember that as much as possible. One of these days I am going to make a collection of quote t-shirts to inspire myself with nuggets of wisdom every day.

I'm having a rare spell of creativity at the moment. I whipped up some homemade cookies to bring to work the other day, and while they were baking crafted a patchwork owl and sewed it on a sweatshirt. I'm thinking about starting some diy project posts on this blog. Another theme I'd like to carry out is "things I have learned from my grandparents". Seriously, grandparents are awesome. I can't think of a better note to end on than that. Katie out.

making the most out of my morning

Coffee...is there anything it can't do?

As of late I've spoiled myself by getting a coffee grinder and purchasing my beans from local roasters (Conscious Coffee and Boxcar Roasters in Boulder are almost, if not equal to, my all time favorite Stumptown Coffee from Portland,OR). I'm willing to splurge a few extra dollars because, like I said, I'm now spoiled and the regular grocery brands just aren't as appealing anymore. So in an attempt to not let any of my little luxury go to waste, I've been thinking up ways to savor even the coffee grounds.

Back when I lived in a house, I had a wonderful compost pile in which I would deposit coffee grounds, food scraps, and yard clippings. I miss that little pile, especially when I note the weekly amount of garbage that accumulates in our apartment. I've read in a lot of places that coffee grounds make a great exfoliant, so I thought to give it a try this morning. I made my coffee and breakfast, did some reading, then decided to use my buzz to go to the gym. Ok, ok, drag myself to the gym. When I came back home to shower off, I snagged the used coffee filter and grounds from the Mr. Coffee and was pleased to note that the bundle was still nice and warm. If any of you want to try this, I'd recommend placing your filter and grounds in a dish of some sort so you don't drip all over the place. Once in the shower I scrubbed and scrubbed, and it was delightfully tingly. I've heard the caffeine can even make your skin feel buzzed. Followed by my Dr. Bronner's magic soap, to which I like to add some coconut essential oils, I felt smooth and delicious. The only drawback is your shower might be covered in grounds and look icky, but I don't think it's hurting anything.

I don't think I'll be doing this every day, but I'd definitely recommend trying it now and then! I have a list of other ways to use your coffee grounds that maybe I'll be trying soon:

-Massage grounds into your scalp to soften and add shine. This is especially great for brunettes, it really brings out your highlights!

-Fertilize plants.

-Rub coffee grounds on hands after chopping pungent foods to get rid of odors.

-dye fabric or paper with old coffee grounds for an antique look.

-for scratches in wooden furniture, rub some moist coffee grounds to fill in the scratch marks.

Fellow coffee lovers, savor away!

Improv your life

By a stroke of luck I was able to start improv classes today. It's a very small class, pretty balanced in age and gender, and is at the Impulse Theatre in Denver. The company spun off from my former improv group, Comedy Sportz, but their philosophies are slightly different. One of the basic tenants of improvisational comedies, as I was taught, is "yes, and...". This means you accept whatever a fellow improviser throws at you, and then you heighten the situation. I'm so accustomed to this that I will immediately and happily accept a suggestion. So when we started with 2 line scenes and my partner told me "You're on fire!" I just smiled and said, "Yeah I am!". Ouch. Coach has us continue the scene and to make my answer more believable I recovered with "What did you expect? We're in hell!".

I kind of like the yes, and rule, because it encourages us to be supportive. On the other hand, I like this new freedom to accept the reality they create but form my own opinion around it. If I immediately agree with what a person hands me, it doesn't allow me to think for myself. Now I get to train my brain to say "Yes, I see where you are going" and give myself a moment to form a logical reaction. I'm excited to re-train my brain to be in the moment and quick, improv is a great mental workout!

save the date

Who else loves theme parties? As many ugly Christmas sweater parties or 80s shindigs you've seen, don't you still get a kick out of it and have fun? Some themes seem overdone, but that's because they work so well! I was just listening to some good old Michael Jackson on Youtube and couldn't help but smile at that sparkling glove, and it hit me: I want to have a Michael Jackson party celebrating him this June 25. On the anniversary of his death, I'd like to celebrate his music. So bedazzle your gloves, zombify yourself for some Thriller, and break out Michael Jackson: the Experience on the Xbox so we can moonwalk. It's gonna happen.