#AND we accidentally ordered so. much. food from our favorite mexican place and now we have 2 pints of guac and 837173781 chips and a JUMBOOO

[cowboylikemeg]

goodnight

[purplesurveys]

1087

survey by tigerfan1205

Name 5 people that are very important to you. Other than my dad, mom, and Angela, I can’t think of anyone else. Andi’s a very close friend but they’re not necessarily I’d-take-a-bullet-for-them levels yet.

Do you like eating chocolate covered cherries or strawberries? I don’t like fruits, so no. I like chocolate-covered unhealthy stuff though, hahah.

What does your 9th text say in your outbox? Ughhhh I remember this tab being in my old cellphones but I can’t quite remember if this is referring to texts I’ve sent, or my drafts. Anyway, my phone doesn’t store text drafts and I can no longer recall my 9th last sent text.

Ever had a really scary dream? Tell me about it. I’ve had loads of nightmares but my least favorites have always been the ones where someone I love is shot and they had to pass away in my arms. Out of all my scary dreams, those are the ones that send me crying in my sleep/as soon as I wake up.

Where is the coolest place you've been on vacation? Vigan was great because it really felt like visiting a 17th-century town. Singapore and Shanghai were also fun because it felt cool going to places much richer than ours and getting to interact with technologies that we will never get to have here HAHA

Would you rather have salad or french fries for a side dish? Erm, unless the salad has spicy tuna in it, fries all the way please.

Ever been to California? Did you like it? No. Idk, it’s not the first place on my list if I am to visit the US though. Places in the East Coast and the Midwest personally appeal more to me - and I’m fully aware it’s because they’re well-known for being passionate wrestling hubs.

What's your favorite thing about the town you live in? I live right smack on the boundary between the more urban sprawl of Manila and the quieter, more peaceful and quaint mountain part of my city. It’s very easy to access either depending on what I’m in the mood for.

Do you like Mexican food? What's your favorite dish to eat? It’s great, but not my top favorite cuisine. My favorite dishes would have to be fajitas and chimichangas.

Favorite kind of pizza is? Quattro formaggi all the wayyyy. You’ll never see me ordering anything else.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? If so, how long have you been dating? No.

Any brothers or sisters? Do they make you mad? I have one of each. My sister will sometimes piss me off, but it dies down quick. My brother did something unforgivable to me two years ago so that’s how long I have been constantly mad at him.

Are you nosy? Eh, sometimes? For the most part I know my place though. I let people share the amount they’re willing to, and very rarely do I try to pry.

Ever been to a bar? What was it like? Sure, had my fair share of favorites too when going out was still a normal thing. For me, bars are the best if I’m with the right mix of people. If I’m in a crowd I’m not necessarily close with, it can definitely dampen the experience as I will only be feeling awkward. The people in the bar will sometimes be a factor too – I will most likely feel annoyed if I’m somewhere that’s clearly populated by high schoolers or college freshies as they can get super rambunctious and loud.

Are you old enough to drink? Yes, have been for the last 4 (almost 5) years.

What's your favorite kind of flower? I enjoy looking at peonies.

Would you rather have pasta or chicken? Right now, probs chicken - preferably chicken wings because that sounds the most fucking yummmmmm rn. We’ve been having pasta a bit too much at home so it would’t hurt to skip it for now.

Have you ever dated someone, but made them not tell anyone about it? Yeah. Gabie and I got back together in our final months of high school. We were about to graduate and it was crucial we kept our record clean so that the school won’t strip us of our diploma and prohibit us from marching (it was Catholic school, sooo homophobia and stuff). Because of that, we had to keep it secret for about a month and a half. As soon as I got home from the ceremony and my family dinner, I shared the news on social media. So I didn’t exactly make her keep it secret - it was a mutual understanding.

What's the meanest thing you have done to a friend? I honestly can’t recall a time i deliberately set out to be an ass to someone I considered a friend. The one thing I can recall was accidentally misgendering Andi when I was still getting used to their pronouns, but I didn’t do it on purpose.

Have you ever kissed anybody with the name starting with a C or R? No. Those are my initials though, ha.

Why did you and your last ex break up? She wasn’t ready, she wasn’t down for commitment, and she felt suffocated having only been in a relationship throughout her late teen and early adult years. She really made herself sound like such a victim and she made it sound like commitment is the biggest sin, and so I blamed myself a lot during the first few months of our breakup; but I’ve since made a conscious effort to turn my mindset around and convince myself that I’m not at fault. Bye gaslighters.

Have you ever had a really bad fight with a best friend? Angela and I only had petty fights and our last one was in like 5th grade. Gab and I got into heavy arguments, but only when we were in a relationship and never as friends.

Do you like spaghetti? It’s okay. I like other types of pasta better.

Which color: orange or red? Red.

Do you know any songs by Katy Perry? Do you like her music? She’s...popular lmao, so yeah I know a good number of her songs. She’s in the middle for me; some songs I really enjoy, like E.T., Dark Horse, and Thinking of You (a personal fave); and there are some that didn’t grow on me as much, like Wide Awake and that awful Christmas song she recently released.

Ever had a near death experience? I suppose. My almost-car crash is the event I always cite.

Which number: 5 or 19? 19, for no reason whatsoever.

What's your favorite song by Taylor Swift? Why is that your favorite? Wildest Dreams; it meant a lot to me on a personal level for a time; right now it’s kinda doing it again for me. From her newest album, I really like dorothea also because it’s a bit relevant to my life at the moment.

Pick one: apples or oranges? I guess oranges. I don’t like fruits but I’m more likely to take a liking to orange-flavored stuff, like juice or chewy candies.

Do you know anybody named George or Bob? I don’t think so.

What do you like better, being single or in a relationship? Why is that? I like being in a relationship; commitment comes easy to me and I love looking out for a significant other, supporting them in their dreams, and generally just having someone to focus on, build a future with, and spoil. Being single hasn’t been bad and I guess I won’t mind if I never found someone; but in the grand scheme of things it’s really nice to be able to love someone.

Are you close with your mother? Not really but our relationship isn’t as strained as it used to be.

Have you ever dated someone named Kyle? Nope.

If you still go to school, who sits next to you in your fifth period? I can’t remember the last time I had five classes in a day, lol.

Who was the last person to ring your doorbell/knock on your door? I think it was my mom, earlier this morning when she arrived back home from her daily jog.

Does anything on you itch right now? Yeah actually; the opposite elbow got itchy just now.

If the last person you kissed came to your house now, what would you say? “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

If your ex called you crying, what would it most likely be about? I have no clue, and she would never do that so I literally can’t imagine even a hypothetical reason for this. It has to be a super serious situation, likeeeeeee idk, maybe a death. *knocks on wood aggressively*

Who was the best kisser out of all the people you have kissed? I’ve only kissed one person, so can’t compare.

Name everyone you have texted today. This media guy celebrating his birthday today so I had to ask him for his details so we could send him a gift, as well as the contact person for the cake shop that we got in touch with to order said gift for the birthday celebrant.

Who was the last person you spoke to for over 5 minutes over the telephone? Maybe my grandma when she called a few months ago.

How many times have you went to the bathroom today? Around three times total, I think.

Who do you currently live with? My dad, mom, Nina, my brother, Kimi, and Cooper.

What do you like better: sour or sweet candy? Sweeeeeeet. No sour anything for me, thanks.

Have you ever been told that you have an annoying laugh? No but I hope this isn’t an actual thing people say to other people. They can think others’ laugh is annoying, but I think it’s one of those things that you can just try to get over and is unnecessary to raise lol.

[tessxomarie]

Saving You - Part III

*Hello loves! This is Part III, we get to meet Kendra and read a little bit into more of Leah’s backstory. Bear with me here, I promise all of the details mentioned have meaning in future parts! For now, enjoy!*

A few hours pass by since I left the clubhouse. As soon as I got home, I showered and changed into a pair of old raggedy pajama shorts and an old Chicago Cubs t-shirt. Chicago is where I’m originally from, at least that’s where I was born and raised until I was 5.

I hear a knock at my door, and sure enough it’s my girl Kenz.

I open the door and let her in and give her a weird look as she has a key to my place.

“My hands are full, I couldn’t reach for my key.” She says laughing, and then I look down and see she has a million bags.

“What the hell did you bring?” I ask eagerly as she passes by me and into my home.

She plops one bag on the couch and takes everything else into the kitchen. “Well, my overnight bag for one because I plan on getting wine drunk and I ain’t going anywhere. Secondly, I had to stop and get our favorite men – Ben & Jerry, and I also picked up some stuff to make tacos, because you know I’m Mexican and I can make tacos in my sleep.” She explains as she places all of the items on my kitchen table.

I cannot stop laughing because Kendra always makes me laugh. It’s just her personality, she rarely takes anything seriously. She is the literal definition of zero fucks given, but the girl demands respect. She was one of my first friends I made in nursing school. Actually, she was my only friend I had made at that point, and by the grace of God we were able to come up through the ranks together. Kendra has been my side through a lot of shit. She’s had her fair share of family shit and guy drama, but she’s always been there for me – no questions asked.

“I was just going to order us a pizza.” I say, staring in awe at the groceries she has brought over.

“Well, think of it this way – you save some money on food tonight and you can repay me by holding my hair back when I hug the toilet later.”

“That’s fair.” I reply, and we shake on it.

Kendra takes over my kitchen as she preps the tacos, and I assist. We have our usual girl talk banter, because even at 26, we still act like teenagers.

“So, did you go to the club today?” She asks.

“Yup. They called before I was even walking out of the clinic.” I say as I dice up some onions.

“EZ and Angel?” She asks without missing a beat.

“EZ and Angel.” I repeat and nod.

Kendra, although she has no direct blood ties to the club, she is still clued in on myconnections – she knows everything, it was part of the deal Marcus and I worked out.

“Who started it this time?” She asks as she seasons the meat in the pan.

“I honestly don’t even know, EZ had a nasty cut on his face but Angel took a nasty beating as well.”

Kendra just rolls her eyes as she knows how immature this whole ordeal is.

“Did Angel thank you this time?” She asks even though she already knows the answer to that. I stop dicing the onions and stare at her with my “really?” face.

She puts her hands up and says “You know, I was kinda hoping for a miracle. You’d think after cleaning up his messes for the fourth time in a month, a ‘thank you’ would accidentally escape his lips as if he truly is thankful for someone who gives a damn.”

I let out a sarcastic laugh, “I’m just doing my job because it’s what I do for the club. They save my ass when I need them too, and I save theirs.” I say pouring all the veggies together in one big mixing bowl.

“When have they had to save your ass, Lee?” Kendra asks with a quirked brow.

Before I can even respond, she answers for me “exactly, they haven’t. You’ve held up your end of the deal, the least Angel can do is fucking say thank you – he’s such an asshole.”

One would think that after all of the disrespect Angel has thrown my way these last eight months, I wouldn’t give him a thought after I fix him up. It’s hard to explain, but he’s like a puzzle to me and I highly dislike how I cannot figure it out. He doesn’t go out of his way to bully me or anything, it’s nothing like that. It’s just, he doesn’t really care to acknowledge my existence whenever I’m around, and he’s the only member to do so.

Kendra lets out a chuckle, “Okay enough MC talk, let’s eat like the hangry fat girls we are.”

We end up laughing most of the night, stuffing our faces with tacos and wine, oh and catching up on some trash tv.

“How does someone let a so-called doctor inject cement into their face?!” I exclaim and look at Kendra with a major what the royal fuck face as we watch an episode of Botched on E!

“It’s like a nasty car wreck out on the 405, I don’t want to look but I can’t stop staring. Look at their cheeks, like legit cement is in there. How? Why? But like seriously why are we watching this? Isn’t there some cheesy romcom we can watch?” Kendra suggests as she snatches the remote from my hand.

“Bad Moms, perfect.” She says as she tosses the remote on the other side of my sectional.

I take another sip of my wine and tilt my head back, simply enjoying this moment – a quiet night in with my best friend.

“We’re going to be cool moms like these bitches. Right?” Kendra asks as she takes a bite out of a cookie that came out of nowhere.

“Cool moms are the only options, babe.” I answer, and we clink our glasses.

“I know you and I both got shit on in the mom department, but I really don’t want that to hang over our heads when we have kids. Like, if I see you slipping up, I will go full hoodrat Kendra on you.” She announces, and let me just say, hoodrat Kendra is a real thing.

“I promise, I’m not going to be like Briana. I can’t be. Also, if I see you being a shit mom, I’ll first smack you into next week, and if you don’t respond to that, I’ll just use my 1-800-MC card.” I say with a big smirk.

“You chicken shit, you rather call Marcus or Samcro than kick my ass?”

“Kenz, we all know you could kick my ass twice and your own ass at the same time.” I admit, and that’s the full on truth. I’ve seen Kendra scrap before, and I think everyone around Kenz should want her to be on their team.

“I’m so glad you know the true me, it will only continue to benefit you my young one.” Kendra tells me as she reaches out and touches my shoulder in a gentle way but it’s with full sarcasm.

“Okay real talk, what is the weekend plan Aleeah Starr?” Kendra asks while opening up her calendar app on her phone.

“Middle name? Really?” I say with a look, my look of ‘was that necessary?’

“Hoodrat Kenz can come out to play if you’d like.” She replies with a smile.

I laugh and eye roll, “Okay then, Kendra Sofia…” I say to her with an evil eye as I open up my calendar.

“Hmm, I’m off this weekend, all I have going on is Tessa’s birthday party on Sunday. Would you like to come?” I ask.

“Eva already called me and said she’ll see me Sunday.” Kendra says with a nervous expression on her face.

I give her a funny look, questioning why she looks like that.

“Aside from my Abuela Natalia, Eva fucking terrifies me – you just don’t say no to her.” She says deadpan.

I laugh, “A-freaking-men”.

Eva, she’s a true bad-ass. She and Marcus, I think they’re still married? They’ve spent more time apart than together in recent years, but they both love each other tremendously.

“Okay, so Sunday we can drive up together. Do you want to drive together tomorrow and go visit your dad?” Kendra asks.

I let out a big sigh, and I give her another look as Kendra knows my feelings about this subject.

“Why do you ask me this every weekend?” I plead.

“Lee, he’s still your dad. Prison jumpsuit and all, he’s still your dad and he still loves you.”

“I haven’t seen him in a while.” I confess.

Kendra nods, “I know, that’s why I asked if you want to go.”

“I don’t know Kenz, I just feel the older I get and the longer he’s in there, that Father/Daughter connection dies each day. He doesn’t even want to see me half the time.”

“He just hates the situation he’s in, babes. He got a shit deal, but we both know you’re still the light of his life.”

I rub my eyes, trying to keep it together yet again.

“I just don’t know how I would feel going up there now, especially when I’ve dealt with so much shit from the club. I don’t need anyone on the inside seeing me talk to my cop father turned inmate. That’s just asking for me to get someone killed or get myself killed.”

“Aleeah Starr Parker.” Kendra says with her eyes rolling, and I am deeply confused.

“What?”

“Are you so exhausted that you forgot who is even protecting your dad?” Kendra asks, and I palm my face.

“No, I didn’t forget…well maybe for a second.” I admit.

“Lorenzo has Jesse’s back, okay? Our dads are prison buds! How poetic is that?” She says as she pulls me in for a cheesy hug.

I give off a look of disgust, because Kendra is never this touchy feely. But my facial expression does not stop Kenz from continuing on.

“Oh, stop that, give your best friend a hug and smile. Hell, could you even bother to laugh? Come on, if we can’t laugh that our fathers are both in prison, our moms are both dead due to their stupid choices, we would be miserable unsuccessful sluts working on a pole for a living.”

Kendra has a big grin on her face, and she keeps giving me the famous Kendra look – the one where it always makes me smile because she knows how to make me smile; that’s what a best friend is for.

I do end up laughing, quite a bit.

“Thanks for making me laugh, I needed it.” I say looking at Kendra with a puppy dog face, because I am on the verge of tears – it’s been a chaotic week, ending it with the cherry on top that is the Mayans MC. And wine always has me feeling some type of way.

“My little Lee-Lee, come here, give me another hug.” Kendra says as she pulls me in for a hug.

“Okay, time to refill. We are finishing this second bottle and then we are going to sleep like precious babies.” She says as she stands up from the couch and heads to my kitchen.

As Kendra heads to the kitchen, I look down at my wrist and I start snapping my pony-tail holder. It takes me a moment to realize what I’ve even doing or why I’m doing it.

“Breathe, Leah. Just breathe.” I whisper to myself.

“I’ll be okay, just breathe.”

[timelock97]

Out of Order Love

Chapter Ten: An Evening In

tomhollandxreader

Summary: It was meant to be a fun time in Vegas. Spending time with the best friend and celebrate getting done with college to turn the page to a new chapter in life. If only (Y/N) realized she would be turning a few extra pages by accidentally marrying her favorite actor.

Word Count: 2903

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9

I've been working for almost three weeks; a month of marriage gone and passed. Tom spends his days when I am not home studying his script, spending time with Harrison at the gym, and keeping himself busy in ways he won't tell me. Since I work long hours, him and I have come up with a system. When I come home, I make dinner Monday through Thursday, after we eat, Tom cleans up as I get ready to go to bed. The two of us then sit on the couch watching t.v. or talking until I can barely keep my eyes open, eventually heading to bed to repeat the process the next day. On Friday, we order in, it just makes life a little easier and then we can plan what to do for the weekend.

Tonight, however, I am just so done. All I want to do is sit on the couch and sleep, going home to make dinner is the last thing I want to do. When I open the door, I see Tom sitting on the couch with Tessa next to him. She lifts her head when I let myself in and comes to greet me at the door. "Hey, Tessa, baby. How was your day?" I coo at her as I slip off my tennis shoes. Tom doesn't look up from his script, to engrossed in whatever his upcoming character is doing to even notice the absence of Tessa next to him, which usually alerts him to my arrival. So instead of just yelling out a "Hello?" to pull him from his script, I walk over and plop down directly next to him and lay my legs across his lap over the iPad that he is reading this script from, causing him to jump.

Tom relaxes, realizing that I am home, and lets out a low chuckle before looking at me softly, pulling his arms out from under my legs, setting them on top. "Long day?"

"The longest, and I have one more tomorrow!" I sing the last bit before laying my head on the back of the couch. "Can I ask a favor?" He nods, watching me with amused eyes. "Can we do take-out tonight? I really don't feel like cooking."

"Yeah, we can do that. What are you thinking?" He shifts slightly and pulls his phone out from under him.

"I really want Mexican." I reach out for his phone and he passes it to me so I can google the place I had passed on the way home. "I heard this place has really good wet burritos."

Tom smiles and looks through the menu after I do. He nods after a few minutes and puts his hand out. I lean over to grab my bag from besides the couch and dig for my phone. I then hand it to him so he can use mine to call and his to look at the menu. After he orders and gives them our address he hands back my phone. "They said it'll be here in twenty minutes. What can I do for you to help you feel better?"

"Such the gentleman." I go to swing my legs off of him, but he wraps his arm around them and holds me in place. "I wanna go change," I whine, giggling and wiggling a little.

He just keeps looking at me with a dopey smile that makes me want nothing more to stay and let him take care of me. "C'mon, (Y/N), what can I do to help?"

"As much as I know I shouldn't drink, can we crack open a bottle of wine? Then I can tell you about some of the funny things that happened today. They involve you." I say.

"Oh god, is it bad?" He cocks an eyebrow.

"Not awful, kind of comical in some regards, but-" I pat his hand and he lets go of my legs- "I want out of my scrubs." I slip my legs off his lap and head back to our bedroom. I change into a t-shirt and shorts before walking back out into the living room, fluffing my hair out of the tight ponytail. Tom has two glasses of wine and is sitting down when I come back. Once I sit, he moves my legs back across his lap before handing me my glass. "Thank you, Tom."

"Now, I am absolutely curious on what happened today."

"Well, firstly, I had paparazzi follow me into work-"

"Oh no." Tom chuckles

"Oh yes, so basically he came in and sat in the waiting room for a while, then slowly started to slip into the clinic. It wasn't until I saw him attempting to hide behind a plant that I realized who he was and alerted security."

"(Y/N), I am so sorry-"

"Tom," I place my hand over his, "It honestly wasn't bad, and it's the first time it's happened. They are going to make a few precautions so that doesn't happen again. The next two stories are funnier, both because they are fans of yours but on total opposite ends of the spectrum." I take a small sip of the wine in my glass and then look at it in surprise. "This is new, when did you get this?"

"I was saving it for tomorrow, since we really didn't celebrate making it a month together, but since we are doing take-out tonight, I thought it was appropriate."

"I really like it, thank you." I say placing a hand over my mouth making him smile at me.

"You're welcome, now, please continue you have me on the edge of my seat-"

"Lies, I'd be falling off the couch if you were-"

"It's a figure of speech, you twat." He laughs throwing his head back.

"I know, I know. Actually, my first encounter is from last week, but they go perfect together so it's fine." I pause and swat his hand that is running up and down my leg, "Stop, you're distracting me, you dope."

"Div," he chuckles, continuing to brush his fingers up and down my calf. "And I just noticed, is that my shirt, love?"

I look at him confused before looking down at the shirt. It's a plain blue t-shirt and now that I am looking at it, I know that I don't have a shirt this color. "So, what if it is?" I raise an eyebrow at him, but end up giggling, "I honestly was so keen on getting out of my scrubs to notice that this wasn't mine. You're not getting it back, by the way." He laughs and smacks my leg playfully, "It's really comfy! You cannot deny me the right, I am your wife."

He nods still laughing. "I never said that I didn't like it on you," he looks down bashfully, "you look good in my clothes." I blush and take more notice of the wine in my hand and take a long sip. Tom clears his throat, "So, my fans?"

"Right," I giggle leaning over and setting my glass on the coffee table. "I get this girl, she's about our age and I start working with her. I begin to notice as I work with her, she is listening but gives me these looks that I can't shake are-" I wave my hands, trying to find the right word- "nerve wracking? No, but I can tell she doesn't like me. Anyways-" I flail my hand again and fold my arm across my stomach- "I work with her and she mutters something under her breath, I let out a little 'Did you say something?' but she just shakes her head. The second or third time she does it I realize she is doing it on purpose. Finally, she says it loud enough for me to hear, 'stupid bitch stole my husband.'"

Tom's eyes go wide eyed at me. "No," Tom says almost laughing, covering his eyes with the hand that isn't resting on my legs.

"Yes, so I go over and talk to my supervisor and let her know what I think I've heard. She knew that something like that might happen eventually, so she told me to tell her if I hear anything. This girl ends up getting switched to another girl in the clinic and I find out this week that she has been talking to her about the whole situation." Tom peaks an eye between his fingers to look at me, "I'm not going to bother repeating it, but they are looking at her switching clinics since this one is a little further from her home. She literally had a hissy fit, I think she thinks one day you'll just show up to my work so she can tell you that you were wrong to marry me."

"I find it unnerving to know that some of them do that." He pulls his hand from his face and sets it back in my lap, shaking his head. "Like, I love them, don't get me wrong, and most of them seem to really like you." He tries to reassure me.

"Oh, I know, I met one of those fans earlier this week." Before I can continue, the doorbell rings. Tom moves me from off his lap and I watch him as he runs to the door and grab the food. I see him smile at the guy behind the door and say goodbye before shutting the door and locking it.

I go to stand and help him, but Tom points at me with his free hand. "Don't move, I'll get them ready and come back and join you." I go to move again, but he throws a plastic cup at me making me squeal. "I said stay, missy!"

"I'm staying, I'm staying," I raise my hands in surrender, "Damn, Holland."

He laughs as he grabs knives and forks from the silverware drawer and brings the food over. The two of us settle back on the couch and he puts on a movie while we eat, both of us stealing bites from one another. When we finish I help him clean up, against his attempts of keeping me on the couch, which were half-assed. After we had everything cleaned, Tom drags me back to the couch and turns down the volume and looks at me. "Are you going to continue your story or..."

"Right," I smile setting my legs back on his lap, only to be pushed back off again. I open my mouth to say something but he gives me a look while quickly grabbing our wine glasses and goes back into the kitchen. "I don't need a lot, I still have to be up at five tomorrow."

He lets out a hum from the kitchen before returning, pulling my legs back into his lap. "Okay, sorry, you were saying?"

"I got a new patient, after two days of seeing her she goes 'can I ask you a question?' and I go 'sure, ask away' thinking that it's therapy related. However, she looks down, all nervous like, and then goes 'what's it like being married to Tom?'" Tom groans in front of me, "It was honestly the cutest thing ever, Tom. You should have seen how sweet she was about it! So, anyways, I talk to her a little bit about it, nothing big, just like how we have our routines and all that jazz. Then she goes, 'can I ask a personal question?' so again I tell her to 'go right ahead'. She asks, 'what is the best thing about being married to Tom, if you don't mind me asking' and she starts to ramble since she is nervous."

"Now you have me curious, what did you say?"

"I told her I really couldn't decide," I swirl the wine in my glass, "Eventually, I told her that I liked that I could talk to you about most anything, and that I enjoyed evenings when we can just do-" I motion between us- "this." Tom smiles and takes my hand and holds it as I continue, "Then I proceeded to ask her if she was going to use it for a fanfiction." I let out a little laugh, "I felt so bad 'cause her face got so red! So, I proceeded to tell her not to feel bad cause hey it's a form of writing and I honestly love fanfictions-"

"My wife enjoys reading fanfictions, huh?" Tom raises an eyebrow and looks at me with that dopey grin again.

"Well, when a girl needs a little more love in her life she goes for fanfiction, or because we are just obsessed over a character or actor-"

"Did you ever read fanfics about me-"

"I'm not answering that-"

"Oh, love," he tugs me toward him playfully, "you just did."

"Shut up," I tease back before trying to push away from him.

"Make me," Tom challenges. We look at each other, I feel my face heat up and watch as his does the same. He clears his throat and leans back away from me, letting me lean away from him as well. He lets out a little cough and awkward laugh.

"I, uh, used to read a lot of fanfiction because I didn't really have a relationship to, ya know, do cute things with." I laugh awkwardly with him.

"What kind of things did you look for," I look up at him and see that he is looking at his hands. "In a guy, I mean. What really made you fall for someone?"

"Well," I run my fingers through my hair, causing some of it to fall around my face, "I don't really know what to say to that. I like being able to relate to him, being able to talk about things is another thing. Um," I begin to play with my fingers letting out a breathy laugh. "I'm such a hopeless romantic at heart. I like stay at home dates and cuddling. I like being able to be completely comfortable around the guy, and that he feels that he can do the same with me." I shift round slightly, moving my legs from off his lap and bringing them close to me. "I have never been good at expressing when I am having a problem with something, I hate conflict. It causes so much anxiety in me that I hold it in until the last second and I lose it. Maybe that's why I didn't look for anyone while I was in school, too worried to show off the stress I was already enduring." I feel my hands shake and I pull them a little closer. "That was a little more than what I like in a guy, sorry-"

"No, no, don't ever be sorry about being open with me." Tom moves so he is moves to kneel in front of me still on the couch, taking my hands from where I was attempting to hide them. "It actually makes me really happy that you are even willing to open up to me like this. Please, never feel like you have to hide anything from me. Okay?"

I nod, not meeting his eyes. His hand catches my chin and rubs a thumb under my eye catching a tear I didn't realized had slipped. I smile and meet his eyes. They were slightly glossed, but full of truth and something else I couldn't put a finger on. "Okay," I reply, placing my hand over his. "What about you, Underoos?"

He chuckles under his breath as he pulls me into a hug. "What about me?"

"What would cause you to fall head over heels for a girl?"

Tom pulls away and smiles at me, "Let's see." He hums, and in one swift moment he scoops me up into his arms bridal style causing me to squeal and laugh. "She has to be amazing."

"That's an overstatement" I giggle, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Hush," he bumps the bedroom door with his hip and tosses me on the bed. He crawls on and lays next to me. "Where was I, oh yes. I agree with you on a lot of things you said, but also, she would have to remember that when I am gone, I am still hers. That she supports me, and knows that even if we go through hell, I'd do anything to make a heaven for her." He lays his head back into the pillows. "I didn't know what I was looking for a long time. I looked for girls, but with my career I couldn't pursue anything. I figured someone would just come along and it would all work out, you know?"

I nod, my eyes growing heavy now that I was laying in bed. He smiles at me and helps me under the covers. "Tom-"

"Shhh," He hushes, pulling the covers around me softly. "I'm going to clean up a bit, take Tessa out, then I will be back. Okay?"

I let out a soft hum as I begin to drift. I fade in and out until I feel him pull me to him.

"Sleep well, love." He presses a soft kiss to my shoulder. That's the last thing I remember before I drifted off.

Part 11 

[eleanorlutteo]

The One Where She’s Scared

Super late kinda Valentine’s day one shot, although I’m not very fond of this one. Nevermind, here it is… 

Matteo couldn’t wait to be home already. He was a bit down, tired, and the weather didn’t help the mood that much since it rained the whole day. Today was Valentine’s day, the celebration of love, happiness & what not, and he couldn’t even take his girlfriend out on a date cause of the University’s late classes that couldn’t be canceled. It didn’t matter, anyways, since Luna had to stay in school longer too, because of some group project she needed to work on, and so they decided to make their own Valentine’s day the next day.

He was happy about that, obviously, he’s going to see her tomorrow, but It was just that they didn’t get to spend as much time together these days, since they both got pretty busy with school, and they couldn’t even have a free time on a day that they should spend together - Valentine’s day.

(That didn’t mean the brunette didn’t get her gifts send to her this morning, though)

He had it all planned out for tomorrow though, he’d pick her up at 7 pm to take her to a Mexican restaurant, since that’s what she’s been craving from the moment they came back from the competition in Cancún. Nothing fancy cause, him being a Balsano, son of the wealthy diplomatic, he spends all his life living in the fanciness and luxury of tight smiles, strict rules & uncomfortable clothes and her, being the newfound Benson, just entered the world of it and swore she hated it. Then, he’ll take her to the city cause she hasn’t seen much of its beauty at night, and he also promised he’d show her a wonderful spot for star-gazing. Simple but unique date, exactly how they wanted.

Now, as Matteo fidgeted with the keys of his apartment door, he wanted nothing but to get some food and call his chica delivery to ask how her day went. He hasn’t seen her in few days, but he checked up on her every day. He didn’t even have to call, though, a curious smile making his way on his lips when he opened the door and noticed the familiar sneakers and backpack lying on the floor. Dropping his keys in the bow and shrugging the jacket off his shoulder, he peaked his head into the kitchen as he made his way towards the living room.

“ Luna? ” He called out, his mood instantly lighting up as he spotted her. There she was, sitting cross-legged on the couch in front of his TV, big bow of popcorn in her arms as she read what seemed like a cover of a DVD, surrounded by a bunch of blankets and pillows thrown all around the big couch.

“ Oh, hey Matteo!” She smiled up at him, getting up from the couch to walk towards him, “ We finished the project a bit quicker than I thought we would, so I thought I’d come over here and wait for you. I know we decided to have our date tomorrow but, I just really wanted to thank you for the roses you got me so I thought we could maybe watch a movie or something.” She had this big smile on her face, and Matteo just watched her with a grin of his own, cause he loved how adorable she looked when she talked too much too fast, waving her hands around. All his tiredness suddenly disappeared and he couldn’t be happier to have her here.

“ You have no idea how wonderful that sounds, Chica Delivery,” He told her truthfully, sighing a bit as he brought her closer to him to hug her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he buried his head into her neck. She had styled her hair into a french braid and he could smell the perfume he didn’t breath in for a few days.

Although, her being over to his place so much, almost everything smelled like her, still, he missed breathing in the scent on her so he just closed his eyes and enjoyed her presence.

“ I missed you,” she mumbled into his chest and he tightened his grip on her, slightly picking her up from the floor as he swayed them side to side. “ I missed you more, moon girl,”

He didn’t know how he could’ve gone a whole week and a half without seeing her, but he’s glad she surprised him like this.

“ The roses are beautiful, Matteo, you really didn’t have to do that,” She pulled away slightly, just to look him in the eyes and he grinned down at her, “ I know, I just wanted to surprise you,”

,, Well you surely did.“ She smiled up at him, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling his hand towards the couch.

Matteo pouted at the gesture since he wanted a bit more than a kiss on the cheek, but let her drag him to the couch.

, I thought we could watch your favorite movie, since the only movies we ever watch are mine.” She showed him the DVD and he quirked his brows at her, ,,this seems quite suspicious, Luna, are you sure you’re okay? You’re obsessed with your movies.“

She rolled her eyes at him, ,,Keep it up and we’ll watch a Disney movie!” She joked, but it did shut him up. He put his hands up in defeat, laughing.

She set the movie up, while Matteo ordered them some food, before they snuggled on the couch just as the movie was starting. Neither one was currently watching it though since they both got slightly distracted with each other. When a loud scream erupted in the room, coming from the TV, Luna jumped at the loud sound. She pulled away from the kiss, startled, and both of their attention was turned to the TV, Matteo’s lips curving into a smile,

,,Um, love?“ he titled his head to the side as he watched the movie, and Luna only hummed in response, trying to understand why there was a black screen with unusual creepy sounds coming from it.

,,I appreciate you giving up your movies to watch one of the mines but, I’m pretty sure this is not my favorite movie. ” Luna shook her head.

,,It’s a horror movie,“ He chucked when a bloody girl screamed at the top of her lungs, making Luna jump in fear again.

,,How is that possible! It says it’s an action movie, look at the cover!” She was hiding her face in the blanket now, only peeking to see what’s about to happen when no sound came from the TV. Another scream and Luna buried her head back into the blanket with a shriek. Matteo found the whole situation very amusing, as he took the DVD cover to check it. Luna was a very distracted person, he wouldn’t be surprised If she accidentally bought a horror movie, but the cover didn’t lie, it was supposed to be an action movie, one of his favorites, actually, but the thing playing on his TV was not.

,,Somebody probably swapped the movies and put them in the wrong covers, “ Matteo reassured her, running his hand up and down her leg to calm her, ,,It doesn’t matter, I like horrors.”

Luna took the blanket off of her head to gape at him, but quickly put it back when a murder came on the screen lifting the knife in the air.

,, You want to watch that? Are you out of your mind!“ She winced when the guy killed another girl, scooting over to Matteo, literally getting on his lap and hiding in his chest. Matteo had a big grin on his face as he watched her actions. It was getting hilarious, watching Luna getting all scared over a movie. He didn’t complain, though, since he got to hold her in his arms, and so he wrapped his arms around her.

They continued to watch the movie quietly, Luna looking up only when Matteo promised her no scary scenes were about to happen. He loved how she buried her face in his neck at the start, but soon, getting more into the movie she winced every time the person on the screen didn’t listen to her silent pleas of don’t go in there, please, don’t- ouch, why do they always go in there!

It was already dark outside, and Luna demanded that Matteo at least turned the small lamp on, so she didn’t feel as frightened, although it didn’t give the room much light. When a doorbell rang, Luna almost fell out of Matteo’s lap If he didn’t catch her. ,,No! Don’t go there!”

She gasped, looking over his shoulder and holding onto his arm.

“ Luna, calm down, we ordered pizza, remember?” He brushed her a strand of hair behind her ear and got up slowly, chuckling at her. This truly was amusing.

Even when the movie ended, she wouldn’t want him to move, anywhere, paranoid that a creepy guy in a mask will show up and kill them. The only thing he could do was laugh and remind her that it was just a movie.

And when they laid in his bed, ready to go to sleep, her toes securely tucked under the blanket, her hold on him a little bit tighter than normal, head hidden in his neck, he’d grin down at her, secretly so she wouldn’t notice, running his fingers through her hair. ,,Luna? I think I heard weird noises coming from down the hall!“

,,Matteo!”

He only laughed harder.

[eggnogdoubt38-blog]

Reading Recap: August 2018

At the end of every month, I take a look back at my reading journal and share the books and my thoughts on them here. The comments below are excerpts from my full reviews on Goodreads; you can always keep up with my reading in real-time over there.

My Goodreads goal for the year was 71 books, and I hit it this month! So I’ve increased my goal to 91 books—this is the most I’ve ever read in my life, and I’m loving it. After being a guest on the What Should I Read Next? Podcast, I decided to start treating my love of reading as a hobby. Prior to that—for reasons I can’t articulate—I just didn’t see reading that way. It was something I did around the edges of the day, but it wasn’t a primary activity.

Since we moved to Prague, that’s changed. I watch only 1 hour of TV each day—and don’t read that in a snooty voice! I pass no judgment on TV-watching; I love TV-watching. I just like reading more. By the by, we usually work our way through a series, one episode per day until we’re done. Just finished season two of Riverdale, and I love it so much OMG. So campy and over-the-top. LOVE! I cannot wait for season three. Give me more Cheryl!

Anyway… back to reading. I deleted Twitter and my RSS reader from my phone so I don’t get sucked into the vortex. I always have my Kindle in my purse so I can take advantage of unexpected bench-sitting time or a long line. I listen to audiobooks and literary podcasts on my daily walks. And I read every night before bed, sometimes at lunch, and sometimes for 30-60 minutes in the morning, if I wake up before 6:00 a.m.

I am thoroughly enjoying this book nerdiness.

Pachinko byMin Jin Lee | 3 1/2 stars I really wanted to love this book, but for me, it was good, not great—which makes me feel kinda dumb because it received so many prestigious accolades. I respect it, but it didn’t touch my heart. To be fair, I’m beginning to think that sprawling family dramas are not for me. I prefer to be really connected to a smaller cast of characters in an atmospheric setting. There were so many people in this book and the way I thought of them was “the one that owns the pachinko parlor,” “the one that wants to be a scholar”… they never moved past 1-liners into real people for me. (My Goodreads review provides more detail, but also spoilers; proceed with caution.)

This book’s biggest strength—and it’s significant—is the way it brings an unknown-to-me part of history to light. I was only vaguely aware of the events leading up the U.S. Korean War, and it was fascinating—and sobering—to learn about the tensions and discrimination between the Korean and Japanese people.

Favorite highlight: “People are rotten everywhere you go. They’re no good. You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let’s see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.”

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter  by Theodora Goss | 4 stars Just as Pachinko helped me realize multigenerational family sagas aren’t really for me, this book reinforced how much I love stories about found families. Set in Victorian England, this romping adventure includes not one, but FIVE plucky heroines, and I am here for it. If you enjoy the Veronica Speedwell series—A Curious Beginning, A Perilous Undertaking, A Treacherous Curse—then you will probably enjoy this one, too.

I don’t want to give too much away because the surprises are fun, but this story includes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the danger of poisoning, literary references, a traveling circus, an insane asylum, potentially evil nuns, and family secrets. What’s not to love?! (I also treated myself to the sequel European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman because it’s described as a “madcap romp” and the action takes place in Paris, Vienna, and Budapest.)

Favorite highlight: “No wonder men did not want women to wear bloomers. What could women accomplish if they did not have to continually mind their skirts, keep them from dragging in the mud or getting trampled on the steps of an omnibus? If they had pockets! With pockets, women could conquer the world!”

I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel | 5 stars It’s no secret that I adore Anne Bogel’s podcast What Should I Read Next? so I had high expectations for this collection of essays. On her podcast, Anne is just the kind of person with whom you’d want to discuss books: opinionated but not pushy, insightful, relatable, and quick to laugh—all of that warmth and intelligence and sheer book love comes across in these essays. I read it over the course of a month or so, dipping into the essays between the other novels I was reading to cleanse my palate and to revel in the book nerdiness of reading.

I sometimes have a difficult time talking about my favorite books, or even really sharing how much reading means to me as a human—it feels too personal, makes me vulnerable in a way I’m not really ready for. But reading this book made me realize that there are legions of us out there: People who find friendship, solace, adventure, challenge, grief, joy—the whole gamut of human emotions—in the books that we read. And sometimes, they’re just damn fun.

I’d Rather Be Reading is just like that: lots of feels and damn fun.

Favorite highlight: “Old books, like old friends, are good for the soul. But they’re not just comfort reads. No, a good book is exciting to return to, because even though I’ve been there before, the landscape is always changing.”

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel | 4 stars Food, love, magic, and passion color this luscious family saga set in a Mexican border town around 1019, so the intimate story of the family is played out against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution. The tale reads like a family legend that’s been passed down through generations, and it centers on the forbidden love of Tita and Pedro. As the youngest daugher, it’s Tita’s fate to forsake love and to care for her dominerring mother Mama Elena until her mother’s death. But Tita and Pedro fall madly in love: When Tita felt Pedro’s gaze on her “she understood exactly how raw dough must feel when it comes into contact with boiling oil.” To be close to Tita, Pedro marries her older sister, and no one’s life remains untouched by this flawed decision.

Tita’s life is spent in the kitchen—both a gift and a curse to her—and her cooking is infused with deep emotion and magic. To Tita, food is life, and each chapter represents a month of the year, opening with a recipe that intertwines with the characters’ lives. Tita’s tears wept into wedding cake batter induce a devastating sense of longing in the guests who take a bite, and a delicate sauce made of rose petals inspires dangerous passions around the dinner table.

As the plot traces Tita and Pedro’s lifelong love, we see its impact on the rest of the family and the village: Tita’s sisters, a kindly doctor, bouncing babies, and Mexican revolutionaries. It’s a delightful—and sad—story of family obligation, the things that feed us, and a passion that could not be extinguished.

Favorite highlight: “When the talk turns to eating, a subject of the greatest importance, only fools and sick men don’t give it the attention it deserves.”

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier | 3 stars I went into this novel expecting a dark gothic adventure—thanks to previously reading Rebecca https://amzn.to/2BVakpp—and that’s exactly what I got—for better and for worse. Our heroine is definitely a damsel in distress, all muddle and forbidden love and quivering fear. I think I would have loved this book if Mary had some spunk, but instead, she kind of just bounces her way through the story. I found I enjoyed giving daily updates to my husband about what was happening a lot more than I actually enjoyed reading it. But for pure camp, it’s great: creepy isolated house, desolate moors, shady characters, an is-he-or-isn’t-he love interest, locked doors, a big character reveal, and plenty of stormy nights.

Favorite highlight: “The driver, muffled in a greatcoat to his ears, bent almost double in his seat in a faint endeavor to gain shelter from his own shoulders…”

Prague Spring by Simon Mawer | 4 1/2 stars Yay for British release dates: I got to read this book in time for the anniversary of Prague Spring on August 21—it’s available for pre-order now in the U.S.

This books examines what people are willing to risk for freedom and love. And if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to accidentally get caught up in a potentially dangerous spy mission, this is the book for you.

It’s the summer of 1968—the summer of love—even, for a while, in communist Czechoslovakia. As tensions rise between Moscow and Prague in the background, this story follow the misadventures—romantic and otherwise—of two groups of people: an on-again-off-again British couple who cross the Iron Curtain on a lark as they listlessly backpack through Europe, and a group of Czech youths—eager to test the limits of the Czechoslovak “socialism with a human face”—who find themselves in an unexpected friendship with a British diplomat.

There are also world-famous musicians, bugged rooms, larks into the countryside, and secret meetings. The various threads of this sort-of spy story come together in a satisfying, heartbreaking way. There’s plenty of intrigue, interpersonal sparks, romance, adventure, and irresistible descriptions of Prague, as well as a cast of characters you won’t soon forget. (I also LOVED another book by Simon Mawer: The Glass Room.) http://meljoulwan.com/2018/07/23/reading-recap-june-2018/

Favorite highlight: “You haven’t lived here long enough,” Zdenek said. “No one can live in this place for long and still believe in reality.”

FIND ALL THESE BOOKS AND MORE IN MY AMAZON STORE!

Source: https://meljoulwan.com/2018/09/03/reading-recap-august-2018/

[benjamingarden]

8 Things I Wish I Knew About Meal Planning Before I Started

I've been meal planning for about 15 years, and I've been successfully meal planning for about 10 years.  What's the difference?  About 15 years ago when I decided to delve into this meal planning thing, the information I found was somewhat basic, which meant there was a lot of unknowns.  Also, the way I read it, it seemed every single person who used this system was successful.  So I felt like a complete failure when it just wasn't working out well for me. I've dropped meal planning, picked it back up, dropped it again, and then finally decided to pick it back up one last time, but only once I'd created solutions to the struggles I was having.  While I won't say it was an immediate success once I'd done this, I will tell you that once I was determined to stick with it for 2 months, regardless of any failures or stresses, it started becoming second nature.  It's now just a part of my week and it saves me time and money! There are a few things I wish I had known 15 years ago when I was struggling to adopt this very useful routine. 1. Meal Templates Will Make It Easier      By assigning a food theme to each night of the week, it makes it much easier when you're staring at a blank template trying to figure out which meals to plug in.      I automatically assign either 30 minute meals, slow-cooker meals, freezer meals or instant pot meals to the days of the week that I know I just won't have time (or energy) to devote to cooking.      Then, I've flipped between assigning proteins to the remainder days (chicken night, beef night, meatless night, etc.) or themes of meals (Mexican night, pizza night, etc.)  Either way, it works much better than having a completely empty calendar. related: The Ultimate Step By Step Guide To Meal Planning                6 Common Mistakes When Meal Planning (and how to avoid them) 2.  Keep Your Meal Plans      By recycling your meal plans (and, therefore, grocery lists) you will save yourself so much time and energy!  Why start from zero every week?

3. Plan Simple Meals For Busy Days       I spoke to this a tiny bit in number 1.  Do not plan to make a new recipe on a night where you won't have time or energy.  Do not plan to make a complicated recipe on a night where you won't have time or energy.  It won't work and you'll be frustrated.      I have a separate list for freezer meals and slow-cooker/instant pot meals.  I use meals from these lists on busy days (you could also have a no-cook list or a 30 minute meal list). 4. You Can Save Money!      I had no idea, when I first dove into meal planning, that I could use this tool to not only save time, but to save money.  LOTS of money!  We used meal planning to pay off our debt by planning by a tight budget.  Meal planning made it easier in that:

I knew exactly what I was buying each week

I was able to use up items we already had on hand

We were able to eat a more varied diet once I started planning.  Initially, when cutting our budget down from $130.00/week to around $60.00/week, I tended to cook the same things over and over because I couldn't figure out what else would fit in our budget.  Once I could plan it out, it became so much easier.

related: 6 Reasons Why You Should Be Meal Planning              The Ultimate List Of Meal Planning FAQ's 5. Inventory, Inventory, Inventory       Did I mention to inventory?  It really is such a useful tool that will save you both time and money.  Take an initial inventory of your fridge, pantry, and freezer(s) and keep it updated, if you can, for a quicker check each week.      This will be useful because:

 you won't accidentally purchase items you currently have

you won't miss an ingredient thinking you had it at home but didn't

you can see what's about to expire and then rotate those ingredients into the next week's meals so you won't have to throw them away

6. Use Your Perishables

     As noted above, you want to rotate in items from your fridge, freezer or pantry that are set to expire.  It's just a simple fact that American households throw out a LOT of money in food that has expired.  I used to think this wasn't me.  And then I challenged myself.  For 2 weeks I jotted down a cost to every single thing I threw out.  I was SHOCKED.  I began to take this point much more seriously, especially because we were using meal planning to pay off our debt.

7. If You Mess Up (Or Get Frustrated), Push Through

      It will happen.  It's just inevitable.  We are not perfect and we will drop the ball, make mistakes, or simply not want what we have scheduled for a meal one of the nights.  Set yourself up for success before that happens by putting a couple of back-up plans in place:

create a list of meals you can make from items you typically stock in your pantry/fridge/freezer. (spaghetti, buddha bowls, tacos, stir fry with rice, etc.)

welcome your family to participate meal planning.  Give them a cut-off time/date for requests each week and try to work in some of what they are requesting.

create a freezer meal or two as a back-up plan.  If they aren't needed, work them into an upcoming meal plan as a scheduled meal.  Then, create a couple more and do the same thing each month.

8. What Meal Planning Isn't

it isn't complicated.  We tend to rotate the same 20-30 meals all year anyway, now you're just planning in advance.

it isn't meant to be only for homemade meals.  You can absolutely "plan" to order take-out or go out to dinner.  The nice thing, is now those meals are planned and not something that just happens because you don't know what else to serve for dinner.

it isn't just for those who cook elaborate meals.  This is a planning system to allow you to answer the "what's for dinner" question once a week as opposed to every night.  And you can answer it without thought because it's already created!  Whether you serve rotisserie chicken with sides, frozen meals, or make from scratch a large portion of what your family eats, you will find so much benefit to using this tool.

Unofficially, here is #9.  Here's the thing.  Meal Planning is not for everyone.  I encourage you not to beat yourself up if it just doesn't work for you.  I receive a number of emails about exactly this.  Not everyone thrives on schedules, and that's perfectly ok.  With so much attention given to meal planning lately it's easy to feel like a failure if you can't make it work for you.  You are not a failure at all.  Continue to seek out what works for you.  This might be bits of meal planning or it may be nothing like meal planning at all.

How about you?  Have you tried meal planning?  I would love to hear from you what you've learned, tips you've come up with, or what your stumbling blocks are!

8 Things I Wish I Knew About Meal Planning Before I Started was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[sheehantravel-blog]

Days 24 - 27: New Orleans, LA; San Antonio, TX; and Austin, TX

In contrast to Nashville, New Orleans was actually a lot like I had expected it to be (a very good thing). The live music, the drinks, the nightlife, the people... there really wasn’t anything about it that wasn’t enjoyable. Besides Bourbon St being completely torn up by some major construction.

We got into New Orleans later in the day, and did the usual. Hotel, unload, freshen up, go out. I found a cool “live music and cocktail tour” of Frenchmen St that we booked for a couple of hours. It was a private tour, so there was just Maga and I, and another couple. Our tour guide was so awesome and full of knowledge about the history of the city. It was really cool to actually do an informative tour, since we haven’t done this yet anywhere. 

We went to four different bars. Well, Maga and I started at our pickup location. We got an uber there a little early just to be sure we wouldn’t miss the tour, and had a drink at the bar and were the only audience to the man playing acoustic guitar and the harmonica there. He had a lovely voice and I actually really enjoyed listening to him. We felt bad leaving since we were the only ones there... it was still early. I don’t think I can remember the names of all of the bars that we went to. The first one was called Maison’s I think? They had some band playing, they were good but not anything that blew us away. Maga got a variation of a moscow mule, her favorite, and I got an old fashioned. 

The next bar I don’t remember much. Maga struggled with an ATM machine. I snuck out and ran to the corner store with the tour guide for some cigarettes (I was drinking, yes I know you’re disappointed, and yes I know I should quit, thanks). Then I shared a smoke outside with a really nice girl named Sarah who was from Hawaii and lived in San Francisco, visiting New Orleans with her boyfriend for her birthday and their anniversary. Then it was time to go, so I didn’t get much experience or knowledge at this bar.

Our third bar was my absolute favorite. It was called Blue Nile, and it was the epitome of everything I ever thought New Orleans could be. We walked into this dimly lit bar that appeared as a really basement-looking dive bar. Then we saw the lights and the stage and heard the music... and wow.

This band was absolutely incredible. They had a really diverse group of at least eight people. The outfits were great, the passion, energy, dancing, and god the talent - everything that came out of these people were great. Walking into this bar and watching them perform was like a movie. And there was hardly anyone there! We were really enjoying ourselves there, but had to get to the last bar. But don't worry, Mama and I found our way back somehow late into the night and watched the band finish up their set. And they were right, they ended up filling up the place on a Tuesday night as if it were a Saturday. Someone bought a bunch of their CD’s and donated them to the crowd, and I got my hands on one. I feel like this kind of music is just so much better live, but I don’t doubt that they are amazing on record as well. I have yet to listen. But if any of you want to look into them, their name is Water Seed. 

It seemed as if we left Blue Nile and arrived at this last bar at the perfect time. We walked in and the band finished up their song some seconds later. Then all of a sudden the lead guy says to everyone, “Alright now everyone give it up for our good friend Quay as our special guest tonight!” Our freaking tour guide! He jumped on the stage and did vocals for the bands next song, I thought that we so cool. We had no idea, and like I said, he had just timed it so well.

Quay stuck around with us after the tour and helped us find a good place for food. He was a really great guy, it was cool to hear his story and get his recommendations. Oh! And can I just say that our Uber driver was just a doll? He went by the name Hope. He took us to our tour meet up location, and gave me his phone number to call him for a ride back when we were done downtown. It was so sweet of him to go out of his way to do that for us in the middle of a busy night. And he had so much information about New Orleans (like the huge pumping issue) and great recommendations as well. We love you Hope! 

The next morning, we found a place downtown kind of in the French Quarter to get some cajun/creole food. Maga and I both wanted jambalaya and gumbo. I also was told that I needed to try some crawfish or crawdads or whatever the hell. Love everything except the crawfish étouffée. What in the world are you people thinking? I thought it was disgusting, and the crawfish tails looked like tadpoles. I was pretty put off by it wish doesn't happen often, I typically love everything and anything. But, I tried it!

After lunch we went to Cafe de Monde, apparently a very popular french coffee shop in the French Quarter. They basically only had cafe au lait and beignets. Both were delicious, Maga and I had powdered sugar all over us. It as definitely worth the stop, I wish I had more pictures of this. We finished off the day by walking around the French Quarter a little more, peeking into shops, and then took a stroll by Bourbon St. It was completely torn up for construction, so I was glad we spent our one evening on Frenchman St instead. Bourbon just would have been way too hard to navigate, the whole middle of the street was just trashed and there was buldozers everywhere and big fences up with black cloth so you couldn’t see what they were working on. It took away from the experience a little bit, but I don’t think Bourbon St is my cup of tea anyways (get it, Frenchmen St, the French Quarter... tea...) Oh yeah, and I came across this somewhere near Bourbon St. If you don’t get it, don’t worry about it. 

However, the St Louis cathedral in Jackson Square was gorgeous. It was really sad to see our flag at half-mast, as always. It’s hard being in a big city after such a devestating event, you really look at people and the world a whole lot diffrently. Not always in a bad way, but you realize how often you take things for granted. I do my best not to. I try to be the best I can be to everybody I know. The world will know peace once we all treat one another the way that we would like to be taken care of. 

We then ended our day by stopping at the French open-air market before hitting the road to Texas. It was neat to see, but we didn’t find too much. I know I said before that I’m a souvenier junkie. Well, it all starts to get to be the same after a while. 

We had a hard time finding a hotel on our way through Texas towards Austin. We had to go through Houston, and didn’t even think about the fact that the hotels would be all booked up from all of the relocating. We had a stressful time trying to figure something out for about an hour, but we ended up being able to find something about a half hour back in the direction we came from. In my opinion, that was us getting lucky! We had a pleasant sunset coming in, though. 

Now for some reason, I have hardly any pictures from Texas at all. I don’t really remember getting into San Antonio because I had a really weird and concerning thing going on. I got car sick, not only from Maga’s driving, but I just can’t be a passenger in a vehicle anymore. I get sick if I’m not driving, usually. But we were about to come into busy, rush hour and big city traffic, so I wanted to drive, and I didn’t want to feel sick anymore. Well, when I started driving it got a lot worse. I think I needed to eat or something... I don’t remember anything and accidentally cut off a two part bus. Whoops. I’m okay thought and feel a lot better ever since.

We stopped in San Antonio for the river walk. I didn’t care to see the Alamo. Maga had seen it once before, and I’m sure the history is pretty amazing, but all it is really is a building that you can’t even go inside of. So for the sake of time and what not, I said let’s skip it. But the river walk was beautiful, and it was a nice hot sunshiny day, yet again. We’ve still been so lucky with the weather. I am concerned for New Orleans with this hurricane Nate though... the whole city is literally a bowl. A bowl with poor drainage and pumping systems. With a literal huge river that lies ABOVE everything. Where do you think the floodplain goes?! Alright. 

We then drove to Austin. I had to beg Maga to go to the Congress St bridge. Haven’t heard of it? It houses 1M-1.5M Mexican bats. I guess in the summer months they come out all at once at dusk and it’s supposed to be amazing. Google a picture! Maga is afraid of bats, but I wanted to go so bad and had to pull her arm. I feel horrible because the bats didn’t really come out and we had to pay for parking and navigating through downtown Austin is no fun. But there was so many people out waiting on the bridge! The bats did come out a little bit, but stayed below the bridge. It was so dark at this point and they were hard to see. But I did see some bats!

Then we thought it would be a good idea to spend the rest of the evening on 6th St, because we heard that that’s where things are happening. Well, this was on a Thursday, which was college night. And a lot of these bars are actually 18+ clubs. BUT we had a great time at the bars that we went to. The first bar had an awesome rock cover band and an amazing rooftop with two bars and games in the back. The next place we went to was a rock n’ roll dueling piano place, and we made some nice friends there who started out as just a stranger buying our drinks for us. He wasn’t creepy, wasn’t hitting on us. Crazy right? A genuine guy who teaches martial arts to little kids who have black belts, makes his own moonshine, whiskey, and vodka,  and is studying business. He says that he tries to always do acts of goodness to strangers, in order to “return the favor” of other people doing nice things for him. We thought that was pretty cool. There may have also been some drunk pizza eating involved in our night during the uber ride back...

The next day, we got some good local coffee at some Monkey something or other place, and then went to a really awesome and ritzy outdoor mall. Maga may or may not have dropped some cash. I like it when she spoils herself, she deserves it. We got lunch at this place called Yard Bar -  an actual dog park BAR. And small restaurant. It was so cool! You have to eat outside of the actual fenced in part of the park, but you can drink anywhere. It was another lovely day out, dogs everywhere having a blast and their owners hanging out in the sunshine drinking drinks. What a great idea. 

We then spent that night in Lubbock I think? Tried to cover as much ground as we could on our way to Colorado. It was late, Maga and I got Chipotle, and thats that. 

I apologize for the lack of pictures for these past few days for us. We must have been real busy? But this last week and a half of our travels consist of a lot of parks, so you’ll see way more pictures, I promise! I am SO excited to get to Colorado (we’ve been in Texas for like three days) and finally see some red rocks. Woo!

Ki 10/4-10/6

[purplesurveys]

723

What do you do when you can't sleep? I pick something to watch. Usually the background noise works in making me feel sleepier. Have you ever been threatened before? Physically, verbally, emotionally... I’ve had the full package. Don't you hate being labeled? I hate if it’s done in a mocking way or to reinforce insulting stereotypes, like Catholic Filipino boomers saying all atheists are evil and in need of ‘saving.’ But there are some labels that can be a source of comfort and give me a sense of identity, like if my friends can correctly remember my sexual orientation. Are you one of those people who says sorry too much or doesn't say it often? I do say it a lot. I also get reprimanded for it a lot. Have you ever had a cute doctor/dentist/nurse? No, and I mostly don’t think of them in that way... if I’m at the doctor/dentist, that just means I want to be healed lol.

Do you swallow your gum even though it's bad for you? I’ve never done it on purpose. The few times I accidentally swallowed gum I was worried it’d fuck up my stomach, but nothing bad has ever happened. Don't you hate it when you go to the bathroom & there's no toilet paper? I mean my parents always buy tissues in bulk, so we’ve never run out of them. If I catch the roll being empty, it’s easy to replace. ^When that happens do you ever just sit there & read shampoo bottles? We have bidets in our bathrooms. For houses with no bidets, the pair of tabo/balde would do to wash ourselves, at least for Filipino culture. Going into TMI territory over here but the idea of some countries/people only using dry toilet paper to wipe their ass has always been so odd for Asians. Do you wear jelly bracelets? Do you believe in the sexual meanings of them? I wore them a few times during childhood but I wasn’t obsessed nor did I collect hundreds of them. I didn’t know they had sexual meanings – that would’ve been my last thought as a kid. Are you good at guessing things? Not guessing, but I’ve had a decent track record of picturing and predicting worst case scenarios that end up happening close to the way I imagine them. Have you ever gambled? I played Bingo when I was like 9. There was a period when my late grand-aunt’s friends would come over at her place (we lived in a duplex, so I knew whenever a game was starting and it was easy to walk over there) and play Bingo, and it lasted for a few months. When your stomach growls do you ignore it for awhile or immediately get food? I like waiting for a while before deciding I’m *really* hungry and looking for food. Have you ever thrown up on someone in front of you on a amusement park ride? OMG, never. Have you ever thought you were dreaming so you had someone actually pinch you? No. I only ever saw this in cartoons, too. When you get nervous, does your heart pound extra fast? Isn’t that kind of an important sign of being nervous though? If my heart wasn’t beating fast I’d think that everything was under control. Have you ever mowed your lawn? Do you find it fun or annoying? Our village has a staff member that’s in charge of mowing everyone’s front lawns, so we don’t really have to. Do you have a garden at your house? I wouldn’t call it a garden. We have a couple of tall trees but that’s it. Do you like making puppet figures with your shadow? I don’t hate it, but like I don’t actively seek this out. When you're on the internet does time go fast or slow? When I was 10 and the internet was still fairly new to me and there were still a billion sites to check out, time was definitely fast. I’d be on the laptop all day and suffice it to say I was addicted, which wasn’t the healthiest situation for a 10 year old. These days time just feels normally paced since we’ve grown used to the internet now... it’s literally a part of everyone’s lives and is everywhere from phones to TVs to fucking lightbulbs, so it’s all just part of everyday routine. When you're angry do you take it out on other people? I make it a point not to do this but sometimes I’ll crack under pressure and end up snapping at someone. What's the key to true happiness? Key’s different for everyone. Who do you look up to for your style? For the longest time it was Audrey Hepburn, which is why I have a ton of little black dresses piled up in my closet to this day. More recently though I’ve been wanting to dress up like Rachel Green from Friends. What was the longest phone conversation you've ever had? Ugh it’s so cringey now but when Gab and I were newly dating we once had an 8 hour Viber call. Never did it again.

How many pillows do you sleep with? Two big ones. What's your life philosophy? “You don’t have to be blood to be family” ngh I say this on surveys a lot. Soz, questions like this make me repeat it. Have you ever played strip poker or would you ever? I’ve never played it. I don’t even know how poker works and it’s so annoying cause my favorite shows tend to make at least one episode focused on a poker game, and I’m left not understanding any of the dialogue. Would you still go out with someone even if you thought they would cheat on you? These cheating questions can be so tricky but generally I wouldn’t consider dating someone who I know to be a past cheater. Would you date someone who didn't want to have sex until they were married? Yes. I mean I was already this kind of person with Gabie anyway when we started dating; she was just able to change my mind which I’m super ok with because I’ve never regretted it. How much cash do you have on you right now? I have a little over P2000 in my wallet. My school has since ordered to end the semester by April 30 so I had no idea that the P2000 my parents gave me last March was gonna be my last allowance from them ever :’( What's your favorite thing to order at a Mexican food restaurant? I haven’t really had Mexican food that’s purely Mexican, i.e. not Tex-Mex. Idk if it’s right to say fajitas and chimichangas since Google says they’re Tex-Mex, but they’re my usuals. If you got to magically make somebody disappear, who would it be and why? Can I make a virus disappear instead? Do you prefer to cook or eat out? Eat out. Because I can’t cook. Have you ever peed yourself while laughing? Never. When you don't like someone, do you let them know? I mean obviously I don’t confront them directly just to say I don’t like them, but I’ll make extra effort to avoid them and I just wouldn’t interact if we happen to be in the same room. How would you build your ultimate sundae? Not really a sundae girl so I wouldn’t know what combination works. McDo’s hot fudge sundae is satisfying enough for me. Would you date someone who went to church on a regular basis? If it came to that, and especially if I really like the person, I might give them a chance (that’s a billion plus points for my mom, anyway) on the condition that they don’t force me to attend with them, and they don’t try to convert me. What is your favorite curse word? Fuck. Would you rather see a movie at the theater or at home on DVD? Egh it depends. There are movies I can be excited enough about to wanna catch it in the cinema, and there are some that I’m not invested as much in and that I could wait for to show up at an illegal film website lol. If the police came to your door & said "you're under arrest!" what would it be for? The police in this country are the Devil and will arrest and kill anybody. That said, I can be attacked in my own home, arrested for absolutely nothing, and they will get away with it. Are you good at giving massages? Nope. What movie do you know just about every line from? Your basic white girl movies – Titanic, The Proposal, White Chicks. Oh and also my favorite Two for the Road, of course. Do you prefer cupcakes or muffins? Cupcakes. If I absolutely have to eat a muffin it has to be chocolate, otherwise I’m not touching it. I’m all about the sweet. What are the three "nevers" of your life? Doing hard drugs, drunk driving, eating fruits. What lifts your spirits when life gets you down? Good food, good movies, good friends. My dog. Is sometimes being silent more effective than having to say things? Yes. Do you smile a lot or not enough? I think I do it enough.

[twocoursemeal-blog]

TCM Eats: Tenóch Mexican

Tenóch Mexican (Davis Square) 

Tenóch Mexican is a relatively recent addition to the Davis Square food scene (late 2015), and neither of us have stopped hearing about how good it was since it arrived. Tenóch Davis is the 3rd in the Boston area (not counting the food truck), and we were both excited to try out the local chain for ourselves.

We ate:

Pollo Adobo

Chicharrón

Pescado

We drank:

Tecate Light (by accident)

Pacifico

Matt’s Thoughts

I’d walked by Tenoch a few times with Angela and every time we would comment that it looked delicious and we wished we could try it. Tenoch had fallen into that category of “places you always comment about that are right nearby but you never try them until you’re about to move and then you realize how amazing they are and you are mad at yourself for not trying it earlier when you first had a thought to instead of putting it on a shelf to gather dust and then just going to Chipotle or whatever.” We were determined to give it a try, and try it we did!

Late on a Tuesday night, Tenoch was pretty full, though there were certainly still a few tables to be had. Their menu was on the overwhelming side, simply because I wanted a lot of it. Ultimately, I decided to try out a torta, and went with the Campechana (after more indecision - I made Angela order first).

The Campechana came with chorizo, carnitas, and the standard beans, tomato, avocado, pickled onions, chipotle, Oaxaca cheese, chipotle mayo, all on talera bread. I was excited - this sounded delicious. Once the torta came out, I bit in and was… surprised? It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. With things like pickled onions, chipotle mayo, avocado, and two types of pork, I was hoping to get punched in the mouth with flavor. I love getting punched in the mouth with flavor. I didn’t get punched in the mouth with flavor. Instead, I got a sandwich that was reasonably harmonious (except for the raw tomatoes, which I am rarely, if ever, a fan of), but not punchy. The chipotle mayo could have been used more generously, and had more of a kick, more pickled onions would have been great, and the carnitas weren’t particularly incredible, sadly. I ate probably ¾ of the sandwich before getting full, and while I wasn’t sad to have ordered it, I’d definitely try something else next time (like Angela’s fried fish tacos).

A brief shoutout to the wonderful combination of Pacifico and lime - you were the real all star of that meal, and we both know it. Thank you for being so refreshing, I could have never done it without you.

Angela’s Thoughts

I’ve lived in my Porter Square apartment for 3 years, and this visit was the first time I’ve been to Tenóch. It’s been recommended to me multiple times, but since I’m not the biggest fan of tortas (their specialty), I’ve put it off for years. This time, Matt and I were in Kenney Park in Davis Square, and I found myself craving a really good taco (something that Anna’s cannot provide, in my opinion). I remembered the high praise that I’d heard for Tenóch, and brought Matt along for a quick, affordable dinner.

It didn’t surprise me that Tenóch was pretty full on a Tuesday (the hype is real). It *did* surprise me that they had a beer and wine license! Matt and I decided to have beer with our quick dinner; Tenóch was offering some Mexican favorites that are generally available in the US. I chose a Tecate, and Matt had a Pacifico. I came in wanting tacos, and Tenóch has those in abundance; they offer 13 different proteins (plus veggie) for their tacos. For my meal, I chose 3 tacos -- pollo adobo (marinated chicken), chicharrón (pork belly and skin), and pescado (fried fish).

Only after getting to our table and cracking into my beer did I realize that the Tecate I ordered was a Tecate Light (I guess they make those…). This wasn’t a dealbreaker for me, and it was mostly my oversight. For the most part, cheap beer is cheap beer. It paired just fine with the tacos.

As for the tacos, they all came with a double tortilla, side by side on a plate, and dressed with an herbaceous guacamolillo (avocado crema). The pollo adobo and chicharrón tacos came with a dash of chopped cilantro with the guacamolillo, while the pescado taco also had lightly pickled cucumber and chipotle mayo.

The pollo adobo taco was bland and boring. The guacamolillo overwhelmed any seasoning that I could detect on the chicken, and the chicken itself was dry. The chicharrón fared a bit better. At first bite, I thought it was delicious; the pork flavor was very strong, and it held up to the guacamolillo much better than the chicken did. I did note that it was a little soft, though; I was expecting more crunchy bits in a chicharrón-style pork. After a few more bites, the saltiness of the pork started to catch up to me, and the avocado flavor from the sauce didn’t help temper it enough. But, for a few bites, it was glorious.

Fortunately, the pescado picked up the slack. With the addition of the cucumbers and chipotle mayo, as well as the cilantro and dash of guacamolillo, it felt like a much more finished product. The fish itself was nicely fried and well seasoned, and the two sauces played well together without overwhelming the rest of the taco. The cucumbers offered some nice clean bites that cut through the heavy oil of the fried fish and sauces together. It was just a really fantastic fish taco, and definitely the best thing I ate that night.

There was a clear ranking for me -- pescado was the solid #1, with chicharrón and pollo adobo a distant second and third. Next time I go, I’ll get more than one fish taco. I’d also try the lamb taco, which was highly recommended to me by a friend right after my visit (of course). From my experience with the pollo adobo, I’d give the chicken a pass from now on. Overall, I certainly thought that the taco offerings were a step-up from other Davis joints like Anna’s Taqueria and Chipotle. I’ll return to see if I can hone in on the best proteins that Tenóch offers.

Overall:

We’re both glad we finally tried Tenoch! But we both walked away a bit underwhelmed, though that may have had more to do with our ordering choices than anything. This is a fine place to go to grab a quick fish taco or something similar, but we’re not certain it will become a standard visit for us going forward. If you’re in the area, give it a try! It may not be worth a crosstown hike, but if you are near one of Tenóch’s 3 locations, don’t turn it down.

We give Tenóch 3 accidental Tecate Lights out of 5.

[aventuramexicana]

My Friends Visit!

Guess what? You just boarded a time machine and we are back in February. You’re welcome.

February 21st (Tuesday)-

My friends, and former co-workers, Sarah and Julia, got into their hotel in Oaxaca fairly late the night before but woke up ready to explore. I was super excited to have them visiting for so many reasons. First off, because they are both just really great women.  Additionally, because we are all, to varying degrees, Mexican in descent, and there’s something cool about being able to share the experience of being in Mexico with people who are tied to it, but never lived there. On top of that, Julia had already been to Oaxaca a couple of times as part of a program through the Public Health department at San Jose State. The school organizes trips every year for public health students, where they spend a few days in the city, and a few days with host families in the neighboring village of Arrozola. They offer public health related services and get a chance to experience the culture in the process.

By the time that I met up with them, at approximately 11 a.m., the two of them had spoken with a woman working at the tour desk, and bought tickets for a full-day tour the following day. I bought myself a ticket as well and then we went strolling around my favorite parts of the city center. Those areas tend to be a little more upscale, and as a result I often struggle to reconcile my personal values with my somewhat snobby taste, but who doesn’t like nice things? Anyway, we did a quick tour through the Zocalo, and the Plaza de Santo Domingo, and just sorta wandered and did some shopping from there. We stopped at one of my favorite restaurants, Expendio Tradición for lunch. I had esquite soup while the others had ceviche, salad, and something or another. I don’t know, it’s been a month. The point is that all of us enjoyed our meal.

We continued to shop and wander through the city for several more hours, which really helped with my step count on my Fitbit. This was important to me in that moment because I alternate between caring deeply about my step count, and not caring at all, depending on how my week is going. Basically, I only care when I am “winning”, the rest of the time I tell myself “I’m not competing. This doesn’t mean anything”. It is a very convenient approach to competition.

In the evening I brought Sarah and Julia back to my apartment and we had a conversation about the cost of living in Silicon Valley, and how absurd it feels when you can contrast it with the cost of living… pretty much anywhere else. But that is especially true in Oaxaca. For what I paid in rent there, I mighttt be able to find a closet to rent in somebody’s home in San Jose, and I could forget about finding a garage to live in. A garage would run me somewhere around $800/month.

I introduced Sarah and Julia to my neighbors in the evening when they all met up on the roof, and after chatting with them for a bit, I picked one neighbor’s brain for some suggestions for a decent vegetarian meal. Oh yeah! Julia is vegetarian too! It was actually really nice to have another vegetarian around, especially one who speaks better Spanish than I do. It made me feel less concerned that I might be accidentally duped into eating meat, simply because I wouldn't understand everything listed on the menu, or know the right questions to ask of the waitstaff.

Anyway, we took a cab to Calabacitas Tiernas, my other favorite spot. It is the same one that has that independent bookstore attached to it. This time I cannot even begin to recall what either of them ordered, but I had the same thing that I always get, which is essentially fried cheese with tomato. What is not to love about that? Then after our meal, we wandered around the little bookstore and remarked to each other about all of the progressive or subversive literature. I love it. I love that there are sections in there devoted to feminism, LGBTQ issues, anarchism, political resistance, etc. It’s such an interesting window into that side of Oaxacan culture.

We walked back, since that direction was downhill, and quickly stopped in a convenience store on the way to the hotel so that Julia could look for her favorite Doritos. They come in a black bag and they’re called Incognito. I don’t know if they sell them anywhere else (like anywhere in the States), but she knew that she could find them in Mexico and was on a mission to track them down.

February 22nd (Wednesday)-

I met up with my friends at their hotel just before 9 AM and we got in a big van with several other people and set out toward Santa Maria de Tule to see the Árbol del Tule (the Tree of Tule). I’m going to be honest with you, the Árbol del Tule does, in fact, have the stoutest trunk of any tree in the world, and it has 4.7 (out of 5) stars in terms of Google Reviews. Still, as someone who used to walk through the redwoods to get to class on campus at UCSC, it just didn’t do much for me. It was really wide and quite tall, but it just didn’t blow me away. Maybe if I’d grown up in the Arizona desert I would be like, “Holy crap! Look at that tree! The tallest cactus I ever saw doesn’t even come close!” But I am a spoiled Californian, and what am I going to do, lie? Fine, it blew my mind. Photos of Tule

Next stop on our trip was a rug making shop in Teotitlán del Valle. The staff there did a demonstration on the way that they use all natural resources to dye the natural fibers, to make the rugs. Now, this was awesome. Did you know that the color blue comes from crushing up a plant that has orange flowers? Isn’t that cool? Also, we already know that I think lime is magical, but it can be used as an acid to adjust natural colors to just the right shade. It was seriously neat to watch the tiny little alterations that could be made to turn something from one color to an entirely different one. Oh! How about this? They get red by waiting until cacti are ravaged by little white parasites and then they crush the little parasites and that’s where the color red comes from.

Then once we had seen how they make all of the different colors to dye the yarn, we got to see how they actually weave the rugs, using a giant wooden loom, and essentially carbon-paper templates.  Still, even with the aid of this mechanical loom, the vast majority of the labor is done by hand. It is truly remarkable. I kinda wanted to buy all of the rugs. I loved the variety, but was especially drawn to the purple and blue ones, and all of the rugs that showcase some sort of scene and are meant to be hung on a wall rather than placed on the ground. The ones with the tree of life on them were some of my favorites, but I also really loved the traditional pueblo landscapes. If they had allowed me, I surely would have taken tons of photos of the rugs, but unfortunately, I was not able to.

Next stop: A mezcal factory in Tlacolula. As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, I wasn’t expecting to get much out of it, but I thought it was really cool. They showed us the specific type of agave plants that are used and then took us through the various steps needed to turn it into mezcal. My favorite part was that they let us sample the agave in its raw state. It was really sweet but also had a strangely meaty-flavor. It reminded me of beef jerky (as best as I can remember what it tasted like, anyway). Photos from El Rey de Matatlán

From there we went to Mitla. I enjoyed it. I would have a hard time making the case that it is as impressive or cool as Monte Albán, but it was still definitely worth seeing. Plus you actually get to enter the buildings at Mitla, and that was pretty neat. It also served as another reminder that I am not normal-human height, and that I most certainly would not have been back in the days when it was being built. I had to fully crouch down, not merely duck, to get through the doorways. There was also a little underground tunnel, but after watching several people, much shorter than myself, duck to get in and emerge from the other side still bent-over, I decided it wasn’t for me. Photos from Mitla

Finally, it was lunch time. I cannot even begin to express how happy this made me. I have a well-earned reputation as someone who needs to eat pretty much constantly. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that if I go too long without eating I turn into a bit of a monster. Anyway, the food was fantastic. The restaurant itself was lovely and decorated beautifully with talavera tiles, wrought iron decor, and rustic Mexican wood furniture. But back to the food. The first thing you need to know is that it was a buffet, and that even as a vegetarian I ate like a queen. I sampled a whole bunch of things during my first serving, but then gave up on pretending to have a balanced diet, and went back just for white rice covered in mole negro. It was fantastic.

Last stop: Hierve el Agua. It was gorgeous and, I would argue, a must-see for anyone visiting Oaxaca. That said, getting there was pretty uncomfortable for me. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was nearly 18 because I used to have terrible nightmares about driving, starting when I was about 8 years old. The nightmares followed one of two standard formats. Either I was driving through a pedestrian-heavy area (like a theme park), and could not pull my foot off the gas, or I would drive straight off the side of a mountain. All this to say, the road to Hierve el Agua is hardly a road at all. It is a mountainside, and most of it is not paved. From my perspective, it is also only suitable for one car or van at a time. Unfortunately, that is not how it is treated. I get car sickness pretty easily, but add a healthy dose of terror onto that, and this was a whole different level. I was legit breathing like a woman in labor.

Fortunately, we made it. It was stunning. I want my ashes scattered in the pools of it. Just kidding, people swim there. That would be gross.  I don’t know know how much more I have to say about it, except that you should enjoy my photos then go see it for yourself. Oh! I know! When you do go see it for yourself it would be nice if you could please not give other people several small heart attacks by standing on the veryyyy edge for a photo. In this era of Instagram celebrities and selfie-sticks, people are actually dying in pursuit of the perfect photo. And I’m not ragging on either of those things; I have both. But there were moments when I wanted to yell at grown people to please take one large step forward. I swear they were not going to lose any Instagram followers over it.

Also, I will likely be going back to Hierve el Agua with my parents in just a handful of weeks. I plan to dope myself up with Dramamine to help me get through the drive. I will let you know how it goes. Also, the ride back down the mountain was still rough on my stomach but did not feel nearly as treacherous, so at least that worked out in my favor. Photos from Hierve el Agua

February 23 (Thursday)- Sarah, Julia and I set out at approximately 9 a.m. in a cab headed for Monte Albán, which of course, meant another winding ride up a mountainside, but what can you do? Monte Albán was beautiful, just as it had been the last time that I was there with Lee, but this trip had a couple of things working in its favor. First off, I didn’t have to listen to some tour guide who was overly fond of the sound of his own voice, and secondly, it was sunny.

We climbed to the top of the largest pyramid, took some photos, and saw a class of tiny children (approximately kinder or 1st graders) take a class photo and then RUN down the steps. Honestly, I could barely stand to watch it. As someone whose parents invested a lot of money in her dental care, the visual of any of those kids nosediving down the steps and cracking their teeth, was all too real for me. Still, I have to admit, this is why you expose kids to semi-dangerous things (like skateboarding) at a young age. They are too naive to be nervous, and when you aren’t nervous, you’re more likely to come out of it alright. We got some ice cream from a Monolo’s stand near the entrance/exit and waited for a cab to come all the way from el Centro to pick us up. We were told by another cab driver that our driver would be there in “10 minutes” which was a charmingly blatant lie (or deceit rather), seeing as we had just taken a cab from the same place, and that ride took half an hour. Photos from Monte Albán

We went from Monte Albán to Arrazola, a trip that took us approximately 45 minutes, but only because our driver got a little bit lost. Once we were there, we had the great pleasure of meeting Julia’s former host family; quite possibly the kindest people I have ever met. Julia’s host-brother walked us around the small town and told us about local legends and things, while his mom prepared food for us. My meal was delicious. It was quesillo enchiladas with mole and rice, and coke, of course. Honestly, I think it was the best food that I’d eaten since I arrived in Oaxaca. I know it is cheesy to say, but you just can’t beat food that is prepared with love. Julia’s host family makes a living by making alebrijes, and I felt fortunate to have the opportunity to support them by purchasing one that I really loved. There’s so much that I would like to say about our conversation over lunch, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable about sacrificing their privacy in that way. What I can say is that they were incredibly kind people, and it meant so much to me that they were so patient with me as I stumbled my way through their language. It was a truly affirming experience, to realize, “This is why I am doing this. Learning a language is hard, but if I don't put myself out there, and trade in my pride once in a while, I could never have the privilege of getting to know these fantastic people.” Photos from Arrazola Frankly, and I don’t mean this in a pretentious or condescending way -- and I certainly don’t think I’m better than anybody else just because I prioritized my life this way -- but it makes me feel bad for all of the people in the United States who pass by the same people every day on their way to and from work, out to lunch, whatever, and never know how incredible those people are because they don’t speak the same language. February 24 (Friday)- In the morning I went to the immigration office and picked up my temporary resident ID card. It felt fantastic. On the way to meet my friends, who had already set out shopping, I listened to some of my favorite music and practically skipped through the streets. At that moment, it all just felt so right. The weather was beautiful, I had the invaluable support of my friends, and everything had come together in a way that felt “meant to be” (though I’m not sure I believe in that sort of thing anyway).

We spent pretty much the entire day shopping, which of course, was right up my alley. I may not have been able to direct anyone to the restaurant serving the most authentic pozole, but I can tell you where to shop.  This fact fills me with a mixed sense of pride and shame, but it was nice to be able to quell the shame side of that, as my knowledge of where to get things did actually come in handy. For example, Sarah was looking for candy that she could buy in bulk to share with people back home. Who knows a candy store that sells the classic Mexican stuff in bulk? This girl right here.

For dinner, we went to this place called Zandunga, which coincidentally happens to be #1 on Buzzfeed’s list of restaurants in Oaxaca that you have to visit at least once in your life. I didn’t know that at the time but gathered it must be pretty popular because it was the first restaurant I had been to in the city where there was a wait to get in. Still, the wait was short, we were quickly seated, took in the trendy setting, and ordered up an appetizer of guacamole and totopos (chips).

I was stupidly excited to eat real guacamole. Oaxacan guacamole is actually a bit more of a green salsa, which just doesn’t do it for me. I can’t quite speak for anyone else, but my meal (cheese enmoladas with both mole negro and mole rojo) were delicious. The restaurant also specializes in mezcal and mezcal cocktails, a perk that was wasted on me, but that many others seemed to enjoy.

Sarah, Julia and I walked back to our hotel after dinner and said goodbye there. It was totally bittersweet for me. I loved having friends around, and those two women are a couple of the nicest, most genuine people that I know. Even bigger than that, they are both deeply empathetic and have an innate drive to do for others. For those few days, I felt more supported and empowered to tackle the more intimidating parts of living abroad than I had in quite some time. Perhaps the most impactful to me was that having them around made me really feel “seen”.

I am under no illusion that I’m everyone’s cup of tea, and that has at times presented challenges for me, in terms of making friends in a dramatically new and different environment. So it was truly a gift to be able to experience the ease with which we related to one another. Which, I imagine for some, would be frustrating, and might even feel like a curse. Maybe some people would walk away thinking, “See, I get along so well with them! Why can’t I find anyone who gets me like that here!?” But it left me feeling optimistic, rather than defeated. I walked away thinking, “See, I get along so well with them! I am pretty cool! People like me! I just need to find the right people.” And, for the first time in a long time, I felt really capable of doing it.

[benjamingarden]

8 Things I Wish I Knew About Meal Planning Before I Started

I've been meal planning for about 15 years, and I've been successfully meal planning for about 10 years.  What's the difference?  About 15 years ago when I decided to delve into this meal planning thing, the information I found was somewhat basic, which meant there was a lot of unknowns.  Also, the way I read it, it seemed every single person who used this system was successful.  So I felt like a complete failure when it just wasn't working out well for me. I've dropped meal planning, picked it back up, dropped it again, and then finally decided to pick it back up one last time, but only once I'd created solutions to the struggles I was having.  While I won't say it was an immediate success once I'd done this, I will tell you that once I was determined to stick with it for 2 months, regardless of any failures or stresses, it started becoming second nature.  It's now just a part of my week and it saves me time and money! There are a few things I wish I had known 15 years ago when I was struggling to adopt this very useful routine. 1. Meal Templates Will Make It Easier      By assigning a food theme to each night of the week, it makes it much easier when you're staring at a blank template trying to figure out which meals to plug in.      I automatically assign either 30 minute meals, slow-cooker meals, freezer meals or instant pot meals to the days of the week that I know I just won't have time (or energy) to devote to cooking.      Then, I've flipped between assigning proteins to the remainder days (chicken night, beef night, meatless night, etc.) or themes of meals (Mexican night, pizza night, etc.)  Either way, it works much better than having a completely empty calendar. related: The Ultimate Step By Step Guide To Meal Planning                6 Common Mistakes When Meal Planning (and how to avoid them) 2.  Keep Your Meal Plans      By recycling your meal plans (and, therefore, grocery lists) you will save yourself so much time and energy!  Why start from zero every week?

3. Plan Simple Meals For Busy Days       I spoke to this a tiny bit in number 1.  Do not plan to make a new recipe on a night where you won't have time or energy.  Do not plan to make a complicated recipe on a night where you won't have time or energy.  It won't work and you'll be frustrated.      I have a separate list for freezer meals and slow-cooker/instant pot meals.  I use meals from these lists on busy days (you could also have a no-cook list or a 30 minute meal list). 4. You Can Save Money!      I had no idea, when I first dove into meal planning, that I could use this tool to not only save time, but to save money.  LOTS of money!  We used meal planning to pay off our debt by planning by a tight budget.  Meal planning made it easier in that:

I knew exactly what I was buying each week

I was able to use up items we already had on hand

We were able to eat a more varied diet once I started planning.  Initially, when cutting our budget down from $130.00/week to around $60.00/week, I tended to cook the same things over and over because I couldn't figure out what else would fit in our budget.  Once I could plan it out, it became so much easier.

related: 6 Reasons Why You Should Be Meal Planning              The Ultimate List Of Meal Planning FAQ's 5. Inventory, Inventory, Inventory       Did I mention to inventory?  It really is such a useful tool that will save you both time and money.  Take an initial inventory of your fridge, pantry, and freezer(s) and keep it updated, if you can, for a quicker check each week.      This will be useful because:

 you won't accidentally purchase items you currently have

you won't miss an ingredient thinking you had it at home but didn't

you can see what's about to expire and then rotate those ingredients into the next week's meals so you won't have to throw them away

6. Use Your Perishables

     As noted above, you want to rotate in items from your fridge, freezer or pantry that are set to expire.  It's just a simple fact that American households throw out a LOT of money in food that has expired.  I used to think this wasn't me.  And then I challenged myself.  For 2 weeks I jotted down a cost to every single thing I threw out.  I was SHOCKED.  I began to take this point much more seriously, especially because we were using meal planning to pay off our debt.

7. If You Mess Up (Or Get Frustrated), Push Through

      It will happen.  It's just inevitable.  We are not perfect and we will drop the ball, make mistakes, or simply not want what we have scheduled for a meal one of the nights.  Set yourself up for success before that happens by putting a couple of back-up plans in place:

create a list of meals you can make from items you typically stock in your pantry/fridge/freezer. (spaghetti, buddha bowls, tacos, stir fry with rice, etc.)

welcome your family to participate meal planning.  Give them a cut-off time/date for requests each week and try to work in some of what they are requesting.

create a freezer meal or two as a back-up plan.  If they aren't needed, work them into an upcoming meal plan as a scheduled meal.  Then, create a couple more and do the same thing each month.

8. What Meal Planning Isn't

it isn't complicated.  We tend to rotate the same 20-30 meals all year anyway, now you're just planning in advance.

it isn't meant to be only for homemade meals.  You can absolutely "plan" to order take-out or go out to dinner.  The nice thing, is now those meals are planned and not something that just happens because you don't know what else to serve for dinner.

it isn't just for those who cook elaborate meals.  This is a planning system to allow you to answer the "what's for dinner" question once a week as opposed to every night.  And you can answer it without thought because it's already created!  Whether you serve rotisserie chicken with sides, frozen meals, or make from scratch a large portion of what your family eats, you will find so much benefit to using this tool.

Unofficially, here is #9.  Here's the thing.  Meal Planning is not for everyone.  I encourage you not to beat yourself up if it just doesn't work for you.  I receive a number of emails about exactly this.  Not everyone thrives on schedules, and that's perfectly ok.  With so much attention given to meal planning lately it's easy to feel like a failure if you can't make it work for you.  You are not a failure at all.  Continue to seek out what works for you.  This might be bits of meal planning or it may be nothing like meal planning at all.

How about you?  Have you tried meal planning?  I would love to hear from you what you've learned, tips you've come up with, or what your stumbling blocks are!

8 Things I Wish I Knew About Meal Planning Before I Started was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)