Fitness (?!?)

Every once in a looong while, one of us writes a post on fitness, which on first glance does not seem to fit in with our posts on cheese and heels. But every fitness post has one thing in common: unabashed fun.

Last year, we did The Dirty Girl Mud Runand we had so much fun forming a team and running the obstacle course. We chose the run in Phoenix, so we could factor in a girls' road trip as well. This year, our Thanksgiving break unfortunately does not coincide with the date in Phoenix, which was so disappointing. But then we stumbled upon The Color Run.

Colored powder instead of mud? An opportunity to wear rainbow tutus and not take the whole exercise thing so seriously? Sign us up!

We chose the team name Rainbow Connection because it seemed fitting and showed our love for The Muppets. We decided our team shirts would have pictures of different characters, and so we have ,respectively, Kermit, Fozzie, Beaker, Animal, and two Miss Piggies (both Christy and Amy wanted to be Piggy, and how could we deny either of them their Muppet spirit animal?).

I've learned from The Dirty Girl that the only way I will ever run is if a chance for silliness and novelty is built into the event. I'm hoping one day to build up the stamina and courage to do the Run For Your Lives zombie run or The Walking Dead Escape at Comic Con. But until then, I'm super content to be plastered with hot pink powder, laughing and smiling all the way.

   At the Dirty Girl Mud Run 2013...AFTER we cleaned up.

~m~

Fandom Fashion

I've been so lucky this year in my travels, from being at the Eiffel Tower as snowflakes fell to exploring ancient ruins in Italy to ziplining through the rain forest in Costa Rica.
But if there's one event that could get me writing again, it's San Diego Comic Con. There are no words to explain the incredible atmosphere that happens when fans from all over the globe come to show their appreciation for all things pop culture.
Besides having to make the difficult choices about which panels and parties you want to attend, there's the difficult decisions to figure out what to wear.
One of the best parts of SDCC is the cosplay you see everywhere: people dressed up like their favorite characters from movies, television, video games, and books. All of them are wonderful; some are downright incredible. But I'm not that diehard. I'd rather be comfortable when standing in a six hour line! So here are the outfits that I'm taking, which I think show my fandom while being "con-fortable" (hmmm, maybe I should ™ that word?).
Wednesday night kicks off the excitement with a midnight premiere of the Psych musical.
I love this shirt that shows Shawn and Gus as Peanuts characters, with the show's famous pineapple being used as a football. The bracelets and earrings are the same Psych-o green.








On Thursday, I will be waiting in line to hopefully get into the famous Ballroom 20. Once there, I'm planting myself for panels about BBC programs and stars, specifically Sherlock and Matt Smith. Later that night, I'll be attending a Sherlock party with tons of fans of the sexy sleuth.
I can't choose between these two Sherlock shirts, but I'll definitely be wearing the Union Jack jewelry.













For Friday, my outfit is a nod to all things comics. The shirt comes from Forever 21. The headband was bought last year on Etsy for a Wonder Woman ensemble but it never made it into my suitcase, due to some last-minute packing. The bracelet is made from a cute Scrabble tile.








Saturday is the closest thing to cosplay for me, but I feel like it's totally wearable. I am such a Doctor Who fan, and when I found out there was a huge party planned for fans of the show, I knew what I wanted to wear... an outfit with a nod to my favorite Doctor. I found and fell in love with this skirt on Etsy, which is the iconic TARDIS.
The earrings, bracelet, and necklace are a nod to the 11th Doctor who loves bow ties and shows his companions the stars. The earrings are star earrings that I nearly snatched out of the hands of a surly teenager at Forever 21. The bracelet from Etsy is inscribed with a favorite quote from the series: "Rescue me, chin boy, and show me the stars."
My shoe choices tie in the stars theme and the TARDIS blue. If I wear the sandals, my pedicure will match the theme, thanks to these nail polishes I found at the Jewelry Box. The ballet flats are studded with tiny rhinestones and metallic stars.












Sunday is all about the 10th Doctor. My necklace has a rose ring (a nod to Rose Tyler, the Doctor's favorite companion) and a tiny Converse tennis shoe decorated with a tiny Union Jack. My own shoes are like the ones that Doctor made so sexy but with sequins.








When I was putting together the outfits, I found I almost had too many pieces to choose from, a sign of true fandom. I'm sure I'll leave this year's Comic Con with a few more pieces to add to my wardrobe (I'm looking right at you, Her Universe Darth Vader dress!).




~m~

Fitness (?)

The title of my really depressing autobiography will be The 40 Year-Old Bridesmaid, a title I'm thinking of trademarking before Tina Fey snaps it up now that she has all this post 30 Rock time on her hands.

Now, I kind of feel like bridesmaids are similar to dairy products: there is definitely an expiration date, and mine was about twelve years ago. But when a dear friend finds the right man and asks you to share in her happiness, you don't say no. At least I don't. You suck it up, buy the dress, and make peace with the idea of teal chiffon. At least I do. And then you proceed to look in the full-length mirror and freak the hell out. At least I did.

So I did what every friend of mine does before they have that wedding, deliver that baby, or go on that trip of a lifetime. I created a Pinterest board to help me get my teal-chiffoned ass in gear.
The board was created in the depths of despair, which explains the title:




The first picture I pinned was these awesome Nikes, which I think are so cute that they actually inspire me to run. This is no small feat. There is truly nothing I hate more than running.




Yoga, on the other hand, is something I love. No hot pink and leopard print shoes are needed to make me want to grab my mat and do some salutations. But I found these Nike yoga shoes also on Pinterest, and thought they were awesome:




Somewhere in my addled brain I think that if I buy them, I can do this:




The wedding is less than four weeks away. The way I look at it, I'll either look a little more toned in that teal dress, or I will have a horribly hilarious picture to put in the book that will endear me to my readers. Win, win.

This blogpost is inspired by the oldest and dearest and most talented friend I have: Monika Mojica. I woke up this morning to find her blogpost "Skinny Red Genes"on my Facebook wall. Give yourself a little gift and read it. I was split between laughing too hard and being filled with total envy at her amazing writing. Her post inspired me to write again on my own neglected little blog. Monika, you will be the first person I call when I master the Dancer pose. Wait by the phone.
~m~

I, too, have been negligent about our baby blog here. So, as I sit here listening to one of my munchkins getting reamed by her piano teacher, I have decided that it is definitely time for a cocktail...  Coincidentally, this recipe comes from a fabulous calendar given to me by our FABULOUS piano teacher; therefore, it is only appropriate that this evenings entry be dedicated to him and his amazing level of tolerance!!

In following with the time of the season, I proudly give to you The Pumpkin Pie Martini:

• 1/3 cup of milk
• 2 T pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 oz vanilla flavored vodka
• 1 1/2 oz creme de cacao
• 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup crushed ice
• Whipped cream
• Combine milk and  pumpkin puree in a cocktail shaker and shake to combine
• Pour in vodka and creme de cacao and add ice
• Shake well, and then strain into martini glass
• Garnish with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and a dollop of whipped cream

Chink! Chink!

~c~

Fun

Confession:

I've been a slacker about this little blog of ours. I've had so many things I wanted to write about, all these awesome ideas that were floating in my head: costumes for my first trip out to the infamous San Diego Comic Con, an amazing vintage costume retrospective at the El Paso Art Museum that tied in with the El Paso Film Festival, jewelry inspired by the fossils and dinosaurs at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History... heck, even a zombie-inspired cocktail to celebrate the premiere of The Walking Dead was in order. But when it came down to it, my ideas never quite made it to the page.

It's like my typing and writing skills went on summer vacation and never came back from enjoying days of extreme laziness.

So it's only fitting that the blog post that would me bring back to writing would ironically be about... fitness. Over a calorie-laden lunch, my partner in crime Christy introduced me to The Dirty Girl mud run, a 5K obstacle course for women that also benefits breast cancer research. I instantly wanted in... it reminded me of an obstacle course I had the privilege of running in a Marine boot camp experience for teachers... only this time, I could wear a pink tutu instead of camouflage. FUN!

I have a sneaking suspicion that November 17 will result in a lot of laughs, pics, and stories that will inspire me to write on our poor little neglected baby.

~m~

This will be us in a few weeks... woot!

Do you remember when you were a kid and that first day of school was quickly approaching?  Do you remember how vital that first day of school outfit was?  (For those of you who had to wear uniforms, I apologize...but your accessories had to rock the plaid skirts. I'm just sure of it!)  I distinctly remember planning every single detail of my back to school look, literally, tip to toe.

Fast forward a few years and I still get that same feeling as school approaches. Being a teacher, I realize the importance of my first day of school look. That is my single chance to make a lasting impression for the entire year!  It is a make or break day!!  One false move and I have lost the 9th graders for good...  I usually begin searching and plotting at the start of August. This year I was fortunate, I had three weeks to plan. (And I had purged shoes and clothing all summer long, so I needed to do a bit of restocking - yay!)

It is customary to start from the bottom up. Very large heels are in order for the first day. It does not matter to me how much those dogs are barking at the end of the day, I need those kids to know that I am no small woman to be pushed around...I'm here to teach you French and I mean business!

After much hemming and hawing, I found my back to school look:

I like to think that I made a lasting impression; only time will tell. 

~c~

Food

Throughout the year, my family and I often enjoy the delights of what we call a "Kitchen Sink Salad". It all started with Gigi, my husband's grandmother, who would often create one of these beauties for dinner. So easy to prepare and different every time, perhaps it should really be called "Everything But the Kitchen Sink Salad". It is an easy way to use the fruits and veggies from the fridge. I include a variety of beans, meats, potatoes and sometimes fruit. The kids love to choose what is going into the salad and love putting it together. It is a great way for them to take part in preparing dinner and usually guarantees that they will eat all that is put upon their plates. Whatever ingredients I have on hand are free game. The end product is always a gorgeous melange of colors and bursts of flavors. Since the salad itself is so easy to assemble, it is a favorite go to meal in our house.

Sunday night's Kitchen Sink Salad...including bell peppers, tomatoes, black beans, tuna and carrots 

I prefer to top it with a light coating of a traditional French vinaigrette:

• 1 clove of garlic, minced, 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 t French Dijon mustard
• 2 t red wine vinegar
• 4 t extra virgin olive oil
• In a small bowl, mix the garlic, vinegar and mustard together. Add the olive oil and whisk vigorously. Add a touch of salt and pepper, to taste and pour immediately on your salad. The light addition of this dressing is the perfect compliment to your salad. 

Bon appétit!! 

~c~