Divine Secrets of the Taste Off Sisterhood

After a girlfriend draught of over a month, my friends and I decided early in March to begin a weeknight dinner tradition once a month, to secure girl time and avoid elongated feelings of separation. You see, in the past year a lot has changed for all of us…careers, living arrangements, living locations, relationships, priorities, etc. However, amidst the newness of our worlds, we never intend there to be a stretch of time when we are so disconnected.

As I had eluded to in previous entries, 2010 was a year of learning for me in the friendship department. I figured that by the time I graduated high school I was done with most of my friendship lessons, but I was clearly wrong. And, I have been reminded of this several times (thinking back to a squabble over our 10 yr high school reunion in 2009). Anyway, the last thing I want to do is to build barriers between myself and my friends. Sometimes, situations change and it can’t be helped, but in this scenario with challenges of new apartments, schedules, and boyfriends I knew we could work around our situational conditions. So, last night was our second “Taste Off”- named for our style of sharing tapas, or many small plates, wine, and dessert. We dined at Soul Gastrolounge and we each got a few bites of many items. And, while the tuna sashimi tacos and fried goat cheese bruscetta were being passed and sampled, we caught up on each others’ lives.

Last night we had a full agenda. I went so far as to email our talking points out earlier in the day, to ensure we don’t miss anything critical. Our lineup last night went as follows:

1. Lauren- Updates on Linda being “on the loose”… and in Charlotte with Lauren

2. Katie- Meth Mom antics- yesterday’s event of catching the M.M “rolling around in the DSS parking lot

with a boy on top of her”.

3. Adrienne- Yesterday’s bombing

4. MB- Updates on her Charleston travels and spring break in NYC.

We managed to cover all of the listed topics, and even venture on to additional items like pregnancy announcements via an emailed ultra sound photo, MTV’s Teen Mom, the stalking of Brad Womack and Emily Maynard among other subject matter rich in pop culture and social trending. The food was brought out one dish after the next while we bee-bopped from topic to topic effortlessly. We even mastered our segues perfectly.

All in all, it might be my favorite day of the month. Believe me, I ADORE my date nights with Steve…and any night with Steve really, but time with my girls is so refreshing. Sometimes (in the long weeks in between Taste Offs), I feel like I have been ostracized from these people who were once my partners in crime- my partners in everything. Not so long ago we were an army of single gals- spending almost every weekend together and constantly planning our social activities around one another. Now, I find myself spending most weekends at home (which I totally enjoy), or with Steve’s friends, many of whom can’t get themselves out of bars and into domesticity. Hopefully, the weeknight tapas retreats will allow us not only to stay connected, but to work towards plugging in more play dates. Successfully, we have already added a karaoke night on to the calendar for next Saturday night. Additionally, we are in the process of planning a summer weekend trip to Charleston. I was still digesting my goat cheese while already looking forward to next month’s meeting.

I am going to try to take pics at our next meeting- of friends and food. Between the mouth-watering cuisine and our non-stop smiles and laughter, it's a logical time for photos.

In other events, my spring break (2 weeks off) from school has come to an end. The semester is winding down and I just registered for my summer class (2 nights a week). This coming weekend I am meeting Jill for a very belated birthday breakfast at the Flying Biscuit. Steve and I are going to spend Sunday with his Dad and Step Mom. I have implemented a good exercise regimen into my days. The past few I have been slacking, but I vow to get back on the calorie burning wagon- especially considering the Taste Off indulgences.

2 Bed, 1 Bath, plenty of memories

The act of selling things has never been my forte. Seriously, I am not "salesy". There are certain people (like Steve) who can charm the money right out of a stranger's wallet and into the purchase of any product or service.

Currently we have our house and my car on the market. Hopefully both items will sell themselves, but neither is ideal. Both are older and have flaws…flaws that have come to add character, but I don’t know that a stranger will appreciate them like I do.

As for the house, it’s small, it’s not in the best part of town, and it needs some repairs. What’s it got going for it? A huge fenced in backyard (which is what I will miss more than anything)- a third floor begging to be finished as the master bedroom, beautiful hardwood floors, nice neighbors and good memories of the beginning of the life that Steve and I share together, under one roof. I can recall the early days of our courtship (although that makes it sound pretty formal) and sitting in his place thinking “wow, this place could be so much nicer”. It wasn’t long until I had covered the porch in potted flowers and spruced up the garden with lavender and other perennials.

Just a few weeks later, I talked Steve into a “surface makeover”. One Saturday he had to work, but he armed me with his Home Depot card and sent me off to the hardware store to buy paint and other supplies. *Side note, I LOVE hardware stores- the smell, the sights of people full of determination and optimism to undertake projects *
I came back with a half a dozen cans of paint in a few colors, rollers, tape, drop cloths, and all the other essentials.

Assuming as a man Steve knew how to paint, I thought he could just get to the taping and trim without any issue. It was then he confessed he had never really painted. The next month was a LONG laborious month of transforming 6 out of seven rooms from bland dingy off-white to soothing beige, green, and cream. Eventually, we finished…and Steve got his first lesson in the evils of painting.

Once the walls were bright and baseboards and trim were cleanly anew, I twisted Steve’s arm to go furniture shopping. We are complete shopping opposites. A. He doesn’t like to shop B. He only shops online C. He researches EVERYTHING before making a purchase. I shop on impulse, spend too much, and need to see and feel my overpriced unnecessary items before buying.

Thankfully, Rooms To Go was holding the deal in which they throw in a 48 inch plasma TV with the purchase of any room. This sealed the deal for him. We found a chocolate brown corduroy set with matching TV stand, tables, and lamps (the lamps were heinous- they currently sit in the attic). Neither of us was in love with the set at first, however, it was uber comfy- the couch was nice and over sized and the chair and a half with ottoman screamed for our attention.

Little by little, the house which was in January 2010 a barren bachelor pad had become our little home. It wasn’t perfect- and still isn’t. I would change 45 things about it if I could, but I would never change the time and experiences it gave us together. Remodeling is stressful for any couple, with very few issues we sprung into it together and grew as a couple. Steve saw my obsessive planning, aversion to rest, and nagging come to the surface. I was introduced to his lack of handyman skills (though he has improved over the year) and his need for rest breaks. Somehow, despite our differences in shopping and home projects we accomplished what we set out to do.

We are both looking forward to living somewhere with more closet space, in a safer area, and saving some money from the hefty mortgage we currently have, but I can’t look forward without looking back with fondness at the little home that watched us learn to cohabitate and colored our first year as a couple.

While the Cat is Away...

Ahhh, it's a beautiful Saturday morning...sunny and 65 degrees at 11am. I have already enjoyed some QT with the dogs, walking, going for coffee, and giving dirty little Mabel a much needed bath. Most mornings I spend laying in bed until at least 9am- eeking out every minute of being lazy that I can. This weekend is a little different.

Steve left for Texas on Thursday. It's bittersweet to have him gone. Sometimes a few days apart can be refreshing. It gave me a chance to get some really good spring cleaning done...I scoured the bathroom, dusted the ceiling fans and baseboards, and rid the house of a layer of filth. It felt cathartic to wake up this morning to a really clean house. There is no clutter, the backdoor is open and I am enjoying a nice early spring breeze. I also took the opportunity to watch a chick flick last night- Life as We Know It.

I had wanted to see it, and it was sweet, but pretty unrealistic. The thought of losing a best friend in a tragic accident is overwhelming- much less adopting their toddler too. The characters were a little to optimistic for most of the movie. Being that last night was the first Friday of Lent, I also was in need of a non-meat meal, which doesn't appeal much to Steve- or any man. I found some good looking pre-made tilapia in Harris Teeter. To my disappointment, it lacked flavor. However, I did indulge in a piece of German chocolate cake, which made up for the bland entree. Good thing I have been diligent about my workout routine- allowing Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin to kick my butt every day via DVD.

Today is Charlotte's annual St Patrick's bar crawl. My friends and I are all partaking and I am excited to carry out a tradition we have been part of for several years- and it's not often that we see each other any more, so just the thought of being together is great. I'm looking very forward to toasting with green beer and quoting the Mobile Alabama leprechaun- our patron Saint of St Patrick's Day. Pat may have driven the snakes out of Ireland, but the leprechaun has given us YEARS worth of humor.

On the flip side to Steve being out of town, sleeping alone is strange. And, I am not the only one to notice. Mabel was unable to relax with her obviously absent father figure with us. Once in her crate, she settled down, but sleeping in bed with me, she was restless. Last night I hardly got any sleep. I don't know if it was because I was alone, or because my allergy medicine had me buzzing.

Tomorrow I am going to visit Melia and her new baby, Zoey. She was born in March, and I have only seen her for a mere 2 minutes, so I am long overdue for a visit with the new little one. I am also hoping to score some church time, being that we are into Lent.

Speaking of, I decided to make the very difficult decision to give up Facebook for Lent. This is the first year in awhile that I am feeling really challenged. It's strange to be disconnected, but a little liberating. Why do I need to know what my old roommate's ex boyfriend is doing, or what my old boss' husband is feeling about the Daytona 500. There is something nice about simplicity- and not being wired to the events of over 600 people is nice and simple. I am sure by Easter I will be ready to reconnect, but for the next 35 days, I will take advantage of the disconnect.

In the meantime, I just have to make it another 3 days and I have my boyfriend back- which is WAY more exciting than Facebook, but until then I am going to enjoy some single me time with my dogs, my friends, and myself...and a nice clean house :)

On a total side note- and not to under shadow the importance of it, my thoughts and prayers are with those in Japan recovering from the tsunami and earthquake devastation. An 8.9 earthquake is unbelievable! I can't imagine. The footage is insane- especially of the tsunami. The cars and boats look like bath tub toys being tossed around the Japanese country-side. I just can't fathom enduring that kind of event. I will say that if any country can handle it, Japan can. They are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world with their technology designed to respond to natural disasters- and they are a resilient people. Nonetheless, I am sending thoughts for peace and recovery.