Training for the next big thing

So I'm going to start training for a Marathon the end of August with a friend from school. One night over a glass of wine we were talking about how we both wanted to run a marathon so we pledged to start training the end of Aug when school starts again and to run the Tampa marathon the end of Feb. Hopefully as our training runs get longer the weather will get cooler and the humidity will let up. One can dream, right?

What makes a person want to run a marathon? I'm not really sure, but I love finding my limits and pushing beyond them, but this will hopefully keep me on track with my work outs in the fall and spring and give me a goal. So armed with a book, a few websites, work-out clothes from the salvation army, and the knowledge that if I can walk 62.1 miles in 19:39, then with some training I should be able to complete a marathon. Its not about speed, its about enduring and completing what you start. There is something addictive about challenging yourself and rising to that challenge. If I can make it, anyone can. Its just a bit of training and mind over matter, sunshine and light breezes:-)

You know you're frugal when....

.... You contact a Peace Corps volunteer living a 45 minute hike up a mountain in rural Panama (no power, internet, etc) to sleep on her couch. And yes that person would be me, and yes I'm actually really excited about it. I figure that it will be a throw-back to TMI trips. There will also be some local festival going on while I am there so it should be interesting. I mean, life is all about the journey! Trust me pictures will follow in about 6 weeks. Oh, for all of my 3 readers, I'll be in Panama from July 27- Aug 6, then in Costa Rica from Aug 6 to Aug 18. I need a break from the US and from school.

Speaking of school, this is my last week of my third semester and I'm finished the majority of my classes!! I only have 6 more classes plus an internship and special project (no idea what that is, but I'll figure it out at some point!). I feel like I have so much more to learn and not near enough classes to learn it all in, but that's what the job after Grad School is for!

New Toy

I'm still a total kid at heart because I still loving getting toys. This time it was a lovely pair of rollerblades. I haven't been on blades in at least 9 years, but blading is like biking, once you know how it just comes back. I'm lucky that there are several nice, paved trails close to my house where I can safely blade. And yes, I do wear a helmet and am thinking about getting wrist guards just to be on the safe side since I am very klutzy. In true frugal style I got them for $90 off with free shipping and no tax. Gotta love internet shopping!! I also have to say that my new blades are much better then those I had as a kid. This are pretty much like high-top tennis shoes on wheels with a bit of ankle support vs. the plastic boot thingy I as a kid.

Reflections on Easter

So my Easter church going has been a bit random this year. I did Ash Wednesday at an Episcopal Church, Palm Sunday was at the First Reformed Church, Good Friday was back at the Episcopal church and Easter Sunday was spend at the community church I've been going to the past few months. I think that the Good Friday service was the one that stuck out the most to me this Easter season. John 18 and 19 were read telling the story of Good Friday and liturgy was delivered reflecting on those chapters. I am always amazed that each Easter I learn something new about the Crucifixion. This Easter it was the fact that Jesus condemned to death twice, one by the Jews and once by the Romans and that both sentences were carried out. The Jews condemned him to death by flogging for blaspheme and the Romans crucified Him for claiming to be King of the Jews. This is my 20-somethinged time hearing the passion of Christ, yet it was the first time I've ever heard someone point out that the flogging was in fact a death sentence and not just a punishment. And yet again I am humbled and amazed at what my Savior did for me out of love.

A few of my Favorite things

Sunny days

Baby possiums

Lizards and geckos

Cadburry mimi milk chocolate eggs

Mangos

Bike rides in the woods

Friday nights at home

Mac and Cheese with tuna and mixed veggies

Laying on the beach with a good book

Friends

Flopped Cheese Whole Grain Pancakes

Serves about 6

1 c. Flour, white or whole wheat
1 ¼ c. oatmeal
2 tbs of wheat bran, oat bran, or wheat germ
2 tbs of whole flax seeds
2 tsp of baking power
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tbs honey, brown sugar, or raw (turbine) sugar
1 tps of vanilla sugar or ½ tsp of vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
2 plus c. of flopped cheese, flopped yogurt, buttermilk or soured milk
2 eggs
½ tsb of olive oil

Put everything in a bowl and mix until combined. Cook in a large frying pan or griddle until you start to see bubbles in the top and the edges are starting to dry bottoms should be golden brown. Enjoy!

Cook’s tips: slightly under cook the pancakes, then reheat them in a toaster for weekday quick breakfasts. Enjoy them topped with honey and peanut-butter for a very filling breakfast.

Why all the funny stuff instead of just Bisquick?

The oatmeal and bran add fiber, which has been linked to preventing GI tract cancers and preventing heart disease. The flax seeds offer Omega 2 and 6 fatty acids, which are usually found in fish and are good for the heart. Olive oil is another source of heart healthly fats. As for the flopped cheese/yogurt…. Its just something I end up with from time to time and use in place of buttermilk. As the saying goes “waste not want not.”

Barrel Gardens, Home Depot and Men

Great title, huh? I now have a garden planted in 1/2 of a 55 gal barrel that I brought back from visiting the folks. It sits on the back of my house where a propane tank use to before everything went electric. Its full of tomatoes, peas (for eating the vines, not the pods!), squash (patty pan and butternut) and I'll add basil and cucumbers once they have gotten large enough to transplant.

So in order to plant my wonderfully little plants I needed to go buy dirt (which I think I hate buying almost as much as I hate buy water). So where does dirt come from? If you answered God, nature or the ground, your wrong! It comes from Home Depot, in the gardening section, right were God left it after He used all He needed for Eve. That being said, I went off to Home Depot to get 6 40 lbs bags of potting soil, some rocks and pete moss for my garden (which is costing me more and more money...). While Home Depot did have the dirt I wanted it was missing one thing... a guy to carry all 240 lbs of dirt out to my car and help me load it. I remember reading once that Home Depot is a great place to pick up guys, I think that they were lying. Also, this is the South, well at least I think Florida is south, so one would think that at least one guy somewhere would offer to help me with my 240 lbs of dirt. Actually, come to think of it, it was rather liberating to take care of my own dirt. Nothing like getting a good work out lifting 40 lbs in and out of a car and pouring it into barrels. Yup, come to think of it, its a good thing that no guy was hanging out at Home Depot just waiting to help me with my dirt cuz if he had I'd have had to go to gym later to complete my weight training for the day:-)

P.S. April is looking like another Month of a $100 since I'll be heading back to the Keys for a week in May.

And its back to the Gov grind... and Spring Break

Yup, that's right, its been 2 months since I last worked for the Feds and I've going back to gov, but this time is State. I've hired by the Florida Department of Health to do some data entry for the next 3 months, until the end of May. I think that its going to be interesing and I'll get to interact (virtually) with the state epidemiology for Maternal and Child Health. Also, there is the added bonus of being able to pay rent and spend a bit more then $100/month for everything.

I'm just one week away from Spring Break, I'll be heading to Key Largo and Miami for a long weekend with my cousin then heading back home for the rest of the week.

Note: I ended up going $20 over budget for last month's challange - living on $100. I figure that that's not to bad.

I'm not trying the $100 thing again since well its Spring Break month and since I got my car some new breaks and a tire rod, I'm already well over budget, but at least all of the strange sounds have stopped!

Broke and still five days to go!

Well I am broke, in fact I am about $11 in the hole:-( But I couldn't not go to lunch with my classmates, I don't eat out unless its with other people and it was great to have friends to enjoy a nice meal with.

I have to say that I am pretty proud of myself though, living on $111 for a whole month is pretty good in my book. I think that I will relax a bit next month (its spring break!), but I'll still try and keep an eye on what I'm spending. More making lists before I go shopping instead of just throwing stuff in my cart thinking "Yeah, I need that" or "That looks yummy!" and then not having anything to cook with it.

My sister gave me a gift card for Christmas and I've decided to spend part of it on vanilla beans. I've never cooked with them before, but really want to since I getting more and more into gourmet cooking and I also want to make my own vanilla extract since I don't use imitation stuff and the real stuff is bloody pricey in the stores.

My NEW diet!

So Spring Break is just around the corner and needless to say, I am itching for a trip some where, preferable some where that requires a passport! That being said, I am thinking about starting on my vacation diet. My vacation diet has nothing to do with fitting into a cute dress or a swimsuit and everything to do with having enough money to actually GO some where. Since I am already trying to live on $100/mo I am thinking that this new diet will be to simply give up eating in order to save more money!

I have a feeling that I won't stick to this new diet and that I'll still end up going on a nice vacation some where fun!

Oh, and I still have my $2 left and am pretty sure that I can make it until March one without overspending. The only good thing about not really have close friends down here yet is that I don't have people that want to go out and do things that cost money.

(and according to the spell checker, this is the first post that I've written without spelling errors!)

Grannies and Grits, State Fair and Fried Pickles

Today I went swimming at the gym since the weather was overcast and I didn't feel like going for my normal Sunday bike ride. Towards the end of my swim this lovely Asian grandmother walked in and sat near where I had left my bag. As I got my bag, I asked the lady if the children in the pool were her grandchildren. She placed her hand over her heart, smiled and said "I no english." I asked her were she was from and she replied "I China." This time, in halting bad Chinese I asked her if those were her grandchildren in the pool and this time she lit up and replied that they were. There are few things that warm my heart more then the smile of a proud grandmother, no matter what language they speak.


I am sadly, broke. I have $2 left from my $100 and about 2 weeks left to go. I spent my money going to the Florida State Fair with a classmate and her roommates. It was fun and the fair was HUGE. I enjoyed spinny ride that spun you both round and round and upside down. It was a good ride:-) One of the girls and I were on a quest for pickles, crispy, golden fried pickles with a side of ranch dressing. While it did take an hour to find the fried pickles, they were worth it! Its been years since I had fried pickles, probably since I was waitressing in undergrad.

Also tonight, I again made my Spicy Cheese Grits with Black Beans, they are becoming one of my favorite dishes. I love it when create a new dish and it actually turns out great.

End of first week living on $100 and a blast from the past

Well its the end of week one, and so far so good. To date I have only spend $7.50 (on yuca fries with cheese dip, um-um good!) I still have $92.50, but I need to get milk and oatmeal since I ate the last of mine this morning.

Also, I went to First Friday in St. Pete, it was pretty fun and I love St. Pete. Its a cute city that seems to have a lot of community events going on, too bad I live an hour from there. So far I have been to the Saturday Market and First Friday and enjoyed both. Maybe if I stay in the Tampa area after grad school, maybe I'll move over to the St. Pete area.

I also just looked my up 43 things lists from 2 years ago, so far I have been able to check off 3 things and still wamt to do all the things listed. I had totally forgotten about it until I was talking about bucket lists with someone last night and today I decided to check out my old list.

http://www.43things.com/person/karguo

The Month of $100

I really to either need to get a job or get my cost of living down. I'm going to try cutting back first, then see about a part time job. So my goal this month is to live on $100, this excludes housing costs. I am going to the bank to take out $100 to see just how far I can go with that. I do have a cupboard full of staples so food cost shouldn't be to bad, plus I've found Aldi and I can usually get a free meal or two at school each week.

I have to say that I'm really looking forward to this challenge, as always I love push myself to the limit just to see if I can make it.

So far 2 days in and no money spent, 26 more to go!

I think that I am going to have to delay my thrift shopping spree that I planned until the end of the month to see if I have anything left over after buying gas, food, and anything else that I need.

Biking and a Hot Chocolate Recipe

Today was a good day, talked with a close friend, when to church (sermon was on parenting, so not so much geared towards my single, kidless self), then when on a lovely 21 mile bike ride at Flatwoods Wildness Park. I did the 15 mile off-road trail and 6 miles on pavement to get to and from the trail. It was great fun, sometimes while riding really fast I just have to laugh because I'm having so much fun and feel so free. Anyone else do that too?

Afterwards, I returned home and fixed some veggie fried rice with some leftover brown rice and frozen veggies. It was pretty tasty and healthy. It would have been yummier with some shrimp, but I don't have any hanging around my freezer right now.

So for the recipe:

Dulce de Leche Hot Chocolate - makes about 1 large serving to 2 small

(this is an estimated recipe since I didn't measure while creating this)
1 tbs cocoa power
1-2 tbs sugar (depends on how sweet you like your cocoa)
1 tbs water
1 1/2 dulce de leche
about 1 1/2 cup of milk

Mix the cocoa and sugar together until all the little balls of cocoa power have been broken up, then add the water and mix, stir over med heat until everything is combined, then add the ducle de leche. keep stirring until the ducle is combined or mostly combined (I couldn't quite get all of mine mix in), then add the milk. Keep stirring until its the temp you prefer. Taste and add more sugar if needed.

Enjoy!

Home is where the stuff is...

I know that the old saying goes "Home is where the heart is," but I think for me its more "Home is there the stuff is." May its because I haven't found a place to leave my heart since I moved out of my hometown. Now some would think that that means my heart is there, but its not. Things have changed, people have moved in and out, and I am different from the girl who left there 3 1/2 years ago for the big city.

Well I have now moved again from the big city in the north to a smaller big city in the south and can't say that is feels like home to my heart yet, but it is home because all of my stuff is here (except for a few boxes a friend is bring down next month, but that is neither here nor there).

Perhaps one day I'll find a place for my heart to call home, but for now I am more then happy to say that "home is where the stuff is" because that means I can always take "home" with me.

I love Florida!

Oh how I love Florida, let me count the ways...

1 - SuperWalmart and SuperTarget - they just make life easier and cheaper. Yes, I know Walmart is evil, but I'm chosing to overlook that for the next 2 years until I get a real job again

2 - Rent is far cheaper then in DC.

3 - Pretty warm weather year round.

4 Flatwoods Wilderness Park is only 15 minutes from my house and has off-road mountian biking trails except instead of mountians, there's just alot of sand and tree roots, but its still better then pavement!

This was taken while on a moving bike

These not so much. I love the trail, you can't really see over the palmetto so it feels like you're alone. Well at least until you have to play chicken with an on-coming rider! I did part of the 15 mile loop, and plan to head back in the near future to complete it. Its a great bit of off-road riding, now if I could just get to sound of traffic to fade it would be perfect!

Obama won out

Over the weekend I was looking at the fitness class list for the rec center here at USF and thought that kickboxing at noon would be a fun class to try on Tuesday. At the time, I totally forgot about the fact that Tuesday was Inauguration day so in light of that, I skipped kickboxing and watched the swearing in of the 44th President of the United States in the College of Public Health's lobby with about 30 other people. I had been watching and studying Biostats II in an empty classroom, but alas, the CNN feed kept bogging down so I joined my fellow Americans in the lobby to watch it on cable instead.

And since I skipped kickboxing I am off to Body Sculpting, which does sound rather painful but calorie burning!

Spicy Cheese Grits with Black Beans

This was the product of me wanting both grits and beans with a bit of Mexican flair, so I started out with basic cheese grits and added smoked pepperjack cheese for kick and some black beans for the protein. This is nice a filling and would go great with a green salad for a veggie meal or some spicy grilled shrimp if you want some meat.

Yield 5-6 cups

3 c. Water
1 c. old fashion grits (not instant or quick grits)
1 1/2 t. better then bullion chicken broth concentrate
1 c. milk
1/2 T. butter
1 can or 1 1/2 c. of cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
3 oz of smoked pepper jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil, slowly add the grits while stirring in order to avoid lumps. Simmer for about 10 mins until tender, add milk as needed to keep the grits mostly and creamy. Once the grits are done, about 10 mins, add the remaining milk, butter, black beans, cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix over low heat until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Being a Pseudo-Vegetarian

Yes, I am starting down the dark path of vegetarianism, but take heart because I'll never be more then a pseudo-vegetarian(PV) at best. So what does PV mean for me, well basically I'll no longer be buying meat to cook with and since I cook about 90-95% of my meals, that means that I'll be eating veggie most of the time. I can still use chicken broth for cooking because, well, its just so tasty! I am allowed to eat meat when I go out to eat, find free food somewhere (I'm a student, I take what I can find!), or when I just can't stop thinking about a nice juicy steak or bowl of boiled shrimp. I love meat and there is no way that I am going to give it up, but since I am a student and jobless for the time being, I simply cannot afford meat on a regular basis since I prefer to buy grass-fed and/or organic meats. After a trip to Whole Foods I have a nice pantry full of organic beans and whole grains to provide protein. I am also trying to live a healthier lifestyle and feel that cutting down on meat is part of this. Will post recipes and pictures of my creations.

Looking for the joys of being single

Let's face it, we have all been single at some point and many of us still are. I personally enjoy it (most of the time) and was telling a friend today that I'm about 75% happy being single, I think anyone saying that they are 100% happy being single is lying just as I think that any non-single person would be lying if they say that they are 100% happy in their relationship.

I started listing off reasons why I like being single and they are:

I can always sleep in the middle of the bed

I can hiking at my own pace on a trip I decided to go on 2 weeks before I left

I don't have to worry someone asking why I bought yet another pair of shoes
I don't have to worry about the guy snoring and waking me up or vise versa.

I don't have to shave my legs in the winter if I don't want to, though now that I'm in the South that one doesn't apply quite as much

I don't have to drag my date to the newest chick flick

I get to cook what I want for dinner (okay I'd probably still do this if I was going to doing cooking in the relationship anyway)

I don't have to pretend to like football/basketball while guy is watching it, reading about it, or wanting to talk about it.

I'm sure more will come, they randomly pop into my head. I am in no was saying that I never want to be in a relationship, I'm just enjoying being single until someone comes along. No point in pinning my single years away waiting for Mr. Right to show up.

To all the single ones out there, enjoy it, learn who you are, enjoy being alone while you can, at some point you'll have 3 kids under the age of 6 all crying at the same time and you'll wish you were alone again!

"That's OUR cart"

Today I was shopping at ALDI near school and this old lady who had a oxygen pack with her and was hanging onto her Office Max cart to stay up right in the aisle in front of me. Next thing I know this Office Max employee comes up to her and tells her that she can't have that cart because its their cart and they've lost 27 carts since they've opened. To add insult to cart removal, the guy doesn't seem to care that the poor little old lady can't walk without the cart and doesn't offer to get her one (though once I offer to go get her a cart, he does offer to let her use OM's cart to go back to the front of the store to get an ALDI cart, how very sweet of him!).

Now I ask you Mr. OM Guy, do you REALLY think that a little old lady that can hardly walk is going to steal your cart?

WOW a Job Already!

I opened by email this morning and saw an email from Dusty offering me a job, I just needed to send my contact info to their official HR email address which was @yahoo.com. I'm sure that once Dusty gets my resume and contact info I'll be hired for a high paying job.

Gotta love junk mail.

A New Year, A New City, A New Plan

This is the start of yet another new year and I am starting a new chapter in my life. Since Dec 24th, I am quite my job with the Feds, packing all my crap into a few boxes to be shipped and my car, driven about 900 miles in about 13 hours and 40 minutes from the DC area to Tampa, Florida. Tomorrow is the first day of the spring semester at USF and I'll be starting my 2nd semester as an MPH student, first one as a "real" student taking classroom classes instead of on-line courses. My 'new year' starts today, Jan 4th since I moved on the 2nd.

This year I plan to:

Read through the Bible - Its about time I read it cover to cover and the start of a new year in a new place in a new phase of life is the perfect time to start.

Be a great student - Working FT for the Feds and being a FT grad student don't mix well for me, from now on its School first and everything else next

Live a simple life - I'm still working out what I mean by that, but I think for now it will mean enjoying the simple things in life, like a cooking a good meal, talking to a great friend on the phone, a walk around the block, enjoying what I have without thinking that I need the newest gismo, things like that.

Do more with less - After 2 1/2 yrs of having a pretty well paid job, I am going to have to revert back to my interning days of frugalality (that's a new word I made up myself!), cut down on eating out, buying pricey food, clothes etc. Get more from Freecycle, thrift/charity shops, making more stuff/finish the clothes I've started.

Take better care of myself - I've been neglecting myself for the past 2 or so months, so its time to start eating a real breakfast instead of coffee, truffles or coffee and truffles, to walk/bike/hike/be active more, eat mostly a veggie diet made up of healthy, real foods that are minimally processed and not stuffed full of refined sugar.

This is a start, I'm hoping to use to this blog to keep track of how things are going. I'll also post how my new life-phase is going down here in sunny, warm Tampa.