There’s this really cool thing in Tucson called the 3000 Club Charity/Market on the Move. In the summer they have it every couple of Saturdays and the occasional Wednesdays at their headquarters, at other times of the year it moves around to various locations. You go there, pay $10 and you get about 60 pounds of vegetables and fruit. What they have changes. If you like their Facebook page, they let you know when they have them. We went this morning and we got a case of cucumbers, a case of yellow squash, a case of water and a pound of popping corn, all organic, oh, and 20 bags of potato chips. It was a random and limited selection, but you can do all kinds of things with cucumbers and squash…..not to mention you can share the bounty!

There is another entity that does a similar thing, called Borderlands Food Bank. It moves around all the time. I’ve never tried this one though. The last time we went to the Market on the Move, we got copious amounts of butternut squash, honeydews, grape tomatoes, mangos, watermelons, and again the potato chips. It’s always something you can use and share.

I thought I had published the last post back in April, but apparently forgot to hit the publish button. Oops. We did get the master bathroom and closet of my dreams finished and oh my god, it is fantastic! Getting ready and packing and even putting things away is so much easier. I have no idea why I didn’t do this sooner. If anyone is contemplating a remodel, start with Pinterest to get an idea of your likes and dislikes. It kept me moving in the right direction…..

The title of this post has nothing to do with the previous paragraph and everything to do with the wedding planning that is underway. The wedding is set for October of this year. I repeat, this year.  So, decisions are being made rather quickly and costs are spiraling equally quickly. I had no clue what flowers cost. Or music. Or transportation. Or photographers. Or just about everything else. Yikes. I finally chose my mother of the bride dress and my rehearsal dinner dress. I ordered 4 dresses from Nordstrom and am keeping 2. They have a pretty cool return policy-free shipping and returns. They truly have the best selection of anything I have seen in any brick and mortar place here in Tucson.

Meanwhile, we are experiencing the wonderful time that is summer in Tucson. I know that sounds sarcastic, but I mean it. Rick points out where we were last year at the same time almost daily. It was pretty great! But being here has its charms too. We have been trying to limit going out to eat to two or three times a week, for our waistlines as well as our wallets! There is a great new restaurant not far from us, called Commoner and Co. that is amazing! If you’ve tried Prep & Pastry, (and if you haven’t, what the heck are you waiting for?) this is owned by the same group. I highly recommend both of these places! If you like mussels, and I love mussels, the Commoner and Co. has the very best! It comes with an order of fries which are equally wonderful. The shrimp cocktail is also really good, the fried green tomatoes-not so much. I make fried green tomatoes, and if I do say so, mine are infinitely better. So I’d skip those. Can’t wait to go back and try a few more items!  Another place we revisited recently is Mariscos Chihuahua. They make a sauce that is called Culichi sauce. I have no idea what is in this delightful, pale green sauce, but it is pure magic! I order the shrimp with the sauce, but you can also order it with fish or chicken for those who are not seafood fans (which is something I just don’t get, but,  whatever). I could drink this sauce by the glass……

Last night we went to the Hut on 4th Avenue for some shuffleboard followed by a bite at our favorite restaurant in Tucson, Athen’s on 4th. They had the octopus on the menu last night, which they don’t always have. If you ever go there and you see it on the board and are feeling adventurous, try it. Make sure they cut it up for you. If not, it does look a little creepy-just saying. The lamb chops here are tied with the braised lamb for best dish on the menu. They gyro platter is also delicious, and for something tasty and simple the Pastitsio is a great bet.

My brother-in-law would say (and has said) that I all I write about is food. Okay, I’m somewhat guilty. I love great food! Last summer I had several people mention that my blog made them hungry, so I figured why not write about places right here in Tucson, that are easy to try if so inspired. Well, that’s all I’ve got for now…..

Well, today I’m 57.

Sounds like such a nondescript number. And getting painfully close to the number 60. Uh-oh! All things considered, I’ll take it. But seriously, what shall I do next?????

This year so far is pretty darned good! We had our 11th annual Super Bowl Party a couple of weeks ago and a few of our friends played some terrific music under the ramada for those of us who aren’t terribly in to the game part of the party. The food, as usual was a great mix of wonderful tasty things contributed by all of us. My gumbo, which I make every year, just wasn’t up to par this time.

Last Wednesday, Rick was contacted by his company and offered a free trip for both of us to Cancun at the beginning of March. Hmmm, let’s think about that. YES! We have never been to that area before and are very excited about it. Especially the free part! So that’s happening. And right after that another trip to Abilene and Austin, Texas. It really is all about the next trip……

We are finally remodeling our master bathroom, which Rick has been after me to do for about 4 years now. The contractor and cabinetmaker are coming tomorrow to finalize the plans and we are scheduled to begin the last week of March. All the decisions have been SO hard! And I have no idea why-I have never liked the tile in our bathroom (or the oak cabinets!). I should post before and after photos so that everyone can hate our tile as much as I do. Rick is hoping that with the new cabinetry I will have a neater vanity. We shall see about that. I am a little too neat all over the house, but my vanity is usually a total disaster. Hair product, jewelry, face creams, toothbrushes, make-up, pens, paper, receipts, you name it, it’s there. Hope all this new cabinetry helps………maybe the pretty marble countertops will be so pretty that I won’t want to cover them with my mess……

It’s Christmas night at 11:30 and Tyler just left to head back to his apartment. Rick’s in bed and I’m sitting in the living room by the fire enjoying the tree and cuddling with the dog. What a nice day! Really enjoyed seeing the friends who dropped by to have lox and bagels and mimosas. Lots of laughter, lots of fun!

For as long as I can remember, if Rick was asked what he wanted for Christmas, his standard answer is peace and harmony. And that is the best way to describe the day. The not having to outdo one another with expensive extravagant gifts and keeping our Christmas gift giving to a minimum, made for a much nicer holiday. Really thinking about what the kids wanted and needed and getting it exactly right was so much fun! And the gifts from the kids were so thoughtful and wonderful. I feel so happy and content! It would have been great to have our daughter here, but it doesn’t seem to be possible since she moved to Texas…..we did get to FaceTime with her and that was really nice! We are heading there in a week and a half for a visit. So looking forward to it!

Can’t believe Christmas has come and gone, but thoroughly loved it! There’s a lot to be said for peace and harmony!

God, I love this time of year! The decorations, especially the decorations. Who doesn’t love all the lights and red and green? Tamales. The weather. The street fair. Sweaters. Jackets. Boots. All of it!

I feel like I really need to write something positive. I just went back and read my last post about my friend Valarie. Wow. That was almost harder to read than it was to write. I apologize for that. What a downer.

Sooooo-It is December 10th and I have my Christmas shopping done and the presents for our daughter and her boyfriend were mailed to Texas this morning. The ones for here are wrapped and under the tree. Back when I worked, hearing someone say that this early annoyed the hell out of me. When you have all the time in the world, stuff gets done. Quickly. It helps that neither Rick, nor my mother, nor I want anything. I never would have believed that I would get to the point that there is nothing I want. Or need. In fact, looking at the massive amount of stuff my stepdad had when he died (and trying to figure out what on earth to do with it all), really made me realize we all have way too much stuff. At the risk of sounding sappy, I truly enjoy getting things for the kids that they want or need or making donations to my favorite charities. Yeah, that happened. I think that means I’m old. Crap.

Instead of buying more stuff, we are focusing on experiences. More dinners with friends. Travel. Duh! Live music! That never gets old. And takes no room in the attic. (We really do have an attic. And it is a disaster! I digress……) Staying up late. Sleeping in. Going to the gym (to be honest, I like leaving the gym more than going TO the gym, but I do love the way I feel when I exercise). Cooking good food. Eating good food. Good wine. Tasty cocktails. Enjoying the wonderful people in our lives. Our adorable dog, Idgie. Reading. Appreciating what we have!

A side-note….I finally found a way to avoid spam comments! Wish I would have a long time ago! When I signed in to write this post, I had 1025 comments ready for moderation. Geez! It was total BS! So, now, if anyone submits a comment I will actually be able to see it instead of all those crazy ads.

Enjoy the holidays! Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah or whatever you choose to celebrate! And make the most of what’s left of this year……another one is right around the corner!

Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of my best friend, Valarie Miller. That means that I have experienced the sadness of November 8th several times already, but somehow, today is particularly tough. Maybe it’s because it’s the number 5. I don’t know. Maybe it is because it finally hit me that I will never have another best friend like her. Maybe I had hope that I could-I feel like I’ve been unknowingly interviewing women friends to take Valarie’s place in my life. No one really can though. She got me. I got her. We left nothing out. Every topic was fair game. And on that topic, there were no games. Just an honest friendship. I knew she was there for me whenever I needed her. We didn’t have to talk every day or even see each other every week, but she was my person. Of all the women I have known, I probably never would have thought that she would be the friend I would be the closest to. We weren’t that similar. We had different likes and dislikes. Different backgrounds. For god’s sake she was a republican!

Today, I just miss her so much that it hurts. I miss having a friend that listens as well and shares as much as Val did. It makes me feel so lonely.

Day nine of the cleanse and feeling great. I’ve dropped 6 pounds already and can’t wait to see how the rest of the challenge goes. The first 10 days include the herbal cleanse, probiotics and more while the next 14 days concentrate on weight loss. Obviously, exercise and healthy eating are involved. And no alcohol for the first 10 days, and limited for the next 14. I miss wine. Not gonna lie. Like when I watch Scandal. I feel like I should join Olivia Pope and have a glass. But I do think it’s a good idea to get out of the habit of just mindlessly pouring myself a glass at a certain time of the day. And I also get that one of the problems with a drink is that you are more likely to make poor food choices. Like order a heavy appetizer in a restaurant or a fattening dessert. I thought I generally make fairly good choices both when I order something or when I cook something at home, but now realize there was definitely room for improvement. Limiting carbs to healthy complex carbs and furthermore only consuming them once a day, preferably earlier in the day is another great idea. Having a protein, vegetable or fruit at every meal is another one. While all of these changes are great, I find that the Advocare 24 Day Challenge is a nice organized way of accomplishing my goal. It’s kind of nice to have a blueprint for the journey. The fact that it’s kind of expensive is a great motivator.

On Saturday night we went to the Boondocks and listened to some great music by Straight Shot Again-we have a couple of friends in the band. And yes, I had club soda with a twist of lemon. The bigger issue was smelling the nachos and the french fries…….but I did it! I did not give in to temptation!

Sunday found us on Mt. Lemmon taking a 3 hour hike. It was beautiful and cool and we felt great doing it! So in short, everything is going well, but I am feeling a bit restless……

The final route for the trip

We got back early Friday evening. Dorothy really had it right-there IS no place like home! I think all this traveling really made me not only appreciate our great home and family, but it made me look at friendships in a new way. Friendships need to be nurtured and respected and treated with love and care. Friends cheer each other on. They keep you moving forward. There is no room for envy or rudeness. There are times we need to ask ourselves am I being a good friend, and if not, why not…..

Since Rick will still be working some now that we are back, but not nearly as much as before we left, we will keep this blog going. I did pay to have it for an entire year, so if anyone is interested in checking out what we are up to or to read my lengthy ramblings, it will be here.

I thought that I might jot down a few last thoughts regarding our adventure.

It is not possible to eat three meals a day on a trip of this length. You will get fat. Rick gained no weight whatsoever, me 4 lbs…..they and some their friends will be gone VERY soon. Had we eaten three times a day, I can’t even imagine…..

Use the gyms in hotels. They will save your waistline.

Whenever we checked in to a hotel room I entered the room number in notes. Yes, with 61 rooms, in 73 days (1 day longer than Kim Kardashian’s last marriage), you can forget your room number…..awkward.

Talk to strangers! Pretty soon they are not strangers anymore, and they make the whole journey so much more interesting and fun!

Stay away from heavy rainstorms on freeways. They are no fun whatsoever.

If you are anywhere in the east, get an EZ Pass from the beginning. No one has that much change with them.

Stay away from Citgo gas stations. Unreliable restrooms and rudeness.

If you think you have a good relationship with your spouse before you take a trip like this, it will be tested, and if you are lucky, it will be even better afterwards. I am very lucky.

Laugh out loud whenever you can. Hug often.

Don’t take pepper spray to Canada. I believe I covered this topic in excess already.

Something else I covered in excess-use Priceline Express-it will save you tons!

Figure out how the heck to get rid of spam comments before your trip. I am looking at the comments symbol as I type, and since I haven’t logged on since Thursday there are 920. I just hope some of them are from people who are actually reading this and not just  #@*&%*# spam. Now it’s 926!

We had a deal from the beginning. We will continue on this adventure as long as we are both having fun. We asked each often, are you having fun? It kept us on track and having fun.

Favorite comments on the trip: Me-I thought I had to Spokane, and only Quincied. That probably won’t make sense to anyone, but we laughed for days. Rick, while listening to Unchained Melody: Great song-you need to be making pottery, and I guess I need to be dead. That cracked us both up.