a story about coffee

I've never really been much of a coffee drinker because I usually prefer tea, but also, I don't know how to use a coffee machine. (is that even what they're called? haha) I had a job once where my boss expected me to make coffee, and quickly asked me to stop doing so. I could just never figure it out.

Bryan bought me a French press for Christmas last year, and it has been a game changer. Why do we feel the need to over complicate things?! The French press doesn't even require electricity! So now that I can make a decent cup of coffee on my own, I've become quite the connoisseur.

Generally, I buy a good, flavored coffee and I take it black, or sometimes with a splash of milk, because I fancy myself a minimalist, so you can imagine my surprise when a couple of weeks ago, a friend made me a cup of coffee with butter and coconut oil in it. I thought he was nuts, and even made a Paula Dean joke, but quickly retracted after tasting it. It was so, so good. He tried telling me it was healthy, and I didn't believe it, so I looked it up for myself, and it turns out that like everything else on the interwebz, there is conflicting information, so it could be? I say positive thinking, people! Ignorance is delicious, and frothy bliss.

Anyway, if you feel the need to try it out, and you should, here's what to do:

Brew 16 oz of coffee. Add it to a blender with 1/2 tbsp unsalted, butter (preferably from grass fed cows) and 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil. Blend. Enjoy.

au contraire

Sometimes I do silly things right before finals, like drive 5 hours just to hang out with my guy for a few days, for no reason other than I missed him. :)

So, naturally, on Saturday, Emma & I took a very impromptu trip to see Bryan, and can we just talk about Midland for a minute?

-There is a very distinct population of crazy people there. Some of them hang out outside of Bryan's hotel room every day! Some of them might even work at the hotel, because only a crazy person would steal your change and leave you 4 Bud Lights in return, right? (let's get real. the joke is on whoever did this, because 4 beers do not = a handful of change, even if they are shitty beers!)

-I experienced my first real dust storm. I had no idea those were even a thing. Sand grit in your mouth is disgusting.

-The local economy there is really weird. Most of the labor force is made up of skilled workers, due to oil & gas related jobs, and there aren't enough unskilled workers, so basically customer service everywhere you go is kinda blah, and the wait is ridiculous. I mean, we waited an hour for THREE MILKSHAKES. This is a real problem, and I am obviously going to have to learn patience.. or never eat out. I'm not sure yet. Also related: everywhere there is hiring. Everywhere.

- Sundays. So most places are closed on Sundays. The natural grocery store, restaurants, gyms, etc. I get that this is the South, but gah, people want to do things on Sundays. At least I do!


Anyway - Countdown til I move is 33 days! haha I can't wait.

shit my kid says

- "Dancing skills are easy mom. You just have to pick a move, then make it groove."

- "Michaela says she can talk to animals. She's coming over today to see what's wrong with the cat." (our cat is decidedly an outdoor cat, so he goes missing for a day or two at a time, and it really bothers Emma that he doesn't want to be here with us all the time, haha!

- "You're the prettiest mommy I've ever had."

- "I like you, but I prefer Dad."

- I overheard her singing Bob Marley, but instead of "Exodus" she was singing "pixie dust.. movement of the people."

spirit animals

I'm already getting nostalgic about leaving North Texas, and I'm not even gone yet. I know that in a new region, I'll find new things to appreciate, but I'm really not sure what a life without creatures of the bovine sort will be like. I just really need a cow in my life. Or a buffalo. Somebody get this girl a farm!

weekend stuff

Bryan came back and surprised me for the second weekend in a row (!) and when we went to pick up Emma from his parents house on Saturday she was so, so happy to see him. He asked her how much she missed him & she replied "way more than much." It was the sweetest thing ever.

Saturday nite we colored eggs in martini glasses. And after we put Emma to bed we went outside to have a beer, when a little bunny came hopping by. Bryan went in and woke up Emma so she could see it, and she was convinced that it was the Easter bunny. The whole damn thing was just magical.

survival

Growing up in Oklahoma meant being familiar with the term 'disaster preparedness kit.' I remember one time as a kid, I think I was in 5th or 6th grade, there was a tornado during summer, and we were without power for over a week. We lived with the windows open, even though it was so hot, and we only had sandwiches from a cooler to eat. We borrowed stuff we didn't have from our neighbors, and somehow I remember it as being fun and not incredibly scary, like it sounds.

Since moving out of Oklahoma, I haven't given much thought to such a thing, until recently. For Christmas last year my dad sent me a bunch of ridiculous survival supplies to start a kit with, including, but not limited to: a water canteen that doubles as a bullhorn, an army field guide, a tomahawk, and of course fire making mechanisms.

I gave the whole idea some thought, and I really should have a kit, but the fact is that it's actually quite scary, and depressing to even think about. So I put it all out of sight, out of mind for now.

Do you have a disaster preparedness kit? What's in it? Is this how your dad tells you he loves you as well? haha

sunday turned monday thoughts

My mind is forever blown by the fact that our skin/bones are the only thing separating our vital organs from the world.

Like OH MY GOD, there is only skin and ribs between me and a beating fucking heart.

shit my kid says

-while she was pretending that her Bunno was a newborn baby, I told her it was time to head downstairs and clean up her toys. she responded with "why would you treat me like this on the day that I had a baby?!"

-I came downstairs and found her watching a game show and I asked her why she wanted to watch that. She said "It's called family game nite, and it's great. You can win things LIKE A NEEEEWWWW CAR!"

-"mom this toothpaste tastes spiced."

-"Michaela was right. I'm a total fraud."

- "my heart depends on a kitten."

mini me

This time that I'm spending alone with Emma has kind of forced us into a different dynamic, where she understands that this is harder for me, and so she's kinder to me. Plus, I think that because we both miss her dad we're able to commiserate a little bit, so it kind of feels like we're on a team. We're in this together.

Whatever the case, I'm so grateful for it, because it's allowed me to spend more quality time with her. I feel like I'm getting to know a part of myself by doing things with her. For instance, I took her to the movies a couple of weekends ago to see the new Muppet movie, and that nite, at bedtime, she told me she didn't like it because the "fake Kermit" scared her, and it just made her really sad that the real Kermit was in jail for no reason. I'm not telling you this to spoil the movie, but because when I was a kid my little sister liked to watch this Sesame Street movie called Follow That Bird, and it would stress me the fuck out when Big Bird was kidnapped and painted blue. I hated watching the movie because it made me sad.

Her reaction reminded me so much of me. She reminds me so much of me. Sometimes I have trouble wrapping my mind around it. I made an actual person who looks and acts like me. What even?