Looking back on 2013

Welp, we are officially at the end of the year. Since I only blogged for about a quarter of 2013, I thought I would complete a year-in-review questionnaire for posterity. Vital information follows, folks.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? 

Hmm. Off the top of my head: lifted weights, visited a Japanese (style) spa, and went to the driving range.

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

I tend not to make resolutions, I find it's an arbitrary time to set goals for myself and I do better when I come up with them at other times.

3. Did anyone close to you die? 

No one super close. I've been very lucky in that respect (knocks wood).

4. What places did you visit? 

DC, Las Vegas, the Bay Area, Texas (Houston/Austin), Santa Fe, Gunnison, and Vegas again.

10,000 Waves spa outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Most relaxing vacation ever.

5. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? 
More resolve. I do well with starting toward goals/beginning projects, but I'm not great at finishing things.

6. What dates from 2013 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
April 8: Started my current job, the first one I've liked in a long time.

August 22: Celebrated five years of being married to T. Bob.
September 12: The day the Colorado floods started.

It's hard to believe it's already been five years!

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a job I actually wanted/enjoy! And getting healthier.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Probably not doing any work on the house. So many projects, so little time!

9: Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious. I probably had a cold at some point.


10. What was the best thing you bought?
My car. I really love it. It's reliable and gets amazing gas mileage.

My beloved Prius. Although this photo may indicate otherwise, it is not great for mountaineering.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Into buying a new car. Totally worth it.

12. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Probably "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Not for any special reason, but they were pretty ubiquitous this year, and it was on my gym mix so I heard it a lot (and it's my favorite song to climb stairs to).

13. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? Happier, for sheez.
b. thinner or fatter? Thinner. Still working on that.
c. richer or poorer? About the same, I think.

14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I had made more of an effort to be in the moment. I think I spent a lot of time documenting things (via Facebook, or taking photos, or blogging) and I needed to remember to be present a little more. It now seems counter-intuitive that I started a blog in the midst of that realization, but oh well.

15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
CANDY CRUSH. I wish I knew how to quit you. But I've cut down, at least.

16. How did you spend Christmas?
At my parents house with my immediate family. We relaxed and played a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity, so it was pretty awesome.

17. What was your favorite TV program?
BREAKING BAD. Holy crap, that show was incredible. I also really like New Girl, The Mindy Project, HIMYM, and Homeland (even though it had a sluggish start this year).

18. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate at this time last year?
I really don't. I'm working on not hating people.

19. What was the best book you read?
"I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids" by Jen Kirkman. Novel-wise, probably "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.
20. What music did you get excited about?
Anything I can work out to. Also became a big fan of Bruno Mars this year. And Pentatonix is awesome.

21. What was your favorite film of this year?
Don Jon. LOVED IT.

22. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 on February 21. I went to DC the weekend before to visit my friend Jena, which was really fun (and freezing!). I think on the actual day, I went out for Indian food with my family. Then we spent the night in Denver and I got the best massage ever.

Me in Washington, DC, in February.

23. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
Less commuting. I work about 35 miles from my house, and all the time wasted sitting in traffic gets to me sometimes.

24. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
I don't think I put enough thought into it to call it a concept. I guess I like to look put together yet still casual. I'm working on accessorizing.

25. What kept you sane?
Gym time, and T. Bob.

26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Probably Matt Damon. Or Bradley Cooper. I have kind of a thing for gingers, so maybe Damian Lewis or Louis CK. Apparently I like men in the their 40s, although that is not at all true in real life.

27. What political issue stirred you the most?
Reproductive rights are always big for me, and gay marriage/civil unions. The idiocy behind the shutdown really riled me up, too.

28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
I've been working on this for a while, but learning to be content. I feel like I'm always striving to do/be more, and while it's good to have ambition, I don't have to be superwoman. I heard this mantra on a podcast and it's really stuck with me: "I do enough. I have enough. I am enough."

29. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 
"But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You've gotta get up and try." From Pink's "Try." I found this applicable on both metaphorical and literal levels this year.

I think we'll end there. I hope you all have a great time tonight; I'm going to a friend's house to make pizza and watch movies, which is basically my ideal evening, so I'm pretty pumped. Happy New Year!

Top 10 Movies of 2013

A snapshot of movies I've seen recently from my virtual ticket stub book. Tis the season to go to the theater!

Happy week after Christmas, y'all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I had lots of fun with friends and family and got some great gifts, so no complaints here. :) I wanted to do a few year-in-review style posts for the blog, but time got away from me, so I cut a few down to one: my favorite movies of 2013.

We go to the movies a lot – I saw 48 just at AMC theaters this year (this post is in no way sponsored by AMC, but I'm in their Stubs club so it keeps track online. And the AMC by my house has reserved, recliner seating, so it's the best theater ever and we go there all the time). So I have a pretty large pool to choose from. That being said, my choices are completely subjective (obviously) and based totally on my feelings about the film. Without further ado, I present my top 10 movies of 2013:

10. Promised Land - As I tweeted before watching this, "only Matt Damon could get me to watch a movie about fracking." But I'm glad he did, because it was really interesting – Damon's character, who worked for the oil company but earnestly wanted to help the landowners, presents an argument I hadn't really thought about before. And even though I'm sure it was fictionalized (and therefore maybe not that accurate), I actually learned a few things about fracking that helped me form my own opinion.

9. About Time - This movie really surprised me. I went to see it out of convenience (we wanted to go to the movies and it was playing at the right time) and was shocked by how much I liked it. I guess I should've known, as it was directed by Richard Curtis, who made one of my favorite movies of all time, but I didn't see it coming. It was just so dang charming. And even though it had a fantasy element, I found it more grounded than a lot of romantic comedies.

8. The Impossible - This was one of those movies that isn't really enjoyable to watch, but it's so powerful that it sticks with you. It follows a family vacationing in Thailand when the 2004 tsunami hits. It was based on a true story, which really added to the emotional punch for me.

7. Saving Mr. Banks - Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies growing up, but I had no idea what the story behind it was. The blend of P.L. Travers' backstory and unwillingness to loosen her grip on her beloved characters and Walt Disney's magical worldview was really fascinating. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were perfection, as per usual. And Paul Giamatti was great as Travers' driver (and first American friend!).

6. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - I really enjoyed the Hunger Games novels, and while movies generally don't live up to the books they're based on, I thought this one was pretty great nonetheless. I think they adapted the story as well as they could have, and the movie was riveting: great performances, great costumes, and great special effects. I would never have guessed it was more than two hours long, because it went by in a flash. I'm ready for the next installment!

5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - I've been dying to see this movie since the trailer came out months ago, and it did not disappoint. A great story about what it means to live life and be adventurous. I thought Kristen Wiig showed some range in a more dramatic role, and Ben Stiller (who also directed) has come a long way since Zoolander. I haven't seen the older movie version nor read the book, but I'm curious about them now.

4. Before Midnight - the third "Before" film (after Before Sunrise and Before Sunset), it picks up nine years after the second film, with the central couple now married parents of twins. I enjoyed the movie's discussion of long-term love, commitment, and how relationships ebb and flow. Also, the movie was filmed in Greece and everything looks Mediterranean and lovely.

3. Liberal Arts - the only movie on the list I didn't see in the theater, but I loved it so much I had to include it anyway (it came out in 2012, but since I watched it in 2013, it makes the list). The movie was written and directed by its star, Josh Radnor (of How I Met Your Mother fame). In a way, it's a coming-of-age story, even though the main character is 35. And it features a relationship that blossoms via letter, which I think is really romantic and adorable. Lastly, Zac Efron has a small part and totally kills it, destroying my idea that he was just a pretty face.

2. The Way, Way Back - I'm a little obsessed with bildungsroman/coming-of-age stories, and this is a great one. A 14-year-old boy spends the summer on the shore with his mom, her boyfriend, and several colorful neighbors. Steve Carell plays against type as the mom's douchey boyfriend, and Sam Rockwell is outstanding as a slacker water park employee. It was heartwarming without being predictable or trite.

1. Don Jon - Far and away, my favorite movie of the year. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt (or JGL, as I like to call him), and he wrote, directed, and stars in this film. I thought it offered a new perspective on love and sex and the way our expectations around each are formed. It was really refreshing, while still coming off as funny and sweet. Also, JGL might be the most charming man alive.

And there you have it. Now that I'm done, I've realized how hard it is to put into words why I like something. Good thing my dream job of movie critic hasn't panned out. What are some of your favorite movies from this year?

Gingerbread Two Ways

Plate of treats I made last year - including my beloved gingerbread, bottom right.

I've been known to make copious treats for the holidays. In years past, I've taken a vacation day in the week before Christmas and spent several hours in the kitchen, concocting 4-5 types of cookies and candy. This year, I decided to scale back a bit. I'm trying to lose weight, so I really don't need dozens of cookies around. And I just don't have the time or inclination to bake that much this year. Thus, I decided I would make only my very favorite cookies this year: gingerbread.

I came upon this recipe after going vegan in 2008. Some recipes can be "veganized" by subbing vegan margarine for butter, etc., but that can be hit-or-miss. This gingerbread, however, is what I like to call accidentally vegan, in that the recipe doesn't call for any dairy or eggs. I'd never been a big gingerbread fan, but this recipe changed all that. It makes a soft, spicy dough that you can cut festive shapes out of and pipe adorable decorations onto. Perfect Christmas cookies.

This year, though, something went awry. I think it was because I used blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses (as it was the only kind King Soopers had, and I was too lazy to go to another store). The dough was so gooey it was nearly impossible to roll out, and it was so sticky I couldn't get the cut cookies off the counter in one piece. I tried chilling the dough for another hour, then adding some extra flour to dry it out, but it didn't help. I also tried cursing it into submission, but (shockingly) that didn't work, either. My first instinct was to just give up. This quote, from the excellent film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, came to mind:

I was disappointed, because baking is my thing and I make tons of treats every year and everyone would be expecting them. I thought about making a new batch of dough, but that would've put me way behind schedule. But then I remembered a Facebook exchange I'd had with an old friend after writing this post. I came away from it resolved to stop getting caught up in holiday crazy and focus on doing things I enjoy and spending time with people I love. So I decided to stop stressing and make it work.Yes, I wouldn't be making my usual gingerbread men that everyone thought were so adorable and yummy, but I could still salvage the approximately five pounds of dough I had (yeah, I tripled the recipe) and make something, right? So I rolled the dough into balls, popped them in the oven, and hoped for the best.

Gingerbread whoopie pies with peppermint buttercream filling. 

I ended up with super soft, really flavorful cookies. They're not terribly sweet, so I used some peppermint buttercream I had in the fridge (cupcake leftovers) to up the sugar factor. I sandwiched them together, crushed up some candy canes to coat the sides, and voilà! Cute Christmas treat. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but it still turned out just fine.

Gingerbread Cookies

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup shortening
¾ cup dark molasses (or blackstrap, if you're in the mood for whoopie pies)
1/3 cup cold water
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cinnamon 

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses, and water. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours. If you're aiming for whoopie pies, roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. If you want gingerbread men, roll out dough to ¼” thick. Cut cookies and place 2" apart on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

The peppermint frosting was made using the buttercream recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but I subbed peppermint extract for vanilla. If you choose to make gingerbread men, I usually ice them with a mixture of powdered sugar, water, and a dash of lemon juice (just add the liquid a tablespoon at a time to powdered sugar until you've reached the taste/consistency you want).

In closing, I offer you my takeaway from this experience: work with what you've got and try to enjoy the ride, because everything's going to be just fine. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

High Five for Friday

Sheesh, this week absolutely flew by! That seems to be a common occurrence lately, as I just realized that today is the second-to-last Friday of the year. In an attempt to stop and savor the good times in this whirlwind, I present this week's high five.

1. I had such an amazing time celebrating Mal's graduation last weekend. There was great food, great people, and lots of fun.

Clearly, we are a very classy and refined group.

2. I've been having some neck/shoulder pain on and off for several weeks, so I finally went to the chiropractor on Wednesday. I feel SO much better already! I'm going back this afternoon, so hopefully I can get back to full functionality soon.

3. Cirque Dreams Holidaze - this year's holiday outing was something new and different for us, and I really enjoyed it. It was a great combination of Christmas music and death-defying stunts. It's not everyday you get to see dudes dressed as gingerbread men doing flips or flying through the air.

4. One of the Elf 4 Health challenges this week was to hold a wall sit for as long as you can (this article explains how to do one, if you've never heard of it). I'd never done one and was pretty intimidated, especially after seeing the times posted on Facebook – some ladies did 6+ minutes! But once I decided to face the music, I just kept breathing through it and ended up holding it for 4:36, way longer than anticipated. It served as a good reminder to continually challenge myself and push my limits in my workouts.

5. These peppermint pretzel sandwiches are the easiest to make and so yummy – I love the salty/sweet combo. And there's no batter to prepare, so you can make a few at a time if you want to limit your portion size. Recipe (if you can even call it that, with two ingredients) from Young Married Chic.

These would make a festive treat to leave for Santa.

Posting will be light next week with the holiday, but I will have my favorite Christmas cookie recipe for y'all on Monday, so be sure to check back if you're going be baking. As always, linking up with Lauren and Jennie. Happy a wonderful weekend!

Things I Used to Love: Love Actually

My Love Actually poster. I got it when I worked at a video store in college and it's graced every home I've had since.

Since there's one Thursday left before Christmas, I have a final holiday throwback for you: Love Actually. I have to say, right out of the gate, that I still absolutely love this movie. I'm not really a fan of most traditional romantic movies: they're unrealistic, or they reinforce gender stereotypes I don't agree with (I submit Exhibit A for your consideration). And don't get me started on movies based on Nicholas Sparks books. But not only is Love Actually one of my favorite Christmas movies, it's one of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME. Top three, for sure. Something about it really struck a chord with me, so it’s easy for me to overlook any rom-com cheesiness involved.

The voiceover that opens the movie really sets the tone for the whole film. I loved the quote so much, I printed it on all of my Valentines the following February (I used to be BIG into Valentine's Day, but that's a story for another time):

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion that you'll find love actually is all around."

The movie follows the lives of several Londoners in the weeks leading up to Christmas. We have the more traditional, grand-gesture love stories: The Prime Minister (Hugh Grant), who develops a crush on his catering manager, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). Jamie (Colin Firth), who harbors strong feelings for his housekeeper (Lucia Moniz) despite a language barrier. Or Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who has a complicated relationship with his best friend's new wife (Keira Knightley). But I really enjoy the quieter, everyday relationships: Jack (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page), who start dating after working as (naked) stand-ins on a movie together. Or the aging rock star (Bill Nighy), who comes to realize the important role his manager (Gregor Fisher) has played in his life. I also like the familial relationships, particularly between Daniel (Liam Neeson) and his stepson, Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), who charter a new course after losing their wife/mother.

I first saw Love Actually in December 2003 (a decade ago?!? Eesh). I had just finished my first semester at CU and decided to treat myself to a solo movie to relax after finals. I have a clear memory of driving home afterward: it was around midnight, snow was falling, and the world looked so peaceful. I felt revitalized and inspired to tell/show people how important they were to me. Since then, I make a point to watch it at least once a year, particularly around the holidays, and it always has the same heart-melting effect. Thus, I feel it more than earns its tagline of "the ultimate romantic comedy," particularly given that one definition of romantic is "inclined toward or suggestive of the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love." It's not just about the guy getting the girl in the end, it's about being excited about possibility and investing in the important relationships in your life.

The film is not for everyone. I'll never forget sitting at Christmas Eve dinner and listening to my grandma call it "the best porn [she's] ever seen." I was horrified and tried to argue its virtues to her to no avail. And when a girl in my journalism classed called it a trainwreck, my only retort was: “But love ACTUALLY IS all around!” I don’t think I changed her mind, either. There's also plenty of online backlash, but I know better than to argue via online comments so I will just say haters gonna hate and let that one go. But in my eyes, Love Actually is about embracing love in all of its forms, and I really can't find fault with that.

Guest Post: An Expert Learner

Happy Hump Day, y'all! Can you believe Christmas is one week away? Craziness. As you know, I've been participating in the Elf 4 Health challenge for the past few weeks, which has been a really fun experience. Today's challenge is Share Your Expertise, and an elf had the idea to organize a blog swap so we can share our tips with a new audience. So without further ado, I'm going to turn things over to Danielle from Running Mom to 3 so she can drop some knowledge.

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Hey guys!

A big thanks to Laura and our Elf for Health challenge for giving me this opportunity.

I'm Danielle, I'm a wife and stay at home mama to 3- Madison, 9, Noah, 5, and Lydia, 15 months.

I blog over at Running Mom to 3. I'm fairly new to the blog scene, and I am loving it! I started writing back in April when I started running, and have continued to document my running journey as well as sprinkle in some proud mama moments.

Our Elf for Health challenge for today is to share our expertise. Since honesty is my policy, I had a hard time deciding what to share. Before I quit my public accounting job 2 years ago, I would have definitely given you a laundry list of year end tax saving ideas. But now, I'm so far out of that game, I couldn't even give you one good tax savings idea.

The only thing I know for sure that I am an expert at is learning.

I like to cook. Every time I step into my kitchen to make my family a meal, I am learning how to become a better cook. I'm learning when to keep my stovetop heat down, and when it's okay to turn it up. I'm learning what will cook better in my nonstick skillets and what will cook better in my stainless skillets (can we say nonstick for the win?!). Sure, I have made my fair share of rubbery chicken or burnt potatoes, but I've also made a few great dishes.

I dabble in photography. I'm nowhere near a good photographer. But every time I pick up my camera to capture a moment or a smile, I am learning how to capture the moments better tomorrow. I have to smile to myself when my picture comes out with little to no editing needed, knowing all that reading has paid off.

I like to run. I may even be considered a runner to some. Each day that I run, I learn how far I can push my body. I also learn to push myself more tomorrow. I continue to be amazed at how strong I have gotten since April. I love adding new workouts into my workout schedule so that I can run longer, faster, further. I will consider myself a runner when I stop getting faster, hopefully that will be a title I always work towards.

Most importantly, I strive daily to be the best wife and mom. I used to I wake up everyday with great intentions of being the best wife and mom. Every night, I would go to bed discouraged about how horribly I failed at being "the best." Now, I wake up striving to be what my husband and my kids need, and I go to bed thinking about how I can be better tomorrow. I am learning from yesterday.

You can learn a lot from Google, and I have. But sometimes, the most important lessons to learn can't be Googled. I am an expert in learning, and I will get up ready to learn tomorrow.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ador and attended to with diligence." - Abigail Adams

Getting Busy

And by that, I mean my life is. Holiday activities are in full swing around these parts. For example, I meant to have this post ready to go for Monday morning, but this weekend was so chock-full of goodness, I just couldn't get it together until Tuesday. So, let's recap, shall we?

On Friday night, I met my sister, Mal, and some of Mal's family at Odyssey, a cute little Italian restaurant in Denver. The spinach ravioli was pretty dang tasty, and Mal's dad was a hoot! Then I headed home to bake, as one must on Friday nights when one lives on the edge. 

Cookies and cream cupcakes. The recipe will be posted at some
point, but I wouldn't recommend holding your breath while you wait.

On Saturday morning, I finished up my Oreo cupcakes, and we headed to Mal's graduation party in Centennial. It was fun to hang out with family and friends, and meet some important people in Mal's life. Her sister, Chelsea, also made a slideshow of photos of Mal through the years, which was totally cute. My favorite part, though, was Mal's reaction upon opening her gift from T. Bob and me:

So excited!

We gave her a Sega console (she'd been wanting one), and she was like a kid on Christmas morning. Completely adorable. We came home and watched Love Actually, which is one of my favorite movies – even though I may have fallen asleep by the end.

Sunday morning, T. Bob and I went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. What I saw of it seemed pretty good, but once again I fell asleep, so I don't remember much. There are a bunch of holiday movies I want to watch, so I'm hoping I can break myself of this habit to avoid missing them!

Rockin' our sweet 3D glasses after my refreshing nap.

Sunday evening, we headed downtown for our annual Christmas date. I like to find a holiday-themed activity for us to do every year – in the past, we've gone to Zoo Lights, watched Miracle on 34th Street at the Arvada Center, and gone shopping for gifts for children in need. Just a fun activity to get us into the spirit. This year, we went to see Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Denver Center.

We started the evening at the Wazee Supper Club, which I had never visited before but really liked. The decor was cute and the food was really tasty. We had pierogies and stromboli, both of which were cheesy and delicious.

View from our table.

After dinner, we wandered around downtown, window shopping and looking at all of the Christmas decorations, before heading to the show. 

T. Bob with the windmill at the German holiday market, off 16th Street Mall.
They had food, ornaments, and roasted nuts that smelled amazing. 

The show itself was great, it was similar to a Cirque du Soleil performance, but it had some acts I had never seen before. My favorite was a couple who kept changing their outfits in a matter of seconds (seriously, like two seconds). I have no idea how they did it! But it was definitely fun to watch. Then we headed home and stayed up way too late to watch the season finale of Homeland (which was pretty intense! I'm not sure where the show goes from here, honestly). Overall, a great weekend. What did y'all get up to this weekend?

High Five for Friday

My dessert plate at my company party. That little holly leaf and tiny lemon slice are so cute!
Also, if you can't have four desserts at Christmas, when can you? 

Happy Friday, y'all! I've managed to banish my Scrooge-like attitude and have fully embraced the onslaught of holiday activities coming my way. Thus, this week's High Five is pretty Christmas-centric:

1. My company's holiday party was last Friday, and it was so much fun. Great food, cocktails, a white elephant gift exchange (where I scored a Vera Bradley wristlet!), and super-cute desserts. And it was great to spend some time with my co-workers outside of the office.

2. Gingerbread Oreos – tough to find, impossible not to binge-eat. Track some down, because they are delicious. I kinda want to go buy more now that I'm thinking about them.

3. The pug puppy version of Home Alone. So adorable!

4. I am done Christmas shopping and 90% of the gifts are wrapped and ready to party. I like to get that out of the way early so I can spend more time enjoying activities as the holiday approaches.

5. The arctic chill we'd been experiencing has finally worn off! It was downright frigid for about a week there, but the forecast is calling for highs in the 40s and 50s for the rest of the week. Not having to worry about your exposed flesh freezing when you go outside is definitely preferable.

So that was my week. Tell me about yours! As usual, linking up with the lovely ladies below.

Things I Used to Love: The Baby-Sitters Special Christmas

Ah, memories. This is exactly what my copy looks like, but I think it's tucked away at my parents' house somewhere, so this stunning visual is coming to you courtesy of Etsy. 

We're going to continue the holiday theme for Things I Used to Love with a real gem: The Baby-Sitters Special Christmas!

The Baby-Sitters Club started out as a YA (or even pre-teen) book series in the mid-'80s. It centers around a group of middle-school-aged friends who start a baby-sitting club. The Baby-Sitters Special Christmas is one episode of the TV show made based on the books, and it came out around 1991. I'm not sure how I came to own this VHS, but I'm assuming my parents saw it, knew of my obsession with the books, and thought it would make a great gift, which it absolutely did. I'm kinda surprised the tape never broke, because we watched this on repeat from Thanksgiving to Christmas for years.

The Special Christmas episode focuses on the baby-sitters as they prepare for Christmas, and hijinks ensue. Kristy, the president of the club, wants an expensive new baseball mitt and agrees to do extra chores around the house to help pay for it. The girls are also planning a party for the children at their local hospital to celebrate the season. And everyone goes Secret Santa shopping at the same store AT THE SAME TIME. But things take a serious turn when the focus switches to Stacey. She's diabetic, but she's been sneaking sweets and Dawn starts policing her behavior because she's concerned. Also, the younger Pete from The Adventures Pete & Pete is it is as a mischievous baby-sitting charge, so there's really something for everyone.

I'll admit, watching this as an adult I have to call it what it is: a total cheesefest. It's overacted, there's dramatic music to signify something bad has happened, and the plot points lack subtlety (to put it nicely). But it does have a good message (embracing the Christmas spirit and spending time with your friends and family above getting gifts). And it's only 29 minutes long, so you really haven't killed much of your life if you want to watch it. And since the entire Baby-Sitters Club series is available on Netflix, you can watch it anytime! Be sure to thank the sweet baby Jesus for that Christmas miracle.

High Five for Friday

My familia. This photo is somewhat misleading in terms of our respective heights, but a good shot nonetheless.

After taking last week off due to a stuffing-induced inability to function, I'm back with another High Five for Friday! There's lots of good stuff going on these days; it was hard to choose a top five. But here's what I've narrowed it down to:

1. It was my sister's birthday on Saturday and we all got together for lunch, then ended up goofing around and taking photos in the parking lot afterward. It was great to spend a relaxed afternoon with my family.

2. I met with my trainer on Wednesday after taking about a month off, and she kicked my butt! But in a totally great way. I've missed the extra motivation she provides to really push my limits.

3. Speaking of working out, I started a new gym playlist and I'm loving it. All of the songs are the perfect tempo for my jogging speed, and I find myself mouthing the words on the treadmill. If I wasn't out of breath, I'd probably break out in song.

4. The Elf for Health community – I haven't really forged a bond with my elf buddy, but I love the Facebook group. At first I didn't see the point of communing with strangers via the internet, but yesterday was makeup-free day, and it was awesome to see everyone's smiling, natural faces and the support everyone had for each other. So sweet.

5. I sent my friend Val a little Hanukkah care package last week (including these cookies), and her reaction upon receiving it warmed my heart. She had to walk to the post office to pick it up when it was -9 degrees outside and still sent me an exclamation-filled text about how much she loved it. The recipient's excitement is definitely my favorite part of gift-giving.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Linking up with Lauren and Jennie this week!

Things I Used to Love: The Muppet Christmas Carol

I thought for this week's Things I Used to Love I'd switch it up from TV shows and make the leap to ... a movie! Quite a stretch, I know.

I'm pretty sure The Muppet Christmas Carol is the first holiday movie I ever saw in the theater. My sister and I were spending the day after Thanksgiving with my grandparents in Boulder while my parents attended the CU-Nebraska game (back in the day, when CU played Nebraska and actually had a decent football team). We arrived at at the theater early and waited with my grandma while Grandpa tried to find a parking spot, stopped at the concession stand, and made our way into the packed auditorium. Nowadays, that kind of crowd would drive me crazy, but for 8-year-old me, it just added to the excitement and novelty of the day. We spent many a gameday with my grandparents growing up, but this outing sticks out as one of my fondest memories of that time.

The movie is a take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Muppet characters – in case you couldn't infer that from the name: Kermit and Miss Piggy are the Crachits, Gonzo is Charles Dickens (who narrates the movie), Statler and Waldorf play the ghost(s) of Marley, etc. There's a few non-puppet characters as well, most notably Michael Caine as Scrooge. It stays fairly true to the original story, but it also has SONGS! I love me some musicals, so this is icing on the cake.

While the Muppets were my first exposure to A Christmas Carol, I try to watch a rendition every year. The Denver Center does an annual production that is great, if you're into live theater. I also watched the CGI Jim Carrey version that came out a few years ago, although I'm not crazy about it. But no matter the delivery, I love this story and think its message is particularly relevant this time of year. It reminds me to be thankful for what I have, and of the importance of goodwill.

If you're looking for a festive film this year, Amazon has it on Blu-Ray, DVD and streaming video. Although I loved this movie as a child, I still think this is a fine holiday film for the whole family. But I know that's a pretty crowded field, so I'll open it up for discussion: what was your favorite Christmas movie growing up?

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

Now that it's December, I feel the holiday season has officially begun (I know it's already been Christmas for several weeks for some people, but I always like to hold off until after Thanksgiving to give turkey day its due). My weekend activities would certainly reflect that: I watched a couple of Christmas/winter movies (Frozen and Elf), put our Christmas tree up, ate some peppermint sticks, and started shopping for gifts.

Typically, I love Christmas. I spend a day baking around 10,000 cookies, and I plan out holiday shows and choir concerts to go to every weekend. I really like getting people gifts, particularly the excitement of picking out something I know they'll enjoy. And I love spending time with my family and friends who come home for the holidays. But as much as I want to be excited about this holiday season, I'm not. Maybe I'll get there as it draws closer, but right now I'm not really into it. I'm doing things I usually enjoy in hopes that they'll get me pumped about what's to come, but thus far it's not working.

Possible reason for my lack of Christmas spirit.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm getting a cold and not feeling awesome, or my dread of freezing temperatures (highs in the teens here starting Wednesday!). Or maybe I'm turning into a curmudgeon in my old age. But my Christmas spirit is definitely MIA. I'm hopeful I'll find it at some point in the next three weeks, but until then, I'll try to keep the Scrooge-like behavior to a minimum. If you have any tips on getting into the holidays (or you feel the same way and want to get together and shout "Bah! Humbug!" at people), please feel free to share. Happy Monday, y'all!

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up

My plate from last year's feast. All vegan, all delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving eve! In case you haven't noticed, I love me some food, so I thought I would compile some of my favorite recipes for this holiday that centers around it. So if you're one of those crazy people who hasn't ventured to the store yet, here's some ideas for you. :)

What I'm actually making:
We're headed to my uncle's house for Thanksgiving this year, so I'm only bringing one thing: vegan stuffing. Stuffing has always been my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, so I had to find a suitable replacement once I stopped eating meat. This stuff more than meets expectations: it's moist, flavorful, and so tasty. Plus there are a few other veg-heads on my mom's side of the family, so I like to bring a veganized favorite.

Vegan stuffing
1/3 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
5 cups soft bread cubes (I usually use a loaf of French bread)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup (or more, I make sure it's good and saturated because I like it moist) No-Chicken broth (this is great stuff, made by Imagine. But you can use vegetable broth, too.)

In a skillet, melt Earth Balance. Add celery and onion and saute until tender. Toss in remaining ingredients and bake in a greased casserole dish for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

What I've made in years past and loved:

Sweet Potato Apple Bake - from Aunt Stephanie, not sure of the original origin
2 large sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3-4 coriander pods
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup raisins
4 tart apples (like Granny Smith)

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Mix salt and spices with apple juice. Combine juice mixture with popaties in a lightly greased 9x13" pan. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. While potatoes are in the oven, peel, core and dice the apples. After the 50 minutes, add the apples and raisins to potatoes. Stir, cover and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for a final 10 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole - from my sister Lindsay, not sure of original origin
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups No-Chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 14.5-oz. cans of French-cut green beans (or you can use frozen, which I prefer)
1 2.8 oz. can French-fried onions

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine over low heat. Add the flour and whisk it continuously for 1-2 minutes until it forms a roux. Add the broth, soy sauce, and garlic powder, whisking continuously for 1-2 minutes until thick and bubbly. Add oil and nutritional yeast; whisk again until smooth. Pour sauce into small casserole dish, add beans and stir to coat. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Add onions and bake for 10 more minutes until browned and bubbly.


What I'd like to make:
- This Sweet Potato Pie recipe from Joy the Baker looks divine. I don't love pumpkin pie, so I think this would be a great alternative. I might end up making it this afternoon, but that would mean going to the store and I'm not sure I'm willing to take my life in my hands.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with friends, family, and food. My gym is hosting a 90-minute Turkey Blast Off kickboxing class tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping to get a good workout in before the feast. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lazy cookies

These no-bake cookies are super simple, take less than 10 minutes to make, and I typically have all of the ingredients on hand. I call them my lazy cookies, since I make them when I am too lazy to make anything more complicated. Follow these steps and you, too, can  be enjoying delicious treats in no time!

First, gather your ingredients.

The oatmeal means they're healthy. ;)

I like to measure everything out ahead of time, because once these get cooking, it goes quickly. Also a good idea to lay out your waxed/parchment paper surface in advance.

Patiently waiting their turn.

Put the first four ingredients in a saucepan.

Sugar, cocoa, Earth Balance and almond milk.

Bring to a boil, stirring often.  Boil for 1 minute.

It might be time to wash my apron. Possibly.

Add the rest of your ingredients and combine thoroughly.

I'm not a big fan of oatmeal (as a breakfast food), but this I would definitely eat.

Drop by tablespoon (or an ice cream scoop with a release, if you're super lazy like I am) onto waxed paper. The cookies will set as they cool. 

The finished product. They're not so shiny once they set.

Not only is this recipe easy, it's also adaptable. I made this batch for my friend who has dairy sensitivities, so I used Earth Balance (vegan margarine) and almond milk instead of their traditional counterparts. She's also not big on wheat, and I thought these flourless cookies would be easier than dealing with chickpea flour or what have you to make her some treats (which is not to say they are gluten-free; she just tries to avoid wheat when possible so these are acceptable in her case. Those with gluten allergies should definitely investigate further). There are variations of this recipe all over the internet but I have no idea where I got it, so my version is below. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

1/2 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups oats (I used quick oats)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Put first four ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in rest of ingredients and drop by tablespoon onto waxed paper. Cool to set.

Getting my Elf on

I've been slacking a little bit on the health front lately. My motivation is MIA and I have been eating all of the carbs, mostly in the form of baked goods. And since the holidays are nearly upon us, the availability of treats is only going to increase. So I'm trying to switch things up in order to get back on track.

Starting today, I'll be participating in the the Elf for Health holiday challenge hosted by Lindsay and Elle. In a nutshell, there's a daily health-related challenge, and you have a "buddy" to correspond with for encouragement and accountability. Today's challenge is "go meatless" which is painless, since I already do that every day. But I'm excited to see how I do with the other challenges and to have the support of health-minded pal.

Registration for this round has closed, but if you want to take part, you can register for the second round anytime before December 6. Hopefully this added component will do the trick and get me excited about staying healthy again!

High Five for Friday

1. I met Aisha Tyler on Saturday! I listen to her podcast every week and I'm a little bit obsessed with her. She's so smart and funny and down-to-earth. We went to her standup show Comedy Works and afterward she hung out in the lobby, chatting and taking pictures with everyone. I could barely keep my shit together and stammered "Uh, I love your podcast! And your book! You're so funny!" Not my most eloquent conversation, but she took it in stride and was totally gracious. Love her.

2. My sister had a surprise birthday party last weekend and it was super fun. We played Bunco, and I ate way too many snacks, got to hold my friend's adorable daughter, and caught up with some of my sister's friends I hadn't seen in ages.

3. I made it to work on time (early, even!) after it snowed on Thursday. Commuting in the snow is THE WORST. One day last winter, it took me three hours to get to work (you'd think Coloradans would be good at winter driving given the amount of snow we get, but that is not the case). But I randomly woke up at 5 a.m. yesterday, so I did yoga, got ready, stopped for a pastry, and still made it to work by 7:30 a.m. So I'm hopeful that snow and I can get along this year.

4. These burritos. I got the recipe from my co-worker's daughter and T. Bob made them for dinner on Monday, and they are delicious. Not soggy like other zucchini-based burritos I've had. Still have no idea where to find chayote, though. Let me know if you figure that out.

5. I am in love with Joy the Baker's new webseries, Bonkers Awesome! Her curiosity and demeanor are so cute, and it's really cool to take a behind-the-scenes look at bakeshops. And I'm totally envious of her style. Awesome, indeed.

Have an excellent weekend, y'all!

As usual, linking up with Lauren for High Five for Friday!

Things I Used to Love: Sex and the City

My Sex and the City memorabilia. And yes, those are VHS tapes. My obsession
with this show began long before I had a DVD player.

Someday I swear I'll do one of these that isn't about a TV show, but today is not that day. So we're throwing back to the turn of the century to discuss Sex and the City! In case you've been living under a rock for the past 15 years, Sex and the City was an HBO series based on a book of the same name by Candace Bushnell. It followed the lives of four single ladies living in New York City, focusing primarily on their romantic entanglements.

The show premiered when I was 14, and I loved it from the start. Carrie Bradshaw really personified what I wanted from my adult life: a writer who lives in New York City who is super fashionable and does fun things with her awesome girlfriends while dating every type of dude under the sun? That's the stuff teenage dreams are made of. I also liked that the lives of the four women (Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte) were so intertwined. They were always there for each other, whether it was meeting for a boozy brunch or supporting each other after a breakup. And I loved how frank the ladies were about sex; women talking about sex without being ashamed or secretive was a pretty novel concept to me at that age. 

Fans of the show would often discuss which character they most identified with: "I'm a Carrie" or "I'm a Samantha." When I was younger, I thought was a Carrie (as most ladies did, let's be real), but my strongest match is definitely Miranda: she's practical, honest, and a little bit cynical, but she softens after her life takes some turns she didn't necessarily expect. And she got to make out with Blair Underwood, who is the definition of good looking, so not a bad match on the whole.

By the time the show ended in 2004, I was in college and my views on life and dating were a little more down-to-earth. I still wanted to move to New York and be a writer, but I was very no-nonsense in my dating life. The ladies' constant analysis of how to behave with their men and whether they had done the right thing kinda drove me nuts. If you're wondering what your partner is thinking, just ask them. I'm way too straightforward to play those kind of games. But the friendship between the four women kept me sucked in, and I hoped that I would develop a group of lifelong gal pals like those ladies.

Carrie and co. have appeared in a few places since the show wrapped. The first Sex and the City movie came out in 2008, and I enjoyed it. I thought it tied everything up and put a nice little bow on the series. The second one, though, was pretty terrible. Like I-didn't-finish-it bad. It was so campy and over-the-top, it seemed like they lost the heart that had grounded it as a TV series. Totally unnecessary. Last year, I started watching The Carrie Diaries (a CW series based on other Candace Bushnell books about Carrie's high school years) and I kinda like it. Especially this season, as they've introduced Samantha to spice things up a bit. But the tone is not similar to that of the original show.

I still have a lot of love for this show, but not enough to compel me to rewatch it. I think it was really important to me at a certain point in my life, and it's better to leave it that way than tarnish my opinion of it by revisiting it now. But if you don't have these fond memories and want to watch it, Amazon has the complete series for less than $90. There's also a de-sexed version in syndication, but I think you should see it in its full (frontal?) glory.

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

These cookies are one of my go-to recipes. I found them during my vegan days and made them frequently, as I love the peanut butter/chocolate combo and most commercial products (Reese's, M&Ms, etc.) are not vegan. But these are a great substitute. The chocolate cookie is flavorful and soft, and the filling really does taste like a peanut butter cup. Definitely a crowd-pleaser.

I made a batch last week to take to my sister's surprise party. She's not really a cake person (hard to believe, as a blood relative of mine), so I usually make her cookies or some other confection for a birthday treat. The surprise was successful, and I had a great time playing Bunco and catching up with friends (but sadly failed to take a single picture).

But back to the cookies. They don't have too many ingredients and they bake for less than 10 minutes, so it's pretty easy to whip them up.

Mix up your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then cream the Earth Balance (or margarine/butter, if you're into that kind of thing), sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter:

Nice and smooth.

Then we add our dry ingredients and get that nice chocolate-y dough:

It may have an almost grainy consistency at this point, but that's OK.

Make your filling, then roll it into small balls (or large balls, baker's choice. But smaller ones are easier to cover). Make some bigger balls with the chocolate dough.

Note: Use brand-name peanut butter. I'm not usually very brand-loyal, but I used the grocery-store brand it was oily as fuq. Hence the glistening hands.

Make your large ball into a patty, then place ball of filling in the center.

Truly professional cooks store their cookie filling atop a baking soda box. Pro tip.

Fold the edges in to cover the filling and roll between your palms to smooth it out.

Fold those edges in until you have what resembles a chocolate clamshell.

I like to flatten the cookies a bit before baking, because they don't really spread much on their own.

I'm sure there's a tool for flattening cookies, but I find a glass works just fine.

Bake for 7-8 minutes and voilà, cookie central.

The finished product. You can see flecks of filling peeking out.

I usually just call these peanut butter chocolate cookies. I actually thought I was using the Peanut Butter Pillows recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, but the ingredient lists are different and I cannot find a link that has the recipe as I wrote it down. So we shall call them Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies, since I took them to a surprise party and the cookie itself contains a surprise peanut-butter center. Without further blathering, here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 egg replacer units (I use Ener-G)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, margarine and peanut butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg replacer, beat well. Add in flour mixture gradually until blended, and set aside. In small bowl, combine filling ingredients and blend well. Roll into 30 balls. Wrap balls in dough mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are slightly cracked. Makes 30.

The Mile

The Mile and I have long, terrible history. I never really liked gym class growing up, but I was generally OK with standing in the outfield while we played kickball or rolling my scooter around the gym for Capture the Flag. But then Presidential physical fitness testing would roll around, and with it came The Mile. And you can't hide from The Mile. I would dread its approach, suffer through while psyching myself out and hyperventilating when I got a stitch in my side, and collapse in a heap at the finish after about 15-20 (mostly walked) minutes. Not my proudest moments.

I put off taking gym in high school until my senior year, and then I was the only upperclassman grouped in with the state cross-country champion and several other athletic 14-year-olds. I started training outside of class, not wanting to make a total fool of myself for once. So I went to the track a few times a week in the dark of night and ran a mile. But I am sweaty sweater, so even though I knew I could run a mile, I phoned it in to avoid smelling funky and having terrible hair for the rest of the day following my second-period run.

Flash forward a decade or so, and I'm past the point of caring about the sweat face. I will be grosser than the burliest dude at the gym when I'm done working out, but at least I worked out. I've been running intervals (30 seconds jog/30 seconds walk) on the treadmill lately, and it's been going pretty well (no knee pain, no feeling like death afterward). So it occurred to me that I should try to face down The Mile. I figured it couldn't be that bad; even with walking half the time I was doing a mile in less than 15 minutes, so I figured I could just average my walking and running paces and crank that baby out in a reasonable amount of time.

Well, logic pulled through and I ran a full mile on Saturday morning, for the first time in ... 11 years? My time was 11:35, which I realize is not impressive, but I think it's probably my PR. I walked it out afterward and am feeling pretty good now, except for the lung thing. You know, when your heart rate gets really high and then it stirs up all the crap in your lungs and you feel like you have the worst cold for a few days? Yeah, that is happening.

Despite the coughing issues, I'm pretty excited about this new development. I've always wanted to be the type of person who goes for casual runs, and I feel like that's at least in the realm of possibility now. I'm toying with the idea of signing up for a spring 5K, just to have something to work toward. I think this is the start of something good.

High Five for Friday

Nashville image found here.

Happy Friday, y'all! I don't know why, but sometimes the shorter weeks (I had Monday off for Veterans' Day) seem even longer than the normal ones. So I'm happy the weekend has finally arrived. Here's some things I'm loving this week:

1. I came home from work on Wednesday night to find a rose from T. Bob, just because I'm "a nice wife." Pretty sure he's the nice one.

2. I've been running intervals on the treadmill lately, and it's going surprisingly well. In the past, it's always made my knees hurt, but so far I am pain-free and loving it.

3. Nashville. I don't know if it's my love for Connie Britton or my affinity for saying y'all, but I am totally hooked on this show. It's so soapy and filled with the drama. Even the music is great, and I'm not a big country fan, so that is saying something.

4. I used the long weekend to do laundry and clean up around the house, which was a long time coming. Having some order restored at home (not to mention clean clothes to wear) has been so nice. I really shouldn't be applauding myself for cleaning my house, but hey, small victories.

5. If it has to get dark at 5 p.m. now, at least I have beautiful sunsets to stare at while I'm sitting on I-25 every night.

Linking up with Lauren for High Five for Friday!

Things I Used to Love: Freaks and Geeks

I haven't shared a Thing I Used to Love for the past few Thursdays, so I thought I would get that ball rolling again. This week's target: Freaks and Geeks.

If you're not familiar, Freaks and Geeks is a TV show that ran for one season (1999-2000) on NBC. It centered around the Weir siblings and their lives while attending high school in Michigan in the early '80s. Lindsay is struggling to reconcile her good-girl past with her desire to be true to herself/maybe rebel a little bit with her "freak" friends (Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and James Franco), and Sam is just trying to survive as an underweight freshman with his "geek" pals (Martin Starr and Samm Levine).

It was created by a then-fairly-unknown Paul Feig (director of Bridesmaids) and he produced it with Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin, etc.). In addition to Apatow's go-to gang of actors, it featured several now-famous guest stars (Rashida Jones, Shia LaBeouf, Lizzy Caplan, Ben Foster, etc.).

The show aired my sophomore year of high school, and it was my jam. I was generally a geek, but fancied myself a freak, and I was envious of Lindsay's fearless attitude while identifying with her mathlete past. Ratings were not great, so NBC would preempt it and then show it on Friday nights (where TV shows go to die), and it's possible that I sneaked upstairs from a basement party to watch it in my friend's living room one weekend. Yes, I was that cool.

There's an epic episode where the geeks swap out the keg at Lindsay's party with a non-alcoholic one, including a great moment where Millie (pictured above) shows up and sings "Jesus is Just Alright." It was my goal throughout college to throw a (secretly) non-alcoholic kegger to see how people would act, but I never made it happen. Someday, people.

The Halloween episode, featuring Martin Starr dressed as the Bionic Woman, was also amazing. Or the one where they find out one castmember is a closet disco-dancer. So many great moments. Then there's this exchange, the last line of which I quoted to my stoner crush for the rest of high school:

Lindsay: I don't smoke pot.
Nick: Come on, what's the big deal? It's from the earth, it's natural. Why would it be there if we weren't supposed to smoke it?
Lindsay: Dog crap is here, and we don't smoke that. 

The show was certainly hilarious, but it also had heart. I liked that it made characters multi-faceted; they showed each kid's background and offered an glimpse of how they became who they were. Even mean girl Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps, who is the funniest on Cougar Town) had a softer, vulnerable side.

Unlike past subjects of Things I Used to Love, I absolutely still love this show. It has aged well and still resonates with me. I'm just not quite as obsessed with it as I was sophomore year, which is probably for the best. You can buy the series on Amazon, or if you want to borrow my copy, give me a shout. Thank Christ it's nearly Friday!