And how would you like that drink?

Some people tell me I drink more milk than coffee. What do I mean? Well, I like my coffee with almost 25% of my cup of coffee filled with milk (not creamer). That's the perfect cup of coffee for me. On occasion, I'll want a hint of hazelnut or chocolate flavor in my coffee, but nothing I'd go crazy over. I'm not one of your crazy Starbucks addicts, although I have to admit they do carry some yummy stuff in those coffee shops!

I'm not a real (alcoholic) drinker. I'm not even an average drinker. But when I do feel like drinking, I love drinking strawberry daiquiris and margaritas! Blended. I had a margarita one night and was just appalled when it came in a plastic cup! What the heck?! I'm sorry, but I wanted mine in a margarita glass...the way it should be served. Some people may think that's just being straight-up super anal, but some beverages just taste better in a certain type of cup or glass.

BOTTOMS UP!

Let the races begin...

Today I started my day at 5:30am. I was assisting at PIC's aid station, located not too far from PIC. There was less than 20 volunteers, but we were all there on time, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

We passed out fruit, water and Gatorade. After I left, all I could hear replaying in my head was people yelling out: "water...Gatorade..."

The Winter Festival of Runs started out this weekend. The first runs of all runs was the Saipan Marathon. This year, they had a total of about 600 runners for this morning's marathon! WOW!!! Next weekend is the Xterra Saipan Championship and the weekend after that is the Tagaman Triathlon. Just thinking about all of that makes me tired.

Nardo helps out a runner by handing out some Gatorade...

This morning I saw a wide range of runners. Some serious runners, some happy runners, some tired runners....but when I saw Minnie Mouse running towards our aid station, I couldn't help but snap a shot!

Food challange: Flour Titiyas

I was in the mood to cook last weekend so I made some of my Auntie Jean's famous flour titiyas. The last time I made these things was when I was attending college in Las Vegas. To my surprise, it turned out pretty good, considering it has been over a decade since I made it!

Coming from a family of cooks, I realized that my titiyas wasn't perfect, but it also wasn't a disaster. The taste was there, a bit too sweet for my taste so I figured I'll cut the sugar content down the next time I make tityas. It also lacked the "fluff" in it and I felt it was too flat. Floyd said it was perfect and my BFF Kiki said it was super good.

Sometimes I don't know how to take a compliment.

Missing you hurts

I miss the intellectual conversations we had.
I miss the casual talks we had.

I miss your spunky attitude.
I miss your words of wisdom.

I miss your random calls to me.
Just to let me know you're there.

I miss the impromptu invites for lunch at home.
I miss your cooking.

I miss you calling me, "your favorite daughter".
I miss you telling me you loved me.

I miss that extra push you always gave me, when I was about to give up.
I miss you telling me how proud you were of me.

I miss seeing you at home.
I miss seeing you at family gatherings.

I miss you asking me to help you out.
I miss scolding you and giving you advice.

I miss the trust you had in me.
I miss the love you gave to me.

I miss you so very much, it hurts!!!
I sometimes think the pain of missing you will never go away.

A Cool Weekend

I learned how to play a new game on Friday night. It's called Bananagrams. It's almost like scrabble, but with a twist to it. My nephew, Sly, taught me and after a couple of games, I was hooked! I can't wait to play our next game...

On Saturday, PIC held it's 2nd annual Duck Race. It was my first duck race to attend and it was actually pretty fun. It was nice to see many people from the community, including our guests watch the colorful ducks floating in PIC's lazy river. I could feel everyones excitement as they cheered on, hoping their duck would pass the finish line first.

Unfortunately, none of my ducks won. But I was happy to know that PIC received a lot of support for a good cause. All the proceeds raised will go towards the Marianas March Against Cancer (MMAC), which is held in May each year.

The race started at 6:15pm so Floyd & I enjoyed happy hour at PIC's Seaside Grill. I ordered their yummy poke. It was so good!

Sunday I spent most of my day just lounging in the house. I caught up on some sleep (thanks to the rainy, cool weather) and watched some TV. Sometimes I like staying home and just hibernate.

Monday was Martin Luther King day and it was a holiday for me. It was also my Uncle Lo's 1st death anniversary. As I was getting ready for mass, I couldn't help but remember how I felt this time last year. It was sad and it was still sad today, but I thank the Lord that my uncle is resting in peace and is now watching over us.

I also watched the movie, the Book of Eli. My review.....it was alright. It wasn't the greatest, but it did teach a valuable lesson: we sometimes forget that we have more than what we really need.

Food for Thought

I had lunch with Floyd today and was surprised when I was served my salad. "Wow! That salad dressing is bright green!" I told the server. "Oh ma'am, it's kiwi dressing," she said. Hmm, I thought to myself. This should be interesting.

The dressing had a hint of kiwi flavor with a vinaigrette finish to it. It was good, but my salad was kinda swimming in the dressing, so it was a little too much for me. I hate it when my salad has the dressing completely covering it and I end up looking through the salad for the rest of the veggies. To me, it's not a salad anymore.

Do you like pizza? I do! Well, not just any kind of pizza. I'm picky when it comes to pizza and where I order it. My ultimate favorite is Bobby Cadillacs. Their pizzas are phenomenal and the crust is absolutely perfect! I like lots of toppings on my pizza -- with the exception of onions and bell peppers. Well, I like the flavor the bell peppers give to the pizza, but I just won't eat the bell peppers. I'm weird like that.

A couple weeks ago I made stuffed mushrooms for the first time. It turned out really good! The mushrooms were stuffed with cream cheese, parmesan cheese, mushrooms and garlic. Floyd, my taster and ultimate food critic, said that these things tasted SO good, he knew it was bad for you. LOL!

Dental Drama

I hate going to a dental clinic. All dental clinics smell the same. They have this latex powdery smell with a hint of chemicals. Ewww! I was trying to figure out why I hated going to the dentist so much and I think it may have to do with the fact that I didn't like pain and I also wore braces for 3 years, even though my Orthodontist told me that I was only going to have it for 2 years.

Today I went to the dentist to get a root canal done. It was my first time to ever get this done. I honestly think I jinxed myself when I was waiting in the dental room staring at the poster on the wall that showed how a root canal was done. Ohmigosh, that kind of work looks like it's painful, I thought to myself. Before I knew it, the dentist was telling me that after my cleaning, I needed a root canal scheduled or else, it's permanent extraction of my tooth! "No, I would like to save my tooth please..." I told the dentist 2 weeks ago.

I wasn't looking forward to this session with the dentist one bit. I was so nervous about my appointment yesterday, I loss sleep over it. I think I thought I was in a sci-fi movie for a bit because I thought if I didn't sleep, the next day wouldn't come....and then I woke up! This morning I heard no birds chirping, no songs playing. I just kept hearing the sound of drilling!

Floyd was so supportive. He always knew what to say and he always knew how to make me comfortable. He even offered to sit in the "operating room" while I was getting my root canal. But I nodded in disagreement and said I was ready for this and wanted to get over this already.

So here I am writing this blog as a survivor of a root canal and I feel like such a big girl. LOL!!!