OMG Krispy Kreme donuts

Jan25

The other day, I mentioned to hubby that I wondered how long it would be before I see some definition in my abs considering I have been exercising very regularly since the beginning of January. He said that I would not see much if I kept sucking down donuts and milkshakes (his exact words).

I had to laugh.

To anyone reading this, you probably think he was not speaking with enough tact. But in his defense, I enlisted his help when I decided to get on the healthy foods band wagon to cut my diet of the fried foods and unnecessary fats to lose those few unwanted pounds. Hubby did not see that I had a weight problem, but if I put him on the job, he takes it seriously.

So when I do a major U-turn across 4 lanes of traffic at 9 at night because I see the HOT sign at Krispy Kreme come on, he tries to be the voice of reason.

Hubby: "How many calories in that donut?"
Me: "Not too many. Plus I exercised yesterday."

Hubby: "Humph. I don’t know why I bother."
Me: "Chill. One donut won’t make a difference."
***cue his glare of disapproval with lips tightly pressed together as if he does not have permission to speak freely***

I don’t have to explain the allure of a HOT Krispy Kreme donut to anyone who lives in the South. The donut is soft like air. The glaze is sweet but not overly so. And in, what seems like two seconds or three bites, it is gone. All that is left is to savor the residual glaze on my fingertips, my memories, and an empty plastic bag.

Hot Krispy Kreme glazed donuts are the only food that I will admit that I think might have actually inhaled. One time I was on my 3rd donut when I realized how many I had already eaten. I put the half of donut down and had to go sit down to think about what just happened (So this is what addiction feels like). And it is only the FRESH glazed donut that has the effect on me. They have other flavors, but none are as enticing as the simple glazed donut. And they say you can put the donut in the microwave for 20 seconds and it tastes the same. I don’t think so. It’s hot off the assembly line through the glaze shower or nothing for me.

Now I only buy one Krispy Kreme donut at a time. It is my form of portion control. Since I am usually finished eating my donut before I have left the parking lot of the Krispy Kreme, I do have to force myself not to turn around and buy another one. But knowing that hubby is already glaring at me is usually deterrent enough.

Travel destinations: Las Vegas

Jan24

Whether you are a single person who wants to party or a parent who wants to enjoy time with your family, Las Vegas has something for everyone.

If you do not care about staying off the Strip, the Orlean is a location and they have family activities like a cinema on site.

If you want to stay on the strip, here are some suggestions:

Caesar’s Palace, Venetian, Bellagio – All their rooms look like luxury. If you are trying to go to Vegas on the cheap, you probably will not be able to afford to stay here. They have deals sometimes, but these hotels are usually going to be the higher priced options.

MGM (My favorite) – All of their rooms clean, neat, look like new. You can find rooms at affordable rates without worrying that the quality will be similar to a Super 8 or Motel 6. I have stayed here for as low are $59/night (it was a Wednesday night in the middle of winter but I am still talking about it).

At the Stratosphere, Excalibur, Luxor, Paris, Tropicana and Circus Circus, it is best to stay away from the cheapest rooms they have to offer. Most of the time, the cheaper rooms have not been renovated as the premium rooms. Those rooms could be on par to rooms you might find at a Super 8 or Motel 6. I pay the extra few dollars for the upgrade instead of taking a chance on the quality of the room. And
Stratosphere is on the shetchy end of the strip.

When deciding on a hotel, check what coupon books you receive with your room. Most likely you will receive discount coupons for hotel stores and restaurants. For example, Stratosphere offered a coupon for a free pass to the observation deck which was a $13 savings. Once up there, I had to get on the roller coaster and some kind of spinning fair like ride. Might as well since I am not afraid of heights. Nothing to it but to do it !

Wherever you stay, Saturday night is probably going to have the most expensive room rate. I have paid $200/night and $89/night in the same visit! Many shows have “dark” days when they are not performing, so keep that in mind when planning what days you are going to be in the city. There is a lot to do in Vegas. You can go shopping, pamper yourself in the spa, try out different celebrity chefs’ restaurants, visit museums, or see one of the many shows. Any time of day or night, there is fun to be found.

I advise renting a car or else you will stuck on the strip. Being stuck on the strip is fine if all you want to do is throw your money away at the slot machine and blackjack tables. But I don’t have that kind of money. Once you have rented your car, like I did, you have to ride to the Hoover Dam. It is only about an hour away and worth every minute (even if you have to endure all the “dam” jokes). It is also worth the drive to go to the Grand Canyon too. Be prepared to spend close to $50 for entrance to the Hualapai Indian Reservation Grand Canyon West to see the Grand Canyon. The tourist trap of a skywalk is located here and you can walk on it for an additional $29.95. The Grand Canyon may be breathtaking, but I was still grumbling about the entry fee. It seemed to be excessive to me.

Since I love desserts, I have to go by Freed’s Bakery every time I am in Vegas and get some of their wedding cake (white cake with strawberries and Bavarian cream between the layers and buttercream on top). Delicious!! That is the only place I have found from Food Network’s Rachel Ray’s $40 a day (remember that show?) that I actually like.

Overall, Vegas is a fun town and there is something for every budget. It is not all about playing in the casino. There is no doubt that Vegas is an extremely commercialized that is designed to get you to spend your money, but there are ways to spend as much or as little as you want. Whether on or off the Strip, you can have a great time. And remember “What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas”

Announcing: The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest II!

Jan24

I’m participating!

Girl Boner

Words, stories and music… I struggle to think of entities more powerful. When I was enduring the darkest time of my life, the eating disorder I shared in my last post, this poem struck me like a dart between the eyes, pinning me to a wall of “What if?” What if its words hold true—not just rationally or solely for other people, but in my heart, soul and beliefs? What if we’re all beautiful and the truest, deepest beauty has little to do with shape or size? What if the “something more” so many of us long for exists inside of us, waiting to be unlocked and cherished? What if I wasn’t afraid of being large, but living large? And in doing so, missing out on the most remarkable beauty of all?

The Beauty of a Woman

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek…

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Destiny’s Disguise

Jan24

Destiny’s Disguise

In this medieval romance, Lord John, earl of Farleigh, was a landless knight until the death of his family to sickness. He had no expectations of ever being titled, but now he is earl with many responsibilities. He has to marry and protect his family lands from the evil baron Elwood of Eye. Lady Gwyneth is a widow who suffered greatly at the hands of her first husband when he married her at 14 years old. When she hears that Lord John is to marry her 15 year old sister, she devises a plan to prevent that from happening. Knowing that her sister is in love with a young man closer to her age, Gwyneth is ready to sacrifice herself because she does not want her sister to experience the horrors of marriage to an old brute.

At first, I was annoyed with the author for the very similar names she gave Gwyneth and Gwendolyn (her sister). There were times that I could not tell the two sisters apart. But it started to make sense, when I realized part of went deceit had to do with the fact that she was changing places with her sister. It made the story even more believable that John would not be able to keep the two sisters names straight as well. Then I started thinking of the author as somewhat of a genius. I get it! There was a method to her madness.

Gwyneth endured so much abuse at the hands of her father and her first husband that she could not begin to understand how to do to take John. He was a man, so she expects him to mistreat her as all the other men in her life did. But after marrying John, she experienced many new pleasant sensations **wink wink**. Since married life to John was nothing like she thought it would be, she was suspicious. She wanted to enjoy it, and, at the same time, did not want to let down her guard. There were times when John was trying to be considerate, and she mistook his actions for some type of devious behavior to demean her. At times it was a little exasperating to me as the reader, but then I would remember she had already been through a lot from a very young age and who knows how I would have reacted in the same situation. If the author had not spent so much time on Gwyneth’s character working through her trust issues, it would have not seemed as realistic. Plus the story would have been less interesting.

John, on the other hand, had fewer internal issues to deal work through. I really did like John’s character. He was a true knight in shining armor. He went into the marriage with the expectation that if he treats his wife well, everything will be okay. Granted, he thinks she is her younger sister who he imagines is delicate and inexperienced. I thought it was sweet nonetheless. I admit that I concerned how long Gwyneth would wait until she told him the truth about her deception. They were getting along so well and I knew there would be some fall out once everything was revealed. I was hoping that there would not be a rush at the end to wrap up the story. When John finds out the truth, I found myself reading and holding my breath trying to imagine the heavy tension in the scene.

Overall, I think the author did a very good job with this story. The characters were so developed, I felt like they were real people. I was totally engaged in the story that I could not put the book down until I reached the end. I am happy that Gwyneth found someone to love and care for her. John needed a strong woman by his side that would be loyal no matter what. With all they went through, I am convinced they had a happy-ever-after ending.

Rating Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥♥♥♥

Click Destiny’s Disguise to buy on Amazon

Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D

Jan24

I do not really have a bucket list, per se. I have things that I have always wanted to do. And for me, I have always wanted to go to a Cirque du Soleil show. I have went to Vegas numerous times and each time I told myself, “This time, I am going”. But then I see how much the tickets cost and I chicken out. So when my friend told me about a 3D movie that was like a Cirque du Soleil performance, I jumped at the chance.

Movie : Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D
Date : Sunday, December 23, 2012
Time : 7:00pm

The premise of the story was a young girl goes to the circus. While watching an acrobatic performer, he falls after losing concentration because he was looking at her. Instead of hitting the ground he goes into another world. She jumps in after him (to save him ?). Once in the fantasy world, she tries to navigate and search for her acrobat. They seem to have had an attraction from the intense gaze the shared. So while she is looking for him, he is trying to figure out how to get back to the real world as well. There are characters for many of the Cirque du Soleil shows that highlight the fact that their surroundings are indeed fanciful and mystical. There is a lot of jumping around, amazing body contortions, but very, very little dialogue. I had to infer a lot considering the fact that no one was talking and much of the communication consisted of hand gestures. They were like very sprightly, nimble mimes.

Leaving the theater, I was confused. I did not feel that overwhelming sense of “Wow that was so awesome”. It was okay. It made me realize that I think that I hyped up Cirque du Soleil too much in my head. Paired with the fact that tickets to the show are usually very expensive, I thought it would be touch my soul in some way.

Yes, I am glad it was in 3D because the characters seemed to pop off of the screen as if I was in the front row. Yes, the dancing was great. But how many contorted humans into pretzels does it take for it to lose it appeal? For me, the answer is 6.

I was like, “Yea yea. I get it. All of you can touch your ears with your toes. Do something else now. I am no longer entertained.”

I thought the same thing for the multiple somersaults and cartwheels. They were performing the same dance moves with no dialogue. I don’t know what else I was expecting, but after 20 minutes, it dawned on me that there was close to an hour to go and I was not as enthralled with the show as I thought I would be.

Maybe I am too cynical. Maybe I spend too much time on the internet to appreciate the beauty of the dance. I am truly puzzled with myself. I should have been amazed with it all. I still think that Cirque du Soleil is something that people should experience at least once just to see it.

Am I buying the Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away DVD when it comes out? No.

I am not so sure anymore that I will dream of going to a live Cirque du Soleil show. That being said, I will probably go if someone else wants to go and the tickets were reasonably priced.