In an age of instant meals...

...I was sprawling on my bed going through the endless coupons I have for restaurants & fast food, mostly thanks to the book I purchased from one of my students last year.

The urgency to use them was strong for 2 reasons: 1. my growling tummy 2. So many coupons, so little time. They all expire in December.

Yet once I realized I was actually considering buying a large greasy pizza just so I could get the free toasted ravioli appetizer...my voice of reason (finally) jumped in.

I LOVE to cook. I don't have anywhere to be. I've got a fairly stocked kitchen. As visions of pizza or burritos began to fade, a spark of creativity ensued.

I am primarily writing this blog to make a self-reference to in the future (being that about 3 people read it!). The next time I am about to go spend my hard-earned paycheck on overpriced food (coupon or not) I hope to stop & hear that voice....because dinner was TASTY tonight!!

So, here's what I did:

1. Threw some wheat pasta in some water for the stove.

2. Chopped up tomato, eliminating the "slimy" middle, opting for the firm, red outer regions. The really diced pieces were for the pasta sauce, the large ones for the salad.

3. Grabbed some baby shrimp out of the freezer & began running warm water over them.

4. Got a trusty jar of basil pesto sauce (which I actually will be making HOMEMADE in the near future before the beautiful sweet basil endures freezing temps!) & warmed it up ala microwave.

5. Pasta cooking (check), shrimp thawing (check), so time to add fresh ingredients to the sauce. Picked some big basil leaves from the garden, chopped them up. Added some garlic to the sauce as well. And the diced tomato.

6. Grabbed romaine lettuce from fridge, chopped some cucumber, threw in tomato, added black pepper & a dash of the basil.....voila, the salad is ready!

7. With shrimp ready to go, stirred it into the sauce that was now full of veggies & spices.

8. Drained the pasta & stirred it up with the sauce.

MMMM, dinner is served! All these steps happened in a matter of about 15 minutes. Add a fresh ice water (& a caffeine-free cola) and at this point I almost wanted to take a lovely snapshot of my meal. Take that, Mazzio's, Taco Bell, Sonic, and just about any other crap option I almost defaulted to. PS: My wallet loved me for it as well.

spooky music & marriage

What a great stormy night! I recently inherited an awesome family heirloom-- a 120-year-old pump organ that once sat in my grandfather's furniture store/funeral home.

Tonight after Scott, Willie, and I wrapped up band practice we tried to play eerie, spooky chords. And Tanner played "Star Wars."

Jamming with those guys is so fun. Not the organ, but with bass n drum. :) I love that on many tunes, I just set down the guitar & sing. I don't get to do that enough.

We had a GREAT first gig not too long ago. Here's a small sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAR8kFmQh_Q

We will not gig again until Scott returns from Vegas, hitched no less. Speaking of, I get married in April. Woo hoo!! Someone who has known me for years recently said to me, "I CAN't believe YOU are getting married! I didn't think you were the marryin' type."

Now, I could take that really wrong....but I sincerely think he meant that with genuine compliments. Yea, that's right, I've never really been the "marryin' type"...me & my random travels, independent spirit, spontaneous out-of-state moves, and many-a-weekend of nothing but music.

What said friend & perhaps a few others never knew about me is that so many of those things stemmed from wondering who "the one" was going to be. Who my true companion was. Wondering when I'd finally meet him. After all, who can really write a good song when their love life is hunky dory? ;) Not I. I have no regrets in having a long, long singlehood period in my life. I feel very strongly that timing is everything, and even 2 years ago I wouldn't have wanted to settle down with anyone unless I knew with every bone in my body that he was the missing link. The only by-product of concern is that I will never be a young, hip mom. If anything I will be a mom with a hip replacement. Hahaha.

The beauty of it is that Tanner & I both have already lived rich lives as single people, and hopefully that will only add more to the marriage. Here's to life partners, significant others, and those still waiting for their perfect "timing." It'll come. Don't force it. Life has too many beautiful things to offer, and a partner to share it with is merely icing on the cake.