Procrastination

The Horsetooth 1/2 is a month away. Yikes. I am completely behind on my traditional training schedule.
At first, I procrastinated, telling myself that it doesn't take four months to train for 13 miles. I could start, really training, the next week. I used this tactic when it was cold in Denver. Most of you can understand this, right? Running outside is unpleasant when 20 degrees or under. Other winters, in Denver, I would be able to jusitify my laziness on the weather. This winter has been mild. Clearly a delay tactic. Pure and Simple.
Or, something would come up--Belize--and my training would take the back burner.
I wasn't completely lazy while in Belize, either. Shari and I went on numerous walkabouts of Caye Caulker. The running part eluded me however. I saw other people running during the day and did not envy their struggle with the combination of heat and humidity.
Then, I returned home and my running partner was extremely busy with her life. Plus, I was uncertain as to if she and Sara were actually going to sign up for this event. As long as they remained indifferent to it, I could delay training for it.
Now, it is officially one month away and I must start running. With or without the assistance of the Goddess, it is time. I believe Lindsay signed up for it, but Sara is a wild card. She is busy with work and preparing for her friend's wedding. To me, what a great way to prepare for a wedding. Training is a great stress reliever and the physical rewards aren't that bad either. I am not counting her out, completely, yet. She might surprise me.
Thankfully, we have a place to stay and I know the course is hilly and a great workout. My quads will be reminding me of it days after the 1/2. All worth it in my mind. Running is amazing. This is the mantra that will now play over and over in my head. I need some motivation to begin the training cycle. With or without my friends, I am committed to this 1/2.

I miss this view.

Caye Reef Hotel, Caye Caulker, Belize.

Each night, Shari and I would sit in the hot tub and overlook this beautiful view. Yes, I absolutely miss that freedom.

Enjoy!

confidence

Finally, feel beter (confident) in the kitchen.

It's only taken me this long.

I suppose I have been spoiled--parents, Brian, even roommates. Sara was handy with tomatoes. As such, I never had to confront my lack of knife skills or food prep knowledge. Instead, I could rely on others. Yes, my mom was a fan of the casserole, or as Brian referred to it--hot dish. Anyone from the midwest can identify with this particular meal. Noodles or rice topped with vegetables, some sort of meat, cream of mushroom soup and cheese. What can you not like about this? Cheese makes everything taste better. Can you say nachos?
Instead of hot dish, I made pasta with garlic, basil, onions, tomatoes, black olives and tuna. I experimented with the addition of tomato paste. The original recipe calls for tomato paste. The sauce was thicker due to the paste. I liked it, but prefer the lighter pasta.
I think my friends enjoyed the meal. I plied them with alcohol and light conversation. I am too comfortable at adapting to my friend's living spaces. When I visited Michaela in Oregon, I let her plan the meals. I didn't want to disrupt her space. I even vacuumed, one afternoon, while she was out for a run. I wanted to save her that chore. My sister has OCD when it comes to vacuuming, I have found. While living in Lawrence, she would come home on her lunch breaks to vacuum the house. I think she skipped the substenance to make sure her space was pure.
Anyways, I am enjoying cooking. I feel at ease without too much wine to inspire creativity and/or confidence in attempting new things.
Happy Sunday! I am off to contemplate tonight's meal....

Thoughts

Beautiful day. An improvement over the last few days in Denver. For sure, no pants necessary. This is my type of preferred weather. Yes, today is an excellent day.
I find myself inspired by reading other people's blogs. Especially, those, along the lines of like attracting like. Synchronicity. Attraction. Visualization.
Yes, I absolutely believe in the whole thoughts become things type of reality.
I look back over the last three years. I returned from Belize uncertain of my present or future. I dreamed of travel, but wasn't ready to pursue it. All I knew was that I was still enjoying life and I wanted to continue to do it in Denver.
In many ways, I wasn't ready to take the next step. I could only dream about it. A day when travel would become more present in my life.
Last week, I returned to Belize for my first stamp in the new passport. Irony? The last trip there was the ending of a five month around the world trip. I returned undecided about how to proceed.
Flash forward to now...still undecided about a plan, but feel reborn after my visit to Belize. Wasn't it fitting that we chose to celebrate the five year anniversary in Belize and not Costa Rica or Bonaire? Both of those places were options when we considered the five year celebration of Brian's death. I know that sounds harsh. It is. But, it is also very present in my life and will continue to be.
We celebrate his life, every year, on the anniversary of his death. Embarking on the five year mark, we wanted to do something special. Shari and Tom got certified to scuba and we agreed to meet in Belize.
Initially, I suggested going somewhere that I had not been. Why return to a country when I could use the new stamp?
We talked about it. Bonaire. Cayman Islands.
Eventually, I suggested Costa Rica since I enjoyed it, there, and knew that Brian's first experience of the ocean was in Montezuma, Costa Rica. We could make it work and scuba dive. For whatever reason, it never stuck. Belize kept surfacing in our discussions. People would tell Tom and Shari that that was THE place to go. I agreed to return and suggested we stay at Caye Caulker, not San Pedro. I wanted a more "chill" visit. I didn't need a golf cart to get me around the island.
Belize was amazing. I feel rejuvenated and full of ideas. Ironic, right? I ended my last trip there and stayed in my comfort zone. I returned to Belize, this year, and felt motivated to try something new and different.
Like definitely attracts Like. Enjoy your day. I am off to dinner with the Goddess....

Dining in Belize

Habanero's restaurant, Caye Caulker, Belize.
This is where Shari and I celebrated February 28th.
We considered Don Corleone's and Rosie's. We kept returning to Habanero's. Thankfully, they would be open on Monday and we were able to get a reservation. We dropped off wine so that it would be table ready when we arrived. Meaning, they would chill it for us.
Coconut encrusted snapper. Exquisite. Perfectly executed and delicious. By far, the best meal we ate while in Belize.

Chicken satay. Blissful and lovely. We considered the pork with chimichurri sauce, but the satay triumphed. Equally tasty to the snapper. The previous night, we tried a chicken dish and found it to be extremely dry. The satay erased that experience completely.

The beginning of the meal. Trio of appetizers. Ceviche. Samosas and voodoo cakes. I preferred the ceviche to the other two. Probably because I love chips.

Rutherford Hill Merleot. Shari brought this from the States which was ideal. Otherwise, we would have had limited options. We like this merlot. It is nostalgic.

The only downside was the lack of chocolate. On the menu, they listed a chocolate dessert. However, when we asked for it, we were informed that they no longer offer that particular item. They suggested their key lime pie. I wasn't interested in that that night. No, I wanted/needed chocolate to complete the celebration.

Still, inspite of that lapse, the meal was amazing. A perfect ending to the day.

If you are in Caye Caulker, make sure to look it up.

welcome to Belize

I was in awe of the sunsets I observed while visiting Caye Caulker, Belize. Truly stunning and inspiring.

Each night, Shari and I would sit in the hot tub and overlook the water. It was our nightly ritual and I adored every minute of it. A few nights, the hot tub was not functioning or even, that hot. Still, we would sit, talk, discuss future goals and watch the incredible sunset.

I hope you enjoy some of my photos as much as I did....

the pat down

The required boarding pass at Caye Caulker.

Co-piloting the puddle jumper.

Instead of taking the water taxi back to Belize City, Shari and I, both bought puddle jumper tickets. The flight from Caye Caulker to Belize City is 17 minutes. The water taxi took an hour. Not to mention, it's cramped, choppy and after arriving at the port, you have to deal with a bunch of people all seeking refuge in the nearest taxi. It can be unsettling and chaotic.

It was a no-brainer. We both wanted to take the puddle jumper.

Shari's flight left at ten and mine departed at 2 pm. Since I was the only passenger on my flight, I became the co-pilot and even flew a little bit. Terrified, sure. Fun, absolutely.

I arrived at the International Airport and walked towards the check-in counter. I printed off my boarding pass and walked to the security check. The lady would not let me pass since my ticket was not stamped with whether or not I had paid the departure fee. I returned to the ticket counter and explained the situation to the agent. She asked how I had a ticket and I explained that I had printed it off at the kiosk. She looked surprised that I didn't have a bag to check. Apparently, this is a rarity and due to that I passed through the line quickly.

She checked my ticket and stamped it that the departure tax was included in my ticket price. I went through security and waited.

My flight to Houston was on-time and full. I filled out the customs form and waited to deboard the plane. Eventually, we disembarked and I headed towards the customs agent. He asked me the purpose of my trip, what I purchased, and other random questions. Afterwards, I briskly walked towards the main terminal. I wanted to find chips and salsa and my layover was not too long.

At this point, I am still in a secure area. Armed with a water bottle purchased at the Belize City Airport, I walk towards a security screening area. I mention this because I felt that they should allow me to keep my full bottle of water since I bought it within a secure area. No dice.

I strip down--shoes off, jacket in tub--and am directed to the full body scan. I walk in and put my arms in front of me. Apparently, I shifted my feet which altered the scan. They wouldn't let me out of security until I had the full body pat down. Really. Extremely intrusive and annoying. The security agent told me that they thought they saw something on my pelvic region from the scan. I couldn't believe it. I didn't realize that buttons would imply that I was a terroist.

Instead of apologizing when they didn't find anything, she took my passport to make a notation of who I was. Unbelievable.

I didn't appreciate having to dump my water or the full body scan. I know it is atypical to travel that lightly, but I don't like checking bags or carrying unnecessary items. Next time, I might to avoid the intrusive scan and agents. However, in my mind, I blame it on Houston....