4 days down - lots more to go!

Last weekend was my first weekend in a verrrrrryyyyy long time without any booze.

It actually went pretty darn well! The hardest part was sitting at home when nothing was going on, and not drinking out of boredom. So what did I end up doing instead? Drinking tea and SNACKING.

Yah, I'm gonna need to find a healthier substitute. Tea and biscuits (although delicious), will not help with making it a healthy 2015.

I went out a couple of times over the weekend, and calculated that I've saved about $26.00 on booze so far. So that's a bonus!

I have a feeling my next big challenge will be hitting the social scene and dating, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

As of right now, the New Year's No-Booze Challenge is going great. I feel good, I've slept like a rock the past few days, and I LOVE waking up without any fog in my brain.

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year! 

One Girl. One Year. No Booze.

Me with a dirty martini -
one of my favorite libations!

Hey gang!
I’m starting up this blog again to document a big change for 2015…
…I’m going booze-free for 1 year.


Some background:
I have never been very heavy drinker.  I have certainly had those binge-drinking nights in college and a few in the recent years, but nothing I would consider an addiction. In general, I’d say I consume somewhere between 6-8 alcoholic beverages per week on average. Not a ton, but not exactly moderate either.


In the past, I’ve said that I want to cut back on my alcohol consumption for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is for the sake of my health, but also for being lucid on Saturday mornings, not having to deal with hangovers, or just to simply save money. However as I found out with trying to cut back on chocolate, sometimes it’s easier to just cut it out. Completely.


I started taking classes in nutrition this year, and they have opened my eyes to how amazing the human body is.  It takes a lot of crap from us, and keeps on trucking.  To function optimally, it needs a lot of hydration and nutrition. Alcohol is one of those things that has no benefit whatsoever to our bodies. The water in it is counteracted by the diuretic qualities, it’s processed in our body as sugar, and it contains no vitamins or minerals. It’s really just a toxin – a poison for our bodies and our little cells.  Alcohol also puts a lot of stress on our livers and our kidneys.


I know what you’re thinking: everything in moderation! And yes, some studies have shown that a glass of red wine here and there can be beneficial. But with my Italian heritage, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to have ONE glass of red wine. Come ON.


Now don’t get me wrong – I LOVE alcohol. I love toasting a drink to friends, and I love the association with celebration. I love trying new beers, ciders, wines, and spirits. Living in Colorado has opened new doors to tastes and flavors I’ve never experienced, and the people who craft these libations amaze me with every new sip. I even enjoy the loopy little buzz I feel after a couple of drinks with friends. I appreciate the craft of making alcoholic drinks, and the friendly bartenders I’ve come to know over the years.

Oh, Colorado beers. How I love you.

But in 2015, I’m doing something drastic, and giving my body a break for the first time in 12 years. I’m cutting out the booze.


From January 1^st, 2015 to December 31^st, 2015 I will not consume one drop, sip, swig, shot, glass, or pint of alcohol. I intend to blog about my progress here (whether good or bad), and hopefully inspire some people along the way. 

I understand that thousands of people have already done this, and it’s certainly not a new concept. So many people have fought their battles with addictions and overcome them. There are people out there who don’t drink because of health, and others that don’t because of addiction. I applaud those people for making the change for themselves and their families.  People that have overcome their addiction and can still be constantly surrounded by such a socially accepted practice amaze me.


Although my situation is different, I still seek empowerment from my decision. I want to do this for myself, but also to hopefully raise awareness. I want people to think about the way they want to drink – not just because it’s social, but because of how they truly feel about it. If you don’t want to drink, you don’t have to. If you do, you can do so responsibly.


I also want to challenge myself and see what I’m capable of. I want to see the changes in my body, my bank account, and hopefully in other surprising ways as well.


I will be tracking my progress on this blog daily, and also tracking big changes every 3 months, on these pillars:
1)   How I feel (in general – energy levels, mood, mentality)
2)   Money (savings)
3)   Physical changes (wellness and health, weight, sleep)


I am going to start a fundraising campaign in the near future. I’m still determining the company, but I will have the information up soon with how to donate.  If you’d like to support me in this endeavor, “buy me a drink” on that fundraising site. Want to “buy me a drink” on my birthday in March? Donate $5 to that campaign instead. It’s my non-booze fund!


Yes, a year is a long time. But considering the 33 amazing years I’ve already spent on this planet, it’s still just a blip in my existence. It could be a fantastic change, and I’m sure it will be a great challenge. Whatever it will be, it will be an interesting journey.

Cheers to 2015!

Mid-Day Beer Tasting Adventure

Since I already posted about some wine tasting I did recently - how about some beer tasting too!?  

Colorado is an amazing hub for small breweries, and a couple of weeks ago my friend Korey called me out of the blue, around 3pm on a Tuesday. 

Korey: "Hey, you're home from work right now, aren't you?"
Me: "Uhm... how did you know that?"
Korey: "I'm kind of stalking you. We're going to taste some beers.  Wanna come?"
Me:  "Shit yes I do!"

And so we went! 

I guess there was a big Beer Special article in 5280 Magazine recently, talking about all the small micro-breweries in Denver which is what inspired our little beer drinking adventure.  Our first stop was Black Shirt Brewing (BSB), which is ridiculously close to my old house, and I'm so bummed I didn't know about it before! 

They only brew red beers, which they do VERY well.  I LOVE red beers personally, and it was very refreshing to not have it all about IPA's.  Ha!  Although the ironic part is that was my favorite red - their Red IPA Chinook!  Never thought that would happen... 

The atmosphere in there is super cool too - low lights (it almost feels like you're walking into a place you're not supposed to be), and all of the tables are made from old train car floors!  So awesome. 

Our next stop was Our Mutual Friend, just down the street.  They were also very good, and had a great selection of different types of brews.  I loved the atmosphere in there too - although it was pretty busy and bustling by the time we got there (with the happy hour crowd & all), it was still a lot of fun. 

You can kind of see the list of brews on the wall in the back there too... 

My beer-tasting buddies for the day!! 

Mmmmmmm.... beer. 

I'll definitely be heading back to these places again!  I knew there were a lot of great breweries in Denver, but I didn't realize some were so close to home.  It's definitely worth going & exploring these little places - they're pretty amazing, and you might even make a new friend.  

Moral of the story?  If someone calls you mid-day and wants to take you beer tasting - you say YES! :) 

Teacup / Coffee Cup

Not much to post today - I'm at a coffee shop gettin' caught up on the internets. :)  

It snowed in Denver last night, and everything is covered in a beautiful white blanket.  I was worried that my new apartment would be terribly cold since it's such an old house, but it's cozy and warm and wonderful!  

Now I'm enjoying a cup of joe & bloggin'.  One of my favorite boards to post to on Pinterest is Coffee Tea Cups & Mugs.  It's kind of silly, but I just love pictures of these things!  I seriously have a mug-purchasing problem too.  I don't know why mugs are such a comforting thing to me, but they just are! 

Today I have a day off from work (yay!), so my mom and I are going to hang out & spend some time together.  I'm lookin' forward to it!
Hope you all have a super duper Tuesday! 

All images via Pinterest. 

Tom's Urban 24 - a visit to the new downtown diner!

The other day I met up with a few friends from my old job for an early happy hour at the brand-spankin'-new Tom's Urban 24-hour Diner on the corner of 15th & Larimer in downtown Denver.

Look at these lovely ladies!

They had some pretty awesome stuff on the menu, and some crazy drink cocktails that we absolutely had to try!  My favorite was the "WTF;)" - I can't remember all of the ingredients, but it contained whiskey, Coors light, red wine, orange juice, etc.  Sounds weird, but MAN it was good!

Susan got herself a "Coffee & Donut" - maple bacon doughnut, a shot of doughnut vodka, espresso, and espresso liquor.  Wowza.

And I think these may have been probably the most delicious deviled eggs I've ever had.  Truffled Deviled Eggs?  Yes, please!!

This one was my drink #2 - I can't remember the name, but it was champange with rose water syrup and some other yummy goodies in there too.  OH so good!!

How about that happy girlie!  And that pizza was friggin' amazing - cheese, arugula, mushrooms - YUM!  SO good.

Anyway, you guys should definitely check this place out if you have a chance.  It really is open 24-hours too!  And the menu is freakin' huge.  I kinda wanted to try everything!

New Piano / Holiday Teas!

Oh-Em-Gee - the piano is HERE!! :D 

She came yesterday, and I am just completely in love.  Fudge has already found a new favorite spot (sprawled across her bench), and I've already begun plunking away on her keys, trying to refresh my memory of the years of lessons through my youth.  

I rented piano books from the library, and holiday music books as well.  I'm hoping that with a little regular practice over the next few weeks I'll have a few Christmas songs nailed down for the holidays!! :) 

I can't even tell you how wonderful it is to have a piano in the house.  I feel very lucky that I got to grow up with one in our house, and that my parents had me take lessons so that I could learn how to play it.  I remember how wonderful it was on a lazy afternoon to just sit and play beautiful songs to my heart's content.  My heart is just swelling!! 

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On a completely different note (haha, note - get it?), HOLIDAY TEAS ARE BACK!!  

Oh my goodness, I could not WAIT for these guys to come out again!!  I made John stop at TWO different grocery stores just so that I could get some of them!  Nutcracker Sweet is my favorite (it's a very vanilla-ey black tea, and oh so good), and I haven't tried the other two yet, but I will very soon!  

I just adore this time of year, and I know it may seem a bit ridiculous but I just love these teas!  There's something so warm & comforting about their flavors, it just makes me so happy. 

Be forewarned, not all stores sell them!  But luckily, you can go to the Celestial Seasonings website and search for stores near you that do.  They might not be in the actual tea aisle either (since they are a seasonal item, they could be in a separate location), so don't be afraid to ask!  They're worth the extra work, trust me. :) 

Perfectly Pink Drink!

So I just recently discovered the magic of cake-flavored Vodka.  Someone left a half-full bottle of it at our Halloween party, and I've been thoroughly enjoying it ever since!!  It's awesome mixed with orange juice (it tastes like a creamsicle), but today I discovered the best way to have it EVER.

We didn't have any more juice in the house, so I decided to use my juicer to make my own mixer!  :)

Perfectly Pink 
Serves 1 
2 apples (I used Honeycrisp)
1 cup fresh raspberries (or frozen raspberries, thawed)
2-3 oz of cake vodka 
Ice

Juice the apples and raspberries in your juicer.  Add ice to your glass and dump in the vodka.  Top with the apple/raspberry juice.  Mix well & enjoy!  

OH MY GOSH IT'S SO DELICIOUS!!

I think the only thing that could make this drink better is topping it off with a splash of champagne for a little fizz at the top.  Holy guacamole!

I'll be enjoying this the rest of the afternoon. :)

BOBA FREAKIN' TEA, Y'ALL!!

OK, I've been working in downtown Denver for 5 1/2 years now.  I swear I thought I knew of all the good places to eat, get drinks, hang out, find ice cream.  

Then today, I found a new & magical place!!  Well, new to me anyway...

The place is called Obento, and they serve Japanese fast food - including BOBA TEA!

I swear, I've walked past this little restaurant 1,000 times.  It's right off the 16th Street Mall, which is probably why I ignored it - most places off the mall are chain restaurants.  I must stop in and try a bento box sometime, as they look pretty decently priced!

Today I got myself one of my favorite childhood things - Boba Tea.  If you've never had it, it's not even really tea per se - it's more like a sugary slushy with chewy tapioca balls at the bottom.  I used to get these all the time, but there was nowhere downtown (at least so I thought) that I could get one!  It was so hot outside, that this really hit the spot. 

I have a feeling that part of the reason I was hot was because of my new moccasin boots.  But I wanted to wear them SO BADLY!!  They do look cute, don't they?

No, it wasn't on my spending fast.  But it was a wonderful treat!  And sometimes, you just gotta have a boba tea. :) 

In case you're wondering, I got the Honeydew "Snow" boba.  Snow just means that milk was added.  Yum YUM! 

My new necklace! And some pre-birthday thoughts...

A very nice person gave me a Visa Gift Card for Christmas last year, so I promptly went on Pin Up Girl Clothing and found me a gorgeous necklace to treat myself with! 

You can't IMAGINE my horror and disgust when 4 weeks went by, and I realized that the package had been STOLEN off my front porch by some JERK who thinks they can just TAKE THINGS OFF PEOPLE'S PORCHES!!  Ugh.  Needless to say, I was pissed.  

I filed a claim with Fed Ex, which was completely useless.  I had to complete a ton of paperwork, send them all of the records of the transaction, then 3 weeks later I receive a letter saying that I was missing a piece of the puzzle and that it would slow the process. 

Thanks, Fed Ex.  Jerks. 

Luckly I also emailed Pin Up Girl Clothing and explained what happened.  They reached out to Fed Ex as well and when they found out my claim was denied, they decided to send me a new necklace anyway.  BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME!! 

Anyway, it just came in yesterday to my work, and I was thrilled!  John made fun of me because it's kind of ginormous (it's about 2" wide by 1.5" high), but I totally love it. 

Here's a better close-up shot... isn't it RAD!?

This might have to be my birthday-girl necklace!

Oh yeah!  Speaking of which, I turn 31 next weekend!  Holy moses!  I can't believe this year has gone by so fast.  It seems like just yesterday we were roller disco-ing our hearts away at my 30th b-day party.  Crazy! 

It's funny 'cause as I realized I was turning another year older next week, I realized how I came to work that day... 

 

Let's just say - if I'm ever too old to wear pigtails, and sparkly-gel eyeshadow, I don't want to be that old. ;) 

This year for my birthday we're doing things a little more low-key, with people coming to celebrate in any way they like.  My team is playing a derby bout next Saturday (which I'm singing the National Anthem at - holy crap!), then the next morning I'm having everyone over for brunch!  It'll be super fun. 

I also decided that for my birthday dinner, I want crab legs.  Big fat juicy crab legs.  That is all. :)  

Cup of Joe

I learned something new on my favorite podcast Stuff You Should Know the other day!  It was their "Coffee" podcast - where they told you all you needed to know about coffee, it's history, how to make it, where it comes from - etc, etc.  Josh and Chuck were very informative (as always).  

My favorite part though was the FUN FACT that I learned about why having a cup of coffee has been nicknamed "Cup o' Joe".  And I'm gonna share it with you! 

It turns out that coffee has become associated with America mostly because of the Boston Tea Party.  It seems pretty obvious, right?  England puts a high tax on tea, the new Americans in the colonies are pissed off, so they start drinking coffee instead.  Who'd have thunk it'd be that obvious?  I sure as heck didn't!

Tea, on the other hand, is very much associated with England.  In the UK, tea is a part of daily culture and people drink it all the time.  In fact, my grandma is British, and I think that's why me and my family find such love for a good cup of black tea with milk & sugar.  (Our favorite is P&G Tips by the way - it's excellent with honey & a splash of soymilk!)

Anyway, it became common for Brits to call a cup of tea simply "cuppa".  It was a bit redundant to say "would you like a cup of tea?" - when you could easily assume it was tea they wanted.  You could simply say "want a cuppa?" and be done with it! 

During World War II, a lot of American soldiers were in England.  But they didn't want tea - they wanted COFFEE.  And what's another thing you'd call an American G.I.?  How about a "Joe"?  G.I. Joe.  They wanted a "cuppa joe".  

How about that, huh? :)  Learn somethin' new every day.  

 
Speaking of which, now I really want myself a cup of joe!  Haha!  
I know I've totally used this picture before in one of my cutie-cute girl posts, but I couldn't resist.... hey, there's still coffee involved! :) 

The whole podcast made me think of my relationship with coffee.  I once got to the point where I would drink about 1-2 cups / day, but that was in college when I didn't really care about my health nearly as much as I do now. 

These days I stick to about 2 cups / week.  Sometimes (like this week), I go without any!  I think of it more as a treat instead of a requirement.  I would feel better about having it more regularly if I could drink it black, but I'm SO not one of those people.  I like cream (soymilk, actually), and plenty of sugar (natural or honey)!  It's just extra calories & sugar I don't need in a day. 

Oh how I used to wish I could be the tough guy and drink my coffee black.  I thought it was SO COOL if you could do that!  But then I saw "Pulp Fiction".  

If you remember, there's a scene where The Wolf (a total badass problem-solving character played by Harvey Kietel), is in Quentin Tarantino's character's kitchen.  Quentin asks him, "Would you like a cup of coffee?",  Harvey replies, "Yeah",  Quentin asks, "How do you take it?"....

...to which Harvey replies, "Lotsa cream, lotsa sugar."

Let's just say I haven't felt bad about taking cream & sugar in my coffee ever since. 

All photos from We Heart It - except Harvey Keitel which was found via a Google Image search.