Monthly Archives: February 2012

Happy Valentine’s Day (I Burnt Your Tupperware!)

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To go out to eat or to stay in? It was a hard decision.

I am a nightmare to go out to eat with because of my gluten allergy, asking the waiter for dozens of substitutions and tweaks. For this reason, Jesse and I rarely go out to eat and often cook together instead. We decided to do the same this Valentine’s Day.

We both got dressed up and went grocery shopping for our items. He planned the main course, I planned dessert. As far as the appetizer, it is always just understood that we will have prawns. It is a throwback to when I lived on the coast in England and we made the most delicious prawns in butter every night for dinner.

It was after 9 until we got cooking but we cranked * the music and got to work and proceeded to eat for the next three hours.

First, there were the essential prawns:

Then, Jesse whipped up lamb chops that were one of the best meat experiences I have had up to this point in my life.

And for dessert, a Primal Chocolate tartlet that was too rich for words.

We (read: I) had an eventful time making it. Never leave tinfoil bits on dark chocolate then place them in the microwave. Happy Valentine’s Day, I burnt your tupperware! :)

Anyways, needless to say, we had a ball making gorgeous food and eating for hours. I LOVE to be training long distances again because I am back to having the metabolism and food consuming ability of an adolescent boy.

The festivities continued to this evening. Jesse was horrified as he made a wisecrack about Bubba’s Shrimp Shack last night that I had never seen “Forest Gump”. So tonight we sat down with a box of chocolates and strong coffee and watched it. Yes, I realize we eat enough sweets to create an early onset of diabetes but I would like to think about it as fuelling for our weekly cross country ski trek tomorrow. :)

I am so happy to be on Reading Week break. It feels like I can breathe again.

*So one of my very close friends happens to be dating this ridiculously talented musician. I am just throwing a plug in for him because I bought his newly released album this week and have it on repeat. He is doing frequent shows in this area and I would encourage you to go hear him! Or at least buy his album. Support good music!!!

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Last week I had everything in order for my long run. It was a lovely, sunny Saturday and I was ready to run 18 beautiful km. Until I stepped out the door and could barely breathe because of the wind. I ran 3 km and called my dad to come pick me up. (Can I shout out kudos to my father who dropped everything for his little “princess” who couldn’t complete her long run and was late for a meeting as a result. Thanks.)

Anyways, I had a week full of midterms and papers. The cherry on the top in completing it all was going to be a glorious long run. So I hydrated, charged my iPod, ate properly, taped my injuries and tried to ignore the DJ’s on the radio who kept remarking on how WINDY it was going to be this afternoon.

Well, I began driving home with the best intentions and drove into winds and a flurry of snowflakes. And even though the sun was shining, I decided not to run. It wasn’t a graceful or even an adult decision. At one point I texted Jesse and asked if it was “ok that I was not going on my long run today?” Let’s just say, the men in my life put up with a lot when it comes to my long runs.

Anyways. I had a little pity party over the fact that I could not control the weather and moved on.

This week has been a little ratty. I really connected to a line from the song I was listening to the other day:

You are Good when there’s nothing good in me.

This week I didn’t feel like a good, kind, gentle, responsible (etc) person. I am just glad that I can have Someone that can be all those things when I am not.

EDIT: So after griping, whining and angrily eating some all dressed kettle chips and watching “Their Eyes Were Watching God” I bucked up, laced up and headed out.

WOW. I just did 18 km of unicorns and butterflies. I am talking negative split here, folks.

Anyways, the only creepy bit was when an old man I didn’t recognize slowed down in his pick up truck and asked me to hop in. I was about 12 km in at this point and looked like a gender neutral troll.

Like this

Anyways. 


I waved him on and continued on my way. It just shows that the best recipe for a good long run is some all dressed kettle chips and a wee bit of sitting around.

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About a year ago, I was skipping out on a work meeting for some important event on campus. (Or maybe I just didn’t want to be at the meeting..) Either way, I was scrambling out the door and had just begun to sprint across the parking lot when I saw a fine looking man walking alongside the manager of the Tool Rentals department.

Hm. Noted.

I went on my merry way and thought nothing of it until a week later, Megan came home and nearly attacked me in the bathroom where I was doing my hair.

“He’s SINGLE!” she crowed.

“Who is?”

“Jesse Brubacher! The new guy in Rentals and he is so perfect for you! He eats a lot of vegetables and healthy weird stuff and he is really happy and he talks a lot and bikes really far and plays music. He is like a male version of you!”

“Megan. I don’t bike a lot and I don’t play guitar. I am not interested.” I turned to the mirror and continued on with my business.

Megan tried everything to spark an interest out of me. And then people started asking if I was with the new guy at Rentals. I purposefully avoided him and made it from September to December without a formal introduction. That boy was off limits. The moment someone tries to hook me up with someone, I check out. I wanted to chose who I was with and there was nothing Megan could do about it.

When we officially were introduced, Megan was doing her best to keep it light hearted and full of instant spark.

“Jessica! This is JESSE. *wink* You have a lot of things in common with him!!”

“Oh. Nice.” I had a frozen smile.

“Like, …your names for starters!”

Needless to say, it was unbearably awkward and Megan saw she was fighting a losing battle. But then she hatched a master scheme.

She approached me at work and put on her neglected face. “You have not spent ANY time with me lately. Please come to the gym with me tonight! We will do yoga!”

I thought. I was going to go to the gym in Waterloo a girl friend, but I figured Megan should take priority. I consented.

We settled into the studio that evening on our yoga mats and Megan was restless. All of a sudden, Jesse bounds over and settles himself beside Megan. I shot her a deadly glare because I knew what she was up to.

After the class, I was sitting on the leather couch in the lobby when Megan exclaimed: “O no….I forgot to TAN.”

She left Jesse and I on the couch where she went and proceeded to tan for 45 minutes. I have no idea what she was actually doing but I can only imagine.

Anyways, I got over myself, we swapped numbers and then we met for coffee

and went to see Christmas lights and go skating and then he met my friends.

And then we travelled Europe and the United Kingdom together

and took up road biking

and adopted a little dog that Jesse described very aptly the other day when he said “I mean this in the best way possible, but he is not 100% mentally sound.”

He makes me swiss chard and tilapia for dinner and buys me flowers just because.

All this sappiness because yes, it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow, but also because I can finally admit Megan was right about something.

He really is perfect for me.

January

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January can be a depressing month with empty pockets from Christmas and the unrelenting freeze and thaw.

Luckily for me, I found ways to avoid the winter blues.

1. I started a new job.

Where I create my brilliant ideas..

Where I aimlessly stare when I have no inspiration

2. Jesse tried (again) to teach me how to cross country ski.

He had just finished saying he had dreamed all summer about having the skis in the back of the truck and to be headed to the woods

Still expecting a good time as we headed out

Skiing complete! Jesse is a tad more hesitant than he was at the onset. He is a good man for putting up with my crashing through the trees.

3. I went to Wisconsin to my cousin’s wedding. (So technically it was the beginning of February but you are going to have to bear with me…not much happened in January)

Guava juice and greens plus...before I mixed them.

Near by family members choked with alarm when they saw me gulping this down in the wee hours of the morning. I sent a picture to Jesse to show him how scrappy I was being and he simply responded with “Atta girl.”
Cheers. To the only boy I know who would drink green guava juice.

Gold star

I went on a gorgeous 15 km run the morning of the wedding. I always love taking pictures when I go on a new route. This is Wisconsin’s finest.

And then the wedding. And some people I love. (I stole these pictures.)

Nessie! Who popped by from her too-long-for-my-personal-comfort stay at Bible School

Probably the only purely Canadian table at the wedding. Anti-social and fabulous.

Ensuring we remained alone. We created a wedding gift out of common household items and crafted a quality wedding gift for Tom. Named Tom.

The cousins. And Danae. I searched for a childhood photo of the three of us to show time does change much, but to no avail. I promise there are many in existence.

Dallas and I being gleeful