Friday, May 6, 2016

Coffee Talk - May Edition

I'm linking up with CocoDeborah, and Lynda for the May edition of Coffee Talk.
The Ultimate Coffee Date
This link-up asks: "If we were having [insert choice of beverage here] together, I would tell you..."

I had an unnerving incident earlier this week. On Wednesday night, I made salmon for dinner. (I used this recipe less the butter, in case anyone is curious.) Adam and I were watching the Penguins game, plus I was starving. This meant I was scarfing my food down without really paying attention. All of a sudden, I got a fish bone lodged in my throat.
It didn't affect my breathing or create any life-threatening danger, but it was an awful feeling. I tried a half-dozen home remedies and nothing worked. After an uneasy overnight, I went to an urgent care facility to learn they weren't equipped to help. I was set to see an ENT doctor next. Meanwhile, I had terrifying visions of what the treatment process might entail.

My discomfort lasted a total of almost 15 hours. Then... somehow the problem miraculously resolved itself. No doctor's visit ended up being necessary. I don't know how, why, or what happened for the problem to go away, but thank God it did. 

Folks, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I now am to have an unobstructed throat. I will never again take it for granted. Lessons learned: Always chew your food thoroughly, and never eat mindlessly (for various reasons).
And now, moving on to a much more pleasant topic!

One of my latest health goals is to improve my breakfast habits. In the past, I wouldn't eat any breakfast until I got to the office. Many times I get pulled into something as soon as I arrive - which means I might not eat anything until 9:30 or even 10:00. When the time came to eat, the usual breakfast was usually a banana plus either oatmeal or cereal. Then I would start getting hungry soon after. This made it difficult for me to maintain productivity, plus it was harder to keep control of my subsequent eating.
Something had to change. I've recently started trying to wake up a few minutes earlier to have a more protein-filled breakfast earlier in the morning. Usually this means making variations of an egg sandwich at home. Occasionally I've been going to the company cafeteria to get an omelette or breakfast wrap.

The heartier breakfasts have made a HUGE difference. My productivity is up at least a million percent. =) I am excited to keep this practice going and experiment with new breakfast recipes along the way.

Wanderlust is taking me by storm. I renewed my passport a few weeks ago. Now I am itching badly - very badly - to put the new passport to good use. There's no point to having a blank passport sitting around, right? All schemes abound on what the inaugural stamp might be.

That leads me to the next question of where to go?
Travel bug
Adam and I have talked about Scotland and/or the British Isles as well as Iceland. Also currently on the top of my wish-list are South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Fiji or Tahiti, and Vietnam. Closer to home, I've never been to the Dominican Republic or Jamaica.

From a North American perspective, it's been a long time since I've gone to Vancouver or Quebec City. I've never been to Ottawa, although I've always envisioned going there in the winter to skate down the canal. Domestically, while no passport is required (yet), I've never been to Santa Fe or Yellowstone, and would also like to spend more time exploring Colorado.

Now - as much fun as I have dreaming about all these fabulous destinations, in reality I'm having a tough time finding good airfare.
Talk about being jolted back to reality. It's become so difficult to book mileage flights unless you plan out super far in advance. The new passport now lies in an agonizing state of wait while the search continues.

All suggestions welcome!

Who watches or watched the Downton Abbey series? I've never seen it, but have heard very positive reviews. After sharing this with my in-laws in Pittsburgh last week, they very generously gave us the series on DVD (thank you again)!

I am preparing to dig in soon. I'm not sure if this is the type of series you'd want to binge-watch in a compressed timeframe??????
By the way, I keep wanting to call it Downtown Abbey instead of Downton. Argh!

And finally...

I'm looking forward to a fun weekend, including Mother's Day! Tomorrow, Marcia and I are running the Cinco de Miler. I had a great time at the event last year, and this year's race shirt has already won me over. Here's a picture from the race website:
After much debate, I also snagged two last-minute tickets to see Alton Brown's Eat Your Science tomorrow. I used to be a huge fan of Alton's TV show Good Eats. I also liked his play-by-play analysis and color commentary on Iron Chef America. I am intrigued to see what he's got up his sleeves during a live show!
On Sunday, we'll be celebrating Mother's Day aboard a Lake Michigan brunch cruise. I always thoroughly enjoy these lakefront cruises and the weather in Chicago has finally turned springlike. It should be a really great time. I can't wait to get some sunshine and start replenishing the Vitamin D!
I never get tired of seeing the Chicago skyline in all its glory.
What about you? What would you tell me over coffee or your beverage of choice?

23 comments:

  1. So scary about the fish bone! It probably just finally softened enough to slide down. Whew!

    Good luck tomorrow!

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    1. Ahhh, Wendy! I was thinking about some of the scary health incidents you've probably come across in your nursing work! I can only imagine what you've had to deal with! Thank you for the good luck wishes. =)

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  2. The amount of times I've come close to choking on nachos is embarrassing.

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    1. Beware of attacks of the killer nachos!!! They can be deadly indeed!!!

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  3. Eating breakfast first thing is SO KEY for me. I'm waiting to eat until I get to work these days and man, it throws my day off! I am taking your cue and getting back into the habit of breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up. After my move. :)

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    1. Katie, I remember when you posted once about trying to eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up! It is such a great practice and it makes a HUGE difference both physically and mentally! GOOD LUCK on your move and I am so thrilled it's finally happening (even with the irony of the Friday the 13th date) =)!!!

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  4. ooh that does sound scary with the fishbone! I am glad you were ok! I love eating eggs for breakfast too just sets me up for a better eating day. I make lots of frittatas and breakfast casseroles and eat them all week. Thanks for linking up for coffee!

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    1. Thanks Deborah! I hope you never, ever, EVER have to experience getting a fishbone stuck in your throat! Frittatas, breakfast casseroles, YUM to all!!! Great idea to make a big batch and then eat them throughout the week. I'm going to be on the lookout for more recipes. =) Thanks for co-hosting the link-up, as always!!!

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  5. I just got back from flying to North and South Carolina and I am not looking forward to flying again for a while. Yikes, what a trip and story for later. Salmon is great grilled with sea salt, lemon and fresh garlic. Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for coffee.

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    1. Lynda, I can totally relate to not wanting to fly again for awhile! I enjoy traveling very much, except the actual travel part, LOL. If I could just "beam myself up" to the destination, that would be awesome. =) Ooooh, salmon with sea salt, lemon, and garlic sounds AMAZING. Simple is always best, yes? I hope you had a wonderful weekend, also, and thank you for co-hosting the link-up as always!!!

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  6. Aughhh, fish bones are the worst! I'm glad that it ended up being okay!!!

    Scotland is definitely on my travel bucket list!! *-* (And Fiji and Tahiti...and Colorado...) Can't wait to see what you end up picking!

    Happy early Mother's Day!

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    1. Thank you so much, Farrah! It sounds like you've had some bad experiences with fish bones - I hope you never have to experience any incidents ever again! Please share what other destinations you have on your travel list - I love getting more ideas. =) I hope you had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day, as well!

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    2. Scotland (specifically the fairy pools in the Isle of Skye) are definitely way up there! :D + I'd love to go to the Philippines someday too! :]

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    3. Ah yes - the Philippines are on my list, too! I have seen such absolutely stunning pictures of the islands!

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  7. Omg!! I have had a king fish bone lodged in my throat! I was at my moms at the time and she jammed bread down my throat ( I was like freaking Jamaicans what the heck are youbdoibg?!?!) But I worked, broke the bone and protected my throat from getting cut by the bone. So scary though!!

    What a nice shirt!! I would totally run just for the shirt!!

    Have a wonderful Mother's Day and enjoy the cruise. That skyline is beautiful!

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    1. OMG, Tamieka - how horrifying to hear that you've had the same awful experience of getting a fishbone stuck in your throat, too! LOL at the bread remedy because it was one of the suggestions I saw on many websites during some frantic internet research. I am really, really, really glad it worked for you! And I hope you never have to go through anything like that ever again!

      I totally did run the race just for the shirt. =D We obviously have very similar thought processes. =)

      Thank you so much, Tamieka! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day, also!!!

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  8. I love the Chicago skyline - I bet that cruise will be gorgeous! Your whole travel wish list sounds great - I do love Colorado too. Glad the fish bone worked itself out. Thanks for joining the coffee date!

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    1. Thank you so much, Coco! The cruise was a wonderful time. Please share more from your travel wish list - I always love getting more ideas from others! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and thank you to you as always for co-hosting the coffee linkup!

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  9. Ahhh, Kelly! Please do share your full list of dream vacations through 2030 - I am always looking for more suggestions and would love to hear more about what's drawing you in! It sounds like you've got some experience traveling Colorado - any specific recommendations? LOL on the Downtown/Downton switch - it's so easy to swap, isn't it? Autocorrect doesn't help. =D I've heard a lot of folks say the series finale wasn't great... sigh!

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  10. Oh my gosh! That is so scary with the fish bone! Eek! :( You must have been so uncomfortable!

    I can't wait to hear where you decide to travel to! And I hope you get a steal on airfare.

    I predict you'll want to binge watch seasons 1-2 of DA. I did :)

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy! It was literally a tough situation to swallow - so never take the ease of swallowing for granted!

      Thanks Kim! I hear about friends finding great airfare deals all the time, and then when I go to look for them I can never unearth them. I need to get myself in the know somehow. =)

      Dually noted on Seasons 1-2! I'll definitely keep this in mind, thanks!!!

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  11. SO. MANY. AMAZING. DESTINATIONS. Yes to every single place you mentioned here. I've never done an all-inclusive resort, and would love to go all out at Disney someday. Oooh - Adam and I were considering doing a long weekend in Colorado next month. Airfare is cheapest into Denver, so we were looking at visiting Boulder and some other surrounding areas. Thanks for the tip on Estes Park, I was reading up on it so it's good to learn from a local that it's a tourist trap. I would LOVE to go to Mesa Verde which I understand is close to Durango - so I am guessing you've already been there???

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  12. Thank you so much for these tips, Kelly! I'd never heard of the Celestial Seasonings tour - it sounds super fun and unique! I've heard a lot about Breckenridge but not Frisco, so this is really helpful data. Appreciate the tip on avoiding the RMNP entry fee for equally good and free hiking! Adam and I are also looking at trying to catch a Rockies game while we're in town as part of the goal to visit every MLB ballpark in the league. =)

    Thank you again for all these tips! If you ever come to Chicago, do let me know and I would love to return the favor! Would be happy to show you around!!!!!

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