Yesterday was simply amazing.
I leaped out of bed at 11:30 a.m. which is incredibly early for me, especially once you consider I didn't go to sleep until 5 a.m.
I was so excited I couldn't sleep. All I could think was: "Today, I'm making a Tex-Mex feast."
I received a package full of Tex-Mex essentials from my mother the other day: A 30-count package of corn tortillas which I've been whining for since I got here; a block of Velveeta (I won't even attempt to call it cheese now that it made the 7-day journey from Texas without harm.); and six cans of El Pato sauce — the best jalapeno sauce ever and the base ingredient to my dad's enchilada sauce.
Since it was my week to cook, I decided it was Tex-Mex time.
All from scratch, I made refried beans, Spanish fried rice, salsa, and tostadas. I also made queso, but you can't really call that from scratch. Although I did make the "rotel" to put in the velveeta from scratch.
All I could think about all day was that it was Tex-Mex day and by the end of the day I would be eating some of my favorite foods that I grew up with my whole life.
In my class, I was super bored because my kids were taking forever to do anything and I was just thinking, "I want to go home and eat my food."
It's 12:30 p.m. the next day and I'm still full.
Of course the Girl Scout cookies didn't hurt.
My friend Terena sent me four boxes of girl scout cookies — two Thin Mints and two Samoas, my favorites! Now I just have to savor them.
Even if my supply is limited, having all these foods back in my life is probably less of a blessing than I would like it to be. Last week one of my classes asked me if I was pregnant.
Well, first they asked if I had a boyfriend. Then they asked if I had a husband. Then they asked if I was pregnant.
Now in my defense, I can still fit into every piece of clothing that I brought with me. Everything fits me just fine. And I am perfectly content with these sizes.
I honestly think it was just the dress I was wearing last week, but the whole experience has left me a little body conscious.
I mean, I'm used to my kids saying I'm fat (even the pudgy one's call me fat), but I honestly can't blame them. The average Taiwanese woman is a size 2 and a size 2 in Taiwan is equivalent to a girls' size 16 in the States. It's programmed into them to believe that all women are stick thin.
My curves seriously throw them off.
Either way, though, pregnant is a whole new level of insult and I'm not quite shaking it off the way I normally would.
I had better get into a better routine before it gets hot outside otherwise I'll just have one more excuse to add to the pile of reasons not to exercise.
In the meantime, I love Tex-Mex far too much and having it back in my life — even temporarily — has put me in the best mood ever. I don't think I'm capable of any level of restraint here.
