Great Sauce, Low Price

I love wine.  In fact, I've never had a wine I hated.  I've had a few I didn't love, but none that I hated.  But unless someone else is buying, I stick to the cheap stuff.  I do have one I LOVE that is around $30, but I save that one for special occassions.  And that's as expensive as it gets for me.  Wine is one of life's greatest pleasures.  So much so in fact, that I pretty much only drink water and wine these days.  You know Jesus turned water into wine.  He knew what was up! 

When Groupon advertised a wine tasting special that included 5 one ounce tastes each for two people and an appetizer to share for only $15 at Su Vino Winery, I was all over it.  I had never heard of Su Vino Winery, apparently Scottsdale's first and only winery.  I bought the Groupon back in March but we finally got around to using it on Friday.  Don't ask me why it took us that long to use it.

If you have never been to Su Vino, it's a bit off the beaten path in old town.  It's set back off the street, but they have signs out pointing potential winos in the right direction.  It's a cute little place that is big enough that it doesn't feel like you are drinking wine someone made in a bathtub after playtime with a rubber ducky, but small enough that it still felt intimate.  Tastefully decorated and not incredibly loud like a lot of bars where you can't carry on a conversation without yelling.  There are steel wine holder thingies (hey, I like the finished product, I don't know the technical terminology of Wine Making 101!) right next to the bar that adds to the ambiance.  It didn't have that high level of douchebaggery you expect from a Scottsdale bar either.  Just average, normal folk.  Not a popped collar as far as the eye could see.  I expected there to be more people there on a Friday night, but there were only a few other people in there.  While it's good because you can easily get a seat, I want this place to stay in business so more people need to go!

The bartenders were great.  All were very attentive and thoroughly explained the wine list.  The Lover and I each chose our 5 wines and tried not to overlap too much so we could taste more wine.  The Lover's favorite was the Melange, a lovely red wine.  My favorite was a Summer Rain, a sweet white wine which was surprising because I am a red wine kind of chick.  As I said above, I've never had a wine I hated and this was no exception.  All wines were great! 

Su Vino doesn't have kitchen.  They only have cold appetizers (think breads, cheeses, fruit, that sort of thing) and a few desserts.  For our appetizer, we chose the cheese plate which included 4 types of cheese, nuts, fresh and dried fruit, crackers, and olives.  But we nixed the olives as both of us find olives to be repulsive (but we both love olive oil, weird I know!).  It was an awesome spread!  We went there after dinner so we weren't overly hungry and we didn't try their dessert, but they also have brownies, chocolates, truffles, and stuffed strawberries.  Next time, I am all over the dessert!

If you have never been, you should definitely go.  The regular price for 5 tastes, it's only $10!  Great price!!  And the prices for full glasses ranged from $5 to $8.  Totally un-Scottsdale like!  You can buy bottles to-go for about what you would pay at BevMo too.  I came home with a bottle of Summer Rain for $11.75.

Ok so I know I sound like I work there or was paid to write this glowing review (neither of which is true), but this place was just so awesome and so perfect for those who love good wine, but are cheap, like me.  If you haven't been, go.   Here's the map from their website:

Plenty of free parking around too.  Bonus!!

Seriously, go and go soon! 

Workout Motivation

So I've been asked a few times how I find the motivation to work out.  Today at work, I was discussing this very subject with a friend.  I go to spin class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 a.m. and then do a cardio/weight training workout two days a week at 5:00 a.m.  I'm not going to lie, some mornings, the last thing I want to do is go to the gym.  But waiting to go after work is not an option for me.  What motivates me to get up at the ass crack of dawn to hit the gym?  It used to be my weight.  I lost 65 pounds a few years ago through working out and watching calories.  Nothing special, that really is the secret.  Now, my focus is something different.  Something a bit more important in the grand scheme of things.  First and foremost, I am working out for my health.
A couple months ago, I underwent a fairly major surgery.  While there are many great side effects from the surgery, there are negatives as well.  Big negatives.  I am now at a much higher risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer earlier in life.  Scary stuff!!  What's the one thing that can help prevent all those awful things?  Regular cardiovascular exercise and strength training!  I know it won't guarantee that I won't get any of those diseases, but it can help prevent them.  Not only that, it's good for so many other things in life.  Exercise is a stress reliever, an energizer, a self-esteem booster, a mood booster, an aphrodesiac (yeah, I am going there!), an immune system booster, a way to control weight gain, and so much more! 

I especially take the heart disease risk seriously because my dad died much too early from heart disease.  After he died, I really started focusing more on cardio, much as I hate it.  And believe me, I HATE cardio!  There is so much focus on breast cancer these days, but heart disease actually kills more women per year than breast cancer! 

So what's my motivation?  Every bead of sweat says a very loud "NO!" to breast cancer.  Every rep screams "Screw You" to osteoporosis.  Every mile echos "Go fuck yourself!" to heart disease.  Every increased heart beat says "I will not be a statistic!" 

Now, I would be lying if I said my weight didn't come to mind at all while I am working out.  As I said in my first post, I love to eat.  Seriously, I really love to eat.  I can eat any man under the table.  I'm not one of those chicks that eats like a bird.  I finish the Lover's leftovers.  Seriously.  But I've been able to maintain my weight while eating incredible food because I work out so strenuously.  I would rather be able to enjoy great food than eat boring foods every day.  I worked my ass off (literally) to lose the weight and I am not going to allow myself to gain it back!!

Along with the whole maintaining my weight thing, I love the increased strength.  I can't begin to put in to words how great it feels to do an exercise and see a man do the exact same exercise, but with much less weight.  I'm totally not a femi-nazi, I swear, but when I work out, I get super "I am woman, hear me roar" when I work out around men.  It pushes me to go further and show up the men-folk.  I don't know why I get that way, but I do.

Finally, when I am really struggling, Lt. Dan comes to my rescue.  Who is Lt. Dan, you ask?  Lt. Dan is my imaginary drill sargeant that yells at me to move my fat ass when I am slowing down.  Sure, I may sound crazy, but Lt. Dan means business and he gets results!  I recommend Lt. Dan to everyone!

So enough about my motivation.  What motivates you to work out?

Hitting the Sauce

My first blog post!  I am no longer a blog virgin!  Oh my goodness, can you tell just by looking at me??

I decided to write this blog for a few reasons:

1.  To shut those up that keep asking me to start one!  I kid, I kid!  Those that suggested I start this blog are fabulous ladies and I am happy they pushed me to do it because without their encouragement, I don't know if I ever would have gotten around to it. 

2.  I've recently started making jewelry and would like to share that with my friends, get feedback and new ideas, and connect with others with the same interests.  I will also be making shoe clips.  Stay tuned for that!

3.  I love to cook and bake.  I also really love to eat.  Those that know me well know I have a thing for cake.   Well, maybe not so much of a "thing" but more like an obsession.  I think that might be a more appropriate description.  Cake is like crack for me.  I'm not one of those women who when at a party with cake (really, it's not a party unless there's cake), will ask for a small piece.  No, I want a big piece and preferrably, one of the corners.  The more frosting, the better.  And when I say frosting, I don't mean fondant.  Looks pretty but tastes like ass.  I'll eat it because it's cake, but I won't love it.  I got off on a tangent thinking of cake, but my point is similar to point 2 above, I want to share my creations with friends, get feedback and new ideas, and connect with others who love to cook and bake.

4.  Travelling the world is my life goal.  It's a big world and I want to see it all.  I've only scratched the surface so far.  But as I stated in my "About Me" section, I am a cheapskate.  If you think you cannot afford to travel, more than likely you are wrong.  It takes planning and most certainly takes being a cheapskate!  I will detail in later blogs how my Lover (aka my husband) and I have been able to take some of the trips we have taken for much less money than you would expect.

So there you have it.  This is what my blog is all about.  I've published my first blog.  I'm no longer a blog virgin.   Wait a minute, since I put out, shouldn't I have been at least taken to a nice dinner first???  I am a lady afterall!  Well, better luck next time I guess :)