Dancin’ Shoes

For the bulk of my 20’s I used to go to dance clubs (from 22-28 or so). It wasn’t quite every weekend but it was a lot. I loved it! It was fun, the music was great, and I was hanging out with my friends. You would think that as a plus-sized person I wouldn’t have found that fun but I really did. I never let my size keep from doing things like that; but at the same time, I really didn’t know just how big I had gotten, either. Denial, denial, denial. I hadn’t been dancing in about three years or so. I just sort of forgot about it and being in a relationship, I chose to spend most of my Friday and Saturday nights with my honey.

On a recent Friday night, Michael had plans to see a band he used to know. He went out with his old roommate Shoe and I made plans with my friend Robyn. We decided to go dancing. I started to get excited about going dancing again after so long. Then as the week progressed, I started to get a “funk” of some sort. I was just utterly exhausted every single day and I felt like I was dragging ass every day. I knew that meant I was probably getting sick–yet no sickness arrived. Just exhaustion. I had no idea why. Friday came and I was still dragging. I seriously just wanted to go home after work and crawl into bed. But I had plans!

I texted Robyn and said that I hoped I got a second wind by that evening for our dancing date. She confessed that she was exhausted as well and suggested we do something low key. I was silently doing a happy dance of my own because the idea of our evening STARTING at 10pm made my whole body ache. I commented on how old I felt and she felt the same. 😉

So dinner it was. I went swimming and then ran home and changed into summery clothes to fit the gorgeous, hot weather that arrived in Portland and hurried out to meet Robyn for dinner.

Our destination was The Observatory–a restaurant in almost NE Portland that I’ve been trying to try for years now but something always changed the plans. I got there just as Robyn was pulling up on her motorcycle and we both took one look at the super packed restaurant and line out the door and said “no thanks”! Instead we went next door to a bar called Roscoe’s.

I’d never heard of Roscoe’s but it turned out to be a fantastic find! Not only was it roomy with lots of tables–and free tables outside in the sunshine–but the staff was super friendly and inviting. I was so glad The Observatory was full.

Robyn and I sat outside and ordered a round of drinks. I started with the Blind Pig IPA and liked it a lot. It wasn’t quite as good as my current favorite beer–Boneyard IPA–but it was tasty. It was hoppy but easy to drink and tasted a bit like orange or grapefruit but not as strong as Boneyard.

For dinner I ordered the spicy mac n’ cheese with andouille sausage. It came with a piece of cornbread, too. My dinner was absolutely, mouth-watering and delicious. I loved every bite of it and was rather sad when the food was gone, even though I was stuffed! My mac n’cheese was indeed spicy.

Robyn got the blackened catfish with salad. The catfish looked huge. She let me have a bite of it because I’d never had catfish before. It was really tasty; it reminded me of a halibut or tilapia and the blackening spice was almost just like Michael’s.

We both ordered another round of drinks. I got a half pint of the Prometheus IPA from a Seattle brewery; it was good but I liked the first beer better.

Robyn and I sat outside enjoying our girl date until the sun was long gone and the air was turning a little crisp. It was a lovely evening and I did indeed get a second wind–but not enough to go dancing! We both vowed to try again soon and go dancing when we’re both not so tired. I had such a good dinner. I will definitely be going back to Roscoe’s! And I will be thinking about that spicy mac for awhile…

I was home and in bed by 10 and so happy I could just sleep (which I did, for about 11 hours) and try to get rid of whatever tired funk I was in. The next morning I woke up late and made plans with Michael to go for what I *thought* would be an easy hike. I decided to cut my workout down, skip most of my cardio in lieu of hiking and just do weights.

Gym Stats:
Time: 25
Calories Burned: 512
Mileage: walked .25, ran 1.0 mile

The workout was good, fast, and I knew the weight lifting would have my hobbling the next day. I hurried home to have lunch with Michael before our hiking date. To Be Continued…

QUESTION: Are you a dancer? What about mac n’ cheese–spicy or regular?