Looking For My Lemon Zest?

I joked with my friend Carrie recently about looking for my lemon zest.



I say that because she tagged me two weeks ago in one of those facebook notes where you type your name into an internet search engine (like Google or Yahoo!) to see what sentences and words are associated with your first name when you add the word "needs" after it.


Here were the responses I received to this silly search engine game:

1. Mandy needs a man.
(Umm, okay. I have one now - a husband named Kirk. Actually, I have three of them if you count my dog and cat too. So I need another one, really?)

2. Mandy needs little introduction, having established herself as one of the funniest and most frequently pregnant comics in the local area.
(I kind of like this one, well except for the idea of being pregnant right now. I plan to wait another year or two before trying for that again!)

3. Mandy needs an obsession.
(Oh I have several, believe me!)

4. Mandy needs the human touch that only traditional animation could give her.
(What!? Huh???)

5. Mandy needs a whole lot of lemon zest.
(I agree! That is why I'm writing this!)

6. Mandy needs a man.
(Wow, it actually said that one twice! What gives? LOL!)

7. Mandy needs Pumping Up.
(Will Hans and Franz be the ones to pump me up? If so, then I'll go for it!)

8. Mandy needs a good home with people who will love her and give her the attention I can't because I am very allergic to her.
(Ummm, yeah, I get that a lot, ....giggling....)

9. Mandy needs an intern.
(ooh, like the guy in the Van Wilder movie, maybe.)

10. Mandy needs Moore exercise.
(Well, I think they're referencing Mandy Moore but I actually just dusted off the old treadmill.)


These made me chuckle for several days. Then I began to look at them more intently and take them seriously. I also started analyzing each line item.


# 5 was the the first one that came to my mind -- I do need a whole lot of lemon zest in my life -- I definitely need more spunk, more sparks and something to motivate me more these days. I've been feeling very blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. I'm not liking that person I see in the mirror. She looks tired, old, out of shape and unhappy.

Just two days ago, I caught myself singing, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." And not in the way that Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis sing it in the movie Top Gun. Really! Now how sad is that! I've been neglecting to love myself, have love (zest) for life and it's starting to affect those around me.

Now, I promise NOT to go all Stuart Smalley on you - I won't be looking into a mirror saying, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and gosh darnit people like me." I'm not that bad off (yet). I just need to prioritize some things and put that pep back in my step.


As far as #s 1 and 6 - needing a man. Well, I probably do need to spend more time with the men in my life. My husband Kirk and I never have any alone time and we never go on dates since we don't have a family support system nearby or a built-in babysitter. But we're working on that. I'm looking into a babysitter and we're trying to move closer to our family, back to New Orleans. I neglect my poor dog Bono, a Sheltie. We never take walks together anymore. And our cat, Sam - well, he's lucky that we remember to feed him. So yes, I should dedicate more time to be with all the men in my life. I will work on that.


#2 - Some people find me funny but I won't be hitting the comedy circuits anytime soon. As far as me being pregnant again, NOPE! I would like another child, someday, but first, we need to get this diva settled a bit more. Kirk and I must decide where we want to raise the one we have now, before adding another sassy mouth to the mix! (We have a lot of life decisions to make in the coming months!)


# 3 - Compulsion by Calvin Clean - anyone remember that Saturday Night Live commerical? It makes fun of Calvin Klein's Obsession cologne by portaying a woman who cannot stop cleaning. Sooo funny! I'm not sure why that just popped into my head since cleaning is definitely NOT my obsession, by any means. Lately I'm obsessed with writing, reading, researching, finding interesting/fun things to do as a family, and much more. I need to tone down my obsessions for a bit, not feed them so much.


#4 - What can I say about this one? Perhaps someone could make a video game about me. I don't know??? It could be cool to be a Lara Croft, Tomb Raider kick-ass kind of character. Does anyone know people who create animation? If so, have your people call my people and let's make this happen (and by "my people", I mean only me. I don't have that intern thing worked out yet).


#s 7 and 10 - Okay, okay, I can take a hint! I need to get my flabby arms and butt into shape. I'm working toward that as well. I jogged on our treadmill three times in the past four days and I found a local Zumba class that I plan to try out soon. I definitely feel better when I regularly exercise so I'm adding this back into my routine.


# 8 - Umm, not quite sure how to comment on that one. My doctor did comfirm that I'm allergic to Montgomery, Alabama. He said that because I'm new to the area, (meaning I have only lived here a year), that this city is indeed causing me to be ill. Apparently this part of Alabama is "highly pollutant and full of allergents" - those were his words, I swear. So maybe this statement is Alabama's way of telling me that I need to find a new home. Actually, my husband is working diligently towards making that happen. He is actively applying for jobs in areas where we want our family to live (since it's not here, not permanently anyway). So I'm hoping to cross this one off my list here very soon!


# 9 - I do in fact have an intern, now that I think about it - Vivian. My daughter is my intern. She's in training to be all she can be. And I'm teaching her everything that I know. I just hope she listens to me at some point and I hope that she'll be my life-long prodigy.


So, I covered the above list. These ten items just started off being a comical game but I have learned from them. I am taking them genuinely to my heart because I believe maybe there is a reason I participated in this game and received these answers.

It's time for me to become serious about my life and make the most of it. Add some lemon zest and maybe chocolate-covered sprinkles too. Time here on earth is so short, after all.

In the meantime, I am looking for real recipes that include lemon zest as an ingredient. That way, I can literally add it to my life, at least through my diet. LOL! So if you have a good one to share with me or if you come across one you think I'd like, please send it my way (either post it here or e-mail me, littlebit.mandy@gmail.com). Thank you very much!