Joyeux Mardi Gras!!

Today is Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday). Which means if I was on the ball and remembered, I would be making gluten-free pancakes or rice flour crepes. Sadly we are having taco salad and then I'm going to have wonderful Pecan Caramel frozen yogurt after I teach a piano lesson.

Part of my Happiness Project was to give up Starbucks for the month of February. Cut back on the sugary-caffeinated drinks for one month. In my first week I failed miserably at it. Over the weekend I only had regular coffee with frothed milk, made at home. Monday I skipped Starbucks and ended up with the biggest headache! Today I caved. Why is this relevant? Because it's Mardi Gras! The day of indulgence before Lent begins. Tomorrow though, 40 days of Lent begins!

Most people think of Lent as "give something up" which is part of the fasting, but it's also about doing something. Starting something spiritual. While I would love to say "I will go to Church every Sunday" I know I don't have the time to do that right now (you should see my to-do list for the next 4 months. eek!). While it's a lame excuse, it's mine and I stand behind it. Rather than make a commitment I can't keep, I plan to pray on my walk to the bus every morning. Not only will this make me slow down, it will also put me in a better frame of mind to start the day. Spending 5 minutes with God will be a nice conversation and force me to focus on the present.

I have found a Catholic Church downtown that has a noon mass tomorrow for Ash Wednesday. I'm very excited as I've always been busy with work or other commitments on Wednesdays. This time, I won't miss it. I'm sure my coworkers will wonder what is on my face when I get back from lunch.