Ski Trip and Christmas

Wow what a busy week last week...now that things have slowed down and I was able to get pics from Beth from the ski trip I am able to sit down and blog:)

SKI TRIP

So we ended up going to PerfectNorth which produces there own snow but it wasn't bad. Kelly Beth and I hit the bunny hill so that me and Kelly could get our ski legs back on....I believe I was the most inexperienced one there....but it didn't take long for us to hit the Blue trails (by the way the bunny hills were the only "green" trail they had so we had not choice but to hit the blue trails)

From left to right: Jenni (me!!), Kelly and Beth

I'm in the White and Blue jacket:)

And here I made it down to the bottom of the hill with out killing myself

The weather was not the best because it started to rain a little bit and after about 5 hours the slopes were getting a littel icy. So around 2:30 we decided to head out. While we were on the slopes I got a call from Mitch but my phone when dead before I could get to it....so when we got back to the car I pluged in my car charger and he left a message to let us know that the north side of town was covered in ice and to be careful coming back.

And he wasn't joking. I took me over 3 hours to drive home. It only too 1.5 hours to drive to PerfectNorth. It was ugly. In fact, before we got on the interstate we noticed that traffic was backed up.....there was a jack knifed semi on the road.

In the end had a great time and even though the drive home was long we all made it back in one piece. I am so ready for my next ski trip!!!!

CHRISTMAS

Now onto a very very busy Christmas. Lets start out with the timeline

Tuesday (Christmas Eve)

Travel to Dad and Eva at around 5:00. They live about 45 minutes west from my house. We stayed until around 11:30pm. Said our goodbyes and headed to Mitch's house on the North side.

Wednesday (Christmas)

Mitch lives about 30-45 minutes from my dad's. We make it to his house, exchanged gifts (which I will get to the gifts in a minute) and finally went to bed around 1:30am. Only to get up around 6:30 am (I think) so that we can drive to his brothers house and be there by 8:00am (his brother lives about 30 minutes away). Had Christmas with Mitch's family and around noon we headed back to Mitch's house.

We ended up making a cheesecake (my favorite!!! White Chocolate Raspberry), which took about 2 hours to make! Then we gathered our things to head back to my house (1 hour South) to pick up the rest of the gifts and drive to my mom's. We were there around 6:00pm. I can't remember what time we actually left but it seemed late.

Talk about running around all over town during Christmas.

Curious about what I got for Christmas? Well here is a small list...to type out everying would be rediculous so I'm only going to hit the high lights:)

Diamond Earings - Can you guess who gave me those? It was my boyfriend....he loves me!!!

Wine Frig - from Dad and Eva. The frig hold 18 bottles of wine and has two temp controls....just to give you an idea.

Electric Blanket and a $50 gift certificate to Dick Sporting Goods from Mitch's mom and dad. And yes the electric blanket is a big item for me because I have been wanting one for several years....I get so cold at night it helps me stay warm:) The gift certificate is for me to purchase running gear....I can't wait to spend it, but I'm hoping for a sale on underarmour!

A Coach Cluch Purse, Phones for my house and a Special Light that helps with my seasonal depression - These all came from my mom and Bob.

It was a very good Christmas. I enjoyed my time with my family and friends. As much as I enjoyed it I am happy it is over!

Christmas Party

We had our white elephant exchange Christmas party. It was a pretty sad party...mainly because we had it this past weekend and because everyone was busy with other holiday parties the turn out was a little slim.

Here was the list of people who came

Me (of course because I hosted it)

Mitch - BF

Beth

Kelly

Ada

Kari and Brook (but due to Kari having to travel she was not able to make it until late in the evening)

Normally we have 10 or more....and here is how the exchange went.

Only four people brought gifts to exchange and after the exchange Kelly and Beth went home with their gift, with Beth planning on returning hers for something else she wanted. Mitch and I swapped gifts. It was sincerely the most pathetic thing you have ever seen.

We ended up playing Scene it...which is the best game especially if you have someone on your team who is good at answering all the questions. I think most of us where horrible at it except for Mitch and Ada. Between the two of them no question or problem when unanswered.

We had a load of food....which everyone left with about as much as they came with...minus the wine:)

As everyone left and we were cleaning up I realized in the end it was a really good Christmas party. So what if we didn't have a huge group of people show up and everyone almost ended up with the gift that they brought. The group that was there were close friends and we had a lot of laughs during the "party" and that is all that mattered. We all had fun and we all have some good memories to walk away with.

(from the left: Beth, Kelly, Ada, Jenni, Mitch is behind the camera)

Tomorrow Beth, Kelly and I are going to go skiing!!!!! I will have to let you know how that goes. Right now we are planning on leaving tonight (driving 3 hours) and spend the night at a hotel then ski all day and drive back home tomorrow night.

Slippin and a slidin!

This weather is driving me nuts!!! So on Tuesday, before I left work it started to freeze rain...a normal drive of 20 minutes turned into a one hour drive, with a max speed of 20 mph. What made things worse is that I was almost home...just one stoplight away from being home and my car slide out of control...I almost hit another car. Scared the crap out of me!

So I drove even slower the rest of the way.

Then on Wednesday the roads were crap again. Dawn texted me at about 5:30 to let me know that the road were bad and we weren't going to run on them, we would run inside. I decide not to chance it and I just ran on my treadmill (which I realize I don't like the treadmill) After I ran I decide not to go into work...and because I didn't bring home my computer I no choice but to take some vacation time (what little I had left).

So here I was with nothing planed and nothing to do...then the brilliant idea of cleaning out my garage so I could pull my car into it popped into my head. So I got on my snowsuit (yes, I have an old snowsuit that I bought at a garage sale for $1, just for the purpose of working outside when it was cold) and headed out side to the garage (I have a detached garage).

My dogs flew out the door and wanted to play...I on the other hand flew out the door and hit my step that was covered in a sheet of ice. My legs went up and my body fell to the ground. I caught myself just enough not to slam my head into the edge of my concrete porch. I just sat there in a dazy.... alittle worried about moving because I wasn't sure how bad I might have hurt myself.

Then comes my dog to check me out and give me the biggest puppy kiss ever. Almost like she knew what I was feeling.....God I love my dogs! The I slowly got up and I seemed to be alright...I shock it off and continued to clean my garage.

Only to come in and realize my ankle was hurting. I called my BF for some sympathy, which he gave me...although I'm sure he was laughing somewhere inside, because I would have been. He told me to ice my ankle...which I did and it felt better.

So then, stupid me still had to do personal training that night. I went (I regret that I went) and pushed my way through it.

Now today! I'm in so much pain right now. My body hurts in place I didn't know existed. My right wrist hurts pretty bad to....I haven't taking any Advil yet...only because I ran out!!! So now I have to run to the store and get me some before I run to the gym.

Yes, I said I was running to the gym...why?! Because I'm being stupid, because I eat to many damned googies and I'm working to damned hard to let it go down the drain. When you run three days a week, do Personal Training 1 day a week and do some light cardio on other day aweek and your body weight stays the same...something is wrong. And that something is SWEETS!!!! I can't stay away from them...I'm addicted! So to lose weight I must either stop / slow down on the sweets or increase my cardio......I choose option 2. So now I sit here in pain from yesterday and am about ready to hurt myself even more.....oh, and did I forget to tell you that I'm running tomorrow morning as well.

OK, enough about me being stupid and time for me to change into my workout cloths.

Jingle Bell Run

So I actually ran my first race today.....The JINGLE BELL RUN! My time was about a 12 minute mile...which I have been clocking about 12.5 minute mile. What an improvement!!!

Here is Dawn and I at the begining of the race....and before I go any further I want to send out big kudos to Beth who froze her butt off just so I can have a few picts of my very first race! HUGE THANKS.

That is about the time it was when we passed the finish line....my "photograph" Beth got a pic of the clock right after we passed the finish line....plus we were at the back of the line in the beginning of the race so the clock for us is about 30 sec off.

This is us about ready to cross the finish line....notice Dawn looks a whole lot happier than I do. And why is this you might ask....well because Dawn can actually run about a 9 minute mile so a 12 minute mile is nothing for her. There fore she has a huge grin and I look like I'm in pain....LOL!!!

Here is me and Dawn walking back to the car.....yes I'm still in pain.

Here I am in my Jingle Bell shirt! yep they gave us all a shirt and I'm wearing it with pride today! and yes I am a dork!!

Cookie Exchange

OK, so I am participating in a cookie exchange hosted by http://anothersuburbanmom.blogspot.com/. I have several favorite recipes and it was hard to narrow it down to just one. But as I dug through my thousands of goodie recipes there was one that really stuck out in my head.

It is the most fabulous coconut bon bon recipe on this earth. I love using dark chocoalate but milk chocolate also works.

I was never a huge fan of cooking shows...maybe becuase I would sit and watch these wonderful chefs prepare these awesome meals and I couldn't smell or taste any of it...it would irritate me, I guess I'm a hands on girl!

Anyway one afternoon I was switching through hundreds of channels and landed on the foodnetwork and there was Wolfgang Puck, making something with chocolate. I had to watch!!! Not sure why, but it caught my attention. When he was finished he had made these wonderful coconut bon bons. They looked so good, I googled the recipe later that night and decided to try my hand at them.

I gave them to a couple of coworkers to see how they were and they LOVED them! They each begged me for the recipe.

Now it has become a tradition that I make these "coconut bon bon" as part of xmas cookie gifts.


WARNING: Very addictive!!!!!

So have fun making them and enjoy!

Florida Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Patties
By: Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) unsweetened coconut, packed, plus additional for rolling patties
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate , cut into small pieces*
*If using milk chocolate, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil while melting.

Directions
Make the coconut filling: In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, butter, egg white, and salt until very liquid and warm to the touch, about 10 minutes.


Remove from the heat and, with a spoon, stir in the coconut and vanilla until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, up to overnight.


When ready to coat the coconut, in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water melt the chocolate. When almost melted, turn off the heat and let the chocolate continue to melt completely, stirring occasionally. Keep the bowl over the warm water.


Form the balls: Line a small tray with parchment paper. Using a scant ounce of the coconut mixture, roll into a small ball and place on the parchment-lined tray. Repeat with the remaining mixture, forming 18 balls.

Oh Christmas tree Oh Christmas tree

My tree is finally up and shining bright! Beth came over today and helped me put up my tree. I really didn't need the help because its a small cheap, almost Charlie Brown looking tree. BUT, it's a Christmas tree and it's up!!!

Here is a picture with the lights on

And here is a picture with the ligths off. (by the way these were taking with my point and shoot...I might try to get better pict later with my good camera)

Don't you agree it looks like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree? It only 4 or 5 feet tall. Short little thing. It was a $16 special at Big Lots 3 years ago. I do have a huge tree that is 7ft tall. It takes so long to put the darn thing together that I had to down size, which makes it nicer for me. I still get the Christmas spirit going...just not so much of it.

I was excited to put up the tree this year because I had several new ornaments to put on it. Every time I travel I purchase something to hang from my Christmas tree. Because I've traveled a lot this year I had so many new ones to put on the tree. That was the fun part....looking at all of them and remembering where they came from and the trip.

After the tree was up...I baked some cookies. Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chip cookies and Oatmeal cookies. I still have some more to bake but it's a start and I'm tired to I'm done and enjoying some wine.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

New Widget

Look I have a new widget (Thanks DeAnna!!)....it looks so much better than just making the lists of books I've read. Take a look at my new bookshelf. Love it!!!

I've been looking for a widget that would allow me to post my books on a bookshelf but I was never able to find one. And of course when I went looking for a blog that might have one I was unsuccessful. Then today DeAnna called me (she just got a MAC....I'm so jealous!) because she was playing with her computer and told me about Shelfari.com. Best little website, It's like a book lovers community.

Anyway, I've played a little with it and got it to up and running on my sidebar...LOVE IT!!!

Talking about running, I ran my 3.1 mile today and it actually felt good, outside of the 14 degree weather. Lungs did hurt a little...I think I found my thresh hold for cold weather and 14 degrees is it. But the Jingle Bell run is next Saturday and I'm getting excited about it.

I just went to a sporting good store and picked up an under armour cold gear shirt. It was fabulous! and it was expensive. $50! I stood there holding the shirt for over an hour trying to rationalize spending $50 on just one. I finally gave in and drove home with my new under armour cold gear shirt.

Tryed it out for the first time today and it is well worth the $50. It kept the sweat off my body and held in the heat...of course in weather like this I had a jacket on as well. But the shirt is great! No regret! I figure I will purchase one running attire at a time.

So after this 5K run there is another run in Feb that is called the polar bear run. It is 5 miles so I will continue training for it. And I plan on signing up for the mini marathon training....and no I don't plan on running the mini this year, at least I don't think I am. As I get closer and work through the training I will figure out if I want to run it or not.

Ok, so why am I being crazy trying to run my legs off. Well medical reasons was the biggest driver in starting to run. I suffer from seasonal depression and when Jan and Feb comes along I struggle with crazy depressed thoughts and have a really hard time getting out of bed, along with other things. I went to a counselor and she wanted to put me on Prozac.

Nope not for me! I only suffer from seasonal depression so that means about 3 months out of the year Prozac will help but because of how that medication works I would have to take it all year round. My counselor was surprise when I asked for alternative options.

So here are my options
1) Move to a state that is sunny all year round (hummmm, not happening!)
2) Tanning bed (Ok, have you seen how fair complected I am.....um, cancer!!! not liking that one)
3) Light Therapy (Ok, this is a good option...I just sit infront of a special light 20 minutes a day and that should work)
4) Increase your exercise (hummmm, that would take effort!)

So after I fired my counselor and 2 months later, in October, I slid into a depressed state...it was bad. For a week I didn't want to get out of bed and life seemed hopeless. Then the sun came back out and things started to get better. And that was the last straw for me. I'm not doing it again this year. I'm not going to get depressed and have crazy thoughts running through my head. I have to do something and I need to do it now!

So on a whim I contact Dawn and that is how it all began. I can really tell a difference already. Usually by this time of year I'm much slower at getting out of bed. But right now getting out of bed is not so bad and I only hit the alarm 2-3 time....compared to 10-15.

So why am I running....because it's making me feel good and happy! And because of that I will continue to run.

Anyway....xmas season is here and I am booked up again through the end of the month. Life has gotten so busy and it feels so good!

Holiday Recap

3.1 MILE!!!!! Yep, I did it…I ran (a slow run) 3.1 miles this morning. It was the best run ever. So now the story

It was pretty outside because it was snowing and people have already started to put up their Xmas light on their houses. So I pull up and meet Dawn at our normal place and we start to run.

I was determined to push through any pain and get in 2 miles. As we are running she starts to tell me that we are actually going to complete 3.1 miles today. I was all for it because we only have 2 week until my first 5k. I figured if I could get 2 miles straight and then we could switch to walk run.

We went up on cul-de-sac and then another. My legs were starting to burn but I kept telling myself “I can do this”. Then we came up to the fence which was normally were we would stop and walk. But Dawn told me that we were going to go to the end of the street (which was my 2 miles) and from there we would keep running as far as my leg would let me go.

We got to the fence and kept going to the end of the street. By this time I was starting to feel really good. The burn in my legs was fading a way, we had a nice pace going and my breathing was good. I was feeling good. The first time I wasn’t dieing and wanting to stop…so I pushed forward.

The last small hill we hit almost did me in…I was straining a little bit and my heart was pounding and my legs started to burn…but I sucked it up and kept going…and before I knew it we were done.

Once we stopped I could really feel my legs turn to jello. It took all I had to make it back to the building and stretch. Now the goal is to keep the same trail for the next 2 weeks and working on keeping a good pace.

OK, I have to say Dawn is starting to talk me into doing the mini this year. I think I will do the training…it’s been fun trying to complete three miles…now I’m wondering if I can complete 13. But one step at a time.

Enough of my great run this morning….now for a Thanksgiving recap!

It was insanely busy this Thanksgiving…I had to cancel stuff on Sunday just to relax.

So it all started with Wednesday. My mom calls me up during the day and wanted to know if I wanted to help her move some things later that night. Sure, why not. So I go to her house and help her move some of her cloths over to the new house. Then when I get there she asks if I want to seal grout, paint or line the cabinets…..ummmm, what? Really, I thought I was here to help you move. I would paint but I don’t have cloths. Well that didn’t stop anything because I borrowed my stepdads pants and my moms shirt.

So I spent the rest of the time on Wednesday painting. Then they took me out to eat…which was nice.

Thursday, My BF came over and we started to prepare two side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner which was held at my moms old house. He got stuck in traffic which caused us to be 45 minutes late to dinner….luckly they didn’t start eating until we got there.

We had the typical turkey dinner. Then we all drove over to mom and bobs new house, checked it out and drove back to the old house for desert. From there we played cards (Hand and Foot) which seemed to last for ever! It was getting to be around 7:00 and we had to end the game. We said our goodbye’s and drove over to my house…where we divided up food and I packed my bags, trying to get the right things for pheasant hunting.

We got to his house around 9:00. He had a few things to get done and then we hit the sack. Only to wake up at the butt crack of dawn (not really but it sounded good) We did wake up around 6:00 with a 2 hour drive ahead of us.

I’ve never been pheasant hunting so I was curious about how thing would go. I liked it…it got me outside doing something different. This year the only thing I shot was my camera. I grabbed it to try to get some good shots of the dogs on point….ummm, didn’t happen this time but I did get a couple of other interesting shots…I will have to post later. My BF got 2 pheasants…which was the limit for the day.

This next year I’m going to purchase a gun (BF will help me find the right one) and learn how to skeet shoot. Then maybe next year I can participate in hunting pheasants. So by BF treated me to a late lunch and then we headed back to his house. I gathered my stuff, which I was exhausted, and headed home.

By the time I got home it was around 5:30….to prevent myself from falling a sleep to early I started to clean my kitchen, trying to prepare for my dads arrival for Saturday.

Saturday morning I finished cleaning and doing laundry and then I met my brother, dad and stepmom for lunch…from there they came back to my house to see my recently remodeled bathroom. They stayed for several hours until about 6:00pm. Everyone finally left so I hit the internet to check my email and see if there were any other deals in cyberspace then chatted with the BF for a while ended up gong to bed around 10:00pm

I woke up on Sunday and knew I needed time to relax and be alone. So I cancelled plans to go to a friends house who was having a purse party and declined and invitation to join another friend at the gym. Instead I stayed on my couch all day relaxing, being lazy and finishing my book. It was so nice to not have to do anything for one day.

Overall a very good holiday and a lot of great memories. Hope everyone had a happy holiday as well.

Twighlight and Running

Twilight
I went and saw Twilight…the much-anticipated film. Of course going in I know that books are always better than movies…but I loved the book so much I had to see the movie. And I was completely disappointed. I’m not sure they selected the best actors for this movie. Bella seems like she was struggling to get words out half the time. The constant licking of the lips drove me nuts..I just wanted to yell “get some chapstick” Then there was one part where she was suppose to be looking “lovingly” at Edward…and the they zoomed in really close to her face….first thing that jumped in my head was porn....she looked just like a porn star about ready to jump in and get her self some. It didn’t look like love to me Ugh!!! Irritating!!!

The special effects sucked as well. There was one part where he grabbed Bella and tossed her on his back and started to run through the forest. It kinda reminded me of that texting commercial where the guy is running on a track and his body still and his legs were moving really really quickly. It was the same type of effect. Almost reminded me of a low budget movie.

I would suggest anyone who thinks they want to see it…wait for video!

Running update
So I’ve only been running for 3 weeks now and I can’t believe how far I’ve gotten. Today I actually ran about 1.8 miles with little pain. I never expected to run that far this quickly.

The first time I ran, I just about died running ½ mile..which was only 3 weeks ago…now I’m running 1.5 without to much trouble. My lungs don’t scream at me anymore. My legs, from the knee up, don’t burn anymore…I’m still working on my calfs, but that will come!

I woke up this morning, after a really rough night of sleep…I’m going back to my waking up every 2 – 3 hours…it sucks. Anyway, it was raining when I woke up…I just shook my head and figured we would run inside. Nope, we braved the misty rain and ran outside. It was about 32 degree…which to my surprise is a really good temperature to run in.

So this Wednesday I will be running by myself as Dawn is leaving to visit her parents for the Thanksgiving holiday….I still question if this is the safest thing for me to do…but I’m going to do it, however I will take my phone with me..just incase.

My goal for this Wednesday is
1) get my butt out of bed
2) keep a steady pace ( I have a bad tendency to speed up)
3) Complete 2 miles without stopping to walk.

Let’s cross our fingers and hope that I make this!!!

Doggie update....with other stuff!!!

Doggie update:
OK, Jazzy is doing fine. She will go back to the vet in 3 weeks for a follow up visit. The vet was not able to remove all the teeth...so the teeth that were left he cleaned really well and wants to see how she will heal in the next few weeks.

So for now, I have her on soft food (which I have to share some with the other two dogs) and I have her on antibiotics and pain meds. So she is happy as can be right now.

Running
I think I have gone completely crazy.

About three weeks ago I contacted a friend to see if she would help me run 3 miles. (partly because I want to do the sprint triathlon next year ) I have attempted to run 3 miles in the past but have not been successful. Training myself we never a good idea:)

Anyway, I called my friend up and she was excited to get me started. So for 2 weeks, going on 3 weeks, I have gotten up at 5:30am and met her at 6:15am to start our run. Now, it's not so hard to get up at 5:30....the hard part is it's freaking cold outside. This morning when we ran it was around 30 degree. I dont' like the cold...so why am I doing this again? Anyway...I'm doing this..plus I like the way I am starting to look.

To keep me motivated to run I have signed up for a 5K on December 13...so I only have 3 1/2 weeks to work up to 3 miles. I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

Bloggers Meet
OK, I had to get this on in to....I've been doing so much it's hard to keep up my blog with everything I do. But this was a very rare occasion to meet other bloggers out in the world.

A small group of us met up this past weekend in broadripple. First time to meet face to face. After several months of following others blog it was fun to meet the person behind the blog. My BF participated as well. I'm happy he went...it would have been weird to meet complete strangers alone! But after meeting them I realized that they are all "normal".

So we met at this little pub for foods and drinks. I already had dinner so my BF ordered an prezel appetizer and split it with me....yummy! I had a little to much to drink at first....which means I had one glass of cider. I ordered a second but after a few sips my BF had to finish for me.

Then me moved on to this bar. We all sat and chatted a bit more and then someone decided it was time to leave...and thank goodness we left. My BF ended up parking on the street because it was free. However we didn't realize was a not parking zone.

As we were walking out we saw for flashing lights of a cop car...no big deal right! Wrong, the cop car was blocking the street that we parked in. The old lady parking lot attendee made mention that they tow cars for parking on the street.

We said our goodbye really fast and as we were walking toward his truck there was a tow truck trying to turn around on the street. I look at my BF and said "RUN". We ran to his truck, jumped in and took off....just in time because there was a second tow truck trying to back up into the street and block it. But we pulled up so quickly that the tow truck had no choice but to let us out.

I'm talking if we were 2 seconds later and he would have been either towed or fined. All I can say, is whoever decided to leave....THANK YOU!!!!!

Anyway, it was a good time. It was nice to meet everyone. I hope to meet everyone again.

That is it for now. It's hard to catch up when you get behind.

Poor doggie

So I'm a little sad this afternoon, because I had to take my Rotti into the vet and get the rest of her teeth pulled. Now I will have a toothless Rott!!

The worst part is I called the vet a little after 10 to check on her and they said that she is in surgery right now and the vet doesn't know if he will be able to pull all the teeth. He thinks it will be to painful to have them all taken out at once. WHAT!? I know she had 5 teeth he was going to pull. I'm spending around $200 already, this included the teeth extraction, pain shot and anaesthesia. Then we added antibiotics and additional pain pills. And now he is saying that I may have to bring her back?

I don't have another $200 for another round of teeth extraction. I'm starting to think about her quality of life and is it worth it all. It's not like I can give her dentures so she can have her standard food and chew on bones. Although I think she swallows her food whole right now.

The fact is...Jazzy is getting very old, has night blindness, has trouble moving around because of joint issues (probably arthritis) and just recently I've discovered lumps on her belly.

I called back to see if they were able to remove the rest of the teeth and the vet was at lunch. So I have to call back later. I'm not going to put her through this again...and if he didn't remove the decaying teeth.....I'm going to be pissed.

I think they play on peoples emotions and try to get every little dime they can....so this leave me with the quality of life she will live and the finacial obligation as she gets older. I know what needs to be done...I just can't do it.

Florida Trip

Wow, it's been a while since I actually could update my blog...I've been so busy, plus I got really sick this last week and could barely take care of myself. But, I'm much better now and ready to get my life rolling again.

So the week of November 3 I went with a group of girls to Florida. It was so fun and relaxing. We had no plans for anything but laying out on the beach and reading books. Sleeping in as late as we could, however I'm "old" and ended up getting up at 7:00am every morning. I even continued my running schedule:)



This is the view from the hotel...just a short walk to the beach. It was a fantastic location.




This is me in front of the beach. Unfortunately even with all my effort of applying 50 SPF sun lotion I still managed to burn my back. You can't tell in this picture but I actually have some sun....call me pale.

These are the girls that I went with.

While I was laying on the beach in a one piece (notice all the other girls had two pieces) that was purchased about two or three years ago at walmart. I decided that I was looking good enough to put on a two piece. So we all took time out to go shopping and look for a swim suit for me and a couple other girls.

I found one and it was reasonable cost. It was great. We went to this shop where this lady knew what she was talking about when it came to swim suits. I tried on a couple on and then she gave me this one that, when I looked at it I was thinking there is no way this will look good on me. I went ahead and tried it ( something I learned from What Not To Wear....LOL). I stepped out of the dressing room and the reaction on my girlfriends face said it all.

I LOOKED GOOD! so I bought it and it felt good to go out on the beach in a two piece. It's been over 20 years since I felt like I could put on a two piece....yeah, I'm feeling good!

I also, for the first time, swam in the ocean. I've been to the ocean before and got my feet wet, but I've never actually swam in the ocean. It was great! My next step will be taking surf lessons next time.

Anyway, had a great time and enjoyed every minute of my Florida trip.

Just to summarize my trips this year: Pittsburgh, New York City, Mediterranean Cruise, South Dakota, Florida. I think I am done traveling for this year. Might do a quick ski trip in Dec but it depends.

I VOTED!!!!!

I voted today!

I stood in line for 1 hour just so that my voice can be heard. I place my single vote hoping that in the big picture it will matter. I'm hoping that months of debate, researching, listening and reading has given me the ability to vote for someone who will be the best choice for our country and I hope that he will be selected as president.

It doesn't matter who I voted for...the fact that I got my butt out of bed this morning at 6:00 am and stood in line and voted, is what matters. The fact that I voted for someone because of their leadership, morals and skills and not because of any other superficial reason makes my vote matter.

Goodwill outlet....Really?!

Busy, busy weekend. Costume party Friday night, Skeet practice with a 20 gauge Saturday afternoon until about 5pm…..my shoulder is really soar. Shoe shopping for a good pair of running shoes on Sunday.

Fun fun weekend, however the most bizarre thing I saw was a Goodwill outlet store. Yep as we were going shopping for my running shoes we came across this large building and there was a huge sign that said GOODWILL OUTLET STORE.

I looked over at my BF and asked him to stop in there…I just had to go in and see what a goodwill outlet store looked like.

It was actually pretty simple. You walk in and it’s just a large open space. To the right there is furniture and bikes and all the other large items. To the left there were rows of blue totes on wheels, which held clothing, books and other small items.

It was like a zoo in there….people were rummaging through all the blue totes and moving quickly. There was no stopping these people…if you get in their way they didn’t have a problem pushing through you. Everyone had a cart full of cloths…I mean heaping…some people actually had two heaping carts full of cloths and other items. The price was insane….it was something like: 1-20lbs (cloths) $1.59. That is a lot of clothing for $1.59, however I’m not sure I could shop there…it was to crazy and I don’t like shuffling through to totes. And it smelled funky! Kinda like dirty laundry.

However, I think it is a good thing to have. There are people out there who are struggling and this is a perfect place for them to shop. It’s also a good place to shop is you are trying to support a charity that give cloths to others in need…like a shelter for abused women.

Anyway, even though it’s a good thing…it still struck me as odd, almost an oxy moron.

OK, outside of the goodwill experience….I attempted to run this morning. Met a friend this morning at 6:15 and began to run….ugh, I am not a distance runner…so this was difficult. She had a 2 mile run mapped out for us and we started. At first it wasn’t back and then we were reaching the ½ mile mark and I was huffing and puffing and weezing. She just chatted along like we were shopping at the mall and I was almost on the verge of dieing. It was quit funning when I think about it. But, I have to say, she didn’t let me give up…she kept encouraging me….our goal was to reach that ½ mile. We did!

She let me know that the only thing I need to work on is my distance and we can worry about speed later. So first thing is first…..I need to be able to complete 3 miles without dieing and hacking up a lung. Well, really the first thing is to complete the 2 miles without walking and with out hacking up a lung. Then I can move to 3 miles.

After I complete the ½ mile we started the interval training…where we switch from walking and running. At the end I was happy it was over…but it also felt good. There is a 5k in Dec that she suggested that we sign up for….So, I’m thinking what the heck. Might as well have a short-term goal to reach….my long term is a sprint triathlon.

One step at a time….it will all come together.

Thought for the day

Why is society seem to be getting dumber in the world…now this may be a loaded questions but maybe the answer is in our own house.

Many people want to point fingers at our school systems and the government saying they are corrupting our children. But is it really the fault of the schools and the government? I don’t think so. I’m wondering if its our society and how we teach our own children.

I have a news flash for some parents out there…it’s really your responsibility to teach your children. Gosh, did I say that out loud. Yep I did. Parents need to step in and step up.

OK, so really I have a pretty strange theory. If you are a good parent (and there is nothing mentally wrong with your child) then your child should be smarter than you at some point in his/her life. Maybe I’m going out on a limb here, but it makes logical since to me. We are teaching our children everything we know or teach them how to get the information then by the time they hit (some random age) they should be smarter than you.

So, why are kids getting dumber? Because of fear. Because parents have a hard time comprehending that their child could ever be smarter then they are. Because parents don’t want their child to ever be smarter then themselves. Because the parent doesn’t ever want to seem dumb to their child.

I’m just saying that if we truly taught our children everything we know then shouldn’t they eventually be smarter then us not dumber?

Just my thought for the day.

After 30

I don’t know what it is about the age of 30, but I’ve had a lot of eye opening experiences that makes me rethink the way I see my life. I’m talking little things and I’m not sure how or why my perception has changed but it has.

Things like:
1. I finally realized that I will not live for eternity, that I will eventually die one day.
2. Because I’m not invincible, I no longer drive like a crazy person, I even slow down to let people in front of me.
3. Life is too short not forgive, so I have forgiven many many people in my life that have hurt me in the past. I’ve learned to forgive!!!!
4. Material things are just that, Material.
5. I can laugh at myself and mistakes that I make…and I’m alright if someone laughs at my mistakes too.
6. I’m not perfect….who would have thought I would figure that one out!?
7. My friends are an important part of who I am.
8. Being a certain size should not be my life focus.
9. There are so many things going on outside of my personal universe that I need to pay closer attention to….aka stop being so selfishJ
10. Since I’ve turned 30 (three years ago) I have finally excepted who I am as a person and I’m a pretty awesome person both mentally and physically.

There are so many other things floating around in my head that in the last three years I have realized. I am how I am for a reason….not sure I know what that reason is but I’m here. And even though I’m not proud of something in my past I’ve learned that they happened for a reason and I just need to except it.

I love myself…as vain as that might sound, I have to love myself or I couldn’t love anyone else.

So I’m going to leave you with this quote;

“The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.” By Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Weekend Fun!

Wow, this weekend was busy with a lot of fun stuff! It all started Friday night when a group of friends decided to go to a haunted house. It was crazy. First we ate at this wonderful barbeque place…a little hole in the wall but they are the best around!

Then we ran over to the haunted house. And it was good. It’s hard to scare me because I use to work at a haunted house back in high school. So I know a lot of the tricks they use to scare people. I think the best part of the haunted house is watching a few of the other girls who walked through most of it with their eyes covered and letting out a yelp here and there. It was great!

The haunted house had 6 different attractions to it…we went to 5 of them and after spending about 2 ½ hours there we decided not to finish the last one and go home.

Saturday I ran around trying to get my house prepped for my annual wine party and running to the store picking up a few things.

Here the funny part!

I had sent out the invite about a month ago and forgot when I told everyone to come. So while I was at the haunted house I asked one of my friends what time I had put down…she said 7:00pm. Which was perfect, except I actually put down 6:00. So a 6:00 when I was still preparing and still had not taken a shower, people started to arrive! What a mess, but it ended up being alright because I had plenty of hands to help move things outside.

We had 14 different selections of wine and an extreme amount of food. The wine tasting took place next to a bon fire….it was fun.

This is just one of the two tables!!!

Lots of friends, lots of conversation, lots of food and lots of wine.

I love my annual wine party! Next year I’m thinking it will be in side, it did get a little cold, even with the fire.

Me and my little Ladybug. She was my little vacuum...if you dropped something she was there to pick it up. Near the end of the night she helped me stay warm by sitting in my lap.

It was a lot of fun.....on Sunday I just layed around and recouped for a rough week and exciting weekend!

Stupid People Report

OK, I’m not really sure this would fit completely under stupid people report…but close enough.

So, one of my girlfriends and I went to wally world to check out their Halloween stuff and as we walked in there was this woman. Now let me try my best to describe her appearance.

Think trailer trash…40 plus year old white woman, with bleach blond hair that is dry, frizzy and almost unmanaged. She was dressed in navy blue sweat pants and matching navy blue sweat shirt. I’m talking pull string sweat pants with an elastic band!

Very manicured nails with what appeared to be some design on them (yes, I was that close!), let me clarify - very FAKE manicured nails…..are you creating this picture in your head…now that is not what caught my eye about this woman because most people at wally world have this same type of attire. Not really a big deal.

What caught my eye was the 25 or so gold chains that hung around her neck…with the bonus packages of a huge gold cross dangling from one of the larger chains!!!

I had to stare…I know it was bad but my jaw hit the ground…it was a very disturbing site. What in the world was she thinking….did you really thing that an excessive amount of gold chains slung around her neck made her look good….well it made her look “stupid”….if she took the time to put on that many chains don’t you think she should take the time put on a pair of jeans or something half decent?
I’m just saying….it was a site to see. I was sorry I didn’t have my handy camera around to take a picture…that teaches me!

Muffin Top any one?

I know, silly stuff again….but this morning I was looking for something to wear for work and because it was Friday we can wear jeans….well, my old faithful jeans look more like mom jeans and I just wasn’t wanting to put them on…yes high wasted and all.**cringe**.

So I dug into my dresser drawers and saw these jeans that I haven’t been able to wear for over 6 months….why? you ask…. Because they gave me a small muffin top…oh, yeah, it was there…hanging out happily over the top of my jeans, jiggling like jello at everyone who would walk by…I was mortified. So I folded them up in disgust and left them in the drawer to rot.

But now, this morning, I was standing there staring at them as they sat in all there glory, pushing me to try them on, just once. I stood there shuffling through my drawer hoping to find something else to put on, but really, in the back of my head I know it was either going to be the old faithful jeans or my muffin top jeans.

So I grabbed the muffin top jeans just to see how they fit….seeing that I’ve been going to a personal trainer and exercising more they should fit better. At least I had hoped. So one leg at a time, I slide them up. I stopped about mid thigh because they were feeling a little tight, but then I forge ahead and pulled them up to my waist. Oh!! not to bad, a little snug in the thighs but over all good.

Now came the true test….buttoning the jeans! I’ve always been able to button them so the true question is 1) will I have to suck in and 2) will there be a muffin top?

OMG! The answer is NO to both….I didn’t have to suck in and I don’t have a muffin top….talk about a real ego boost!

There I was standing, comfortably might I add, in jeans that didn’t fit 6 months ago. The best part was NO MUFFIN TOP…..there was a seamless curve of my waist that flowed smoothly down into my jeans…NO SPEED BUMP. I was so ecstatic that I ran to my mirror and stared at my reflection…I turned to my left and then to my right and then I stopped at the straight forward reflection….lifting my shirt up just enough to see the smooth lines of my body flow into my jeans.

Yep, I thought to my self in a very vain way….I look good and I feel good. But most importantly NO MUFFIN TOP.

Bookclub

Oh, my gosh...I had so much fun at my last book club meeting last night. The host this week was able to land a call from the author....how insane is that. We actually talked to a published author.

The book we read was "The Next Thing on My List". Its a good fast read...and after speaking to the author it make it more real and interesting how she came up with the story line and some of the characters.

Before we all entered the sitting area there was a table with post it notes and we all had the oppurtunity to write down what is on our "life list". It was interesting to see how many people has the same dreams or interest. Maybe that was what made it fun...being able to connect a little better with everyone.

OK, I know some of them are going to kringe at the fact I am posting this picture...so if anyone wants there face removed please let me know and I will blur it out...until then it's on my blog. OK really only about a hand full know about this blog....hehe!

Just in case you are trying to figure out which one I am..I am in the back 2nd from the right...the only one with her hair pulled back....

So then we did a silly picture of everyone.....as silly group needs a silly picture:)

It was a lot of laughs......what a great mix of ladies!!!

A little ADD for you

So, I’ve been sitting here pondering some silly stuff…you stuff that you mind starts to wonder because it has nothing to keep it active…yep pondering stuff because my mind is bored.

I just recently had a brief conversation with my BF regarding Nostradamus. Yeh, the prophet or physic how ever you want to look at it. Did he really predict that future…..don’t know. But it’s interesting to think about.

I started to look for this one script somewhere that reads about a dark or black man coming out of the desert and befriends the world but he is really the “anti-christ” or something along those lines…..still looking and I hope I can find it and read it in it’s entirety.

So do we know of any man that has come out of the desert and get people to believe he is there friend and looking out for his best interest? I can think of on man…..um, dare I say his name…here is one clue…he is running for president.

Now without the exact quatrains than I don’t have a leg to stand on with this but I can sure speculate. What if it’s true…many people thought that is was talking about ben lauden (yes I probably spelled his name incorrectly, get over it)…. But it never fit but if you think of it with our presidential candidate than it could possible be direct at him.

I have to say, if O gets into office then the US is screwed. I mean really screwed. I can think of sever different reasons why….one big one…government should run everyone…tell business’s how they should be run, tell people how to live there life’s, show people that they should stay poor so the government can provide for them…yeah, take from the rich and give to the poor.

Don’t you think that some for the “rich” people actually earned what they make and desire to keep there money….I know if I was rich I would think that. What people can’t make a lot of money with the government taking it from them….I have two little words for the government….Fair Tax….yep….I said it…may it was time to really look into the Fair Tax.

OK there is a book you can read about it…called “Fair Tax”. Go out and read it…although it’s a very dry read it will help you see a different perspective to the tax issues.

Anyway back to Nostradamus…I just thought the comparison we interesting….Oh, and mark my words…I’ve said it from the very beginning and I hate saying it because I’m not a supporter but I think O is going to sneak himself into office. Why, because he never answers a question he only make you feel like he does…go back and look at the debate, did he ever really answer a questions.

It kinda sounded something like this.
Question: There is a problem, what are you going to do about when you get into presidency?

O: Well I know there is a problem and we see that there is a problem and we will address the problem once I am in office. The problem is big and we know it’s there and it’s important for us to know that it’s there and we will get to the problem. The problem will be resolved once I get into office. We see it and I want you to know that I know it’s there and that I will address the problem.

OK, there you go…he knows there is a problem and he will address it sooner or later…but what step is he going to take? Just wondering…we all know it’s a problem but what are you going to do to address the problem? I just want to reach through the damn TV and scream at him… “answer the damn question”….I told my BF that O had his tap shoes on…because he was tapping around all the questions.

Oh, I know you O lovers out there are yelling at me and asking about M, and probably have your comments ready but before you do….Oh yah, M dodge a few of them, but most question he was able to give some sort of action plan. He knows there was a problem and he was going to do A B and C to get it resolved. Were they the best AB and C he could have done…not always but at least he told us what he was planning.

O just slide right by the question…and at times I actually forgot what the questions was….it was just a mud slinging contest and I don’t think anyone won last night….I know who I am voting for and it’s not for someone who has more radical connections then, well,,,, ben lauden (there goes my spelling again)

Yeah, I watch Hannity…you can get over that too!

Can anyone see that I have ADD…I can’t stay on a stupid subject…but hay…it’s fun to read!

No reason for betty boop except I like her and this seems so appropriate....LOL

Shopaholic

OK, I confess, I’m a shopaholic. 100% love to shop, but the problem is I run out of money…I just don’t make enough to have a shopping spree every weekend….so what does a girl do?

She turns to the awards program her work has and purchases stuff from that. What am I talking about…well, we have this program that when you do something over and beyond your TL, management has the option to award you points. These point then can be used to purchase stuff from a specific website. At first I thought it was stupid but know I realize it can be fun! There is a lot of stuff to purchase, from lawn equipment to clothing to gift card to animals…yes you can purchase a llama if you wanted and had enough points.

Of course you “pay” more in points than you do dollars, even though we were told one point equals one dollar.

Anyway, I’ve been wanting a small mp3 player…you know, one that is no bigger than a quarter. I’ve been exercising and wanted to start running. The MP3 play I have is pretty heavy and weighs my pants down and is uncomfortable when I run. So I saw this lady the other day running and said…I need one of those….so I’ve been looking, I’m low on money and have shopped everywhere….then it hit me….OMG I have point to use…I can finally use my points that have been sitting out there for 2 years (new management doesn’t award points anymore).

I had 225 points….I know I could find a extra small MP3 player out there…and I did! I had to use 94 point to get something that costs 49.99 in the store…but what ever…I have to purchase stuff with the points might as well be something I want.

Than I kept looking and found a shop vac, 6 gallon , wet/dry vac…..yea yea, I don’t want to hear it…yes there are a ton of thing to buy, why a shop vac…because a girl needs to keep her car clean. Right now I am using an old, half broken rainbow machine to clean my car….the suction on the thing is weak and only picks up 60% of stuff.

I’ve been looking at shop vacs for over a year and I just had a hard time putting down money on one of these things…so why not us my reward points…no money out of my pocket….which is the best thing ever….it’s like I just purchased two things and didn’t have to deduct anything from my checking account.

Ok, now I just need to wait for them to deliver it! It will be shipped in 2-3 days and it will be shipped ground so that means I should have everything by the end of October.

Numerology

This is an interesting study. I was floating around the internet during lunch and ran into Numerology. Do I really believe in this stuff…not really but it’s fun to compare yourself against what they say.

So I came across this website
http://www.astrology-numerology.com/

and started to play with it. So I clicked on the Numerology Index and it took me to this page where you can determine many things about yourself based on number….Interesting….you know everything is suppose to be made up of numbers…some how anyway. So I clicked on Lifepath….did what they said and found that I am a life path 3

The Life Path 3 indicates that you entered this plane with a strong sense of creativity and with wonderful communication skills. Achievement for you most likely comes through engaging your ingenious expression. A truly gifted 3 possesses the most exceptional innovative skills, normally in the verbal realm, writing, speaking, acting, or similar endeavors. Here we are apt to find the entertainers of the world, bright, effervescent, sparkling people with very optimistic attitudes. The bright side of this path stresses harmony, beauty and pleasures; of sharing your inventive talents with the world. Capturing your capability in creative self-expression is the highest level of attainment for this life path. (there’s a whole lot more….you can go to the website if your interested in knowing)

OK…interestingly enough I agreed with this paragraph…so I moved on to my destiny number…which doing the exercise I was a number 8..and here is what it said.

The number 8 Destiny suggests that the direction of growth in your lifetime will be a move up the ladder of attainment in the material world, to achieve financial security, and status amongst your peers. The positive 8 Destiny produces individuals that are very ambitious and goal-oriented. If you are expressing the positive qualities of 8, you are an outstanding manager because you can plan, initiate, and complete projects; you are very dependable and determined.
The 8 Destiny makes you well-equipped to develop and grow in a managerial sense. You have the potential for considerable achievement in business or other powerful positions such as government leadership roles.

OK, OK…..it’s me all over the place……funny thing is my BF keeps telling me I’m manager material…..I giggled when I read the government leadership role….can you picture me in some political pulling job……making a meager 250,000 a year to do nothing but sit on my butt and talk….what a great job for me!

Of course…now I was addicted to the numbers thing…..it was nailing me all over the place so why not keep going.

Next was the soul urge…I was a 5.

With a 5 Soul Urge, the desire to have complete freedom to be in control of your affairs is paramount in your makeup. Happiness is having the latitude to go where you want to go and do what you want to do. Tasting life in an unrestrained fashion produces a sense of fulfillment.

Complete freedom to be in control….oh yeah…that’s me….ain’t no one going to tell me how to live my life……let me be free from all those who want to control my life…..hehe…it’s me alright.

Now for the Inner Dreams…..really these name are ridiculous but hey what ever…it’s fun to play along. My inner dreams number is #3

You dream of artistic expression; writing, painting, music. You would seek to more freely express your inner feeling and obtain more enjoyment from life. You also dream of being more popular, likable, and appreciated.

Might as well have this statement tattooed on my body….has anyone seen my “art room”?….yes, I have a room dedicated to my art work…and I have it hanging on my wall…I have my poems in my books and my other creative stuff in my closet. Photography anyone?....if you know me, even a little bit you would know this was the money statement.

So after all of this do I believe that numbers and determine who we are as a person….still not a believer….it’s to easy…it to basic of a concept or theory. Is our life determined at birth and what our parents named us….uummm, jury is till out on that one…I’m leaning to NO…but what ever….it was at least entertaining for my lunch hour.

Friendship

Today was one of those days…I am thankful for friends. Can’t really say why…..nothing really happened…I was just sitting at lunch with a group of friends and as I was sitting there, I thought to myself, just for a moment, how lucky I am. How grateful I am to have the friends I have. Can’t really say I have a “best” friend but I enjoy each one of them for a different reason.

As my friend Beth was talking about all the trips and events that she wanted to plan I got excited. She was talking about white water rafting, Vegas, paintball, mystery dinner, kayaking, skiing…..what fun! I’m so getting excited.

Anyway, while she was talking about all of this, just for a moment I realized my life has changed so much. My life of boredom and routine has changed into life of excitement and change. Travel, party’s, dinners, and theater….and just plane friendship. It’s about the friendship, about sharing the experience with someone or a group of people. It’s about that companionship when you need someone to talk to or just watch a movie with. It’s about being about to reminisce about the past and have some there that experienced the same thing.

I could do the travel and dinners and theater by myself but what fun would that be, I guess I could look like a psycho and talk to myself about it…..but I have the best group of friends ever. I’m talking about all my friends, not just one group of friends.

Even doing something as simple as apple picking for an hour can be great fun with a friend. I love my life and my friends.

So here is story time!
This is the time where a share a small part of my life that some know and some don’t…so sit back and grab your favorite drink and enjoy the story.

Three years ago I got a divorce (Yeah!). I was not in a healthy marriage….aka…was not allowed to have friends or do anything without the other. I had the same routine every day…..get the kids off to school, go to work, cook dinner and go to bed. I went no where unless he was with me…or I went to the grocery store. So after he left I sat in my empty house and realized, I didn’t have any friends…I had no one to call except for my mom. What a very lonely feeling that was, to sit in my living room and realize I had no body. Not one semi friend to call…nothing. Loneliness….it sucked!

Well my neighbor and a coworker were the first two people I started to talk to and each one helped me in very different ways, but yet in the same way. They both started to build my confidence back up…one painfully slow step at a time.

Then when I got brave enough I started to go out (by myself) and do stuff….one thing I did was take salsa lessons….it was crazy but I wanted to do it. So I went a couple of times and the last time that I went I met this girl and braved to strike up a conversation with her. She was nice and we talked about a few things and then I suggested that we go out some night. She thought it was a good idea and we exchanged numbers…..that was the turning point of my life. That was when I realized I was alright. That a complete stranger was willing to go do something with me. That one brave move allowed me to meet a number of other people who I have become friends with….yes, some much closer than others, but yet they are all still my friends. As well as build a strong friendship with my neighbor and (at that time) my coworker.

Now I have so many friends I have a hard time determining who I should call….Oh, but it’s the best feeling in the world. Now I have so many memories it almost seems like the past didn’t exist, that I am still in my 20’s and living life.

Now all my weekends are packed with stuff to do and next year is already getting full. I have to actually schedule time for myself, which I don’t need much of. I have friends and a lot of them. I am very thankful for each and everyone of them. I can’t imagine my life without my friends.

Insane

I’ve been going to a personal trainer (once a week)and have added cardio to my routine (2-3times a week). My personal Trainer had suggested that I reduce my caloric intake down to about 1500 but no lower than 1200.

I thought, what the heck, might as well try again. So I put together this great little spread sheet so I can track what I eat on a daily basis. Thinking, Great this will help me keep on track. Ugh, but it just irritates me.

Like today…..for 1750 this is what you get,

Breakfast
A single bowl of Honey nut cheerios and 1% milk

Snack
Apple - small

Lunch
Turkey sandwich (which is 35 calorie break, 6 sliced of turkey and one slice of provolone cheese)
Doritos (I know bad, but I like them)
Salad with light ranch

Snack
Apple sauce

Dinner
2 chicken legs, grilled no skin
Salad / light Ranch
Fudge bar

I’m sitting here knowing that I have to go to the gym and think that this is insane because I am HUNGRY, maybe my since of what my body needs is completely twisted as we all know that portion sizes have increased, but gawd….this is crazy. I feel like I’ve eaten nothing today.

If I would eat what I normally would my caloric intake would sit at a pretty 3000 per day. Yep I said it….3000 per day…that is what I use to eat….I know, because I actually documented an entire week and didn’t look at the calories until the week was over and found out that I was ingesting about 3000 per day….crazy, I know…I wonder at times why I’m not as big as a house..I should be.

The hard part was quieting fast food…although I did give that up years ago and only eat fast food on the occasion and when I do go I try to pick something, somewhat healthy. However fast food was never my down fall….it the yummy sweets….cookies, candy and most of all iced brownies. Oh!...love the brownies!

However I’m not sure I can keep this up…maybe it’s a mental thing…you know, like when you tell a child they can’t have a cookie and that is all they want until they get it and then they eat the entire bag. Yep that’s me…I tell my self no and that’s all I can think of…food, food, food….that’s why I’m writing this stupid entry…only because I have food on my mind.

I think I need to change my mind set and eat what ever I want again and just live at the gym….it seem so much easier than cutting back on my food.

Ugh, I’m going to the vending machine and getting me a Snickers…so much for this diet thing

How lazy are we anyway?

It truly amazes how lazy Americans are….me included. I work at a rather large company and we have several location within our state…some are far apart and some location are just down the street from each other. I work in one of the location (building F) which is down the street from the building C.

So I meeting some friends for lunch today at building C and, of course, lazy me, took the bus. It was a clear sunny perfect day today and yet I choose to stand out on the side walk for about 10 minutes waiting for the bus. Maybe because of habit, maybe because I was lazy and didn’t want to walk in heels….I don’t know, just pick an excuse because I probably already thought it up.

Anyway, met with my friends, had lunch and was ready to head back to building F. I was standing on the sidewalk, again, waiting for the bus and in the back of my head I was thinking “this is ridiculous, the walk to my building can’t be more than 10 minutes, which is the amount of time it will take for the bus to get to this stop”

Then there was this woman who broke my thoughts. She was standing there pacing and with each bus that passed (going to a different location) the more irritated she seemed to get. As she paced back and forth she also cracked her plastic water bottle until it got on my last nerve. So, of course, being the person I am, I struck up a conversation with her, hoping that she would stop cracking that damn water bottle.

We started talking about the buses and the time it takes to go from one building to the next and then she decided to stop waiting for the bus and she announced to me that she was going to walk to the F building. Great I said I will walk with you….I know, a little odd, but I thought, what the heck, the bus isn’t going to get here any sooner so I might as well enjoy the sun.

I think it took her off guard a little bit but after we walked she seemed to laugh at me and the conversation seemed to go smoothly. Anyway by the time I got to building F the bus was just pulling a way….it took me 6 minutes to walk from building C to building F. That was amazing…really the building are that close! If I wait for the bus and ride the bus it take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I even had heels on today….6 minutes. To keep it in prospective I do have a pretty fast pace so someone else walking it would have taking anywhere from 8-12 minutes.

So, I have decided that from now on I am not going to be one of those lazy Americans. I am going to be more active, well as active as I can….I am going to start walking to Building C, unless, of course, if it rains or is to cold. But all other day’s I will walk.

Is there a God?

OK hold on to your seat because I’m going to venture into the realm of religion. I know, touchy, touchy topic…and I’m prepared for people to question my thoughts however…I don’t really care what people think because if we all thought the same way this would be a very boring world.

Now, this is a question about personal faith. I’ve been recently pondering is there a God…and if so, is there a specific path that God expects you to take, Is there a plan that he has laid out for you to follow? These are questions that has been in people’s minds for eternity. I’m not the first to ask and I’m not going to be the last.

So I was reading this book that other day and (of course it was fiction) one of the characters had the gift of seeing the future however the future was never a definite. She could only see the path that the people were currently taking… at any moment there could be a change in the person decision which would change the future. So that started me thinking.

If the answer was yes, there is a God, then the question remains, does God have a path for us…is there a “plan” for our lives. The more I ponder this question the more I think that no there is no actual plan of God’s for each individual person. God gave us free will…it says so in the bible…somewhere. Anyway, so if he gave us free will then we have control of our future…we can make decisions that change our futures, our paths, our lives and those around us.

Maybe God is only there to help us learn about life…maybe God didn’t want to have a plan for us, that he just wants us to live and enjoy life. So if all of this is true…them maybe the psychics out there (which I’m still weighing on if I believe in that stuff to) can only see the future for what it is today, but if you change your mind then your future will change.

So do we have control of our life or do we just throw our hands up and say…OK, God I believe you exist now make my life better…and he, she , it will make life better for you. Or do we have some say in our world, in our life? Do we have owner ship of our life and how it is run?

Somewhere in side of me I believe that we do have free will of the purest form…we have the right to control our life and that God is only there to help us understand ourselves better so that we can live a better life. Or maybe God doesn’t exist and we are still responsible for our lives?

Either way, I believe we are responsible for our lives, whether or not there is a God.

Life List

So, I’m in my readaholic mood. I am reading books left and right, not sure why but they are all interesting for me…well, most of them. Anyway, I just complete two books….Moon Light by Stephanie Meyer and this other book titled “The Next Thing on My List” by Jill Smolinski.

Yep, the next thing on my list is a book club selection and I tried to read it several months ago but couldn’t get into it. I think it was my mood and not wanting to read anything at that time. Anyway I returned the book to the library after reading only 16 pages.

A few weeks ago I order the book from amazon and just pick it up on Saturday to read. To make a long story short it was about a girl who died in an auto accident that made a “life list”. You know the Bucket list, except she wanted to have her list completed before her 25 birthday…anyway it was about how someone found the list and tried to complete it for her. Good book over all.

So it started me thinking…I started making a life list about three years ago. I started to fill it with things that I didn’t think I could ever accomplish. Here were some of the things on my list:

Finish my Degree
Travel to Europe
Get promoted at work
Go on a cruise
Find some Friends (I know this on seems so sad, but honestly I didn’t have any friend until three years ago, long pathetic story which I’m choosing not to retell)
Start my own business

Anyway, I figured the only ones I would actually complete were the degree and the friends. The others I wasn’t sure about. And yes there are more things on my life list. In fact, it’s an ongoing list and after reading this book I have decided to start working on it again.

I lost direction in life and need something to get me excited again. I need adventure, I need to do new things, constantly. I want to have fun in life and not fit into the “norm” of life…..You know, finish school, get married, have kids, lose site of who you are as a person and then divorce. For those of you who are wondering, No – I’m not anti marriage or kids (although plenty of people think I am) and yes – I want both someday, just right now I’m free and having a hell of a time.

Wow! Call me ADD, I can’t keep a straight thought going if I wanted to. So I’m going to start working on my list and post it on the right hand column. As I complete the items I will mark them as done. In fact I’m going to put items that were originally on my list and I have completed and start adding more. I need the since of accomplishment in my life. That I have a goal and know I can check it off as it is completed. I think I’m losing my mind….or my sanity…maybe they are the same thing?

So come this weekend, I hope to have “MY LIFE LIST” posted for all to see….My thinking is that if I share with people maybe more people can help me complete my items. Anyway, at the least it will keep me honest.

So next week look for my list, should be entertaining to say the least!

Urine Test

OK, I didn't write this one but it makes a whole lot of since!!! Thought I would share!!!


I HAVE TO PASS A URINE TEST FOR MY JOB... SO I AGREE 100%

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please under stand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem
with helping someone sitting on their A#@, doing drugs, while I work.

.. . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check ?

65 MPG ??!!!

Well believe it or not. Ford has come out with this wonderful car that gets 65 mpg. How fantastic would that be? Great on saving on fuel cost!

There is a snag, though....you can't buy it here in the US. Here is the BIG WHY?! Because it cost to much to manufacture and diesel is not as big here in the US either.

Cute car...take a look

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_37/b4099060491065.htm?chan=autos_autos+--+lifestyle+subindex+page_top+stories

Maybe one day a car like this will be able to be made available to the US....even if it is a diesel!!! For now we will only be able to see these cars on TV or when we visit the EU!!!

New Book

New book…I switched book for my trip to South Dakota. I have been reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer and have made it half way through. I was going to take it on a trip with me but since I was already half way through I knew that I would finish before I made it to South Dakota. It is also a hard back and I didn’t want to lug it back with me.

The Host

So I grabbed Twilight by Stephenie Meyer when I arrived the airport. Interestingly they are making it into a movie and releasing the movie in November this year ( think it is November). Anyway, I have learned that reading the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. So I just had to get the book.

Twilight

Welp, I finished it by the time I got back home. And it was good, I mean very good…kept my attention and I wanted to keep reading. Very very few books can keep my attention but this one did. I am now on to the next book, New Moon, in the series. I still need to finish The Host plus read the book for this September’s book club.

New Moon

Geez, I have a lot of reading to do. Better get reading!

Belly Button Piercing

OK, I did it….I finally, after over 2 years of thinking about it; I finally went and got my belly button pierced! Yep, I’m impressed with myself. So me and a friend took the lunch hour on Friday to run to a piercing place that ended up being close to where I lived.

We walked in to this place and of course I looked and felt completely out of my element. It was your standard tattoo parlor but it was clean….one of the most important things was that it wasn’t some back door place that had black lighting and cobwebs. It was rather dark but you could tell it was a clean over all.

This lady walked up and asked what I wanted and I told her a navel piercing. And she said OK….no weird looks or questions….just OK. I don't know why I thought she would as me questions but I did. She gave me some things to sign and paid up front. She took me in back and started prepping the piercing….Oh, I did get to select my piercing...it was a blue gemstone, so cute!!!!….anyway, then she marks my navel and has me lay down…..now this is where I need to stop for a second.

Little history on me…I don’t like needles and the thought of a needle make me queasy. I have a hard time giving blood and I thought, until today, it was because of the blood….nope! it’s because of the thought of a needle going through my skin makes me sick…. Something I should know about myself before I get a body piercing. Anyway back to my experience.

So I am laying down on this table and she starts….I’m smart enough not to look…she does a few things then tells me to take a deep breath in and then deep breath out…doing this is suppose to help with the pain….uh, nope….it hurt a little more than a sting….but then it was done.

So in a few seconds it was all over, I stood up and my friend started asking questions about one of her piercing and then I started to feel the heat in my body…the sweat started to form on my palms and my forehead. I looked in the mirror to see if I was looking pale. Then I started to feel faint, the room started to fade a little. Luckily my friend got her questioned answered and we walked to the car…she asked if I was alright and I said “no”….I sat in the driver seat and turned my car for some air and laid the seat back.....my friend insisted on driving back to work and with my faint feeling and slight nausea i started to think it wasn't a bad idea…..See I made the mistake of looking at my piercing which was bruising some and then the thought of the needle and the bruising that is around my belly button is what got to me….I bruise pretty easy.

Anyway, my friend ended up driving my car back to work and by the time I got to work I was fine…however there is still some discomfort but I like it.

OK, so this morning it is still a little red and swollen and bruised. I'm hoping it will look normal in the next couple of days. I still like the look:)