Neglecting the blog
Sorry my communications are sparse. Basically, all I do is workout, go to job, eat, (possibly walk) and go to bed. By about 8:00p.m. I am absolutely ready to drop into bed. Unfortunately my body only requires about 5 hrs of sleep. Inevitably I am wide awake between 1-2 a.m. (I left a msg w/ my dr's nurse to see if I should come in for this).
Tuesday night I trained w/ the TNT group. It felt pretty tortuous. About 1/2 way into the 5 mile walk I realized that my ankle felt on fire. Dammit! I got a blister on my left ankle. I have been pretty miserable.
Yesterday I took a rest day to recover from the all over body pain from the walk. I went back to the gym today, gung-ho, ready to go. It wasn't nearly the picnic I thought it would be. I was amazed at how "rusty" I was after only one rest day. I managed to make it right at an hour before the rubbing of my blister caused me to abandon my workout. Yeah, I'm a wuss!
Mondays weigh in was a little dramatic b/c it appeared as if I had gained 4 lbs. I was so bummed. I started thinking, "This can't possibly right". The next day I was down 6 lbs from the day before; therefore, I counted it as a 2 lb weight loss.
I better go. My eyes are getting droopy and I need to get in the shower for work. Last night I could not fall asleep until 2:00 a.m.ish.
OBTW, has anyone seen the new Donny Osmond show--America's top Dream Vote? It was on last night. It was actually kind neat. The last lady s/b ashamed of herself. Contestants are pitted against each other in twos to present the crowd with their "dreams" and the audience determines who sets to move on.
The last two ladies were on there b/c they had dead-beat loser children, in their late 20s who would not move out.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Neglecting the blog
Sorry my communications are sparse. Basically, all I do is workout, go to job, eat, (possibly walk) and go to bed. By about 8:00p.m. I am absolutely ready to drop into bed. Unfortunately my body only requires about 5 hrs of sleep. Inevitably I am wide awake between 1-2 a.m. (I left a msg w/ my dr's nurse to see if I should come in for this).
Tuesday night I trained w/ the TNT group. It felt pretty tortuous. About 1/2 way into the 5 mile walk I realized that my ankle felt on fire. Dammit! I got a blister on my left ankle. I have been pretty miserable.
Yesterday I took a rest day to recover from the all over body pain from the walk. I went back to the gym today, gung-ho, ready to go. It wasn't nearly the picnic I thought it would be. I was amazed at how "rusty" I was after only one rest day. I managed to make it right at an hour before the rubbing of my blister caused me to abandon my workout. Yeah, I'm a wuss!
Mondays weigh in was a little dramatic b/c it appeared as if I had gained 4 lbs. I was so bummed. I started thinking, "This can't possibly right". The next day I was down 6 lbs from the day before; therefore, I counted it as a 2 lb weight loss.
I better go. My eyes are getting droopy and I need to get in the shower for work. Last night I could not fall asleep until 2:00 a.m.ish.
OBTW, has anyone seen the new Donny Osmond show--America's top Dream Vote? It was on last night. It was actually kind neat. The last lady s/b ashamed of herself. Contestants are pitted against each other in twos to present the crowd with their "dreams" and the audience determines who sets to move on.
The last two ladies were on there b/c they had dead-beat loser children, in their late 20s who would not move out.
Sorry my communications are sparse. Basically, all I do is workout, go to job, eat, (possibly walk) and go to bed. By about 8:00p.m. I am absolutely ready to drop into bed. Unfortunately my body only requires about 5 hrs of sleep. Inevitably I am wide awake between 1-2 a.m. (I left a msg w/ my dr's nurse to see if I should come in for this).
Tuesday night I trained w/ the TNT group. It felt pretty tortuous. About 1/2 way into the 5 mile walk I realized that my ankle felt on fire. Dammit! I got a blister on my left ankle. I have been pretty miserable.
Yesterday I took a rest day to recover from the all over body pain from the walk. I went back to the gym today, gung-ho, ready to go. It wasn't nearly the picnic I thought it would be. I was amazed at how "rusty" I was after only one rest day. I managed to make it right at an hour before the rubbing of my blister caused me to abandon my workout. Yeah, I'm a wuss!
Mondays weigh in was a little dramatic b/c it appeared as if I had gained 4 lbs. I was so bummed. I started thinking, "This can't possibly right". The next day I was down 6 lbs from the day before; therefore, I counted it as a 2 lb weight loss.
I better go. My eyes are getting droopy and I need to get in the shower for work. Last night I could not fall asleep until 2:00 a.m.ish.
OBTW, has anyone seen the new Donny Osmond show--America's top Dream Vote? It was on last night. It was actually kind neat. The last lady s/b ashamed of herself. Contestants are pitted against each other in twos to present the crowd with their "dreams" and the audience determines who sets to move on.
The last two ladies were on there b/c they had dead-beat loser children, in their late 20s who would not move out.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
UGH!!!!!
Anticipating another early morning workout I went to be about 8:00 last night. Lo and behold, I am wide awake at 1:00a.m. Instead of just rolling over and trying to go back to sleep I decided to check email/blogs.
Right now I am very uncomfortable because I cannot find the darn Tums! I have a brand new bottle somewhere. I am beginning to wonder if I didn't take them to work and put them in my desk.
Tomorrow is my official weigh in day so I chose to eat a can of peas w/ a little butter last night for dinner. That probably sounds like a pretty noble attempt to eat light before a weigh in, actually, it was out of sheer laziness. I didn't want to have to make something more complicated.
During my Friday morning workout I strained my back on a piece of equipment. Saturday I had set a goal of walking 10 miles. Unfortunately, I didn't make it quite that far. By about mile 3 I was in quite a bit of pain. By the time it was all said and done I walked about 4.5 miles. Yesterday, I did nothing. I decided to have a rest day. I would be so completely bummed if I was injured when the weekend of the Mini came.
Yesterday was such a glorious day. I got in a huge amount of "light therapy"--most of the day was spent in my Adirondack chair reading another Janet Evanovich story. I finished book 7 of the Stephanie Plum series and began book 8. Right before bed last night I was looking in the mirror. I have a one-sided tan. Being on the porch, the sun really beat down on the left side of my body. The right side is still fairly pale. I guess I will just have to even it out next weekend.
I guess I'd better try going back to bed for a little bit. The alarm clock will be going off at 4:30a.m.
Anticipating another early morning workout I went to be about 8:00 last night. Lo and behold, I am wide awake at 1:00a.m. Instead of just rolling over and trying to go back to sleep I decided to check email/blogs.
Right now I am very uncomfortable because I cannot find the darn Tums! I have a brand new bottle somewhere. I am beginning to wonder if I didn't take them to work and put them in my desk.
Tomorrow is my official weigh in day so I chose to eat a can of peas w/ a little butter last night for dinner. That probably sounds like a pretty noble attempt to eat light before a weigh in, actually, it was out of sheer laziness. I didn't want to have to make something more complicated.
During my Friday morning workout I strained my back on a piece of equipment. Saturday I had set a goal of walking 10 miles. Unfortunately, I didn't make it quite that far. By about mile 3 I was in quite a bit of pain. By the time it was all said and done I walked about 4.5 miles. Yesterday, I did nothing. I decided to have a rest day. I would be so completely bummed if I was injured when the weekend of the Mini came.
Yesterday was such a glorious day. I got in a huge amount of "light therapy"--most of the day was spent in my Adirondack chair reading another Janet Evanovich story. I finished book 7 of the Stephanie Plum series and began book 8. Right before bed last night I was looking in the mirror. I have a one-sided tan. Being on the porch, the sun really beat down on the left side of my body. The right side is still fairly pale. I guess I will just have to even it out next weekend.
I guess I'd better try going back to bed for a little bit. The alarm clock will be going off at 4:30a.m.
Friday, March 23, 2007
I am still pluggin along
This week I have really been focusing on gym workouts. I have been getting up at 4:30 every morning to go to the gym. By the time I get home, fix dinner, chill out a bit, and catch up on emails and blogs I am absolutely exhausted. Needless to say I am not keeping the late nights that I usually do.
The weather this week has been awesome. I have even been sleeping with the windows open. Ahhhh, next to Fall, Spring is my next favorite season. Believe it or not, now that I have all this extra energy, from morning workouts, I think I am going to start doing some serious yard work. I know this is shocking to most of you--it is so out of character for me, but what the heck!
My aluminum siding, on the outside of the house, has begun to look pretty dingy. I want to look into renting a power washer. Once that is done I want to look into either painting the siding or just touching up the awnings. I haven't decided yet. I am sure that cost will play a big factor.
Last summer, my little neighbor friend Kimberly, painted the siding on her house and detached garage and I am thinking it was less than $200. My cost might be a little higher b/c her family already owned the paint sprayer. Now that I think about it she painted well into the summer to avoid the wind. I may have to put this job off already. I don't think my next door neighbor would appreciate the deep cranberry color I intend to use on his taupe siding.
The Mini is not that far off. This year has just flown by. I am not only looking forward to the Mini--my folks will be here then! My cousin is getting married the evening of the Mini so I am looking forward to spending time with aunts, uncles, & cousins that I don't get to see very often. OMG, I had the perfect outfit picked out for the wedding and reception but I just realized that my feet are probably not going to be in any shape to be in ultra pointy pumps. Hmmm, I will have to take this into consideration.
Last night I watched my "baby cakes" nephew. I always call him baby cakes (his given name is actually Max). Last night he tried to correct me, "Ont Chonna, I not baby cakes, my name is Max, A-M-X. How funny is that! He then tried to tell me that he could only be baby cakes if, "I have a baby in my belly and a cake with candles".
Later, when it was getting toward bed time, I told him that we would need to take off his Buzz Lightyear suit and put on his jammies. He wasn't quite ready, and it was still a little early, so I just let him sit in the corner of the couch all curled up. All of the sudden he yawned a yawn that must have come from his tippy toes. When I looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow at him, he said, "That was a wake-up yawn". He is such a stinker butt!
This week I have really been focusing on gym workouts. I have been getting up at 4:30 every morning to go to the gym. By the time I get home, fix dinner, chill out a bit, and catch up on emails and blogs I am absolutely exhausted. Needless to say I am not keeping the late nights that I usually do.
The weather this week has been awesome. I have even been sleeping with the windows open. Ahhhh, next to Fall, Spring is my next favorite season. Believe it or not, now that I have all this extra energy, from morning workouts, I think I am going to start doing some serious yard work. I know this is shocking to most of you--it is so out of character for me, but what the heck!
My aluminum siding, on the outside of the house, has begun to look pretty dingy. I want to look into renting a power washer. Once that is done I want to look into either painting the siding or just touching up the awnings. I haven't decided yet. I am sure that cost will play a big factor.
Last summer, my little neighbor friend Kimberly, painted the siding on her house and detached garage and I am thinking it was less than $200. My cost might be a little higher b/c her family already owned the paint sprayer. Now that I think about it she painted well into the summer to avoid the wind. I may have to put this job off already. I don't think my next door neighbor would appreciate the deep cranberry color I intend to use on his taupe siding.
The Mini is not that far off. This year has just flown by. I am not only looking forward to the Mini--my folks will be here then! My cousin is getting married the evening of the Mini so I am looking forward to spending time with aunts, uncles, & cousins that I don't get to see very often. OMG, I had the perfect outfit picked out for the wedding and reception but I just realized that my feet are probably not going to be in any shape to be in ultra pointy pumps. Hmmm, I will have to take this into consideration.
Last night I watched my "baby cakes" nephew. I always call him baby cakes (his given name is actually Max). Last night he tried to correct me, "Ont Chonna, I not baby cakes, my name is Max, A-M-X. How funny is that! He then tried to tell me that he could only be baby cakes if, "I have a baby in my belly and a cake with candles".
Later, when it was getting toward bed time, I told him that we would need to take off his Buzz Lightyear suit and put on his jammies. He wasn't quite ready, and it was still a little early, so I just let him sit in the corner of the couch all curled up. All of the sudden he yawned a yawn that must have come from his tippy toes. When I looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow at him, he said, "That was a wake-up yawn". He is such a stinker butt!
Monday, March 19, 2007
HIYA CUPCAKE!
This weekend was Nate's surprise party. I was such a nervous wreck. Never again will I fail to RSVP for an event. I didn't have a firm number on how many kids were showing up. The kids I really thought would be there weren't and a couple of kids came with others that I had not originally invited (which was more than fine). We had 8 and 1/2 teens show up with 6 adults throughout the course of the evening. (the 1/2 was my baby cakes nephew, Max).
Everything worked out perfectly. I was running a little behind but it was all good. My biggest fear was getting to Sams Club, having them look at the membership card, and say, "Sorry ma'am, this isn't your card!" I actually don't have a membership so I borrowed Cole's card. She has lost so much weight...needless to say it is obvious that the card was not mine. I decided to pay with cash and pull the hundred dollar bill out before handing over the card. It worked out perfectly, the guy never even looked at the pic. It wasn't necessary for me to put the "old Shauna" on (believe me, I had all my arguments all lined out in my head).
I literally ran to the bakery to pick up the 48 butter cream iced cupcakes and then deposited them on a flat bed cart so I could pick up the 8 pizzas from the snack shack part of Sams. The pizza were awesome! I have heard from others over the years that they are quite tasty but I had not actually tried them (probably b/c I didn't have a membership).
The traffic in the south end of town around Sams still sucks! I guess I had hoped that it would have drastically declined after the new Walmart was built out on 46. Fortunately, my friend Jen was driving or I would have killed myself or gotten myself thrown in jail.
Everything worked out perfectly. We got to the gaming place right at 5:45, just enough time to get all the decorations set up, food layed out, and guests in place. Nate was very confused when he walked in. He kept looking around--it wasn't until I said Happy Birthday that he finally got it.
The kids had a blast. They stayed until about 9pm--originally, I was willing to stay until 11pm if they chose but fortunately they decided they would rather go rent some movies and games and go home. I had managed to take on a stress headache and my back was aching from carrying a huge bucket (the kind w/ rope handles) laden w/ soda bottles and h2o bottles.
I better get, I have been up for an hour and I want to be at the Y right when it opens at 5am. I have decided to workout at least 2hrs a day until the Mini. This thing isn't over for me yet.
This weekend was Nate's surprise party. I was such a nervous wreck. Never again will I fail to RSVP for an event. I didn't have a firm number on how many kids were showing up. The kids I really thought would be there weren't and a couple of kids came with others that I had not originally invited (which was more than fine). We had 8 and 1/2 teens show up with 6 adults throughout the course of the evening. (the 1/2 was my baby cakes nephew, Max).
Everything worked out perfectly. I was running a little behind but it was all good. My biggest fear was getting to Sams Club, having them look at the membership card, and say, "Sorry ma'am, this isn't your card!" I actually don't have a membership so I borrowed Cole's card. She has lost so much weight...needless to say it is obvious that the card was not mine. I decided to pay with cash and pull the hundred dollar bill out before handing over the card. It worked out perfectly, the guy never even looked at the pic. It wasn't necessary for me to put the "old Shauna" on (believe me, I had all my arguments all lined out in my head).
I literally ran to the bakery to pick up the 48 butter cream iced cupcakes and then deposited them on a flat bed cart so I could pick up the 8 pizzas from the snack shack part of Sams. The pizza were awesome! I have heard from others over the years that they are quite tasty but I had not actually tried them (probably b/c I didn't have a membership).
The traffic in the south end of town around Sams still sucks! I guess I had hoped that it would have drastically declined after the new Walmart was built out on 46. Fortunately, my friend Jen was driving or I would have killed myself or gotten myself thrown in jail.
Everything worked out perfectly. We got to the gaming place right at 5:45, just enough time to get all the decorations set up, food layed out, and guests in place. Nate was very confused when he walked in. He kept looking around--it wasn't until I said Happy Birthday that he finally got it.
The kids had a blast. They stayed until about 9pm--originally, I was willing to stay until 11pm if they chose but fortunately they decided they would rather go rent some movies and games and go home. I had managed to take on a stress headache and my back was aching from carrying a huge bucket (the kind w/ rope handles) laden w/ soda bottles and h2o bottles.
I better get, I have been up for an hour and I want to be at the Y right when it opens at 5am. I have decided to workout at least 2hrs a day until the Mini. This thing isn't over for me yet.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Can't A Mom Catch a Break?
This week my 5'11 size 13 foot boy turned 15! It is so weird having to look up at him. It still catches me off guard when we are standing side by side and he is towering over me. I probably should measure him b/c he does seem to be more than 3 inches taller than me. If I ever decide to sell my house the next owners will get a kick out of the measuring marks and dates on the kitchen door frame--he is not really that far off from being as tall as the highest point.
Nate has not had a birthday party since his first birthday. March really sucks for a birth month b/c there is just nothing to do here during this time of year. My house is pretty tiny so I don't have the room to have more than a handful of kids over at any one time. Lotsa parents opt for a hotel room w/ pool access but I honestly don't want to have to deal with liability issues.
This year I came up with the perfect plan. We have a new gaming facility filled with large, flat screen, plasma tvs that hang on walls. Each room is equipped with numerous 360s, PS3s, and Wiis. There are sectionals where the kids can hang out and play with other kids from all around the facility. I have made it a surprise party. Since it is actually 4 days after his birthday I don't think he suspects anything.
Tonight I actually had to make an excuse to take the cordless house phone out to the car so I could make some follow up calls to his friends. I am the absolute worse when it comes to RSVPs--I am now reaping what I have sown over the years. I only had 1 out of 15 kids RSVP. I gave them my work# to respond to. The little girl who was considerate enough to RSVP is the girl I would ultimately love for him to marry. She has been one of his best friends since middle school--she is every parent's dream.
My next dilemma is how I am going to get him to the party on Saturday. I will need to go to Sams to pick up the pizzas and cupcakes and be to the facility a little early. I'm thinking my friends Sandy, Rance, & Stephen may have to come get him for trip to the climbing wall or to the coffee shop and then deliver when it is time.
The cost with renting the facility, pizza, drinks, & cupcakes seemed very reasonable. I will pay for the first two hours. If the teen has never been there they get an hour for free. If they choose to stay on longer it is an addl $4/hr at their own expense.
I personally am really looking forward to playing with the new Wii. As you recall, I was going to get one for Nate for Christmas and he decided he would rather have an mp3 player instead (that was until he actually recd the mp3 player and my laptop seems to have problems downloading music to it--then he decided maybe he should have gone with the Wii).
Since he knew nothing about the party I still had to come up with actual birthday surprises. I purchased a musical card from Hallmark that played Bad to the Bone, some money (his favorite gift), and a trip to the movie theatre to see the new Jim Carey movie, The Number 23 (it totally sucked, I would not recommend it). We did see a preview of a movie about the plagues from the Bible that hit in modern times that looks fabulous. I don't recall the name but I will pass it along as I find out.
We have decided for Spring Break that we are going to Indpls to spend time with his step mom. While there we are planning to go see 300 at the Imax. Unfortunately, the plans for Spring Break in Bama did not work out. In order to get him on a direct flight I would have had to drive him to St Louis and my aunt and uncle would have had to drive to Birmingham. We have decided to change it to a summer trip instead when I can go along as well. Initially I thought it would be cool to drive him to Huntsville, visit with them, and then have the folks drive up from FL go get him and take him back with them for awhile; however, I don't relish the drive back from Bama by myself.
I got a great early morning workout in. I felt really great until right before lunch time and then my butt started to drag. It pretty much drug for the remainder of the day. I had hoped to get a walk in this evening but by the time I got home it was almost dark and the 70 degree temps we had yesterday had long since passed. What can I say? I am a wuss!
This whole training thing has been a disaster. I have really been down on myself about my lack of discipline. It occurred to me today, "What were you expecting? You have always been a down to the deadline type person"--the very reason I excelled in journalism. I can pull it out in the last minutes. There is still hope for the Mini. I have not given up yet (although there have been times that I have just about thrown in the towel). As of last night I refocused and set my sights on success in May. Success will be measured in participation and completion. I will have failed if I give into my insecurities and don't even attempt it.
This week my 5'11 size 13 foot boy turned 15! It is so weird having to look up at him. It still catches me off guard when we are standing side by side and he is towering over me. I probably should measure him b/c he does seem to be more than 3 inches taller than me. If I ever decide to sell my house the next owners will get a kick out of the measuring marks and dates on the kitchen door frame--he is not really that far off from being as tall as the highest point.
Nate has not had a birthday party since his first birthday. March really sucks for a birth month b/c there is just nothing to do here during this time of year. My house is pretty tiny so I don't have the room to have more than a handful of kids over at any one time. Lotsa parents opt for a hotel room w/ pool access but I honestly don't want to have to deal with liability issues.
This year I came up with the perfect plan. We have a new gaming facility filled with large, flat screen, plasma tvs that hang on walls. Each room is equipped with numerous 360s, PS3s, and Wiis. There are sectionals where the kids can hang out and play with other kids from all around the facility. I have made it a surprise party. Since it is actually 4 days after his birthday I don't think he suspects anything.
Tonight I actually had to make an excuse to take the cordless house phone out to the car so I could make some follow up calls to his friends. I am the absolute worse when it comes to RSVPs--I am now reaping what I have sown over the years. I only had 1 out of 15 kids RSVP. I gave them my work# to respond to. The little girl who was considerate enough to RSVP is the girl I would ultimately love for him to marry. She has been one of his best friends since middle school--she is every parent's dream.
My next dilemma is how I am going to get him to the party on Saturday. I will need to go to Sams to pick up the pizzas and cupcakes and be to the facility a little early. I'm thinking my friends Sandy, Rance, & Stephen may have to come get him for trip to the climbing wall or to the coffee shop and then deliver when it is time.
The cost with renting the facility, pizza, drinks, & cupcakes seemed very reasonable. I will pay for the first two hours. If the teen has never been there they get an hour for free. If they choose to stay on longer it is an addl $4/hr at their own expense.
I personally am really looking forward to playing with the new Wii. As you recall, I was going to get one for Nate for Christmas and he decided he would rather have an mp3 player instead (that was until he actually recd the mp3 player and my laptop seems to have problems downloading music to it--then he decided maybe he should have gone with the Wii).
Since he knew nothing about the party I still had to come up with actual birthday surprises. I purchased a musical card from Hallmark that played Bad to the Bone, some money (his favorite gift), and a trip to the movie theatre to see the new Jim Carey movie, The Number 23 (it totally sucked, I would not recommend it). We did see a preview of a movie about the plagues from the Bible that hit in modern times that looks fabulous. I don't recall the name but I will pass it along as I find out.
We have decided for Spring Break that we are going to Indpls to spend time with his step mom. While there we are planning to go see 300 at the Imax. Unfortunately, the plans for Spring Break in Bama did not work out. In order to get him on a direct flight I would have had to drive him to St Louis and my aunt and uncle would have had to drive to Birmingham. We have decided to change it to a summer trip instead when I can go along as well. Initially I thought it would be cool to drive him to Huntsville, visit with them, and then have the folks drive up from FL go get him and take him back with them for awhile; however, I don't relish the drive back from Bama by myself.
I got a great early morning workout in. I felt really great until right before lunch time and then my butt started to drag. It pretty much drug for the remainder of the day. I had hoped to get a walk in this evening but by the time I got home it was almost dark and the 70 degree temps we had yesterday had long since passed. What can I say? I am a wuss!
This whole training thing has been a disaster. I have really been down on myself about my lack of discipline. It occurred to me today, "What were you expecting? You have always been a down to the deadline type person"--the very reason I excelled in journalism. I can pull it out in the last minutes. There is still hope for the Mini. I have not given up yet (although there have been times that I have just about thrown in the towel). As of last night I refocused and set my sights on success in May. Success will be measured in participation and completion. I will have failed if I give into my insecurities and don't even attempt it.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS
This week has pretty much been the pits. I have been experiencing that monthly curse and pretty much hating everyone and everything. This week has been a real struggle in avoiding sweets and sugars. All I have thought about was running to sweets for comfort.
Instead of partaking in sweets I have pretty much inhaled anything w/o sugar. Friday was a big day for fried fish. I ate Baesler's batter dipped, deep fried fish for lunch and then attended the St Ben's fish fry w/ Jen. Imagine the fun I had later that evening when the "sugar-free" cookies I had had earlier in the day met up with the greasy fish--Aack! The cookies has warned that they would have a laxative effect.
Thursday evening, before leaving work, I had asked my boss as to when we would meeting for my quarterly goals meeting. He preceded to say, "that has been placed on hold pending a decision from upper management." I was completely shocked. Things have been kind of whacky for the last couple of months so I preceded to clean out my work space of all personal touches. I was sooooo pissed when I left. My night was pretty much shot. All I could think about was, "I need sugar!" Fortunately, I did not cave.
Friday morning, I went into his office, closed the door and told him I felt that he owed me an explanation as to why upper mngmt was involved in my goals review. He looked at me and said, "I don't know what you are talking about". I recounted the conversation from the previous evening. He was completely dumb founded. Apparently, he misinterpreted what I was asking. He thought I was referring to a position that had just become available on Wednesday due to a sudden resignation. Upper mngmt was deciding whether the position would be filled again. He was completely apologetic. He felt horrible, knowing that I had had such a rotten, sleepless night over his misinterpretation.
I am so grateful for God's grace that got me through that rough patch. Fortunately, I did not resort to eating the sweets I so desperately thought I needed.
Nate has had a friend spending the weekend with us so I have been spending all my time reading. Earlier this week I finished the most recent addition to the Karen Kingsbury First Born Series: Forever.
A couple of people of suggested I might enjoy the works of Janet Evanovich. She has a series of books with a character by the name of Stephanie Plum--a bounty hunter. I began reading One for the Money last night and finished it a couple of hours ago. Now I am on to the second book in the series, Two for the Dough. In fact, I better go to the library website and reserve the 3rd and 4th books in the series. I believe there have been 13-15 released so far.
Stephanie Plum is not nearly as entertaining as the reality show, Dog--the Bounty Hunter on A&E. Nate and I really enjoy watching Dog and his family grab bail jumpers in the Hawaiian Islands.
We have discovered a new, sugar-free, sweet treat at work. Crystal Light offers these little individual packs of powder that can be poured into a standard sized bottle of water. We have a refrigerator at work with a super-duper freezer. We simply add a CL pack to the bottle of water, shake, put in freezer for 1.5 hours. When you take the bottle out of the freezer the liquid is partially frozen. Just squeeze the bottle slightly to break the frozen liquid apart and shake. It turns into the greatest 5 calorie slushee you have ever tasted. We are all adddicted at work. My favorite flavors are Tropical Punch, Cherry-Pomegranite, Raspberry Lemonade, and Lemon hydration w/ electrolites and B12 vitamins.
This week has pretty much been the pits. I have been experiencing that monthly curse and pretty much hating everyone and everything. This week has been a real struggle in avoiding sweets and sugars. All I have thought about was running to sweets for comfort.
Instead of partaking in sweets I have pretty much inhaled anything w/o sugar. Friday was a big day for fried fish. I ate Baesler's batter dipped, deep fried fish for lunch and then attended the St Ben's fish fry w/ Jen. Imagine the fun I had later that evening when the "sugar-free" cookies I had had earlier in the day met up with the greasy fish--Aack! The cookies has warned that they would have a laxative effect.
Thursday evening, before leaving work, I had asked my boss as to when we would meeting for my quarterly goals meeting. He preceded to say, "that has been placed on hold pending a decision from upper management." I was completely shocked. Things have been kind of whacky for the last couple of months so I preceded to clean out my work space of all personal touches. I was sooooo pissed when I left. My night was pretty much shot. All I could think about was, "I need sugar!" Fortunately, I did not cave.
Friday morning, I went into his office, closed the door and told him I felt that he owed me an explanation as to why upper mngmt was involved in my goals review. He looked at me and said, "I don't know what you are talking about". I recounted the conversation from the previous evening. He was completely dumb founded. Apparently, he misinterpreted what I was asking. He thought I was referring to a position that had just become available on Wednesday due to a sudden resignation. Upper mngmt was deciding whether the position would be filled again. He was completely apologetic. He felt horrible, knowing that I had had such a rotten, sleepless night over his misinterpretation.
I am so grateful for God's grace that got me through that rough patch. Fortunately, I did not resort to eating the sweets I so desperately thought I needed.
Nate has had a friend spending the weekend with us so I have been spending all my time reading. Earlier this week I finished the most recent addition to the Karen Kingsbury First Born Series: Forever.
A couple of people of suggested I might enjoy the works of Janet Evanovich. She has a series of books with a character by the name of Stephanie Plum--a bounty hunter. I began reading One for the Money last night and finished it a couple of hours ago. Now I am on to the second book in the series, Two for the Dough. In fact, I better go to the library website and reserve the 3rd and 4th books in the series. I believe there have been 13-15 released so far.
Stephanie Plum is not nearly as entertaining as the reality show, Dog--the Bounty Hunter on A&E. Nate and I really enjoy watching Dog and his family grab bail jumpers in the Hawaiian Islands.
We have discovered a new, sugar-free, sweet treat at work. Crystal Light offers these little individual packs of powder that can be poured into a standard sized bottle of water. We have a refrigerator at work with a super-duper freezer. We simply add a CL pack to the bottle of water, shake, put in freezer for 1.5 hours. When you take the bottle out of the freezer the liquid is partially frozen. Just squeeze the bottle slightly to break the frozen liquid apart and shake. It turns into the greatest 5 calorie slushee you have ever tasted. We are all adddicted at work. My favorite flavors are Tropical Punch, Cherry-Pomegranite, Raspberry Lemonade, and Lemon hydration w/ electrolites and B12 vitamins.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
(No catchy phrase for today)
The last couple of weeks, at work, have been really crazy. I have really been struggling w/ my job. I love my job and the people I work with....its just that there are some really unrealistic expectations being placed on us. We have been working with a bare bones staff since the layoffs over a year ago. Now one gal has left and another seems to be headed that way.
Normally I am the "cheerleader" type. Always trying to keep others positive about the many changed that are taking place--to be honest, from a business perspective I can see where they are necessary and needed. But I have gotten to the point where I don't want to cheer anymore. It's not like I want to bad mouth the company but I just don't want to defend it anymore to griping fellow employees.
Several months ago we had our performance appraisals. My boss said he would like follow-up with a progress report--which he has been conducting the last couple of days. I am really irritated because he has been postponing mine.
My personality is very assertive. I don't believe in griping just to be griping. If you have an issue, take it to someone who can do something about it. Don't just bring everybody down. The fact that I am vocal seems to be my downfall. I am not saying anything that everyone else is not already saying, they just don't have guts enough to tell someone who can make the change.
I am very anxiety ridden about this "progress" report as I have lost ground rather than gained it. At the time that he gave me certain goals to shoot for he also tied my hands with a policy demand that is very time consuming and actually loses the company money. Therefore, my work has fallen behind and my days in a/r look horrible.
My prayer this Lenten season is that the Lord would change my heart--my first reaction is to go into his office and lay it all out. I would never mean it in a disrespectful, undermining authority type of way. But that is where my strong, assertive personality would cause problems. I am the type of person who can try to give a flattering compliment and it can come across as a slap in the face.
I don't know that there is truly an answer for this question but I will put it out there. After many years of reflection and acceptance I have come to appreciate my personality type. Annoying as it can be at times, I believe that God has made me this way for a reason and He actually loves me this way. But then I read in scripture where I should be meek and soft spirited. Do I need to give up who I am? or is it possible to be both?
As you can see I am struggling with this on a personal level and a much deeper spiritual level. If you get a moment today please say a little prayer for me. Thanks much!
The last couple of weeks, at work, have been really crazy. I have really been struggling w/ my job. I love my job and the people I work with....its just that there are some really unrealistic expectations being placed on us. We have been working with a bare bones staff since the layoffs over a year ago. Now one gal has left and another seems to be headed that way.
Normally I am the "cheerleader" type. Always trying to keep others positive about the many changed that are taking place--to be honest, from a business perspective I can see where they are necessary and needed. But I have gotten to the point where I don't want to cheer anymore. It's not like I want to bad mouth the company but I just don't want to defend it anymore to griping fellow employees.
Several months ago we had our performance appraisals. My boss said he would like follow-up with a progress report--which he has been conducting the last couple of days. I am really irritated because he has been postponing mine.
My personality is very assertive. I don't believe in griping just to be griping. If you have an issue, take it to someone who can do something about it. Don't just bring everybody down. The fact that I am vocal seems to be my downfall. I am not saying anything that everyone else is not already saying, they just don't have guts enough to tell someone who can make the change.
I am very anxiety ridden about this "progress" report as I have lost ground rather than gained it. At the time that he gave me certain goals to shoot for he also tied my hands with a policy demand that is very time consuming and actually loses the company money. Therefore, my work has fallen behind and my days in a/r look horrible.
My prayer this Lenten season is that the Lord would change my heart--my first reaction is to go into his office and lay it all out. I would never mean it in a disrespectful, undermining authority type of way. But that is where my strong, assertive personality would cause problems. I am the type of person who can try to give a flattering compliment and it can come across as a slap in the face.
I don't know that there is truly an answer for this question but I will put it out there. After many years of reflection and acceptance I have come to appreciate my personality type. Annoying as it can be at times, I believe that God has made me this way for a reason and He actually loves me this way. But then I read in scripture where I should be meek and soft spirited. Do I need to give up who I am? or is it possible to be both?
As you can see I am struggling with this on a personal level and a much deeper spiritual level. If you get a moment today please say a little prayer for me. Thanks much!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Didn't want no darn oatmeal anyway!
Ever since lent began I have been craving a hot bowl of oatmeal. Sounds healthy right? Well, not really. I prefer it with lots of butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
The other day when I was at Walmart I noticed that Splenda was available in brown sugar. That was the extent of my label reading.
This morning I got up early, padded into the kitchen, anxious to eat an early breakfast for a change. Once the oatmeal was prepared and the Splenda package was open I decided maybe I would read the package. Apparently the brown sugar is 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 regular brown sugar! Damn!
No worries. I remembered that my mom had left a bottle of Sugar-Free maple syrup in my cabinet during their last trip to town. I open the bottle, pour the syrup on my oatmeal, and then read the labeling. The syrup expired 4 months ago AND it said that it s/h/b refrigerated all that time.
Better get ready for work. I will just have to eat my grapefruit later this morning. Aack!
Ever since lent began I have been craving a hot bowl of oatmeal. Sounds healthy right? Well, not really. I prefer it with lots of butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
The other day when I was at Walmart I noticed that Splenda was available in brown sugar. That was the extent of my label reading.
This morning I got up early, padded into the kitchen, anxious to eat an early breakfast for a change. Once the oatmeal was prepared and the Splenda package was open I decided maybe I would read the package. Apparently the brown sugar is 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 regular brown sugar! Damn!
No worries. I remembered that my mom had left a bottle of Sugar-Free maple syrup in my cabinet during their last trip to town. I open the bottle, pour the syrup on my oatmeal, and then read the labeling. The syrup expired 4 months ago AND it said that it s/h/b refrigerated all that time.
Better get ready for work. I will just have to eat my grapefruit later this morning. Aack!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
GOTTA LOVE MID-WESTERN SEASONS
When my folks wanna know why I don't want to move to FL one of my reasons is SEASONS.
I love the seasons of the mid-west (especially FALL). Normally, we have 4 seasons that are equally, fairly consistently, spread out during a calendar year.
This past week we have pretty much run the gamut of the seasons within 7 days. We have had temps in the high sixties, mid week, and slightly blizzardish late last evening. Fortunately we have not been effected by these extreme changes in terms of illnesses. My poor sister-in-law has not been so fortunate. I went over to watch my baby cakes boy for a couple of hours today while T&C went on one of their Terre Haute House adventures. Cole was having quite a bit of trouble talking. It was more like a quiet, squeak.
This has been a wonderful weekend to be wrapped up in a flannel blanket with woolly socks. I did manage to be a bit productive--cleaned house. Woohoo! I even rearranged furniture. Poor Casey, our hundred pound dumb-dumb lab, is rejoicing. He normally stays in one of the bedrooms b/c there is no carpeting in the living room. He doesn't usually hang out with us much b/c he would rather lay on the carpeting in the bedrooms. Once I got the living room cleaned and rearranged I layed down a beautiful 5X7 Berber area rug that I purchased from Linens & Things. Casey is thrilled to be part of the fam again. He doesn't have slip and slide on the hardwood anymore.
When I wasn't cleaning or rearranging I spent much time curled up working on my beading projects or reading a new book SEVENTY TIMES SE7EN by Brandt Dobson. He is a new Christian fiction author that I have discovered. His books are a really easy read. The cool thing is that the Colton Parker series takes place in Indianapolis, IN. Having lived in the Circle City for several years I am very familiar with a lot of the sites and streets he mentions. In fact, in this book, he makes reference of Terre Haute several times.
Speaking of beading--my friend Jen has started a "sub" blog to Jens Journey. It features some of her beading designs. You can see the wonderful French, Dutch, Spiral, Twistee (lol) bracelet that she made me for Christmas. (We laugh b/c I can never remember its proper name).
As far as training goes--I suck! I am too much of a wimp to get out in the cold temps.
Going w/o sugar and sweets isn't so much torture anymore; however, I have been overcompensating with of carbs. I have been eating much more bread than normal. Yesterday, I was completely insatiable. I actually broke down and ate my Sugar Free PEEPS. Nate was with a friend all weekend so I kept telling myself, "Just go to Baeslers...frosted cake donuts, ice cream, hot chocolate, who would know?" Fortunately I made it through yesterday. I probably should look at it as a triumph. In the past I would have told myself to go ahead and do it. "You know that you are too weak and you are going to end up giving in anyway. Why not sooner than later?" Now that I think about it, I think that is the only time that I have stood up to the voice in my head. Once it says, "You know you are going to do it anyway" I am on my way to doing whatever I shouldn't be doing. But not yesterday. I guess I have been so busy beating myself up for all the times I thought about sweets that I didn't take the time to see that I hadn't actually caved in.
It kinda reminds me of when I have dreams about smoking. I have been smoke-free for 12 years now. Every once in a while I will have a dream where I have started smoking again. I beat myself up in my dreams for being so weak. AND if I am really fortunate, I will continue to beat myself up for the rest of the day (while I am awake!) Hellllllooooooo! it was just a dream. I did not relapse. But my funky brain makes me think I have! Good grief!
When my folks wanna know why I don't want to move to FL one of my reasons is SEASONS.
I love the seasons of the mid-west (especially FALL). Normally, we have 4 seasons that are equally, fairly consistently, spread out during a calendar year.
This past week we have pretty much run the gamut of the seasons within 7 days. We have had temps in the high sixties, mid week, and slightly blizzardish late last evening. Fortunately we have not been effected by these extreme changes in terms of illnesses. My poor sister-in-law has not been so fortunate. I went over to watch my baby cakes boy for a couple of hours today while T&C went on one of their Terre Haute House adventures. Cole was having quite a bit of trouble talking. It was more like a quiet, squeak.
This has been a wonderful weekend to be wrapped up in a flannel blanket with woolly socks. I did manage to be a bit productive--cleaned house. Woohoo! I even rearranged furniture. Poor Casey, our hundred pound dumb-dumb lab, is rejoicing. He normally stays in one of the bedrooms b/c there is no carpeting in the living room. He doesn't usually hang out with us much b/c he would rather lay on the carpeting in the bedrooms. Once I got the living room cleaned and rearranged I layed down a beautiful 5X7 Berber area rug that I purchased from Linens & Things. Casey is thrilled to be part of the fam again. He doesn't have slip and slide on the hardwood anymore.
When I wasn't cleaning or rearranging I spent much time curled up working on my beading projects or reading a new book SEVENTY TIMES SE7EN by Brandt Dobson. He is a new Christian fiction author that I have discovered. His books are a really easy read. The cool thing is that the Colton Parker series takes place in Indianapolis, IN. Having lived in the Circle City for several years I am very familiar with a lot of the sites and streets he mentions. In fact, in this book, he makes reference of Terre Haute several times.
Speaking of beading--my friend Jen has started a "sub" blog to Jens Journey. It features some of her beading designs. You can see the wonderful French, Dutch, Spiral, Twistee (lol) bracelet that she made me for Christmas. (We laugh b/c I can never remember its proper name).
As far as training goes--I suck! I am too much of a wimp to get out in the cold temps.
Going w/o sugar and sweets isn't so much torture anymore; however, I have been overcompensating with of carbs. I have been eating much more bread than normal. Yesterday, I was completely insatiable. I actually broke down and ate my Sugar Free PEEPS. Nate was with a friend all weekend so I kept telling myself, "Just go to Baeslers...frosted cake donuts, ice cream, hot chocolate, who would know?" Fortunately I made it through yesterday. I probably should look at it as a triumph. In the past I would have told myself to go ahead and do it. "You know that you are too weak and you are going to end up giving in anyway. Why not sooner than later?" Now that I think about it, I think that is the only time that I have stood up to the voice in my head. Once it says, "You know you are going to do it anyway" I am on my way to doing whatever I shouldn't be doing. But not yesterday. I guess I have been so busy beating myself up for all the times I thought about sweets that I didn't take the time to see that I hadn't actually caved in.
It kinda reminds me of when I have dreams about smoking. I have been smoke-free for 12 years now. Every once in a while I will have a dream where I have started smoking again. I beat myself up in my dreams for being so weak. AND if I am really fortunate, I will continue to beat myself up for the rest of the day (while I am awake!) Hellllllooooooo! it was just a dream. I did not relapse. But my funky brain makes me think I have! Good grief!
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