Back In The Land Of The Living

I have been at off site meetings all week for work, and this is my first day back in the office and I am trying to catch up. Once I get things taken care of, I'll have a chance to get caught up here. Hope everyone is well and I'll be blogging tomorrow!!

Have a good Thursday!

Happy Birthday David!

It's David's birthday today!!! The sad news is that he is sick, sick, sick! He has a terrible stomach virus that I wouldn't wish on my enemies!

So send wishes for good health to David please! He hasn't been able to enjoy any birthday festivities!!

NSV

In WW lingo, an NSV is a Non-Scale Victory. I had an NSV today! One of my co-workers asked me how much weight I had lost, and when I told her 21 pounds, she said she could really tell!! What a great way to begin my week!

It's going to be a busy week, for sure. It's David's birthday week (tomorrow is the big day!), and on top of that, he has his big meeting with Dillard's and I have a corporate meeting today-Wednesday. So between both our schedules, it's a weird week! But here's the worst part - David is home with a terrible case of food poisoning. He ate a grilled chicken Caesar salad for lunch yesterday (beware of Eatzi's!) and became really ill. He was in pain all night, but this morning his body decided it was ready to, uh, get rid of everything. He was a very very sick man this morning. I hated to leave him, but I think there isn't anything left, and he is sleeping now. I am hoping he'll be better tonight, but he only gets broth or a simple starch (baked potato or rice) for dinner. And at that, he may not be interested in eating. It really stinks that he's sick on his birthday week! Please send him well wishes!!

So other than that, no news. Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Class Dunce

So I had my first quiz in my Humanities class last night. I honestly read all the materials he told us to read, and I studied like crazy. What I did that I need not to do next time is anticipate what I think he's going to quiz us over, because while I studied with great intensity the structure of value systems and how we establish vales, he quizzed us over cultural matrixes. While I read about the cultural matrixes, I didn't spend a lot of time on that because he never mentioned it in class so I assumed the quiz would be over what we covered. WRONG!! But now I know for next week that I need to be very familiar with EVERYTHING! However, I still really like my professor and I am loving the class. Next time I will be better prepared! I hate giving him the impression that I didn't do my homework, but next time I'll do much better!

I also ate a cheeseburger yesterday. I bombed my quiz AND I ate a cheeseburger. Not a banner day for me. But I was hungry and it really was good! (I'll be paying for that later on the scale!) So I am working out and being very very good for the rest of the week. There is still time to show a loss, but I bet it won't be a 4 pound loss this week! (And you know what? That's okay! I can't go the rest of my life with no cheeseburger!)

David comes home today, and if we're lucky, we'll get iced in and can't go to work tomorrow so I can stay home and snuggle! We're crossing our fingers! David told me if I have to stay home tomorrow he'll make me pancakes. I love this man!

His birthday is next week so I am going to plan fun things to make the celebration last all week long. It will culminate with dinner at Truluck's that following Saturday night, and we're both looking forward to that. We've never been but I hear rave reviews, and since we both love seafood so much, we're going to give it a try. Now I just have to plan fun and silly things to make for a great birthday week! I already took care of one birthday gift for him, but now I have to do a few other little things. I love planning birthday stuff! Since we're going to cut out gift giving at Christmas and give money and time to charity, we decided to make birthdays much bigger deals, and I am going to set the bar! (Hey, I want to be spoiled when it's my turn!)

Okay, I think that's it for now. Everyone stay warm and have a great Thursday!

Holiday!

So I got the day off, and I have been spending my time studying for a test in my Humanities class on Wednesday. Fun, right? At least it's interesting stuff!

So...wondering how Saturday weigh-in went? AWESOME! I lost 4 pounds for a total of 21 gone!! I am one very happy girl!

Friday night was great! Christy cut and colored my hair, and then we grabbed some dinner. We had a really nice dinner, too. We sat and talked about politics, pop culture and how we don't understand our fascination with celebrity train wrecks, etc. It was a really good evening! I'm looking forward to the next time we get to do that! (I am especially proud that my girl has become a registered voter this year!!!)

So nothing else new to report. Saw Cloverfield this weekend. If you got motion-sick from Blair Witch Project, skip this one. I didn't feel good at all afterwards, and had to go home and sleep for a few hours. Lame! What a waste of a Saturday. Ugh!

So back to the grind tomorrow. I am taking David to the airport in the morning, but he's only gone until Thursday evening so it's not bad at all. With school on Wednesday, I'll hardly have a chance to miss him before he's home again! Next week is his birthday...I need to think of what to get him!

We bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner this weekend, and if think a vacuum is just a vacuum, you are so wrong! That thing is absolutely incredible! it wasn't cheap, but I think it was a good investment.

So that's it. I've moved dinner with Grampa to Mondays since I have school on Wednesdays, so I need to get myself ready for dinner. He's coming this was tonight and we're having dinner with mom and dad, too.

Have a good Monday, everyone!

Back To School

Well, I did it! I registered and I am headed back to school. I have my first class tomorrow night, so I'll zip on over after work and meet my friend Anne before class. Class doesn't begin until 7pm, so we're going to buy our books and then get a bite to eat. My first class is my humanities class, and it should be a good one. I hear the professor is great, so I am optimistic that it will be a good first semester back. I also have my health/fitness class on Saturdays at 10:45 am. I'm not as jazzed about that one, but it's only one semester. I just took the two classes this time around so that I can get back in my school groove. I plan to have a more challenging fall semester for sure. I'm a psych major, so I am going to work my butt off to make it into the psychology honor society. (That's my plan, anyhow! I have to get my GPA up!)

WW is still going very well. It's nice to know that I truly am on track and doing so well. I worked out with Susan yesterday and we lifted weights and did some core exercises. And my core is sore today, too! We're doing legs this afternoon, so I'm sure I will be a big whiny baby tomorrow. :) But at least after today I will have 2 of my 4 committed workouts done for the week. The other two are up to me. I plan to work out Thursday and Friday, so as look as I keep with it, I'll get them all in for the week.

So nothing else to share today. It's been a busy morning and I have tons to do here at work, so everyone have a great Tuesday!

The Holiday Loser!

So I went back to WW yesterday and found that I lost 2.6 pounds for a total of 17 pounds off now!! I was so prepared for a gain, and was happily surprised!! This is incredibly motivating, and I have done really well this weekend. My main source of activity has been housecleaning, but I worked hard and wasn't laying around so I don't feel guilty. I workout with Susan tomorrow, so I will be hurting but I am looking forward to it! I also register for school tomorrow evening, and I am happy about that. It's going to be nice to get that going and finished. It really feels like I am getting my ducks in a row this year, and I like it. :) It's nice to feel like things are coming together in the right way.

My plan this week is to focus on more physical activity. I've got to get moving more, and now that I'm not sick it will be a lot easier to do that. So this week, I have to get in 4 good, solid, sweat-building workouts. I'll be checking in here so that I have to be liable and accountable.

So everyone have a great evening!

Improvement

I am happy to report that I contiue to feel better, so I think a trip to the gym will be in order VERY soon! :) Hey, I need to get excited about that! Oh, I found two cool things to share. One is a food find that I love: Simple Harvest oatmeal. I could normally take oatmeal or leave it, but this stuff is great! It's quick to fix, and tastes good. Oh, and it doesn't have all the chemical sweeteners in it, which makes me very happy. I am trying to cut out all the chemicals and processed foods that I can, and this stuff is perfect for me! So I recommend the Vanilla Honey Almond flaver. I just had the Maple and Brown Sugar flavor, and while I like ti just fine, I absolutely LOVE the Vanilla Honey Almond one!

The other find is www.iTrain.com. You can download a personal trainer for your iPod and take it to the gym. It seems like a good way to have someone give you that extra push without having to pay the cost of a trainer. I think I am going to download some sessions for walking outside just to push myself a little harder. :) Seriously, I am getting the weight off this year!

I register for school on Monday, and I am looking forward to it. It's time to get that degree finished so I can have a career that I really love. I'm okay with my current job, but I think there is more for me in life than this. But I am grateful for where I am right now. :)

So nothing else to report. Everyone have a great Wednesday!

On the Mend

Yes, I think I am better. I have still been coughing and sniffling, but I am doing a lot better these days. I haven't made it to the gym just yet, but I tried! My trainer told me yesterday that she thought I still needed some recovery time, so we're shooting for later this week. I REALLY need the workout! I'd love to feel up to just taking a walk, but my lung capacity is a little diminished right now. I hate these upper respiratory infections!!

All of that aside, I am still doing really well with my eating, which is a big victory after all the crap I ate over the holidays. The good news is that I am going to WW this weekend - no exceptions!! I know I'll show a gain, but maybe turning things around this week will ease the pain a little. But I am going to take my gain and move on. :) I've learned after losing so much weight a couple years ago that it's better to face the music and stop the gain before it goes out of control. So lesson learned!

My girls and I are beginning to plan our trip to Vegas! We're going May 30th for a fun weekend. We timed it with the release of the new SATC movie so we can catch the movie in Vegas while we're out having fun. I love it! It should be a blast, and I am excited about going out there with the girls. Angela and Kim have never been, so Mia and I will be the Vegas veterans. I was there last August and had so much fun with David! I'll miss him, but absence makes the heart grow fonder! (Besides, he can hang out with his brother!)

So I guess that's it for now. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Belated First Post of 2008

I would have been posting on New Years Day, but I have been sick and haven't felt very good. It's all sinus crap, but it was enough to keep me home from work yesterday, and will keep me home all weekend. I am happy to report that my eating has been much better, but there has been no workout in 2008 yet. I am going to see how I feel tomorrow, but I really need to get my booty to the gym. Otherwise I am just getting nowhere. And 2008 is all about self-improvement! So please send me healing vibes...I need them so I can go exercise!

No other real news. Things are good on this end. For NYE, we went to our friends Jeff and Lyn's house to celebrate. We got there around 9 and stayed until about 12:15 and went on home. I was already starting to feel puny, but we had RSVPd and wanted to be good guests. We had fun, but it was nice to come home and go to bed. I do realize that the older I get the less important it is to go out and whoop it up. Man, I am going to be 36 this year...where does it all go?

I start school this month, and I am ready. It's part of the self-improvement plan. I am going to bust my butt to get my degree finished up, get my masters and then hopefully find myself in a career that I will really love. I'm ready for that!! My friend Anne is sharing the same major and going to the same school (totally not planned!) so we'll be taking classes together, and I am so excited about that! I'll have a buddy in class, which always makes things more fun. :)

That's it for now. I need to go blow my nose and lay in bed some more. Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

How to Look Good Naked

I downloaded an episode of this show and watched it...I love it! What a wonderful show! It's all about taking women who feel awful about their bodies and helping them see how beautiful they are. I actually learned some stuff and the girl they showcased really evolved and by the end of the show she was seeing just how fabulous she really is. Finally there is some positive self-image on TV! This will be on Lifetime in January, so all you women out there who can't see all the good stuff about you, I insist you watch this show! (And for everyone else who doesn't understand what it's like to not love your body, watch and learn!!)

Tonight is the end of the year. It's been an amazing year for me. Married, promoted...next year will be so different. My focus for 2008 is school and fitness. I start back on January 16th to school, and I am ready! I'm getting back in the weight watchers groove and I'm excited about that. It's time, and I feel good! (I didn't go to my meeting Saturday, but that's ok. Next Saturday I'm so there!)

So no more resolutions. Just dedication to the things that will bring about an improved me!

Happy New Year! Everyone please be safe, and have a fun evening!

I Can't Believe It's Over!

Seriously...has Christmas really come and gone? Wow...that was fast! I spent most of yesterday glued to the television watching coverage of the death of Benazir Bhutto. I honestly have to say that I don't know how it will affect Pakistan or the US's relationship with Pakistan. It's interesting to watch the coverage and see how Pakistan reacts. I don't in any way claim to be educated on anything going on over there...I just have a fascination with the news and how the world always reacts to things of this nature. In any case, I always think it's sad when people pass away like this. It seems to really have set things off over there.

It's been quiet otherwise. Nothing going on with me. I have to work a 1/2 day today and Monday, and then after the New Year holiday it's back to the grind. As a way of passing time, I have my new iPod up here at the office with me. I love this thing! It's the Touch, and I need to put come more movies/videos on here. This is such a cool piece of technology! :) When David and I go to London next year it will come in handy on the plane.

I have done just horribly with my eating over the holidays. I am ready to get back into my groove. I am going to work out today and I need to get in quite a few workouts! Too many tasty treats and not enough discipline. That ends right now. But the good thing is that I am putting myself back in control, so I will have lots of success this year! :)

I think that's it for today. Everyone have a good Friday!

Merry Christmas!!

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas! I hope Santa was good to you, and that you spend the day with those you love dearly...I am! I got an iPod Touch from my Santa! :) It's charging right now and I can't wait to play with it!! I am about to get things ready to head to mom and dad's, so I am keeping this short.

Merry Christmas, and may the new year bring you lots of peace and joy!

Better Than Sprinkles??

So I made cupcakes last night. Nothing fancy, just a yellow mix and chocolate frosting. I think David was in Heaven! He went on and on about how they were better than Sprinkles...moist, delicious, and not crumbly. and he LOVED the milk chocolate icing! I may get the Wife of the Year award from him! I got a big hug when he finished his cupcake - and then he went and got another one! :) So I am feeling quite pleased with myself for giving him such a special treat.

This might be the last post before Christmas. We have lots of things we're doing and lots of family to see, so in case I can't squeeze in a quick hello, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Tired

I just feel so tired today. For some reason, I just didn't sleep well last night and it's catching up to me. I think I may be getting close to being ready for the holidays to be done. Not that I am not enjoying them, but all the holiday food pitfalls are getting hard to resist, and I am frustrated about that. I am going to have to kick my workouts up a bit. I didn't weigh in on Saturday, but I will this week. There are just some days when you know you can't do it, and last Saturday was just that day for me. It was a good weekend, otherwise. Full of holiday fun stuff. But now I am back at work and it's hard because everyone else (it feels like!) is home. That's just no fun! I have to go out at lunch today to buy stamps for our Christmas cards. (Yeah, they haven't gone out yet.) I'm just ready to take a big fat nap, though. I have to get a better night's sleep tonight. I went to bed at a decent time, just didn't sleep well.

No real news, just popping in to say hello to everyone. I hope everyone has a good day!

The Joy of Sprinkles

Ah yes. Anyone who really knows me is keenly aware of my love of cupcakes. And now I have experienced joy like no other...I have had Sprinkles Cupcakes. Yes, I bought into the hype and had a "designer" cupcake, but they're good! We now have a Sprinkles here in Dallas. We've had it for a while actually, but I hadn't been since it's not exactly next door. Oh, they are so good! But wait, you say....what about WW? Well, everything in moderation, my friend. I got an assortment when my friend Shanna went yesterday, and I am sharing the holiday love with others. One of them is mine, but the rest are being shared. However, here is a picture of my box of happiness:

Either the bottom left or the bottom right will be mine. I am not sure yet. The bottom left is a Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with vanilla cream cheese icing. The bottom right is a spiced buttermilk cake with cinnamon sugar. I definitely have to choose...I can't have both. UGH!! Just for fun, the bottom middle is dark chocolate with dark chocolate icing. The top left is egg nog, the top middle is vanilla with peppermint, and the top right is strawberry. (The vanilla with peppermint and the strawberry are for David!)

So I am letting my brain wander to cupcakes for a little while. I hope everyone has a great day!

What's Wrong With People?

I am going to a funeral on Friday, and I think this may be the worst thing ever. My very dear friend Anne's aunt was murdered Sunday night. That's right, murdered. If you live here locally, you probably saw the news story about the woman who was shot by some guy who knocked on her door and she answered it and he just shot her. She and her husband were just watching TV on Sunday night. Some jackass randomly selected their house and ruined everything for them. He didn't steal anything, he just shot her three times and ran off, jumped into a car and drove away. No one knows who this jerk was, and there isn't much evidence. How in the world do you wrap your head around this? There is no reason, rational or irrational. There isn't any way to justify this. It's this huge thing that no one knows how to make peace with. Marianne was a 67 year old woman who, along with her husband, was retired and looking forward to landscaping her back yard. My friend, Anne, is devastated. I have known Anne and her family my entire life. Our moms were best friends since their 7th grade year, so this isn't just something that happened to a casual acquaintance of mine. Although I didn't know her Aunt, I know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do to support Anne's family right now. She was there for my when my Gran passed, and I will be there for her to hold her hand be the best friend I know how to be.

Please be extra cautious. Don't answer the door if you don't know who it is. It sounds so elementary, but it seems that we officially live in an age where you can't even be safe in your own home. And most important, please be sure to hug your family and tell them you love them often. We really just don't know what life will hand us.

Dreary Monday

Today would have been a nice day to stay home in bed! It's cold and icky outside! Sadly, no chance of weather that would keep me home from work. :( It would have been nice! So here I am at work. But at least it was a good weekend! I had dinner with the girlies on Friday night, and Saturday we got to celebrate Jen's birthday with a surprise dinner! David and Kim and I met up with them at a Mercado Juarez in Arlington and had a good time! it was a big group and a fun dinner. Yesterday was a bit lazy...we watched the Cowboys squeak one out against Detroit. I still don't know how they managed to win that one, but they did, so go Cowboys! We went out to dinner and to Target to pick up some kitty litter and fire logs, and that was our big outing yesterday! So it was a quiet weekend for the most part.



I heard that the Salvation Army still has angels from their Angel Tree that need to be adopted, so we're going to head to the mall to check into that and see what we can do to help. If it's too late, we're going to plan to do something for Toys for Tots. There are too many kiddos who don't get anything for Christmas. It's the least we can do. I hope everyone will consider finding a way to give time or money this season. Maybe take care of a soldier's family, or give a gift to a kid with no chance of a visit from Santa this year. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? Take care of each other?


Anyhow, have a good Monday, and stay warm everyone!

Happy Dance Time!

So I stepped on the scale this morning and the news was great! I lost all the weight I gained last week, so we are back at 15 pounds gone! :) I am proud! It's good to be back on track!

I had a great dinner with my girls last night. I love them all so much! It's good to spend time with friends like that. We're eagerly anticipating the release of the SATC movie in May! (I hope they do it justice!) We're planning a girls trip, and that's going to be awesome! :)

So that's it for today! Everyone have a good Saturday!

Counting The Hours (And the Calories!)

So my weigh in is tomorrow morning. For those of you who know know how much I must hate myself, I get up at 6am on Saturday mornings to go to my 7am meeting. So I will be weighing in around 6:40. I have done pretty well this week, and gotten lots of exercise in. My goal was 5 workouts, but I only managed 4. (Today will be number four, but I am going to the gym here at work before I go home, so I'll get it done!) I am hoping that my good choices and exercise will pay off tomorrow. Even if I don't lose it all, if I just lose SOMETHING I will be happy. It's all part of the journey, I know. There will be gains as well as losses, and I do accept that. I just want to be rewarded tomorrow! :) Whatever happens, I will be glad I went and work hard again next week.

Tonight I am going to a Christmas gathering with my girls. We're going to Mia's to hang out, and we're all bringing a snack. You know mine will be WW friendly for sure! I found two recipes I want to make. (I want to make something veggie friendly for Kim!) One is spinach triangles, and the other is Mexican beef and cheese won tons. They both require a fair amount of prep work, so I may be searching for alternatives. I am going to be sweaty when I get home and I need to shower and dress in addition to getting food ready. I think I may rethink my food ideas and find something yummy and healthy at the market. There are plenty of yummy and healthy snacks to be found there!

Tomorrow I am also going to get caught up on laundry. I am WAY behind and have plenty to do! We're not messy people, but the house needs to be picked up and vacuumed...we have lots to do! And of course Sunday is the Cowboys game at noon, so everything comes to a screeching halt for Romo and the boys at our house. (And that's okay! I watch the games, too!) So that's our weekend in a nutshell. Maybe somewhere in there I can get a manicure!

David is doing something super sweet! He has arranged a very special date night for us. On Saturday the 22nd, we're going to downtown Ft. Worth and having a nice dinner and enjoying the Christmas lights in Sundance Square. He even got us a room at the Worthington (where we stayed after our wedding!), but he used his Marriott points so it's FREE!!! :) So we can have a nice evening and we don't have to drive home! I thought it was very sweet, and I am really looking forward to it.

I think that's it for now. I hope everyone has a great Friday, and I will post my weigh in results tomorrow! :)