Oh, the PAIN!

After working out Monday and Tuesday with my trainer, I am a very sore girl. I pretty much went home and went right to bed last night. David is out of town so I didn't need to worry about dinner for anyone, so I drifted off to sleepy land. :) I needed it!

Dinner was fine Monday night. David's parents are much more reserved and quiet, so I always feel like I'm kind of loud and silly when I am around them. I think my parents are wonderful and I am always proud to introduce them. My parents have always been very well liked/loved by all my friends and David really loves them, too. :) That always makes me very happy!

Tonight I am having dinner with Grampa. Mom and Dad are meeting me there, and if David gets home in time he'll come too. He is flying in from Corpus Christi this afternoon, so I am not sure he will be home in time. He leaves again on Friday and comes home Saturday night, so I am having dinner with my girls on Friday evening. I love my friends! :)

So that's it for now. I hope everyone has a good Wednesday!

Meet The Parents

Tonight David and I are really merging families: we're having dinner together with both sets of parents. We're going to a restaurant in the West Village (I love that part of town!) and we've heard great things about this place. I'll review the food tomorrow. This should be a very nice evening, and I am looking forward to it. (There's a Paciguo's over there, so we may need to cap the evening with a little fat-free sorbetti!)

WW has stalled out for me. Our work meetings are over (it was a 16 week program) and now I am going to try on my own for a while. I talked with Angela about it in great length, and I think I can do this. I do have to order my dress in the next week or so, but it's ok. I am going to keep working out and working to make good food choices. I really can do this, I just have to dig deep within. It's there, I know it is! (I did it before!)

We had fun watching the Oscars last night. I always love the dresses and hairstyles. I thought Gwynneth Paltrow looked so very beautiful! I didn't see too many people who looked bad, although some DJs were talking about it on the radio. I'll have to go online later and look.

That's it for now. I am having lunch with Mia today, and I am really looking forward to it! :)

The Weekend Recap is a Little Late

Yeah, I'm running behind all over the place. Sorry I've done such a poor job of blogging lately...it's just been so hectic and I haven't had much time. I think most everyone out there understands!

David and I had a nice weekend. We drove down to Austin and just relaxed for the evening. It was a really lovely evening, and we needed to recharge, for sure! The night before, (Friday night) David's brother Greg came over and we went to see Ghost Rider. It's a little far fetched in some places, but it was entertaining and I had a good time. We say the preview for 300, which looks like some kind of gladiator movie. I'm really not interested, but Greg and David told me I have to go see it with them, so apparently I am not getting out of going. (I plan to try, though!)

It's been really busy at work. I am moving into a new position (yay!) and I am having to train new people (boo). I'm not a very good trainer, and I always make sure to tell people this. It doesn't help that the other two people on my team aren't very bright, so it's really being left up to me. It will be about a month or so before I can move into my new position, and I really hope it goes by fast!

I had my first wedding nightmare last night. I dreamed that David didn't bother to go get a tux until the day of the wedding, so no one had matching tuxes. I think I am stressing myself out about the wedding. I am also having body issues (I love the dress I have picked out, but it's sleeveless and I don't love my arms.), trying to finish getting addresses from David, and starting to think about the flow of the ceremony. All of a sudden it hit me last night that I have a lot to do and the time is really starting to move quickly. I did the invitations and the RSVP cards printed last night. (In case no one knew this, I am doing the invitations myself.) I need to finalize a couple of details and then I can print the inserts with the reception and accommodation information on it. After that, I'm going to have friends come and help assemble these things, and then they will be ready to be mailed out in July.

So really, everything is under control. I just need to remind myself it will all be okay!

I hope everyone has a good Wednesday!!

Happy Birthday, Kim and Mia!

Today is Kim and Mia's birthday! They are both thirty-faux today (we're all of a certain age that we don't really need to say exactly how old we are anymore!) and they are fabulous! So celebrate in style, girls! :)

No big news to report. We had a lovely dinner last night...David made ribs and they were awesome! We had a relaxing evening, and we deserved it. Tonight my parents are taking us to dinner and we are really looking forward to that, too. (Thanks in advance, mom and dad!)

Tomorrow night David's brother Greg is coming over, and hopefully, so is Jen. Craig has a soccer game but I am hoping Jen can still make it. I haven't seen her in a while and I need to hug her. :) (and Craig, too!) We're planning to see Ghost Rider at the movies.

That's it for now! Everyone have a good Thursday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all have had a great day! Remember that you are all special to me!

Grammy Recap

No, I'm not recapping the winners....I'm recapping the fun! David and I cleaned house during the day, and went to the store. We have official Grammy watching munchies, and here's the menu for fun!

Grammy Award Winning Nachos

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bag dried cranberries
1 bag corn tortillas
1 wedge of brie cheese

Place the chips on an oven safe baking sheet (we use a piza stone). Cover with diced chicken, black beans, dried cranberries, and shredded brie (freeze the brie first so that it will be easier to shred). Then bake in oven until cheese is melted. YUM!

Cocktail of the Year

1 cup champange
1/2 small individual sized can pineapple juice
2-3 tablespoons grenadine

Pour over ice and serve with cherries as a garnish!

And that was the menu! Fun food to watch the Grammies with! We had a good time giving our opinions on the performers and playing fashion police. :)

Happy Monday everyone!

Where Have I Been?

Going crazy! (short trip, I know!) Seriously, it's just been super busy for me lately. Work has been crazy, and home life has been busy, too! David is out of town again, so I am having some me time. I had dinner with Grampa last night, and tonight I have to run and do some returning/exchanging of clothes and shoes. I am having dinner with mom and dad, and then mom said she'd keep me company while I run up to the mall to return shoes and exchange some clothes. My goal is to be in bed at a decent time again tonght. A full night's sleep is a very lovely thing!

This weekend is the big Glitterati Birthday Bash. Kim and Mia both turn thirty-faux next week, and we're sushi-ing it up this weekend. It should be a very good time! (It's so neat that two of my very best friends have the same birthday!!)

Special note...if you have given up commenting because the system is giving you a hard time, that should be fixed. Anyone is welcome to comment now, I just get to approve the comments before they post. (Only because I don't want spam comments all over my blog!)

So that's it for now. I hope everyone is have a great day!

(And a special thanks to Blonde...your email was so nice!! I needed that!)

Inspired

I lost a pound. Just one, but it's significant in that it means I am on the right track. I thought a lot today about ways to keep myself motivated and inspired. I also wondered why this is such a struggle...a wedding dress isn't enough? The fact that I lost 78 pounds in 2005 (and managed to gain a big chunk back) doesn't motivate me? I wondered if there was a book out there that might speak to me. So I went to amazon.com. How does one weed through all that mess? I don't need some author to tell me HOW to do it...I already know how. I need something that sparks me, really speaks to me. The Rice Diet was not it. I don't even know what a rice diet would be like except that maybe you eat a lot of rice?

I thought back to when I began blogging almost two years ago. I was on the right path, getting ready for a trip to Paris, and caring for my Gran. My Gran. She embodies so many of the very qualities I admire in my mother, and the qualities I hope to find in myself. And then I thought further...my Dad, who has always been there when I had a broken heart or a skinned knee. When I was about to move home from Seattle and had no money and didn't know what to do, my Dad flew up to help me come home. And seeing him coming toward me in the airport terminal was one of the greatest moments of my life because my Dad was there and I knew he would make everything okay. That's what he does. He supports me in every way possible, and there are things we've talked about that were difficult and he never judged. He listened and hugged me. I hope to be like that, too. So where can I draw inspiration? From my Dad, who never gives up on me.

Where else can I find inspiration? I have amazing friends. Kim, Mia, Angela, Christy, Jennifer, Joseph...the list goes on and on. (If you don't see your name, it's because I can't begin to name everyone who inspires and encourages me! Don't think you weren't thought of while I was writing this!) Everyone in my life seems to always find a way to cheer me on when it's tough. For this, I am so grateful. And David...who loves me just as I am, but encourages me to be the very best me I can. Which doesn't always have anything to do with weight, but everything to do with being a good person.

So after an evening of thought, I found my inspiration to keep on working hard. I found it in myself, but it's there because all of you believe in me and believe I can do this.

Thank you. What else can I say? You all mean the world to me.

Wednesday Cuteness

Okay...I think this is pretty great! This is a picture of two of our kitties, Zak and Cleo, doing what they do best: Zak is stalking Cleo and Cleo doesn't care. :)

I love this picture!

So no real news today. David leaves today for San Antonio/Austin. (The Austin part is especially good...that is where my ring is being made!) Saturday is a shoe shopping excursion and I think that's everything I have planned. I worked out my lower body yesterday with Susan and I am one very sore chica today! Walking up/down the stairs killed me...but it's all in the name of progress! We took my measurements Monday, so in a month we'll measure again and see what kind of progress I am making. :)

That's all for now. I hope everyone is having a great day!

Happy Birthday David!

It's David's birthday today! :) We had a nice, quiet weekend and it was definitely much needed. We watched movies and vegged. Yesterday, David's parents took us to the Malachite Room at the Intercontinental Hotel for brunch. VERY nice! I would hate to know what the brunch cost, but the food was outstanding! Tonight, my parents and my Grampa are taking us out to celebrate David's birthday. We have a favorite local place we love, and that's where we are going.

Other than that, it was a very quiet weekend. There hasn't been a lot going on lately, but that's ok. David is travelling Wednesday-Friday, so I will miss him. He's trying to organize his travel so that he isn't gone quite as long on his trips. :)

That's it for now. Everyone have a good Monday!

The Luckiest Girl...

...has to be Christy! She found her wedding dress tonight and it will be in a month before her wedding (May 5th!). I was sure she'd have a hard time being able to order something this close to the wedding, but success! And she looks beautiful in it, too! We both got misty-eyed when she came out of the dressing room. I can't post the picture here because Rich might drop by, but trust me, she looks wonderful! It's going to be a great wedding! Sadly, my date won't be in town, so I will go stag and have lots of fun! :)

Not much new to report really. I worked with Susan yesterday and today, and I am sore! She is definitely doing her job! :) It's good to be working with a trainer again. :)

That's about it for now. Told you there wasn't much to report. Oh, except that I get my ring on February 17th! David has been have my ring custom designed. It's made from my Gran's ring, so it's incredibly special to me. He has designed the ring himself and it's being made right now. We're celebrating Valentines on February 17th so that I can be formally proposed to and we can have a long, romantic dinner. I have appointments for a facial, brow waxing, a French manicure, and Christy is trimming and styling my hair. I have to look good! :) I know some of you may not understand the whole ring coming after the wedding has been planned, but really, I don't mind. The commitment has been there all along, and that's the most important part. The ring is just the icing on the cake. And trust me when I say that it will be posted here the next day! :)

So everyone have a good evening!

250 Days and Counting

That's right...250 days until the wedding. Sounds like a lot of time, right? It's really not. I have been thinking of the time in terms of how many paychecks there are left, and it's only 17. We're having quite the wedding and reception, so we have agreed that frugality is the word of the day at our house. :) But we don't mind. We're having the wedding we want and we'll be surrounded by our wonderful friends and family. That makes it the wedding of our dreams! After feeling worn out and sluggish all weekend, I made it to a bridal show on Sunday and it was good to see my vendors. My baker had yummy samples of my cake and I was once again reminded of why I chose her...that's some mighty fine cake! :) I really went to see the bridal fashion show. Lots of pretty dresses, but I was checking out the bridesmaid dresses and saw a bunch that look beautiful. My bridesmaids are all going to be beautiful! (They each get to pick out their own dress...I'm not about to make them all wear the same thing!)

So that was my weekend in a nutshell. I was glad to have some sun yesterday. I am really tired of the rain and cold temperatures. You can bet that I'll regret that remark when it's 105 in July.

Mom and Dad have both been really really sick, and I think they are both on the mend. They've had that awful intestinal virus, so I haven't gotten to see them except for dropping off broth, Popsicles, sprite, and apple juice and leaving it on the porch and ringing the doorbell. I got to wave at them through the window. (I'm not about to catch that awful stuff!!) It's hard to not be able to go and hug them! :(

So that's it for now. I hope everyone has a good Monday! (Is there such a thing?)

Winter Blast!

Wow...we've had a heck of a cold snap here! My office was closed yesterday, and we didnt' have to come in until 10am this morning...what a nice treat! Daivd was supposed to fly to Amarillo yesterday but after sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours, they finally took themback to the gate and cancelled the flight so David came back home and we vegged all day. It was nice! :)

Today is a short day for me since I am only here until 4pm. No complaints here, though! I'll be grabbing some lunch around noon and then getting back to work. I have to put together my performance assessment for my annual review. I hate doing that, but I have to. Yuck!

So that's it for now. My WW meeting is cancelled for today, so no weigh in for me. I did start with my trainer on Tuesday, and my arms are so sore! I really like Susan and am excited to be working with her.

Everyone be safe! I hear we may be in for more sleet tomorrow! Good grief!

Cabin Fever

We've been in the apartment for two days now. It's cold and icy outside our building, so getting out isn't very appealing. So home we've stayed. We vegged yesterday, but today I worked on the table cards for the wedding, and we cleaned the apartment. It's been a nice day. :) Tomorrow will probably be just as uneventful since we're due for more freezing rain. But since we live so close to a movie theater, we think we're going to walk to the theater and see a movie. (if it's not rainy)

The cats have enjoyed our being home. They're snuggly and everyone seems to be getting along.

There's not really much news since we haven't gotten out. It's just been nice to be home and have David here! Everyone stay warm!

My Own Mouse Hole in the Rat Maze

We're moved into our teeny-weeny cubes now. The only good thing I can say is that I am back on my old floor with a lot of people that I like, and that does help. It's noisy up here and I don't have the storage space that I used to have. But someday I will have a grown-up cube again! Until then, I have a mouse hole in what looks a lot like a rat maze.

This is my home away from home. *sigh*

But the good news is that David comes home tonight!! Hopefully his flight won't delay...every time he flies American it gets delayed for some reason. I am crossing my fingers that it won't be delayed tonight. I'm working out after work, then going to the store and then heading home to clean both myself and the apartment. It helps pass time until I go pick him up. :) I think we're going to hibernate this weekend. It's going to be cold and yucky and right now, I don't see myself wanting to get out.

Oh, I put the deposit down on the honeymoon! Look out, Jamaica! Here we come!

So that's it for me. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Home Alone

Yes, David has been gone since Sunday and I miss him. This last-minute business trip to San Francisco has left me home alone with the kitties, and we are totally missing him!

I am off work tomorrow. Yay! They are moving my department to another floor, and they don't want us in the way so we get to stay home. :) I am going to the gym and then to my WW meeting, and then I am going to work on wedding stuff. It's a dream day for me!

So I am spending the bulk of my day packing and getting my cube ready to be moved. To a smaller cube. I'm not happy about that, but really that's old news and I don't feel like being mad today. I am crampy and bloaty and that doesn't help. So anyhow, I am moving to my new digs tomorrow. Woo-hoo.

That's really about it. Everything else is good. Christy is kicking her wedding planning into gear, so we're going to look for her dress on Sunday. She needs to get the cake/dessert ordered, but she'll have time for that. I mainly worry that she might not have enough time for her dress to be ordered, but I think it will be ok. I'm just happy to help her! :)

Everyone have a good Wednesday!

Getting By

That sums up the weekend...just getting by. It was a hard day. We sent Little Bit on to Heaven, and it has been tough. Mom and Dad's house seems a little empty without my furry brother. And on top of that, David left early yesterday morning on business, so I wandered around the house yesterday doing the old mindless munching, which makes me mad. So I've worked out hard today and hopefully reversed some of the damage. I weigh in on Thursday, so we'll see how things go. This just wasn't my favorite weekend.

It's a busy week at work. They are moving us to another floor so I have to pack my cube before the end of the business day Wednesday. They are moving so many people that it would be better if we weren't in the way, so I get a day off on Thursday, which is reallya nice treat. I am going to get up early and hit the gym and then go weigh in. I need my meeting this week.

I don't really have a lot of news today. Feeling a little blah. I have been driving Cleo, Kaylee and Zak nuts hugging, kissing, and petting them. I'm just needing to snuggle the kitties right now.

Getting Ready to Let Go

When I was 17 years old, a two-year-old scrawny, hungry marmalade colored tabby cat wandered up my parent's driveway and decided to adopt us. He's a sweet, loving cat who over the last 17 years has bought our family a lot of joy. He loves us and has taken care of us for many many years.

Now, he is 19 years old, and his arthritis is very painful for him. He is deaf and can't hear us tell him we love him, but it's obvious that he knows. He has a cancerous cyst on his mouth that doesn't appear to hurt him but it can't feel very good. The most loving thing we can do for him now is to let him go. He'll be going to heaven tomorrow morning, and the sadness weighs on us heavily.

"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together."

... Author unknown

We love you, Little Bit.

I Didn't Bring The Holidays With Me Into 2007

I weighed in today and only had a .2 pound gain, so essentially I didn't gain weight over the holidays! (two-tenths of a pound does NOT count!) I am feeling pretty great about this, and so I begin the new year on a very happy note. :)

I am also looking forward to working out tonight. David won't have time today, so that puts me back ahead in the challenge. I am getting ready to start with a new trainer in the middle of the month. Her name is Susan, and I like her. She is the manager of the fitness center here at work, and I think she really understands how to motivate me. We talk a lot, and she has been really helpful. We've talked, and she's had to battle a weight proble, in the past. You'd never know...she looks great! So I am going to work with her twice a week for 30 minutes each to start with. I'm going to order my wedding dress a size smaller, so I have to make sure I can get into it! :)

So that's it for today. David and I are starting to plan for the honeymoon. We're going to put the deposit down this month! (Going to Jamaica, mon!) I get married in 268 days now!!!

Everyone have a great day!

A Sign Of Things To Come

So I was really refocusing yesterday on getting back on track with WW. And then I looked at the calendar...January 2. It was January 2 of 2005 when I started WW and had a lot of success, so I think this is a forecast of the good things to come in 2007. I'm going to mirror my previous success, but then I am going to keep moving forward to my goal. :) So this is going to be a very good year! (Obvious events aside, of course!)

No real news today. I got in my first workout of 2007 yesterday. 30 minutes (short, but hey, I worked out hard for those 30 minutes!). So when I got home, David asked me how long I worked out, and then went to the gym and worked out for 45 minutes. I am no longer telling him how long I work out since we are competing to see who works out the most each month! I am having dinner with Grampa tonight, but I am working out big time tomorrow!! And maybe I'll just tell David I only worked out for 30 minutes again...but I'm working out for an hour!!!

So that's it for now. I hope everyone is settling into the new year. It's going to go by fast for me!